Two Months In, And He's Already Running Out Of Other People's Money

 Mamdani's grandiose plan of spending an additional 11 billion dollars to New York City's already grossly inflated budget is running into a brush with reality.

He can't fund it without raising taxes, and he'd prefer that other people do the tax raisin' and get other people's money to pay for it.

New York Post: Zohran Mamdani unveils record $127B budget — fueled by proposed NYC property tax hike

So, in searching for other people's money to fund this insane spending spree, he demanded that the New York governor increase everyone's taxes to pay it, which is going as well as can be expected:  IJR: Tax War Erupts Between Mamdani And Hochul.

With this budget, NYC will spend $127 Billion for the government of a single city.

The government for the entire State of Michigan by contrast, has a Budget of $88.1 Billion, even after the budget has been bloated over 50% by Governor Whitmer's increases over the course of her governorship.

Of course, the proposed speeding is chock-full of DEI and make-work jobs for his supporters, while defunding the police, even as the budget grows by 11 Billion.  Fox News: Mamdani plan pours millions into ‘racial equity’ offices and six-figure diversity jobs, cuts 5,000 NYPD jobs

New Yorkers are about to get what they wanted, good and hard. 

The Democrats Have Made Their Choices, Let Them Live With Them

The selections were all in blue strongholds, and Democrats made their choices.

In New York City the Democrats had a choice of Democrat-authoritarian Cuomo and a Democrat-Islamo-Socialist Mamdani, and they went for Mamdani for Mayor.  After all it was an easy sell when even as he's never held a managerial position ever he offerered free stuff and socialism as the panacea for NYC.  Not a particularly great choice either way, but that is the Democrat bench right now.

I guess if Democratic Socialists figure if they can make it there, they can make it anywhere.

But, given how the DSA's version of socialism has so far failed everywhere it has ever been tried, leading to financial ruin and social harm, I'd bet against them succeeding in New York City, too.

Good luck NYC, you're going to need it as you're about to get what you asked for, good and hard.  

California voted to gerrymander the Republicans out of existence in their state.  I guess as a result they won't have the Republicans to blame for the state of their state but will still blame them anyways.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, the NAACP endorsed a white woman over an African American woman, not that there's anything wrong with that.

More importantly, the Democrat voters of Virginia put into office as Attorney General a candidate who advocated and fantasized about shooting his opponent and the deaths of his opponent's family.

The next time a Democrat prattles on about "stochastic terrorism" tell them to text someone who cares, as they surely do not. At least, they do not so long as the stochastic terrorist is a Democrat. 

Quite An Appealing Brief

Trump's attorneys have filed an appeal in the THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK v DONALD J. TRUMP case. The one where he was convicted of 34 very dubious felony counts in a proceeding  that very much was a case of "Give me the man and I will give you the case against him."

But, that conviction. as irregular as it was, gave the Democrats their ability to call him a felon during and after the election, and that is all that mattered.

While the very well-written brief is obviously written to favor Trump's side of the case, the facts and law in it are rather damning.

It's worth a read to see the documented multiple machinations and legal f--kery that went on in the case, and it points out a multitude of grounds for reversing the conviction  -- and all it takes it one. 

I'd expect this conviction to be reversed on appeal, much to the horror of the Left. 

Give it a read and decide for yourself.   It will be fun to see the brief in response.

Stupid Criminals: What We Have Here

Is a massive failure of the victim selection process.

Our stupid criminal decided to rob not just one, but two armed off-duty police officers. 

 ABC7: Man shot while allegedly trying to rob 2 off-duty NYPD officers at Penn Station

Law enforcement officials say a couple, a husband and wife, were boarding an LIRR train between tracks 18 and 19 around 7 p.m., when the suspect tried to rob the husband, an off-duty NYPD officer.

The suspect wound up in a scuffle with the husband, and that's when police say the wife, also an off-duty NYPD officer, pulled out her gun and shot the suspect in the arm and stomach.

Yep, it happily be that way sometimes.

