Sunday, January 31, 2010
Why are many insurance companies different in New York?
Negative New York story - White House backs down on New York terror trial
New YorkTHE trial of the confessed mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the US will not go ahead in New York as planned, after the Obama administration bowed to pressure to move it.
But the White House is firm on another key plank of its policy for trying accused terrorists: it still wants Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four of his co-conspirators to face a civilian court.
Despite pressure from Republican Party critics and even fellow Democrats, President Barack Obama is resisting calls for a return to George Bush's policy of military tribunals.
When a lower Manhattan court was announced in November as the location for Khalid's trial, independent New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared it was "fitting" Khalid and his fellow accused terrorists should be tried just blocks away from the World Trade Centre site where so many citizens were murdered in 2001.
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A change of heart by Mr Bloomberg over the past few weeks has done most to force a rethink in the White House.
Mr Bloomberg now accepts that a lengthy trial in lower Manhattan, close to the financial district, would pose a security risk, cost too much and cause severe disruption to the city. Concerns have been gathering steam for weeks since New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly laid out the logistics of security to local politicians and business groups, and made it clear the trial markedly increased lower Manhattan's risk as a terrorist target.
The police chief's audience appears to have blanched at the prospect of constant police lockdowns, car searches, dog patrols and rooftop snipers.
One estimate of the cost of security and disruption was as high as $US200 million ($226.2m) a year for a trial that could last several years.
Mr Bloomberg remained behind the New York trial until last week, when he met a group of federal judges and one raised the issue of security.
After giving an assurance the area could be made safe, the Mayor reportedly changed his mind the next day, leaving the Obama administration without its strongest advocate.
A White House spokesman was quoted as saying: "I can acknowledge the obvious. We're considering other options."
The decision on an alternative is being left up to Mr Obama's Attorney-General, Eric Holder, who announced the New York location in November. At the time, Mr Holder said he opted to proceed in a civilian court in New York with full confidence that the case against the alleged conspirators would succeed.
Other sites being considered include the Stewart Air National Guard Base, north of New York City, and a federal jail at Otisville, lying 110km northwest of the city.
Another possibility is the disused prison in Mr Obama's home state of Illinois where his administration proposes housing remaining detainees of the Guantanamo Bay jail, in Cuba.
Mr Bloomberg was initially enthusiastic about a New York trial despite his Republican predecessor, Rudi Giuliani, who was mayor at the time of the attacks, leading a campaign against it.
Mr Giuliani had said Khalid and others should be treated as war criminals in a military court after they "declared war on us".
The Obama administration faces a further test over the next few weeks as two Republican congressmen promote legislation that seeks to block the financing of civilian trials for alleged terrorists.
Mr Holder has also received a letter from six senators calling for a return to the Bush administration's policy of using military commissions for terrorist suspects.
Mr Holder argues that civilian trials have legitimacy that military tribunals lack, especially after previous Supreme Court rulings.
Sordid New York news - In New York, Mix of Emotions Over 9/11 Trial Move
New Yorknyt_text readability="69">
All the worrying about what a federal terrorism trial might mean to the city, or to New Yorkers themselves, is over.
So, too, is any meaningful debate on the social merits of trying Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the Sept. 11 attack, and four other suspects in a civilian courtroom just blocks from where the plot was carried out.
Seventy-seven days after the Obama administration abruptly told the mayor and police commissioner that the trial was coming to Lower Manhattan, New Yorkers on Saturday absorbed the news that — just as abruptly — the government had apparently reversed itself.
Some New Yorkers said they were disappointed because the trial could have been symbolic of the city’s resilience and showcased the strength of the nation’s justice system. Others searched for words to express their angst over what would happen next, and when. Still others said they were relieved but confused over what, precisely, had prompted the sudden turnabout.
As a practical matter, holding the trial in New York posed the specter of a dizzying security lockdown — with roadblocks, checkpoints and rooftop sharpshooters — in the financial district and Chinatown.
That, said Mary Riches, 78, who lost her grandson Jimmy, 29, a firefighter, in the attack, reflected the reality that holding the trial at the United States courthouse in the heart of Lower Manhattan was “too dangerous.” If there were no other choice, she would accept it. But she preferred not to.
By equal measures, the turnabout angered her son, Jim Riches, 58, a retired deputy fire chief, for the simple reason that the clock was still ticking.
Seven years passed after the attack with no clarity on how the government would proceed, Mr. Riches said. Then, 10 months had passed since he first heard word that the Obama administration was studying the possibility of holding the trial in a civilian court instead of a military tribunal.
Mr. Riches said that all that time should have given officials enough room to assess the threats, form a plan to deal with them and understand the costs — and possible opposition.
“I’m a little angry,” he said. “This is another delay of justice, and the families have to suffer. I guess they feel it will cost too much money for security, but just get me another place where you are going to try them. This is going on too long.”
Money concerns were nowhere in the debate after the Justice Department announced on Nov. 13 its plans to try Mr. Mohammed and the four other 9/11 defendants blocks from where the World Trade Center had stood. In fact, politicians embraced it, some expressing glee at the chance to confront the suspects here.
But Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced last month that security costs would exceed $200 million annually, and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly outlined a plan to put Lower Manhattan on virtual lockdown. The idea then dissolved in the face of potential costs and disruption.
David N. Kelley, who was the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2003 to 2005, said that the government should not abandon the idea of a civilian trial, but that an analysis of threats and logistics must be done for any possible future site.
“We have the best criminal justice system in the world, and we should not run away from the logistical challenges posed by this trial,” said Mr. Kelley, now in private practice in New York. “We should find a way to make this work; we need to put Nimby-ism aside and find the best place to do that,” he added.
Across the city on Saturday, the issue seemed to be Topic A on people’s tongues. Reactions diverged from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Along a largely Muslim stretch of Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, many people declined to offer an opinion. One man said that the anti-Muslim sentiment he had sensed made him afraid to speak openly. He said it did not matter where the trial would be held.
“Personally,” he said, “I don’t think they’re going to get a fair trial.”
But John Rapaport, 57, who was having lunch at a halal restaurant, said the location was integral. He said a downtown trial would “show the entire world that we’re capable.”
And Majed Almontaser, who was making his way to the Masjid al-Farooq mosque, said that a Manhattan trial had sounded like a good idea.
Reporting was contributed by Colin Moynihan, William K. Rashbaum, Stacey Solie and Benjamin Weiser.
This one made me laugh: Agreement Signed With Pointstreak - New York City jokes almost always do.
Here's the location of the original New York City photo because you might be curious about it.Can you say that this picture of New York City is worth looking at?
NYC found in the headlines Fatal NYC fire probed as possible arson
NYCNEW YORK - A fire that tore through a Brooklyn building that housed Guatemalan immigrants, killing at least five people, is being investigated as a possible case of arson.
