This is my first attempt at blogging. Don't expect any pretty pictures. I am just a data guy. I don't pay that much attention to what GA asks me to do. Politics pretty much bores me. I never figured out why someone wanted to run for office in the first place. Seems like a thankless job with everyone yelling at you. With all the corruption around NJ, it appears to me that the reason anyone runs for office is to make some money on the side, or steer money to you or your family. See: the Russo Family. But then you have Beth Mason. She doesn't need the money and there is nothing to suspect that she is on the take for anything , to the contrary, she keeps giving money away. But in order to get elected, she pretty much lied about her resume, to the point where any company that I ever worked for or free lanced for would fire her ass. And she has gazillion dollars from her husband. So why has she given away a cool million dollars running for mayor and only winding up with a ward seat in Hoboken? I don't get it. What is the benefit to her for spending all that money? And she seems to hire some sleazy operators with her money. So why spend money on sleazy people to try and get elected to a political office that doesn't pay that much and you don't need the money anyway. I asked GA that question and she just chuckled and said something about me not understanding politics and ego. Any dummy, with an ego or not, can give a way a million dollars still not get to be Mayor.
GA tells me that AL Sullivan is the Political Insider and knows all about Hudson County politics. He seems kind of dumb to me. GA sent me his last column to read and he sure doesn't seem to understand how to make money or anything related to business. How can he say that Mayor Zimmer is giving away the hospital? If the operating company filed for bankruptcy because it couldn't pay its bills, then what is the hospital worth? And since the city has to pay back 52 million in bonds, someone would have to pay the city at least 52 million plus the outstanding bills. I understand that the buyer is going to pay much more than that, closer to 90. So I am not sure how that means she is giving it away. If the City got stuck with the mess, the City would have to find someone willing to pay over 90 million dollars for a vacant hospital building and then either tear it down or rehab it for another purpose in order to make money. Or find a developer to tear it down and pay the City over 90 million for the land. That sounds crazy. But then if there were new condos, the other local politicians could ask for money to get the approvals in place, refer the engineering and real estate brokerage fees, the title insurance and unit mortgages to their friends and family. That would make for a whole hell of a lot of skim to be had. Just seems that getting a new operator in that can make money and keep the doors open is a hell of a lot better than seeing the place close down and loose all of those jobs. But I still don't get how Al thinks that the sale translates into Christmas in the summer for the Mayor. Maybe Al does know some stuff that he is not talking about. But what he wrote makes about as much sense as spending a million dollars not to get elected Mayor. But that is politics, I guess.
Cyclops, I have a suggestion for your guest spot. How about taking a look at something in the looming forest, since many seem to have such a hard time looking beyond the trees? We know local pols like local fuss-budgetry---keeping folks so busy with the convoluted intricacies of their skullduggery, sometimes the bigger picture gets minimized.
ReplyDeleteBut, the big, bad world is closing in fast on Hoboken's little petri dish. FBI aside. To whit, the apparent downgraded muni bond rating. Nice outcome of long-standing muni fiscal mismanagement, combo'd with trickle down from those silly-putties in Washington. Would you agree? And since you're a self-described data wonk, maybe you could comment?
Uh oh, I guess you're turning a "blind eye."
ReplyDeleteI, for one, am beyond bored with the inmates running the local asylum. They are just so predictably annoying, as understatement. Delusions of grandeur, among other serious character flaws. Ditto with most in the "Fourth Estate." That includes the local press & blogs, except for our beloved GA. She makes the repetitiously nefarious nonsense fun to read. And gets the facts right, without having to splay her ego all over creation in the process. Would you agree?
I hope she's having fun in her two-piece!
Perhaps you prefer to spend your babysitting time watching TV? If so, I might recommend the new SyFy show, "Alphas." Filled with quirky misfits who live in Hudson Co. it seems. The first episode featured a scene where the mind-controlling Alpha forced a Jersey City cop to "fix" her ticket by eating it, carbon paper & all! Come to think of it, perhaps that show has too much versimilitude for the escapism you may seek....
Ma$on's strange behaviour is all about forging alliances with people like Menendez, who wish to see certain development deals favor their major contributors. (See Weehawken; waterfront; Menedez's attorney), who will in turn keep them in office. The payoff for our bat-shit crazy councilperson is some post on a higher level that she is even less qualified for.
ReplyDeleteThe motivation is clear and is pathologically narcisistic and, at least for Ma$on, as long as the Wachtell Lipton gravy train still runs with their ethics officer asleep at the wheel, has nothing to do with money.
Miss Bossy Boots
ReplyDeleteThis is One Eye, not GA. I have not turned my one good eye away from your post. I was not sure if the rules of engagement for my babysitting tour of duty permitted me to respond to comments. I tracked down GA in the wilderness late this afternoon and she gave me the OK to respond, but with the caveat "Just don't embarass me." Funny comment coming from the "Poo Lady" as I call her all the time.
I liked your idea for a post. And am working on an idea to incorporate it into a post. I have another post that I cranked out about the HUMC which I hope to get up soon.
Thanks for the comments. You too, Oracle. This is harder than I thought. I just give GA ideas and documents in response to her requisitions and let GA smash them up in her blender like brain and whoosh - out comes great graphics and frothy and biting commentary.
Thank you, Monocular Man!
ReplyDeleteGood, albeit depressing "crank" on the HUMC. I would say you're doing a fine job of channeling GA's "frothy" commentary in her absence. Indeed, suggesting possible bestiality would (& is) rank. I am grateful no graphics were involved!
If you should use my moniker again, though, I would ask that you please address me as "Ms. Bossy Boots." "Miss"---in any iteration---is not a word generally associated with me.