The Water Buffalo Press

We're Moving!

2007-04-17T08:16:00.000-05:00

The Water Buffalo is moving to WordPress. Everyone here would greatly appreciate if links could be redirected to the new site: waterbuffalopress.wordpress.com.

The blogspot site should automatically redirect but we have noticed a few problems in the initial days of the changeover.

Thank you for your patience and understanding -

D&C Hopes Fear = Readers (Pt. 2)

2007-04-12T15:09:00.000-05:00

Neither Shock Nor Awe

First the editor and publisher of the D&C tried to scare you into reading with the ominous tagline: "A neighborhood in our community is contaminated and homeowners have been unaware of the potential danger."

The Fox News fear approach may have worked for the Gannett publication had the WBP not completely debunked the aforementioned claims in our post on the matter back in March.

As we reported, records regarding the contamination which was the subject of the piece had existed for over a decade in multiple forms available to the public.

But the D&C did not yield and proceeded to report on a "groundwater contamination plume" that supposedly threatened water supplies and homes throughout Victor, NY. The articles prompted public forums where citizens voiced their anger that state and local officials would put them in harm's way. Some residents thought they might have to move. Air and water samples were taken and the D&C braced for the worst and called for more "Watchdog" tips from readers.

What was the result of Rochester's self-proclaimed watchdog's actions? Do we have to wipe out Victor Jericho-style and completely start the cycle of life over?

From the D&C -

State officials say they’ve found only one Victor home in need of ventilation to combat solvent vapors suspected to originate from contaminated groundwater in a western section of the town.

(Key ominous music) >Bum, bum, bum<

Local Pork

2007-04-12T10:17:00.000-05:00

. . . And This Little Piggy

Here are some initial highlights of local/regional member item spending from the 2007-08 Enacted NYS Budget -

Genesee Regional Homecare Association, Inc. received a grant of $15,000. The group also received another grant under the name Genesee Region Homecare Association.

Greater Rochester Area Partnership for the Elderly, Inc. received funding in the amount of $11,000.

The Town of Henrietta received $30,000 in funding compared with the Town of Irondequoit which received $65,000. The Town of Dansville received $70,000.

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association - Rochester Chapter, Inc. received $5,000.

Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley received two separate grants for $50,000 and $25,000.

The University of Rochester Medical Center was the recipient of five grants totaling $135,000.

The Greater Rochester Visitors Association received $20,000. The Greater Rochester Visitor (notice the s is dropped) received two more grants totaling $125,000.

$200,000 was granted to the Rochester Tooling and Machining Association.

The Town of Leroy received $15,000, the Village will get $23,000.

Ontario County will receive $30,000.

$30,000 was set aside for the Rochester Museum and Science Center.

Arts for Greater Rochester received $25,000 while Artwalk of Rochester was the recipient of two separate grants totaling $30,000.

Garth Fagan Dance received one grant for $50,000 and Garth Fagan Dance, Inc. received $25,000.

Grants for $10,000 and $5,000 went to the George Eastman House.

Geva Theatre was the recipient of $50,000.

The Greece Chamber of Commerce Foundation will receive $20,000.

The Henrietta Foundation, Inc. (never heard of it) received $50,000.

$35,000 will go to the Village of Livonia in Livingston County.

$15,000 was set aside for Monroe County.

The Ontario County Historical Society is the recipient of $45,000.

Rochester's Philharmonic Orchestra received $100,000 while the City of Rochester was the recipient of $70,000.

$5,000 will go to this year's Lilac Festival.

The Brighton Fire District and Volunteer Ambulance, Inc. each received $20,000.

$500,000 will go to the Geneva Community Center.

The Livingston County Clerks' Office received two grants totaling $51,000 while the County Government Center received $16,000.

The Village of Penn Yan is the recipient of $80,000.

The Rochester Regional Community Design Center will receive $35,000.

RIT Interpreters for the Deaf will receive funding in the amount of $100,000.

$125,000 will go to the Finger Lakes Institute.

Friends of the Community Charter School of Rochester, Inc received $10,000.

$35,000 will go to the WXXI Public Broadcasting Council.

The Rochester Regional Library Council is the recipient of $30,000.

Prisoners' Legal Services (yes, legal services for individuals already convicted of a crime) received one of the largest grants: $2,285,000.

The Ontario County Sheriff Department will receive $10,000.

This is by no means a complete list. A full listing of all member item monies distributed (all 162 pages) is available here.

Kurt Vonnegut: 1922-2007

2007-04-12T07:49:00.000-05:00

If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED

FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

WAS MUSIC

Boooooooo!

2007-04-11T15:38:00.000-05:00

Anyone Know a Good Connect?

From the D&C -

A Rochester man accused of growing dozens of marijuana plants in his home was this morning remanded to Monroe County Jail without bail.

Brian H. Collyer, 37, of 188 Sanford St., was charged with second-degree criminal possession of marijuana and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies, and growing cannabis, a misdemeanor, according to City Court records. He was arrested last night after Rochester police officers executed a search warrant at his residence.

Officers found 42 live cannabis plants of various sizes and several drying plants on the second-floor of the house, according to court records. The drying marijuana plants weighed approximately 30 ounces, according to police.

Officers also found metal knuckles on a shelf in a first-floor bedroom, according to court records.

Who the hell is a stoner going to hurt with brassknuckles?

Where's The Pork?

2007-04-11T14:54:00.000-05:00

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I smell bacon. It is Christmas time again for all of New York state's political cronies.

The Empire Center has released its report on Member Item monies, or pork, in the 2007-08 NYS Enacted Budget. All you lefties who click on the embedded link, be careful, the Empire Center is a conservative think tank and I know some of you have an aversion to such groups.

Staffers here at the WBP are reviewing the 162 pages of member items and we will provide you with a more regionally specific analysis later this evening.

In the meantime, here are some highlights:

Although it has been widely reported that the budget included a total of $170 million in new legislative pork, our analysis of budget bills turned up only $101 million in individual appropriations listed under various subtotals for the "Community Projects 007" account, which traditionally is the funding source for legislative member items. Moreover, while the two houses traditionally divide the member-item grants into equal amounts, our totals (as summarized below) are unevenly distributed between the Senate and Assembly.
-snip-

. . . as of ten days after the budget was passed, neither the Senate nor the Assembly had made good on a promise to release an authoritative list of member items. The Legislature also has not identified individual sponsors of member items (although Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno released his personal list). Also still missing from the public record is any information on the purpose of, or justification for, any of the member-item expenditures.

- The Senate majority's 2,427 member items totaled $56.5 million.

- Senate Democrats issued 982 member items totaling $6.5 million.

- Prisoner's Legal Services received the largest member item from Assembly Democrats, with a $2.3 million grant. There were 1,682 member items lined out in the new budget bills from the Assembly Majority totaling $31.4 million.

- Assembly Republicans issued 730 member items totaling $4.2 million. The two largest grants; both totaling $50,000 -- went to the Williamsville Junior Football program and the Town of Greenwood.

- At least 666 grants totaling $6.5 million were awarded to senior-citizen organizations statewide. Veterans groups, including American Legion posts, accounted for at least 151 member items totaling $1.5 million.

- At least 599 grants totaling $6.8 million went to public, private and charter schools, and to public libraries across the state.

More analysis of local impact to come -

COMIDA & Public Pollution

2007-04-10T09:57:00.000-05:00

Getinge Sourcing LLC May Receive Benefits

A public hearing is scheduled for 6:00pm tomorrow night regarding the possible receipt of COMIDA benefits by Getinge Sourcing LLC. The hearing will be held at the Henrietta Town Hall at 475 Calkins Road.

Getinge is asking COMIDA to assist in the renovation and equipping of a land parcel on East Henrietta Rd. including the reconfiguration of the manufacturing floor, building office space and constructing a new showroom. COMIDA will apply its standard set of mortgage and property tax exemptions.

Getinge Sourcing LLC has also drawn the attention of another organization.

PlanetHazard.com allows visitors to "learn about the unknown hazards around you - the toxins you may be breathing. PlanetHazard uses information from the EPA to map over 86,000 companies throughout the United States that emit hazardous air pollutants."

Getinge Sourcing LLC is listed in the Rochester area as an emitter of chromium, nickel and manganese.

PlanetHazard also displays a searchable map that allows users to pinpoint locations like schools, populated areas and parks in relation to the respective company.

Play Nice

2007-04-10T08:51:00.000-05:00

Blogosphere is the New Sandbox

The New York Times ran a story yesterday regarding efforts by some within the blogging community to establish a blogosphere code of conduct.

The voluntary system would be tiered with different levels of enforcements depending on what would or would not be allowed on the respective blog.

One of the big pushers behind this effort is Wikipedia creator Jimmy Wales, the other is Tim O'Reilly who apparently came up with the term Web 2.0.

Just so readers are aware: anything goes here at the Water Buffalo Press.

Examples of the proposed codes of conduct are available here.

NY Part of New Super Tuesday

2007-04-09T10:27:00.000-05:00

Reports are coming out that NYS Governor Eliot Spitzer has signed off on the final legislation, effectively moving the date of the 2008 New York presidential primary to Tuesday, February 5th.

Many other states are considering, or have enacted, similar legislation and New York could eventually be one of nearly two dozen states holding primaries on the new day. The move could help presidential hopefuls from New York, namely Clinton and Giuliani, and other pols who are able to head into early contests with large cash reserves. Read more on the issue here -

The Gitmo Circus

2007-04-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

US Gov't Places Unenforceable Gag Order on Former Prisoner

The Gitmo circus rages on with antics rivaled only by Barnum & Bailey and intricate choreography ala Cirque de Soleil.

From a story in yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald -

David Hicks could be sent back to Guantanamo Bay to serve the rest of his seven years term if he breaches his pre-trial agreement by speaking to the media, his military lawyer says.

Major Michael Mori today said Hicks was focused on returning to Australia and could not have asked for a better sentence than going home within 60 days.

Hicks, who has spent five years in the US' military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after being captured in Afghanistan in late 2001, last week pleaded guilty to a charge of giving material support to terrorists.

Under a plea deal negotiated between Hicks' lawyers and the US military commission, he will be returned to Australia to serve nine months in an Adelaide prison before being set free.

He also agreed not to speak to the media for a year or allege he was mistreated while in detention.

Major Mori today said that if Hicks breached any of the conditions in the plea bargain - such as by speaking to the media - he could be forced to serve out the entire seven-year sentence, that is to be suspended after the nine months.

"Violating many of the provisions of pre-trial agreement actually could require him to serve the remainder of the sentence hanging over his head," Major Mori told the ABC's 7.30 Report. "He could potentially be brought back to Guantanamo to serve it."

Just one problem, as reported in today's edition of the Morning Herald -

THE gag on David Hicks speaking to the media for 12 months would not be enforceable in Australia, the Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, admitted last night.
Mr Ruddock said Australia had no law making it a crime for Hicks to talk, and the United States would be able to act on a breach only if Hicks came "within their reach".
-snip-

. . . later, speaking on the ABC's Lateline he said that for Australia to agree to an extradition, a charge similar to the one laid overseas must exist under Australian law. "In Australia, we have a position about freedom of speech."
Asked if the gag order meant nothing, and Hicks would be able to speak to the media, Mr Ruddock responded: "I suspect you are probably right."
Mr Ruddock said the US included the clause in the plea bargain and it was a matter for the US, Hicks, his prosecutors and his counsel. "I don't think it's a matter for us to enforce," he said.
-snip-

Hicks's father, Terry, has expressed his outrage that the gag order extends to him, and constitutional law experts have said that it breaches Australia's fundamental guarantees of free political discussion.

Read more in our previous post on Gitmo that highlights the efforts of Amnesty International to shut down the shining example of American hypocrisy and human rights infringement.

Who Gets What

2007-04-04T13:24:00.000-05:00

Aid to Community Colleges

The NYS Assembly website has a listing of aid for community colleges in the 2007-08 Enacted Budget. How did our region fare?

Finger Lakes
Estimated Funded Enrollment: 3,528
Executive Proposed $100 Base Aid Increase: $352,818
Enacted $50 Base Aid Increase: $176,409
Total 07-08 Base Aid Increase: $529,227

Monroe
Estimated Funded Enrollment: 14,220
Executive Proposed $100 Base Aid Increase: $1,421,976
Enacted $50 Base Aid Increase: $710,988
Total 07-08 Base Aid Increase: $2,132,964

Checking Up on Congress

2007-04-04T10:42:00.000-05:00

The newest addition to our Links section: OpenCongress.org.

Thanks to RochesterTurning for the heads up on this site which is a joint project between the Participatory Politics Foundation and and the Sunlight Foundation.

RochesterTurning has a great breakdown of the site's features, which includes a link to recent buzz on respective representatives from blogs like the WBP, the aforementioned RochesterTurning and the Fighting 29th.

NORMLization

2007-04-04T08:26:00.000-05:00

New Mexico Approves Med Marijuana

Bill Richardson, New Mexico Governor and Presidential hopeful, getting some press on this issue.

From a Reuters story -

New Mexico doctors are allowed to prescribe marijuana to help some seriously ill patients manage symptoms including pain and nausea under a bill signed into law by Gov. Bill Richardson on Monday.

"This law will provide much-needed relief for New Mexicans suffering from debilitating diseases," Richardson said at the signing ceremony. "It is the right thing to do."

The southwestern state is the 12th in the United States to endorse the use of marijuana for medical uses. New Mexico's state legislature is the fourth in the country to enact such a measure.
-snip-

The law creates a panel of eight expert physicians and other health care workers to supervise the program. Qualified patients must be under a doctor's care and supervision, the news release said.

"I would like to thank the governor for ... giving me another shot at life," said Essie DeBone, who suffers from advanced complications from HIV/AIDS.

Rochester Int'l Jazz Fest

2007-04-04T07:56:00.000-05:00

The final artist line-up and schedule for the 2007 Jazz Fest is now available. Artist picks from the WBP in the weeks to come -

Where's the Accountability?

2007-04-03T09:38:00.000-05:00

Local Leaders Question Rivera's Role

Continuing down the slippery education funding slope, which saw its grade steepened by initiatives that set hazardous precedents like the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, the 2007-08 Enacted Budget works further to take the issue out of the hands of localities and centralize the power to disburse funding in Albany - not a recipe for success in my book.

The passing of Maintenance of Effort legislation in the state budget requires the City of Rochester to give the City School District the same amount of aid as last year with no ties to accountability or performance standards.

Puzzling for a district which, despite receiving considerably more in aid than districts in other Upstate cities, has produced one of the most dismal graduation rates in the nation. According to statements from Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green on the Brother Wease program last week, he possesses data which indicates that only 25%-35% of RCSD students eventually graduate.

