Did Christine Quinn See Her Shadow on Groundhog Day ?

NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn did not see her shadow today. How could she? Vampires don't cast shadows. @chriscquinn @stopchrisquinn

— Fake Brian Williams (@FakeBriWilliams) February 3, 2013

A spokesman for Bill de Blasio said, “If Christine Quinn were mayor, it would be the last 12 years over and over again.” (Groundhoggin' the Spotlight * The New York Post)

Staten Island Chuck did not see his shadow when he came out of his burrow at the Staten Island Zoo. Chuck predicts early spring for New York City. (Groundhog Day 2013 * The New York Daily News)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg was not at this year's event, so he cast no shadow. No word if Christine Quinn, who prematurely inserted herself into this photo opportunity, cast her shadow. Jokes on Twitter were playing off of her "vampire/gothic" look in a recent publication relations effort in New York magazine. One person wrote, "Vampires don't cast shadows."

LOL. Groan.

Bloomberg Crackdown On Occupy Sandy Volunteers As An Election Issue

Watch Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s stealth visit to the Rockaways. Join Occupy Sandy for a call to action on 12/15 http://bit.ly/Tth0sQ #occupysandy #ows

Mayor Bloomberg just can't help it. Mayor Bloomberg does not believe that government should provide a safety net for the average person, much less to hurricane survivors. Is class warfare a factor in Mayor Bloomberg's worldview about who deserves a safety net or a bailout ? Who is going to get the disaster relief he is seeking ? Will it ever/never trickle down to the people, who really need it ?

But voters do have a choice : why do we accept less ? Why is it O.K. for Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the highest elected Democratic Party politician in New York City, to have no opinion about Mayor Bloomberg trying to undertake maneuvers to try to shut down Occupy Sandy volunteer efforts ? We don't have to accept less from our publicly elected officials.

Remember, Mayor Bloomberg initially said we didn't need help from FEMA ; consequently, thousands of Hurricane Sandy survivors went without any assistance, since it is Mayor Blooomberg's sick and twisted billionaire worldview that government is not supposed to help people in need. And in that vacuum of cruelty came forth Occupy Sandy volunteers, to not only fill the void, but to also lead by example : humanity means caring for one another.

Is Mayor Bloomberg really getting ready to evacuate the most successful, compassionate, and heroic volunteer hurricane relief response in New York City ?

Bill de Blasio Marathon Hurricane Sandy Update

Bill de Blasio · 5,281 like this

about an hour ago · 

• We need to postpone the Marathon and keep our focus where it belongs: on public safety and vital relief operations.
  
  The pain and suffering still unfolding in our neighborhoods is too deep for words. I walked more streets with Councilman Oddo in Staten Island today, and listened to people who still remain without power, food and water – so near the race’s starting point. It's convinced me the needs are simply too great to divert any resources from the recovery. Lodgings reserved for marathoners must be re-allocated to utility workers.

#myopinioncounts and @informedvoting to support community organising in New York City

#myopinioncounts is a new hashtag and @informedvoting is a new Twitter account launched to support community organising in New York City leading up to the 2013 mayoral election.

To support community organisers across the five boroughs of New York City, the blogger and activist Louis Flores has launched a new Twitter account, @informed voting. He has also launched a related hashtag, #myopinioncounts, to support reforms to improve the democratic participation of citizens in our own governance.

This Twitter account will follow the activists and citizens in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. This Twitter account will highlight areas, were we can find common ground and link up together, to bring about reforms in our government. For example, how did "stop and frisk" become the only acceptable answer to crime prevention, when the solution all along is passing stricter gun control laws ? The same thing goes for hospital closings : why are so many major hospitals closing, when Congress just expanded healthcare to tens of millions of Americans ? Cutting costs to healthcare are unacceptable, and yet where do politicians find the legitimacy to close down hospitals across all five boroughs ?

"If we are going to change the system, we need to organise. This means taking action together. With this new Twitter account and the related hashtag, I will support the work that others do," said Louis Flores.

Time is also running out to reach our goal for the Kickstarter project to support the publication of Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn, a work-in-progress survey of the political ethics of the New York City Council Speaker. Funding ends on August 16, and for this book to inform voters, the community must come together to support this project. Please make a pledge and help spread the word. Thank you for everything that you do.

Staten Island Hospital Closings

Last-minute deal saves Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. Can Staten Island continue to escape the spree of hospital closing ?

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has found enough state grant money to save Long Island College Hospital, NY1 reported. Because of the deal, 2,500 employees, who work at the Brooklyn hospital, will be able to keep their jobs.

In the time that Christine Quinn has been Speaker of the New York City Council, at least eight city hospitals have closed :

• North General Hospital in Harlem declared bankruptcy in 2010 ;
• St. Vincent's Hospital in the West Village was shut down in 2010 after shady backroom meetings ;
• St. John's Queens Hospital in Elmhurst went bankrupt in 2009 ;
• Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica went bankrupt in 2009 ;
• Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills decided to close in 2008 ;
• Cabrini Medical Center in Manhattan closed in 2008 ;
• Victory Memorial Hospital in Bay Ridge closed in 2008 ; and
• St. Vincent's Midtown in Manhattan closed in 2007.

Last October, New York magazine published an exposé written by Mark Levine, which described the dangerous public health issues resulting from all the hospital closings.

"Last year, a pair of hospitals in Queens closed suddenly, just before the outbreak of H1N1, causing overflow conditions in the emergency rooms of nearby facilities, one of which set up a triage area on a loading dock."

In January, The New York Post has made a list of Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn hospitals, which are in danger of closing, if New York State government makes major cuts in Medicaid funding :

Brooklyn:

• Brooklyn Center
• Brookdale
• Interfaith
• Kingsbrook
• Wyckoff

Queens:

• Jamaica
• Peninsula

Bronx:

• Westchester Square
• St. Barnabas

For more information, see : Governor's Medicaid cuts may kill 10 city hospitals.