79.6% of the 500,000 citizens of Staten Island are Roman Catholic and along with their neighbors, it sure seems likely that the Catholic vote is being suppressed. More importantly, these Americans are ignored and in mortal danger. Some powers that be don't seem too interested in these voters - whatsoever.
Staten Island in New York is very much like my own neighborhood - working class, Catholic, ethnic and largely white. This borough is home to fireman, cops, transit workers, skilled tradesmen, nurses and teachers - urban helots.
These folks won't (how in the Christ could they?) have a vote come Tuesday,
This is the Middle Class the political wizards, spin-merchants and ad men whine about with such love and compassion that it would sicken a slug.
Staten Island is hurting. People are missing. Kids are freezing. Old People endure the unimaginable with grace and faith.
Mayor Big Gulp is setting out the Big Apple welcome mat to Marathon runners from Kenya, Boston, L.A. and Switzerland on Sunday while a half a million of his citizens starve, suffer and strive against nature and political hypocrisy*.
Staten Islanders are a half-million people - Median Household Income -$55,000.
Home Values Before the Storm:
Estimated median house or condo value in 2009: $449,400 (it was $216,600 in 2000)
| Staten Island: | |
| New York: |
Recent home sales, real estate maps, and home value estimator for zip codes: 10301, 10302, 10303, 10304, 10305, 10306, 10307, 10308, 10309, 10310, 10312, 10314.
Religion: 79.6% Roman Catholic
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Staten-Island-New-York.html#ixzz2B6bQunRq
Now, that's suppressing the vote - the Catholic vote.
It sure does seem like a monstrous way to keep people from the polls - ignore their suffering.
Update at 5:01 PM CST
The marathon, Bloomberg told reporters, will "give people something to cheer about in a week that's been pretty dismal."
"You can grieve, you can laugh, you can cry, all at the same time," the mayor said.
He also said the race would pump much-needed money into the city's economy, which was brought to its knees by the storm.
CHRISTINE BRENNAN: A confounding and unseemly decisionSTATEN ISLAND: Help was slow in comingMary Wittenberg, president of the New York Road Runners that operates the event, also tried to fend off criticism by saying this year's event will involve more private contractors than in past years to ease the strain on city services.
The marathon, which has run every year since 1970, brings an estimated $340 million into the city, and race organizers say some of it will be used for recovery efforts.
New York Road Runners will donate $1 million to the recovery fund and said more than $1.5 million in pledges already had been secured from sponsors.
Bloomberg's critics, however, were blunt.
Councilman James Oddo, from the devastated borough of Staten Island, where the race will begin, lashed out at the mayor on his Twitter feed:
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer weighed in, saying the city is trying to recover from the blow by Sandy and now is not the time to hold a marathon.
He said in a statement that New Yorkers throughout the city "are struggling to keep body and soul together, deprived of basic essentials as temperatures drops."
The race should be rescheduled, he said, "in order to focus all of the city's resources on the crucial task of helping our neighbors recover from this disaster."
"New Yorkers deserve nothing less than to know that the entire government is focused solely on returning the city and their region back to normalcy," Stringer said.
If they take one first responder from Staten Island to cover this marathon I will scream. We have people with no homes and no hope right now
No comments:
Post a Comment