Why, in the midst of a conversational storm about reform and accountability standards, would this Maintenance of Effort legislation be passed? Some local leaders are questioning the role Manny Rivera, currently in a dual role as Superintendent and gubernatorial Education chief, played in its passage:

“I question why it was put in place with absolutely no language for accountability whatsoever,” [Rochester Mayor Bob] Duffy said.

Duffy has been highly critical of the district’s dismal four-year graduation rate, and wanted the option to pull funding. The city is facing a $17 million budget gap.

A month ago, the mayor sent a letter to the school district demanding information relating to spending and academic performance. In his State of the City address last week, he proposed tying school aid to results. He has not received a response from school officials.

Morelle says he was the only lawmaker to take the floor to oppose the maintenance of effort legislation. He said the law is unprecedented, and has the effect of taking away local control and accountability of school funds.

Morelle suspects Rochester’s superintendent, Dr. Manuel Rivera, played a role in getting the bill passed. Rivera has been serving as the governor’s deputy education secretary, a job he will assume full time next month.

“I certainly think there may have been undue influence by Manny as a superintendent, and while there is disclosure about that, I just think it's something we need to think about,” Morelle said. “I think he needs to question whether or not he can serve both masters at the same time.” 13WHAM asked Mayor Duffy if he believed Rivera played any role in getting the legislation passed.

“In terms of the role of the superintendent, I would say this, that's a very good ethical question and I'm going to decline comment at this time,” Duffy said.

Rivera had already counted the full $119 million in the budget he submitted to the school board last month.

Reservist Objector to be Discharged

2007-04-03T08:52:00.000-05:00

Federal Judge Rules

From an AP story -

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A Marine lance corporal who said he had an aversion to killing and participating in war must be released from the military as a conscientious objector, a federal judge ruled.

The Marine Corps Reserve must discharge Robert Zabala, 23, by mid-April, under the ruling.

Zabala said he was troubled during boot camp in 2003 when a fellow recruit committed suicide and a superior used profanities to belittle the recruit. Zabala said he was "abhorred by the blood lust [the superior] seemed to possess," according to a 2006 court petition for conscientious-objector status.

Another boot camp instructor showed recruits a "motivational clip" showing Iraqi corpses, explosions, gunfights and rockets set to a heavy metal song that included the lyrics, "Let the bodies hit the floor," the petition said. Zabala said he cried, while other recruits nodded their heads in time with the beat.

"The sanctity of life that formed the moral center of petitioner's life was being challenged," his attorney, Stephen Collier, wrote in a court filing.

U.S. District Judge James Ware, who served 13 years in the Army Reserve, said he was convinced of Zabala's sincerity about his struggles to "reconcile the demands of duty with the demands of conscience."

Who Gets What

2007-04-03T08:30:00.000-05:00

Budget Numbers for Your Area

The NYS Budget Division has numbers posted for the Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) portion of the recently Enacted Budget.

The 2007-08 Enacted Budget restructures AIM to target additional State aid primarily to fiscally distressed municipalities. An AIM increase of $50 million is authorized in 2007-08, and in each of the three following years, for a four-year total of $200 million. These increases are tied to enhanced accountability requirements that encourage local fiscal improvement. Finally, the 2007-08 AIM program continues to provide incentive grants to local governments that consolidate or share services under a $25 million Shared Municipal Services Incentive (SMSI) grant program.

DOB allows users to search by zip code or name for their own county, city, town or village and its respective allotment of AIM funding.

Albany Preserves Adirondacks

2007-04-03T07:48:00.000-05:00

From an AP story -

State officials have completed agreements to protect almost 260,000 acres of Adirondack wilderness and open much of it to public recreation. The deal, struck in 2004 with the International Paper Company, involved conservation easements on 257,000 acres in nine counties. Under the contracts, the Lyme Timber Company, which has since bought most of International Paper’s Adirondack land, will not sell the land for development, and the state will pay local taxes.

Think This Budget is Done?

2007-04-02T21:08:00.000-05:00

Not Hardly

“The governor may at any time within thirty days thereafter and, with the consent of the legislature, at any time before the adjournment thereof, amend or supplement the budget and submit amendments to any bills submitted by him or her or submit supplemental bills.”

That is from the New York state constitution and that means this budget is far from over and patting anyone on the back for passing it "on-time" is misguided and undeserved. Sorry Steamroller.

Of the many special interest additions we will likely see over the next few weeks, one of the items at the top of the legislature's to-do list in the coming days is a nice little pay raise for themselves. I challenge any reader to give me a logical reason why they actually deserve a raise.

One more thing, has anyone been able to find a breakdown of individual legislator's votes on the budget? The Assembly page search tool is useful if you know the individual bill numbers but most of the Senate and Assembly members did not even see those.

Johnson's Ferry: SOLD!

2007-04-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

An End to a Very Long, Very Strange Trip

Rochester City officials announced the sale today of the Spirit of Ontario fast ferry.

Mayor Bob Duffy said the vessel has been sold to Germany-based FRS for $30 million. According to reports the company has already paid a 10% deposit.

The purchase will leave the City with roughly $20 million in debt on the boat.

Rosie, Loose Change & the BBC

2007-04-01T13:13:00.000-05:00

Conspiracy Lives On

Noam Chomsky has publicly stated that he does not believe there is any way that the attacks of 9/11 were organized or undertaken by our own government.

Hunter S. Thompson stated on international radio before his death that he had every reason to believe that the American public did not know all the details of the attacks.

The 9/11 conspiracy debate is very much alive and well and in the news.

All the hub-bub started when Bill O'Reilly and other right wingers launched a good old fashioned offensive against those "Hollywood liberal types."

First up was Dallas Mavericks owner and media mogul Mark Cuban who has announced that he will fund distribution for an updated version of the notorious Loose Change 9/11 conspiracy film. The film gained immense popularity during its time as a freely shared Google video, but has been mostly unavailable in its finished form since last year when it was taken down for copyright issues.

The next target was Rosie O'Donnell who, at the close of heated political debate with hottie conservative View co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck, said the public did not everything about the 9/11 attacks. O'Donnell cited the collapse of WTC Building 7, which she called the "first steel building in history to collapse from fire," as being in defiance of the laws of physics. She went on to say that the building could only have collapsed with the assistance of explosive charges.

WTC Building 7 has also had increased internet buzz over the last half of March with the materialization of an apparently damning YouTube video.

The video is made up of BBC News footage from 9/11. The segment in questions highlights the coverage of the collapse of the Solamon Building, WTC Building 7, nearly half an hour before the building actually collapsed.

I cannot say whether conspiracy theorists are right or wrong. However, these events highlight the mis-, dis- and incorrect information circulating around the happenings of 9/11.

What I can confirm is, in the end, it appears !egad! that Rosie was right.

The following clip is from a PBS documentary segment with the leaseholder of the World Trade Center and his decision on WTC Building 7 -

This is Government?

2007-04-01T10:36:00.000-05:00

Why no April Fools' Day fake news post? Well, because we think they are lame and what is happening at the state capitol is amusing and disturbing enough -

Like a high school freshman rushing through his homework that he left until last minute even though it was assigned to him a month ago, cutting and pasting from Wikipedia without actually reading any of it and hoping his teacher won't notice; the NYS Leg blew through a flurry of bills last night - only pausing for the delays it took to print them.

So much for reform and the inclusion of rank-and-file legislators, the ones you and I elected, in the decision making process. Our representatives are not even allowed the opportunity to read the bills, much less consider the impact of the legislation on his or her respective district.

"How am I voting Mr. Leader? Ok, thank you Mr. Leader, may I have some more money now?"

What did all the backroom dealing, cronyism and influence peddling get us? A budget that increases spending at THREE TIMES the rate of inflation. The new Governor considers the budget a "success." Whatever you say Spitz . . .

Diana Fortuna of the Citizens Budget Commission sums it up:

"The rush to pass legislation before the public or even lawmakers have a chance to consider it is a continuation of business as usual," Fortuna said. "The budget process is still a mess."

Working for the Weekend

2007-03-31T21:12:00.000-05:00

Our state legislature is actually working on a Saturday. Why not, they take off the other 364 days of the year.

As midnight approaches the latest budget news:

- No tax credits for private school tuition;
- Rochester will not receive any additional funding beyond the 33% increase from last year's level;
- Current total looks to be around $121 billion.

400 Killed in Iraq Over Last 3 Days

2007-03-31T21:07:00.000-05:00

militarytimes.com

Mo' Money, Mo' Problems

2007-03-30T15:18:00.000-05:00

New Yorkers Pay More But Just Not Happy

The Center for Governmental Research compared local governments in New York and Virginia, here is what it found:

CGR prepared a study for the Long Island Index that compared local governments in the two counties on Long Island with two comparable counties in northern Virginia. Including school districts and special districts, Long Island has 439 local government entities compared with 17 in northern Virginia. Long Island governments spend 45% more, per capita, than their northern Virginia counterparts, and local property taxes are 55% higher on Long Island. Despite that, a comprehensive survey of both regions found that citizens in northern Virginia rate the level of service provided by local governments and schools higher, and say they have better access to government officials.

100th Post: Your 5Linx Story

2007-03-30T14:52:00.000-05:00

Takin' it to the Streets

Just over two months ago we relaunched the current version of the Water Buffalo Press. It is now 100 posts later and we would like to thank everyone who visited, read, commented and linked.

Our first post examined the company 5Linx, located in Henrietta, NY, and its worthiness of millions of dollars in funding and incentives given its employment of the suspect MLM business model. Today, this is still our most visited thread with the most recent comments coming just two weeks ago:

dj_paige said...
PyramidSchemeAlert.org? Why didn’t I think of that? This whole thread should be made widely available somehow -- perhaps by putting it on its own page with a catchy title so that Google can search for it, and people can find it.

On that note, with assistance from PyramidSchemeAlert.org, we have begun building a file for review on 5Linx and its business operations. We invite anyone who has had a 5Linx experience, positive or negative, to either post his or her story in the comments section below or email your story to waterbuffalopress@gmail.com.

Once the information is complied it will be submitted to the Federal Trade Commission and Office of the NYS Attorney General for review.

All of our 5Linx stories can be found in the COMIDA section of our archives. We thank you for your input, more to come -

What's Good For the Goose is Not Neccesarily Good for the Dems

2007-03-30T13:37:00.000-05:00

Federal Pork Oversight Weakened

From a Washington Times story -

The federal agency that tracked pork-barrel spending during the 12 years of the Republican congressional majority has discontinued the practice since Democrats took power . . .

CRS, a nonpartisan agency of the Library of Congress created to conduct research for members of Congress on legislative issues, changed its policy in February -- a month after Democrats took control of the Congress and vowed to curb the number of special-interest projects inserted into spending bills or even reports that don't require a vote. CRS Director Daniel P. Mulhollan developed the policy after consulting with "internal CRS appropriations experts" and deciding the service was redundant with what other agencies do, CRS spokeswoman Janine D'Addario said.

"His decision was strictly an internal decision," said Miss D'Addario, whose agency began providing Congress members with information on earmarks in 1994, when Mr. Mulhollan took over as director.
-snip-

Several lawmakers, particularly those who had come to rely on the agency to identify the dollar value of earmarks in appropriations and other laws, were caught off guard by the change.

"It's troubling -- I can't think of any justification for that," said Rep. Jeff Flake, Arizona Republican. "They've done good research in the past ... That's what they're here for -- the benefit of the members" of Congress.
-snip-

Republicans said they want an independent observer because pork is often in the eye of the beholder and estimates of the amount vary widely.

Citizens Against Government Waste put the figure for 2006 at $29 billion, while Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee said it was $17 billion. Mr. DeMint, citing a CRS report, said the amount totaled more than $67 billion.

Mr. DeMint said no other agency or group has the resources, expertise and access to provide Congress with data on earmarks. "This is really baffling that CRS would do this," he said.
-snip-

When Democrats took control of the 110th Congress in January, they promised to limit the long-standing and bipartisan practice of slipping pork spending into bills. But when the House last week passed a $124 billion emergency war-funding provision, the bill included as much as $20 billion in nonmilitary and pork-barrel spending, a move widely criticized . . .
-snip-

The emergency war-funding provision included $74 million for the peanut industry, $124 million for the shrimp industry and $25 million for spinach producers. The war-funding bill is proof an independent third-party observer like the Congressional Research Service is needed to keep track of earmarks, many in Congress say.

"I can tell you it's very difficult to get this type of information from the [House] Appropriations Committee -- very difficult," Mr. Flake said.

Just because the joke of an administration currently occupying the White House is Republican does not mean that we should be blind to Democratic shenanigans.

The CRS said it is cutting back because of redundancy, yet no other governmental organization is designed to digest and compile such information and present it to the Congressional body.

As indicated in the article, third party oversight of such issues gives the public an accurate picture of the economic implications of legislation, rather than the doctored numbers that communicate the message which the party in power wants to be heard.

Spitz Makes Concessions

2007-03-28T07:48:00.000-05:00

Steamroller Compromises With Senate GOP

NYS Governor Eliot Spitzer announced a tentative budget agreement between legislative leaders. The unnerving part of the announcement was the absence of any of those other leaders.

How did it (maybe) get done? Spitzer, Bruno and Silver ignored the warnings of Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and decided to spend more tax dollars:

- More than $350 million added to offset proposed cuts in healthcare.

- Approximately $500 million added to education spending to reduce the number of save-harmless districts and provide increased operating aid for districts throughout the state.

- The property tax relief program will provide savings via rebate checks.

- Certain provisions of the proposed corporate tax loophole package will be offset by business tax reductions.

It will be amazing if this agreement actually holds together, but it is obvious that Steamroller Spitzer is all too aware of how to play the Albany Deal Game. Did Spitz cave in the face of falling poll approval numbers? Why concede to the Senate GOP that, given party dynamics and leg majorities, is really the only Republican game in town?

Unfortunately, we will likely never know the answers to these and other questions as the negotiations have taken place in private via the classic "Three Men in a Room" style of politics. So much for reform -

NYS Assembly Highlights: 3/19 - 3/23

2007-03-26T09:23:00.000-05:00

Ah spring, when a young man's fancies turn to thoughts of budget negotiations - a budget that is supposed to be passed one week from today. We are not holding our breath.

Speaker Sheldon Silver has released his list of action items from last week's Assembly sessions. Highlights include:

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced that the Assembly gave final passage to legislation to change New York State's presidential primary date from March 4 to February 5, 2008.
"The earlier primary date will give our state the edge we need to lock in a candidate's commitment to New York and enhance our ability to select the best presidential candidate for the state and nation," said Silver. He noted that by passing this legislation, New York will now be linked with other influential states that have demographic as well as public-policy issues and needs similar to New York State's.

