Triborough named after “bridge builder”
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- November
- 19
  Elected officials, members of the Kennedy family and other heavyweights gathered today to officially rename the Triborough Bridge—which connects Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx—the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. The Triborough opened in 1936 and includes three bridges, a viaduct and 14 miles of approach roads connecting the boroughs, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  
In January, then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposed the name change, calling Kennedy a “bridge builder” in a metaphoric sense because he dreamed of a country where “all individuals work diligently to help the poorest among us to life themselves out of poverty.”
  
Robert F. Kennedy was a U.S. senator from New York between 1965 and 1968, when he was assassinated during his campaign for president. He was U.S. attorney general under his brother, President John F. Kennedy, and resigned after his brother was assassinated in 1963. In New York, Robert Kennedy created programs for underprivileged and disabled children.
  Robert Kennedy is the subject of a new lesson plan in New York, called “Speak Up, Speak Out: Robert F. Kennedy, Champion of Social Justice,” which was developed by New York State United Teachers in collaboration with Gov. David Paterson’s office and the state Education Department. The impetus for the project was a call from Kerry Kennedy, the seventh of RFK’s 11 children, to NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi.
  “Robert F. Kennedy’s legacy lives on in countless individuals who fight for justice around the world—and in every child who is inspired by his legacy to, ‘speak up, speak out,’” Kerry Kennedy wrote in a letter to educators around the state.
  In a letter about the RFK education project, Paterson called him a great American with a humanitarian vision. He cited a quote from RFK: “Each time a man stands up for an idea, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope…”
(Photos: MTA, Time Life Pictures/Getty Images.)
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on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 at 3:32 pm by Cara Matthews.
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The MTA is broke, the State is going broke, the legislators won’t meet or talk, and they’re spending over 3 million dollars of taxpayer money just for the signs to change the name of this bridge.
Somehow, I find it more than a little ironic that they are naming a bridge after a member of the Kennedy clan. But at least it isn’t named for Teddy himself.
Jiminy has me howling again. He is witty.
Having boat-sat in Edgartown Harbor, I can vouch that it’s four minutes across its widest span by swim. Not twelve hours.
The Kennedys and bridges. They built few, figuratively; but are known by only one, literally. Tragically.
“Robert Moses” or “Fiorello LaGuardia” would have been more appropriate names for the Triborough, if it had to be re-named.
If a bridge were to be named for RFK, why not some passage between South Boston, Bronxville, and Riverdale? (Remember the great Tom Lehrer, circa 1965: “After all, Massachusetts is the only state with THREE senators.”)
Now, it will be confusing for newcomers.
Gov. Paterson may be facing that age-old question of “crossing that bridge when he gets to it” in 2010.
Only $3 million to rename the Triborough? Paterson/Nero fiddles.
What is wrong with this.
It is about time.
I don’t know what happen to the link but here are the lyrics to Tim Hay’s song mention:
“During the last election we had a good deal of fun back east following your senatorial contest out here. I’m from Massachusetts and I feel we have a certain right to gloat over the other states because Massachusetts is after all the only state with three senators. Anyway, here’s a salute to your new junior senator.
Hollywood’s often tried to mix
Show business with politics,
From Helen Gahagan
To Ronald Reagan,
But Mister Murphy is the star
Who’s done the best by far.
Oh gee, it’s great,
At last we’ve got a Senator who can
Really sing and dance!
We can’t expect America
Find More lyrics at http://www.sweetslyrics.com
To win against its foes
With no one in the Senate who
Can really tap his toes.
The movies that you’ve seen
On your television screen
Show his legislative talents at a glance.
Should Americans pick crops? George says “No,
‘Cause no one but a Mexican would stoop so low.”
And after all, even in Egypt, the pharaohs
Had to import
Hebrew braceros.
Think of all the musicals we have in store.
Imagine: Broadway Melody of 1984.
