Inmates in charge of the asylum

We hear that New York City Mayor de Blasio is giving his daily briefing now. He’s sitting six feet away for his Health Commissioner, but neither are wearing face masks. I had thought he was doing a decent job but I’m beginning to have second thoughts.

As of 13 April 2020, the city has more confirmed coronavirus cases than China, where the epidemic began; the United Kingdom; and Iran.[8] The encompassing state of New York has more cases than any foreign country worldwide.[9] [from Wikipedia, April 15, 2020]

And on to NY Governor Andrew Cuomo: He, too, sounded good on TV. But, even in a pandemic, he always has time to shit on de Blasio. And the state’s coronavirus numbers are . . . impressive?

Still, either de Blasio or Cuomo would be better than President 45.

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

How am I doing? — de Blasio edition

The Bitemaster winters in the breathtakingly beautiful Transbaikal where it’s so cold that the politicians keep their hands in the own pockets, where we have to light a fire to thaw out our words just to know what we’re saying, where we measure the ambient temperature in degrees Rankine because it feels warmer (today, it’s 450 degrees Rankine outside).

Though we’re a bit isolated, we do manage to keep up with the news from North America on our short wave radio, thanks to late-night “skip” propagation.

One figure who’s been in the news a lot lately is New York City mayor Bill de Blasio. He’s now in his second term. and here’s how we think he’s been doing:

  • Affordable Housing — this was always a scam. It wasn’t going to happen and it will never happen, unless we repeal the fundamental laws of economics. And de Blasio is smart enough to know he was lying when he made his campaign promises.
  • New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) — NYCHA houses 400,000 people in 300 developments. The housing stock is aging, and the money from the state and federal governments is drying up. It’s not going to get any better in the near future no matter what de Blasio does.
  • Rikers Island — the Rikers Island jail has an average population of 10,000 inmates. Current plans call for the jail to be closed and the inmates to be housed “in the community.” The idea of closing Rikers is a complete scam. Nobody wants a bunch of prisoners moved from an isolated island to their block. Even if it were to happen, what will they do with the island? It will probably go to Trump for $1.
  • Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) — If ACS takes too many children away from their parents, there’s a hue-and-cry in the media. If they let too many die at home with their parents, there’s also a hue-and-cry. It’s a perpetual “can’t win” and it doesn’t matter how much money you spend, either.
  • Education — every administration claims to have “fixed” the city’s education system but none has succeeded. The problem is not money — the city spends plenty. The problem is that the city has no coherent education policy. Biteme has attempted to fill the void here and elsewhere on this blog.
  • Police — the citizens want to be safe on the streets but don’t want to be harassed (or worse) by the police. It’s a difficult balancing act and I’m not sure any other city has done better.

So how does de Blasio’s report card look? We grade on a pass-fail system and give him a “pass.”

Bradley Tusk searching for a patsy to run against de Blasio

Ex-Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s former campaign manager is running a new campaign — to unseat his boss’ nemesis Mayor de Blasio.

You heard it right. Tusk, who represents Uber, the PBA, and FanDuel, wants to help pick New York City’s next mayor. So why doesn’t he run for mayor himself? After all, he’s been described as a “genius.”

He can’t afford to run. Scores of his business interests depend upon the largess of government and he would have to cut his ties with them in order to serve in public office.

Source: Ex-Bloomberg aide leads 2017 push to replace de Blasio

We gettin’ screwed again

A highly-placed source at NYCHA — the New York City Housing Authority — tells us that the Authority plans to privatize the management of some of their public housing buildings.

My first thought was: cool! Now De Blasio can say that the inevitable NYCHA screw-ups aren’t his fault, they’re the fault of the management company!

But what’s in it for the management company? Our source hints that they’ll jack up the rents. And who will pay those rents? The city taxpayer, of course.

Ronald Reagan would be proud.

Ooopsie! Obama, Cuomo and De Blasio shut barn door after the cows have left

The East Harlem shelter where a man was nearly decapitated by a mentally-ill resident was raided by cops on the hunt for hidden weapons.

