Barry Real Estate Can’t Be Serious
Looks like Barry Real Estate continues to test Zeno of Elea’s dichotomy paradox - namely that if the number of condos is continuously cut in half can it really ever reach zero? Jim Irwin’s latest unveiling for the downtown condos has now cut the number down to 17. Why not zero?
Whether or not one agrees with the ideas I presented in Doubling Down on Harrison Square is not important. What is important is that we move towards a plan that makes sense for this community and one that will be supported by the majority of citizens. We were continuously told this was to be a catalyst project but how in the world will 17 condos achieve that? This redesign would render this portion of the project completely pointless.
I mean just think about this for a moment. If they need to pre-sell half the condos before beginning construction and they can only sell 6, does that mean they should shrink the number of condos down to 12 or re-think the condo strategy altogether?
It appears Irwin and his group are simply incapable of thinking outside the box. Why not increase the number of units and make them rentals that younger people really can afford? That is how we will bring life back to downtown. Building a set of condos where only Irwin and the mayor live is not going to cut it. We can do better than this and we deserve better than this…
City Wastes More Taxpayer Money On Harrison Square
There is no plan that we know of to build Harrison Square’s Courtyard by Marriott hotel but the city is pressing ahead anyway on the renovations for the embassy which would allow them to build a walkway from the “alleged” hotel to the Grand Wayne Center. This walkway was the “deal breaker” in the entire Harrison Square negotiation. We just HAD to have it even though it wasn’t mentioned in the original memorandum of understanding. (See FWN & WGDT)
What is wrong with these people? First, they ignore their own contract by spending taxpayer dollars without making sure the private sector financing was in place and now this. Remember this is a $1.85 million project with ~$1.35 million from city funds.
The first part was to cost $1 million and included the walkway, pedestrian corridor, stairway connecting the corridor and existing walkway and a lift for accessibility. The second part, which is probably what they are pursuing, includes a storage area, new elevator shaft (on the west side of the embassy), constructing a stairwell and installation of an elevator. This renovation was to cost $850k.
It’s important to know that there is no actual money to pay for this. Here’s where the city originally said the money would come from:
How I Feel About Obama
I read Alexander Cockburn’s column in The Nation last week and I felt like it summed up my feelings on President Obama quite nicely (for those of you that don’t know The Nation is the flagship publication for the left). It’s worth reading in full but here’s an excerpt:
Here is a man who has spent a lavish portion of his first hundred days setting the stage for what bids fair to be one of the greatest foreign policy disasters of the postwar epoch, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. To find parallel cases of lunatic misjudgment, you have to go all the way back to 1961 and John F. Kennedy’s twin commitments to ratchet up the U.S. intervention in Vietnam and greenlight the attempted invasion of Cuba.
[...]
In concert with militarist continuity from the Bush years, Obama’s lawyers have told federal judges they are explicitly continuing Bush policies on rendition, indefinite detention, spying and telecom immunity.
[...]
Trillions have been tossed uselessly to the banks, on the recommendation of the bankers and their pitchmen, with whom Obama has surrounded himself.In sum, the First Obama is doing badly.
[...]
The Third Obama doesn’t slip into the Oval Office too often, meaning, of course, that he’s the one the progressives staked their hopes on… But last month the Third Obama got something done.
[...]
the White House rushed to announce that Obama’s commitment to honoring state medical marijuana law would be implemented. And lo! On Feb. 26, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the federal government would no longer raid or prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries in states where they are legal.
[...]
Give the Third Obama a clap on the back. He needs all the encouragement he can get to sneak into the Oval Office more often. The First and Second Obamas can’t hope to stay so high for long in the popularity stakes.
Most ethical Congress in History, what a joke
The liberal weblog Daily Kos once again correctly attacks Congressional Democrats for blocking an ethics probe into corrupt Democratic Congressman Murtha.
Does anyone remember Nancy Pelosi promisng to run “the most ethical Congress in history?”
Why is she blocking the ethics probe?
I am telling you the Republicans are going to gain a lot of seats in the House in 2010.
Good grief.
Mike Sylvester
Beware of people writing bad checks locally!
Today was a bad day and my blood pressure went up a lot today.
I had a client who wrote me a bad check. This made me so mad that I took some time off and went down and filed a criminal complaint with the Allen County Prosecutors office.
