Category Archives: Articles

Wanted: Clean Government

New Yorkers deserve better.

Hedgeclippers just published an important report showing that in the last 15 years, hedge fund managers and senior executives contributed over $39.6 million to influence New York State elections. Topping the list of recipients is Governor Cuomo, who received more than $4.8 million during his time as Governor and Attorney General, much of it from the same hedge funders now trying to privatize New York schools.

In the 2014 election, a small group of billionaires fronting as “New Yorkers for a Balanced Albany” spent a whopping $4.2 million on ads aimed (successfully) at swinging state senate races toward a Republican majority. While the group claimed an interest in “education reform” (the term of charter school advocates), many of their attack ads against progressive candidates also focused on undercutting public campaign financing, which would limit the outsized influence of the wealthy in Albany.

Like all investors, these contributors expect a return on investment. But the problem isn’t just individuals; it’s the system–the same system that has seen 32 state legislators indicted or removed from office for criminal or ethical issues in the same 15-year period.

It’s time to get money out of politics and restore transparency to our democratic traditions.

What can a good government advocate do? First, read the full Hedgeclippers series, available here. Next, join faith and labor leaders, voters, and community members in a Moral Mondays Anti-Corruption Rally and Vigil in front of the Governor’s New York City office. Then, you can listen to New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and expert panelists discuss what you can do as a New Yorker to help fix Albany’s corruption problem. And take out your phones, pens, and computers to let your representatives know you demand honesty and fairness from all elected officials.

Our elected officials are negotiating an ethics reform package in Albany in advance of the March 31st budget deadline. It won’t resolve everything, but it’s a start.The time to be loud and clear is NOW.

MONDAY, MARCH 9TH, 12 noon: Moral Mondays Anti-Corruption Rally and Vigil. Governor Cuomo’s Office, 633 Third Avenue (between 41st and 42nd Streets). Sponsored by Common Cause and other groups. RSVP here.

MONDAY, MARCH 16TH, 6 pm (keynote) to 8 pm: Can New Yorkers Fix Albany’s Corruption Problem? A Discussion on What Changes Are Needed for Lawmakers to Earn Back Our Trust. New York Law School, 185 West Broadway (at Leonard Street). With AG Eric T. Schneiderman (keynote), Ellen Biben, Richard Briffault, Hon. Richard Brodsky, Jennifer Rodgers, and Dick Dadey (moderator). Sponsored by Citizens Union and Gotham Gazette. Info and RSVP here.

March Madness

Coming up in March:

MARCH 4TH: WASHINGTON, DC RALLY FOR THE ACA

Greater NYC for Change fought long and hard for the Affordable Care Act, and we’re not going to see its vital promise of universal access and well-being for Americans go down. Doctors for America and other groups will be traveling to our nation’s capitol to rally outside the Supreme Court during oral arguments for King v. Burwell, the case that will decide whether vitally important tax credits will be stripped from Americans in states with federal marketplaces under the ACA. Join physicians, nurses, medical students, and healthcare providers in a King v. Burwell Healthcare Providers Rally. RSVP here; there’ll be a bus or van traveling to DC from NYC, too. For more information, email kateplinker@gmail.com.

MARCH 11TH: ALBANY PARADE FOR EDUCATION AND LOBBY DAY

10:30 am, Albany Armory and State Capitol Building. Organized by Alliance for Quality Education of New York. Info on Facebook.

MARCH 23RD: ALBANY MORAL MONDAY TO RAISE THE WAGE

11 am-3 pm, State Capitol Building Grand Concourse and War Room. Join the Fight for $15 and a true Living Wage! Organized by Citizen Action of New York. Info and sign up here; bus information later!

Money for Schools

It’s about fairness–and futures.

In a recent open letter to Governor Cuomo, seven illustrious New York State Teachers of the Year urged him to look beyond test scores to see why students fail in school. Beyond the “achievement gap,” they noted, is “an income gap, a health-care gap, a housing gap, a family gap and a safety gap, just to name a few.”

The problem is poverty–and its root cause is the failure to allocate resources in communities that most need them. Today, New York State has the most economically and racially segregated classrooms in the nation. Unless we change the way our money is spent, we’ll continue on the same path.

Money matters for educational outcomes. A study released this week by the Alliance for Quality Education and the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York shows that New York City’s public schools are owed $2.5 billion in funding, or $2,667 per student. That’s huge. That’s smaller classroom sizes, libraries, art programs, special learning programs, safer and more secure spaces. Above all, it’s the future of kids.

The educational needs of our state’s and city’s students will be determined by the budget decided in Albany this March 31st.

We urge you to demand that the governor fully and fairly fund our public schools. #WeCan’tWait. Our kids’ futures can’t wait. At stake are the multiple gaps that begin and end in poverty.

Get engaged. Read the report. Join the campaign. Petition the governor. And join the Moral Mondays commitment to fairness in education.

