New York City

The “Nanny State” Attacks Of Sarah Palin And Other Conservatives: Promoting Hatred And Suspicion Of Government! :(

Ronald Leave a comment

Sarah Palin is on a tear, seemingly now attacking some prominent figure on a daily basis, or showing her total stupidity and lack of knowledge about what a candidate for President needs, to take on the burden of that office! 🙁

No sooner than attacking former First Lady Barbara Bush and being unable to distinguish North Korea from South Korea, the former half term Governor of Alaska and Vice Presidential nominee of the GOP in 2008 now is on the attack against our present First Lady, Michelle Obama, who has the highest approval rating of any public figure with 65 percent!

Why is this? It is because Michelle Obama is promoting an anti obesity campaign among the children of America, many of whom are overweight, make poor choices in what they consume, and are in danger of becoming diabetic in alarming numbers in the future! It is also a major problem among adults in this country who fail to consider that what you put in your mouth affects long term health!

This campaign comes after Nancy Reagan’s campaign against drugs in the 1980s and John F. Kennedy’s crusade for physical fitness in the 1960s!

Is it wrong of the national government to promote an anti obesity campaign, a war against drugs, and a physical fitness agenda? Any sane person would say, of course not, but not Sarah Palin, who accuses Michelle Obama of promoting a “nanny state”, a charge also leveled by conservative talk show hosts on radio and on Fox News Channel! 🙁

Under the same thought, it apparently is improper of state and local government officials, such as in California and New York City and elsewhere, to ban smoking in public places, and for the US government to be planning new, explicit pictures on cigarette packages of the damages of smoking! But is it such? NO, because it is obvious that human beings often make wrong choices which affect their health and well being, and the government is intervening to attempt to promote different behavior through the leadership of public figures who carry weight among our citizens!

Instead of applauding Michelle Obama, Nancy Reagan, John F. Kennedy, the California state government, the New York City government, and the Department of Health and Human Services for their promotion of good health, instead we are told that the “Know Nothings” who think parents always know what is best, should rule the day!

The answer is NO, as many adults make WRONG choices that affect the health and well being of their children for the rest of their lives! There is nothing wrong with promoting good health and good habits!

And, by the way, if Sarah Palin is such a good parent, then why is it she cannot teach the values in her children to avoid becoming pregnant when still teenagers and unmarried? And realize that if young women, less fortunate in their family assets than Bristol Palin, become pregnant, it often condemns them to a lifetime of poverty!

Should not the national government do everything it can through advocacy and example to avoid promoting poverty and bad health? Of course!

So what it comes down to is that Sarah Palin and other conservatives are simply promoting hatred and suspicion of government, as the Tea Party Movement has been doing! 🙁

That could be called libertarianism by many, or maybe it is actually anarchism in hiding? 🙁

“The Progressive Professor” Returning To His “Roots” From July 24-August 1!

Ronald 1 Comment

The author will not be adding any entries from now until his return from New York City at the beginning of August!

I am taking my two sons back to NYC, their “roots” as well as mine, for the first time since we moved to Florida in 1989!

This is a wonderful family event, but I will keep up on the news and have commentary again when I arrive back online on August 2! 🙂

Good reading! 🙂

Should There Be A Giant Mosque Near Ground Zero? NO! :(

Ronald 2 Comments

A major controversy developing in New York City is whether a giant mosque should be constructed a short distance from Ground Zero, where the Trade Center Twin Towers once stood!

There is discussion of replacing an historic building, going back to the 19th century, to make way for this Islamic house of worship. But is this site the proper one? The answer is NO! 🙁

This is not, and should not, be seen as anti Islamic, although it will be seen as such by many Muslims in America and elsewhere. There is no issue that mosques can be built, as much as churches and synagogues anywhere in America. But NOT at an historic site that includes the ashes of many who died on September 11!

This is too sensitive a matter, and the feelings of New Yorkers and Americans must be the prime consideration in this matter. The Landmark Preservation Commission must rule in favor of making the present building protected from demolition!

It is not the point of promoting Islamic phobia, which must be worked against. But this is a sacred location, and must be left as hallowed ground, as a memory of those nearly 3,000 people of all nationalities and religions who died there because of the dastardly deed done by 19 Islamic terrorists!

Build mosques in other locations, as happens all the time, but NOT at or near Ground Zero! This is sacrosanct territory, and must remain as a memorial to remind future generations of the greatest tragedy ever to hit US territory on the mainland of our nation!

The Effect Of New York City On The Supreme Court

Ronald Leave a comment

With the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, that august body will now have, upon confirmation of Kagan, four members who spent their early years and much of their life in New York City, and ironically, in different boroughs of the city!

Antonin Scalia spent his formative years in Queens County; Ruth Bader Ginsberg in Brooklyn; Sonia Sotomayor in the Bronx; and Elena Kagan in Manhattan!

Also, the liberal bloc on the Court will consist of the three women and Justice Stephen Breyer, and that will mean the three Jewish members of the Court, along with its first Hispanic or Latino member, will be seen by the hinterland as out of touch with America. But realize the long range historical effect of New York City and State on American history, and one can understand why the city and state have had such an impact!

There has long been a tendency to favor New York for Justices, including, among others, Benjamin Cardozo, Felix Frankfurter, Charles Evans Hughes, and John Jay.

So the New York and Northeastern influence on the Court is an interesting reality, particularly at a time when the Tea Party Movement seems to be striking out against modern America, which is primarily influenced by that center of culture and commerce!

After all, even the terrorists see New York City as the center of America in ways that cannot be matched anywhere else in the nation!

The New York City Mayoralty Race Analyzed: A Lesson To Michael Bloomberg

Ronald Leave a comment

The fact that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg won a third term on Tuesday by only a five percent margin was shocking to many.

His Democratic opponent, William Thompson, faced a 14-1 financing disadvantage, as Bloomberg spent nearly $100 million of his own personal fortune, the most ever spent by any politician to win a political office.

Compare the five percent margin this time to the 20 percent margin that Bloomberg won by in 2005. It comes down to resentment over his personal fortune being used so aggressively, but also his pushing of the City Council to change the term limits law to allow him to run for a third term, something that alienated many voters as much as the personal financing.

The voter refusal to vote for him overwhelmingly is a good lesson in the need to limit personal fortune investments in political campaigns, and to have the guts to insist on term limits for mayors, as well as governors–that is, to follow the spirit of the 22nd Amendment for the Presidency of the United States. No one is indispensable, and good government requires that executives be replaced after a maximum of eight years in office.

The Meaning Of Virginia And New Jersey And NYC Races

Ronald 2 Comments

The Republican victories in the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey and the close reelection victory of Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York City are testaments to the fact that all politics is local, except in a Presidential election year.

The reality is that, with the economy continuing to worsen regarding unemployment and foreclosures, and with the corruption problems in New Jersey, it was inevitable that the independent voters would rebel against the party in power in both states, and make for a closer margin for NYC Mayor than was expected.

Last year, the Democrats benefited from the poor economy. This time, the Republicans were the ones to gain from the worsening economy.

It is very obvious that what happens in the 2010 midterm elections will be based more on the economy than anything else, so this puts the burden on President Obama to bring about substantial improvement in economic statistics in the next year, and to accomplish passage of major health care reform legislation, with the belief that once it is accomplished, it will be an asset for the Democrats.

While this is not a good day for Democrats, to interpret two state governorship races as a mandate for the GOP and a slap in the face to Barack Obama is a tremendous exaggeration. But no one can debate that the 2010 midterm congressional election will be a judgment on the Obama Presidency halfway to the Presidential election.