With this being Alvin Bragg's New York, it is no surprise that the robber had not just a laundry list of prior crimes, but had committed an assault last month but was already out on the street when he made his bad victim selection:

Sources told Eyewitness News that the 32-year-old suspect, who lives in a shelter in Brooklyn, has five prior unsealed arrests, mostly for assault and menacing, including one alleged assault that happened just last month. 

Funny how that happens. At least this assault had an ending that may just keep him off the streets and unable to commit crimes for at least another month. 

When Prosecuting Someone For Mortgage Fraud

It's generally best not to be doing it yourself.

 NY AG Letitia James (D), who was elected on the promise of "Getting Trump" and who prosecuted President Trump for alleged mortgage fraud for allegedly overstating the value of his properties in securing a loan (which was paid back in full), now faces prosecution for mortgage fraud in connection with a house she bought in Virginia.

CBS News: New York Attorney General Letitia James accused of possible mortgage fraud

New York Attorney General Letitia James has been referred for federal criminal prosecution for alleged mortgage fraud related to a Virginia home and a New York property.

William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), wrote a letter obtained by CBS News New York to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi alleging that James "has, in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms."
Details of the allegations

Pulte alleges James may have falsified her residence status at a home in Norfolk, Virginia, to get a better mortgage rate.

According to Pulte, in 2023 James granted Shamice Thompson-Hairston power of attorney to make the Norfolk property, purchased in August of that year, her "principal residence," despite James actually living and serving as attorney general in New York at the time.

But wait, there's more: 

Pulte also alleges James bought a five-family property in Brooklyn in 2001 with a loan that is only available for homes with four units or less.

"Spanning the last two decades, Ms. James has consistently misrepresented the same property as only having four units in both building permit applications and numerous mortgage documents and applications," Pulte wrote. "It appears that Ms. James may have listed the Brooklyn, NY property as four units instead of five units in order to meet the conforming loan requirements, and thus receive better interest rates."

But wait, there's even more!:

It's also alleged James and her father signed mortgage documents in 1983 stating they were husband and wife.

"Ms. James, for both properties listed above, appears to have falsified records in order to meet certain lending requirements and receive favorable loan terms," Pulte concluded, adding that it could lead to charges such as wire fraud, mail fraud and bank fraud, along with making false statement to a financial institution. 

Talk about keeping the fraud in the family.

Not a good look when you made your bones prosecuting someone who you allege did something you yourself have done, apparently on multiple occasions.

Worse for Ms. James, she's allegedly  committed federal crimes with her acts of mortgage fraud, and she defrauded federal government lenders as well,  so she can't count of the New York state judiciary to help her out. 

Bring popcorn, this should get good.

When The Process Is The Punishment

Daniel Penny was found not guilty of manslaughter in a case that should never have been brought against him.

NBC New York: Daniel Penny found not guilty in Jordan Neely subway chokehold death

The jury appropriately found him not guilty. 

Note that neither of the two men assisting Penny in restraining the attacking Jordan Neely, who had been threading to kill passengers on the subway car, were charged in his death. The fact that one was Black and the other Hispanic clearly had no bearing on there not being charged by the progressive DA Alvin Bragg in this matter. Surely not.

Meanwhile, Mr. Perry’s suffered  legal expenses for his excellent defense by his attorneys, and his life and liberty were put in jeopardy by the two-tiered legal system instituted under the progressive DA's office under Bragg, where viewing crime through a racial lens and "equity" is more important than justice. Under Bragg, actual criminals are given a pass, and law-abiding citizens defending themselves and defending others, as in the case of Penny are prosecuted.

 

Here, the process was the punishment along with a message being sent to other good people.

 

The message is to not intervene against a favored minority committing crimes -- even if someone's life is at stake -- or you'll be prosecuted by the same state that knowingly let the criminals walk free to commit their crimes. 

 

An Awful Lot Of That Going Around: Democrat Corruption Edition

Quite a few Democrat Mayors getting indicted and convicted for accepting bribes and other financial malfeasance.

We have the now well-known indictment of New York Mayor Eric Adams for wire fraud, conspiracy and bribery charges.

