Changes in NY since Rudy has left office?????
#82
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I agree with Elfie. Giuliani got waaaaayyy too much credit for cleaning up New York. To begin with, the city was a pile of cow dung before. All he had to do was plant a seed and he'd have been credited with making it a garden.
New Yorkers all think that NYC led the way in the renaissance of the city during the 90's. Leave Manhattan for once and you'd see that almost every city underwent a major major renaissance during the 90's. Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, Seattle, etc. Each one ended the 90's as a place bustling with tourists, new office buildings, restaurants, increases in residency rates, better schools, cleaner sidewalks and parks, lower crime, etc. Guess what? Rudy wasn't mayor of all of them! It was the national economy, stupid.
Rudy was a tyrant and maybe NYC needs a tyrant, but before 9/11 Rudy was an adulterous art censor and political bully who unleased unruly cops on unarmed black men in building vestibules. Remember THAT mayor?! Good riddance.
New Yorkers all think that NYC led the way in the renaissance of the city during the 90's. Leave Manhattan for once and you'd see that almost every city underwent a major major renaissance during the 90's. Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, Seattle, etc. Each one ended the 90's as a place bustling with tourists, new office buildings, restaurants, increases in residency rates, better schools, cleaner sidewalks and parks, lower crime, etc. Guess what? Rudy wasn't mayor of all of them! It was the national economy, stupid.
Rudy was a tyrant and maybe NYC needs a tyrant, but before 9/11 Rudy was an adulterous art censor and political bully who unleased unruly cops on unarmed black men in building vestibules. Remember THAT mayor?! Good riddance.
#86
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I totally agree with ImwithElfie. He/she hit the nail right on the head.
Guiliani's first act of business as mayor was to get rid of the squeegee men. Forcing them off the street didn't help them find jobs and was only helpful to people driving into the city (i.e. rich people), it sure didn't help any middle class people living in the city. His focus was never on middle class taxpayers in the city.
Guiliani's first act of business as mayor was to get rid of the squeegee men. Forcing them off the street didn't help them find jobs and was only helpful to people driving into the city (i.e. rich people), it sure didn't help any middle class people living in the city. His focus was never on middle class taxpayers in the city.
#87
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I don't know what city you people live in, but for those who live and work here, Rudy was the greatest thing to happent to New York. He basically saved the city single-handedly from the Dinkins-Board of Ed types who were ruining NYC. Everyone thought New Yorkers had to live with crime and filth and squeege men then Rudy came along and showed how that wasn't so. Entire neighborhoods were born again. He should be Mayor for life.
#90
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The city was on its way back long before Rudy took office. He just took credit for it. He can also take blame for those stupid subway turnstiles that you have to swipe a card to get through. Those things are a nightmare and should have never been installed in NYC. Obviously a boobytrap to "welcome" tourists to NYC.
#91
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I can honestly say that Rudy Giuliani is the best thing that ever happened to NYC. I travel to New York a lot on business and when Dinkins was mayor, the city was a wreck, homeless people were everywhere and lying on top of each other and you did not feel safe walking around Times Square or really any district for that matter. Since Rudy came in, crime has gone down severely and people are actually out walking around times square at 1 a.m., which was never done before he came. Kudos Rudy! Please run for Prez!
#92
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For anyone who has been to New York, ever notice the big sign with numbers constantly increasing that reads something like "cost of morgage increases" or something, before Rudy came into town, the sign read "criminal activities committed in New York City" and the damn number just kept getting higher and higher. For those who don't like his personality or style, what the hell does that matter. Someone had to clean the damn city up, he did, that's all that should matter.
#93
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Rudy was our savior. For the most part, his tough tactics worked (of course everyone can't be satisfied, and not every city employee working under him was perfect...that's another story) Since he's left office, things have been getting worse, especially homelessness and begging. I now see one to three groups of people begging on the subway every day, when before January I rarely saw anyone.
What the hell is that complaint about Metrocards? I don't know how much Rudy had to do with them, but they are one of the best things to ever happen to our city!! Thank GOD I don't have to ever wait in those horrendous token lines again! And riding all you want for one price - you can't beat that. If you've got trouble swiping them, you want me to show you how?? It's not difficult.
What the hell is that complaint about Metrocards? I don't know how much Rudy had to do with them, but they are one of the best things to ever happen to our city!! Thank GOD I don't have to ever wait in those horrendous token lines again! And riding all you want for one price - you can't beat that. If you've got trouble swiping them, you want me to show you how?? It's not difficult.
#95
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To xxx: Sorry, but homeless people NEVER lived "on top of each other" on the streets. I have lived here for over 20 years and while the city has had its ups and downs, it was never that bad. You say you visit here for business, but that is not the same as living here and having a residents understanding of our problems. I agree with NYNY, the city was on its way up before Giuliani took office, he just reaped the benfit of a strong *national* economy. Does everyone who thinks Giuliani was solely responsible for NY's economic boom also think that Bill Clinton was solely responsible for the national economic boom of the 90's? Somehow I don't think so. It's much, much more complicated than that; no one person (except maybe Alan Greenspan) has that much influence on the economy.
As far as Metrocards are concerned, I'm with the camp who prefers tokens. Why were Metrocards so necessary? The token system worked fine, the expense of changing to the cards -- which, being plastic and disposable, are also ecologically wasteful -- was not worth it, IMO. And subway tokens also impart a nice sense of city tradition, which plastic cards hardly have. Ah well.. we can disagree about the particulars and still all love our city.
As far as Metrocards are concerned, I'm with the camp who prefers tokens. Why were Metrocards so necessary? The token system worked fine, the expense of changing to the cards -- which, being plastic and disposable, are also ecologically wasteful -- was not worth it, IMO. And subway tokens also impart a nice sense of city tradition, which plastic cards hardly have. Ah well.. we can disagree about the particulars and still all love our city.