This is really just a political money-grab. By moving the Primary date up the scales are tipped in favor of the candidate who heads into the early primaries with the largest war chest. For example, a Hillary Clinton will have a much better chance of winning the party nomination than a Dennis Kucinich who would more likely gain momentum and votes through communicating ideas and establishing himself as an alternative candidate, rather than coming out of the gates as a favorite. In the middle of it all will be the state party leaders, bleeding media and personnel funds out of the massive campaign accounts with the promise of delegates.

Silver announced the passage of legislation to continue the reimbursement of counseling expenses for relief workers or individuals who personally witnessed the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
-snip-

Under the bill (A.6621, Silver / S.3039, Maltese), traumatized bystanders who were within a 10-block radius of the WTC site when the attack occurred and relief workers would continue to have their counseling services reimbursed until December 31, 2007. This benefit is available without regard to the residence or financial difficulty of a claimant. The rate of reimbursement is determined by a claimant's treating counselor or independent medical examiner and is based on a percentage of the counseling service that is related to the claimant's injury that is a direct result of the 9/11 attack. There is no cap on the reimbursement expense.

Undoubtedly we have a responsibility to help relief workers and the families of victims, but to expand coverage to those whom "personally witnessed" the attacks? The entire nation was, in a way, witnesses on that day and what of those who saw the Pentagon attack or the "crash" of Flight 85? Were their experiences any less chilling and upsetting?

As far as the arbitrary "10-block radius," I would have loved to been in on the conversation where they came up with that one. No caps on these reimbursements either - yikes.

Silver joined Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Lt. Gov. David Paterson and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno as well as the minority leaders from each house for a meeting in the Capitol to discuss, in public, a budget for the state's fiscal year 2007-08. Silver and Spitzer urged Senator Bruno and Senate Republicans to
reduce their excessive spending proposal to a level that is closer to the additional state revenue amount of $575 million that all parties agreed to earlier this month.

They may discuss it in public, but we will never see any deal made in public. As far as the additional $575 million is state revenue, more can be found on that fallacy here.

Open Thread: State of the City

2007-03-26T08:04:00.000-05:00

Everyone does open threads on Fridays. I do not know about you but I like Fridays - I am in prime bitching mode on Mondays. In that spirit here is our Monday Open Thread: what is the State of the City of Rochester in your opinion? Mayor Duffy will give his tonight at 7:00pm, we want to hear yours -

D&C Hopes Fear = Readers

2007-03-22T14:09:00.000-05:00

Breaking News That Is Not So Breaking

The headline is ominous: "A neighborhood in our community is contaminated and homeowners have been unaware of the potential danger." Oooooooo, freaky . . .

So begins the multimedia slide show when the D&C website link for a Sunday Special Report is clicked. At the center of the story is the former site of Dinaburg Distributing Inc., a laundry chemical seller that closed nearly 15 years ago. The D&C tag line says area residents were shocked to learn of possible groundwater and air contamination at the site. Breaking news shrouded in secrecy finally exposed to the light by the efforts of the great and powerful D&C? Not so much.

The D&C is about six years late to the game on this story. The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation actually held a public meeting regarding remediation at this site in August of 2001:

The New York State DEC and Department of Health invite you to a public meeting to discuss the former Dinaburg Distributing, Inc. property in the City of Rochester.
-snip-

The . . . site . . . has been vacant since 1995 and no dry cleaning chemicals remain in the building. The results of previous environmental investigations revealed soil and groundwater beneath the site are contaminated with trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE) . . .

In April 1999, the basement air in two homes adjacent to the site was sampled by the owner. PCE and TCE were detected in the air . . .

The DEC used Superfund monies to install soil vapor extraction systems in 2000.

According to this information at least two homeowners were aware of the vapors and those homes, according to this report, were the only two residences that were effected.

Additional contamination was discovered in the years that followed but just because no one paid attention does not mean that no one knew. Copies of site reports are available at the regional DEC office and the Rochester Public Library (next to the porn). A Dem & Chron 2006 article even highlighted Dinaburg and its disposal of drycleaning chemicals. The D&C would like you to believe the contrary, however, as they hope that the shock and awe tactics will get you to buy a paper on Sunday.

In fact, there are numerous companies still in operation which continue to contaminate. In addition, thanks to a list from the Environmental Protection Agency, who these businesses are and what toxins they deal in are very public and very available. Where is the D&C outrage over these businesses?

The EPA Envirofacts Warehouse identifies 43 entities as polluters and classifies their type into what they are allowed to release into the environment, for example:

Domine Builders

Permitted Discharges to Water? No
Toxic Releases Reported? Yes
Hazardous Waste Handler? Yes
Active or Archived Superfund Report? No
Air Releases Reported? Yes

To compare, Dinaburg had an affirmative in only one category.

Why did the D&C chose to highlight Dinaburg? Easy - no backlash from executives of a company no longer in operation.

Granted, why it took 17 years for this site to receive full remediation is a valid one, but perhaps more pressing is why this contamination is accepted and allowed.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Pork

2007-03-22T12:33:00.000-05:00

Cuomo Increases Member Item Oversight

Obviously aware of where one can go after the state Attorney General's office, ala Spitz, AG Andrew Cuomo has been extremely active since taking the reins - and extremely effective.

Cuomo's name has been in the news but, rather than grandstanding, his headlines have come for undertaking much needed government reforms such as the incentives received by public authority boards and dishonest college loan practices.

Today, the AG took aim at another of New York's bureaucratic travesties: member item funding, or pork.

Under the terms of the reform, the two main goals of disclosure and accountability will be assured by adding Disclosure and Accountability Certifications to member item contracts for not-for-profit and for-profit corporations. Governmental bodies, such as cities, school districts and fire districts, will not be required to file the certifications.

The Disclosure and Accountability Certifications will have the organizations receiving grants attest to any conflicts of interest, the public purpose of the taxpayer funds, and the bona fides of the organization’s good standing.

“Member items have been a source of increasing public concern,” said Attorney General Cuomo. “While my Office continues its review of member item contracts, it is important that the public be assured that, going forward, such spending will be transparent and accountable. I applaud the legislative leaders’ cooperation in maintaining the pace of reform.”

Examples of the disclosure forms can be found here and here.

This much-needed reform is welcome but the exemption of governmental bodies seems puzzling given the attention to conflicts of interest. Municipalities and school districts would appear, to me at least, as two sections lending themselves to cronyism and in need of greater oversight.

While Cuomo's actions up to this point have been far-reaching, drastic reforms; the initiative put forth today stops just short ("You stole my move!") of the changes that New Yorkers deserve.

Destroyer Named for Marine

2007-03-21T17:39:00.000-05:00

From the Military Times -

The name of a Marine who gave his life to save his comrades in Iraq will grace a new destroyer, the Navy announced Tuesday.

Cpl. Jason Dunham received the Medal of Honor on Jan. 11 for his actions April 14, 2004, when he grappled with an insurgent after his unit was ambushed in Karabilah, Iraq. Dunham threw himself on a live grenade to shield fellow Marines and, although he survived the initial explosion, died of his injuries after 10 days.

Navy Secretary Donald Winter plans to officially announce the ship’s name Friday in Dunham’s hometown of Scio, N.Y.
-snip-

Dunham is the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor since the advent of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

A machine gunner for Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Dunham was 22 years old when he died. The Navy provided an account of Dunham’s heroic actions:

“On April 14, 2004, Dunham’s squad was conducting a reconnaissance mission in Karabilah when his Battalion Commander’s convoy was ambushed. When Dunham’s squad approached to provide fire support, an Iraqi insurgent leapt out of a vehicle and attacked Dunham. As Dunham wrestled the insurgent to the ground, he noticed that the enemy fighter had a grenade in his hand. Dunham immediately alerted his fellow Marines, and when the enemy dropped the live grenade, Dunham took off his Kevlar helmet, covered the grenade, and threw himself on top to smother the blast. In an ultimate selfless act of courage, in which he was mortally wounded, he saved the lives of two fellow Marines.”

The Military Times is not run by any government entity, it is a Gannett News Company service. Each branch of the military actually has its own respective publication. With a built-in, captive audience and access not necessarily afforded general media the Military Times would certainly have the opportunity to examine issues about which many Americans are concerned. What was the lead story when I visited the website?

Airman to vie for Miss USA crown this Friday

Staff report
Posted : Wednesday Mar 21, 2007 18:21:08 EDT
As an airman, 2nd Lt. Kelly George is used to representing her country. In March, she’ll take a turn representing her state.

George, deputy chief of public affairs for the 314th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., will take the stage as Miss Arkansas on March 23 in the Miss USA pageant, to be broadcast on NBC. If she takes the tiara, George will represent America in the 2007 Miss Universe pageant.

“Kelly represents the Air Force and Arkansas well,” said Brig. Gen. Kip Self, 314th Airlift Wing commander. “She takes to heart the spirit of service in dedicating herself to civic duty and service to the country.”

The lieutenant hit the runway on Monday in Hollywood, Calif., for the pageant’s preliminary rounds wearing a sparkling black-and-white dress. Fans can vote for George to be Miss Photogenic at http://www.nbc.com/Miss_USA_2007/.

RCSD Cool With Dem Ebonix

2007-03-19T13:17:00.000-05:00

Diversity Dialogue Newsletter Supports BEV in School

Rochester City School District officials have voiced their support for the use of Ebonics, or Black English vernacular (BEV), as a classroom learning tool in the Winter '07 issue of the Diversity Dialogue newsletter distributed to staff.

The newsletter was authored by Michelle Hancock, RCSD Chief of Diversity and Leadership, and Tyra Webb-Johnson, Director of Coaching and Leadership.

According to the letter, to implement BEV in the classroom teachers can:

- Model standard English as part of formal speech in the class (shouldn't this be common practice anyway?)

- Switch into BEV during informal discussion

- Discuss features that differ in BEV and Standard English

Now, on top of the dozens of other responsibilities piled on our educators, teachers must be "bilingual" and proficient in a language that does not even exist. The newsletter frequently refers to BEV as a second language, I was unaware that there is a land of Ebonia where everyone speaks Ebonics.

Spanish is a second language, French is a second language, Ebonics is a joke and a travesty. Languages are based on form and structure with rules that apply based on situation and context, not which Chingy song is in the Top 40 this week.

By validating these so-called speech patterns the RCSD does nothing to assimilate the section of society that uses BEV. Rather than working to motivate individuals to develop skill sets that will make them successful in the predominant culture, such policies only enforce the status quo which has created the rift that produced these differences in socio-economic standing resulting in something like Ebonics.

How can a middle-class white guy with a private college English and Lib Arts degree formulate such an opinion? Well, I didn't really. I had always been on the fence on this issue until I read Richard Rodriquez's novel Hunger of Learning. As the child of immigrant parents Mr. Rodriguez lived this issue and his views on bilingual education are illustrated in a Time magazine article:

In the book, Rodriguez bears knowledgeable and compelling witness against America's recent methods of educating the underprivileged, and especially against bilingual education.

Rodriguez, in fact, is his own best case history. "I have been haunted by how my education has made me different," he says. As a "socially disadvantaged" son of Spanish-speaking parents, he entered a Roman Catholic grammar school in Sacramento, Calif., when he was six, speaking barely 50 words of English. By day, in class, he sat silent and unlearning. At night he luxuriated in the warmth and intimacy of his family's Spanish language and the separate, private world of his home. It was only when his teachers finally prevailed on Rodriguez's parents to try speaking English at home that his education began.
-snip-

Rodriguez has scant patience with middle-class ethnics, "filled with decadent self-pity," who resist entering the mainstream of American life. Today's bilingual classes, he maintains, keep children "poised at the edge of language too long." Using black English or Spanish in school is crippling because it reduces learning and delays assimilation; hence it reinforces a public form of separateness, a distinction that ultimately keeps minorities in their ghettos. "What I needed to learn in school was that I had the right—and the obligation—to speak the public language of los gringos," writes Rodriguez. "Only when I was able to think of myself as an American, no longer an alien in gringo society, could I seek the rights and opportunities necessary for full public individuality."
-snip-

"I've always been in favor of affirmative action, but only if class was the criterion rather than race."

What can students do, according to the newsletter, to help this program:

- Analyze the way black characters (their words not mine) deliberately alter speech patterns in media

- Create a list of BEV expressions and translate them into Standard English

Oh, oh . . . I have one. Whack, as in stupid, pointless or f-ed up.

NYS February Cash Report

2007-03-16T09:56:00.000-05:00

Comptroller Update on Coffers

NYS Comptroller Tom Dinapoli issued his February cash report yesterday. What is seen are the same outrageous spending trends that will ultimately bankrupt our state.

With eleven months of the State’s 2006-07 fiscal year complete General Fund receipts were $3.9 billion or 9.3 percent ahead of last year, All Funds receipts were $4.0 billion or 4.2 percent ahead of last year.

General Fund spending was $40.9 billion in the first eleven months of the fiscal year. This is $4.1 billion or 11.1 percent higher than during the first eleven months of the 2005-06 fiscal year. All Funds spending of $95.3 billion was $7.8 billion or 8.9 percent higher than last year.

Also, this so-called "surplus" we have been hearing so much about from better than expected tax collections does not exist.

The increased revenues currently in the closing balance can be attributed to slower than anticipated refunds issued to date. Also, spending is below the Financial Plan primarily due to the timing of Local Assistance payments planned for February, but will have been paid in March in four areas, including education aid, welfare, special education and children and family service spending.

While $500 million in personal income tax refunds were accelerated at the end of the 2005-06 fiscal year, which would have the effect of increasing year to year variance, planned refunds expected to be paid in February 2007 did not accumulate as anticipated in the Financial Plan. As a result, to date, collections after refunds are currently higher than projected. It is expected that refunds in March 2007 will accelerate and therefore be on target with Financial Plan projections.

Total General Fund disbursements increased $4.1 billion or 11.1 percent as compared with the first eleven months of 2005-06 fiscal year. The growth in General Fund disbursements is driven by increases in education, health, and social services spending, along with additional payroll disbursements associated with retroactive collective bargaining agreements during this year compared to the same period last year.

Yes, that's right; union employees were paid for the year, decided they weren't paid enough and then used their stranglehold applied on the legislature by their lobbies to bargain for additional compensation. Try going to your boss and asking for a little extra on top of your paycheck from last month and see how what kind of reaction your receive.

Then there is what I call the "section the SEIU/1099 does not want you to see." New York not spending enough on health care? Not so much.

