George McDonald Announces Support for LICH (1st Mayoral Candidate to Do So).

Republican mayoral candidate George McDonald announced his strong opposition to NY State government’s mismanagement of Long Island College Hospital (LICH) — which threatens the immediate care for 100,000s of patients per year from Red Hook around to Vinegar Hill, Carroll Gardens to all parts of downtown Brooklyn, and pink slips for 2,000 employees.

Last Monday evening, George McDonald was guess speaker at the Brownstone Republican Club’s March meeting and listened to our concerns, updates and positions regarding what seems a higher valuation of the real estate of the physical building by the State group of SUNY officials now charged with its (mis)management, then the actual institution’s care for millions of Brooklyn residents. Today, LICH provides a safety-net of medical support for over 2 million residents.

George McDonald said:

“Coming on the heels of the closing of LICH, it is deeply disappointing that the fiscal crisis facing Downstate is being ignored by our elected officials in Albany. Downstate is critical to the health-care network in Brooklyn and an intelligent effort must be put forth to ensure its continued viability. As Mayor, I will work with the community and our elected officials to ensure we have the resources in place to keep Downstate open and thriving.”

During the meeting, BRC president Joe Nardiello reinforced both the history and vitality of LICH – and opened discussion to the general meeting attendees for their concerns, support, thoughts on the matter. For months, the community has reached out to Governor Cuomo via voicemails and letters and thus far, has gotten no reaction.

Nardiello reminded all that none of our local elected officials have called on our Gov. Cuomo by name for response, and on-record review of what his own appointed Board at SUNY Downstate is doing (headed by Carl McCall) – when they typically will line-up in unison at bus stops to protest easier targets like the MTA. Nardiello wondered if they are favoring party-lines and protecting self-interests relative to the governor’s anticipated 2016 run for the White House, over the life and death issue that’s very much at hand for LICH.

http://www.mcdonald2013.com/2013/03/

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George McDonald Brings a Focus That is Well-Received.

George McDonald proved himself a passionate speaker during Monday evening’s meeting of the Brownstone Club, particularly on subjects of crime, small business support, welfare and NYC’s “right to shelter” rule.

“Work defines you,” said Mr. McDonald in his remarks that covered his extensive experience in leading and founding The Doe Fund, a multi-state non-profit organization that seeks to restore and bridge homeless men to mainstream work.  “Because they mostly seem OK with this (societal condition), I made my departure with the Democratic party long ago. I didn’t like it, either, when Pres. Obama said that many can aspire to join “the middle class” during his State of the Union – when the American Dream is founded on aiming higher!”

George McDonald at Brooklyn’s Brownstone Republican Club.

“Early on with The Doe Fund, I spoke with 100s of men about what they wanted – and they all said “a job”. It is the way to confidently adjust from incarceration or drug abuse,” said Mr. McDonald. “That why we call our program Ready, Willing and Able… because its what they are. They want to contribute, to work and be self-sufficient.”

He went on to relay his accomplishments with many ‘graduates’ of his programs, across our geography – and connected reasons why they fall into this condition with the failings and lack of proper focus of NYC programs. Education and crime are both costs to New York City for what it overlooks, and how young people fall through the cracks. But, he’s seen them. He’s helped many. He knows ways to re-construct mechanisms to lessen the burdens on this citywide segment of NYC’s population.

“We also cannot have 20% of our homeless coming to NYC, being from outside of the City – for the burdens it puts on the system. The “Right to Shelter” rule, where the public cannot know or ask for ID…but must shelter or face lawsuits, etc. has to be ended. The costs are staggering. Ultimately, no one is made to work or needs to try and get out of this.”

McDonald also said that NYC seems to do all it can, to harm small businesses…who can employ so many more as an economic engine.

“Tonight’s speaker was the most ‘real’ to me…in that he seems to really care about raising the condition for so many struggling people across New York,” said one Brownstone member of the candidates she’s met so far in 2013. “So far, I would walk his petitions if he needs it, come the time.”

George McDonald was very friendly, and was well received before and after his extensive question & answer period. He was knowledgeable and fielded questions ranging from gun-laws to local housing concerns to the safety of NYC shelters, and also vowed to discover more and “communicate” with State officials as per Brownstone’s concern over our local hospital (LICH) being threatened by the very SUNY leadership that was supposed to be stewarding its health and rebound from Continuum’s mismanagement (which seemed to put Real Estate value/grabs over the focus and care of the institution).

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Clearly, there’s solid interest at BRC meetings in seeing Republican mayoral candidates up-close.

On an evening that weather-wise felt more like early February with piling snow, hail and biting cold…the number of BRC attendees may have easily been low. Instead, about 30 were on hand, a number even more surprising when word spread of a tandem event in Manhattan drawing potential attendees to an off-Broadway play on the upper eastside. (It was Tony Lo Bianco reprising Mayor Fiorello La Guardia in “The Little Flower” as sponsored by Gristedes supermarkets and hosted by its owner and declared GOP candidate John Catsimatidis).

