Posted on 07/12/2008 9:46:45 AM PDT by jimbo123
Rep. Charles Rangel defiantly defended having four rent-stabilized apartments Friday as Republicans, critics and constituents railed against what they called a sweetheart deal.
"I don't see anything unfair about it, and I didn't even know it was a deal," said Rangel, 78, who chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and is the dean of the New York congressional delegation.
"I did not negotiate or ask for a lower price, and I'm paying the legal rent."
That didn't satisfy Connie Kennedy, 52, who has been living in a rent-stabilized apartment in Rangel's luxury doorman building, Lenox Terrace, for more than 40 years.
"Somebody has to nip this in the bud," she said. "What example do you set for the community by doing that? I have no respect for Rangel."
Nellie Bailey, director of the Harlem Tenants Council, accused Rangel of "the height of hypocrisy."
She said he has failed to help residents being pushed out of rent-stabilized apartments by landlords eager to charge more while enjoying below-market rent.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
Rangel: “Paying rent is for common people.”
He just got his piece of the pie like "the man" has done for years.
“Rangel pays a total of $3,894 a month for three apartments on the 16th floor plus a fourth apartment six floors down.....”
Pretty cheap rent in my opinion. Where I live that MIGHT get you a tiny studio apartment.
Rangle is like Obama.Do as I say not as I do.
When did “rent control” become “rent-stabilized”?
I don’t see that this is really an issue. I guess I would if I wasn’t familiar with rent stabilization and rent control in NYC. They were economically stupid moves to ‘control’ rents, but ended up pushing up rents for other people who weren’t stabilized. However, that’s the way it was done and if you were renting an apartment when they started it, that’s the rent that you pay. Period. It gets raised every year by a certain percentage. Stabilized tenants get raised more than controlled tenants. If Rangel was a rent controlled tenant, he could well be paying <$1000.
So, the man’s lived there for long enough to have the stabilization. Mazel tov to Charlie. What’s he supposed to do? Just pay more because he’s a congress critter?
Also, I’ve been to his building many times (one of my best friends lives there) and I wouldn’t exactly call it the lap of luxury. It’s a very nice building for harlem and it’s kind of isolated from the surrounding area, but it’s still up on Lenox Avenue. I haven’t been there in a couple of years, so it’s probably nicer up there than it was when I was there last, but I can’t imagine 135th and Lenox being anything but 135th and Lenox.
They’re two different things. Rent control came first. Rent Stabilization is the Diet Coke of rent control. I guess they decided that rent control was a bad idea, so watering down a bad idea was going to make it less of a bad idea somehow. It’s NYC, which has the highest per-capita number of idiots I’ve ever seen in my life all in one small area. Nothing surprises me.
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From the website of the Workers World Party, workers.org:
"On July 9 (1994), Workers World Party Chairperson Sam Marcy sent the following statement to Comrade Kim Jong Il, the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea and the State Funeral Committee of President Kim Il Sung.":
"Dear Comrade Kim Jong Il ...
The National Committee of Workers World Party extends our deepest condolences on the passing of the great leader of the Korean people, Comrade President Kim Il Sung.
Comrade Kim Il Sung devoted his whole life to the Korean people's struggle for national self-determination and the international working-class struggle for socialist emancipation. With his leadership, the Korean people defeated the Japanese colonial occupation and soon after brought about the first defeat of the U.S. imperialist military machine.
For over 40 years since the armistice, the U.S. military has continued to occupy the south of Korea with troops and nuclear weapons. This occupation has been the chief obstacle to peaceful reunification of Korea and poses the chief danger of a new war on the peninsula." ...
"Workers World Party values our close, comradely relations with the Workers Party of Korea very highly. We are proud to have known Kim Il Sung as a great leader and a comrade in the international communist movement. ...
