The Hayseeds blog, No. 96 for the week starting January 1, 2005.
December 18, 2004
Hayseeds No. 95
January 1, 2005
Hayseeds No. 96
January 8, 2005
Hayseeds No. 96
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It was church, then work, but when I got there my client wasn't present. So I met my parents at Delaware Plaza then went to the library. It's snowed. Drove home carefully. Typed blog. My day in recap. Sad.
Soon lots of people will be getting tax bills, but with Schenectady in such a bad shape, the taxes will be going up particularly high.
It's been sinking badly with all the talk of reform and him being villianized as anti-reform, but he's still fairing well compared to his first term. The 9/11 Honeymoon is over, but it's going to be a struggle for him should he decide to go for another term. See his open space legacy (in the form of forest easements) and the trouble he's had with gambling to pay for the state's bills. Whatever you can say, he's the fifth longest governor in NYS history.
They claim that any material that might have fallen on Building 7 is so small in amount that it is unlikely to pose a hazard. That probably is true, as we aren't demoing a ton of asbestos dust or anything else, but just whatever slight residue might be on the building—and the G.C. should be carefully monitoring for any possible damage.
The TU is making a big deal about a state employee who has been 'frozen' out for complaining about Pataki's prayer breakfast, and finding herself in the back office with little to do for work, but a $82,789/year salary. Basically, the women complained to her boss about being forced to go to the prayer breakfast and that he was illegally paying people to go there, and the chairman of state liquour authority punished her by promoting her to a position in a backroom without any authority.
It's an interesting way of punishing a person for a political act. By not firing the women who complained, it keeps the possiblity of a civil rights lawsuit at bay. She was promoted, abit to nowhere, and she still collects nicely. She is complaining now as she's bored and she never gets any work or authority. I'm not sure I would mind not having any work to do at work, but it might get rather boring, and I would be grumpy about losing my control and power over wholesalers.
NY taxpayers have reason to be angry for with more then $100k including benifits is a lot to be paying to punish a person for engaging in her free speech rights. Maybe it's the cost of doing business, but there is no reason why she could not be contributing positively to the business. Her complains on the prayer breakfast and the paying of state employees where legitimate, and worth investigation. A little bit of hanky-panky is to be expected in all bureacracies, be it private or public, but it should be subject to criticism by it's shareholders or the public.
Religion is an important part of life. Pataki's prayer breakfast is an important social event, and it seems reasonable that high level people attend it to make the kind of contacts they need to do their job well. So it makes sense for employees to attend. They may disagree with some of the messages preached during the message, but they do not have to live their lives to the message. They can wear what they learn at the prayer breakfast on their sleves, and not take it seriously. It's just education at the end of the day. So I have no problem with high-level state employees being required to go to the Pataki prayer breakfast, though it seems that ought not to be paid part of the job.
And similiar story of state corruption was some of the hanky-panky over canal development bidding. It's good that people have discovered what the state was doing wrong, and actions where taken to correct it. I doubt the state lost that much money in low priced sale, though it was far from fair.
Downstate sprawl is heading farther north according to a new study. The solution is smart growth, and it's good to see that many planner in our state think about smart growth even if our policies don't always live up to that standard.
For those of us who pay a lot of state and local taxes (all New Yorkers), we might not be able to continue to deduct them from federal taxes should the President get his way. It's a bad, bad idea. It would be another way that the President would continue to write policies that would favor the red states that elected him, while punishing those states governments who tax far more for more extensive social services.
The Rochester D & C looks at the many new laws that will be in effect on January 1st. See also the Observer Dispatch in Utica.
It's hard to support the court's reasoning, but Senator is going to serve more of his sentence for felony corruption charges in regards to steering bids. What he did for his father is commendable, and I hope to see him out soon.
That excuse doesn't cut it for somebody who is the Renselear County DA and lacks any kind of common sense. You don't cut your teath on that kind of power, just like that TU LtE says you don't cut your teach with the lives of little kids on the line when driving a bus. You can't get away with driving a school bus and running red lights too many times. Time for voters in Renselear County to get the old boot out and give to Patrica DeAngles. At least now in Albany County we have David Soares as DA now that he's been sworn in. He might spend lavishly with taxpayer dollars, but his heart's in the right place.
