King Cuomo vs. King Mulgrew - We lose BIG TIME

 In our current iteration in the theater of the absurd, Andrew Cuomo is running for mayor of New York City. No, I’m not joking and I have every expectation that he will win by a landslide. But where does that leave us? Right now we have the underwhelming Mayor Adams - who squeezed the UFT, via the always incredibly accommodating Mulgrew, like a sponge for whatever he wanted - which included putting us into Medicare Advantage. So the question becomes how do we think Mulgrew will handle Andrew Cuomo? A narcissistic, arrogant, thieving liar with a history of murderous intent? 

Let’s look at Mulgrew’s history of negotiations. I went back and did a little research. It was quite jarring to say the least. http://chaz11.blogspot.com/search?q=Negotiations

The most telling quote I got from my research was the city’s Chief negotiator, a Mr. Linn’s,  quote that negotiating with Mulgrew was ‘like a man negotiating with a child.’  http://chaz11.blogspot.com/2017/01/how-nyc-labor-commissioner-bob-linn.html

 It will be almost as bad as when Bloomberg was in charge. At least with Bloomberg, he stayed quiet. Will he know enough to do this with Cuomo? I’m sure he’s shivering in his boots right now figuring out a way that he can throw Uft support behind Cuomo. This is his usual modus operandi. I’ve used this analogy before, but it fits the confrontation avoidant Mulgrew to a T - he’s like a guy, spotted by a group of thugs with mayhem on their minds, that goes and gives each of them each $10 to leave him alone. That’s always the plan with Mulgrew. Cuomo will most assuredly try to stick us in Medicare Advantage. How can I be so sure of this? Because Cuomo has attempted it before with state workers. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/cuomos-retiree-health-changes-dont-make-it-into-ny-budget It was thwarted. At the state level, there are a lot more people who have the wherewithal and ability to fight someone like Cuomo. It’s going to be difficult here (other than with Marianne, who is of course wonderful). 

So what’s the answer? The answer is to vote out Mulgrew and his party, Unity, once and for all. Cast them out like a bedbug infested couch. It’s a no brainer - it shouldn’t even be something that has to be seriously considered. Now I’ve been on Facebook recently, and there are a lot of Jewish retirees who feel that the only real competitor is antisemitic. I’d argue that we are literally fighting for our lives and that without medical insurance, some of us are going to have a premature death with a lot of suffering. In such circumstances one must grab the lifesaver or drown. I don’t believe that Amy Arundel is an antisemite, but if you’re looking at comparisons to her and Mulgrew - I would look a little more carefully at his history of embracing and financing antisemites. http://chaz11.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-disconnected-union-leadership.html

Warnings, Subtle and Conspicuous

  

 In December, I wrote about the assassination of Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare , which made considerable profits on the denial of health procedures. Less than a week after his murder, the accused culprit, Luigi Mangione, was found and charged. This young man has since become a folk hero in every sense of the word. Not surprising, given the abject nature of the health care industry, in which the extremely wealthy Brian Thompson was exemplified. No one, in the public, is shedding a tear for this dead CEO - other than his company’s stock holders, other petrified CEOs and Michael Mulgrew.  Yes, Michael Mulgrew. You see Mr. Mulgrew has been shot at as well. Not fatally and not with a bullet - but with a ballot. As Mr. Thompson amassed a fortune for himself and his company’s stockholders, Michael Mulgrew has amassed considerable power (and money) for himself and his sycophants in the Unity Party. They lost the election in an attempt to place retirees into a for profit health care service which makes its profits via denials , much like Mr. Thompson‘s company.

As it was right before Christmas I couldn’t help but think of Dickens, ‘A Christmas Carol’ and recall a biblical passage - ‘What does it benefit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?’. According to news accounts Thompson received warnings in the form of threats, but met his death without changing or repentance. People celebrated his death, as he was correctly seen as a capitalistic monster. Capitalism was his religion - an economic concept that is widely and openly celebrated in our country. Mr. Thompson’s actions were not contrary to those values - indeed they were completely synchronistic. He held on tight to those Marley like chains as tantamount and it cost him his life. 

