The New York Times math whiz...

New York City police officers made more than 170,000 stops of people on the streets in the first three months of 2009, the most for any quarter in the eight years since the department began reporting the data, according to a report made public on Tuesday.

The percentage of the stops that yielded arrests or summonses, however, has remained consistent at a little more than 10 percent.

Absorb this warped percipience from CHRISTINE HAUSER of the NY Times.

Consistent at little more than 10 percent. So, where are the cudos to the NYPD. If they stopped 170,000 people, and arrested 10 percent of those folks...they nabbed (drum roll) 17,000 people in violation of the law.

Good Job!!!

The devil is in the details...

The report, released to the City Council on May 1 and made public by the New York Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday, says officers made 171,094 stops from January through March of this year. That was an 18 percent increase over the previous record for a quarter of 145,098 in the same period in 2008, according to an analysis of the data by the civil liberties group.

Oh Ho....actually, the phrase was "more than 10 percent" so they arrested more than 17,000 individuals. And, the NYCLU says there were over 171,000 stops.

Now, they also say that last year, the number of stops in the same time frame was 145,098. That means the total number of arrests in 2008 from those stops was just over 14,510 arrests. In other words, the NYPD arrested more than 2,500 more people for violation of the law. Where's the beef here?

Again, NICE JOB, NYPD!!!!

The group also charged that the report shows that a disproportionate number of blacks and Latinos were among those stopped.

Uh huh...yeah...well, the percentage of arrests staying consistent regardless of the number of people stopped suggests that the NYPD can do better. When the percentage of arrests drops in proportion to the increase of stops, then the plateau has been reached. In the interim, the Latino and Black communities are absolutely documented in this report twisted by the New York Times to be a bigger part of the crime problem if the number of arrests exceed their percentage make up of the city's ethnicity.

Good Gosh!!!! Did The Worm actually just say that? Sure...the numbers don't lie. Statistical fact indicates that the NYCLU is complaining because that the crack down on crime is bagging a comparatively higher percentage of those minorities who are claiming victim status. It's like weighing yourself down underwater with a concrete block and complaining about the choppy seas.

You can't do that!!!! It makes too much sense!!!!

The state is trying to shut down a New York City doctor's ambitious plan to treat uninsured patients for around $1,000 a year.

Dr. John Muney offers his patients everything from mammograms to mole removal at his AMG Medical Group clinics, which operate in all five boroughs.

"I'm trying to help uninsured people here," he said.

His patients agree to pay $79 a month for a year in return for unlimited office visits with a $10 co-pay.

But his plan landed him in the crosshairs of the state Insurance Department, which ordered him to drop his fixed-rate plan - which it claims is equivalent to an insurance policy.

Muney insists it is not insurance because it doesn't cover anything that he can't do in his offices, like complicated surgery. He points out his offices do not operate 24/7 so they can't function like emergency rooms.

"I'm not doing an insurance business," he said. "I'm just providing my services at my place during certain hours."

He says he can afford to charge such a small amount because he doesn't have to process mountains of paperwork and spend hours on billing.

"If they leave me alone, I can serve thousands of patients," he said.

This doctor recognized an untapped market. He created a service that had significant demand. It was working. Then, the "government" noticed that it infringed on a law used to entice insurance companies to stay in the cesspool known as NY State. Costs are so out of control in the State (as well as injury embellishment and fraud) that insurance companies would do well to leave. However, with fixed rate costs, they were lured to the table.

If Doctors, like this one, all of a sudden start providing fixed rate treatment, it negates the enticement to the insurance companies, somewhat. The true fix is to cease all the over regulation and taxing within the state. Tort reform and a revamping of the Workers' Compensation laws wouldn't hurt either. Then, insurance companies would want to stay on their own accord, and Dr. Muney could continue with his practice without some bureaucratic hack making noise from Albany.

Priorities of the simpleminded...

Education officials leery of a murderous rash of violence in Mexico have nixed a Brooklyn school's class trip to Cancun, leaving seething parents on the hook for hundreds of dollars in cancellation fees.

The excursion, set for May 4, went south for 18 kids at Boerum Hill's MS 447 last month after Department of Education officials got spooked by a recent spate of drug cartel-related killings along the US-Mexican border and pulled the plug, even though Cancun is hundreds of miles away from problem spots.

That's a shame...it's a shame that a cash strapped city, and by association...a cash strapped public school in Brooklyn would even entertain the thought of taking students to Mexico.

Granted, the parents were footing the bill for the students. But, the teachers and chaperones were likely getting the trip on the house (taxpayer). If the parents have $1,400 to throw away on a trip to a Mexican tourist mecca...why not ask them to shell out $1,400 for school equipment and textbooks. You can read about mexico from the classroom's brand new atlas.

Irresponsible Jackasses...

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A New York City hospital will lay off 240 employees, including doctors, nurses and management positions, because of the difficult economic times, the hospital announced in a statement Monday.

Well...rest easy...these fine folks will be able to amuse themselves down in the Battery...

The city will begin construction this fall on a Battery Park amusement ride that lets patrons hop aboard giant sea creatures and take a psychedelic journey into the underwater world.

Dubbed the SeaGlass, this aquatic-themed carousel should be up and running in the spring of next year, according to Parks Department documents released yesterday.

What a wonderful consolation...

Top ten list of mouth breathers in NYC...

The impatient subway boarder - described as "brainless salmon people, desperately trying to swim upstream" - narrowly beat out full-volume headphone guy for fourth place in the poll.

Heh!

They mention the the idiots who carry patio furniture around with them and claim it as a personal umbrella. My experiences on the NYC sidewalks put that one right up on the top. They're all mouth breathers...all 10 on the list.

I was scared...give me money...

We crash-landed in the Hudson River - but all we got were these lousy upgrades!

US Airways sent a raft of "frigid" letters to the 150 passengers of miracle Flight 1549 (above) saying their death-defying ordeal has earned them top customer status - but for just one year, The Post has learned.

Some who were on the plane - brought down by a flock of geese after takeoff from La Guardia Airport on Jan. 15 - said the temporary tease of first-class perks is for the birds.

"I think if you survive a plane crash, being upgraded permanently is a good gesture too," said Fred Berretta, 41, of Charlotte, NC, where the Airbus A320 was headed.

In the wonderful State of NY, you really don't even need standing to file a Summons & Complaint. Of course, it could be dismissed out of hand on Summary Judgment just as easily.

My advice to US Airways would be to stand their ground with the $5,000 unsolicited renumeration to cover luggage and personal items lost by the passengers...then defend the various lawsuits filed by the more opportunistic passengers.

However, I would also suggest that US Airways file a Cost Recovery Action to collect expenses and defense costs when the ruling comes in their favor (thus sticking these opportunists with the bill of their idiocy and greed). There's no liability here. It's just geese in the turbine... I'm sure that counsel for US Airways is on retainer...so the costs would be negligible...

I suppose that God could be brought in as an additional defendant. However, serving him would be tricky. Then again...New York allows the plaintiff to serve the NY Secretary of State when suing a domiciled New York Business. I've heard NYC referred to as a Godless place...so maybe he doesn't hold a branch in town.