tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379274852024-08-28T22:56:50.045-04:00Joshing PoliticsJosh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.comBlogger5343125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-47782213480050564512011-03-06T22:00:00.002-05:002011-03-06T22:14:34.571-05:00Republican Budget Cuts Help Enrich The RichGeorge Bush may be out of office but Republicans are still giving to his base...and robbing the rest of us to pay for it.Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-73279758604788613162011-01-26T00:15:00.002-05:002011-01-26T00:49:21.041-05:00In 2011, The State Of Our Union Depends On Our ParticipationI've been listening to President Obama give speeches since he was a State Senator from Illinois. I know he can give a great speech. For the most part, his speech was what I expected to hear. It was sad that he largely ignored climate change, completely ignored gun control and the declining middle class.Instead he talked about an issue he knows best. Hope. Hope is a wonderful thing. It gives Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-36610868373769518162010-11-03T15:30:00.001-04:002010-11-03T15:30:39.170-04:00Now Is Not The Time To Roll OverSimply put, last night was a rough one for the Democratic Party. Sixty or so seats in the House, six or seven in the Senate and a plethora of governorships and legislatures across the country were lost to the Republican Party. Soon to be Speaker Boehner is claiming a mandate, President Obama has tail between his legs, but now more than ever is the time to fight for a progressive agenda in Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-48853627807193192212010-11-02T10:35:00.002-04:002010-11-02T10:36:31.342-04:00Go Vote!I know it's been forever since I've opened my blogger's publisher tool, but I just had to take a minute to post this message:"Go Vote!"And this one:Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-16307753251551555072010-09-16T13:30:00.000-04:002010-09-16T13:42:09.206-04:00Schultz And Papantonio Tell Dems To Focus On Themselves, Not Tea Party WhackjobsTeabaggers are nuts. They have no real solutions to helping our country out of it's morass. Yet they know how to get under the skin and into the minds of many that are sick and tired of the troubled times and more than a few are buying their heated and often times racist rhetoric. Ed and Mike are right on here, it isn't good enough that we make fun of the lunacy candidates like O'Donnell and Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-85880110582918401442010-09-15T09:30:00.000-04:002010-09-15T09:37:16.344-04:00New York Primaries Prove Anything Is PossibleGenerally elections are static events, especially in primary contests. Few people vote and for the most part, the incumbents are able to use their power to remain in office. While that happened in most cases yesterday, there were quite a few examples of where it didn't. Most impressively, the people of the 33rd Senate District did the decent thing and kicked Pedro Espada to the gutter, where he Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-91052301158501811142010-09-07T19:00:00.000-04:002010-09-07T19:09:18.174-04:00One Man's Humble Act Could Spell The End For Pedro EspadaOne of the best institutional guards for incumbency is that multiple challengers can split the vote for change in a district. Even if more voters opt for someone else, an elected official can remain in office if they win a plurality. State Senator Pedro Espada thought he had that when four different candidates were running against him. Over the summer two of them dropped out, and now with one Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-32876776859728401712010-09-07T18:30:00.000-04:002010-09-07T18:35:26.161-04:00Gibbs States The Obvious Concerning Ministry's Quran-BurningThis really should be a no-brainer, but with the way things are going in American Conservatism a good old fashioned book burning isn't sadly not surprising. When people's fears and ignorance is stoked constantly by the media they consume, human rage knows no bounds. At least we have a White House that will speak to this and make the connection for these Nazi imitators that burning the Quran in Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-91216976276310386832010-09-01T15:15:00.000-04:002010-09-01T15:15:51.893-04:00Campaign Finance Reform Makes A Difference... And It ShowsMoney and politics have always had a contentious relationship, generally alienating people from the process who do not have much to give to politicians running for office. However in a few cases, reformers have made headway in making elections and the run-up to them more accessible to a wider spectrum of voters. Here in New York a step towards cleaner elections was taken a few years ago, and the Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-90303329458738090262010-08-30T14:00:00.000-04:002010-08-30T14:07:57.280-04:00An Appeal To Help A Hate Crime VictimThere are many terrible crimes that one person can perpetrate on another....and a hate crime is certainly one of them. When Ahmed Sharif was brutally stabbed by an intoxicated and belligerent young man last week, the very worst of humanity was shown to a cab driver who's only crime was his faith. That is not the United States that our founders envisioned and it is certainly not how the great Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-16950399942695296932010-08-04T14:10:00.000-04:002010-08-04T14:10:00.689-04:00Alan Keyes Speaks Out Against His Party's Quest To Abolish 14th AmendmentAlan Keyes may be a Republican, but when the G.O.P. moves so far to the extreme right that they are thinking about tampering with the 14th Amendment, even he publicly objects. In case you need a refresher on 19th century American history, the 14th was the one that allowed the children of slaves to become citizens because they were born in the country. The fact that the same political party that Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-72411575199211474112010-08-04T09:30:00.000-04:002010-08-04T09:30:00.596-04:00Four Months Later....Albany Finally Passes A BudgetThe deadline for our state government to fulfill their obligation of passing a state budget came and went long before our sultry summer, and even our brief spring began. Now in the midst of 90 degree weather, legislators from around the state managed to pull it together and get something to stick. It wasn't easy (as Pedro Espada created a tremendous amount of trouble...and assault possibly) but Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-53201536351544138382010-08-03T14:15:00.000-04:002010-08-03T14:15:00.360-04:00Sen. Reid's Challenger Sharron Angle To Reporters: "Shhh!"Politicians who do not like to be held accountable to the people they wish to represent would be well advised not to air their grievances in public. Unfortunately for the candidacy of Sharron Angle, a Republican from Nevada, she