Thursday, October 23, 2008

The NY City Council just voted to extend term limits -- YES!

The NY City Council just voted to extend term limits -- YES!  http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/council-to-debate-term-limits-change/?hp

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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Support a 3rd term for Mayor Blooomberg

Dear friends,
 
If you live in NYC, I hope you'll join me in taking a moment to encourage your City Council member to vote to extend term limits so that Mayor Bloomberg can serve one more term.  I don't like changing the rules in the middle of the gamebut these are not normal times -- and Mayor Bloomberg is not a normal mayor.  The combination of a severely weakening national economy and the collapse of the financial sector has plunged our city into a severe crisis.  At a time like this, our city needs the strong, experienced, steady leadership of Mayor Bloomberg.
 
If you agree, please act now, as the City Council is voting on this tomorrow (likely at 1:30pm) and it looks to be a very close vote (see article in yesterday's NY Times, below)Here's what you need to do:
1) Go to http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml and type in your address to see who your City Council member is.
 
 
3) Call his/her district office.
 
4) If there's an email address listed, send an email as well.  Here is the email I sent to my Council member, who has come out against extending term limits:
Dear Ms. Mark-Viverito,
 
This is the first time that my wife and I have ever contacted you on any issue, but we are doing so because we feel so strongly that our city needs Mayor Bloomberg to remain in office for one more term.
 
We share your discomfort with changing the rules in the middle of the game, especially without all New Yorkers being able to vote on this important issue, but these are not normal times -- and Mayor Bloomberg is not a normal mayor.  The combination of a severely weakening national economy and the collapse of the financial sector has plunged our city into a severe crisis.  At a time like this, our city needs the strong, experienced, steady leadership of Mayor Bloomberg.
 
We urge you to vote to suspend term limits so Mayor Bloomberg can serve one more term.
 
Sincerely yours,
 
Whitney and Susan Tilson

1165 Fifth Avenue, Apt. 4C

New York, NY 10029

(212) 348-0569

WTilson@T2PartnersLLC.com

STilson@tilsonfunds.com

In addition to the reason cited above, there's another critically important reason why I want Bloomberg to serve another term: fixing NYC's schools.  Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein have initiated bold reforms of our nation's largest school system (covering 2% of all U.S. schoolchildren), which are finally starting to take hold and show great results, but the gains are tenuous and could be rolled back under a new mayor and chancellor, so it's critical that Bloomberg and Klein get another four years.
 
Thank you!!!
 
Whitney
--------------------
October 22, 2008

Council Schedules Thursday Vote on Term Limits

Setting up a showdown over one of the most divisive issues in recent political memory, Speaker Christine C. Quinn announced Tuesday that the City Council would vote Thursday on Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to revise the term limits law so he can pursue four more years in office.

Supporters of the change said the move reflected Mr. Bloomberg’s and Ms. Quinn’s confidence that they have gathered the 26 Council votes needed to pass the legislation.

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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Comments on McCain vs. Obama on education reform

9/5/08
 
I watched McCain's speech tonight and thought he did a good job telling his POW story and how it changed him -- frankly, I don't think he has much else to run on.  I couldn't believe the disconnect between what he was saying about, for example, looking out for the average American or for the environment, when his policies are so contrary this, but I give him credit in one area: what he said about education, in which he hit all the right buttons: education as the main civil rights issue today, the alarming number of failing schools, the need to shake up awful bureaucracies, empowering parents with choice, including charter schools, etc.:

Education -- education is the civil rights issue of this century.

(APPLAUSE)

Equal access to public education has been gained, but what is the value of access to a failing school? We need...

(APPLAUSE)

We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice.

(APPLAUSE)

Let's remove barriers to qualified instructors, attract and reward good teachers, and help bad teachers find another line of work.

(APPLAUSE)

When a public school fails to meet its obligations to students, parents deserve a choice in the education of their children. And I intend to give it to them.

(APPLAUSE)

Some may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private one. Many will choose a charter school. But they will have the choice, and their children will have that opportunity.

(APPLAUSE)

Senator Obama wants our schools to answer to unions and entrenched bureaucrats. I want schools to answer to parents and students.

(APPLAUSE)

And when I'm president, they will.

This led one of my friends to write:

This decision is going to be tough....VERY tough for us single issue voters. As powerful as an Obama candidacy is, and as much as I disagree with our misguided involvement in Iraq, there just simply is no contest between McCain and Obama on education reform. Did you hear him tonight? McCain gets it. I am sad to say that I STILL don't know if Obama does.

Unlike my friend, however, this decision, after the last two nights, is even more of a no-brainer for me, for two reasons:
A) As much as I care about education reform, I also care a lot about our economy, the environment, the alarming rise in income inequality, our ruined stature around the world, etc. -- and on all of these issues, I think Obama has far superior ideas.
 
B) On education reform, I think a mix of both candidates' ideas would be the ideal solution -- McCain, for example, didn't talk about important things like early childhood education and making college more affordable.  But here's the key: even if you like McCain's education reform proposals better, you still want Obama to be President because only a Democrat can bring about the needed reforms.  It's like only Nixon could have gone to China and only Clinton could have reformed welfare.  It's the whole idea behind Democrats for Education Reform: it has to be an inside job!  As long as it's Republicans pushing for reform, the unions can continue to make this a Republican vs. Democrat issue (rather than a what's-best-for-children vs. what's-best-for-adults issue) and gridlock will continue.
 
Think of it this way: would you rather have a President with 90% of what you want, but only a 20% chance of making it happen, or a President with 70% of what you want, but a 60% change of making it happen? (That's McCain 18 and Obama 42.)

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