Real Journalism written by people
If you woke up on the morning of November 9, 2016 finding yourself as apprehensive about Donald Trump being elected the country’s 45th President as I did, that may not be such a bad thing. The brash and often outspoken Trump is set to be one of the most erratic and un predictable Presidents that the country has ever elected […]
Based on President Obama’s approval rating (in the mid 50’s), the shrinking unemployment rate (now 4.6%), other positive factors, and the vulgar and unqualified bigot the Republicans had nominated, I figured election night would be one of celebration for progressives such as myself. Clearly, despite Hillary Clinton receiving 2.5 million more votes than Donald Trump, I was wrong. We now […]
LICH RFP (Long Island College Hospital Request for Proposal) leads to RFP (Really Flawed Process) for LICH, you get the point. My grandfather was a proud member of the ILA (International Longshoreman’s Association). Long Island College Hospital, blocks away from the ILA health center, was my family’s go-to hospital. Now the campus of LICH is no longer a hospital, and […]
The late great historian, Howard Zinn used to say, “you can’t be neutral on a moving train.” What he meant was that we are part of a world that is moving whether we like it or not and therefore have choices to affect its direction. Soon, you’ll have an opportunity to vote for our next president. If you are one […]
Before I say anything else, I want to say congrats to Senator Montgomery for her victory in the September 13th primary election. I am confident that she’ll continue to do a great job and if the Democrats should surprisingly take control of the State Senate she’ll get even more accomplished. I also must congratulate Bobby Carroll on his win in […]
If you pay close attention to my Twitter feed(@mike_racc), it is clear that I watch a lot of “Law and Order” and, it’s over the top, “ripped from the headlines” style. While I’m writing a column and not producing a prime time tv show, I’d like to take my shot at “riffing” the headlines I’d like to see this fall. […]
Page two of today’s NY Daily News has two stories about Mayor de Blasio’s increasingly annoying persona. “Blaz hits denial of building deal” is a story about his anger at the City Council for going along with community wishes. They denied a zoning change that would have allowed a real estate developer to build approximately ten extra stories in a […]
In a few Sundays, millions of us will shout out at the television insistantly “Move the Chains” as our football teams – in my case the Giants – advance for a first down on their march down field to hopefully put points on the board. At the risk of flooding the zone with sports metaphors and alienating those who don’t […]
I’ve always thought of the subway as something of an equal-opportunity headache. This past week, the MTA made it a migraine when it released a plan for express F train service. The line that runs from the southernmost point of Brooklyn (Coney Island) through Manhattan and into Queens has been divided between some marginal winners and some big losers. This […]
Months ago I stated that I would vote for Hillary Clinton for President. Our New York Primary approaches in April and the contest on the Democratic Party side has tightened since I made my endorsement. This seems a good time to reaffirm my commitment and explain my evolving thoughts. I am voting for Hillary Clinton because she among all […]
On January 21st I attended a meeting of my old political club the Independent Neighborhood Democrats. The draw for that meeting was an opportunity to hear from our sitting Congresswomen Nydia Velazquez and Yvette Clarke. We thought we would hear from Nydia’s primary challenger the banker and former deputy superintendent of the NYS Banking Department Mr. Yungman Lee, but he […]
NYC – by nearly all objective measures – is doing great, so why is the Mayor’s approval rating down? Here is my year-end piece dealing with the recent past, Punditry and Prognostication. It is the time of year that we have set aside for such purposes; I am obliging. The City budget is in greater monetary surplus than anticipated. Unemployment […]
I am anxious to see whether we move forward with the creation of affordable housing in each of the proposed large-scale developments abutting our low-rise brownstone neighborhoods. The residents of Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill have registered their disapproval as expected. The test of the depth of progressive commitment to create vibrant diverse neighborhoods, instead of havens for the privileged, […]
