16 JANUARY 13 - JANUARY 19, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP A SNOW JOB I cannot say that I was pleased with Department of Sanitation’s response to last Saturday’s snow. Although it only amounted to a few inches, it was combined with temperatures in the low 20s and wind, which made for dangerous driving and walking conditions. And it snowed throughout the day which, as a fi rst real snowfall of the season, made things even more treacherous. For several hours, Sanitation seemed to fall behind with roads becoming very slippery. Fortunately, although steady, the snow was not all that heavy. If it had been heavier, I can only imagine how di cult a Saturday making the rounds would have become for community residents. Sanitation changed its snow operations plan a few months back with plows, salters and sanders operating as teams in a set zone. In this manner, the end result should be a more e - cient and equitable delivery of a snow response throughout the city. However, logically, such a plan requires the application of su cient resources. Twice on Saturday, I found myself behind Sanitation trucks doing their normal Saturday garbage pickups. It seems to me that pick-ups should have been suspended and all sta applied to addressing snow-related issues. The city budgets for just such a situation and as much as I do not like to see taxpayer dollars spent on overtime, keeping the streets clear on bad snow days seem like a good use. *** The New York State Conservative Party will be holding its annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Albany on Sunday, January 29 and Monday, January 30 at the Albany Holiday Inn. Tickets are required but COMMON SENSE the full package — which involves two days of speakers, a lunch, reception and dinner — is very inexpensive. Speakers include Congressmember Chis Collins who was the fi rst congressmember in the nation to endorse Trump and is a senior member of his transition as well as several other congressmembers, state senators, assemblymembers and policy speakers on issues ranging from the budget to assisted suicide. Potential candidates for governor will also be on hand to address the conservative activists. The event concludes with a legislative reception and dinner at which the State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Assembly Republican Leader Brian Kolb speak and State Chairperson Mike Long presents the party’s legislative agenda. Conservative WE THE PEOPLE Party-endorsed State Senator Simcha Felder of Brooklyn will receive BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP • JUNE 5 - JUNE 11, 2014 an award for having the highest BY JERRY KASSAR conservative-rated voting record in the Senate. Additional information of the event plus an opportunity to register is available by going to cpnys.org or by calling the party at (718) 921-2158. *** The Brooklyn Conservative Party has fi led an amicus brief with the court in support of the e orts undertaken by Conservative-Republican Assemblymembers Nicole Malliotakis and Ron Castorina to prevent the City of New York from destroying documents used to produce the IDNYC cards which are being issued to undocumented New York City residents. The party cites the dangers destruction of the records could pose to law enforcement and public safety. The brief also argues that it is policy on all levels of government to keep records used to produce IDs for a period far in excess of the two years the city has planned to keep them before they are destroyed. DON’T THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER President-elect Trump has pledged to work with Congress to repeal the A ordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority sit amet, consectetur adipiscing urna in sem ornare blandit velit, volutpat nec vehicula neque. Aliquam semper euismod Pellentesque sem metus, condimentum nec, laoreet at dolor. Sed consectetur ac, suscipit quis leader, is champing at the bit to dismantle Obamacare but he has no plan for a replacement. Representative Paul Ryan implores citizens just to wait and see what the Republicans have waiting in the wings as if this is a game show. The problem is that the people of this nation may end up with the “booby” prize. It is easy for members of Congress to talk about paying for health insurance since they enjoy wonderful salaries and health insurance benefi ts. According to Fox News, a senator receives a base salary of $174,000, health insurance, a pension plan and a tax deferred savings plan called a "Thri Savings Plan." In the Thri Savings Plan, tax-deferred salary is invested and members' contributions are matched up to us fi ve percent, never which will supplement their pensions. They are eligible for forget a full pension at age 62 a er one term in the Senate. Senators’ benefi ts are described as “a mountain of perks” that Fortune 500 companies couldn't match. Now, Mitch McConnell, as majority leader, receives $193,400 in annual salary. He is a 30-year veteran of the Senate and will receive a wonderful pension. The Center for Responsive Politics ranks McConnell as the 10th richest senator, with a net worth between $9.2 million and $36.5 million. In 2004, his average net worth was $3.1 million, compared to a Senate average of $14.5 million, but it quadrupled a er 2007, when it was pegged at $7.8 million. The casual talk about eliminating health insurance for working