BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

I left the Democratic party a few years ago. But this letter clearly embodies why so many are leaving now, and why progressives like me no long can support them: Open Letter to the DNC By Stephen Elliott, LCSW “We have to be unified if we’re going to put a Democrat back in the White House…We’ve just seen two brilliant candidates run the most exciting primary in decades. Now we need to come together and finish the job.” Thus are the words of Howard Dean in an email sent to Democratic Party members less than two hours after Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton suspended her campaign and endorsed Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic Nominee for President. Governor Dean praises Senator Clinton for running an “outstanding” campaign, asserts that America and the Democratic Party are better off today because of the “incredible amount of work” she and her supporters put into her campaign, and reminds us that no matter which candidate we supported, we are part of a “bigger family”, i.e., the ...

AM I MY BROTHER'S SWEEPER? Ah, the joys & horrors of home ownership in New York City! I feel this woman's pain. When litterbugs attack, N.Y.C. makes homeowners pay By DOLORES PRIDA The day I closed on the purchase of a beautiful, if somewhat rundown, brownstone in East Harlem 16 years ago was a special occasion for me. Not only had I had finally achieved the pinnacle of the American Dream, but also become the first member of my immigrant family to ever own a home. Little did I know that from that day on, I would become my brother's sweeper - and my sense of pride would get a, well ...trashing. Nobody had bothered to tell me that homeowners are punished for the debris passersby leave in front of their homes - both on the sidewalk and on the street, up to 18 inches from the curb. When, a few weeks after moving in, the first pink slip charging me with a violation for "failing to sweep" my sidewalk was left at my door, I was astounded. Not only because I had indee...