New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano said Saturday's early morning blaze started behind the front door of the building. He said it's "not where a fire would normally start."
The 2:30 a.m. fire engulfed the building, trapping residents and causing part of the roof to collapse.
Four people in the building were injured, including an infant and a child who were tossed out the window by a woman frantically trying to save them.
One of the children, an infant boy, was in critical condition with a fractured skull suffered when bystanders below failed to catch him, according to officials and witnesses. The other child landed on an awning and was also injured. An adult was also hospitalized.
Firefighters hurt
Thirteen firefighters were injured, none of them believed seriously, in the blaze in the Bensonhurst neighborhood. The flames engulfed the three-story building on a busy commercial strip, consuming a ground-floor Japanese restaurant and two apartments on the upper floors.
As the fire raged, a woman held a baby boy out a third-floor window. Bars covered the lower half of the window, keeping the woman from climbing out, Gabriel said.
"She was screaming, 'Help me, help me,' " Gabriel said. Moments later, she threw the infant out the window to Gabriel and two other men.
In the darkness, the child fell to the ground, authorities said. She then tossed another child out the window. He landed on the awning below.
The area is home to a diverse population of Russians, Hispanics and Chinese.
What city is directly west of new york city?
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturdays insanity: Outcry leads to a review of New York City as venue for 9/11 trial
New YorkN EW YORK | A letter and a speech may have doomed plans to bring the Sept. 11 terrorism trial to downtown New York.
The letter, sent earlier this month to the White House by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, set a whopping $200 million-a-year price tag to secure the city during the trial — more than double the original estimate. The speech by Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly detailed a planned lockdown of lower Manhattan certain to set new standards for gridlock.
The resulting political and public outcry forced the Obama administration to consider friendlier sites for the high-profile trial, even as the legitimacy of the New York Police Department’s security plan and its estimated cost went unchallenged.
The alternate locations, according to a Chicago Tribune report Friday, include Governors Island in New York Harbor, an Air Force base and a federal penitentiary near Manhattan.
White House officials seem to be backing off a pledge made late last year to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, and his four alleged co-conspirators in a courthouse in downtown Manhattan.
However, Justice Department officials cautioned Friday that no decisions had been made about moving the federal criminal trial out of New York City altogether — or to go even further and leave the five defendants in the hands of a military tribunal.
Should the trial remain in New York, Kelly insists his plan is necessary — a reality that started to sink in after his remarks before business leaders.
“The investment that the department would have to make … and the details of the plan itself, how it would’ve impacted the traffic in lower Manhattan,” he told reporters Friday. “That was the first time they heard it in one fell swoop, so to speak, and it raised their concerns.”
A congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Saturday that the Obama administration proposed a $200 million fund to help pay for security in cities hosting the trials, to be included in the president’s budget being released Monday.
Since announcing late last year that New York would host the trial, the Obama administration has stumbled into a political fire that had burned the previous administration.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, New York and federal officials have quarreled over how much of the city’s security costs should be borne by Washington. New York officials, led by Bloomberg, have complained for years that the government does not pay enough of those costs. The Bush administration long argued they have to spread resources to protect the entire country.
The latest round of that long-running fight began when the Bloomberg administration circulated a Jan. 5 letter to reporters from the mayor to the Office of Management and Budget in Washington.
The letter put the cost of stepped-up security at $216 million for the first year after Mohammed and the others arrive in Manhattan from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After that, the mayor said it would cost $200 million annually for as long as the men are detained in the city — mainly overtime for extra police patrols.
The Police Department had given an initial estimate of $75 million a year but later warned it could be higher. Officials said a second, more careful analysis produced the totals cited by the mayor, who warned the trial would strain the resources of the nation’s largest police department.
“As 9/11 was an attack on the entire nation, we need the federal government to shoulder the significant costs we will incur and ease this burden,” Bloomberg wrote.
The mayor left Kelly to explain the threat — and the extensive plans to thwart it.
“Given the unprecedented media attention the trial will attract, one concern is that terrorists may attempt to strike again in an effort to garner the publicity,” he said in the Jan. 13 speech to a police organization.
On Friday, Kelly told reporters that public backlash made it “unlikely” the case would go forward in New York City.
The Chicago Tribune contributed to this report.
What is the most fun resturaunt in New York?
New York Times reports plan to move trial out of NYC
NYCNEW YORK STATE -- It seems the trial of the accused mastermind of the 9/11 attacks will moved outside of New York City.
The New York Times is reporting the Obama administration is considering other options, however, no new location has been named.
The trial has been facing political backlash and city officials have been calling for a new trial location, saying there was fear the trial wouldn't be able to go forward if it stayed in Manhattan. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said the trial would pose a security risk and cost the city millions of dollars.
It's unclear where the trial would be moved to, but some suggest nearby military installations, like West Point.
It was last year that Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the trial would take place in Manhattan federal court. That announcement received heavy criticism and opposition.
Governor David Paterson joined New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in asking the Obama administration to move the trial outside of New York City.
Meanwhile, former Governor Elliot Spitzer says the venue doesn't matter, as long as there's a conviction.
"I think where it is matters much less than if it takes place and we get a conviction. I think that is what we as citizens care about. Justice should be done and we should prove to the world the rule of law works in the United States. We will punish terrorists," Spitzer said.
While New York officials are adamant about moving the trial out of their city, one mayor in the Hudson Valley says his city would be a good fit.
Newburgh Mayor Nicholas Valentine says Newburgh's new state-of-the-art courthouse means the trial would be secured more easily there than New York City. Many are concerned the location of the trial could be a possible terrorist target, but Valentine says Newburgh could benefit from the international exposure.
"Some municipality is going to be chosen. I'm just asking for a fair shake to be in the mix. And also say that in the end, with the tourists, with the amount of people coming here, and the amount of media coverage, Newburgh would truly be on the map and that's not a bad thing for our city," Valentine said.
Valentine also told us a federal aid package to pay for trial expenses would make it worth the effort. However, Orange County Executive Edward Diana made it clear he would be against the move to a city in his county.
b k took an fantastic pic - Midtown New York traffic under the Gimbels Bridge
Midtown New York traffic under the Gimbels Bridge can be best described by saying:Taken from Penn Plaza - Madison Square Garden on 32nd street
It's a good idea to give the original just in-case the owner requested it!
What are your thoughts about that?
What website can i go to for a unemployment benefit statement in new york?
Politics Daily (blog) White House Ends Plan for 9/11 Trial in New York City
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We're all in complete shock: US government weighs other sites for 9/11 trial
New York City* Not clear what alternatives to New York in the running
Bonds
* NY Police Commissioner Kelly says trials unlikely in NY (Adds newspaper reports, official saying no decision made, paragraph 4)
By Jeremy Pelofsky
WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The Obama administration has begun looking for places other than the heart of New York City to prosecute the accused Sept. 11 attack plotters in the face of fierce criticism tied to security and costs, U.S. officials said on Friday.
