Senate seat slangin', 100+ Metro Card banging, I'm calling in GAY kinda day (so much randomness)
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich arrested in conspiracy to benefit from Obama's Senate replacement
It was "Senate for Sale" in Illinois, where Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday for a "corruption crime spree" - including charges he tried to auction Barack Obama's seat to the highest bidder.
The feds say Blagojevich even tried to shake down Team Obama, scheming to get a cabinet job in return for naming the President-elect's choice to be his Senate successor.
"If I don't get what I want and I'm not satisfied with it, then I'll just take the Senate seat myself," the two-term Democratic governor said in one FBI-recorded call.
A Senate seat "is a f-----g valuable thing; you don't just give it away for nothing," added Blagojevich, who later called Obama a "motherf----r" for not seeing things his way.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of the Northern District of Illinois said there are "no allegations" Obama was aware of any wrongdoing. The President-elect said he hadn't contacted Blagojevich over his replacement.
"I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the U.S. attorney's office today," Obama said
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MONTHLY METRO'S MAY GO UP TO 0VER 100 DOLLARS...
I swear I can't take it.
Unlimited-ride Metrocards to jump $23, if state doesn't bail out MTA
Brace yourself for the C-note MetroCard.
The monthly MetroCard could jump from $81 to $104 next year if Albany fails to find funds to rescue the transit system, according to a city Independent Budget Office analysis.
"It's ridiculous," subway rider Nicole St. Bernard-James, 35, of Brooklyn, said of the sky-high charge. "That's crazy."
Carpenter William Hurd said he might stop riding the rails if the monthly pass rises by $23, or 28%, an annual increase of $276.
"I'd be better off driving at this point," said Hurd, who takes the Long Island Rail Road into the city, then switches to the subway.
The Straphangers Campaign advocacy group asked the IBO to review the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority's financial plans and crunch the numbers.
The MTA has not yet specified new prices for the various fare payment options, which also include weekly and biweekly unlimited-ride MetroCards.
Without additional subsidies, the MTA has said it will be forced to balance its fiscal 2009 budget by increasing fare and toll revenue by 23%.
Reaching that target actually would require hikes of 28% to compensate for the expected dropoff in ridership caused by the higher costs, the IBO said in Tuesday's report.
The IBO analysis assumes across-the-board hikes of approximately 28% on all unlimited-ride MetroCards and the $2 base bus and subway fare.
Possible results forecast by the IBO in this scenario include the base fare rising to at least $2.50.
The Daily News has reported that the MTA usually doesn't apply flat-rate, across-the-board hikes and that the $2 base fare could be boosted by $1 to $3.
The base fare is mostly paid by bus riders still paying with coins. A $3 fare would encourage more riders to use discount-offering MetroCards, would reduce MTA labor costs and would lessen the size of any hikes on unlimited-ride MetroCards.
If the MTA wanted to avoid the service cuts, the monthly MetroCard could go up to $107, the IBO said.
A panel chaired by former MTA boss Richard Ravitch urges tolling East River and Harlem River bridges and charging employers a payroll tax to generate $2.5 billion a year.
The MTA should use some of the new revenues to scale back next year's fare and toll hikes to 8% and cancel service cuts, the commission recommended.
In a statement, the MTA called for endorsing the commission's proposals.
'Day without a gay': Supporters of gay marriage encouraged to call in sick to work to protest Prop 8
Forget that phoney stomach bug or make-believe migraine.
Same-sex marriage supporters are urging people to skip work by "calling in gay" on Wednesday as part of their campaign to overturn Proposition 8.
The first ever "Day Without a Gay" is being organized to show the nation relies on homosexuals and to raise awareness of the drive to legalize gay and lesbian marriage.
"We are all for a boycott if that's what brings about a sense of community for people," said Sean Hetherington, a comedian and personal trainer who came up with the idea with his boyfriend.
While organizers are encouraging people to skip work, they are also urging them to use their gay day effectively and spend time volunteering.
"You can take away from the economy and give back in other ways," Hetherington added.
Day Without a Gay will coincide with International Human Rights Day, and the idea for a gay workers boycott is modelled on similar stoppages by Latino immigrants.
Hetherington and his partner, Aaron Hartzler, came up with the idea after reading that furious gay-rights activists were calling for day-long strike to protest the passage of the Proposition 8 in November.
The ballot referendum reversed the state's previous decision to allow gay marriage.
The couple thought it would be more beneficial to encourage people to give their time to a non-profit organization. They they have received hundreds of emails from people looking for volunteers during the "Day Without a Gay."
Their website - www.daywithoutagay.org - has also received more than 100,000 hits in recent weeks.
Not everyone should "call in gay," Hetherington said, urging high school students to stay in class and promising no retribution for people who decide to go to work.
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