The Long Road Out

The experts who work in City government are at it again...making things as bad as possible.   Here are some new ways that our many agencies are working against us as hard as they can: Landmarks Preservation--set a new low by requiring a co-op owner to remove a story and a half of new construction a year after it was completed.   The coop happened to have a ceiling door that was used as an escape route for an underground railway station--cool, huh?   But this construction project had been passed and certified and given the go-ahead by every one, and besides, the building was private and no one has access to the old 19th Century door.  But some idiot--and I use the word kindly--found out about this after the fact and rescinded the permits.   The result?   Another year of closed sidewalks as the owner tears down what was completed.  I'm not a pro-owner kind of guy, but even I feel badly...it hurts to tear out nice new renovation and send all those cons...

North Korea, Iraq, and Yemen all signed on to the Paris Climate Accords two years ago despite being emeshed in conflict.  So did the U.S.!  Our involvement was surprising because we rarely sign on to any global treaties or laws.   We do not recognize international law, human rights covenants, and many other agreements that are a natural part of the fabric for the entire rest of the world. But fortunately we have a friend or two when it comes to climate change.   First Syria.   OK, it's true, Syria was under a western travel ban at the time the Accords were negotiated and signed.   Representatives of Assad's government are not allowed to travel to the west, so the only way they could have participated was if the agreement was shipped to Russia for a special session. Second, Nicaragua.   Ortega's government refused to sign because they took the position that voluntary compliance wasn't enough--especially for countries like the U.S. which have a long ...