Critics have said the government's plan to try self-professed mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators blocks from the World Trade Center would require a large security cordon, hurt area businesses and afford the defendants certain legal rights in criminal court.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was considering other venues for the trials, according to one Obama administration official. Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said: "We're considering our options."
The New York Times and Washington Post reported that the lower Manhattan courthouse was out of the running, citing unnamed administration officials. However, one Obama administration official told Reuters that "no decision has been made."
Holder in November decided the trials would be held in New York City, whose federal courthouse is connected to a fortified detention center with a tunnel.
"Conversations have occurred with the administration to discuss contingency options should the possibility of a trial in lower Manhattan be foreclosed upon by Congress or locally," another administration official said.
New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters he believed the trials are "unlikely" to occur there.
It was not clear what other venues are under consideration. New York officials have suggested a military base, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, or nearby Governor's Island, though some said that last option was not feasible.
A U.S. official has said that no terrorism trials had been held outside of a federal courthouse and there were questions whether a trial could be held on a military base.
PRESSURE ON OBAMA
The decision to reconsider the location comes as President Barack Obama faces increased political pressure to refocus his agenda. Obama has been trying to push through a healthcare reform initiative and reduce the high U.S. unemployment rate.
Earlier this week, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg reversed his support for holding the trials in Manhattan.
"I can tell you I would prefer if it was done elsewhere, I think some of the suggestions make sense, like a military base, because it's far away from people and you can provide security easily," Bloomberg said on Friday on his weekly radio show.
He said he called the Obama administration on Thursday to express his concerns but acknowledged ultimately the city could handle the trials. "I will be as supportive as, and the city will be, as supportive as we can, period," Bloomberg said.
New York Governor David Paterson has also been hesitant about the trials in Manhattan. "We are worried about the effects of mass law enforcement on lower Manhattan, congestion, traffic, resources that have to be spent," he told reporters.
Administration officials have pointed to past terrorism trials that were held in U.S. courts with little difficulty, including one this week of a Pakistani scientist charged with firing a rifle at U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan.
Those entering that courtroom have faced airport-style security: removing shoes and belts, passing through a metal detector and having purses and other personal items searched.
HIGH COST
Bloomberg has estimated the cost of security for the Sept. 11 trials to be at least $200 million a year, and has asked the Obama administration to pick up the tab.
That could be tough for Obama because he has had enormous trouble getting the U.S. Congress -- despite big Democratic majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives -- to approve funding for his bid to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where terrorism suspects are held.
Republicans and even some of Obama's fellow Democrats have ramped up pressure in recent weeks against the planned criminal trials, urging that the alleged Sept. 11 plotters be tried in military tribunals instead.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham plans to offer legislation next week aimed at barring funding for the Sept. 11 trials in civilian court. They "should be tried by military commission -- not civilian court where they will be given the same legal rights as American citizens," he said.
In addition to security concerns, some lawmakers -- as well as some relatives of the almost 3,000 people who were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks -- have said the defendants could use the criminal courts as soapboxes to propagate their anti-American beliefs and turn the trials into a media circus.
But Holder testified to Congress last year that the judges who will preside over the trials will be able to prevent such a scenario. (Additional reporting by Ross Colvin and Steve Holland in Washington, Basil Katz and Edith Honan in New York; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Paul Simao)
Friday, January 29, 2010
CBS News (blog): KSM: Not Welcome in New York
New York CityIt was less than three months ago that Attorney General Eric Holder announced, with great fanfare, that the self-confessed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and four top plotters would be flown to New York City to face a criminal trial for their role in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.
The five have been held in Guantanamo Bay and were charged with murder before a special military commission designed to bring terror suspects to justice. I was in the special courtroom on the military base in Cuba when KSM and the others made their first public appearance. I watched as they boasted about their role in the attacks and proudly proclaimed their guilt, declaring allegiance to Allah, chanting God is great, and praying for destruction of the United States.
They passed notes back and forth to each other, and some of them laughed and smiled throughout the proceedings. I couldnt stop staring at KSM from the press gallery in the back of the courtroom. Without KSM, the government says, 9/11 would not have happened. And there he was, the face of evil, just sitting there breathing like everyone else.
But that was in 2008. And back in the United States, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama was slamming the system of military commissions and vowing to restore the rule of law in our dealings with terrorists. And when he was sworn in, President Obama announced he would close Guantanamo Bay and set a new course.
And so in mid-November, less than three months ago, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that KSMwithout whom, remember, 9/11 would not have happenedwould leave Guantanamo. He and the four other top plotters would be transferred from military custody, flown to New York City and stand trial for the 9/11 attacks in a regular criminal court.
The President, who used fiery rhetoric to skewer Bushs terror policies during his campaign to stoke his liberal base, was hands off. As if they were anticipating the intense criticism and opposition, administration officials helped feed the storyline that Holder was making the call on this one.
For Mr. Obamas biggest policy break in the war on terror with the Bush Administration, the President remained aloof. He stuck his foot on the pond, but he didnt jump in. There was health care, after all. And this was Holders call.
But then there was the Christmas Day bombing attempt, the system worked, and the real shift by Americans, as reflected in recent polls, toward a harder line on terrorism. And Congress, which can read polls if nothing else, could now be rethinking whether it wants to spend money to fly these terror suspects here to the United States for trials. The opposition quickly became an avalanche.
Today, the administration is confirming reports that they now are rethinking plans to hold the trials in Lower Manhattan. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, even the states Democratic senators, all have raised serious concerns about the hundreds of millions of dollars a trial would cost and the extraordinary disruptions a trial requiring that kind of security would bring to the city.
Once again, the Justice Department is in the position of pulling back a national security initiative after boldly proclaiming a new course, giving critics even more ammunition to argue this administration is rudderless on national security.
Remember the executive order to close Guantanamo within a year? Well, thats now impossible. Remember the administrations reversal on its announcement to release photographs of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib? Releasing them wasnt a good idea after all. Remember the decision to read Abdulmutallab his Miranda rights an hour after he was questioned for trying to blow up an airliner with a bomb in his underwear? None of the top intelligence officials were consulted. So lets take a look at that too, if the situation, God forbids, ever happens again.
But todays reports are the most stunning, because the announcement to bring KSM and the other four to justice in New York was the sharpest, boldest break with the Bush Administrations terror policies. There was instant criticism from Republicans, as youd expect, but Holder stood firm. New York was the place, and the citys Democratic officials fell in line at first.
In Senate testimony days after his announcement, Holder pushed back on arguments the men could just as well face justice before a military commission in Guantanamoa new system of military commissions, incidentally, that President Obama had signed into law. It was important, he said, to try these men in our criminal courts, just a few blocks from Ground Zero.