Spending in the Health and Environment category nearly tripled from $398.9 million to $1.1 billion, due primarily to the State’s obligation to pay prescription drug costs for New Yorkers who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare and who have temporarily lost prescription drug coverage because of complications with the Federal government’s implementation of its Medicare Part D prescription drug program.

Social Services spending increased 5.3 percent, from $9.7 billion to $10.2 billion, due to several factors including:

- increasing cost of the Medicaid program providing health care services and prescription drugs
- rising number of recipients of publicly financed health care
- increasing medical service utilization in hospitals, nursing homes, and managed care programs
- an additional Medicaid cycle payment through February 2007

Granted, unfunded federal mandates factor into this equation, but New York state's Medicaid payments are well above the national average for many programs and that cannot be blamed on the Feds. Nor can New York use this point in defense as the state government passes plenty unfunded mandates of their own along to localities.

As for the "pork" that New York state voters and taxpayers love so much: spending on capital projects increased $420.5 million, or 10.7 percent.

Rochester Nurse Guilty of Medicaid Fraud

2007-03-16T09:39:00.000-05:00

Example of Why State System is Bloated

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo announced that a Rochester-area nurse pled guilty to receiving over $70,000 in Medicaid funds for private nursing services that she never provided. On March 12, Adrian Clements, 39, of Rochester, a Licensed Practical Nurse, pleaded guilty to one count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree (a felony) in Monroe County Court before Judge Thomas R. Morse. As part of her guilty plea, Clements admitted that on numerous occasions between October 1, 2003 and April 30, 2006, she submitted reimbursement claims that falsely represented that she provided nursing services to seven children and three young adults – all Medicaid recipients – when, in fact, nursing care was either not provided or it was provided by another nurse. Based upon the false claims, Clements stole $70,785 from the Medicaid program.

“My office remains committed to aggressively prosecuting those individuals who cheat and steal from the Medicaid program – and from taxpayers – for personal gain," said Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. “Those who abuse their professions as caretakers to take advantage of New Yorkers will face justice.”

Pictures From the Front

2007-03-15T14:50:00.000-05:00

A new WBP feature, pictures from the Iraq front, the first photo comes from Baghdad -

Poll Sitters Sentenced

2007-03-15T14:10:00.000-05:00

Ohio Election Workers Rigged Recount

Sadly, this is probably more common than anyone realizes. From an AP story -

A judge suspicious of more corruption pressed two former election board workers to tell what they know and then sentenced them Tuesday to the maximum 18 months in prison for rigging the 2004 presidential election recount to make their job easier.

"I can't help but feel there's more to this story," said Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Peter Corrigan, who allowed the women to remain free on bond pending appeal.
-snip-

The judge repeatedly asked Jacqueline Maiden, 60, an election coordinator who was the Cuyahoga County board's third-highest ranking employee, and ballot manager Kathleen Dreamer, 40, if higher-ups in the board had directed the recount rigging. "It seems unlikely your supervisors wouldn't know," the judge prodded.

The women, standing side by side, said they had cooperated with a state investigation of the elections board in Ohio's most populous county. The board has been a lightning rod for critics wary since Ohio gave the 2004 election to President Bush.
-snip-

Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter, appointed as an outside investigator to look into the election board in Cleveland, told that judge that the women had been uncooperative in the investigation and appealed for prison time for both.

"The defendants have never come clean," he said.

Prosecutors said the employees broke the law when they worked behind closed doors three days before the Dec. 16, 2004, recount to pick ballots they knew would not cause discrepancies when checked by hand so they could avoid a lengthier, more expensive hand recount of all votes.

Baxter criticized the outspoken support for the women from Robert Bennett, the election board chairman and head of the Republican Party in Ohio. Endorsing such criminal behavior is "amazing, it's astounding," according to Baxter, who didn't indicate if the investigation might lead to more charges.
-snip-

Each defendant was convicted of a felony count of negligent misconduct of an elections employee.

Maiden and Dreamer also were convicted of one misdemeanor count each of failure of elections employees to perform their duty. Both were acquitted of five other charges and a co-defendant who was an assistant manager of the ballot department was acquitted of all seven counts.

Ohio gave Bush the electoral votes he needed to defeat Democratic Sen. John Kerry in the election and hold on to the White House in 2004. Kerry beat Bush in Democratic Cuyahoga County 448,486 to 221,606.

The prosecutor did not claim the rigged recount affected the outcome of the election - Kerry gained 17 votes and Bush lost six in the county recount.

SEIU: We're Not Fans

2007-03-15T13:20:00.000-05:00

Voters Love Gov, Health Unions Don't

In response to a letter by state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long to Governor Spitzer, Jennifer Cunningham of SEIU/1199 issued the following statement:

“When New Yorkers elected Eliot Spitzer, we voted for a Democrat who we thought held firmly Democratic principles like supporting healthcare and public schools.”

“Now, as he’s accepting the kudos of the New York State Conservative Party, we have to wonder: Who will the governor stand with next in order to pass his wrongheaded budget?”

Spitzer did not really stand with Long, Long stood with Spitzer. Long did so because of the three legislative budgets presented thus far the Executive spends the least, while still increasing spending by twice the rate of inflation. While New Yorkers recognize that these trends cannot continue our representatives do not and that is why Long placed his support behind the Gov.

No one wants to see schools and hospitals close but spending more does not always get you more.

NYS Senate Alienating Base

2007-03-15T10:11:00.000-05:00

GOP Party Politics Incur Wrath of Conservatives

Republicans in the NYS Assembly have been criticizing budget proposals by their Dem colleagues and Governor Spitzer. The Assembly GOP has noted that out-year budget gaps will grow and spending increases at double the rate of inflation. This is a common complaint by the GOP which traditionally, in theory, supports decreases in governmental spending.

Given their minority, however, Assembly Republicans have little recourse in their house. Who has come to their aid in this grand battle? The GOP majority in the Senate, right?

Not so much.

The Senate budget plan actually calls for spending beyond that proposed by Democrats and Spitzer. The reasoning? There is none. This is nothing but a disgusting example of petty party politics. I can imagine Bruno's thought process:

"Taxes are bad, spending is bad and Democrats like both of those things so they are really bad, decrease spending, pray to Reagan. Wait . . . the Dems want to cut spending? Spending is good! Increase spending!"

Now, though, the GOP base is starting to take notice of the Senate's disregard for party ideals; so much so that the State Conservative Party Chairman is reaching out to support Governor Spitzer:

Conservative Party State Chairman, Michael R. Long, acknowledged that he and Governor Eliot Spitzer would be considered “strange bedfellows” regarding this years proposed state budget. However, with the additions made by the Republican controlled State Senate, Chairman Long told the Governor, in a letter sent yesterday, that he would have to re-evaluate his proposals.
-snip-

"As difficult as your budget is, what the Republican controlled Senate is proposing, forces me to re-evaluate your proposals.

We support your efforts to cut health-care. And we support your efforts to increase the number of Charter Schools in New York State. Both these areas of spending comprise the largest portions of New York’s budget. We must get them under control and end the massive amounts poured into health-care and education each year with very little positive results.

Hopefully we can work together, this year.
-snip-

We may find that “strange bedfellows” will help bring New York back to being the economic engine of the United States."

Fiscal Conservatives getting in bed with Democrats because the Republican party is so out of touch with society that it has lost complete sight of GOP ideals? Sounds like the staff here at the WBP.

Vegetable Oil Vigilante

2007-03-14T20:17:00.000-05:00

From an AP story -

(Adams, N.Y.) -- A northern New York man using vegetable oil to heat his home and run his cars has been found guilty of violating zoning codes.

A village of Adams judge has ruled that Mike Leeder was in violating of zoning codes while filtering the oil to make it usable. The judge says Leeder lives in a commercial zone, and filtering is only allowed as an industrial use.

Leeder says he . . . cannot afford to pay the $2,000 fine by March 27 as the judge ordered.

Signifying Nothing

2007-03-14T07:37:00.000-05:00

No Perks for Water Board, Someday

The WBP is officially labeling Maggie Brooks reelection campaign the Sound and Fury Tour 2007.

After grandstanding on the library porn non issue, a ruling by the Supreme Court has already dealt with that, Brooks and Bill "Gosh, I hope Mr. Minarik lets me run for Congress again someday" Smith last night saw the approval of their bill to end health benefits for future Water Board members.

The legislation has no effect unless one of the current members leave, this aspect drew obvious criticism from Democrats during debate yet only one voted in opposition.

According to the Democrat & Chronicle Bill Smith said stopping benefits for current members was not an option:

County officials said they didn't believe they could legally strip the benefits from current Water Authority members. Doing so could lead to costly litigation, warned Majority Leader Bill Smith, R-Pittsford.

"That's a fight I don't think we could win, and even if we did, it would be a joyless victory for the taxpayers who had to pay for it," he said.

Costly litigation? This seems ludicrous until the statement from the Authority spokesman is read:

Clyde Benoy, the authority's vice chairman, said before the vote that he understands the County Legislature's reason for its actions. But he, like the other board members, defended the benefits.

"We earn them," he said. "We run a $60 million corporation, the seven of us."

The people did not elect you Mr. Benoy. You did not earn anything, you were likely awarded your position out of cronyism and this legislation does nothing but further support that view. If you believe your pursuits are so noble open your entity up to public elections and allow the taxpayers to decide your fate, not the Republican party.

The Democrats also disappointed last night. Certainly some reform is better than none, but this bill is essentially nothing. Rather than allow Maggie to pass it through and take credit for changing an unjust system, make efforts to stall the bill and point out the hypocrisy as the 2008 election closes. Given the dynamics of the legislature much more may not have been accomplished but the only real opposition was voiced last night in a forum not necessarily conducive to public awareness.

Praise for Susan John

2007-03-13T15:29:00.000-05:00

Silver Notes Efforts on Workers' Comp

Local Assemblywoman Susan John (D-131) received recognition today from NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for her efforts on the Workers' Comp reform legislation which was signed into law today by Governor Spitzer:

Let me once again acknowledge the work of our Labor Committee Chair,
Assembly Member Susan John, who invested days, nights and weekends in helping to secure this agreement.

Some of the legislation will take effect immediately, notable changes include to the Comp system include:

-The maximum weekly benefit will increase to $500 immediately, then to 2/3 of the state average weekly wage by 2010 and will be indexed and adjusted automatically in the future;

-Increases the minimum weekly benefit to $100;

-Increases the dollar amount for pre-approval of medical services to $1000;

-Provides lifetime medical coverage for workers with permanent partial disabilities;

-Mandates lump sum settlement (Section 32) offers for permanent partial disabilities;

-Provides workers with meaningful vocational rehabilitation and light duty programs;

-Creates a "Rocket Docket" program to speed resolution of claims;

-Abolishes the New York Compensation Rating Board

WBP Poll: Benefits for Water Board

2007-03-13T09:12:00.000-05:00

The Monroe County Legislature will vote tonight on legislation, sponsored by County Exec Brooks and Legislator Bill Smith, that would end the payment of health insurance benefits to future members of the Monroe County Water Authority Board.

In our most recent WBP Poll, posted before the introduction of this bill, we asked readers whether they thought the payments should stop. 88% of readers responded that this practice should end while 12% had no problem with the payments.

There are no plans at this point to do away with the salaries board members receive which range from $7,000 - $10,500, despite the fact that other area authorities receive no compensation.

Shufflin' Off to Livingston County

2007-03-12T17:46:00.000-05:00

The Swede Stays, I Go

"The times are changing, and the people need rearranging"

The Swede chose to remain in Monroe County. I had enough this time around, which is not to say a return is out of the question; rather, a stay in the country every now and then is good for my humours so to Livingston I retreated.

I settled down with Visions of Cody, the Black Keys Magic Potion and the State of Livingston County as delivered by James C. Merrick, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. A superfluous title indeed and I ached for my county executive:

. . . we have created a smaller, smarter more efficient government.

Cannot wait to see how he pulls this one off.

. . . smaller because of the downsizing . . . from 13 committees to three. Smarter because more Supervisors are involved in our . . . decision making process and more efficient because our fund balances are strong and have grown without any reduction in services.

Sweet merciful crap. The first two statements contradict each other, he says fewer committees=bad but more Supervisors=good, more people complicate the decision making process in one case while benefiting it in another; but the last sentence took me by surprise. I am not accustomed to seeing those words used together in that order.

The next five pages go on to list government programs and initiatives the County has undertaken in the past with costs, grants received, how those grants were applied and the impact of the program.

Detailed, fleshed out ideas undertaken in an organized manner and then promptly reported on to the public? Something must be wrong, budget numbers -

. . . the 2007 budget was approved with a property tax rate of $7.07 per thousand, a decrease of 16% [from 2006].

Funding for highway and bridge projects is increased by 14%. The budget has a $3.5 million surplus which will be applied to capital projects "thus avoiding future debt service payments."

The County's Constitutional Tax margin dropped from 52% to 45% and Medicaid savings of $880,000 are expected. Livingston actually made money through the sale of fifteen parcels of land.

The remaining pages detail economic development initiatives, a bullet-point list of objectives for 2007 and graphs detailing budget numbers.

I can get used to this, my Leinenkugels is in short supply but there is plenty of the High Life until I can replenish.

With that the Water Buffalo Press stretches two counties, anyone interested in covering his or her own county feel free to contact the WBP.

2007-03-12T16:47:00.000-05:00

He saw that all the struggles of life were incessant, laborious, painful, that nothing was done quickly, without labor, that it had to undergo a thousand fondlings, revisings, moldings, addings, removings, graftings, tearings, correctings, smoothings, rebuildings, reconsiderings, nailings, tackings, chippings, hammerings, hoistings, connectings — all the poor fumbling uncertain incompletions of human endeavor. They went on forever and were forever incomplete, far from perfect, refined, or smooth, full of terrible memories of failure and fears of failure, yet, in the way of things, somehow noble, complete, and shining in the end. This he could sense even from the old house they lived in, with its solidly built walls and floors that held together like rock: some man, possibly an angry pessimistic man, had built the house long ago, but the house stood, and his anger and pessimism and irritable labourious sweats were forgotten; the house stood, and other men lived in it and were sheltered well in it.

-Jack Kerouac, The Town and the City 1950

Sunshine Week: March 11-17

2007-03-12T07:52:00.000-05:00

www.sunshineweek.org

Let's Get Together

2007-03-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

Unions: Good or Bad?

Local blogosphere abuzz lately with talk about the Congressional vote on the Employee Free Choice bill. Randy Kuhl's vote, specifically, has received plenty of attention. He voted no despite originally co-sponsoring the bill. If we are scoring correctly Rochester Turning says that's bad and the Fighting 29th (a Colbert voice always says this blog title in my head) says it's not such a big deal.