Locally in Michigan, there is the conviction of the Mayor of Inkster, which took place yesterday, also for bribery, but he was bought for much less in bribes than Adams: The Detroit  News:  Former Inkster mayor pleads guilty in bribery case, U.S. attorney says

Meanwhile the Detroit Riverfront CFO is going to plead guilty after stealing millions from the Riverfront program.  And there's a further Federal case filed against him.

On the federal level while not a mayor,  Senator Bob Menendez  is still awaiting sentencing for his conviction for accepting bribes.

The World's Two Smallest Violins

Are busy playing for this sad state of penal affairs:

The Detroit Free Press: Michigan prisons plan 'normal operations,' no protective glasses, for Monday's eclipse

Yep, some prisoners are sad that in prison they don't get to enjoy viewing an eclipse. 

Much sadness.  

Then again, they are in prison, after all, which is not supposed to be a day at the beach complete with eclipse-filled views.

Some prisoners in New York are suing over not being able to view the eclipse:

The prisoners who have sued over the lockdown say the eclipse has religious significance and denying them the right to view it is unconstitutional claiming it is violating their religious freedom

 I wonder how many of them will on Monday will be chanting:

Here's to the sun god;

He's such a fun god;

Ra! Ra! Ra!

Because if they don't, it's clearly not a sincerely held religious belief. Just sayin'.

So A Candidate For President From New York . . .

So, let me get this straight. 

A candidate for president with New York residency is accused of hiding a payoff by classifying it as legal fees.

Sounds real bad, doesn't it?

So, when exactly can we expect Alvin Bragg to charge Hillary Clinton (New York residency baby!) with felonies for hiding her payments for the Steele Dossier and other false election activities to influence the election. Not to mention her acts to the whole false Russian collusion story and investigation that many on the left still cling to, Durham report notwithstanding.  remember that she was running them through the law firm Perkins Coie falsely labelled as legal fees?

Hillary Clinton and the DNC have indeed even admitted to doing it.

AP: DNC, Clinton campaign agree to Steele dossier funding fine

Politico: Federal campaign watchdog fines DNC, Clinton campaign over dossier spending disclosure

Should be an absolute slam dunk case for Alvin Bragg, given the investigation is already done for him and tied up in a very neat package.

I'm sure he'll get around to it any day now.  Really, any day now he'll assemble a grand jury and enforce justice without partisanship nor favor.

If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn in great shape to sell you, along with a corrupt partisan district attorney.

NY's Ban On Carry In Houses Of Worship Is Asinine At Best

So, the left was all a-flutter that the FBI had declared they had learned of a "credible and widespread threat"  against Jewish houses of Worship in New Jersey, most conveniently close to the election.

Shortly after that announcement got broacast in the news near and far, the threat then apparently went away as it was apparently neither quite that credible nor that widespread.  It turns out to be to be a single source, a single autistic individual living at home posted a threat online and ckaimed he never ws actually plannign to do anything, and that he is now in the words of the FBI -  "no longer a threat to the community".

Most convenient, that. 

So, some Jews being warned of such a credible and widespread threat would like to carry firearms for the defense of themselves and their congregations in New York. After all, it seems only common-sense that in the face of credible threats of violence one should be allowed the practical tools to defend themselves.

Well, they can't.

Bearing Arms: NYS Jewish Gun Club’s scathing response to non-action of court

New York's law prohibiting lawful citizens from carrying firearms in houses of worship, currently being fought in the courts, though the courts are slow walking the cases, is asinine and leaves people disarmed and vulnerable to criminal attack from those who will not obey such laws. 

Democrats quite simply would prefer dead Jews who were unable to defend themselves to armed Jews.

That's unacceptable.

New York Progressives And The Justice System They Have Sowed

From New York City comes a charming if not incredulous tale of what happens when progressives run the criminal justice system.

The situation is as follows:  a man in a park in a very progressive part of Brooklyn attacked a lady walking her dog, threw urine on them and killed the dog by hitting it with a stick he was carrying. He then left unmolested.    He has since neither been charged nor arrested.

