An open letter to NYC Mayor de Blasio

Dear Jackass,

Now that your secret emails have become public, we’ve learned how much you hate the media. Apparently you never read Robert Townsend’s Up the Organization (1970), especially the part where he warns not to put anything in writing that you don’t want to come out later.

In response, you headed over to Room 9 to throw a hissy fit. In true Trumpian fashion, you didn’t apologize, you doubled down and flung further attacks on all three of the city’s newspapers.

You could have said, “As Mayor, you take a lot of heat. It’s part of the job and every Mayor has to deal with it. But sometimes it gets under your skin, so you vent to friends and associates. Afterwards, you go back to your job of doing the best you can for the citizens of this great city.”

That would have been my advice, But what do I know? I’m just a blogger here in the Transbaikal. I suggest that the next time the yak dung hits the fan and you’re thinking of holding a presser, you first consult with Mrs. Presser.

Sincerely,

Jerome Biteman, Editor
www.biteme.me

John Haggerty legal defense fund

John Haggerty, convicted of stealing $1,000,000 of the money that Bloomberg was laundering through the Independence Party, now has a legal defense fund. The Daily News notes that it was set up by a group of ex-Pataki aides.

But the News forgot that they had written back in 2010Haggerty did not register Special Elections Operations [the front that Haggerty funneled the money through] with the state Secretary of State’s Office until Dec. 3 — a full month after the general election. The operation shares an address with an Albany consulting firm run by former Pataki administration aides.[Emphasis added]

How this all fits together is beyond me. But the connection between Haggerty and those Pataki aides is pretty clear.

Ex-Pataki Aides Team Up For John Haggerty | New York Daily News.

Cuomo Administration Seeks to Curb Surprise Medical Bills

A review by the New York State Department of Financial Services found that patients who went out of their way to make sure the non-emergency treatment they sought was covered by their medical insurance still wound up with bills from specialists — such as assistant surgeons, anesthesiologists and radiologists — who were outside their plan. That’s because it’s often unclear who will be involved and how much it will cost, the report found.

One patient who complained to the Financial Services department made sure to go to an in-network hospital for brain surgery but wound up with a surgeon who wasn’t in his plan. The surgeon billed him $40,091 and the insurer covered only $8,386 – leaving him to cough up $31,704.

[Much of the above comes from the Daily News, which had the best of the articles that I saw. Except that the Daily News blamed the insurance companies. While I hate the insurance companies as much as the next fellow, this is the fault of the doctors and hospitals. It even happened to me. I went for a procedure with a doctor who was in-network. While I was being prepped, the anesthesiologist, who works for one of those rent-a-doc outfits, wanted me to sign a contract saying I would pay for his services myself even though he wasn’t in network. Fat chance, doc. You can Bite Me.]

via Insurance companies to blame for ‘surprise’ medical bills: state report – NY Daily News.

Cuomo Administration Seeks to Curb Surprise Medical Bills