The Fighting 29th examines the benefits of unionization in a post today. The WBP decided to take a look as well.

According to a January 25th, 2007 US Department of Labor report:

In 2006, full-time wage and salary workers who were union members had median usual weekly earnings of $833, compared with a median of $642 for wage and salary workers who were not represented by unions.

In plain numbers, being a member of a union will earn you more money. Numbers can be misleading, though, and perhaps the trend is more closely linked to what industries see widest union membership, rather than membership itself:

Workers in the public sector had a union membership rate nearly five times that of private sector employees . . . The union membership rate for government workers (36.2 percent) was substantially higher than for private industry workers (7.4 percent). Within the public sector, local government workers had the highest union membership rate, 41.9 percent. This group includes several heavily unionized occupations, such as teachers, police officers, and fire fighters. Among major private industries, transportation and utilities had the highest union membership rate, at 23.2 percent, followed by construction (13.0 percent) . . . Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations (37.3 percent) and protective service occupations (34.7 percent) had the highest unionization rates

At the least this data tells us how the legislation was pushed through as these sectors are represented by very powerful lobbies, but does it tell us why? The majority of "average American workers" who belong to unions are not benefiting from union membership because "average Americans" are not public sector employees.

What if the focus is pared down to state level? Not many would say that the Upstate New York economy is booming. Does union membership play a role?

Four states had union membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2006--Hawaii (24.7 percent), New York (24.4 percent), Alaska (22.2 percent), and New Jersey (20.1 percent). Hawaii and New York have recorded the highest union membership rates among all states for 10 of the past 11 years.

Alaska and Hawaii can essentially be thrown out since their economies are anomalies given geography; left are New York and New Jersey, economies on the grow or on the decline?

The southern United States, particularly the southeast, have experienced considerable economic growth over the past decade. How do unions factor?

Among the five states reporting union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2006, North Carolina and South Carolina continued to post the lowest rates (3.3 percent each). The next lowest rates were recorded in Virginia (4.0 percent), Georgia (4.4 percent), and Texas (4.9 percent).

Union membership across the country is declining, but unions are big money and this legislation is a response to those declining numbers. The law may benefit the membership rolls but I have trouble believing it will benefit our economy.

NY Consumer Confidence Up

2007-03-10T21:34:00.000-05:00

State Bucks February National Trend

According to a poll from the Siena Research Institute, consumer confidence rose 0.4 of a point last month. However, this was due to increased consumer confidence in New York City; Upstate confidence actually dropped 4.9 points.

Buying plans were up for automobiles but the poll continued to show a slump in the housing market.

“We have a strange set of numbers for February: New York State inched up due to the New York City area, while upstate and the rest of the nation took a hit,” said Dr. Douglas Lonnstrom, professor of statistics and finance at Siena College and SRI Director. "These figures do not reflect the stock market drop last week. New York City now has its highest confidence since before 9/11. On the other hand, buying plans for homes, home improvements and furniture are all down, mirroring the decline in the housing market.”

At 89.9, New York State’s overall consumer confidence is only 1.4 points below the nation’s 91.3 confidence level.

2007-03-10T09:43:00.000-05:00

He felt intensely literary, sitting there in his underwear, all alone in the middle of Greenwich Village. How many others had trod the same path? Wolfe? O’Neill? Who else? Well, there was Bodenheim. Jesus. Anything but that.
He forced Bodenheim out of his mind, trying to concentrate on a plot, even a subject. The army? He’d always wanted to write a story about the army, really blast the bastards. Maybe satire; he had a flair for satire. Yeah, that was it – pit an oddball against the system, and rip the army to bits.
Now he could see himself in Andre’s. Casually mentioning the story he’d just finished. They probably wouldn’t believe him – he never paid any attention to those bums who were always talking about the great novels they were writing, the fabulous paintings they had in the works – but when he came in flashing the check, huge and beautiful from one of the slick magazines, they’d fall all over him. He could see it now: discussions of his work in the quarterlies, himself back home on vacation, parties in his honor, soft lips spilling secrets into his ear – he’d have it made.
The page was still blank, as he forced himself to concentrate…

--Hunter S. Thompson, Fire In The Nuts

2007-03-10T09:28:00.000-05:00

donklephant.com -

Hurry Up and Wait

2007-03-09T21:01:00.000-05:00

No Deal Yet on Fast Ferry

Earlier this week Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy told Euroferries to finalize its purchase of the Fast Ferry or the City was going elsewhere. He was just kidding I guess?

No deal so far as Duffy has now said maybe sometime next week. Maybe.

City of Rochester legal eagle Thomas Richards will apparently travel to Europe to make sure the deal gets done.

Duffy has said there are other potential buyers, multiple, but given the ultimatum earlier that turned out to not be an ultimatum one has to wonder if these buyers actually exist.

There are rumored reports of a company that toured the vessel while it was in Nova Scotia but Duffy has said he cannot comment on these reports.

With the Ferry, and now the troubles with the tenants of the Blue Cross Arena, the Mayor has a very full plate.

2007-03-09T18:00:00.001-05:00

Posativa

Add to My Profile | More Videos

It's Caption Time!

2007-03-09T14:36:00.000-05:00

This photo is from the announcement of the St. Patty's parade but we just couldn't resist. Here are a couple of ours, let's hear some of yours -

* Leprechauns LLC announces expansion at Culver-Ridge Office Park. The company will sell VoIPotsofGold through a network of independent "little" representatives and expects to create 4,563 jobs overs the next two years and will receive COMIDA tax incentives

* Brooks announces new Lucky Charms fee to help close budget gap

* Brooks announces the Monroe County Rainbow Authority Board Members will no longer receive health benefits

Maggie Says No More Perks

2007-03-09T09:12:00.000-05:00

Water Authority Board Members May Lose Health Insurance

Following two rulings by state AG Andrew Cuomo, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks has introduced legislation to end the payment of health insurance benefits to future members of the Monroe County Water Authority Board. However, board members will still receive salaries ranging from $7,000 -$10,500.

Additionally, current board members, many of whom have made campaign contributions to Brooks and the County Republican Party, will still receive the health benefits.

Here at the WBP we would like to think that Maggie has been reading our demands to end the perks for authorities and keeping an eye on our most recent poll regarding said benefits and that is why she introduced this bill. More likely, though, this is a calculated political move meant to position Brooks as a reformer in the upcoming election while doing nothing to disturb her political cronies already in place.

AG Cuomo: Authority Perks Illegal

2007-03-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

State AG Andrew Cuomo expanded his ruling on the payment of benefits to public authority board members today, telling the Thruway and Power Authorities to cease such activities. This judgement comes on the heels of a similar announcement which we covered here.

Such a ruling, especially in terms of the Thruway Authority which you can read more about here, is a long time coming. As illustrated in the aforementioned posting, the largest portion of authority budgets generally go to personnel costs.

Just to review, when the initial judgement was released we spoke with Ed Marianetti, Executive Director, of the Monroe County Water Authority whose board members receive Medicaid benefits and eligibility for the state pension system. Marianetti said that he did not believe the AG's ruling applied to the MCWA.

The WBP has again contacted the AG's office for clarification of the scope of this judgement, more to come -

NYS Comptroller Warns About Spending

2007-03-07T18:14:00.000-05:00

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has released his 2007-08 Executive Budget Review. The review has a great way of complementing Governor Spitzer right before it bitch slaps him.

That said, DiNapoli is right in many of his points. Spending continues to increase and the so-called "tax cuts" Spitzer has promised are replaced by higher fees. Additionally, some changes to the health care insurance system will actually end up costing New Yorkers more money.

All the while legislators are telling us we actually have a surplus in the state coffers and using it as an excuse to restore funding to previous levels. Former Governor Pataki had a way of proposing reductions in spending only to make late hour restoration deals before the deadline; Spitzer has promised he will not engage in this practice and we will hold him to that promise.

As for DiNapoli's budget review -

While the Executive Budget incorporates certain positive measures, there are a number of areas where the proposal falls short of reform, and in fact, repeats many of the poor fiscal management practices adopted in prior years.

First, year-to-year spending growth is unsustainable.

In other words, big promises for which New Yorkers' taxes will pay. What about that surplus we have all been hearing so much about? One thing about that:

. . . expected growth does not include $2.7 billion in capital spending that is proposed to occur off-budget. Accounting for offbudget spending would increase All Funds spending growth to 7.0 percent and State Funds spending to 8.8 percent as compared to 2006-07.

I cannot imagine any Executive who would keep his or her job after spending $2.7 billion "off-budget." The problem is that 2.7 billion is such a small amount in the eyes of our government; that is less than 2% of the total budget, why should they care?

. . . the 2007-08 Executive Budget continues to generate sizable out-year gaps . . . The cause of the gaps can be attributed to spending, which is projected to grow nearly twice as fast as receipts and two and one-half times the projected average rate of inflation.

. . . the 2007-08 Executive Budget continues to rely on debt rather than substantially increasing pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) capital spending. Based on the Executive’s proposed Five-Year Capital Program and Financing Plan, outstanding State-Funded debt will increase to $65.6 billion by the end of 2011-12, representing a 27.1 percent increase from 2006-07 and a 97.9 percent increase from 1997.

Who is paying for this? I'm not paying for this, are you paying for this?

One high note was DiNapoli's statement that local governments Upstate will benefit significantly from 'shudder' economic development 'shudder' efforts. That is one term we are very weary of here at the WBP but we will wait to rule on this one.

Another interesting note:

Due to New York’s delay in purchasing new voting machines and implementing other components of HAVA, the federal government may require New York to return approximately $50 million of the $190 million in federal funding targeted for the purchase of new machines.

Way to go.

Monroe County: Fun With Numbers

2007-03-06T10:23:00.000-05:00

And the Flu Too!

The office of Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks has released economic development numbers for 2006. The statistics are as slanted and misleading as those used in her State of the County address:

In 2006, County-sponsored programs approved incentives for 132 local economic development projects. These projects will create 1,857 new jobs (within five years of project completion), retain 9,688 jobs, and invest $373,868,000 in Monroe County.

Since Brooks took office in 2004, Monroe County has helped 385 companies improve and expand their local operations. These companies are creating 6,900 new jobs, retaining over 28,000 jobs, and investing more than $1 Billion in our local economy.

We refuted many of these claims in our response to the State of the County. The short story is that, according to the US Department of Labor, jobs are actually down since Maggie took office.

Also, the "385 companies" assisted by the County is inaccurate. There were 385 instances of incentives given, but many of these were repeat recipients.

As far as taking credit for creating jobs five years down the road that may never actually materialize - we are not impressed.

The County is also up to old scare tactics to make it appear as though our government is actually needed. Officials have asked for 500 volunteers to participate in a pandemic flu point-of-dispensing exercise. Go to podex.info to sign up.

Unfortunately, Brooks cannot take credit for creating jobs with this exercise as participants will not be paid. Although, using her math . . .

Kuhl Protests Canandaigua VA Closings

2007-03-05T14:27:00.000-05:00

Representatives from Kuhl's office state that the letter illustrates the Congressman's long held feelings regarding the VA closure and is not a political response to Eric Massa's recent statements.
Rep. John R. "Randy" Kuhl, Jr. (R-Hammondsport) today sent the attached letter to U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Nicholson protesting the closure of the Canandaigua Veterans Administration Medical Center’s Acute Care Psychiatric Unit and demanded answers to several questions from the VA Secretary about the planned closure. “I’m very upset about the way the VA has handled the acute psychiatric unit,” said Rep. Kuhl. “I have written Secretary Nicholson and asked him to respond to several important points and questions about issues that he has yet to address with me or the community. Our veterans and our communities deserve better, and I will continue to work to see that they get it.”
Text of the letter, sent today, follows:
Dear Secretary Nicholson: I wrote to you on December 18th regarding the Canandaigua VA and the 2004 decision by then Secretary Principi to close the inpatient acute psychiatric unit. I asked that you reconsider the decision that was made by former Secretary Principi. As you know, yesterday, it was announced that the Canandaigua VA will stop accepting patients to the inpatient acute psychiatric unit as of March 1, with plans on closing the unit by mid-March. I am disappointed that I never received a response from you prior to this decision which is so very important to the veterans of my district. I believe much has changed since the 2004 decision was made. First, as I mentioned in my December letter, it is quite evident that more and more of our brave men and women are returning everyday from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from PTSD and other mental impairments. This is not the time to be eliminating any vital services that are provided to our veterans on VA campuses, this is the time to expand them.
Second, with the Canandaigua VA now designated as one of only three national Centers for Excellence for PTSD, it would only seem appropriate to keep this very valuable service that is provided to our veterans on the existing campus where the Center for Excellence will be located. Third, when you visited the Canandaigua VA, you witnessed first hand the dedication of the VA employees, the care the veterans received, the incredible support from the community and the very peaceful serenity of the campus and important role this atmosphere plays in the healing process of our nation’s heroes. The Canandaigua VA is located a short distance from the Rochester Metropolitan area and remains the ideal place to provide our area’s veterans with the quality of care they deserve, including inpatient acute
psychiatric care. This service has been provided to our area veterans for many
years and they and their families are extremely satisfied with the incredible care they receive. Fourth, the CARES process is still not finalized as to the future of the Canandaigua VA complex. I believe, at the very least, any decision on this issue should have waited until this process was completed. Finally, I have never accepted the rationale that closing the inpatient acute psychiatric unit is in the best interest of our area veterans. What is in the best interest of our veterans is to reverse this decision and allow inpatient acute psychiatric care to continue at the Canandaigua VA campus. If you were to reverse this decision, I am convinced this would have a long-lasting positive impact on our veterans, the employees and the community which will in turn lead to an even better quality of care for our veterans, which is what they deserve. I thank you for your time and look forward to your immediate response.

2007-03-03T10:53:00.000-05:00

Democrats Privatizing Healthcare

2007-03-03T09:51:00.000-05:00

Three words Lefties never thought they would see in a tag line.

From Jacob Weisberg at Slate Magazine:

Ron Wyden, the Democratic senator from Oregon . . . told me he had read The System, David Broder and Haynes Johnson's massive tome on the failure of the Clinton health-care reform plan, no less than five times . . . Wyden's bill is 166 pages against Hillary's 1364, and he thinks he can pare it further. When he was getting started, Wyden drew a grid of the major interest groups and made sure there were plusses as well as minuses for each in his bill . . . instead of trying to flatten the opposition, as the Clintons did in 1994, Wyden is courting Republicans.

Under Wyden's plan, employers would no longer provide health coverage, as they have since World War II. Instead, they'd convert the current cost of coverage into additional salary for employees. Individuals would use this money to buy insurance, which they would be required to have. Private insurance plans would compete on features and price but would have to offer benefits at least equivalent to the Blue Cross "standard" option.

