New Solutions to East Side Problems
Posted by Our Town on September 1, 2010
Creating jobs, housing and infrastructure repair top agenda
By Reshma Saujani
In my campaign, I’ve traveled from the Lower East Side to the Upper East Side, from Astoria to Long Island City—and everywhere I go, I hear the same fundamental concern from voters: for the first time in generations, parents are worried their children will not have the same opportunities that they had. And more than anything, people in New York—from artists to taxi drivers to teachers to bankers—are anxious about the economy. They’re worried about a jobless recovery with no end in sight and politicians in Washington and Albany that are failing to act.
Compounding that anxiety are several factors. First, New York is one of the most expensive places to live in America. The overall cost of living here is an astonishing 364 percent higher than the national average—and it’s not getting any cheaper. The delayed and over-budget construction of the Second Avenue subway is pushing small businesses into bankruptcy. Upper East Side schools are overcrowded and students are being forced to go across town for a quality education. Public spaces like Ruppert Park may close, bus lines are being cut and bedbugs are a growing problem.
We can—and must—do better. In order to ensure a vibrant Upper East Side for future generations, we need new leadership and innovative ideas to create jobs, make sure that middle class families aren’t priced out of the city, and improve the quality of life for New Yorkers.
Right now, creating jobs must be our first priority, because the solutions coming out of Washington simply aren’t working. Carolyn Maloney, my opponent, has not passed a single piece of legislation to create jobs since becoming chair of the Joint Economic Committee. Not one. To create thousands of new jobs starting this year, I’ve proposed a new 21st Century Jobs Corps to provide educational training grants to help unemployed Americans, like construction workers, find work in emerging sectors. I’ve also proposed a National Innovation Fund—a public-private partnership to invest seed money into start-up businesses in next-generation industries. I believe we should eliminate capital gains taxes on investments in micro-enterprises to empower entrepreneurs with innovative new business ideas. And I am calling for a $15,000 student loan credit for math, science or engineering college graduates who go to work for a clean-tech, biotech or high-tech start-up in New York for at least three years. We should also double the $2 billion in grants awarded to our entrepreneurs through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
Maintaining an affordable New York is critical, especially when it comes to housing. Only 30 percent of New Yorkers are homeowners, a far cry from the national rate of 68 percent, and people of color in New York are even less likely to own a home. New York must first take steps to mandate that a percentage of development projects be dedicated to affordable housing. In addition, I will push for a national Tenants’ Bill of Rights to protect homeowners and oppose plans to privatize public housing.
Quality of life is another important issue. I’m committed to maintaining our existing parks and public spaces and creating new ones. The completion of the East Side Greenway must be a priority. I’m also concerned about the potential construction of a high-rise at the Ruppert Playground on 92nd Street. I’ve written to both the City of New York and The Related Companies, urging them to permanently preserve this space as a public park.
Infrastructure will continue to be an important driver of economic growth, but the Second Avenue subway is an unfortunate reminder that when our leaders don’t properly consult the community, too often, businesses are adversely affected and many of our economic goals are not achieved. The Second Avenue subway will ultimately be a positive addition to the community. But we need to engage the community throughout the building process. To help businesses that are being affected by the construction of the Second Avenue subway, I will work with local, state and federal officials to provide an economic stability initiative to establish grants and property tax abatements.
New York is the greatest city in the world, but our politicians in Washington and Albany are failing to lead. As an example, Carolyn Maloney recently held a fundraiser at the home of a financial lobbyist—while serving on the committee negotiating financial reform. That’s wrong. I’ve pledged to never accept a penny of corporate PAC money in my career. And I will fight the special interests culture that brings Congress to a standstill. We can’t keep re-electing the same politicians and expecting change. Together we can change our broken system and build a new era of opportunity and prosperity for all New Yorkers.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Maloney Should Concede To Reshma Saujani
The Huffington Post: Murkowski Concedes Alaska GOP Senate Primary To Joe Miller: Sen. Lisa Murkowski was booted from office in the Republican primary Tuesday by a little-known conservative lawyer in arguably the biggest political upset of the year..... amid deep dissatisfaction with the Washington establishment..... defeated a sitting senator in a primary ...... Murkowski is the third senator to lose this year, along with Bennett and Arlen Specter, D-Pa. ..... after more than 15,000 ballots were counted, she remained 1,630 votes behind...... the Miller camp had no idea what to expect Tuesday. ...... Murkowski has proudly touted her seniority after eight years in office, and said her roles on the appropriations and energy committees put her in a strong position to ensure Alaskans' voices are heard ...... with Murkowski holding such a name-recognition and fundraising advantage ..... Miller connected with the voters and tapped into anti-incumbent anger ....... the Kansas-raised Miller had no experience running in political races ...... in the race's final weeks, when Miller's camp said it sensed momentum was on its side and that Miller would win.