In that testimony, Holder tried to assure critics that KSM and the other four would be convicted. Failure is not an option. These are cases that have to be won, he said. And if for some reason they were instead acquitted, well, the United States would just hold them indefinitely anyway.
"We would continue to hold them under the laws of war," Holder said. "We believe we have the authority to do that.
Holder flew to New York last month to tour the courtroom and the Metropolitan Correctional Complex that would hold the terror suspects. He met with Kelly and other security officials, who were identifying serious issues with the tight security measures, which would wreak havoc on the city. There would be checkpoints and snipers and roadblocks lasting a year or more. Bridges, landmarks and city transit would require constant police patrol.
With skepticism building, Mayor Bloomberg, hearing it from the citys residents, began raising concerns about cost, as did Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Did the state and local officials fail to anticipate the outrage of city residents? The severe economic concerns raised by businesses around the area? Did the administration fail to anticipate that and identify potential problems when it sought to get New York senators and city leaders on board?
Regardless of how it happened, the announcement today is yet another lesson in governing and on national security. This is no longer a campaign.
The days of fire, ready, aim are over. Its time to ready and aim first. Then fire.
New York City is creating controversy US May Move 9/11 Trial From New York City, Official Says
New York Citynyt_text readability="89">
The Obama administration on Friday gave up on its plan to try the Sept. 11 plotters in Lower Manhattan, bowing to almost unanimous pressure from New York officials and business leaders to move the terrorism trial elsewhere.
“I think I can acknowledge the obvious,” an administration official said. “We’re considering other options.”
A second administration official, however, disputed that there had been a final decision to move the trial from Manhattan, but would not elaborate.
A decision on whether to change plans for the trial of the alleged 9/11 terrorists seemed to come suddenly this week, after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg abandoned his strong support for the plan and said the cost and disruption would be too great.
But behind the brave face that many New Yorkers had put on for weeks, resistance had been gathering steam.
After a dinner in New York on Dec. 14, Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, pulled aside David Axelrod, President Obama’s closest adviser, to convey an urgent plea: move the 9/11 trial out of Manhattan.
More recently, in a series of presentations to business leaders, local elected officials and community representatives of Chinatown, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly laid out his plan for securing the trial: blanketing a swath of Lower Manhattan with police checkpoints, vehicle searches, rooftop snipers and canine patrols.
“They were not received well,” said one city official.
And on Tuesday, in a meeting Mr. Bloomberg had with at least two dozen federal judges on the eighth floor of their Manhattan courthouse, one judge raised the question of security. The mayor, according to several people present, said he was sure the courthouse could be made safe, but that it would be costly and difficult.
The next day, the mayor, who back in November had hailed the idea of trying Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other accused Sept. 11 plotters in the heart of downtown Manhattan, made clear he’d changed his mind.
Jason Post, a spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg, said Friday night that the mayor would have no comment until the Obama administration had made an official announcement of its intentions.
Told of the administration’s decision, a spokesman for Mr. Kelly said, “We were not aware of that.”
But the spokesman, Paul J. Browne, said of Mr. Kelly: “He is of the mind that such a decision would give us some breathing room, but that New York has to remain vigilant because it remains at the top of the terrorist target list.”
Mr. Bloomberg’s remarks on Wednesday set off a stampede of New York City officials, most of them Democrats well-disposed toward President Obama, who suddenly declared that a civilian trial for the 9/11 suspects was a great idea — as long as it didn’t happen in their city.
By Friday, Justice Department officials were studying other locations, focusing especially on military bases and prison complexes, and no obvious new choice had emerged.
The story of how prominent New York officials seemed to have so quickly moved from a kind of “bring it on” bravado to an “anywhere but here” involves many factors, including a new anxiety about terrorism after the attempted airliner bombing on Christmas Day.
Ultimately, it appears, New York officials could not tolerate ceding much of the city to a set of trials that could last for years.
“The administration is in a tricky political and legal position,” Julie Menin, a lawyer who is chairman of the 50-member Community Board 1 that represents Lower Manhattan, including the federal courthouse and ground zero, said of President Obama and his Justice Department. “But it means shutting down our financial district. It could cost $1 billion. It’s absolutely crazy.”
Ms. Menin said the turning point for her came when she heard Mr. Kelly’s security plan and cost estimates: hundreds of millions of dollars a year. “It was an absolute game-changer,” she said. She wrote a Jan. 17 op-ed article for The New York Times proposing moving the trial to Governors Island off Manhattan; that idea did not catch hold, but the article escalated the outcry against a Manhattan trial.
When the Justice Department announced in November its plans to try Mr. Mohammed and four alleged accomplices blocks from where the World Trade Center stood, Mr. Bloomberg hailed the location as not only workable but as a powerful symbol.
“It is fitting that 9/11 suspects face justice near the World Trade Center site where so many New Yorkers were murdered,” the mayor said at the time. The federal courthouse had hosted major terror trials previously, he noted, and the police were more than up to the security challenge.
And so it is possible that the reversal will call into question the calibrated effort of Mr. Obama and his attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr. to bring the handling of suspected terrorists out of the realm of military emergency and into the halls of civilian justice.
If the message to Al Qaeda and its supporters in November was that New York City was able, even eager, to bring justice to those who plotted mass murder, the message of January is far less confident.
“This will be one more stroke for Al Qaeda’s propaganda,” said Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert at Georgetown University.
The breakdown of support for the trials in New York might have actually been assisted by the way New York officials were first notified by the Obama administration.
Mr. Holder called Mr. Bloomberg and Gov. David A. Paterson only a few hours before his public announcement on Nov. 13; and Mr. Kelly got a similar call that morning from Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, whose office had been picked to prosecute the cases.
But by the time those calls were made, the decision had already been reported in the news media, which was how Mr. Bloomberg learned about it, according to mayoral aides.
Reporting was contributed by Al Baker, David W. Chen, Christine Haughney and William K. Rashbaum.
Where can I find information about skiing resorts near New York City?
We were completely taken aback by: White House Considers Moving 9/11 Trial Out of New York City
New York CityBowing to intense and deepening bipartisan opposition to conducting the criminal trials for the 9/11 hijackers in the heart of New York City, the Obama White House has begun discussing alternative locations with the Justice Department, senior administration officials told Fox News.
The White House denied a New York Daily News report that it ordered the Department of Justice to find a new location for the trials, which are sure to attract massive publicity and require intense security preparations wherever they are held.
However, senior administration officials confirm alternative trial locations are being sought because Congress is almost sure to deny President Obama the funds necessary to conduct the trials, as originally planned, in the federal courthouse mere blocks away from the Twin Towers, the epicenter of the 9/11 attacks that took the lives of nearly 3,000 civilians.