Eliminating employers as an additional payer would encourage consumers to use health care more efficiently. Getting rid of the employer tax deduction, which costs a whopping $200 billion a year, would free up funds to subsidize insurance up to 400 percent of the poverty line, which is $82,000 for a family of four . . . Wyden's plan would reduce overall national spending on health care by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years and that it would save the government money through great administrative efficiency and competition.

Buy your plane tickets to India. Does JetBlue fly there?

I plan on avoiding disease altogether. I have moved to a little compound in the southern end of the Genesee Valley. I have laid out a strict regimen of Leinenkugel's beer, indica and various smoked meats.

I have hired a personal physician to attend to any medical conditions which may arise. He immediately posted Maggie Brooks' tips on surviving a flu pandemic at various places around my home.

We have duct taped the windows. We have thrown out my spinach, romaine lettuce, radicchio, mustard greens and kale. He tossed my Peter Pan, Skippy and Jif. We have so many batteries . . .

We have stockpiled three different ages of scotch and paired each one with a Black Keys album. We hung up a picture of Charlton Heston and then used for it for target practice with my .44 Magnum MarkVII.

The politics are strange here, eerily similar to the place I left; no one can make up his or her mind.

The good Dr. is telling me it is time for sweat lodge now. I must tell him that his thong is a little extraneous.

Unshackle Upstate Campaign Launches

2007-03-03T08:32:00.000-05:00

The tag line: "Over a half million young people left Upstate since 1990." Unshackle Upstate (UU), a conglomerate of business community members, begins a public rally campaign in Buffalo today. From the group's website:

". . . a coalition of more than 40 business and trade organizations, representing more than 32,000 companies that employ more than 1 million people . . . in terms of population growth, Upstate New York ranked third from the bottom of all fifty states – with only North Dakota and West Virginia fairing worse. During the last decade, Upstate lost 33 % of its manufacturing jobs, and overall job growth was only 4% compared to the national average of 23%. The departure of over a half million young adults is alarming."

The next public rally is scheduled for tomorrow in Rochester:

2:00 p.m.
Location:
Former site of Liberty Precision Industries
3025 South Winton Road,
(near Brighton-Henrietta town line)
Rochester, NY
Speakers: Sandra A. Parker, CEO of Rochester Business Alliance; Arunas Chesonis, Chairman and CEO of PAETEC Communications; Doug Woods, former CEO of Liberty Precision Industries; Brian Hickey, Executive Vice President of M&T Bank; Randy Henderson, CEO of Henderson Automotive.

The cause sounds noble enough and the organization's views on issues like Medicaid reform are sensible and needed. However, UU's economic development policies support programs like the Empire Zone and COMIDA - programs that have failed to deliver.

You will notice that the Rochester rally is being held at the "former" site of Liberty Precision. What happened to Liberty Precision? It is not quite clear, a visit to their website finds this message from CEO Dan Wood:

Since 1922 Liberty Precision Industries has been supplying manufacturing solutions to industries throughout the world. We have thrived over the years on meeting the challenges of the marketplace no matter how technically or commercially difficult they might be. However, despite all of our successes and accomplishments we find ourselves facing a series of obstacles which we can not overcome despite our best efforts and have therefore been forced to close the company.

The owners and employees have done everything in their power to navigate Liberty through this difficult period, but the magnitude of the issues affecting our customer base and the compounding affect they have had on our company have left us with no other options at this point.

Perhaps the location of the rally was chosen to highlight another successful business stifled by the unfavorable New York business climate. Maybe. In 2002, operating out of Rochester, Liberty Precision seemed to be doing quite well:

Automotive-oriented dial and transfer machine builder Liberty Precision Industries (Rochester, N.Y.) is acquiring the assets of Australian-headquartered Kirby Engineering, similarly a supplier of machining systems to automakers.

It was only after applying for, and not receiving, benefits as a regionally significant Empire Zone that Liberty experienced adversity. As Rochester Turning pointed out last week:

The argument is that property taxes are not the major driver of business cost. Then there is this quote from Mayor Bloomberg.

“Any company that makes a decision as to where they are going to be, based on the tax rate, is a company that won’t be around very long. If you are down to that incremental margin, you don’t have a business.”

2007-03-02T21:16:00.000-05:00

“I got a chance to ride today on a very nice bus and from my window I can see how beautiful this country is and how nice it is to be alive and that to me is like extra vitamins.”

Philip K. Dick: 1928-1982

2007-03-02T08:43:00.000-05:00

"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words."

McCain Tosses Hat

2007-03-01T11:53:00.000-05:00

Senator John McCain last night on the Late Show with David Letterman -

"I am announcing that I will be a candidate for president of the United States"

No big surprise. Now, if he has any hope of being elected, he must explain his stance on the Iraq war to the public.

Update: AG Response Regarding County Perks

2007-03-01T10:47:00.000-05:00

According to a representative from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office, his opinion yesterday in relation to public authority benefits applies only to the two specific agencies listed in the judgement.

No More Perks for Water Authority

2007-03-01T09:07:00.000-05:00

As we posted yesterday, NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo determined that health insurance benefits for current and retired state housing authority members were null and void.

Monroe County Water Authority board members do not receive state health insurance, but they are eligible for Medicare and state pensions. The health benefits are supplied courtesy of the Rochester taxpayer.

This practice is just as unacceptable, and yes, illegal, at the county level as it is at the state level. Appointed board members should not be able to compensate themselves, with no criteria, as the voter has no way to hold those members accountable. Also, as we have seen, authority boards tend to be prizes for political cronies.

The Water Buffalo Press has contacted Cuomo's office to see what effect this ruling may have, if any, at the county level.

Ed Marianetti, Executive Director of the Monroe County Water Authority, said he was aware of the AG's judgement but had not read the letter. Marianetti stated that he did not believe Cuomo's judgement applied to the MCWA, but qualified that statement by pointing out that he is not a lawyer. Marianetti expected to review the issue further upon the return of the MWCA's lead legal counsel from a conference in Texas.

Perks For Public Authorities Are Illegal

2007-02-28T13:51:00.000-05:00

The Rochester blogosphere has been abuzz lately with outrage over the salaries and benefits doled out to Monroe County Water Authority Board members. Such perks have included lifetime health insurance for board members and their families.

Today, through the expression of a formal judgement and letter to two New York state Public Authorities, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has determined that the payment of such benefits is illegal and those receiving such incentives are not eligible for them:

". . . we conclude that the Agencies lack legal authority to pay for health insurance for current and retired board members . . . we conclude that (1) the Agencies may not pay for health insurance benefits for their current or former board members and (2) the contracts the Agencies signed with board members to provide post-retirement health insurance benefits are void."

Basically, Cuomo has agreed with points many in the Rochester community have been making since the break of the Water Board scandal. Does this judgement apply to Monroe County? Cuomo's aides say the statement applies to ALL public authorities.

Monroe County Loses Again

2007-02-28T10:28:00.000-05:00

Toyota Not Interested

In a February 4th D&C Editorial special, which we covered previously here, Dennis Mullen of the GRE and Maggie Brooks took credit for economic development in which they had no part. They also highlighted a project which was supposedly drawing the bulk of their attention:

"Looking ahead, GRE is gathering data about this region to pursue a new Toyota plant. Competition is stiff, but it's worth going after the world's largest automaker."
And how did the economic policies of the GRE and the County Administration, which includes COMIDA tax breaks, MCIDC tax incentives, Empire Zone benefits and various incubator programs fare in their efforts to woo Toyota?

From the Detroit Free Press:

"Toyota Motor Corp. announced plans Tuesday to build a $1.3-billion assembly plant in northern Mississippi . . . Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour called the Toyota plant the 'crown jewel of economic development.' At least 25 states courted the plant, according to Toyota."

This War Isn't About Oil

2007-02-27T09:23:00.000-05:00

Oh, Wait, Maybe It Is

Those opposed to the invasion of Iraq cried "No war for oil," and they were answered by the Bush administration: "Iraq was involved in 9/11! What's that? Saudi Arabia? Never mind them, we're going to Iraq!"

Then the American public learned that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, even the President admitted it, and again those opposed to the war cried "No war for oil!" This time the administration said: "They have WMDs that could attack Americans, look, Colin says so and he's black; we're staying in Iraq!"

But no one ever found any WMDs and certain UN inspectors said they never existed.

Again, those opposed to the conflict cried "No war for oil!" The answer then came: "This isn't about oil, it is about freedom and democracy and thinking we can in five years stabilize a region that has been torn apart by cultural and religious infighting over centuries!"

Well, not so much. It is pretty easy to read between the lines on this one from the New York Times -

The Iraqi cabinet approved a draft of a law on Monday that would set guidelines for nationwide distribution of oil revenues and foreign investment in the immense oil industry.
-snip-
The law also grants regional oil companies or governments the power to sign contracts with foreign companies for exploration and development of fields, opening the door for investment by foreign companies in a country whose oil reserves rank among the world’s three largest.
Iraqi officials say dozens of major foreign companies, including ones based in the United States, Russia and China, have expressed strong interest in developing fields or have done some work with the Iraqi industry. The national oil law would allow regions to enter into production-sharing agreements with foreign companies, which some Iraqis say could lead to foreigners reaping too much of the country’s oil wealth.
-snip-
Since last year, senior Bush administration officials and top American commanders here have said a new oil law is crucial to the country’s political and economic development, and they have pressured Iraqi leaders relentlessly to make passage of the law a priority.

The State of Our County Is . . .

2007-02-26T20:27:00.000-05:00

She put it out there, time to break it down.

"And tonight I can stand before you and safely say the state of our County continues to grow stronger every day."

Harrah!

"Monroe County’s unemployment rate is now at its lowest point in five years."

True. But according to the Department of Labor fewer people are employed in Monroe now then when Brooks took office. All the unemployment rate means is that people are leaving.

"Visitors are traveling to our region in rapidly-growing numbers, and tourism continues to serve as an important economic engine...generating more than $800 million dollars for our County’s economy."

Really? Where is this money and how is it being used?

"And, despite a few snow flurries, our quality of life continues to be second to none."

dear lord . . .

"In 1980 there were 330,000 jobs in Monroe County . . . the job count today for this County is 382,000."

Twenty years of economic growth that took place before she was in office. As stated earlier, number of people employed actually down since 2003.

". . . companies are creating 6,900 new jobs, retaining over 28,000 jobs"

Hell, we'll eventually employ 213 people here at the WBP, give us some tax breaks and praise us for nothing. And, again, number of jobs, down; how is that a retention of 28,000 jobs?

"Last December, the Monroe County IDA pledged a $300,000 investment to Greater Rochester Enterprise."

GRE and the County's involvement just bothers me, read more here and here. Essentially this organization takes Monroe County tax dollars to invest in so-called economic development in surrounding counties.

". . . we must do everything in our power to give our young talent the tools they need to become the innovators and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. That is why I am pleased to announce that Monroe County is working with Frontier to develop a wireless internet network that will serve significant portions of Greece, Pittsford and the City of Rochester...as well as portions of the surrounding towns by the end of the year.
-snip-
. . . I will be working with our Juvenile Justice Council to convene a summit of parents, students, teachers, school administrators and law enforcement professionals this summer to address the growing epidemic of cyber-bullying . . . our County has created an on-line guide for parents to help their children navigate the information superhighway safely and securely."

If the internet is so dangerous why are we putting wireless networks everywhere? Ooooh . . . so we can have more grandstanding, preelection, stir up the base debates about whether to filter and/or ban them.

"Monroe County continues to struggle with an annual budget shortfall of $45-million dollars. The reason is simple. 79% of our budget is controlled by Washington and Albany. 79% of our revenue is used to pay for programs required by the federal and state government, but with little or no local authority to control their rising cost . . . upstate counties will go bankrupt under the burden of unfunded mandates...and the continued growth of the Medicaid program."

So she was right once. Read more here.

"We are known for our entertainment and culture and names like Chuck and Gap Mangione"

Did Chuck give the okay for this? Did the Mega-Lo checks stop coming?

"For as President Reagan wisely said...we are the showcase of the future...and it can be as grand...and as great as we make it."

Amen sister, I feel trickled upon -

Clinton Outlines Greenprint

2007-02-26T16:12:00.000-05:00

Program First of its Kind in Nation

Senator Clinton was in town today carpetbagging her way across the country. While in East Rochester, she highlighted the Greenprint program which is the first in the country to be announced.

This is not an anti-environmentalist wacko post (we like the environment and we like wackos), or even an anti-Hillary post. Rather, there was one section of the D&C's article about Clinton's visit that we found alarming:

"The steps include adopting USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards for public buildings, achieving LEED certification for Renaissance Square . . ."

Did I miss something? Is Renaissance Square a forgone conclusion despite the lack of widespread public support by taxpayers who will foot the bill for the project? Does a new-era environmental program really tie-in with a proposed bus terminal centered around the use of antiquated fossil fuels?

If someone can catch us up please feel free to leave your comments.

Water Authority: Pay to Play

2007-02-25T08:17:00.000-05:00

Board Members Know Who Put Them There

Here at the WBP we had a sneaking suspicion about the Monroe County Water Authority Board Members and how they were named to the posts they now occupy. After all, what would the retired chairman of Rochester Telephone, a retired insurance broker and a McDonald's owner know about water? Each knows where to mail the check.

Every board member has made at least a three figure donation to the Monroe County Republican Committee or Friends of Maggie Brooks Campaign Committee over the past two years.

What about the other Authorities? The WBP searched donation histories for some of the top-level authority members.

Mark Aesch of the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority has donated $1,000 to the two aforementioned committees from 2006 to 2007. Steve Hendershott, COO of the RGRTA, has also contributed $1,000 to the committees over the past two years. Robert Frye, CFO, and Harold Carter, VP of Legal Affairs, each made contributions of $600 in 2006.

Beginning to see the pattern?

States Denouncing Iraq Policy

2007-02-24T23:00:00.000-05:00

Online Activism Motivates Legislatures

If fed representatives won't listen, maybe state reps will.

Twenty states have either passed or are considering some form of resolution that opposes troop escalation in Iraq or calls for outright withdrawal of U.S. forces. New York is one of the states currently considering a resolution.

