Today’s Headlines

  • Don’t Count on Cuomo Imposing Conditions on GM’s Robot Cars (Post, News)
  • Uber Paid $1.8M to Get Its Statewide E-Hail Bill Through Albany — a Steal! (News)
  • Five to 15 Years for Matthew von Ohlen’s Unrepentant Killer (DNA)
  • Alon Levy Skeptical the MTA Will Do What’s Necessary to Reduce Subway Wait Times (CO)
  • TWU: Off-Board Fare Collection Reduces Threat of Violence Against Bus Drivers (News)
  • NJ Transit Trains Breaking Down More Frequently in 2017 (NJ.com)
  • NTSB: Dahlia Driver Raymond Mong Ran Red Before Colliding With MTA Bus (Post)
  • Victim of Tuesday’s Fatal Bronx Hit-and-Run Was Dennis Gandarilla (News, AMNY)
  • Dan Donovan and Adriano Espaillat Want Federal Funds for Bollards (Eagle)
  • Kids Could Someday Play Hopscotch on the Tavern on the Green Parking Lot (Rag)

More headlines at Streetsblog USA

  • Larry Littlefield

    You call $1.8 million for the right to operate a business not one has to work for, pay for or use a steal? They’ve pikers compared with this.

    http://www.nysun.com/new-york/teachers-get-big-gift-from-gop/71371/

    “Two weeks after the state’s largest teachers union gave Senate Republicans a boost by endorsing their candidate in a critical special election race, Republican lawmakers fast-tracked a bill that would allow New York City teachers to retire with full benefits five years sooner than they can now.”

    “The changes to the pension plan agreed to by the Legislature were a high priority for New York State United Teachers, the 585,000-member statewide labor organization that includes the United Federation of Teachers, which represents city educators.”
    Cost — perhaps $30 billion if paid for immediately, multiplied by prior pension increases, and increasing in cost at the rate of perhaps $1.5 billion per year as the pension fund is drained and it isn’t paid for. In future tax increases and service cuts to — EVERYTHING.
    Lesser deals similar to what Uber got could generally be had for the cost of a state dinner.
    By the way, all the Vote No banners are out, funded by you know who. Because rich special interests are in favor of a constitutional convention, they say.

  • Brad Aaron

    Because there’s no difference between retirement benefits for public school teachers and stock dividends for billionaire VCs.

  • Larry Littlefield

    I expect those $billions to go “poof” sometime soon, absent more bailouts.

    The question is whether they will first be able to sell to suckers and convert them into something someone will have to pay for someday regardless.

  • bolwerk

    Maybe if we term limit these legislators, we can elect a new crop of neolibs who won’t need to be lobbied to give Uber what it wants.

  • Larry Littlefield

    There actually has been quite a lot of turnover in the legislature, I was surprised to see when I looked at the data. But only to designated replacements appointed by the machine.

    https://larrylittlefield.wordpress.com/2017/09/24/term-limits-impact-on-the-characteristics-of-nyc-representatives/

    Just remember, we have a full double-blind test of democracy right here in NYC. A City Council with term limits. And NYC representatives to a state legislature without term limits. Which provides votes of real value, contested elections (even in a one-party state), and real representation?

    https://larrylittlefield.wordpress.com/2017/09/10/term-limits-new-york-citys-double-blind-test-of-democracy/

    Which is associated with more corruption and less transparency?

    https://larrylittlefield.wordpress.com/2017/09/30/term-limits-impact-on-the-operation-of-new-yorks-governing-bodies/

    There is no need to address this question with preconceptions when we have factual results.

  • Brad Aaron

    I never made such allegations. I just think it’s a bit much to liken teacher pension deals with a corporation that exists to exploit ramming through legislation to enhance its bottom line.

  • Larry Littlefield

    Follow the link I provided above.

    In NYC the public unions exist to ram through legislation that increase their bottom line. Generally big corporations do so at the federal level, but I guess the State of New York is an equal opportunity pillager.

    Basically, after all the retroactive pension increases, the cost of teacher pensions is $5.2 billion and soaring. It would require at least $100 billion to cover that. They had $44 billion and falling — because they weren’t putting in enough.

    So when they start dealing out the pain, how should transit’s share be allocated? And and how about transits share of the pain for police and fire pensions?

    And remember the TWU went on strike to retire at 50, but didn’t get it. Perhaps that’s why they stopped doing maintenance, in retaliation.

    The state pension system, which covers local government employees in the rest of the state, is among the best funded in the country, NYC among the worst. And you wonder why DeBlasio has no money for transit (the poor, etc).

    If Wall Street wasn’t pillaging the world and paying NY taxes on it, it would be worse. And it will be.

  • Vooch

    brad,

    teachers union is worse because they are extrlortinv from the poorest of children who are forced to use their service

    no one is forced to use uber

  • Larry Littlefield

    “no one is forced to use uber”

    Which is why they are going “poof.” The are the product of zero percent interest rates. Which is another reason Wall Street won’t be able to pillage as much as before. And then, when they can’t lie about it and sweep it under the rug anymore, the political/union class will go after the serfs for everything they have promised themselves.

  • Joe R.

    All I can say is good luck with that. If the political/union class manages to enact a massive tax increase to fund things like retroactive pension increases, two things are highly likely to happen. One, the politicians will get voted out of office by a populace tired of being treated like an ATM. Two, there will be a mass exodus from NYC and NYS, to the point tax revenues will drop even if rates are much higher. The only people I might see staying here are the very poor who don’t pay taxes anyway, the unemployed, and retirees with low to moderate income. Those who pay the bulk of the taxes will be gone. The state/city will probably be forced to declare bankruptcy. The UFT will be offered a deal where the city pays maybe 50% of the promised pensions. If the UFT refuses, the deal the next day might be for 45%. This guy would be great to represent the city in the negotiations:

  • Brad Aaron

    The gospel according to Eva Moskowitz.