Barclays Center Site For 2016 Democrat Convention?

New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio suggests that the Democrats hold their 2016 convention at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  How appropriate!  DeBlasio supported the eminent domain and corporate welfare scheme which built the Barclays Center and associated real estate development to the benefit of progressive real estate developer Bruce Ratner and his Forest City Ratner firm.  This was done with the connivance of New York State's Empire State Development Corporation. 


The eminent domain scheme also know as Atlantic Yards or Brooklyn Nets Arena received the enthusiastic cheers and non-critical reporting of the New York Times.  The establishment newspaper was itself the beneficiary of eminent domain and corporate welfare courtesy of the Empire State Development Corporation.  Their real estate development partner was yes, Bruce Ratner and Forest City Ratner.  I dubbed this particular scheme "Time$cam."


It is also appropriate that the Democrat Party stands for legalized theft, but then again so does the Republican Party. 


If the Democratic convention is held at the Barclays Center who would like to demonstrate against eminent domain abuse and corporate welfare with me?


Richard Cooper

Atlantic Yards Shortened A Bit

The Wall Street Journal reports "Value of Atlantic Yards Cut Sharply" http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304014504579250771212884920?KEYWORDS=Value+of+Atlantic+Yards  Atlantic Yards is the bipartisan eminent domain abuse scheme in Brooklyn on behalf of the Barclays Center with planned housing and office developments.   This should not surprise. The bust in the political business cycle reveals the wrong investments fostered by the monetary expansion known as inflation. Such investments in our economy marked by government intervention tend to rest on cheap money created by the Federal Reserve and more explicit corporate welfare subsidies from different levels of government.

 I described this in 2008 at the start of the Great Recession. http://groundreport.com/greedy-in-brooklyn-well-connected-developer-seeks-still-more-subsidies-for-brooklyn-arena-scheme/ as well as http://groundreport.com/atlantic-yards-eminent-domain-abuse-scheme-confronts-reality/

Unfortunately, the Stop The Pork lawsuit against New York corporate welfare did not succeed.  I was a plaintiff.

Richard Cooper

Senator Schumer's New York Disconnect

Develop, Don't Destroy Brooklyn http://www.dddb.net/php/latestnews_Linked.php?id=854 reports that Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) takes an inconsistent position on eminent domain. He supports the Atlantic Yards Nets Arena scheme in Brooklyn, while opposing the New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) upstate. The New York Regional Interconnect would impose power lines on property-owners across a swath of central and western New York to provide a power link from upstate to downstate New York. The Libertarian Party of New York http://www.ny.lp.org/ opposes both schemes.

As a Libertarian and property rights activist, I certainly do not support the NYRI eminent domain, but it would be easier to justify as being for the public good than the corporate sports welfare and office/apartment real estate development involved in the Atlantic Yards Nets Arena.

Why would Schumer oppose NYRI and support Atlantic Yards? It should be obvious that private property rights, the market economy and individual liberty are not supported by Schumer and his odious philosophy. Let us summarize Schumerism. "Government will support voting blocs essential to electing Schumer and his allies."

Who opposes Atlantic Yards? Libertarians, Greens and a few thousand Brooklynites. Other than Libertarians and Greens no one outside Brooklyn even realizes that they get to pay for developer Bruce Ratner and his Forest City Ratner Firm. Who supports Atlantic Yards? Mayor Bloomberg, Borough President Marty Markowitz, the labor unions, the city's major dailies, various elected officials and the poverty racketeers of ACORN.

Who opposes New York Regional Interconnect? Property-owners, elected officials, environmentalists, Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, Independents, Libertarians, Greens etc.

By supporting Atlantic Yards, Schumer antagonizes a few thousand Democrats and independents who are unlikely to go Republican. Not that there was a choice. GOP candidates for governor John Faso and William Weld curried favor with Bloomberg by endorsing Atlantic Yards. By opposing NYRI, Schumer deprives the Republicans of an issue to galvanize upstaters.
This is a simple matter of arithmetic. Brooklynites are taken for granted because important Schumer Democrat coalition members are on board with Atlantic Yards and a few defections are insignificant.

Voters need to send a message and vote Libertarian.

Richard Cooper