Remember: The budget is a moral document.

Igniting Moral Mondays 2015

It’s a moral thing.

It’s a moral issue to look after others, provide a strong education and a viable future for all children, ensure equal justice for communities of color, and, not least, look after our planet and its most vulnerable inhabitants. That’s why Greater NYC for Change has joined #MoralMondaysNY, following the social justice movement the Rev. Dr. William Barber II ignited in North Carolina.

Last month, we were in Albany with a thousand advocates to demand that New York fully fund its educational system, reducing disparities that make our state’s classrooms the most economically and racially segregated in the nation.

Last Monday, we stood in front of the governor’s New York City office to deliver a response to his State of the State, urging him to see the budget as the moral document it is.

This Monday, we’ll be in Grand Central Station, allied in commemorating the six-month anniversary of the death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, MO. We’ll use this solemn occasion to continue our demands for justice, including reforms to policing and the criminal justice system.

If you can’t be in Midtown this Monday evening, you can still help build the movement with others in The Bronx, Albany, or elsewhere. We’ll be meeting on Mondays wherever and as long as there’s the moral need.

Here are events for Monday, February 9th:

6 MONTHS LATER–BLACK LIVES STILL MATTER:

7 pm, Grand Central Terminal (entrance at 89 E. 42nd Street, Manhattan). Hosted by Grand Central Crew Black Lives Matter. RSVP and info here.

#WECANTBREATHE2015–ALL OUT FOR LOW-WAGE WORKERS–OCCUPY LIBERATO:

4 pm, 183rd Street and Jerome Avenue, Bronx. Hosted by OWS S17 2015 and Occu-Evolve. RSVP and info here.

WE ARE ONE NEW YORK–MORAL MONDAYS IN ALBANY:

12 pm, War Room in the NYS Capitol Building, Albany. Join faith, labor and community groups to highlight the important contributions of immigrants and demand passage of the NY DREAM Act. Hosted by Faith for a Fair New York, Make the Road-NY, and others. RSVP and info here.

And, on February 13th, Global Divestment Day, our planet needs us!

After our incredible panel discussion on Tuesday, February 3rd, we’re primed to join in urging academic endowments, religious institutions, and government pension funds to divest from investments in fossil fuels, and consider whether it’s moral (or even financially wise) when the future of our planet is at stake. Global Divestment Day will stage events on campuses and in institutions worldwide; we’ll be part of New York City’s central event, located in Manhattan’s financial district.

GLOBAL DIVESTMENT DAY NYC: February 13th, 12:30 to 1:30 pm, Broad Street and Exchange Place, Manhattan. Sponsored by 350NYC. Info and RSVP at Facebook AND on 350.org’s website.

Taking Action: Climate Change

Learn what we can do.

Serious people know what we’re in for if we don’t take global action to reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere and stop burning fossil fuels. The destructive impacts of climate change are already threatening New York City–especially incommunities with the least resources.

What action can we take on a local level to counter this urgent problem?
In his first year, Mayor De Blasio has already laid out an ambitious sustainable energy plan, One City, Built to Last, that can have a major impact on New Yorkers by helping reduce carbon emissions an anticipated 80% by 2050. In tandem, many New Yorkers have joined the global divestment movement encouraging institutional investors to shift away from big fossil and into the sustainable energy sector. This financial strategy may play a key role in supporting the types of projects the Mayor endorses.

We’ll examine the Mayor’s plan, look at strategies of pension fund divestment, discuss how we can help at a local level to build a sustainable city, and brainstorm effective actions.

This event is a lead-up to the Global Divestment Day on February 13th.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 3RD, 6:30 PM

ST. JOHN’S CHURCH MEETING ROOM, 81 CHRISTOPHER ST.
Sponsored by Greater NYC for Change with 350NYC, Manhattan Young Democrats, United for Action, and Village Independent Democrats.

Space is limited. RSVP on Facebook or to dale.corvino@gmail.com

Updates January 2015

Take a look at these announcements of city-wide activities and resources. Please, don’t forget to spread the word.

Moral Mondays

The next Moral Mondays NYC, a People’s Response to the Governor’s State of the State Address, is scheduled for Monday, January 26th from 4:30 to 6 pm at the Adam Clayton Powell Building on West 125th Street. Check it out here.

Join Citizen Action In Demanding Justice

Americans from coast to coast have lost faith in the criminal justice system. Staten Island DA Dan Donovan failed to bring even a single charge against the officer who killed Eric Garner. Now, Donovan is trying to stop NYC Public Advocate Letitia James from unsealing the transcript of the case. New Yorkers deserve to know what happened in that courtroom. Sign the petition demanding Staten Island DA Dan Donovan release the transcript.

Tax Relief And Help For Working Families

Find out if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit and the NYC Child Care Tax Credit. You could be entitled to a refund of up to $10,000. More info (including FREE volunteer tax-preparation assistance) here.