What has motivated these legislatures to weigh in on an issue they have no direct control over? This particular campaign was spearheaded by the Progressive States Network and is an example of the digital media's grassroots 50 state focus. The strategy is widely attributed with the success of the Democrats in the most recent elections and, as a recent article from the Christian Science Monitor suggests, is now poised to overturn the Bush administration's war policy:

The current push at the state level was spurred largely by a mid-January initiative by liberal advocacy groups, including the Progressive States Network and MoveOn.org, with support from US Sen. Edward Kennedy (D) of Massachusetts. Launched as Congress wrangled over whether to debate Mr. Bush's new Iraq strategy, the online campaign urged war critics to bombard their local as well as national elected representatives with calls for action.

"The Internet is making the 50-state campaigns easier and cheaper," says Christopher Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. "This has led to an increasing nationalization of state politics."
-snip-

"State legislatures are the representative bodies that are closest to the people, and they have been hearing from constituents who are frustrated with the war," says Aubrey Jewett, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, in an e-mail. "As more state legislatures take up resolutions on Iraq, it will add to the mounting pressure for the president and Congress to change strategies."

Votes and debates in state legislatures break along party lines, with Republicans saying lawmakers should not waste energy on actions that carry little weight. They also contend that these types of resolutions send the wrong message to US troops. But their clout has waned since last fall's elections, when the GOP lost majorities in five state legislatures. They now control 15 legislatures to the Democrats' 23.

While the politics remain contentious, the technological take-away is simpler: Online activism is pushing national issues to the states.

"The Internet helps decentralize political activism," says John Horrigan of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "You no longer have to organize a protest in Washington, D.C." to get your point across.
-snip-

The growth in Internet-based grass-roots groups doesn't mean more activists are out there, but it does mean people have found a faster way to reach large number of supporters, Mr. Horrigan says. So far, liberal Democrats have the edge. A Pew study has shown them to be the most likely online activists. "At least [for] now, the Internet is a space where Democrats are slightly busier with online tools," he adds.

In the case of the Iraq resolutions in the states, activism helped give a national debate some local flavor, Mr. Barkin says. The aim remains to make Washington pay attention, but the means of doing so are changing.

"You put in 500 calls to a [legislator in Washington] and you will send a message," says Barkin. "But you put 500 calls to a state legislator and it shakes the whole building."

Do state legislators have a leg to stand on in demanding the Feds take notice? When one looks at the costs to the states and local communities the answer is yes. According to the National Priorities Project, the war in Iraq has cost Monroe County $1,600,000,000 - yes that is billion. This same organization estimates the war has cost New Yorkers $33.9 billion as of September of 2006.

Close Gitmo

2007-02-24T20:18:00.000-05:00

The WBP had trouble with post content today, I mean, there is so little going on in the world. We thought about doing a weather editorial, then we thought about doing an editorial about how we hate weather editorials, but both those ideas had been taken. So here is our third idea.

On this day in 1903, the United States purchased the real estate for Club Gitmo. Today, it is the site for one of the world's most egregious human rights violations and the shining example of the Bush Administration's hypocrisy. Join Amnesty International's campaign to close the facility by clicking on the link.

At the Amnesty International website you can also read the latest about the Egyptian blogger who was sentenced to four years in prison for his posts.

Democrat & Chronicle Responds to Ethics Complaint

2007-02-22T22:52:00.001-05:00

I do not know how the WBP missed this, sorry for slacking.

Michael Kane, Publisher of the Democrat & Chronicle, responded to a letter from leaders of the Rochester Newspaper Guild by claiming that the D&C has not suffered from diminished ethical standards in its changeover to the more digitally focused RochesterInformation Center.

Guild members disagree, however, from a February 13th Editor & Publisher report:

"As newsroom and multimedia employees of the Democrat and Chronicle we are growing increasingly concerned with what seems to be the newspaper's -- and Gannett's -- shifting ethical lines," the letter, which E&P wrote about Monday, said in part. "At a time when we are trying to restructure ourselves within a new media environment, our ethical foundation should be more firmly grounded than ever. To be flexible and nimble as a newspaper and multimedia company should not mean our ethics are also flexible."

The guild members went on to cite two recent incidents that they believed had crossed ethical lines. Among them was the apparent byline of the editorial page editor on a news story. "This could give the impression that favorable opinion can be garnered for government projects or programs by approaching the editorial board with news tips, as happened here," the letter stated.

The other was the paper's political blog offering "no distinction between the opinionated musings of editorial writers and the reporting of news staff."

The 39 members of the Newspaper Guild of Rochester Local 17 represent 85 staffers at the Gannett Co. Inc. What is D&C Editor Karen Magnuson saying? No surprise:

"I don't have any problem with anything we are doing here," she said. "I think our newsroom conducts itself with the highest ethical standards."

We should expect this from Ms. Magnuson. As we highlighted in a story about the D&C Editorial Board and the Greater Rochester Enterprise, the investment in certain organizations by the D&C produces coverage of those entities with a blatant agenda.

Leave the blogging to the professionals, D&C, we'll handle it -

WBP Poll: Who is in Charge of Albany?

2007-02-22T18:36:00.000-05:00

The results of the WBP poll are in, sadly, New Yorkers lose.

Half of those who replied said lobbyists and they are probably right. Coming in second with 30% was Shelly Silver, strongly supported by recent the comptroller bitch slap. Eliot Spitzer received 10% of the vote, which means New Yorkers love him but they don't know how much he can accomplish, and 10% said it is plain anarchy at the state's capital.

Maggie, Porn & the ACLU

2007-02-22T18:07:00.000-05:00

I realize that is not a very impressive header, but I am just so happy that I can use those words together.

As we posted yesterday, Brooks decided to take on libraries, the sex trade, perverts, the Supreme Court and free speech all at the time. That would a big bite to chew for most people.

Today, the ACLU decided to hop on. From the D&C:

Scott Forsyth, local counsel for ACLU, said today that Brooks shouldn't try to arbitrate what information the public at the library should be able to see.

No one wants the children of our community to walk into the library and be exposed to a (insert witty perv joke here) playing with his (insert innuendo-laden computer peripheral here). Is that happening? No. I did not even realize so many people used the downtown library. And $7.5 million in taxpayer money, I should have access to more than porn for that price tag.

Take a note from the Mayor on this one, Maggie; sit back, keep your mouth shut and work out a compromise with the parties involved. What's that? Oh, it's an election year . . .

Brooks to Library: No Porn

2007-02-21T15:56:00.000-05:00

Maggie Threatens to Pull Funding

Following a story broken by Channel 10 and highlighted yesterday by Bob Lonsberry, County Executive Maggie Brooks issued a stern and pointed ultimatum to the Central Library: stop the porn or I stop the money.

Brooks voiced her disgust after the Channel 10 expose which filmed a probationary sex offender viewing child pornography in close proximity to the children's' section of the library. In her letter, Brooks stated:

“I am demanding that our Central Library take immediate action to halt the public viewing of pornography and other graphic materials. And should the library chose to ignore this reasonable demand to protect our community’s children, I am prepared to exit the annual agreement with the City of Rochester, and defund library operations at the earliest possible date under the terms of the agreement. Simply put, I refuse to allow any further County tax dollars to flow to a facility that has failed to protect our children.”

Statements from library administration, or at least their assistants (why are there so many assistants in the library system?), can be found in the Channel 10 story. No statements have been given in response to Brooks' letter.

COMIDA Announces Projects

2007-02-21T10:14:00.000-05:00

Latest Round of Incentives

COMIDA has announced the latest incentives approved:

Linden Properties /Magnetics Technologies Corp. - Magnetic Technologies is a custom manufacturer of precision magnetic tools. It expects to create 50 new jobs with its $2 million project that includes the renovation of its 70,000 square-foot facility. It will receive sales and mortgage tax exemptions of $72,000.

Getinge Sourcing - A global provider of infection control equipment, the company is proposing a $4.2 million renovation at its Henrietta site. It will receive sales tax exemptions of $200,000.

Eastside Medical Urgent Care - offers after-hours medical services and is proposing an expansion of its Penfield site that would create 12 jobs. It will receive a tax exemption on equipment purchases of $113,000.

Silt Fencing - installation services for site developers. It will be purchasing $50,000 in new equipment and will get a sales tax exemption of $4,000.

AeroEd Inspection Services - inspection and reporting services for commercial aviation customers and is purchasing $91,000 in new equipment. It will receive a sales tax exemption of $7,280.

Durant Associates - asbestos abatement and will be purchasing new equipment totaling $200,000. It is creating two more jobs and will get a sales tax abatement of $16,000.

Durant Associates received incentives from COMIDA and the MCIDC in December of 2005. The incentives were also for a $200,000 equipment purchase of a crane. It is not clear whether any specific equipment was listed in the most recent application as information available to the public has yet to be updated. More as soon as meeting minutes are posted -

Dr. Gonzo: The Essence of Blog

2007-02-21T08:38:00.000-05:00

"Anything that gets the adrenalin moving like a 440 volt blast in a copper bathtub is good for the reflexes and keeps the veins free of cholesterol....but too many adrenaline rushes in any given time span has the same effect on the nervous system as too many electro-shock treatments are said to have on the brain: after a while you start burning out the circuits. When a jackrabbit gets addicted to road-running, its only a matter of time before he gets smashed--and when a journalist turns into a politics junkie he will sooner or later start raving and babbling in print about things that only a person who has Been There can possibly understand.

-

So much for Objective Journalism. Don’t bother to look for it here—not under any byline of mine; or anyone else I can think of. With the possible exception of things like box scores, race results, and stock market tabulations, there is no such thing as Objective Journalism. The phrase itself is a pompous contradiction in terms."

Still Plenty of Fear & Loathing

2007-02-20T20:56:00.000-05:00

"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."

It is amazing how relevant this is today. Not the whole part about the drugs, acid is a horrible drug and I don't recommend it for anyone. Substitute Bush for Nixon - how far have we really come in thirty years?

Maybe that is why Hunter decided it was time to leave. Maybe he had enough. The same military industrial complex that dictated world events then still does so now. The Republicans of today make Nixon era elephants look like hippies. Maybe he didn't want to stick around to see his mountain compound become beachfront property.

Here's to you Doctor, you were a real heavyweight water buffalo type. Forecast is for "bad craziness." -

NYS Thruway: Taking its Toll

2007-02-20T14:33:00.000-05:00

The New York state Thruway opened in sections starting in 1950. The first section was actually laid down between Lowell and Rochester. The bonds used to build the toll road were paid off in 1997 and all tolls along the stretch of road were to be abolished. Then our legislature stepped in and voted to maintain the tolls.

Are the tolls necessary? The abolition of tolls along a six mile stretch outside of Buffalo would seem to indicate that they are not. The Thruway Authority maintains these tolls are necessary to repair and maintain the route, that is great except for one detail: it is not true.

In fact, according to a FOIL request filed by the No Grand Island Tolls website, the majority of tolls go to salaries and benefits for Authority employees.

The nogitolls.com FOIL report pertains mostly to the Niagara Falls/Grand Island area, but there are some interesting points which effect all New Yorkers:

- Fringe benefits total 36.75% of their salary.

- The employee non-revenue pass program gives every employee with five years in a free EZ Pass for life, for his or her private vehicle.

- Tollbooth managers receive about $68,000.00/year and toll takers receive approximately $20.00/hour. When the Niagara Section tollbooths were closed the Authority announced that they were not laying off any permanent toll collectors.

- Benefits include a health insurance plan, vision care, dental insurance, free EZ Pass, 401k, long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts and life insurance.

- Senior executives compensation ranges from $115,000.00 for a network affairs acting director to Mr. Fleischer’s compensation of $164,000.00.

- All employees get a tuition assistance program that pays 90% of the tuition advance of the course beginning date. Employees can take up to 15 credit hours/semester.

- Employees get 12 holidays a year, 4 of which are floating holidays, which may be used whenever.

- The vacation leave policy allows (after 7 years of employment) 13.5 days of vacation. They can turn in 10 of those day’s for payment.

- After 5 years of service employees get 12 sick days.

- Employees get 5 personal leave days/year.

Governor Spitzer stated on the campaign trail that, if elected, he would abolish all tolls along the Thruway. Unfortunately Spitzer's proposed Executive Budget, which increases spending at more than double the rate of inflation, does no such thing.

Governor: As I Say, Not As I Do (Updated 2/21)

2007-02-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

Spitzer's Special Slush

When Eliot Spitzer ran on a platform of reform we all cheered. When he lambasted legislators for divvying up member item monies (read: pork) in secret with no regard for the public we cheered again.

Get ready to cheer again as Spitzer has . . . created . . . wait, what? According to an article from the New York Sun:

Governor Spitzer is planning to funnel millions of dollars in borrowed state money to Senate Democrats, who have been secretly asked by the administration to submit their wish lists for local capital projects, according to lawmakers.

Backroom deals, secret pots of money, sounds a lot like business as usual in the state Capitol. It's unfortunate that it only took Spitzer two months in office as the Great Reformer to realize that if he wants to get his legislative agenda passed he is going to have to pay.

It is also unfortunate that the main obstacle that has caused Spitzer to undertake such dealings, Shelly Silver, is a member of his own party.

(2/21/07) From newsday.com -

The Spitzer line on this, from press secretary Christine Anderson: The administration hasn't invited any particular conference to submit a wish list, but it has told whoever may have asked that any legislator is welcome to submit economic development ideas for their districts.
That may have included Malcolm Smith, and he may have passed that along to his conference, but in any event no proposal is going to get favored consideration for political reasons, like making sure the Senate Democratic conference continues to vote Spitzer's way. "We'll judge each and every one on its merits," says Anderson.

The American Dream Really is Fu#!@%

2007-02-19T20:05:00.000-05:00

We're taking a little break from inane county press releases, carpetbagging administrators and health care spending. No worries - there's plenty more to come on COMIDA and questionable investments (that's right, there's lawsuits) - but this week we're honoring the original blogger amongst our normal run of posts. I defy anyone to read Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 and say otherwise.

The Dr. was ultimately, by his own admission, about free speech; the right to say what one thinks and feels and any moment, the right to question.

He was also a junkie; a political one at that which may be the worst kind, as I'm sure many of my fellow bloggers can attest.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Dr.'s death. Below is a little gem from his run for Sheriff -

New York Overpays on Medicaid

2007-02-19T10:57:00.000-05:00

According to a new report from the Empire Center for New York State Policy, Medicaid spending on the elderly in New York between 1999 and 2004 rose 55 percent. The rate of increase in other states was just 9 percent.

At the end of the five year period, "New York's spending of $27,200 per elderly recipient was 142 percent more than the average for other states."

The report is part one of the ECNYSP's Medicaid In Depth series which states that New York could save nearly $5 billion by making elderly payouts comparable to those of other states. The elderly portion, which accounts for 7% of the state's medicaid population, currently receives 25% of all Medicaid benefits paid out.

Snow in the Sahara

2007-02-18T05:29:00.000-05:00

Can We Stop Global Warming?