"The discussions are under way in case the option of holding the trials in New York City is foreclosed upon at either the state or the federal level," an Obama administration official said.
Up to now, the Obama administration has stood by Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to move the suspects, including self-professed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to New York to be tried in federal court rather than before a military commission, as many Republicans have demanded.
The White House is not backing down from its stance that a civilian trial is appropriate and worthy venue for seeking to bring the alleged conspirators to justice.
"President Obama is still committed to trying Mohammed and four other terrorist detainees in federal court," spokesman Bill Burton told the Daily News on Thursday. "He agrees with the attorney general's opinion that ... (the detainees) can be litigated successfully and securely in the United States of America, just like others have."
The news that officials are considering a new venue comes as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who initially was open to the idea of holding the trials in the city, says he'd be "very happy" if the White House reconsidered. Security has been an issue, as well as cost, estimated at $200 million a year.
The discussions on alternative trial locations suggest the New York City trial plan is all but dead. Congressional and Democratic sources tell Fox News that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has told lawmakers the administration will stand down if the House and Senate, as appears likely, deny funds for 9/11 trials in the Big Apple.
Rep. Peter King of New York, ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, has introduced legislation to block funds for a 9/11 trial in New York City.
House Minority Leader John Boehner said Wednesday the Obama administration doesn't have the votes to proceed.
"There is not going to be a trial in New York, I guarantee it. There is no appetite for the trials in Congress," Boehner said.
More than half a dozen senators have forged a bipartisan coalition against funding 9/11 trials there.
No timetable has been set for resolving the impasse. Military charges against Mohammed and his co-defendants have been dropped. Criminal charges are pending resolution of a final trial site.
I am looking for a good Bible- preaching church in New York City to go to while visiting on a Sunday?
Manhattan Melodrama
Manhattan Melodrama can be best described by these words:The Manhattan skyline from atop the Metropolitan Museum of ArtClick for the location of the original New York City photo on the off chance that it might come in handy!
What are your thoughts about {{title}?
NYC Jewelry Store Worker Killed in Midday Robbery (I knew more of this was coming)
NYCA jewelry store worker was shot to death in a brazen midday robbery Wednesday in a shop on posh Madison Avenue, police said.
Two people were working at R.S. Durant at about 12:25 p.m. when a man in his 30s wearing a blue overcoat, gray slacks, sunglasses, a black wool hat and a scarf around his face came into the Upper East Side store and said he was robbing the place, police said.
The workers refused to fill two canvas bags the gunman brought, police said. The suspect took out the clip from his semiautomatic pistol and showed it to the employees, saying, "You think I'm kidding? This is real" before putting the clip back in and firing once, said NYPD spokesman Paul J. Browne.
Henry Menahem, 71, was hit once in the chest. The second worker, a 49-year-old man, asked if he could call 911 to help Menahem, but the gunman refused.
The store is only about 12 feet wide and about 20 feet deep and had jewelry cases hanging on the walls. The gunman smashed one of the cases and loaded bags with diamond necklaces and other jewels before fleeing south on Madison Avenue. No customers were in the store, located between 75th and 76th streets, at the time.
Police were still looking for the suspect. The victim was taken to Lenox Hill hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
A call to the Menahem home in Long Branch, N.J., was answered by a friend who said the family was "in total shock."
The neighborhood boasts rows of swanky boutiques and expensive jewelry shops and the incident occurred not far from the Whitney Museum of American Art. The area near the shop was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape, but traffic was moving along Madison Avenue.
Carmen Fontanez, a private security guard who patrols the stretch of Madison Avenue, said a man was smoking in front of the store when a tall man wearing a ski mask and sunglasses pushed him inside and shut the door behind him.
The shooting happened very quickly, she said.
What metals are native to the State of New York?
Thursday, January 28, 2010
USA Today: Feinstein: Move terror trials out of New York City
New YorkFeinstein: Move terror trials out of New York CityComment
Recommend
Echoing the call from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Democratic chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee says the Obama administration should move the trials for the Sept. 11 mastermind and four followers to another city, our colleagues at The Oval report.
"In my view, from an intelligence perspective, I think the situation has changed with the Christmas attack," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said on MSNBC, citing confidential briefings. "I think the administration should listen to the mayor, listen to the mayor's concern, and, candidly, make a change. There's nothing wrong with making a change."
Yesterday, Bloomberg urged the administration to relocate the trials of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four co-defendants, saying they would pose a threat to his city.
A spokesman for President Obama defended the decision to try the men in New York.
"He agrees with the attorney general's opinion that — in November — that he and others can be litigated successfully and securely in the United States of America, just like others have, like Richard Reid," said White House Deputy press secretary Bill Burton. "Currently our federal jails hold hundreds of convicted terrorists, and the president's opinion has not changed on that."
(Posted by Michael Winter)
How do I get to New Hope, PA from New York city?
Allman Brothers Band in New York, NY - presale password
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United Palace Theatre, New York, NY
Mon, Mar 22, 2010 08:00 PM - Sat, Mar 27, 2010 08:00 PM
American Express
Starts: Fri, 01/29/10 10:00 AM EST
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Caesars Atlantic City, Atlantic City, NJ
Sat, May 29, 2010 09:00 PM
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I was completely shaken up by: Cost-conscious New York Yankees finally tell Johnny Damon to walk
New YorkBY Anthony Mccarron
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Thursday, January 28th 2010, 4:00 AM
Johnny Damon spent part of the past week working the phones, trying to figure a way back into pinstripes. In the end, though, the outfielder was squeezed out by the Yankees' new-found desire to stick to a budget, and the Damon Era in the Bronx officially ended Wednesday when the Yanks agreed to a deal with Randy Winn.
There are "no hard feelings for each other," Damon said in a telephone interview. "I loved my time in New York. I thought it was the greatest organization. They ran everything the right way. I'm just glad we won (a World Series), so I'll always be linked to a championship team in New York.
"I had discussions with (team president) Randy Levine, Cash (GM Brian Cashman) and (owner) Hal Steinbrenner and we talked about how things are now in this economy in the baseball world and I understood their budget and they understood where I was coming from. I wanted a two-year contract to come back and have a chance to win another World Series or two and see Derek Jeter get 3,000 hits."
The 35-year-old Winn, who hit .262 with two homers and 51 RBI in 149 games for the Giants last season, fits snugly into the Yankees' budget. His deal is worth $2 million, according to a baseball official with knowledge of the contract, and will become official after a physical today. While signing Winn means Damon is out, it does not preclude the Yankees from adding another cheap, experienced outfielder, a team insider said.
The switch-hitting Winn could spell Brett Gardner in the outfield against lefthanded pitchers, even though he hit .158 with a .184 on-base percentage and .200 slugging percentage in 125 plate appearances against lefties last season.
