I just watched the Mayoral Debates and first off all, I had no idea half of this stuff was going on... I'm almost ashamed to say that I haven't kept up with what is going on in NYC.
I'm confused as to whom I should believe since politicians are usually liars or at least that has been my conclusion for the past few years. Thompson took a stab at Bloomberg every chance he got, completely missing the point of the questions that were given to him, and the answers that he did give were repeated--- I guess to make his points. They said that both these men have been working together for the past eight years, and when asked what grade they would give each other on their jobs Thompson jumped at the chance to say that Bloomberg deserved a D- (and that was him being nice), Bloomberg actually complemented Thompson... makes you wonder if he is just trying to be the bigger person or to gain some points with the public...
The reporter asked Bloomberg how he felt when people say he is out of touch with the average New Yorker since he is worth around 16 Billion dollars --- SERIOUSLY?-- he said that he actually rides the train (which last time I read was for a couple of stops and then he got out and had a private car take him to his office) and actually feels connected with the average NYorker because he started here with just a small business... Now my issue is, that's gravy and all Mr. Governor but how do you who can afford to retire tomorrow and go vacation off the coast of France relate to say the many families who are being bought out of their homes, my mom who has been here for 14 years had to sell her house because she couldn't afford it (the cost of living exceeds the amount you make), or the south and central American workers who have to wake up at the crack of dawn to make food for their home/take their kids to school/clean/and slave over jobs that pay them minimum wage or less because they are not legal immigrants here? etc etc... I'm not hatin on the guy, however dont tell me that you can RELATE to my issues or the "average" NYorkers issue because you ride the train at least five times a week for three stops... oh no sir.
This Thompson character needs to get himself in check though, don't go on national T.V. and demean your opposing party because then it makes it seem like you spend your days looking for dirt on Mr. 16 Billion Dollars instead of doing your research on what NYorkers need for the next couple of years. According to one of his commercials my boy Obama supports him, (must look into why) so... that MUST mean hes great right? (SMH) I hope people don't go out and just vote for him because they saw Obama's pearly whites on the top left hand corner of the screen... LETS DO OUR RESEARCH! Lets see where both these men stand on issues regarding jobs, education, health, safety, transit and most of all the future of NYC.
This city is extremely important to me. As someone who came here at age nine, I learned to love the cold winters and the hot summers where my cousins and I would make our way to Astoria Park Public Pool (only if 99 street pool was too packed of course). I didn't know the Heights existed until one summer in DR this random guy we called Caco de Bola said he was tough because he was from LOS HEIGHTS... a couple of years later I made my way uptown through the 1 train and fell in love with my Dominicanos all over again. This city taught me street smarts, and trust me they come in handy no matter where I've been. It gave me an opportunity to taste different cultures, to snap my fingers one night at a poetry slam and dance my life away through the rhythms of salsa the next. NYC inspires me every day to push forward and take risks, it teaches me that diversity is a precious and rare gift (I mean where else can you sit and simultaneously listen to multiple conversations in different languages but the train??)... NYC has watched me grow and I have learned to appreciate it for what it is and what it isn't. I have been lucky enough to travel to many places including large cities, and though I am the first to say that Toronto is cleaner and that Rome is breath taking, NONE and I mean NONE have compared to my never sleeping city.
So go do your research. Educate yourselves, these issues DO affect our communities, our younger cousins and siblings, our economic state, our morning commute! The most important weapon of all is to be knowledgeable and its arch nemesis ignorance would like all of us to turn the cheeck and leave it to the "Elite" group to make the decisions for the masses... but in reality it is us, MI GENTE, that make this city what it is!
Entonces! check out some sites and read up! or do it the cool way and support our news papers and magazines!
Gotham Gazette
Bloomberg
Thompson
NYTimes
Spread the Knowledge...
FanStar
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