The Hayseeds blog, No. 277 for the week starting October 5, 2008.
September 21, 2008
Hayseeds No. 276
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Hayseeds No. 277
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Hayseeds No. 277
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The struggles between religous beliefs and what makes good public policy. I have to give Sarah Palin some credit for finding a balance, regardless of her personal religious conviction.
Another weekend, another bank failure. At least so far none of the banks I have accounts in have failed, but even so I figure the FDIC will save my butt.
While the David Soares' people continue to swear that their so-called progressive DA can do no wrong, the Coutny Comptroller questions missing funds, while the DA says he just like professional-Republican candidate Roger Cusick.
There is no question, that Soares is going to win re-election. He's done a lot of good things to boot for the county, especially in minority neighborhoods, but his office has proven to be pretty sloppy with accounting. He also gave the former-democratic governor a pass on the whole Troopergate scandal.
This story is a bit scary and shows why in some racially segregated neighborhoods, it's not safe to be at night. Of course, the media will spin this into all cities are bad, and black people are dangerous.
Another fight over county tax revenues. Let's just hope they don't do like with Monroe County's FAIR plan.
People like the free WiFi and many other benefits to using public libraries. I know I don't have an internet connection at home, as my local library is only a 1/4 mile walk away and is open 9-9 every day.
A sad note for sure.
While I seemed to think that Barack won the debate, a similiar impression to other partisans, it might have been due to all the Jack-on-the-rocks that I had at the debate party.
Actually, it seemed to me that Barack was quite youthful and with vigor, and that John McCain seemed old and out of touch, but my parents seemed to disagree. That said, I'm sure the opposite will be true on Thursday, when Palin does all she can to turn on her moose-huntin' sex appeal over old stalwart Biden.
An interesting article about computers and the predictions of a fiscal crisis.
While as soon back as the 2006 election cycle, there was serious questions on if the committee would be able to keep the lights on it's headquarters, it seems that better fiscal management and fund raising has left the county committee flush with cash as they go into the 2008 election cycle.
They op-ed that candidates should disclose their finances as the law requires, or face the $500 fine and public embarrassment.
The NY Times looks at what the former governor is doing these days. I'm sure he'd be in a much different place if it wasn't for Client #9.
It will be interesting to see where things go from here.
Big drop when welfare for corporations in the form of the bailout fails.
It's now closer to 800 points. But so it was 400 points earlier in the day.
— Comment By nycowboy
NPR's coverage of the day's events, that everybody was watching very carefully.
How they voted on the bailout bill.
Big impact from the stock market drop of yesterday.
So it would seem with Gillibrand in the negative and McNulty in the affirmative.
A number of elevator inspectors have second jobs, which officially is claimed not to interfere with their duties.
Some insight on why people voted the way that they did.
Once the press is finished chewing over whether it was the monolithic left or the monolithic right that doomed the passage of whatever rough beast had been cooked up to slouch off with several hundred billion taxpayer dollars, perhaps someone will notice that voting trends today reflected a deeper problem with our government—the tendency of those with safe seats to gamble more.
Fascinating. While this whole bailout thing is largely an issue of the economic elite, it's still has gotten a lot of public interest as a lot of taxpayer dollars are on the line, and it will eventually effect us all.
An interesting power struggle in that town.
That's what one study looks at and how certain biological/psychological elements pre-dispose one towards certain political biases.
As the economy sputters, so does the quality of education form state schools as they are forced to layoff professors and not admit as many students to their campuses.
This sounds like it could be an interesting forum to attend if you live in that area.
McNulty and Gillibrand have vastly different positions on the proposed bailout, despite both being Democrats from districts right next to one and another.
Apparently he wants to wear out his welcome and try to see if he can become from the most loved mayor to the most hated one, much like John Lindsy.
They swear they will get this disastrous plan passed one way or another.
He has set up a commission to consider what the state can sell and then lease back to itself for one shot budget deals.
The state certainly has a lot of property it could sell then lease to purchase. They could, for example, sell the Hudson River. Now wouldn't that be interesting, a river owned by a private corporation for 20 or 30 years, but leased back to the state?
Relatively modest tax hikes for sure.
Big price tag for the decline in the stock market for state revenues.
Look at all the cool toys they will be able to purchase:
Funds were available for five categories: extrication devices; thermal imaging, night vision and video surveillance tools; chemical, biological and radiological detection tools; information-technology and risk-management tools and vehicle-tracking tools.
Nice. Real nice. John McHugh is treating the city well, at the expense of everybody else. I honestly don't think Albany needs those kind of tools, much less Plattsburgh.
A forum at UVM has asked many questions about the proposed bailout.
“Is the financial market close to a meltdown? I don’t think Congress had enough information,” said Art Woolf, associate professor of economics at the University of Vermont. He suggested that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulsen and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke failed to explain the problem sufficiently and why the bailout was the solution.
“They haven’t convinced me or people that I read and respect that we are a hair breadth from financial meltdown,” Woolf said. Still Woolf noted that had the House and then the Senate passed the proposed bailout plan, “We knew we had something. Whether it was the right medicine or not, we had some medicine even if we still don’t know what the patient is suffering from.”
The economists agreed that Vermonters weren’t sheltered from the impact of the financial crisis. People’s pensions, stock holdings and ability to obtain loans could be riding on the outcome.
“The average person should be nervous, because in order to need a plan like this, things have to be pretty desperate,” said Thomas Kavet, an economic consultant with Kavet, Rockler and Associates of Williamstown.