Thompson’s philosophical purity contrasts considerably to Mulgrew’s. His philosophy, as president of the UFT, should be unionism ( with its requisite willingness to fight), inclusivity, the protection of workers rights, the promotion of those rights, and by extension the protection and promotion of public education. All of those tenants have been ignored or outright rejected. The recent retirees success at the ballot box gave the risk avoidant Mr. Mulgrew an excellent opportunity for course correction, that the deceased Mr. Thompson did not take. Unfortunately, Mulgrew and Unity only care about the fact that they lost the retiree election. They are not willing to engage in self reflection, learn or improve from their loss. Mulgrew and Unity have and are now engaged in everything from ageism to physically separating retirees in order to insulate, exclude, marginalize, bully and reject the not so subtle call for change. What awaits Mr. Mulgrew if he refuses to change? Not the same fate as Mr. Thompson, but a consequential fate nonetheless. A complete loss of power and influence, in which Mr. Mulgrew would be removed as president of the Uft and one in which Unity would no longer hold power. And like Brian Thompson, no one will shed a tear, except his ‘stock holders’, Unity. 

Murder and Medical Denials

      

   At the same time Mulgrew was making his announcements against a planned Times Square casino, there was an intense police investigation going on nearby concerning a targeted and killed man. The murder was somewhat unusual in that it appeared to be very calculated, and the person targeted was wealthy, powerful and influential. Superficially it doesn’t seem all that interesting, maybe for a movie of the week, but the guy who was targeted was the CEO of a company. His company is very much like Medicare Advantage , which makes incredible profits from denying desperate people much needed medical procedures. This case has certain philosophical aspects that become deeper and deeper as one looks into it. The assassin had certain words etched on the bullets - DENY, DEPOSE and DEFEND. Those were the ways that the murdered individual indirectly caused the demise of the people seeking his company’s help. That of course, does not legitimize what the assassin did. Two wrongs do not make a right. Perhaps corporate greed, and the marginalization of the sick and elderly should be carefully reconsidered. These companies have placed layers of unaccountability, irresponsibility, and indifference between their decisions and their customers. They make their money the new fashioned way - by indirectly killing their customers. 

   Of course, this had me thinking about who was the more egregious in this case. The killer with his silencer or the unsuspecting profiteer of suffering and death. That will have to be for the courts to decide, when the killer is found. The killer made some mistakes, and even if he didn’t make those mistakes, he would still be found. You see if the victim was just a normal average Joe Schmo from Tuckahoe, going home from his day of teaching his killer would never be found and there might or might not be an article in the daily paper concerning it. But this man was not the average commuter - he was one of the wealthy elites who have free rein to rip off the poor and middle class. Thus, even in death, he gets preferential treatment. There’s something profoundly wrong with that. There are two levels of everything in this world, one for the rich and powerful and one for everyone else. This is no more apparent than in medical insurance, justice and education. There was one shining light here in New York. We used to have a union and a city that didn’t work on a class system. A child could go to a public school and get a good education.  If you were a city worker/teacher, cop or fireman you had great medical coverage while working and once retired it took great care of you. Now we have a union president that does not seem to understand (or has made an intentional choice) in trying to put us into a medical insurance plan that makes it’s money denying, deposing and defending. Not only has Mulgrew attempted this, but he has worked in collusion with the Adams administration to facilitate it.  With friends like this who needs enemies? 