New York Post: No arrest of Park Slope dog killer despite multiple sightings of suspect

A further complication is the assumed to be mentally-challenged man happens to be Black, which has set the progressives in the area around the park in quite a quandary.

Fox News:  Dog's killing leads to Brooklyn progressive civil war over 'social justice,' New York Times reports

Hilariously if not unbelievably, residents there are less upset about the crime and the fact they have a violent mentally-disturbed person wandering about their park free to assault people at will, but are more upset that the man is being sought out of concerns that it could be systemic racism to do so. Indeed they seem busy defending him in the name of social justice:

Weeks went by with no arrest made. Neighborhood sleuths fervently discussed the situation, and many expressed support for Chrustic, but soon a vocal minority asked why the mostly White town seemed insistent on taking down a Black man who seemed homeless and "emotionally disturbed." Others called the man a "psychopath" and a "predator" who needed to face justice," the Times reported.

Martin Lofsnes, a 52-year-old dancer who had moved away from the neighborhood in 2020, saw the discussion on Nextdoor while trying to sell some belongings, and was appalled. He spoke about the "400 yrs of systematic racism which has prevented black people from building generational wealth through homeownership resulting in the extreme disparity we see today." He told residents that throwing the man in jail would solve nothing and urged them to set up fundraisers for him.

Other residents thought Lofsnes naïve, with some even saying he was "mansplaining."

"In a dog-loving, progressive enclave, where pushing law and order can clash with calls for social justice, what’s the right thing to do? How do you protect the public without furthering injustice against this man?" Times writer John Leland asked.

You really cannot make this up. 

Apparently if you're Black and quite a few Froot Loops short of having a full box of cereal, you may, per the New York progressive belief system, attack people in public and kill their pets at will, because social justice.

In short, the NY powers that be will likely do nothing about this person until he kills someone.

Then, there will be much excuse-making over lack of mental health care facilities, and of course, the canard that "the system failed".

The system the woke in New York have setup is deliberately designed to fail.

It is designed to fail to protect ordinary citizens from crime - from hamstringing the police; to ignoring crimes; to letting violent criminals be immediately released without even a requirement for cash bail so they can be out to commit crimes yet again; and a justice system that gives the criminals mere slaps on the wrist if they happen to decide to show up for trial.

Unfortunately, this progressive obsession with letting criminals roam amuck is not confined to New York.

Rick Moranis A Victim of The New York Knockout Game

As a further sign of New York City's decline. Canada's own beloved Rick Moranis aka Bob Mackenzie was sucker-punched in an unprovoked attack outside of his apartment building.

 Reported on in more detail in the New York Post.

That the cowardly jerkoff doing it is wearing an "I Love New York" hoodie adds to the irony.

 

A real tough guy there, knocking out a tiny 67-year-old comedian.

Hopefully the cops catch this scumbag.  My bet is we'll find he has priors for assault, and if caught he'll likely be released without having to post bail, which is ridiculous but that's New York.   Hopefully, they charge the pos with a hate crime in addition to the assault charges.

Democrat Politicans Always Engage In Projecting Behavior

The Detroit News: Whitmer, Cuomo call for inquiry by Congress into Trump's COVID response

Simply amazing the gall of these politicians.  

Both Whitmer and Cuomo (and the govs of PA, MA and NJ)  issued orders requiring nursing homes to take in Covid-19 infected patients. As a result, and surprising no one, Covid-19 ripped through Michigan and New York nursing homes - causing 40%+ of all the deaths in these states.  States that didn't have such an insane order fared much better.

Quite a sheer lot of chutzpah to call for an inquiry over Trump's response when your own horribly inept responses led to the deaths of thousands and made the situation much worse than it would have been had they acted sensibly. 

This demand on Whitmer's part is even more astonishing, but not truly unexpected,  given her continued refusal to cooperate with GOP inquiry on virus in nursing homes. and her actions during Covid that led to the deaths of thousands of Michigan nursing home residents.