While the general public is just beginning to hear the names, and reflect on media coverage of GOP mayoral candidates – the pregame is well underway.

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Fully 6 Months After Benghazi — 0 “Brought to Justice” — as our Media Falls Fast Asleep

At the half-year point after the USA was attacked overseas in Benghazi, Libya – our American media has allowed this White House to gently put it to bed.

Clearly, there’s damage done to the American political system when our media loses its objectivity, and seems to work in accordance with a White House that can do no wrong. Six months ago, our President conducted a media campaign ahead of the 2012 president election in September and October of 2012 — claiming that the attackers would be “brought to justice”.

Now, on March 11th.. will anyone ask for a status report on that investigation?

Despite the murder of our US Ambassador, a rarity that hadn’t occurred in nearly 40 years across an always dangerous climate in many countries, plus the murders of two Navy Seals, and a 4th American in an assault that would last nearly 8 hours — plus, the furious reaction across the USA, for why it was allowed to occur without defense, more serious reaction nor immediate response for an effort to capture anyone responsible — it seems our media was made to “quell” our outrage, and then calmly ignore the issue.

Despite the testimony at Congressional hearings as near as February 7th (last month) from now former from former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta who said that the President knew of the attacks as they were launched, but retired for the evening. That no one was updated, nor asked him for an update across the near 8 hour assault. (click for video) — there’s no follow-up. Famously, the next day, the President’s re-election campaign had an event  schedule in Las Vegas and it went as planned.

In her testimony two weeks before Panetta, questioned about events/decisions surrounding the 9-11-2012 attack former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exclaimed: “what difference does it make!?”

Our media has seemed to lay-down obediently, with that directive.

In fact, besides this BRC blog post…you may not hear a reflection on Benghazi today, unless you stumbled upon its Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Benghazi_attack

In the days immediately following, the WH seemed to blame youtube as it released news to all major outlets of an insensitive youTube video to Islamic faith and expressed that “religious tolerance” was a tenet of American life. Our media in large, then reported about this video’s LA producer, reported on its actors’ reactions/regrets for making it – and it resulted in the arrest of its producer (that’s the only person held accountable?). All this for a youTube video that had a total of 155 global website visits, before it was made famous by the media attention. Our US President then went on national TV with David Letterman referring to the same, met with the ladies on ABC’s “The View” and that same day, spoke at the United Nations General Assembly.. again, highlighting religious tolerance and a video, etc.  At the U.N. President Obama stated according to the Wikipedia account: “…there should be no doubt that we will be relentless in tracking down the killers and bringing them to justice.” He referred to “Innocence of Muslims” as “a crude and disgusting video [that] sparked outrage throughout the Muslim world.” He said, “I have made it clear that the United States government had nothing to do with this video, and I believe its message must be rejected by all who respect our common humanity.” He further stated, “There is no video that justifies an attack on an Embassy.”

In the week following the 9-11 attacks, DC officials went on air across media (famously, UN Ambassador Rice on an ABC-TV’s Sunday morning talk show). Our government made its own video which was exported to Afghanistan to promote tolerance. Nearly 10 days after the attacks, Pres. Obama went on Spanish-language TV and mentioned the youTube video saying “natural protests arose because of the…video”. All of this seemed an all-out media campaign by the White House, to shift focus from recognizing and pursuing those responsible for a terror-strike on the 9-11 anniversary.

Two days before the presidential election, while the USA media was more greatly focused, at that time on the aftermath of SuperStorm Sandy, CBS News released a portion of its 9/12 interview with President Obama that it chose not to include/edited from its 9/23 special report. Again from a direct quote on Wiki (as of today) regarding the resulting debate on whether or not, Pres. Obama had recognized the 9-11 murders as a “terrorist attack”: “…President Obama had been saying that he declared the Benghazi attack a terrorist attack since his announcement in the Rose Garden on September 12 and highlighted the newly released video interview with Steve Kroft: “KROFT: Mr. President, this morning you went out of your way to avoid the use of the word terrorism in connection with the Libya Attack, do you believe that this was a terrorism attack? OBAMA: Well it’s too early to tell exactly how this came about, what group was involved, but obviously it was an attack on Americans. And we are going to be working with the Libyan government to make sure that we bring these folks to justice, one way or the other.“

While the Congressional hearings seemed to chase its tail on who knew what, when.. and parsed bureaucratic language on circling responsibilities and timelines… and processes of gathering information in real time, etc. etc.

Weeks turned into months.

It’s now March 11th, and 0 have been brought to justice.

It’s March 11th, 6 months to the day.

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