Posted on 02/28/2007 12:54:11 PM PST by pissant
NEW YORK -- Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says he will go back to Albany next week to push to keep rent controls on more than 1 million apartments, and to urge Republican leaders to come around to his position.
``I believe that we should continue rent stabilization and rent control,'' the mayor said. ``I will continue to oppose'' their elimination.
The mayor is scheduled to spend much of Thursday at the Capitol, meeting with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, and other leaders.
Giuliani is at odds over rent control with fellow Republican Gov. George Pataki and state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a Rensselaer County Republican, who have proposed revamping rent laws.
State laws regulating the rents of more than 1 million apartments, mostly in New York City, are set to expire June 15.
Bruno has sought the virtual abolition of rent controls, which date to the end of World War II. Silver, like Giuliani, wants the regulations extended.
Pataki's plan would decontrol households with incomes above $175,000 a year, except for people over 62 or the disabled. Rent controls for other tenants would continue until they and their families vacate or die.
In recent private talks among legislative leaders, Silver has revealed he may willing to permit the rent-regulated apartments of some high-income tenants to be decontrolled, according to news reports.
Under current law, renters with household incomes of $250,000 or more who live in apartments renting for at least $2,000 a month do not qualify for rent control, which stabilizes rent prices.
Silver ``would like to take it down from $250,000 to maybe $225,000, something like that,'' Bruno told the New York Post and the Daily News.
Giuliani told reporters Pataki is making a mistake by trying to lower the threshold.
``If the governor wants to protect 99 percent of New Yorkers, he's going to have to move that level all the way up, closer to the $250,000 where it's presently at,'' the mayor said.
On Friday, Bruno said a compromise on the rent issue, which has stalled the state budget and other issues such as welfare reform, was up to Silver.
``The message (from Giuliani) ought to be that unless they get to the table and do something before (June) 15th, they are going to see every tenant deregulated,'' Bruno said.
Silver spokeswoman Patricia Lynch did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment but told the Post, ``We've always been willing to discuss tinkering around the edges, including with luxury decontrol.''
A major stumbling block to an agreement on rent protections is vacancy decontrol.
Then you better brush up on Hunters history on trade as well as his recent legislation and statements.
Reaganism, baby, no matter how you try to misrepresent it.
Caveman "Urg", ancestor to Rudy Guliani, ruthlessly cracks the skull of the harmless and lovable Caveman "Slork" with a club.
Only a socialist would support rent control.
Here's a question for Rudy: If an evil tobacco-chewing farmer, who owns an SUV, runs over an endangered jumping kangaroo rat with his tractor, should the farmer get the death penalty or life imprisonment?
You bet.
Anytime you have government controlling private property for the "common good" you've got stinking fascism.
Excellent historical archive. Thanks for the post.
"Favored using civil forfeiture laws to seize automobiles of persons ACQUITTED of drunk driving..."
That makes him a pirate.
Argh
What this does is points out Rudy's inconsistencies.
It's hard to be an advocate for free market economics when you embrace rent control.
I was a Rudy supporter once but I'm sorry, I can't support someone who is openly pro-abortion (and refuses to denounce it) and believes the 2nd Amendment is for hunting. Like I said, Rudy is not the obligatory RINO in the sense that conservatives will still vote for and one who could pull independents and non-voters.
I like Duncan Hunter
I think that's perfectly acceptable.
It's only fair to look at a candidate's RECORD when trying to predict future behavior.
But is this really so important that it required digging up an article that old? I mean, there are a lot of reasons I won't support Giuliani for president but his position on rent control didn't really make the top of the list.
This is inexcusable. Rent control has been one of the biggest disasters in this country.
On one hand, I realize that NYC is distinctly unique, when compared to 99.9% of the rest of the USA. The housing woes in NYC cannot be solved overnight, so I can't blame Rudy for decades of failure that's equally distributed across the politicaly spectrum.
But, I think it's fair to take that example and add it to a list of positions to which we can refer. Definitely a singular event to judge him by, but one more log on the fire.
Not only that, but I went to a meeting with Duncan Hunter yesterday. I asked him about this same question; he is for genuine free trade with a two-way street, instead of a one-way street where other countries have a one-way edge over us from the beginning (if he were a protectionist, he wouldn’t have voted for a free trade deal with Austrailia).
Anyone still believe that Rudy is a fiscal, free-market conservative after reading this? He is another Richard Nixon.
Hardly. Just one of many reasons not to vote for your liberal.
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