Damon is even a fan of the man who, essentially, bumped him out of contention to return. "Randy Winn is the perfect guy to fit into that team - switch-hitter, plays pretty good defense," he said.
As for Damon, he is searching for a new club. He wouldn't name any teams he is talking to, but various media reports have linked him to the A's, Braves, Tigers, Reds and Rays. The Tigers might be a match, especially considering how Damon's agent, Scott Boras, has gotten big deals from Detroit for clients such as Pudge Rodriguez and Magglio Ordoñez.
When Damon lingered on the market and the Yanks had not added an outfielder, many in baseball believed a reunion was inevitable. Several teammates, including Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, called Damon to tell him how much they wanted him to return. Damon guessed that some Yankees would be "pretty upset" he won't be back.
LOL New York City image New York State Route 17
If you're interested in the original just in case it might come in handy.What do you think of that?
I am 21 years old and would like to learn how to ice-skate. I am located in New York City, how can I start?
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Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY
Saturday, June 19 2010 at 8:00 PM
Livenation-Citi:
Thu, 01/28/10 10:00 AM CST
Sat, 01/30/10 10:00 AM CST
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New York(Updates with comments from all three online membership companies.)
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo said Wednesday his office is investigating 22 online businesses for allegedly linking consumers with discount promotions that end up charging them illegal fees.
Online sites of retailers including Staples Inc. (SPLS), Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS), Avon Products Inc. (AVP), GameStop Corp. (GME), 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (FLWS) and Orbitz Worldwide Inc. (OWW) "deceptively link" customers to fee-based membership programs, Cuomo said in a call with reporters.
The programs are run by third-party companies that charge unauthorized fees under the guise of discount ...
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Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines, IA
Wed, Jul 07, 2010 07:30 PM - Sun, Jul 25, 2010 01:00 PM
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New YorkNEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating 22 retailers for directing online shoppers to fee-based membership programs of discount clubs that often contain hidden charges.
Media
Cuomo sent subpoenas to websites for major retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Avon and Staples, which have deals with three companies that offer such discount programs, namely Webloyalty, Affinion/Trilegiant and Vertrue.
Cuomo said in a statement on Wednesday that his office also reached an agreement with online movie ticket retailer Fandango to end similar practices. Fandango is a unit of Comcast Corp.
Cuomo's investigation has found that online shoppers are often unknowingly directed to a membership program seller's website that is separate from the online retailer's site.
Information about the membership program and its ramifications are often buried in fine print and cluttered text, Cuomo said. For instance, a customer clicking on the link automatically and unknowingly consents to a transfer of his or her credit or debit card account information.
"Well-known companies are tricking customers into accepting offers from third-party vendors, which then siphon money from consumers' accounts," Cuomo said.
The subpoenas seek information about retailers' practices of sharing consumers' account information with membership program companies, their knowledge of any deceptive practices and compensation from the membership companies.
Barnes & Noble said it would co-operate with Cuomo's office.
"Barnes & Noble does not and has not shared customer debit or credit card information with these outside companies. We seek to protect our customers from these type of practices," the company said in a statement.
Other subpoenaed merchants include Ticketmaster Entertainment's Ticketmaster.com, Priceline.com and Gamestop Corp
Avon, Ticketmaster.com, and Staples representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while Gamestop declined to comment.
Priceline said in an e-mail statement that it discontinued offering Affinion membership programs in November and is co-operating with the investigation.
In a statement, Vertrue said it was fully cooperating with the request for information from Cuomo's office.
"The company will no longer conduct 'datapass' marketing on the Internet and has already begun to work with its marketing partners to effectuate this change as soon as possible," Vertrue said.
(Additional reporting by Phil Wahba; Editing by Derek Caney, Robert MacMillan and Steve Orlofsky)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Uncle Who Vouched for Terror Suspect Arrested - Instantly I feel frightened
New York Citynyt_text readability="74">
Last September, in the days after he emerged as a central suspect in an alleged Qaeda terror plot, much about the life of Najibullah Zazi became the subject of intense interest.
Among the areas of interest were his job as a shuttle driver at the Denver airport; his purchases of beauty supplies that prosecutors say were the ingredients for homemade explosives; and his relationships with relatives, including an uncle by marriage who took Mr. Zazi in when he first moved to Denver from Flushing, Queens.
Now, months after Mr. Zazi’s arrest on bombing-conspiracy charges, his uncle, Naqib Jaji, 38, has been secretly arrested in the case. Mr. Jaji, who in his public remarks had indicated some antipathy toward Mr. Zazi, 24, but also said it was “impossible” that he was a terrorist, was arraigned this month in a sealed federal courtroom in Brooklyn, a sign that he may be cooperating in the case.
Court records and interviews with family members indicate that Mr. Jaji was indicted on a single felony charge, but the precise nature of the charge remains sealed. Indeed, the court docket on the case, 10-CR-00028, lists him as John Doe, a standard practice in cases where a defendant is cooperating.
Mr. Jaji’s lawyer, Donald D. DuBoulay, would not discuss the case, and spokesmen for the Brooklyn United States attorney’s office and the F.B.I. declined to comment.
But one family member has said that Mr. Jaji came to New York in recent weeks to find work, and that he was questioned by the F.B.I. for three consecutive days before his arrest.
Mr. Jaji, who had lived in Queens for several years before moving to Denver, was arraigned before Judge Raymond J. Dearie of United States District Court in the sealed proceeding on Jan. 14. It appears from the docket sheet in the case that he pleaded not guilty.
Apparently Mr. Jaji was held after his arraignment. A Bureau of Prisons record on the agency’s Web site indicates that he was released from federal custody eight days later.
Mr. Zazi was indicted on Sept 24 on a single charge accusing him of conspiring to set off bombs in the United States. Two other young men with whom he attended Flushing High School in Queens, Adis Medunjanin, 25, and Zarein Ahmedzay, 24, have also been charged in connection with the case.
Prosecutors have said that the three men traveled together to Pakistan in August 2008, and then to Afghanistan, to receive Qaeda training, and returned the following January, when Mr. Zazi abruptly moved to Denver, staying first with his aunt and uncle in the suburb of Aurora, and later moving in with his parents after they relocated there from Queens.
Mr. Medunjanin was charged with conspiring to commit murder in a foreign country and with receiving military-style training from Al Qaeda. Mr. Ahmedzay was charged with lying to the F.B.I. about the places he visited in Afghanistan and Pakistan and whether he knew that another man had received the training.
All three are being held without bail.
The investigation that resulted in the charges against the three young men also led to the indictment of Mr. Zazi’s father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, 55, in federal court in Denver on charges that he lied to investigators. A Queens imam, Ahmed Wais Afzali, was also charged with lying to investigators, who said he had warned Mr. Zazi that he was under scrutiny by federal authorities.