Correction! The Bitemaster saw a headline that refereed to the “DHS” and jumped to the conclusion that it was referring to the Department of Homeland Security. In fact, the article was referring to the NYC Department of Homeless Services. The Bitemaster regrets the error and promises to never, ever make a mistake again.

Now that Deven Black has been murdered at a Harlem homeless shelter, public officials are falling over each other to show that they’re doing something about his tragic death.

Obama sent in the Department of Homeland Security. WTF? The murder was both horrible and senseless but it had nothing to do with national security.

Governor Cuomo ordered the City to post an officer at the shelter until the DHS is done there. What the City needs is more state funding for rent subsidies, shelters and mental health services.  Instead, it gets a meaningless gesture by a Governor whose current preoccupation is with showing that his is bigger than the Mayor’s.

De Blasio has assigned 24/7 peace officers and extra staff at intake centers and residences. This, at least, is useful, if too late for Mr. Black.

The city’s homeless problem goes back over thirty years. Thanks to city and state initiatives, housing for poor people was replaced by housing for the well-to-do, and tens of thousands were ejected from state mental hospitals to fend for themselves on city streets.

It’s a sorry mess, exacerbated by homeless advocates who opposed crackdowns on criminals in the shelters.

Does the Bitemaster have a solution? Not really. But he thinks that the return of Class B Multiple Dwellings (i.e., housing for poor people) and improved mental health services would go a long way. Even if it’s too late to save the life of Deven Black.

Source: DHS cops raid Harlem shelter where man was killed – NY Daily News

De Blasio’s Housing Authority turns on the heat only when temperatures go below 25 degrees outside

Now that’s cold!

You may be wondering where the Bitemaster has been for the last few weeks. Sure, he sometimes has to do some housework at the BiteCastle, such as shoveling coal into the furnace and garbage into the fusion generator. But mainly he’s been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of unadulterated bullshit emanating from the country’s Republican party. Just climbing out of the festering pile is a Herculean task and we don’t have the Alpheus and Peneus rivers to help us.

On rare occasions, a Democrat will also screw up. One example is De Blasio’s New York City Housing Authority. Its problems aren’t new (see our previous NYCHA posts) but turning off the heat until outdoor temperatures fall below 25 degrees is just unacceptable. Not to mention the problems with mold that the City is unable to keep at bay.

NB: Running NYCHA is not easy. Its population is about 400,000, making it the 40th largest city in the U.S., larger than Miami, Minneapolis, and New Orleans. And compared to other cities, New York has actually done a fairly decent job with its public housing.

Source: NYCHA turns on heat only when temps fall below 25 degrees

De Blasio wants NYCHA to evict criminals more quickly

A Mayor de Blasio spokeswoman told The News the mayor has ordered a overhaul to make it easier to evict criminal NYCHA tenants.

The policy of evicting criminals from New York City Housing Administration projects has been in place for years. But the City does more than just evict the criminal — they evict the family.

Which actually makes sense. If sonny-boy is dealing crack from his bedroom and he gets evicted, his mother will likely to let him back in. The only solution is to evict all the tenants of the apartment.

But here’s the rub: the evictees have to move somewhere. Maybe they’ll move into your subway station, into Central Park or perhaps they’ll squat in that empty building across the street from your condo.

It’s a real problem and De Blasio apparently hasn’t thought it through.

Source: EXCLUSIVE: De Blasio wants NYCHA criminal evictions quicker – NY Daily News

In move to seize control of NYC government from Mayor De Blasio, Cuomo sends in the State Police

The move is seen as the latest skirmish in his feud with Mayor Bill de Blasio.

In an announcement from his NYC bunker, Governor Andrew Cuomo said today that “the peace-loving people of New York City have asked the state government to bring order and stability to their city. In response, I have directed the State Police to come to the aid of all loyal segments of the City population. As the first stage of the mission, I am pulling investigators from various state and federal task forces and dispatching them to secure the City’s transit hubs, media offices and government buildings. Once we install officials devoted to the City’s best interests, a People’s Tribunal will be convened to bring justice to the enemies of the People.”

Source: Cuomo Orders More State Police Into NYC to Boost His Presence Here: Sources