Welcome, O - to city you want to ruin
www.nypost.com
By MICHAEL GOODWIN
Last Updated: 5:20 AM, April 21, 2010
Posted: 3:29 AM, April 21, 2010________________________
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Welcome to New York, Mr. President. Now go home and leave us alone. Please.
When he brings his war against Wall Street here tomorrow, Barack Obama isn't coming to praise Gotham. He's coming to bury us.
We're not dead yet, but no thanks to him and his policies. His assaults on New York ought to be counted in the NYPD crime stats. They're doing more damage than a year's worth of stickups, and still the hits keep coming.
Under his initial plan, cops and the feds already would be locking down the Foley Square courthouse area to give the precious Khalid Sheik Mohammed his constitutional rights. Nary a New Yorker wants the 9/11 trial here, but Attorney General Eric Holder insists the city "is not off the table."
Think about that. Would you buy an apartment or open a business anywhere near the courthouse if you thought the area would be turned into an armed camp, possibly for years?
Or this. How dare Obama and Holder continue to even consider bringing the horror show here after Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said it would make New York more of a target for Islamic radicals?
Oops. The White House doesn't say "Islamic" radicals anymore. Or "jihad." Or "war on terror." See, 19 humans carried out the man-caused disaster on 9/11.
Speaking of man-caused disasters, the health-care monstrosity certainly qualifies. New Yorkers will pay an additional $6.5 billion a year in federal tax hikes once the law is fully implemented, Mayor Bloomberg's office says, depriving the city of money that could be spent on housing, entertainment and hiring other New Yorkers.
Instead, the cash will go to Washington to subsidize the federal bureaucracy and other cities and states.
It's worth repeating that Obama couldn't have pulled off the heist without inside help. Only one of the 13 members of the House who allegedly represent the city voted against the health measure.
All 13 are Democrats, as are the state's two senators, but only Mike McMahon of Staten Island voted no. For his courage, he got berated by the White House and threats from labor groups that, politically, he's a dead man.
Now it's Wall Street's turn in the cross hairs. With Dems moving their sweeping package of financial restrictions to the Senate floor, it takes a fool to believe the timing of the Securities and Exchange Commission's charge of fraud against Goldman Sachs was a coincidence.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid added to the suspicions with his initial reaction. "I'm pleased that the Obama administration is using all of the tools in its arsenal to bring accountability to Wall Street," he said of the charges.
On Monday, when Obama announced he was coming to Cooper Union, Reid again railed against Wall Street, getting so carried away, he went after "excess greed." I guess that's worse than ordinary greed.
But greed comes in many guises. A president who rakes in millions of dollars in contributions from New York banks, then goes after them like they are witches in Salem, has no respect for decency or capitalism.
Then again, those Masters of the Universe deserve what they get. Executives from Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Citi, JPMorgan Chase and UBS didn't just back the president who now aims to turn them into political piņatas for the midterm elections.
Their contributions bought the rope he's using for their hanging. Maybe they're not so smart after all.
ALL THE NEWS THAT SPITZ IS A WHITEWASH
Eliot Spitzer -- what would we do without him? He's a newsmaking machine.
One day, it's about how he's plotting to run for this or that office. The next day, we learn more about his hooker habit.
Just yesterday, The Albany Times Union published the original banking document that led to the investigation that brought him down. The document shows how he sought to hide his money transfers to pay for hookers, telling the bank a $5,000 transfer and another one for $10,000 were for a "personal expense," but wouldn't say more.
The bank couldn't figure out the nature of the business he was sending the money to and wasn't satisfied with his answer. From there, it was all downhill.
Or it should have been, but Spitzer is baaaack, looking for a political landing spot. He's the subject of a second book detailing his downfall and hopes to rise again.
The fact he harbors such hopes before we know the full extent of his sordid behavior illustrates a larger truth. The US Attorney's Office did New York no favors in deciding not to prosecute the john it dubbed Client 9. He's been out of office for more than two years, yet many details of his potentially criminal conduct remain unknown.
I also believe Spitzer himself would have been better off if he had been forced to face the legal music. To judge from his cocky behavior lately, the lack of clear punishment feeds his grandiose illusions about his character and standing.
It also allows the liberal media to keep trotting out its preferred narrative, which is that he was Mr. Clean who inexplicably lost his way. In truth, Spitzer's first political campaign in 1994 was corrupt, improperly financed by his father. Spitzer lied to cover up the fact and, when he got away with it, assumed he was invincible.
Further contradicting the Mr. Clean image, he was using hookers while crusading against Wall Street and prostitution. The sheriff was in bed with criminals.
By all means, let's have more news about the Love Gov. But let's not make the mistake of thinking he's a tragic figure worthy of sympathy. He earned his banishment the old fashioned way: by disgracing his office and betraying the public.
Bigots don't fit to a Tea
I received many passionate responses to my column detailing the anti-Semitic rants directed my way. Some Jewish writers offered heartfelt apologies that I was getting attacks aimed at them! Some bigots responded with, naturally, more bigotry.
But in political terms, the most telling response came from Robert Dacunto of Staten Island. "It's funny how us people in the Tea Parties are painted as haters, racists etc.," he wrote. "I nor anyone I associate with would never write letters like that to the people we disagree with."
Remember his words the next time somebody in Washington tries to demonize the Tea Party. The Tea Partiers deserve respect, not smears.
'Crook' fit for DC
"Make no little plans," the philosopher said, and Pedro Espada listened. The claim that the slimy state senator ripped off $14 million kills the idea that Al bany is a refuge for small-time crooks. If the charges are true, Espada aimed high. He deserves to be in Washington, and Washington deserves him!
Qaeda has no spiritual leader
Reports on the killing of three al Qaeda in Iraq leaders referred to one of them as the terror group's "spiritual leader."
It's a strange term for a man whose followers , according to The Wall Street Journal, killed more American soldiers in 2007 than any other group. "Homicidal maniac" is more like it.
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amen. great one from Goodwin.
FFFUUUBBBOOO!!!!!