When Mr. Zazi left Queens for Colorado early last year, he moved in with his father’s sister and Mr. Jaji, who lived in a modest two-story home in a quiet Aurora neighborhood. The house does not stand out in any way from those around it — neutral colors, with a concrete driveway in front.
Just a day after the investigation exploded into public view in New York, and while the younger Mr. Zazi was undergoing three days of questioning by the F.B.I. that preceded his arrest, Mr. Jaji complained to a reporter about his nephew, according to an account in The Denver Post.
“He’s very greedy,” he told the newspaper. “He lived with me for six months and never gave me a penny.”
But he nonetheless defended his nephew. “We have a much better life here than in Afghanistan,” Mr. Jaji said. “He wants to become a citizen and bring his wife here from Pakistan."
Mr. Jaji, according to some reports, told reporters in October that he had testified before a grand jury hearing evidence in the case in Brooklyn, but offered no details about what he said.
Few details of the alleged plot have emerged, but prosecutors have said they expect to file more charges in the coming weeks. In September, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. called the case one of the most serious threats to the United States since the 9/11 attacks.
Why are all the major cable TV news channels located in New York City, right in Manhattan?
Zazi uncle arrested in New York bomb plot - NYT (Why am I not even surprised)
New York CityNEW YORK, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The uncle of an airport shuttle driver accused of plotting an al Qaeda-inspired bomb attack on New York City was arrested and brought before a judge in a secret federal proceeding two weeks ago, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
Bonds | Global Markets
The arrest, if confirmed, would mean that an additional suspect, the sixth in the case, is linked to the alleged plot. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called it one of the most serious security threats to the United States since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Naqib Jaji, 38, the uncle of Najibullah Zazi, is believed to have pleaded not guilty to one felony count on Jan. 14, the newspaper said.
A court docket for the sealed indictment identified the defendant as "John Doe." That designation often indicates an individual is cooperating with prosecutors.
A spokesman for U.S. prosecutors in Brooklyn declined to comment and Jaji's lawyer, Donald DuBoulay, could not immediately be reached.
Afghan-born Zazi, 24, a former coffee vendor who had moved to Colorado, was arrested in September and accused of plotting a bomb attack in New York City on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. He pleaded not guilty.
Zazi's father, a New York imam and two men who attended a New York City high school with Zazi have also been charged. All have pleaded not guilty. (Reporting by Edith Honan, editing by Daniel Trotta and Alan Elsner)
What's the job market like in New York City?
The Temper Trap in New York, NY - presale password
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Webster Hall, New York, NY
Fri, Apr 2, 2010 07:00 PM
American Express
Starts: Wed, 01/27/10 12:00 PM EST
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It's polite to give the Holly Northrop's album and some of their other New York photos because people never stop asking for it.I am eager to hear your comments on this photograph, or any other aspects of New York.
Passion Pit in New York, NY - presale code
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Celebrate Brooklyn at the Prospect Park Bandshell, New York, NY
Tue, Jun 29, 2010 06:00 PM
merican Express
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Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY
Wed, Jun 16, 2010 08:00 PM
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Town Hall, New York, NY
Fri, Mar 12, 2010 08:00 PM
American Express
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The Magnetic Fields in New York, NY - presale password
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Town Hall, New York, NY
Fri, Mar 12, 2010 08:00 PM
American Express
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Apollo Theater, New York, NY
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 08:00 PM
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Nokia Theatre Times Square, New York, NY
Sun, Mar 21, 2010 07:00 PM
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Verizon Arena (formerly Alltel Arena), North Little Rock, AR
Sat, Mar 6, 2010 07:00 PM
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Fascinating: NYC mayor denies White House ambitions for 2012
NYCBut the billionaire Republican-turned-independent appeared to enjoy the speculation when asked about the political implications of Howard Wolfson joining his administration as an adviser.
Wolfson's broad political experience will likely renew national interest in Bloomberg, just as it did in the lead-up to the 2008 race, when it thrust him into the spotlight instead of letting him fade away as a second-term mayor.
Bloomberg smiled and told a reporter, "I can't believe you're even asking" about presidential plans, then went on to say he's thrilled to have someone like Wolfson leave a lucrative consulting business to join city government.
"There's no other political reason for him, whatsoever," Bloomberg said.
The former Clinton strategist has worked for both New York senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, along with many other New York officials.
Wolfson said he was returning to a government job after 10 years of campaigns and strategy because he believes working for Bloomberg is a unique opportunity.
"It's obviously very important to help people you believe in get elected, but it's also important to follow through," he said.
The Democrat is known for his tough style and is an expert at the art of political jujitsu - forcing the opposition onto the defensive while making it look like the offensive.
That skill will also serve Bloomberg this term as he faces a new class of emboldened and outspoken elected officials in city government who have said they're not afraid to criticize the blunt-spoken mayor.
Wolfson's official title will be a newly created job of "counselor to the mayor," although Bloomberg said he replaces outgoing communications director James Anderson, who is leaving to work at Bloomberg's philanthropic foundation.
Wolfson will earn a $200,096 salary and advise Bloomberg on communications, policy and political strategy.
His addition to the team and Bloomberg's recent promise to focus more on national issues this term will no doubt keep alive the presidential buzz. Bloomberg would be 70 in 2012.
For two years before the last presidential election, Bloomberg denied having any White House aspirations while his associates worked behind the scenes to explore the potential of mounting a third-party bid.
He traveled the country testing his appeal and paid for polling and research on how he could get on the ballot.
He ultimately decided not to run, but the story line served to make Bloomberg relevant in what was supposed to be his last term.
When the presidential possibilities died, though, he set about getting the city's term limits law changed so that he could run again for mayor. Wolfson joined the re-election campaign early on and was one of three senior staffers who earned $400,000 bonuses on top of their salaries.
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The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Sun, May 9, 2010 07:30 PM
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Can anyone recommend some good vegetarian restaurants in New York City?
Howard Wolfson joins Mayor Bloomberg's administration - get ready to feel enraged
New York CityHoward Wolfson joins Mayor Bloomberg's administrationComment
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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg today appointed Howard Wolfson "counselor to the mayor." Wolfson, who was Hillary Rodham Clinton's communications director during the 2008 Democratic primary, will be involved in "a wide range of policy and strategic communication issues," the mayor's press release says.
Wolfson, a one-time critic of the mayor's, worked on Bloomberg's re-election campaign last year.
Predictably, the appointment triggered speculation in the New York media about whether Bloomberg is gearing up for a 2012 presidential campaign.
Predictably, Bloomberg said no.
The New York Daily News quotes Bloomberg as saying: "I have no plans to run for president of the United States in 2012 or 2016 or 20-anything."
The Daily News -- which has a blog post here on "The Meaning of Wolfson" -- says the former Clinton campaign aide will be paid $209,000 a year.
