Killjoy Bloomberg turns New York into the forbidden Apple

[T_i_B]

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1120526,00.html

New York was once the place where anything goes, but under Bloomberg's reign it is fast becoming one of the most controlled cities in America. One city newspaper asked last week: 'Is Fun City turning into Blandsville?'.

Fancy a drink with your picnic in Central Park? Not a chance. Drinking alcohol in public is illegal. Perhaps you can feed the pigeons there? Also banned. Even riding your bike with your feet off the pedals is now against the law. And you'd better have a bell on your handlebars too, or face a fine. In Britain a mobile phone going off in the cinema is irritating. In New York it is illegal. So is putting your bag on an empty seat in the subway. Ashtrays are illegal except in private homes. And sex is off the menu of entertainment after Bloomberg cracked down on lap-dancing and stripping bars.

Even the police have joined the debate. The city's police union has spent $100,000 launching a 'Don't Blame the Cop' campaign to explain that the wave of on-the-spot fines and court summonses was not their fault. They said they were set performance targets for fines to raise money for New York's empty coffers. 'City Hall is trying to turn us into a revenue-generating agency,' said Patrick Lynch, president of New York City Patrolmen's Benevolent Association.

Many of the laws are not new but are only now being enforced. This has led to a litany of bizarre fines. Jesse Taveras was fined $105 for sitting on a milk crate on the pavement. Yoav Kashida, an Israeli tourist, fell asleep on the subway and woke to find two policeman ticketing him because his head had slid into the seat next to him. Elle and Serge Schroitman were fined for 'blocking a driveway' with their car. Never mind that the driveway was their own. An elderly woman, advised by her doctor to keep her leg elevated to avoid a blood clot, was hit by a $50 fine for resting a foot on the subway chair opposite her. Her appeal, backed by her doctor, was turned down.

[baldguy]

1. Singapore on the Hudson?

[ClintonTyree]

2. Republicans!

Don't you DARE have any fun! Sit down, shut up, and look straight ahead.
This is all quite amusing actually. Unless you live there of course. The entire campaign was orchestrated to bring revenue in to NY after 9/11. Bush certainly didn't live up to his promise of financial aid, they had to get the money from somewhere. I wonder if Mr. Bloomberg will be re-elected? NYC seems to love their Republican Mayors of late, I wonder if they love what they're doing to their city?

[name not needed]

4. Bloomberg is done

His approval rating is below 40% i believe.

[NashVegas]

5. There's No Denying Rudy Started It

I don't mind the cell-phone/theater rule though.

"Welcome to Duloc, such a perfect town
Here we have some rules, let us lay them down
Don't make waves, stay in line
And we'll get along fine
Duloc is a perfect place

Please keep off of the grass
Shine your shoes, wipe your...face
Duloc is, Duloc is
Duloc is a perfect place"

[zonker]

9. ah, yes, Rudy...

...Anyone remember 1998 and one of the one of the nuttiest Rudy ideas: pedestrian traffic control in midtown! Walking three blocks east became a 45-minute ordeal with blockades up at "strategic" points.... One had to go three blocks north then two blocks west and then four blocks south....

...ah, NYC...sanitized for your protection. :P

[newyawker99]

15. Hi zonker!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[aquart]

11. He seems to be outlawing selfishness.

Which, you must admit, seems odd in a Republican.

[LiberalFighter]

16. Don't wait for the election... RECALL NOW

[Gman]

3. Elect a Republican

and see what you get.

[newyorican]

7. An intrusive police state?

Don't forget about the father who was fined because his daughters birthday ballon popped within earshot of NYs 'Finest'.

[RandomKoolzip]

6. Funny how (R) assholes like G. Gordon Liddy and Ted Nugent

are always complaining about how Democrats are restrictively puritan; always railing against "the food police," "PC police," etc. Then the republicans come in and turn NY into a PC puritan paradise...Anybody see a little disconnect here?

[Walt Starr]

8. I guess we now must say that Republicanism is the fear

that somebody somewhere might be having fun.

[aquart]

10. Yes, it sucks that you can't have wine at the picnic in the park.

But driveway blocking has driven people to SHOOT each other in this town. It's a huge complaint at 311 and a very angry one.

The feet off the pedals is to keep you from coasting into a pedestrian or a car. We have a lot of hotdoggers.(It would have been nice if they'd publicized the bell requirement because I've never heard of it.)

And, personally, if they hailed cell phone people off to jail for letting those damn things go off during performances, I would only smile.

[BiggJawn]

12. How will keeping my feet on the pedals keep me from hitting things?

The Nimrod who wrote that reg hasn't been on a bike since they were 7, I'll warrant...

My brakes are under my hands.

[Buns_of_Fire]

13. I wonder how many Rebubbalican Conventioneers will be arrested...

Hey, we all know what a bunch of wild and crazy guys they are! :party: (Maybe DeLay's idea to keep them all sequestered on a cruise ship docked in the harbor made some sense, after all...

[LiberalFighter]

17. Should document with video and camera all repug violations

[Wapsie B]

14. Can you say budget deficit boys & girls?

Sure you can. This is just a transparent attempt at raising city revenues without raising taxes.

[T_i_B]

18. Kick

:kick: