THE SHELL GAME CONTINUES AT GROUND ZERO

[DMCKEON]

In true Port Authority fashion an announcement was made on Thursday that the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero would be open for the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attack.



One Friday it was made public that it really depended on your definition of the Memorial.



Under closer review this is what the Port Authority actually meant.



On 9/11/11



We will have two holes in the ground to replace the one we have been looking at for the past seven years.



We will have the names of the victims displayed in no particular order around these holes and anyone looking for a name would have to deal with an ongoing construction site.



We will not have a 9/11 Memorial Museum but it is quite possible that we will have two expensive space holding pedestals that might even be home to retail shopping.



And what building will not be impacted. Why it’s Tower 4 the future corporate home of the Port Authority. What a surprise!



The typical Port Authority shell game continues.



And once again the 9/11 families are left out in the cold.



The next slight of hand trick will surely be based on the difficult economic times.



It’s funny that with many of the not for profits showing donations and pledges down considerably no one has reported on the status of the funds for the memorial and museum.



Fundraising for the Memorial was jump started only after the Port Authority was brought in and promised to complete the Memorial by 2011.



One has to wonder if donors will want to honor their pledges with the current outlook.



One has to wonder if they really expect to collect on all the pledges with the state of the economy today.



One also has to wonder about how the money that has actually been collected been handled.



Was it invested?



Was any of it lost?



So I bring up a word that no one ever wants to hear at Ground Zero….Accountability.



We get press releases with half truths, and promises that are never kept but never any accountability.



Now we have Assemblyman Sheldon who thinks it might be time for some independent oversight at the site.



We have only been asking for that for the last seven years.



But the Port Authority will continue to do whatever it wants at the site.



And the LMDC will continue to waste hundreds of millions while we close firehouses and fire teachers.



And I wouldn’t be surprised that the only thing we will have for the 10th Anniversary at Ground Zero is the Deutsche Bank Building still casting its shadow over the site.