In the latest effort to close the $8.2 billion budget deficit here in NY, our Guv has now set his sights (now pun intended; well, OK, maybe a little bit intended) on the state’s parks system – the oldest in this country, and one of the few things I think everybody in the state actually thinks they do right around here. Blinky has proposed closing 55 of our state’s parks and historic sites. This would save an astounding $6.3 million, reducing the deficit by a whopping 7/100ths of one percent (and arguably reducing our quality of life by about a million percent). So, let’s close the schools, close the hospitals, and close the parks. You can go to work (assuming you still have a job), and then you can go home. On the weekend, iff you want nature and recreation, you can go to the fucking mall and look at the potted palm trees and watch the trapped sparrows fly around. I think I’d better head out to the park right now, while it’s still open.
“As of now, I am in control here in the White House, pending the return of the vice president”
Never mind.
Alexander Haig, Ex-Secretary of State, Dies at 85
We are home! Back in the wind, snow and ice. The cats decided not to do their “Who are you?” act that they usually do when we’ve left them for a while and I got a really good night’s sleep.
My friends in Seattle are very bored by their politicians who are most polite and apparently not as entertaining as the jerks here in NY. They all wanted to know how Mr. 911 Rudy was doing and what was going to happen with Gov. Blinky and why a good gov. like Spitzer had to quit. They also asked what was up with Ford and how he was being received. I guess I’ll have to regale them with the political shenanigans that we have to put up with.
I heard yesterday that Gov. Blinky has decided to run for a full term. I guess the idea of closing the parks is part of his appeal to the NY squirrels and other fauna which, no doubt, would be glad to have the parks left solely to them. I’m not sure that they vote, though. If he closed the schools he might get the little tykes’ vote but not their parents. Perhaps his visual handicaps has made it hard for him to realize they’re too little to vote.
He may, of course, be going for the most politically tone deaf award for which he is competing with Tennessee Harold Ford.
Tennessee Harold Ford! Love it! And you reminded me of maybe my 1st favorite song ever. This was our company store.
I cannot take credit for the Tennesee Harold Ford naming. It was Clyde Haberman, a venerable NYC columnist, who of course mentioned Ernie’s 16 Tons, as well.
16 Tons. Always liked that song. I like the version from the Man in Black, too.
Speaking of which…
Blinky will be in town today to kick off his campaign by dropping the first puck at the big, historic, first-ever outdoor AHL hockey game, which they are making a very big deal out of for some reason.
Now, if he was Tennessee Jed Ford, he’d really have something.
Thanks for reminding me that I need to get that show, pj. I’m kinda sorry Levon didn’t sing but there was a nice rendition from him on Letterman.
At today’s hockey game:
You sure they weren’t booing that mascot Al the Ice Gorilla?
Now, why would anybody boo Al the Ice Gorilla? Though, I must confess, I had no idea that his name was Al, nor that he was an ice gorilla (presuming there is such a thing). I’ve been to a total of one Syracuse Crunch hockey game in my life, where – believe it or not – one of the people I was attending with got in a fight with one of the opposing hockey players (from our dreaded rival, the Rochester Amerks). I don’t think there was any Al the Gorilla there (though, as they say at the end of “Money”, I don’t know, I was really drunk at the time).
A scene right out of Slapshot.