forgot (or perhaps never learned) how to use common sense. Instead of taking the questions of Nevadans, she proposed a different way of being held up to scrutiny in the Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-21719102705750714002010-08-03T13:35:00.000-04:002010-08-03T13:35:57.632-04:00Cantor Concedes Flawed Republican Tax Cut PolicyFor decades now, the Republican party has adhered to the notion that tax cuts reduce the deficit. The thinking goes that if the government taxes the very rich less, they'll spend more and it'll "trickle down" to the rest of us. Once the money drips down, deficits are reduced because the spending habits of the wealthy boost the economy. However, as we have seen the national debt explode since Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-16870785942784081682010-08-02T13:45:00.000-04:002010-08-02T13:47:43.857-04:00Score A Victory For The Constitution Down By The WTCDefenders of religious freedom and tolerance won a solid victory this week from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The highly controversial debate over whether to allow a mosque to be built on Park Row (two blocks from the World Trade Center site) has been going on for weeks now, and the Commission decided to ignore the bigots who group the terrible attacks of September 11th with the entiretyJosh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-83665293511983883502010-07-30T14:00:00.001-04:002010-07-30T14:00:16.595-04:00Albany And The City Council Legislate Greener Buildings In N.Y.C.New York City by definition is greener than most metropolitan areas. The widespread use of mass transit and higher population density put us way ahead of the sprawling cities of the South and West. However, being in the more temperate Northeast combined with old, large buildings where people live means that New Yorkers rely on antiquated heating oil systems. The large trucks bring it in, and the Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-28625047300692625422010-07-30T13:15:00.000-04:002010-07-30T13:21:48.488-04:00Tony Hayward's Congressional Grilling: Does It Mean Anything?Tony Hayward heard it from Members of Congress this week, but to what end? He claimed that the blame was not BP's alone, but that his soon to be ex-employer will be helping to ease the pain of their many victims. Compensation and public relations have already been doled out in some fashion (though hardly enough of the former), so my question is besides good press for the Representatives who Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-12499224325801536332010-07-29T14:00:00.001-04:002010-07-29T14:00:34.047-04:00Lindsay Graham, Constitutional Amendments And XenophobiaThere is nothing new about Republicans stoking xenophobic fears among their party's faithful, but it seems the G.O.P. is constantly looking for more preposterous solutions to a complex problem that they clearly do not wish to grasp. Utilizing right-wing zealot and ex-Congressman J.D. Hayworth is one thing, but for Lindsay Graham to step into the stupid shows how far they are willing to go to rileJosh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-45576533467375378372010-07-28T09:30:00.000-04:002010-07-28T09:36:51.856-04:00Fare Hikes Away!It was bound to happen sooner or later amidst the budgetary mess that New York is in.That MetroCard you are holding in your wallet, purse, pocket or cellphone case is going to be getting heavier. The M.T.A., the agency most New Yorkers love to bemoan is going to be giving us more misery by charging more for what they are giving us less of. As we are still grieving the loss of the W, the V and Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-16258607690439318222010-07-27T23:00:00.000-04:002010-07-27T23:00:01.907-04:00Financial Reform Was A Good Step Forward....But"The Real News" interviews economist William Black, who talks about the reform act that recently passed through Congress and signed by President Obama. The key item discussed is that while Obama's people are better stewards of the nation's finances at the moment, their reforms will not curb any of the abuses that a Republican regime might take up if they regain power.Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-37596836953110681902010-07-26T18:30:00.000-04:002010-07-26T18:30:00.622-04:00As The Country Sizzles And Bakes, Krugman Nails Climate Change Deniers For "Greed And Cowardice"Week after week, New York Times Columnist Paul Krugman expounds on the issues of our day. His latest opinion piece is no different, and calls out those that deny the overwhelming evidence of global warming as our nation has been beaten by the latest summer heat wave. Far from using the recent hot weather as proof, Krugman asks where the voices of those that claim the planet is cooling went; now Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-44063931886640979042010-07-26T14:30:00.000-04:002010-07-26T14:30:00.132-04:00Build The Damn Mosque!I can't help but shout this out to all the irrational fearmongers who are afraid of a mosque being built in Lower Manhattan. So a few muslims want to build a place to pray in New York City, the idealized place of hardworking immigrants coming in to the melting pot that is our great country. Why are people so nuts about this? Irrationality and ignorance is what propels their hatred of anyone that Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-89659598150436299082010-07-22T18:00:00.000-04:002010-07-22T18:05:17.013-04:00Rangel Indicted By House Ethics Committee....Finally!Remember when Charlie Rangel acted as if he were above ethics allegations?From FDL:I guess that really isn't the case anymore, is it Charlie?Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-79639555338636411242010-07-21T20:15:00.000-04:002010-07-21T20:16:22.729-04:00White House Does Quick 180 With SherrodI must admit that I was a little slow to this story surrounding Shirley Sherrod. Only last night did I tune in to Anderson Cooper of all people to watch the infamous video clip....and the entire video that gives us the real story that was parsed for the benefit of right wing hacks like Andrew Breitbart.It wasn't upsetting that Breitbart manipulated the video of Sherrod's speech about the history Josh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37927485.post-48941537358659499762010-07-21T14:30:00.000-04:002010-07-21T14:30:01.195-04:00Marty Markowitz Believes His Trips To Europe Should Be On The People's DimeAs things get interesting for one ethically tainted City Councilman tomorrow, scrutiny is being paid to Brooklyn's own mascot-in-chief, Marty Markowitz. The affable jokester who's face reminds me some buffoonish Disney character is back in the news for using his position for his personal gain. With the Atlantic Yards fiasco (and his collusion with it) seemingly safely behind him, Marty is back atJosh"Ing"Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587725602808985721noreply@blogger.com0