   So as you watch this murder mystery unfold, think about the deep ramifications of ethical, moral, fiduciary and human betrayal between the CEO and the killer. Then do the same with NYC, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, the UFT, Mulgrew, Adams and us. 

https://youtu.be/ct0DzPHD5Ok?si=ROZ5ehY-cceu41YD

https://youtu.be/frr4wuvAB6U?si=VD1eO0TzR0Y5qLKp

https://youtu.be/aXGpvNgSjk8?si=mD7AuYuCINg9FC6u

https://youtu.be/sGMgkO1XFIw?si=tJf88oi31ujigp4A

https://youtu.be/-R2WOtBmg7g?si=acMXFQMeyvegTX8c

https://youtu.be/_XGp8o_Tolo?si=UJ4a4CoFuzHb5riX

Mulgrew- No Gambling on Broadway (unless its at 52)

  

  Mulgrew certainly is a busy beaver on topics that don’t have anything to do with teachers. From congestion pricing to the potential annoyance of a casino (that may interfere with his tripping the light fantastic) on Broadway, he is ready for a Battle Royale! If only we could see this much gumption from him over anything to do with his job. Is he aiming for higher office? Does he plan on taking over Mayor Adams’ soon to be vacated position ? And if he did, would he try to help us? I wouldn’t think so. He’s a running joke - but the punchline is on us. Hey, he was voted in. And don’t worry, he’ll make sure that he has that position until his dying day or until he’s promoted to something even more lucrative.  https://nypost.com/2024/12/04/us-news/teachers-union-opposes-casino-in-times-square/

Mulgrew : What’s that you say? Electronic voting? Fuggeddabout it! It’ll never happen! 

What’s that you say, retirees have their people in? Well, you can bet your new dentures that’ll never happen again! We’ll marginalize those old farts and reserve all their seats at every meeting  - they’ll never be able to stand for more than 10 minutes and out they’ll go! Ageism! Common now! I’m only joking! Would I, the President of the UFT and 52 Broadway, ever stoop so low as to make fun of the retirees??! Never!

 What’s that you say? Who’s Marianne? Yes, she was my least favorite castaway on Gillian's Island. I prefer Ginger as she reminds me of Randi.  Now, I’ve got to go! I’m prepared to fight, and watch the Holiday tree be lit! 

Mulgrew - Manipulation and Misrepresentation

  

    The more I look into the manipulative practices of Mulgrew and his band of merry men, the more disgusted I get. I do not see for the life of me how he is still in office. https://youtu.be/JUjeXY5qiZ4?si=4DnKQrG0ou7unc5P  It’s time for a wake up call - he’s totally disconnected from the constituencies he purports to represent and he’s worse than indifferent - he continually makes calculated decisions to work against our best interests. He’s currently screaming about a variety of issues as a distraction. He should be working to protect our healthcare. 

   Here is Marianne’s latest video, watch it in its entirety, as there are layers of information, inferences and fallacies exposed.  https://youtu.be/sP4pRph6NYU?si=x9jhXo-TLBIS_f6D

Mulgrew Thinks We’re Idiots

 

                       Marianne,  Our true friend

  Some of you may have been following the recent juvenile behavior coming out of the unity caucus and their ever slipping control of the Uft. King Mulgrew heads the caucus and is holding on for dear life. His toadies are in an uproar over retirees winning a recent election, and people are noticing. From playbook handout sheets, on how to marginalize and humiliate the newly elected, to offensive memes circulated like poison pen notes in fourth grade home room -their behavior cries out for sharp repudiation from adults and authority. King Mulgrew’s silence on it equates approval which is apparent with the second incident coming so quickly after the first. 

There are things, of course, that Mulgrew will stand up and speak out against. Anything that affects him, or those close to him directly, and can be disguised as somehow beneficial to those he pretends to represent,  will be publicly and vigorously announced or denounced , inside and outside the union. So of  course, when I heard that our beloved governor was going to reinstitute congestion pricing, I immediately knew that this was something that King Mulgrew would howl against. 

This is in sharp contrast to the real issues that he should be politicizing and defending (or battling). The list is quite long, but you know most - the continued trading of our long fought for and held rights for less than inflationary pay increases (for working teachers), a change in the evaluation process , a change in accounting procedures (fair student funding), overcrowded classrooms and completely unsafe schools - many lacking metal detectors and a discipline process to keep students and staff safe. 

