The Daily Take For Monday, April 9TH, 2012

     Here are folks I haven't heard from in a while.  My friends at Occupy Albany.  It seems the group has been dormant for a while (at least thankfully from the daily papers).  I first got interested in the group last fall during their encampment in Albany owned Academy Park.  It just seemed like a peaceful gathering of people emulating the much larger Occupy Wall Street group in New York City.  Tents all around, music playing, people sitting around on blankets.  It kind of reminded me of Woodstock.  Even though the park had an 11:00 pm curfew, the city let the encampment exist.  City officials, primarily the Fire Department conveyed to the mayor's office that the overnight encampment probably was not a good idea.  Anyway, they stayed with no repercussions from the city.  The news trucks showed up and they were on the 11:00 news almost every night.  Then some genius wandered off onto state owned Lafayette Park and got himself arrested.  Dozens of arrests later, and they were still in the park.  Then the big melee with the police.  Although always a peaceful group, the city decided they had to go.  I for one was glad to see them go.  A great impression of our city for  the tourists to see when they are visiting.  They retreated to their current home on Madison Avenue and have been relatively low key.  My problem with the Occupy Movement in Albany is that they never displayed any kind of leadership.  Every group needs a little leadership.  If you want to get on the news let the leader speak for you.  In the past, anything on the news, or in the paper had someone else's name associated with it.  Maybe because the economy isn't so much in the tank anymore, some of the 99% are happy.  One more thing.  I you have any ideas of setting back up in the park now that the weather is becoming nice, think again.  According to the U.S. Constitution, you can stay there until 11:00 pm.  This being an election year, don't think the Mayor is waiting for your endorsement.  Mayor Jennings stuck his neck out for you and got nothing in return........Pay raises for our legislators are being spoken about again.  I understand, that it has been a while since you received one.  Every time I think about that, I think about how you squeezed every dime out of the CSEA  in their last contract.  Or maybe that debacle in Patterson's last days when in a show of true partisanship, you gaveled in and gaveled out in a rush to get over to McGuires to spend your per diem money.  Maybe you should have saved some of that.

And that is:  "The Daily Take"