(Posted by Eugene Kiely)
NYC is being observed closer then ever - NYC may lay off 19000 workers if state cuts aid
NYC(Adds details)
Bonds
By Joan Gralla
NEW YORK, Jan 25 (Reuters) - New York City will have to lay off more than 10,000 public workers, in addition to 8,500 teachers, if the state legislature approves the $1.3 billion of cuts the governor proposed in his deficit-closing budget, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Monday.
The mayor, in a speech to the legislature, estimated 3,150 police officers would be cut, reducing the force's "operational strength" to 1985 levels.
About 1,050 firefighters would have to be let go, along with 900 correctional officers, and the city would have to cut its daily inmate population by 1,900, he said. The number of at-risk children that service workers monitor would fall to 2,700 from 9,000, Bloomberg said.
The mayor, an independent, said Governor David Paterson's budget "utterly fails the test of fairness." He told lawmakers: "You can't lose control of the streets in terms of safety or cleanliness. You can't lose control of the streets in terms of an ambulance or a firefighter showing up."
Both the economies of New York City and the state depend on Wall Street for much of their tax revenues, and big banks' brush with near-death last year has severely dented public budgets.
Bloomberg is scheduled on Thursday to unveil his own budget plan aimed at closing a municipal deficit of at least a $3 billion. He declined to say how much he would raise revenue estimates for a number of banks and brokerages that have swiftly resumed earning handsome profits.
"It is substantial, but I think here in Albany you have to be careful and not think that you will get the benefit of that," Bloomberg told legislators, noting that the city and state have different tax regimes.
"There's not an expectation that the city's tax revenues will get back to where they were, say, in 2007, very quickly," Bloomberg said. However, he noted that positive economic signs include a rise in tourism-related employment to a record.
Bloomberg, a former Wall Street trader whose news and data company made him a billionaire, said the federal and state governments should avoid tax hikes and financial regulations that could drive banks and brokers overseas.
"We cannot raise taxes anymore; at this point raising income or property taxes will drive more people out of the state than the revenue they bring in," he said. (Reporting by Joan Gralla; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Dan Grebler)
Have you read this NYC mayor: State budget would force city layoffs
NYCBy MICHAEL GORMLEY
ALBANY, N.Y.
The proposed state budget would force thousands of layoffs and could reduce New York City police staffing to the level of 1985, before the city emerged as a terrorism target, Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned legislators Monday.
Gov. David Paterson's proposed 2010-11 budget would cut $1.5 billion in funding to the city, Bloomberg said -- forcing layoffs of 9 percent of the city's police officers; layoffs of 1,050 firefighters and the closing of some firehouses; and 8,500 teachers as part of what Bloomberg says is a $500 million cut in school aid.
In addition, aid for other services such as soup kitchens, homeless shelters and transit cards for students will be sapped with no way for the city to make up the funding.
"This executive budget would have devastating effects on essential services in New York City," Bloomberg said.
Paterson's $134 billion budget, presented to the Legislature a week ago, would increase state spending by 0.6 percent, less than the inflation rate of about 2 percent. It addresses a $7.4 billion deficit in a continuing fiscal crisis in part through a 5 percent cut in school aid statewide and $1 billion in new taxes and fees. The governor and Legislature will soon try to negotiate a final budget passed by lawmakers in time for the April 1 start of the fiscal year.
Until then, lawmakers are engaged in the annual process of holding hearings on areas of the budget and restoring spending, some of which lawmakers contend that governors cut to improve their bottom line knowing the Legislature will restore the funds.
By the time he finished his 90-minute presentation at a budget hearing held by the Assembly's Ways and Means Committee and the Senate's Finance Committee, Bloomberg drew assurances from lawmakers that they would try to undo at least some of what the mayor called an unfair budget for the city.
"There are going to be restorations," said Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, a Buffalo Democrat. "I'm not comfortable with New York City getting a 100 percent cut, and I'm an upstate legislator."
Bloomberg, however, said the city and state can no longer increase taxes without risking the exodus of more New Yorkers. He noted that such deep cuts to key services is what contributed to the city's decline in the 1970s.
The proposed cuts to the city include most of Paterson's proposal to drastically reduce aid to municipalities, sometimes called revenue sharing. Paterson proposes to reduce that fund by $349 million statewide, which is about 4 percent for many communities. New York City, however, would see all of its $328 million in aid cut.
"The state is effectively saying to localities: 'We're going to fix our budget problems by starving your agencies,'" Bloomberg said.
Paterson's budget director, Robert Megna, said in a statement that Bloomberg used "selective accounting." He said the city will benefit from Medicaid reforms and other relief from unfunded mandates that Paterson proposed, but which Bloomberg said were insufficient to ease funding cuts.
"New York is facing an unprecedented fiscal crisis, which will require spending cuts and greater efficiencies at every level of government," Megna said. He said Paterson will work with Bloomberg on his fiscal concerns.
Bloomberg, in his testimony, also offered the some pointed political advice this election year to state legislative leaders, most of whom represent New York City districts: "Want to guess how that's all going to sit with taxpayers? Let me tell you, the voters of New York City aren't going to take it!"
How often do you come across New York pictures like this? ;)
Here's the site where this pic came from since it might come in handy.How do you feel about that?
Cash-strapped New York City OTB is once again racing toward closure
NYCBY Kenneth Lovett
DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU
Tuesday, January 26th 2010, 4:00 AM
ALBANY - The cash-strapped New York City OTB says it's racing toward closure - for the second time since 2008.
Unless the state Legislature approves its bankruptcy reorganization plan, NYC OTB says its doors will shut for good at the close of business March 30.
The organization, which employs about 1,400 people, could be broke by the first week of April and in heavy deficit by the middle of that month, Robert Garry, the OTB's chief financial officer, told board members yesterday.
The announcement was made to comply with a 60-day notice requirement before shuttering operations.
The New York Racing Association, which operates the state's three Thoroughbred tracks, including Belmont and Aqueduct, said it is "monitoring the situation closely since they are our biggest customer."
New York Thoroughbred Breeders Executive Director Jeffrey Cannizzo dismissed the situation as a "hollow threat."
"NYC OTB used the same trick in 2008, the last time they went bankrupt," Cannizzo said.
NYRA and the breeders oppose the reorganization plan, which would change how much the OTB distributes in revenues.
The National in a city near you - presale code
The free pre-sale code for The Nationals concert in http://media.ticketmaster.com/en-us/dbimages/48213a only works for a limited time. This could be your best chance to get your tickets to see The National. Here are the National concert details:The National
Apr 22-23 The National, Richmond, VA
May 23 Spreckels Theatre, San Diego, CA
May 27 Fox Theater - Oakland, Oakland, CA
Jun 05 The Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
Jun 06 Dar Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
Jun 16 Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY
Canada
Massey Hall, Toronto, ON
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