In that vein, I saw Marianne’s video this morning on YouTube. All I can say is thank G-d for Marianne.

https://youtu.be/1gc8YH6B8XA?si=k2J7gBLwZpB4T15L

The Fall

 Hopefully everybody’s having a good school year - those of you who are still working. There is a very strong feeling of massive change in the air. I’m not sure exactly what will happen, but I’m aware of the potentialities. The hate, from those who used to be rational people, is beyond understanding to me. The legacy media is keeping hatred stoked, red hot . By legacy media, I mean those channels/avenues of information that we used to watch when we were younger, with a few exceptions - Facebook, X (Twitter), etc. I haven’t watched them in about three years. I get most of my news from a few trusted sources, but occasionally I will watch CNN and Fox back to back; my favorite papers have always been the NY Times and the NY Post - but both are guilty of extreme political bias. It’s quite remarkable how one story could have two entirely different takeaways.  The takeaway for me is that they cannot be trusted, and they are in the business of manipulation, fabrication, and hyperbole. And of course, if the information is so strong, and so against the philosophy of that venue, it will just omit the entire news story. That is not what bothers me the most about the media. What bothers me most is when our government steps in and controls the narrative via the media. We have to stay grounded and think for ourselves . This will be helpful for the time we are about to go in. These are some of the potential threats I see on the horizon. Hopefully, I am very wrong.

Civil Unrest/ Domestic Terrorism/Civil War

Both candidates have their rabid followers. It isn’t difficult to conclude that there are certain people that want Trump out of the picture, by any means possible. Two assassination attempts and it’s all but forgotten a few days later. After listening to the candidates objectively , Trump should win handily. I think some on both sides of the aisle see this. I believe another misfit or (worse) highly trained person (foreign or domestic) may try to get him one more time as this conclusion sinks in. Then there is the high stress level Trump has to be experiencing - always looking over his shoulder. What I’m saying is that he could be out of the picture before the election via natural or unnatural means. What happens then? Would the election be called off? Perhaps. But I believe that if he is killed or found deceased - it will create a great danger and vacuum in our country. This will be especially true if the powers that be try to push Kamala in, without an election process. 

Natural Disasters 

Something is happening with the Earth. Of course, we know the Earth is getting warmer, but there are also some troubling signs in the form of potential problems via the sun. Sunspots, solar flares, solar storms can create all kinds of problems on the earth which can vary from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, which can cause great devastation. (Don’t buy any coastal property.) If our country is in policial turmoil at the time and something like this happens, we are in real trouble. 

World War 3

Our politicians are heavily invested via stock investment in companies that they have been helping either directly or indirectly. Many of these companies are under the umbrella category of the military industrial complex. Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Black Rock, Goldman Sachs and other companies, directly or indirectly, are supplying arms bought and paid for by the US to keep these forever wars going. As the US continues to escalate the weapon supply in the Ukraine and Israel, it’s just a matter of time before we are directly involved. All of this is about money - it has nothing to do about wanting to help the Ukraine or help Israel. There were ample opportunities for this administration to broker peace, but it made a deliberate choice not to do so. 

Financial Collapse 

The debt crisis that we are going into is beyond scary. A lot of people don’t understand what goes on concerning the unrestrained printing of money by our government. If something isn’t done quickly, our monetary system may collapse. What that means is digital currency and the potential for all our pensions, Social Security and savings to be greatly diminished. 

On a positive note, no matter what changes, we can be ourselves. Stay positive. 

https://youtu.be/Y_kmUG30t80?si=rWwbm-8UYhJlXSeb

https://youtu.be/l0zxgXgLlJo?si=qpCHWNS6p5ayNLnY

https://youtu.be/0Wq5xOvpeFc?si=JM8QDGNh0c5mf08D

https://youtu.be/E5juJfuOKi0?si=XthTDI-7yamcuHw8

https://nypost.com/2024/09/25/opinion/paul-pelosi-scores-again-with-visa-trade-ban-congress-stock-schemes-now-nancy/