Some how that's not surpising when many groups and politicans regularly forget to file them (when's the last time Senator Mendez filed one ;), but when your a good government group the bar is higher. Don't worry for the Brennan Center, the fine at worst is $500 + $126 in court fees, though that fine is unlikely with judgements pending against David Grandeu's Temporary Commision on Lobbying.
Of sorts that is. He's had a rather impressive track record on on the environment in some ways though a lot of it has to do with luck. The Hudson has gotten cleaner, part to Greenway grants and part to deindustrialization and natural cleaning. We've got more public lands in the Adirondacks after handing lots of money over to paper companies. On the other hand, growth is hurting other parts of the Adirondacks and he's cracked down on ATV trails through the woods. The DEC has laid off or lost by other means 700 employees who did a variety of enforcement and research tasks before the governator took office. Not to mention the lands purchased or preserved through various open space grants. A lot of this credit goes to the legislature, but being governor and chief of the chiefdom, he gets a lot of credit.
It's great news to see that the insurance department's strong arming of insurance companies has worked to cut car insurance premiums. Now if only we could teach people how to become better drivers.
You don't have to use any quarters in the meters there as the state owns the lots and they won't sell them for the pennies that the city wants. Which is good, as more free parking means more people will come to Central Avenue to explore. It's just too bad we can't get another big-box store to that neighboorhood, like we lost with Woolworths. We need another B. Lodge's for Central Avenue.
But is it really safe? The state builders association wants to save some bucks, but that totally ignores the dangers that PVC poses to the environment. Likewise, it saves gasoline by disconnecting your exhaust system from the headers on down (less air flow resistance). But is all that extra pollution and noise desirable? Doesn't seem like such a deal.
While it appears the Albany PD will have to release their audit when the final version is out, they plan to keep as much of it under wraps until they have to release it. It makes you have to wonder, especially what's gonna get edited out.
That's how the NY pension fund works for the most part (though it also uses some federal government bonds), unlike the feds which use all government bonds. One man think thats careful investing in the market by the federal government could greatly benifit both stocks and the return on social security. Maybe if risk is carefully planned and only good stocks are invested in.
Take it Guy Lombardo, all they way into 2005! 2004 has been a challenging year for many of us, taking us beyond the limits of our imagination to a world beyond our dreams. It has been a remarkable time of growth and change for me as an individual, and I can't wait until 2005 to see what it all means for me.
So I've gotten out my Guy Lombardo record and are playing it repeatly on this New Years Eve. I think it's such a nice night out tonight, I will sit out on the tailgate of my pickup and celebrate the new years by having a drink and listening to this silly record again and again. No, I'm not redneck or muslim enough to shoot my gun off for New Years.
As we listen to this record over and over again, there must be some sadness about the year that passed. We saw many people die in 2004 from Senator Muskie's wife to Ronald Reagan to construction worker Charles Ballard to Law and Order actor Jerry Orbach to the many who died in the Tsumani. Each of those people touched so many lives and changed our world in small to great ways.
All stories must end one way or another. Many of us felt great anger when David Scaringe's murder went unpunished and Jon Romano brought home a deprivation of our civil liberties. Everybody makes their own choices, and they come with conseqeunces, but they must be carefully considered and reviewed carefully.
Senator John Kerry and John Edwards where defeated in their bid of the nation's highest office by President Bush. We put so many of our hopes on these two men, and hoped they could change our world for the better, but they failed to be elected. President Bush will now continue to carry our nation forward for four more years. Locally us Democrats did pretty good, changing the tyranical Paul Clyne to a more sensible David Soares. Many of us worked hard to see David get elected, and others made the other Democratic victories possible. Let's not forget county legislator, bar owner, and farmer Bob Reilly's defeat of long-term Republican Bob Prentis in Colonie. I could call Prentis a friend, but I think change is good.