My bet is she's trying to both cover her actions by pointing elsewhere and to tee up some more spurious grounds for another impeachment campaign against President Trump, while hiding her and Cuomo's own misdeeds and mishandling of the Convid-19 pandemic.

Expect A Lot More Injuries When People Resist Arrest In NYC

New York City has decided, and other jurisdictions in the spirit of wokeness may follow, to ban police from using a variety of control techniques.

This includes choke-holds, and any other restraining maneuvers that may restrict blood or air flow to an alleged perpetrator.

In other words, a ton of non-lethal control techniques will be out the door. Expect a lot more physical injuries to occur for if police can't use retraining techniques to effect an arrest on someone resisting, they're going to have to resort to a lot more physical force to do so.

Instead of defunding the police, what is needed is more funding for far better training in the proper and appropriate use of restraint techniques including chokeholds - they can be used to safely and effectively to incapacitate a criminal resisting arrest as long as proper training is followed.

In the Floyd situation, they officers pretty clearly were not appropriately trained -

At least one officer was worried: Mr. Lane asked if the officers should roll Mr. Floyd over on his side.
“No, staying put where we got him,” Mr. Chauvin replied.
“I am worried about excited delirium or whatever,” Mr. Lane said.
“That’s why we have him on his stomach,” Mr. Chauvin responded.

Turning him onto his side would have made sense and helped him breathe, but Chavin apparently responded that keeping him belly down was the appropriate way to keep someone with ED, which is completely wrong - a lack of effective training certainly didn't help here, amongst other issues, inlcuidng the obvious that you don't keep your knee on someone's neck fro over 8 minutes.

Proper training and use of proper restraint techniques on the part of Police can effectuate arrests without people getting badly hurt - banning these techniques and you'll see an increase of taser firearms usage, not to mention possible broken bones from harder hand-to-hand techniques when the soft techniques are outlawed.

So is There A Link Between

states ordering nursing homes to take in known coronavirus patients, and the resultant high death rates in those same states with those orders, with the deaths heavily coming from nursing homes?

Certainly there's a heckuva tight correlation.

New York.

New Jersey.

Pennsylvannia

Michigan.
Yes, Michigan also required nursing homes to take in patients with coronavirus, with predictable results. The executive order for same was renewed today. Sure enough that order requiring nursing homes to take in covid positive patients led to coronavirus ripping through nursing homes - because the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Yep, Gov Half-Whit followed Cuomo et al, in passing executive orders requiring nursing homes, the location of those clustered togetherthe and most vulnerable to the Coronavirus, to be required to take in patients known to have coronavirus. To their surprise I'm sure, this lead to a spike in Corpnavirus in nursing homes.

If you wondered why it spread like wildfire through nursing homes and why most fatalities in these states have been in nursing homes, there's a good part of your answer.

Heads should roll for this kind of malfeasance.

Another Reason Why The Libertarian Party Just Isn't Taken Seriously

They run candidates like these for office:

New York Post: NYC mayoral candidate once tried to hijack an airplane

Yes, it's true the Libertarian Party's symbol should be changed to a white circle on a red background. After all they have a snowballs chance in hell of winning even if they ran a credible candidate and when they even fail to vet or run credible candidates . . . .

Well, that low chance of winning is compounded and reinforced when the candidates they do run are simply not credible - either ex-mental patients with a history of hijacking an aircraft, or recently the episode when their Party Chairman decides to let it all hang out and run around naked on stage during the party's presidential convention. Yeah, that inspires confidence.

The image most people have of the Libertarian Party is that of a bunch of doctrinal college students hanging out in their parents' basements smoking weed, reading some Ayn Rand, and screeching "taxation is theft!" during a full moon.

Since you can push for legalizing marijuana with the Democratic party and tax cuts with the Republican Party it kinda makes their base of support rather thin.

Seriously, did no one think that running this guy was a bad idea and that somehow he wouldn't make the LP look even more of a joke and fundamentally unserious and incapable of winning an election than it is?

That's the Libertarian Party, having what should be the best political message - Freedom - and then consistently coupling it with the most inept and incompetent presentation, marketing, execution, and candidates.