Maloney should not wait until September 14. She should concede now. And here's why.
It is about the cause. It is now time for The New Woman to step forward. (September 14 Will Birth The New Woman) Conceding to Reshma now would be the biggest thing Maloney ever did for women worldwide. It would be a masterstroke.
It is about the party. Maloney could do her part in letting the Democratic Party ride the strong anti incumbency mood sweeping the country. (Obama Needs To Ride The Reshma Insurgency Wave To Victory)
It is about time. Maloney has had a 18 year run. That is long enough. She should exit the state in dignity.
It is about the ground reality. Reshma 2010 obviously has the momentum in this race.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
One Detail Missing In AP Article On Reshma
Image by World Economic Forum via FlickrThis Associated Press article has covered all the major points about Reshma Saujani except one, and that missing detail is a big one.
Reshma's Momentum: Line Graph Or Curve Graph
Reshma's Momentum: 70% Vs. 7%, 24,000 Vs. 8,000 Signatures, $2 Vs. $1.2 Million
That big missing detail is the several months old internal polling numbers that the Maloney 2010 camp has been providing to the oh so eager media people that shows Maloney is at 70% and Reshma is at 7%. Those poll numbers are so old, it is like saying John Edwards won in Iowa. But those Maloney provided numbers have been recycled by mainstream media relentlessly. I wish Maloney all the false confidence in the world (Send Maloney An Absentee Ballot In DC), but I want the media people to get back to their commitment to fairness and accuracy in reporting.
I mean, what the! This article is the Associated Press engaging in yellow journalism. This article is full of lie after lie after lie. The first lie is the headline itself.
No, Maloney is not a pro Wall Street reform candidate and no, Reshma is not an anti Wall Street reform person. Maloney has no clue how Wall Street works. If you want her to take the lead on Wall Street reform, I would like to perform your next surgery. Grant me the honor. (Joke Of The Day: Carolyn Maloney) And if you think Maloney was the architect of the recently passed Wall Street reform bill, remember that guy who landed on the moon? That was me. (Credit For Credit Card Bill Goes To Barack Obama, Carolyn Maloney's Work On The Second Avenue Subway Line)
Maloney was raising money from Wall Street PACs w-h-i-l-e she was working on Wall Street reform. After the ethics committee is done with Rangel, mark my word, it is going after Maloney. (Rangel And Maloney Need To Vacate The Premises And For The Same Reasons)
Maloney sits on a personal fortune of 20 million dollars. A-l-l of that is Wall Street money. Reshma has a student loan of $100,000. If she is that person that skimmed the country of trillions like Maloney 2010 has been telling the media, why did Reshma not pay off her student loans?
Maloney has taken half a million dollars from Wall Street PACs. Reshma Saujani has not taken a dime. Let me crunch the numbers here. Give me a minute. Okay, done. My calculation says that makes Carolyn Maloney the Wall Street's candidate, not Reshma Saujani. (Barack Obama: The NRA's Candidate)
Yes, Maloney voted for the Wall Street reform bill. Of course she did. She is a checkbox Democrat. That is what checkbox Democrats do. But Reshma actually knows what is inside that bill. And she has come out saying the bill is a big step in the right direction, but it does not do enough.
Calling Reshma the Wall Street's candidate is like calling a brown person a terrorist just because he is brown. What's wrong in that picture? Intelligent people don't do that. (Wayne Barrett: Suspicious Package, Al Hagan: Capable Of A Hate Crime)
Vision? Maloney has no visions. Maloney is a nightmare. (Yes, Maloney Is A Crook) What competing visions are you even talking about?
The Associated Press: NYC House Race Boils Down To Wall Street VisionsIf I were Rupert Murdoch - wait, who owns AP? - I'd fire this Beth Fouhy person like yesterday. (Tea Party Astroturfing)
Terra: Halle: The Kate Spade Shoe All the Power Ladies Want
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