Pataki's hired him to be the new supervisor of insurance, the man who will be deciding how much you will be paying on almost any kind of insurance, from workers comp to auto insurance. It's good to see that the political patronage machine works good, but it's also says something not so nice about New York government.
The governor has been trying to prevent former HVCC President and now head of the Thruway Authority from releasing embrassing records on the scadanlous dealing involving the sale of canal front rights for penny change, but has given up after the court dismissed his argument to keep such records secret. We shall see what this means for Pataki over the next few weeks, and more importantly for the already troubled Thruway Authority. We can only hope that this will be the final nail in both outmoded coffins.
There is an article in Sierra which suggests just that. The article correctly notes that a lot of obesity has to do with our car-driven habits of today, but chemicals that we are breathing and eating might also be effecting us in ways that are making us fat.
It's kind of ironic that a bag of potato chips bought from Walmart, Price Chopper or your other favorite superstore can be making us fat in three ways:
The old argument that the landfill will solve all our problems seems silly here, when the real problem is all that packaged food that has to be disposed somehow and somewhere, releasing toxic chemicals at one point or another. Maybe today's landfill will keep things packaged up for a while but it's not guaranteed to keep us safe in the long-run. Moreover, we shouldn't see our freedoms limited by the malfeasence of modern technology.
Now we all know why all those rednecks are so fat. It's not only their diet, but it's the chemicals they are breathing in burning potato chips bags. I'll leave it at that. Happy New Year!!!!!
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It's amazing where all the time has gone, and how we have grown and changed over the past five years. A decade defined through fear and war, that will ultimately be defined as a success or a failure by the next five years. I don't know what 2005 much less 2010 will look like, but we can all hope for the best as we start out on a fresh year.
I want to wish y'all the best of luck in the new year, along with greater peace, freedom, and dignity as an individual. May god bless you through the year of 2005.
There are three this year:
These are bold new years resolutions, but they reflect my commitment to social change and making a difference in the troublesome times that we all live in as individuals. I know I can make it happen.
The Canal Authority, which is ran by the Thruway Authority had some ethical issues with selling development rigths really cheap, and the story has just gotten thicker: our governor's people tried to hide the truth from the public and Assembly.
He is right to a degree with Medicaid versus no insurance at all and avoiding the doctor, but Medicaid gives very little to those who get it, making any health care they get minimal. We need a far better system to protect the health of our most vunerable residents in our society. Most of the people without health insurance work many, many hours and far harder then we do, but can't afford it as it's not a benifit of the small company that employees them.
Suprisingly enough there was little hype about this hike eventhough it will greatly effect teenages (particularly those in rural areas) and those living the most on the margins of society. An additional 45¢ and hour is a decent hike for most us, but the poorest are especially greatful. To say nothing of possible upward pressure on wages for the rest of us in response to this hike. You might make $30,000 a year, but don't be surpised if your wages aren't slightly increased by this hike.
It seems like the eds at the TU have been really tough on Renselear County DA DeAnglis for her no nonsense method of procecuting cases, including the 89-cout indictment against Romeno. That is her job to procecute people to the best of her ability, and it is the job of defense lawyers to fight the procecution. Judge McGrath is largely at fault for allowing DeAnglis to get so out of hand in the court and procecute with absurd charges, and it's disconcerning how close of relationship there is between both people. The best we can hope for in Renselear County is that McGrath is replaced by another judge after being reviewed by the Judical Conduct panal, with something that is less biased and more fair. It's not the DA's job to be fair, but it's certainly is the judge's job to keep the DA in line.
He is the most prolific legislator, getting more bills passed then anyone else, by writing small but important changes to the law that everybody wants to see happen.
That's great to here with one of NY's greatest lakes getting a bit cleaner for fishing and other kinds of recreation. It isn't perfect yet, but we can strive to having a cleaner lake.
The Poughkeepsie Journal celebrates the cuts to car insurance we've seen over the past few months thanks to aggressive procecution of insurance criminals.