I hope they don't rush into this and don't screw it up too badly when they come back on Thursday.
The idea is to ensure greater deposits are protected should a bank go under, and the unlikely case that no deal can be made to save the bank prior to bankruptcy.
The New York Sun has this interesting article.
Some things to look forward to in the upcoming debate.
It turns out with all those politicians drinking after election night results come in, along with all those sleepy poll workers and volunteers, that election day is one of the deadliest days of the year on the highway.
He points out the obvious, that our elected representatives are supposed to decide on the merit of a proposal, and vote it down if it's going to be bad for their constituents.
To both private and public entices to decide if it makes fiscal sense as the state faces a downturn.
Property taxes may be going up in the city to make up for a decline in state aid and increased costs.
Hopefully this will mean better care for patients.
She has lost some of her star power.
In a NY Times article, he argues it's time for a new way of looking at the economy.
This is interesting.
His career depends on it.
An interesting op-ed in the Washington Times about our nation's spending habits.
That is the point that some have not grasped with their condemnations of corporate greed. Yes, many financial executives exercised poor judgment, making reckless decisions. And these knuckleheads ought not to be rewarded for their failures and mismanagement.
Accountability is key. Bankers who made irresponsible loans must be held to account, as should investment managers who chose to peddle instruments that included those loans. So should federal regulators who were asleep at the switch, as well as congressional leaders who chose to not crack down on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac be held accountable?
I have to agree. There not just has to be corporate responsibility, but also more individual responsibility. Loans should be made in an honest and transparent, and people should be treated fairly.
Governor Douglas over in that state has some interesting ideas to get the economy moving in that tiny rural state.
I want to get back up to Vermont next year. It's a really interesting place, even if it's rural landscape is largely grown over and forgotten. The poverty and beauty of those mountains is so amazing, and it's so remarkably different then our great state of NY.
He's such a great US Senator, and certainly makes me envious of those living in that State of Vermont.
Good news for his presidential campaign as it appears that he pulls ahead.
| Real Clear Politics Compilation of Polls | Obama | McCain | Spread |
| RCP National Average | 48.9 | 43.6 | Obama +5.3 |
| Favorable / Unfavorable | +18.1 | +12.0 | Obama +6.1 |
| Colorado | 50.0 | 45.0 | Obama +5.0 |
| Ohio | 48.0 | 46.0 | Obama +2.0 |
| Florida | 48.6 | 45.6 | Obama +3.0 |
| Pennsylvania | 49.6 | 42.0 | Obama +7.6 |
| Missouri | 46.8 | 48.5 | McCain +1.7 |
| Virginia | 48.8 | 46.3 | Obama +2.5 |
I was very impressed by Barack Obama in the past debate. I ultimately will probably vote for him, even if I have reservations on some of his positions. We need change on the major issues of the day, and I think he bring a fresh new voice to government.
They've lost so many students to much higher quality charter schools, that they risk losing not just state funds but federal funds.
Not that it's a bad thing per se. If the public schools are not successful, then ultimately should close to their doors. At the same time, we have to ensure that charter schools aren't getting unfair advantages, like banning unions from their premises.
An no surpises here that there will be tax and fee hikes and service cuts as the sky gets darker with the economy.
The Times Union says if your in dispute with a bill collector, you must immediately send in writing by certified mail, why you think the collector is wrong and you have paid your bill.
Big tax hike blamed on state mandates.
They have them over at All Over Albany.com, an interesting blog to read.
Both tickets faired purty well according to a NY Times analysis of last night's debate.
Some people are saying that the city budget looks so good that it might be a sign that Mayor Jennings is considering running for re-election.
An interesting new way of using the courts to get political change.
Hell yes, our side one says everybody after watching it at parties last night.
Troy is now kind of like Plattsburgh after a fighter jet flew low over the city as part of a grand opening celebration.
It's going to be an awful tough lame duck session this year.
He has not so good news for the state in the coming years. He's being a bit drastic, but who knows how bad things really are. Let's hope the feds help us out a little bit more in this tough times.
Apparently they they are no longer one of the highest property taxed counties in the nation. Other NY counties continue that distinction, including Niagara County, which is the Number 1 in the nation for property tax.
Now that the bailout plan is law it seems that more reforms are in the pike to prevent a similiar crisis from ever hitting again.
NYT investigates Obama's weak connections with Bill Ayers. Basically both of them share an interest in progressive politics, and they've lived in the same neighboorhood, with Ayers sometimes helping fundraise for him.
But whatever Bill Ayers did some 40 years ago is pretty old news. We all grow up and times change.
This NPR story is a lot of fun, that looks at towns with Main and Wall Street intersecting, then talking to locals at that street corner about their quality of life.
The Times Union Local Politics column looks at sign stealing and dead racoons being dumped on people's lawns. Fun.
In the latest round of petty infighting in the Democratic Party, it seems the mayor's surrogates have gotten an endorsement of professional Republican candidate Cusick, who is running this year for District Attorney.
Next year, Cusick will run for County Sheriff, the following year for State Assembly, and the following year for County Executive. That's how the game goes. And all the people who are pissed with the democratic establishment can vote for him, and he will have lessons to teach his students at Siena.
Local private colleges suffer when their assets are frozen by a bank in conservership.
They feel as though some of the get tough on drug pusher laws are too tough, and hurting small time substance abuse users.
That's the expose in today's Times Union that looks at the relationship between campaign donations and awarding of construction contracts in the Albany-area. Not to mention they are union, and nobody would dare do a project without a union in our state (not that it's a bad thing for the workers).
