Well, they did create a Web site, you have to hand them that. Last week, a few dozen New York University students, along with students from other universities looking for a lark with maybe some hummus and hippie chicks on the side, barricaded themselves inside a dining hall in N.Y.U.’s Kimmel Center on Washington Square Read More
It wasn’t a popular position, but months ago we argued in this space that Charles O’Byrne ought to remain in Albany as Governor David Paterson’s right-hand man. Turns out we were right: Mr. O’Byrne is coming back. That’s good news for an administration that has been listless since Mr. O’Byrne’s departure.
Mr. O’Byrne, of Read More
It appears as though the city’s Republican Party leaders—they used to meet in phone booths, back in the pre-cellular era—are in a bit of a snit. Mayor Michael Bloomberg discarded them two years ago when he dropped out of the party and declared himself to be a true independent. Now with the mayor preparing for Read More
Security
By Stephen Amidon
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 276 pages, $25
Stoneleigh is the “nuclear-free, dolphin safe” New England town where Edward Inman outfits the homes of skittish yuppies with motion sensors, panic rooms and CCTV. Doyle Cutler is one of his clients—a wealthy man with a seedy mien, an aversion to Read More
There are two times in New York City government when truly dreadful ideas tend to surface: during flush times, and during a financial crisis. When city coffers are full, council members try to blow through all the cash on hand, spending it on ridiculous pork barrel projects rather than using the funds to do something Read More
New York State’s public employee unions are taking their campaign against Governor David Paterson’s budget to a television near you. In recent days, the unions have launched a series of scary commercials designed to make you think that the governor’s cuts will result in needless death and destruction.
Pretty typical fare, but disappointing all Read More
BEST PICTURE
The Reader
My choice for Best Picture would be The Reader. I think it’s a magnificent film about little people with big experiences. It’s a movie that, at a time when movies are not about much of anything, is a very important Read More
Like their counterparts around the country, New York’s Catholic schools face a crisis that figures to get worse in the near future. Enrollment, already in decline, very likely will take a hit as parents find they can’t afford tuition. But as the student population shrinks, parishes are forced to raise tuition to make up for Read More
The nation is facing a deep and deepening economic crisis. Unemployment is rising, foreclosures are up, retail sales are down and people are worried about their future. The federal government must intervene in the economy and do whatever it takes to stimulate economic activity.
And so we are shocked—although perhaps not surprised—that Republicans have Read More
As Mayor Michael Bloomberg surveys a budget crisis unlike any in a generation, he is well aware that the worst thing he could do now is order massive layoffs to help plug the yawning gaps in the city’s short-term finances.
New York already has lost tens of thousands of jobs. Our financial services industry, Read More