Yes, now that he’s a Senator, he’s really got the chance
To give the public
A song and dance!”
and if you want to hear the song-just search YouTube for: Tom Lehrer – George Murphy
its time to talk reality..the market is crashing
do any of you understand what is going on…are you
familiar with the concept of deflation?,,when asset
prices go down…all hard assets…stocks, bonds,
houses, etc….did anyone foresee this..yes indeed
i wrote a piece for the wall street journal
never published..i knew it was coming and took
the appropriate steps…this impacts this nation
like never before…the financials are in the tank
even warren buffet stock is in the crapper…
that is exactly why we could not continue the republican
policies of lower taxes and war..not possible…
the gop..is lost …lost in the mantra of milton
friedman and art laffer..guess what it doesn;t
do it…now cash is king….who knew….people
were told oh you are 63..you will live till 90
don’t get bagged by inflation…BE FULLY INVESTED
what a crock…the brokers wanted COMMISSIONS
tell you what it will be 10-15 years before we
recover..I wish everyone luck ..but we need to
take bold steps to deal with it ..and Mccain
had no clue..Romney on the other hand had a piece
in the times about the auto makers which is right
on…had he been on the ticket michigan ohio
and florida would have been Mccains’‘frankley
i am glad it turned out the way it did
Ah! Memory lane. I walked precincts in high school in California for George Murphy in 1970, when he lost to “Tunnedy.” As Reagan was thrashing the evil Jesse Unruh in the gubernatorial race by 700,000 votes. (Disclosure: Unruh destroyed my mother.)
The only things RFK will be remembered for are these:
RFK was a complicated and interesting man.
I was less than a mile away from The Ambassador Hotel in June 1968 when he was killed by the crazy Palestinian, who is fortunately locked up for life. I was in Latin class at John Burroughs Junior High School.
I can still remember the radio shout-out: “Get the gun, Rafer! Get the gun!”
Whether RFK deserves to have the Triborough renamed for him remains to be seen.
“the consultant
November 19th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
its time to talk reality..the market is crashing do any of you understand what is going on…are you familiar with the concept of deflation?,,when asset prices go down…all hard assets…stocks, bonds,houses, etc….”
LET’S JUST SAY MY GRANDMOTHER NOW HAS A REASON TO LIVE-SHE CAN’T AFFORD TO DIE.
“Romney on the other hand had a piece
in the times about the auto makers which is right on…had he been on the ticket michigan ohio and florida would have been Mccains’‘frankley i am glad it turned out the way it did”
I WANTED ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT FROM THE START-YES THIS ARTICLE WAS SPOT ON.
gop girl..romney was on the nose with his dissection
of the problem..consider what would have been the result
if he had been choosen as Vp…mccain would have won
the following states…michigan, ohio, florida, virginia
south carolina, and new hampshire….a completely different
result..palin was the death knell
The election is over.
The thrashing of the incumbent party (ours) is due both to the intransigence of the incumbent president, and to the Leslie Nielson-like performance of the GOP candidate, along with his stupid running mate, a scarily low IQ woman chosen simply to satisfy the low IQ folks who found McCain distasteful because they were themselves reactionary Republicans.
I’ve been a conservative Republican since the 1970s.
But I am scared for the future of my Party.
Consultant,
I believe I have said several times over that Romney was my preference for VP…and I think Jiminy seconded that. So let’s not cry over spilt milk and let’s start makin some lemonade with all the freakin lemons we are being given.
Consultant…You continue your boring bashing of Palin. No amount of logic or common sense will knock you off your high horse, so feel free to ride it down to Argentina.
There, you can listen to Don Rondo sing his old hit song about the gauchos and their pintos and the white silver sands, and maybe become one yourself. A gaucho, that is. You wouldn’t make a good pinto.
now the bridge willl be nicknamed the
RFK Bridge.
Not important what it is called as long as the bridge is safe. To many bridges have problems, look at the Tappanzee, plates lifting daily.
OLE
And next Robert kennedy will be either appointed to a cabinet position in Obama’s administration or he will get appointed to fill Hillary’s Senate slot. Good times for the Kennedy’s.
They should have renamed he bridge “The Kennedy/Monroe” (with only one politician honored therein.)
Given today’s date, and time, I offer no criticism of any Kennedys.
For the bridge, you have to blame today’s elected officials.
It was exactly 45 years ago, to the hour, that my fifth grade class and I were summoned back from 10:30 recess to our classroom in Los Angeles, to hear the tragic news of the killing of our president.
Haha nice, is there a section to follow the RSS feed