New York's Finest Do A Live Tueller Drill

In New York after a Black man goes into a synagogue, shouts "Kill the Jews" and stabs a rabbinical student in the head, leaving him in critical condition, which even in these benighted times should qualify as a hate crime. He then is confronted and then shot dead by police.

The Detroit News: Man fatally shot after stabbing at NYC synagogue

The attacker has a history of mental illness and had apparently been arrested 19 times since 1982. Funnily enough, again neither the Detroit News nor Detroit Free Press mentioned his race and you'd have to find the video to know as the text is silent.

There's a video of the encounter:



They certainly gave him plenty of chances and multiple loud verbal orders to drop the knife, and then the officers even backed away a few times.  But, when he advanced on an officer yet again with knife in hand they quite properly shot him to protect both the officers and the other innocents within reach.

Darn good shoot, the only real question is if they hesitated a bit too much before doing so.

Anarcho-Tyranny, NYC Style.

Borepatch is noted for his analysis of the issue of Anarcho-Tyranny. Anarcho-Tyranny is as he smartly puts it, "is when the State stops enforcing important laws and regulations (leading to anarchy) but cracks down on petty offenses (that's the tyranny)."

You've likely seen by now the footage of the Range Rover with a family inside being mobbed by a gang of motorcyclists.

If not, here's the video.

Now that's certainly a picture of Anarchy.

How does it get even more Anarcho-Tyrannical? Well, it turns out some of New York's finest were not only present and did nothing to stop the assaults, but at least one detective even participated in the attack by at the very least damaging the vehicle, if not the beat-down itself: Biker cop joined in SUV beatdown, hit vehicle

The only thing that could make it more Anarcho-Tyrannical would be the media labeling the driver a White-Asian and the Justice Department opening an investigation to see if he could be prosecuted for being racially insensitive while defending himself.

That's New York. The family, by law, isn't allowed the most effective means to protect themselves from a large gang of attackers: A firearm with a standard capacity magazine in the vehicle. 4 calls to 911 brought no help in time to make a difference. With no concealed carry allowed and the outlawing of magazines over 7 rounds, the family was in a bad position to defend itself, leading to the driver getting a beat- down from a gang of thugs (and at least one cop).

Further the Anarcho-Tyranny with the fact that not only do the police have no duty to protect you and will actively prevent you from doing so, but here the police were actually participating in the crime.

That's a pretty frightening display of Anarcho-Tyranny, New York style.

That's New York - Not Just Cats Stuck In Trees But Cops Stuck In Trees

Not a story you see everyday.

From the New York Daily News: Firefighters save cat and NYPD cop stuck in tree in Queens

Apparently, leaving doughnuts at the base of the tree was insufficient to get the cop to come down on his own, so they had to send the firefighters up to get him and the cat.

A Clash Of Democrat Interest Groups - NYC's Big Gulp Ban Slammed As Racist.

Its paternalistic government versus minority interest groups on the issue of regulating soft drink serving sizes.

I can see the headline now once this ban fully implemented: Soft drink sizes regulated, women and minorities hardest hit.

The Detroit News: Foes of New York City's soda size limit doubt racial fairness

The NAACP's New York state branch and the Hispanic Federation have joined beverage makers and sellers effort in trying to stop the rule from taking effect March 12. With a hearing set Wednesday, critics are attacking what they call an inconsistent and undemocratic regulation, while city officials and health experts defend it as a pioneering and proper move to fight obesity.

The issue is complex for the minority advocates, especially given obesity rates that are higher than average among blacks and Hispanics, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. The groups say in court papers they're concerned about the discrepancy, but the soda rule will unduly harm minority businesses and "freedom of choice in low-income communities."

The article helpfully notes that the regulation doesn't actually limit big gulp sizes as convenience stores are exempt from the ban, as are certain drinks themselves such as alcohol, juice, and milk based drinks. On the other hand, small restaurants, many run by minorities are going to be hit by the ban.

Ah the fun Democrats have when racial politics and maternalistic government collide...