Okay, fine let's discuss the "politics" as you call it then.
Let me start off this political discussion you want so badly to conduct by first responding to your previous comments.
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Originally Posted by Scoutthedog
For me personally it isn't about preserving this park so much as its a matter of giving into the United Nations.
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What exactly are you giving into? What outrageous, unjust, heinous demands are they making to the United States or New York?
The current Secretariat building is in very bad shape.
There's asbestos and paint chips that's literally falling on people, the ventilation system is old, outdated, inefficient, inadequate and filled with airborne microorganism that can make a worker there sick.
It is not up to fire codes, meaning if there should be some kind of catastrophic fire, you have a big disaster facing the city.
Many of the workers there are regular New Yorkers that live in Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Long Island, etc.
These worker's livelihood depend on their jobs at the U.N. They contribute income taxes to the city, state, and the Federal government.
The visitors to the UN stay in hotels and use restaurants in the city.
These hotels and restaurants provide even more New Yorkers with jobs and income. I can go on with the economic contributions but you get the idea.
So it's not the U.N. that is getting something from the city and the U.S.
Quite to the contrary, it's the City and the U.S. that is getting the most benefit from having the U.N., not the other way around.
The only thing they are asking for is for the City and State to allow them to build, on vacant land no less.
They are not asking for subsidies or any kind of financial aid. They are paying for the construction themselves.
Don't even get me started on the huge debt the U.S. has towards the U.N. that they haven't paid yet. And this is a wealthy country that should have no problem fulfilling it's financial obligations, unlike many poorer countries who actually pay their bills on time.
So much for the U.N. being unfair to the U.S.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scoutthedog
I know theres no shortage of parks in the area but why deprive the children their park to give a brand new tower to an organization trying to block our country out of the economic community in the 21st century?
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First, look at the photo I posted of that park.
It's got a freaking tunnel ventilation shaft three stories tall right in between those courtyards, not to mention it's surrounded on 3 sides by 1) a highway exit ramp, 2) the six-lane First Ave., 3) an FDR service road/underpass.
On its fourth side it overlooks to the south, a Con Ed power plant that is now closed and is a vacant, debris filled lot that will see a lot of dusty, noisy construction in a year or two.
This is not some serene, idealic park. It's a freaking old asphalt, underused courtyard. I have heard from residents that it's mostly used as a place for area residents to walk their dogs. Yes, it is essentially nothing more than a dumping ground for dog feces and urine.
If you had children (assuming you're not a kid yourself), would you in your right mind send your children to play there to breathe in all that tunnel exhaust and crossing those lanes of traffic, surrounded by dog poop?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scoutthedog
I'd hate to think of a bunch of European diplomats sitting in their new office tower in our own finacial capitol trying to think of ways to block our country out of a growing global market.
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For your information, the UN has representatives from every nation on every continent in the world.
If you even bother looking on a map, you'll see that European countries make up only a small portion of the countries of the world.
There are more African, Asian, Latin American, Caribbean, South Pacific, Middle Eastern countries than there are European countries. So if you're going to complain about "a bunch of Europeans" at least get your facts right first.
Second, each country has an equal voice in many of their matters, so if you think the UN isn't being fair to the U.S., maybe the problem isn't the UN but the U.S. Have you ever given that a thought?
On top of that, the U.S. has extra power by being a part of the Security Council since the very beginning.
So there is absolutely no reason for the U.S. to feel like it's getting treated unfairly because it has more power and influence than most countries, yes even European ones.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scoutthedog
I'm not agreeing with the community leaders, the Bush administration, or anyone else. This is just me. Any thoughts?
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Yeah, have you had enough, or do you want to come back for more? If you do, you better have a better idea of what you're talking about first.
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