The Simple AIG Decision
The latest round of bonuses to the same idiots criminals running AIG shows how ridiculous these bailouts have become. The argument that somehow a bankrupt company is contractually obligated to pay bonuses to people losing $60 billion a quarter is ridiculous.
We don’t have to give them shit. And that’s exactly what the Obama administration (and Congress) needs to tell them. It’s quite simple, if they don’t return the bonus money then they will not get another penny of bailout dollars. And while we’re at the entire band of executives should be forced to resign.
This should be an easy press conference. If they’re looking for something to say then they can try this on for size:
The AIG leadership has proven themselves incapable making sound business judgments. These are the people who foolishly gambled with their company’s future and helped ruin the world economy. While we believe the failure of AIG could bring unknown economic consequences, we are no longer willing to support their looting of American taxpayers. We all deserve to know that the companies being supported by taxpayers are making a good faith effort to change their pattern of reckless behavior. Therefore, as of today, AIG will not receive a dime of taxpayer money until they return the bonuses paid out and all executives tender their resignation.
I was so right about last year’s housing bailout plan
I authored a post on last year’s stupid housing bailout plan.
Congressional Democrats falsely claimed that the plan would keep about 400,000 people in their homes.
As of last week a total of 25 loans had been re-written. This program was, as I predicted, a complete failure.
President Obama and his inept Treasury Department (a Department at least as inept as the previous inept Treasury Department) claim that this plan will help up to 9 million homeowners stay in their homes. You can read more about another step towards Socialism here.
I told you so, another 165 million wasted by AIG
I opposed the bailout of AIG and similar companies last Fall. I of course still oppose those bailouts today.
Unfortunately the idiots in Washington DC keep throwing ever greater amounts of taxpayer dollars into these failed companies and then they are outraged by the continued executive bonuses, wasteful trips, etc. that these companies keeping making.
Per this articlein the New York Times AIG is giving 165 million in bonuses to the unit of AIG that specifically oversaw credit default swaps. (Per the article AIG has already given 6400 of its employees and executives of 121 million in bonuses as it is.)
I told you last year that there would be massive abuses of Federal bailout money and there have been countless examples; never-the-less our Democratic Congress and President Obama keep approving trillions more.
There is only one group of people that have more blame for the financial crisis than this specific division of AIG and that is Congress itself!
Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Democrats break major campaign promise, again
One of the things I really like about the liberal weblog Daily Kos is that the main author of the weblog truly tells it like he sees it; much like the various authors on this blog. We all are willing to take and our own party when they are screwed up!
Kos has a great post discussing the fact that Congressional Democrats are blocking an ethics investigation of a top Democrat.
Does anyone else remember Nancy Pelosi’s promise to run “the most ethical and transparent Congress in history?”
Does anyone remember Nancy Pelosi promising the “drain the swamp” in Washington DC?
Does anyone remember the fact that Nancy Pelsoi has done nothing about the corrupt Democratic Congressman from New York named Charlie Rangel? This man is in charge of coming up with changes to our tax code and he has repeatedly committed tax fraud; however, he has not been removed from his post.
Heck, does anyone remember Obama’s promises in the same vein? Do not get me started on the corrupt individuals President Obama nominated to fill positions in his Administration; especially do not get me started on the new head of the IRS who cheated on his taxes…
I dislike corruption of any kind and I have routinely attacked corrupt Democrats and Republicans. That being said the Democrats need to get their act together and start fulfilling some of their campaign promises that meant so much to so many Americans.
I am telling you the Republicans are going to pick up a lot of seats in the House of Representatives in 2010. I think the Republicans will have a harder time in the Seante; however, the Republicans will pick up a lot of seats in the House.
Mike
Doubling Down On Harrison Square
I spoke tonight before city council to try and jump start a community discussion regarding where we go from here on the stalled Harrison Square project. The gist of the plan I outlined, Doubling Down On Harrison Square, revolves around 3 basic parts:
- Admit that the condo project is not the best option and evaluate alternative solutions that the public will support
- Come up with equitable financing that includes an equal third from the developers, local lenders and city government
- Protect the taxpayer by restructuring the contract - having the citizens take an ownership stake in the baseball team as collateral would be one option
What follows may not be a verbatim transcript of what I said but it’s close:
