The Hayseeds blog, No. 267 for the week starting July 27, 2008.
July 13, 2008
Hayseeds No. 266
July 27, 2008
Hayseeds No. 267
August 3, 2008
Hayseeds No. 267
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Apparently they're relationship is on the rocks.
Tensions are mounting between Gov. Paterson and the Senate Democrats he once led as relations with his onetime friend and ally, Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, hit a new low, insiders say.
Frustrated lawmakers are complaining about everything from lack of access to Paterson to his failure to help them with fund-raising at a time when they are within two seats of wresting control of the Senate from the Republicans.
"They haven't done anything for us; all we get is talk," said one frustrated lawmaker who has been trying to get a sitdown with the governor since his March 17 swearing-in.
We will definately have to watch, especially after November if the Democrats take the Senate.
Apparently kids are getting into the arson game. Great. That's just what we need—more senseless destruction in our society.
With record high higher education costs that seems mandatory for so many people in their attempts to get ahead, the governor is proposing lower cost student loans provided through the state.
So it would appear with stronger lobbying bans for county employees.
Apparently his op-ed piece was not specific enough for adequate comparison with Obama's piece, so he was asked for a re-write.
The NY Times published a letter by the governor explaining why he has a rent controlled apartment, despite officially living in Albany.
This college certainly is interesting.
Berea College, founded 150 years ago to educate freed slaves and “poor white mountaineers,” accepts only applicants from low-income families, and it charges no tuition.
“You can literally come to Berea with nothing but what you can carry, and graduate debt free,” said Joseph P. Bagnoli Jr., the associate provost for enrollment management. “We call it the best education money can’t buy.”
Actually, what buys that education is Berea’s $1.1 billion endowment, which puts the college among the nation’s wealthiest. But unlike most well-endowed colleges, Berea has no football team, coed dorms, hot tubs or climbing walls. Instead, it has a no-frills budget, with food from the college farm, handmade furniture from the college crafts workshops, and 10-hour-a-week campus jobs for every student.
This sounds very interesting, and possibly a future for more schools to serve those who most need a quality education.
A sad but too common story in contemporary America as most people must get in debt for life's necessities then can't pay it off due to emergencies.
David Brooks looks at how we have got where we have gotten with so much debt as a nation.
This looks like a bad year for incumbents.
It's going to cost us big time to bail out these folks that are necessary to keep the US economy going.
Not only will Joe Bruno be collecting a $90k pension, he's now the CEO of CMA Consulting. Talk about a golden parachute.
I wonder if he will be trading up his relatively tiny house with it's massive outbuildings for something nicer.
He's says it good for our state.
Skelos said he wants the Senate to consider and adopt a proposed 4 percent cap on annual property tax increases by school districts "within the next two to three weeks." He twice praised the success of such a cap in Massachusetts during his remarks.
"This is about controlling spending and giving school districts mandate relief," he said. "I think it can be done without hurting the quality of education."
The measure supported by Skelos and Paterson places a cap of 4 percent or 120 percent of the inflation rate, whichever is lower, on annual property tax increases by school districts. Skelos said he hopes Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver will also move to get the measure passed by the Assembly in a timely fashion.
Silver has said that a property tax cap is acceptable, but he wants guarantees that schools will still have enough money to ensure state standards for a slew of programs.
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He seems vary scared about where our economy is going.
He will support a bailout of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
It looks like it might finally move forward.
More about his new job at CMA Consulting.
In a desperate search for more revenue, the state is auditing a lot more people. New York State: the friendly place to live and do business.
I guess Paul Tonko's renegade supporters have been busy.
Private developers are now increasingly paying for the redevelopment of cities.
We've not been spending much money to keep up the mall in DC.
Apparently they did some bad things will troopgate and face major fines.
Two of the officials, Richard Baum, the former top aide to Gov. Eliot Spitzer, and William Howard, a former public safety adviser to the governor, have already reached settlements with the commission.
The other two officials, former communications director Darren Dopp and former state police superintendent Preston Felton, are contesting the charges. If the commission’s findings are upheld, Mr. Dopp could be subject to a $10,000 fine and Mr. Felton to fines totaling $20,000.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
He gives a great speech in Berlin.
It will now soon be possible for websites to integrate part of Facebook into there core.
It's definitely something I will be looking for added to my blog—although I do already have some links to facebook with my RSS streams and other features.
You can friend me on facebook by going to:
http://facebook.nycowboy.org/
That's the status of things according to CapCon.
An update from CapCon on the issues surrounding the tax cap, and Suozzi's state tour supporting it.
While Capital Punishment has never been used in our state since 1974, we have maintained a death chamber should somebody be sentenced to death and the courts allow it to proceed.
Now the death chamber has been dismantled for parts as it seems unlikely our state will ever use it.
The few people that only have a cellphone are somewhat different then general voters, but those who largely use cellphones but have a landlines are similar. So it seems pollsters aren't missing much be cellphone only polling.
Apparently the unopposed DA isn't doing a very good job tracking his cash flows in his office.
He says he will quit his job rather then be stronghold by his firm that is not allowing him to take leave to challenge Republican George Amedore, according to the Times Union blog.
I'm not surpised. Hitchcock and Barclay are no good. This comment was added to the Times Union blog which points out something about another local race.
Are they letting Neil Breslin run for re-election against TWO opponents in the primary? You better believe they are. Of course I’m sure that Neil helped his old pal Will Barclay in his unsuccessful attempt at getting the seat that Sen. Aubertine now holds. This is a great example of “If you sare a friend, I will allow you to do it”!
Of course Hiscock and Barclay are known for their union busting and pro employer representation of clients. This guy Blanchfield is better off away from that firm!--rejected advisor (on Times Union Local Politics Blog)
Interesting. Blanchfield really impressed me when I met him at the DFHMR meeting the other night, and I'm not surprised that he is standing up for what is right, unlike our State Senator Neil Breslin and company.
It's definately worthwhile to consider joining his facebook group. I am quite impressed with him as a candidate, and I think he could do much to change our state.
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle doesn't like that Bruno is cashing in on his years of experience as at a big state contractor.
All public employeers with unions now are closed shops.
Apparently the race for those votes is much closer.
The jury is not in yet on whether or not it works.
Ken Rudin takes a look at the possibilities.
But for now will continue to offer classes all five days:
Clinton Community College is sticking to its current schedule, for now at least.
CCC has devoted a considerable amount of human resources and time this summer in reviewing what an optional four-day academic schedule for the college would look like, according to a news release from the college.
As with other schools and colleges around the state and country, the high cost of gas and rising energy prices have prompted administrators to review what options, if any, might be available to them.
In an effort to gain greater insight into how students are impacted by the current situation, members of the college staff plan to discuss the four-day option with this fall's incoming student population.
The feedback received from the students, along with the scheduling data and input from faculty and staff being gathered by the college, should provide a global view of the situation and allow the college to make an informed decision for the future, the release states.
It will be interesting to see what is decided up there in the North Country.
Apparently he is pretty concerned about an audit that suggested that there was poor documentation leading to waste and fraud in his own office. It doesn't sound like a bad tactic to take, especially in the light of the fact that Soares is running for re-election, that is, unopposed.
They are the first city in Vermont to do as such. WAMC reports:
Apparently the press has gotten access to some of the abusive emails that our former governor sent out.
I am really disappointed by Spitzer, now that we know more about the insides of his administration. While sometimes other organizations use crude language, he seems incredibly abusive and terrible the way he is playing other people.
They say they will allow the town to bulldoze the site before AMD formally signs on to develop the site.
After much debate and financing problems they plan to move forward on the project.
Apparently they've formed a group known as Blue America to fight back against politicians who supported FISA by raising money and running commercials.
Bloggers across the political spectrum have been raising money in recent weeks in an effort to punish certain members of Congress for supporting a government surveillance bill backed by the White House.
Earlier this month, Congress passed a rewrite of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA. Opponents say it gives the president too much power to tap private communications without court oversight. That argument was made none too subtly by a TV ad that ran in the home district of Chris Carney, a Pennsylvania Democrat who supported the new FISA law.
I personally don't see what the big deal. I don't care much about FISA or anything else, especially if they aren't using FISA for political spying or voyeurism. I tend to agree that telecommunication companies who helped out the federal government in monitoring for terrorists should get immunity—they only did what was right in helping the government.
Regardless, I guess blogger can blog about whatever they want to, and raise money to oppose candidates that they do not like. Gotta love the first amendment.
Looking at Barack Obama's recent speech aboard.
Barack Obama is certainly a true American. In the first major foreign policy speech of his campaign, delivered in Chicago last year, he vowed a comprehensive initiative to “ensure that every child, everywhere, is taught to build and not to destroy.” America, he said, must promote dignity across the world, not just democracy. It must “lead the world in battling immediate evils and promoting the ultimate good.”
In Berlin on Thursday, it was more of the same. Speaking before a vast throng (and a surprising number of Yankees hats), he vowed to help “remake the world.” He offered hope that a history-drenched European continent could “choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday.” He envisioned “a new dawn in the Middle East.”
Obama’s tone was serious. But he pulled out his “this is our moment” rhetoric and offered visions of a world transformed. Obama speeches almost always have the same narrative arc. Some problem threatens. The odds are against the forces of righteousness. But then people of good faith unite and walls come tumbling down. Obama used the word “walls” 16 times in the Berlin speech, and in 11 of those cases, he was talking about walls coming down.
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Some interesting new idears on urban policy and changing how we develop and finance cities.
His European Tour impressed many people.
A look at that race.
More youth then ever are coming out to vote, less efforts then ever to get the youth to come out and vote.
A good explation of what has been happening lately in the markets.
This brings up serious questions on whether or not it has a future.