With comradely solidarity, Sam Marcy Chairperson, Workers World Party":
http://www.workers.org/marcy/cd/sam94/1994html/s940721.htm
Here, also from the Workers World Party website (workers.org), is a direct link to the set of photos showing Ramsey Clark, Lynne Stewart and current democrat chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Charlie Rangel, all at the Workers World Party/Troops Out Now event on March 19, 2005. The occasion marked the 2nd anniversary of the start of the Iraq war:
http://www.workers.org/march19/index2.html
For anyone who doesn't know it, the so-called "anti-war" group International A.N.S.W.E.R. was formed by leaders of the Workers World Party (and mere days after the 911 attacks). WWP is a collection of pro-North Korea Stalinists based in New York City. When A.N.S.W.E.R. was eventually outed as a communist front, WWP started up a new "peace" group called Troops Out Now. Democrat chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Charlie Rangel, actually gives speeches at their rallies and the New York City media looks the other way -also is never confronted by Hannity or O'Reilly about it, despite his almost weekly appearances on their programs.
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From FrontPageMagazine.com, 9/26/2006:
"You people are the cream of the crop!" beamed the bearded Cuban man of the people to the smiling throng that surrounded him.
"Hear-hear!" chirped the delighted guests while tinkling their wine glasses in appreciation and glee.
And the mass-murderer had barely scratched the surface of his fan club. According to the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, on that visit, Castro received 250 dinner invitations from Manhattan celebrities and power-brokers.
Fidel's reception at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 was no less rapturous. Afterwards he made his way to Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church where pastor Calvin Butts gushed: "It is in our tradition to welcome all who are visionaries, revolutionaries and who seek the liberation of all people. God Bless you, Fidel!"
"The mainly African-American audience, which included New York Democratic representatives Charles Rangel and Nydia Velasquez, enthusiastically greeted the Communist leader with a ten-minute standing ovation." reported People's Weekly World [official newspaper of Communist Party USA]. "Chants of "Cuba, SI! Embargo NO!" resounded from the rafters and sent a strong message of protest to New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani."
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.aspx?GUID={E805E273-278E-4A5B-8111-9A3D14153DCC}
There are 2 issues:
1. Charlie has 4 rent-stabilized apartments, not 1.
2. Charlie’s landlord is actively evicting tenants in rent-stabilized apartments in order to renovate them and get them up to market rates. Charlie has defended his landlord when his constituents have complained about the evictions.
Charlie’s landlord has bought his silence on the evictions by giving him 4 below-market apartments and it’s fun to watch him squirm.
Word is the Obama folks leaked the story to the NY Times in January when Charlie the Hillary supporter was calling Obama “stupid” and such.
And the NY Times held the story until now.
http://www.olnick.com/residential/lenox/availabilities.phtml
Average prices at Lenox Terrace:
Studio $1,300 to $1505
1 Bed $1,700 to $1,865 (no terrace)
1 Bed $1,865 to $2005
2 Beds $2,600 to $2750
3 Beds NONE
Why does he need 4 apartments?
As I understand 'rent control', it applies to your primary residence. How can all four appartments be designated a primary residence, especially when one of them is being used as a campaign office?
Great info. Thanks for posting it.
Charlie Rangle was entitled to one rent-stabilized apartment. The difference between the rent-stabilized rate and the market rate of the extra apartments is INCOME for tax purposes. Charlie Rangle owes Uncle Sam!
Indict him for tax fraud. The IRS needs to aggressively target this blatant misuse of subsidized housing. He needs firm punishment because this practice has been long standing and he is non repentant. Rangel has no problem unleashing the IRS on us. The IRS should make an example out of him.
This practice is immoral as well as illegal. Rent stabilization is meant for poor people, not high and might Congressmen. The immorality, elitism, and illegality of the left is pathetic.
Amen! Of course, if the Bush administration gave the IRS a nudge, there would be Hell to pay...when the Clinton’s did it, you could hear crickets chirping in the newsrooms.
Now there’s a surprise, an elected person who is a crook.
Bye-bye Mr. Toastman.
Hey renters, Charlie will submit a Bill to provide protection for all of you, but unfortunately, he’ll vote against it.
The Chris Dodd Countrywide VIP excuse.
Amazing how much Democrats don't know or don't remember when they are caught in their webs of deceit.
Yea, Democrats keep pulling that lever for the party of the little people. Suckers.
The two prerequisites of liberalism...utter hypocrisy and absolute shamelessness.
New York City - the cesspool of America. And Rangel like other of his ilk get to play in the stink.
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