DL Open Thread 9/18
Anyone who thinks Donald Trump is everything the quisling GOP wants in a president must reckon with the fact that he won’t go to war in the Middle East on the slightest provocation. Most of the GOP Senate is a bunch of bloodthirsty chicken hawks (a few even served), but even the pleading of presidential fluffer Sen. Lindsey Graham earned him nothing but a Twitter rebuke from the Pretender in Chief.
Congressional Democrats stepped on their dicks again yesterday in trying to get testimony from Trump lackey Corey Lewandowski, who turned the hearing into a circus. But he still managed to admit that Trump told him to obstruct justice.
Because no party in the Israeli elections won enough votes to create a government, we won’t know for days, and maybe longer, who “won” until somebody can put together a multi-party coalition to reach a majority. So even though Benjamin Netanyahu lost his gamble in calling the election, he’s refusing to concede.
General Motors cut health care benefits for nearly 50,000 striking workers. I wonder how much those people love their private health care now?
Betcha didn’t know this: Donald Trump has more small donors than any Democrat running. Thomas Edsall says the great reshuffling is changing where the parties raise their cash.
What do you want to talk about?
Preview:
Recorded a very enlightening piece last night with CUNY doctoral candidate and author Samuel Stein. Sam’s an expert on urban planning and has written a new book called ‘Capital City: Gentrification and the Real Estate State’. We were joined by Shyanne Miller, local activist and Board Chair for the Coalition to Dismantle the New Jim Crow.
Episode will be released Friday. Sam was very gracious with his time and it was a great conversation.
https://shapeofthecity.blogspot.com/?m=1
It may come as no surprise that the proposed Wilmington Blight bill is a huge land grab for the Real Estate State! Shyanne discussed the organizing being done to amend the blight bill to try to keep the benefits in the neighborhoods and for the people rather than on BPG’s balance sheet.
Also, buy the book!
https://www.versobooks.com/books/2870-capital-city
“the proposed Wilmington Blight bill is a huge land grab for the Real Estate State!”
I have read the bill and I see nothing to indicate that this is true.
“Shyanne discussed the organizing being done to amend the blight bill to try to keep the benefits in the neighborhoods and for the people rather than on BPG’s balance sheet.”
Please to be explaining how this changes BPG’s balance sheet, or why the “benefits” should be kept in the neighborhood and for the people.
I, for one, am very excited to hold conservatives to the notion that “if you dont fully and unquestioningly support Israel, you are a nazi” rule when Benny starts to undo the genocidal bullshit BiBi has been on about for the last 10 years.
cant wait to see this fuckhead locked up
I’ll send you some info. The problem as usual isn’t what the words say. For example, bill calls for like 1,500 inspections a year to support the new scheme. Ok sounds good right?
Experts I’ve spoken with say real enforcement would take around 5,000 inspections a year. Maybe that’s agressive. Fine.
City has the capability to do about 250 a year. See the problem. Bill’s a joke.
“Decriminalization” sounds GREAT! What it means is that when they target a spot they want and start rolling up the fines & move to sheriff sale there’s no judicial due process! Just the city say so! Nah, dawg.
As Stein said last night, there’s a very long history on using the label “blight” in urban planning. It means ‘you have it and we want it.’
The activists organizing against this actually support some version of it. They are simply asking for amendments to protect against what you & I both know is a transfer of capital to private real estate interests.
Jesus Christ I’m like spoon feeding y’all.
Damn, I actually agree with RE. So when is Hell going to freeze over?
“City has the capability to do about 250 a year.”
But it used to do 1,500 a year when it had the personnel to do it. It’s not impossible. They just eliminated it when money got tight. It was that or stop stealing, and they weren’t going to stop stealing.
“what you & I both know is a transfer of capital to private real estate interests.”
This ain’t New York. If those interests wanted that real estate they could buy it outright. They don’t have to steal it. Christ, they can’t rent the real estate they have, why would they want the stuff that’s falling down?
What I’ve read about opposition sounds more like straight obstruction than improvement of the bill. And the complaints of the landlords are absurd — a guy with multiple properties whining about $9,000 a year more in fees? Is that what’s meant by keeping the capital in the neighborhood?
But it used to do. That’s funny
And yet true. Your lack of historical knowledge undermines you yet again.
This is also funny⬆️
Just remember folks whatever you know Alby knows more. I’ve been undermined again!
When it comes to further consolidating capital I am an obstructionist. That’s true. You got me.
Scapegoating the slum landlord is the trick. Because that’s our soft spot, right?
Yeah, you’re wrong. It’s a tough beat. Sorry.
How many slum landlords do you know? How long have you tracked efforts to do something about it?
You haven’t answered a single point I raised. Try it sometime. It’ll do wonders for your credibility.
He knows slumlords, so the bill is fine. I’m suppose to address his points when he didn’t address mine. This somehow impacts my credibility! Ok.
I gave you 2 concrete examples wherein the bill fails,but again you know people, so…
No, you gave me hypothetical examples of where the bill fails. I countered that there is no evidence that this is intended to make seizing desired property easier, as there is no desired property at stake. You offer nothing in return but “capital consolidation,” again with no evidence that such is at stake.
As for “they used to is funny,” is that supposed to be a response? Because it’s sorely lacking.
By knowing slumlords over the years, I have seen what works and what doesn’t. That’s how I know that despite 30 years of trying things, nobody has solved the issue yet.
But because you have no actual experience reporting on or doing something about these things, you dismiss all knowledge that isn’t yours personally.
Ask around. Outside your circles, your credibility is shit.
Is this what happens when you elect a real estate speculator?
He’s more a slumlord than a speculator. See Ivy Hall, Newark.
Yes
Tell ya what, I look forward to listening to the podcast. Maybe it will change my mind.