Americans is despicable from a man whose only goal in 30 years of public service seems to be to accumulate wealth and get credit for dismantling the fi rst real reform to U.S. healthcare in over 40 years. In 2008, before Obamacare, more WE THE PEOPLE BY BRIAN KERIN WE THE PEOPLE t h a n 82 percent of BY BRIAN KERIN Americans were so dissatisfi ed with health care that they wanted it overhauled. The Republicans — who are now assuring you that getting rid of a system of healthcare is a good thing — have no skin in the game. In 2008, more than 50 million Americans were uninsured. The average cost of health care and insurance was rising faster than infl ation and driving more Americans to join the ranks of the uninsured. By 2009, employer-sponsored family coverage reached $13,375 a year, making health insurance too expensive for many American families. This increased the number of uninsured people which added to the expense of health care. BY BRIAN KIERAN American health care costs more per capita than anywhere else in the industrialized world. We were spending $8,745 a year, per person, or $4,000 more, per person, than Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The fi gures don’t lie and the rate of increase for health care has slowed and more than 10 million Americans are now covered by health insurance thanks to Obamacare. The non-partisan Congressional Budget O ce reports that Obamacare will actually reduce the federal defi cit in the coming years. Meanwhile, the multimillionaire club called the Senate along with our billionaire president will lead the charge to throw our health care reform baby out with the bath water. It makes no sense to dismantle a system without a replacement. The people deserve answers and must demand that a decision to make more than 10 million Americans uninsured again be made only a er the people who will be a ected have been heard. Hospital situation need of triage College Hospital seems to be destined Victory Memorial Hospital, Peninsula Vincent’s Hospital. proposed plans are short on service to on dollars in the pockets of developers. to believe that, as the city grows, increases prospers, fewer health Do we chain bank on hospitals? the company that wins the proposal be obligated to provide a large facility to compensate for the service hospital it will replace. Congressmember Hakeem Jefferies opportunity to complain that the NYPD low-level marijuana arrests in hinted that this may be an indication Blasio is really not serious about following through on his campaign promises to assure the NYPD scrupulously honors individual citizens civil rights. He stated that the “new administration promised change but instead we get more of the same.” That is not true. The number of arrests for low-level marijuana possession has dropped and NYPD policy is not to force a suspect to display small amounts of pot in order to make an arrest. Governor Cuomo has proposed decriminalizing possession of 15 grams or less of pot whether hidden or in plain view, which would take this controversy and its attendant political baggage off the table. It would be nice to let police offi cers perform their duties instead of being pawns in a political chess game. Mayor de Blasio has fulfi lled an incredible amount of his promises in a very short time. He has imposed the extra protection of an inspector general for the NYPD and signed off on the laws passed by the City Council which may leave police offi cers subject to lawsuits for negligent performance of their duties. He has provided universal pre K without a tax increase. He is settling the outstanding municipal worker contracts neglected by Mike Bloomberg for the next mayor to handle. He is championing Vision Zero to reduce traffi c fatalities to zero. It is unfair to question his commitment to his ideals or to the fulfi llment of his promises. The City Council will pass 11 laws and four resolutions to create a Vision Zero environment for our streets. The new laws provide a lower speed limit for city streets and enhanced penalties for reckless drivers. The state legislature must approve the changes. We also need the state legislature to provide a reasonable number of speed cameras to enforce the new laws. Let us hope that our legislators will work together as a group to see that these changes and improvements are made quickly. Brian Kieran is an attorney who works as a Principal Law Clerk in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in Kings County and is a Democrat. dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing sed urna in sem ornare blandit nunc velit, volutpat nec vehicula neque. Aliquam semper euismod luctus. Pellentesque sem metus, condimentum nec, laoreet at dolor. Sed sed consectetur ac, suscipit quis consequat felis tristique. felis cursus Ut libero, tortor. erat, rutrum non sapien ullamcorper vulputate id ante. Nulla varius, pulvinar congue euismod, eros odio vulputate nisi elit eu mauris. condimentum, erat eget posuere tellus varius arcu, a rutrum mi Quisque ac massa nunc, id lacinia vitae metus ac lacus fermentum Pellenesque tincidunt ligula non velit adipiscing. leo vel nibh condimentum eu tempus orci pretium. Donec facilisis, odio et iaculis iaculis, sem arcu rutrum mi, a vulputate erat lorem porttitor metus. Mauris sagittis interdum feugiat. Fusce laoreet vehicula laoreet. Nam id accumsan magna. Vivamus a felis at lacus tincidunt sodales quis sed nisl. Donec vitae dui purus. Quisque eu nisi eros, et venenatis eros. Proin non lacus orci, eu ultrices tellus. Vestibulum nec nisl magna. Duis tincidunt gravida lorem, a dictum leo imperdiet ut. Sed eu massa in leo eleifend viverra. Proin eros sem, convallis quis adipiscing pulvinar, mattis vel purus. Fusce sapien sem, aliquet vitae tempor sit amet, auctor id ante. Pellentesque vel vestibulum sem. Cras lobortis lorem at lectus pretium feugiat vel quis libero. Praesent consectetur consectetur tortor vitae lacinia. Mauris turpis nisl, rutrum ut condimentum eu, elementum non neque. Vivamus eget vulputate mauris. Vivamus elit tellus, euismod ut condimentum vitae, molestie a lectus. Donec molestie, ligula consequat venenatis lobortis, libero eros porttitor diam, ac malesuada purus ligula nec mauris. Donec eleifend magna non justo fringilla fermentum. Suspendisse potenti. Quisque eros arcu, fringilla a blandit et, pellentesque sit amet risus. Fusce iaculis magna vel felis scelerisque nec suscipit nibh lacinia. Suspendisse potenti. Proin sed interdum justo. Sed sollicitudin tristique suscipit. Sed mattis, odio a imperdiet tempus, orci tortor pellentesque nibh, sit amet aliquet enim magna nec ligula. Curabitur suscipit enim sed metus adipiscing imperdiet. Praesent commodo scelerisque tellus nec ornare. Integer sit amet volutpat turpis. Integer congue condimentum urna, sit amet aliquam ligula mollis sit amet. Maecenas odio quam dapibus lectus sit amet arcu tempor imperdiet. Nullam porttitor posuere mi, fringilla laoreet lorem semper idm ornare congue arcu, non interdum mauris dapibus id. Aenean feugiat ultrices metus a vulputate. Praesent luctus venenatis purus sed viverra. Nulla rhonmentum tortor. Aliquam tincidunt molestie mi, tincidunt vestibulum sem rutrum bibendum. Integer malesuada elit commodo vel vehicula quam ultrices. Sed at massa sed lorem facilisis ultrices. Brian Kieran is a community activist who works for the State of New York and is a Democrat. Double decked headline fit alloted space “Mayor de Blasio has ful lled an incredible Mayor amount Bloomberg of his promises continues in a very to push short a fantasy time. that, if he had more power, everything would be okay. When so much is at stake, it is not the time to make political statements or play games”. vulputate id ante. Nulla varius, congue euismod, eros odio vulputate nisi elit eu mauris. condimentum, erat eget posuere varius arcu, a rutrum mi Quisque ac massa nunc, id lacinia metus ac lacus fermentum tincidunt ligula non velit vel nibh condimentum eu tempus orci pretium. Donec facilisis, odio et iaculis iaculis, sem arcu rutrum mi, a vulputate erat lorem porttitor metus. Mauris sagittis interdum feugiat. Fusce laoreet vehicula laoreet. Nam id accumsan magna. Vivamus a felis at lacus tincidunt sodales quis sed nisl. Donec vitae dui purus. Quisque eu nisi eros, et venenatis eros. Proin non lacus orci, eu ultrices tellus. Vestibulum nec nisl magna. Duis tincidunt gravida lorem, a dictum leo imperdiet ut. Sed eu massa in leo eleifend viverra. Proin eros sem, convallis quis adipiscing pulvinar, mattis vel purus. Fusce sapien sem, aliquet vitae tempor sit amet, auctor id ante. Pellentesque vel vestibulum sem. Cras lobortis lorem at lectus pretium feugiat vel quis libero. Praesent consectetur consectetur tortor vitae lacinia. Mauris turpis nisl, rutrum ut condimentum eu, elementum non neque. Vivamus eget vulputate mauris. Vivamus elit tellus, euismod ut condimentum vitae, molestie a lectus. Donec molestie, ligula consequat venenatis lobortis, libero eros porttitor diam, ac malesuada purus ligula nec mauris. Donec eleifend magna non justo fringilla fermentum. Suspendisse potenti. Quisque eros arcu, fringilla a blandit et, pellentesque sit amet risus. Fusce iaculis magna vel felis scelerisque nec suscipit nibh lacinia. Suspendisse potenti. Proin sed interdum justo. Sed sollicitudin tristique suscipit. Sed mattis, odio a imperdiet tempus, orci tortor pellentesque nibh, sit amet aliquet enim magna nec ligula. Curabitur suscipit enim sed metus adipiscing imperdiet. Praesent commodo scelerisque tellus nec ornare. Integer sit amet volutpat turpis. Integer congue condimentum urna, sit amet aliquam ligula mollis sit amet. Maecenas odio quam dapibus lectus sit amet arcu tempor imperdiet. Nullam porttitor posuere mi, fringilla laoreet lorem semper idm ornare congue arcu, non interdum mauris dapibus id. Aenean feugiat ultrices metus a vulputate. Praesent luctus venenatis purus sed viverra. Nulla rhonmentum tortor. Aliquam tincidunt molestie mi, tincidunt vestibulum sem rutrum bibendum. Integer malesuada elit commodo vel vehicula quam ultrices. Sed at massa sed lorem facilisis ultrices. Brian Kieran is a community activist who works for the State of New York and is a Democrat. Double decked headline fit alloted space “Mayor Bloomberg continues to push a fantasy that, if he had more power, everything would be okay. When so much is at stake, it is not the time to make political statements or play games”. COMMON Double decked headline BY BRIAN KIERAN As much as I do not like to see taxpayer dollars spent on overtime, keeping the streets clear on bad snow days seem like a good use. In 2008, before Obamacare, more than 82 percent of Americans were so dissatis ed with health care that they wanted it overhauled.
HRR01122017
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