On this day in 1979 snow fell in the Sahara desert. I wonder if people talked about global cooling?

Global warming cannot be stopped. Let me follow us this up by saying I support any effort to improve our environment and cut down on greenhouse emissions. My wife and I share one car, a Honda Civic, between the two of us to cut down on our own fuel usage. I believe the United States should never have backed out of Kyoto, but Kyoto won't help.

I believe the scientific data. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program, 11 of the 12 hottest days on record have occurred since 1995.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that by 2100, temperatures will have risen between 1.1 and 6.4 degrees. OK, so what now?

Kyoto policies can be enacted but the global community as a whole is not cutting down on use of fossil fuels. One needs only look at population growth in countries like India and auto sales trends in China to see that the consumptions of crude fuel will only escalate in the coming years.

Why the lack of true effort on a widespread scale to change to readily available alternative fuel sources? Programs like Kyoto make us complacent. We are handed programs that are the result of government lip service to make it appear as though they are addressing the problem, and we accept these token limits, caps and restrictions.

The reality is that these gases have built up over centuries and even the stoppage of all fossil fuel use now will not stop warming as a result of that build-up. It is time for the discussion to change from how do we stop global warming to how can it be lived with.

It is difficult for that discussion to even begin, however, as the scientific community is still at odds about just what is happening.

Recent reports have highlighted man made causes, but reports exist that say otherwise. Of course there are those that say global warming is not happening, some studies indicate that while the northern polar cap is shrinking, the southern cap may actually be growing, those that say the earth is cooling; there are even some who say it is caused by solar cycles and point to a September 20th, 2006 release from NASA which states, "for three Mars summers in a row, deposits of frozen carbon dioxide near Mars' south pole have shrunk from the previous year's size, suggesting a climate change in progress." This is the equivalent of 6 years on Earth.

The shrinking is substantial. According to Michael Malin, principal investigator for the Mars Orbiter Camera, the polar ice cap is shrinking at "a prodigious rate." Certainly this is isn't caused by man.

Duke research scientists have concluded that the sun may have minimally contributed about 10 to 30 percent of global surface warming.

Regardless of what theory you accept the only solution is a massive overhaul of our global culture and society that currently rest on a foundation of crude oil. Oh boy . . .

Albany Times Union Drops the Ball

2007-02-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

Shelly's Fingerprints Everywhere

On February 13th Capitol Confidential, political blog at the Albany Times Union, ran a post by Elizabeth Benjamin under the heading Ball Drops the Ball. Catchy. The WBP commented on the story and followed up by acquiring the list of the 500 delinquent filers from the New York state Board of Elections.

After a review of the list it is the opinion of the WBP that the Albany Times Union and Capitol Confidential, either accidentally or knowingly, reported inaccurate and false information.

In her most recent article regarding the issue, Ms. Benjamin acknowledges that she has not even seen the list of delinquent committees. Why then, Ms. Benjamin, would you file a story regarding a report you have not seen, and where then did you attain this information? Were the parties involved in giving you this story Dem party leaders with an axe to grind following Ball's outburst at the comptroller vote?

A review of the list of delinquent filers, attained on February 14th, shows no listing for Assemblyman Ball or his committee, New Yorkers on the Ball. This supports Ball's statements that he did not knowingly usurp the law and that the BoE was aware of his filing situation. It also makes the Capitol Confidential post a complete fabrication.

However, the Albany Times Union had help in misconstruing the facts. The post also drew attention to the "fact" that of the 500 delinquents, Ball was the only state level legislator. They even had a statement from BoE spokesman Lee Daghlian that "he was aware of no other state-level elected officials whose names are on that list."

Mr. Daghlian did not review the list very closely either, or he has a giant D next to his name and he's helping Shelly's goons who started spreading this in the first place.

The list actually does contain a number of state level legislators. For example, Carmen Arroyo, state Assembly representative for the Bronx. Why was she conveniently overlooked by Mr. Daghlian and the Albany Times Union in multiple posts? I am sure it is because the Times Union and Ms. Benjamin do not check facts before they report something and has nothing to do with Arroyo being a Democrat.

The Times Union also conveniently omits some other groups who missed the filing deadline: Town of Carmel Democratic Committee (Carmel is represented by Assemblyman Ball), Citizens for Fiscal Integrity, Healthy New York PAC and the New York Democracy Project.

The list is too large to post in entirety here, if anyone would like a copy please leave a comment with your email address and I will forward you an electronic copy. This includes you Ms. Benjamin.

UPDATE: (2/19/07 - 7:17am) 44 minutes after we logged this post, Capitol Confidential posted this

RCSD: Big Staff, Big Bucks

2007-02-15T22:34:00.000-05:00

In connection with a Freedom of Information Request, 13 WHAM makes a pointed comparison between Manny Rivera's administration and that of former sup Dr. Clifford Janney who was forced out of office in 2002. The FOIL request revealed the salaries for Rivera's staff, the largest since Janney.

The cabinet-level positions are part of the Superintendent Employee Group, a non-unionized category of workers that includes confidential secretaries and high-level officials. The superintendent negotiates their salaries, which are then approved by the school board.

Among the highest paid SEG members:

• James R. Cooney, Chief Financial Officer $162,000
• C. Michael Robinson, Chief of Operations $147,250
• Michael J. Looby Chief Legal Counsel $146,250
• Ford C. Greene, Chief Information Officer $145,750
• David S. Silver, Associate Chief of Program Management $144,500
• Joanne Giuffrida, Chief Human Resources Officer, $139,250
• Marilyn P. Grant, Chief of Small School Partnerships $135,000

Dr. Rivera earns $230,000.

There is also a great statement from Mayor Bob Duffy that sums this up as well as anything I could write:

“I don't care about programs, projects, efforts, speeches, or anything. I care about results. And the one thing I know is that half our kids graduate,” Duffy said.

Editor's Note: Frankly, Mayor Duffy, you need to hustle after throwing away $250,000. - Col. R.S., II

A Kick in the Ball

2007-02-14T08:57:00.000-05:00

Assemblyman Can't Stay Out of News

Last week we reported on Assemblyman Greg Ball and his strong statements to the New York state legislative body during the recent comptroller vote.

Assemblyman Ball (R-99) is back in the news as the state Board of Elections has reported that he failed to file campaign committee financial reports by the January 15th deadline.

Ball is one of 500 to miss the deadline, but he is apparently the only state level legislator. Ball could be subject to a $500 fine and court fees.

The Ball campaign, New Yorkers on the Ball, are saying it is all just a paperwork mix up. From the Albany Times Union:

Ball’s Chief of Staff Rob DiFrancesco called to say the assemblyman is aware of the problem, which was caused by a paperwork snafu not a deliberate desire to flout the law.

The Ball campaign has switched treasurers (Ball’s father, Robert, had the title, but didn’t want it anymore), and maintains it filed the necessary paperwork to do so.

However, it was unclear, DiFrancesco said, whether the BoE would accept the Jan. 15 filing from the new treasurer, Evelyn Perrault.

Editor's Note: In our previous story regarding Ball we stated that Silver called Ball to thank him for his comments. It has been brought to our attention that it was Spitzer, not Silver, who called to thank Ball. A link to a story about the call can be found here.

COMIDA Strikes Again

2007-02-13T16:04:00.000-05:00

Allworx: 5Linx Redux?

Three things we can safely assume:
1. Maggie likes to smile and have her picture taken with giant ribbons
2. COMIDA simply subsidizes existing businesses in the area rather than attracting new ones
3. Telecom companies like to spell their names with an X

COMIDA announced today more tax incentives for an area business. This time the recipient is Allworx, and what do they sell? . . . oh lord . . . that's right . . . VoIP! And what do they see as their target market to spur growth . . . yep, small to midsized businesses. Sound familiar?

This is almost the exact same line we heard regarding the 5Linx benefits a month ago and, like the 5Linx situation, the site developer also receives benefits under the guise of the achievements of the telecom provider. What did Techniplex do to warrant multiple incentives for the same site? Like LeFrois Development, this seems like an instance of one company piggybacking on another for tax breaks. Essentially, Monroe County has now subsidized two companies offering the same product to the same market section.

The County has changed its tune slightly, however, and we would like to think that the comments of the WBP (along with its comrades like RochesterTurning in the local progressive blogosphere) made the County realize that we will not be misled.

Whereas the 5Linx release promised the creation of "high-paying jobs," this release states the Allworx expansion "has resulted in more good paying jobs in our community." This quote is a grammatical atrocity, but that aside notice that there is no allusion to job creation. Are we to assume then that COMIDA is now helping businesses without any projection of additional job creation? At the least Maggie has realized she can't make promises which she cannot deliver on, such as the promise of 133 high-paying jobs that will never materialize.

Fortunately, Allworx is no 5Linx; they operate under a traditional business model that uses compensated, salaried employees and their founders do not have questionable backgrounds like Craig Jerabeck of 5Linx, or suspect government ties like William Faucette of the 5Linx Millionaires Club. Additionally, Allworx does not target private consumers and its consulting branch, InSciTek, is well-recognized within the Rochester business community.

It cannot be forgotten though that, despite the apparent success of this business, the tax breaks will eliminate any growth in our commercial tax base that would benefit Monroe County residents by helping to ease their tax burden.

Maybe Maggie needs to go back to her high school economics textbook and review the definition of laissez-faire. Being a Republican, it's a concept to which she supposedly subscribes.

Note: All 5Linx articles can be found in the January archives

Evolution vs. Creation

2007-02-12T09:11:00.000-05:00

What Do Americans Believe?

Today being Charles Darwin's birthday, the WBP thought this would be a good opportunity to examine a polarizing issue in our society. Anytime faith-based beliefs are challenged by the scientific community, and those whose thought patterns support theories from this sector,there are bound to be adamant individuals on both sides.

Syracuse University actually offers a course on the debate and the SU website offers a good example of the common arguments, an evolutionist's thoughts can be read here and a creationist's views can be seen here.

Each side offers convincing arguments, though a third page refutes the claims of the evolutionist, but certainly the majority of American society accepts the scientific principles of evolution? The answer may surprise you.

From the National Science Foundation (nsf.gov):

An ongoing Gallup survey, conducted most recently in 2004, found that only about a third of Americans agreed that Darwin's theory of evolution has been well supported by evidence. The same percentage agreed with the alternative statement that Darwin's theory was not supported by the evidence, and an additional 29% said they didn't know enough to say . . . In response to another group of questions on evolution asked by Gallup in 2004, about half (51%) of those surveyed agreed with either of two statements compatible with evolution: that human beings developed over millions of years either with or without God's guidance in the process. However, 45% agreed with a third statement, that "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so." These views on the origin of human beings have remained virtually unchanged (in six surveys) since the questions were first asked in 1982.

Hence, if you think Darwin's theory is thoroughly supported by science you are in the minority and have been since 1982. At the least this information may help explain how Bush could have been elected to a second term.

COMIDA Public Hearing

2007-02-11T21:13:00.000-05:00

Project: Urban Focus, LP

COMIDA is holding a public hearing on Monday the 12th, at 9:00am when so much of the public is available to attend, at the Ebenezer Watts Conference Center on South Fitzhugh St. As we understand it, the County would lease the property to the developer but the release regarding the hearing contains the following paragraph:

The Agency proposes to finance the Facility by using its tax-exempt revenue bonds in an aggregate principal amount of up to $12,000,000 to pay a portion of the cost of purchasing and renovating the Facility (the "Bonds"). It is intended that interest on the Bonds will not be include as gross income for Federal income tax purposes pursuant to Section 103 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Bonds will be special obligations of the Agency payable solely from certain amounts payable under an agreement with the Company and certain other assets of the Issuer pledged to the repayment of the Bonds. THE BONDS SHALL NOT BE A DEBT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK OR ANY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION THEREOF, INCLUDING MONROE COUNTY, AND NEITHER THE STATE OF NEW YORK NOR ANY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION THEREOF, INCLUDING MONROE COUNTY, SHALL BE LIABLE THEREON.

If Monroe County assumes no debt through the issue of the bonds then the County Leg is nothing more than a pass through entity for the purpose of giving the purchasing entity tax breaks. Is this really the best use of this governing body and these incentives?

The release makes no mention of job creation, it is a simple private entity to private entity transfer with the interjection of the County. Would this transfer not otherwise occur without the COMIDA incentives? Doubtful.

Detailed financial information regarding the project is available at the public hearing, unfortunately a 9-5 job will prevent me from attending. Thus far WBP requests for copies of this info have gone unanswered. If there is anyone who can update, or who can translate the paragraph cited above, feel free to leave your comments.

Ultimately, what type of project is benefiting from COMIDA this time? Drum roll please . . . low income housing. That's right, low income housing - a development sector which already benefits from tax breaks and investment incentives at the town, state and national level.

Make Your Nomination

2007-02-11T09:09:00.000-05:00

Since meaningless polls that will actually have no impact on anything and are merely meant to drive up site hits are all the rage today, we thought the WBP would join in the fun.

We are taking your nominations for two positions: Monroe County Executive and Editor of the Democrat & Chronicle. You can read more about our reasoning here and here, but it is obvious that the person who currently occupies each post has now engaged in an inappropriate relationship through common investment in a private entity using taxpayer funds.

Ms. Brooks cannot invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in the futile efforts of the GRE only to have Ms. Magnuson turn around and tell the public how great the GRE is in the tone of an unbiased third party reporting agency; when in fact the D&C is a GRE investment partner and it is in their own interest to portray the GRE as successful. The D&C's actions are especially egregious when it prescribes to be one of the few alternatives to an otherwise conservative and right-leaning media market. We don't need the D&C to start telling us how great our local Republicans are, we have Lonsberry for that.

A Life & Lotto Situation

2007-02-10T13:39:00.001-05:00

Wayne Schenk of Naples, NY has terminal lung cancer. Schenk's treatments could incur upfront costs of $130,000 along with a requirement for insured follow-up care. As a veteran of the U.S. Marines, Schenk's insurance only covers treatment at a Veteran's Hospital.

Hoping for a bit of luck Mr. Schenk purchased a New York state lottery ticket and scratched off a $1 million winner; one catch - the million dollars will be payed out in $50,000 increments, roughly $34,000 after taxes, over the next 20 years.

Schenk made an appeal to the NYS Lotto commission for upfront payment of his winnings only to be answered with "no exceptions."

Assemblyman Joe Errigo (R-130) flew off the handle and charged to Albany with big dreams of special legislation for Schenk but days later his tune has changed. The Assemblyman now says that he doesn't believe legislation could be passed in time to help Schenk. Thanks for the big ray of sunshine Joe.

The matter really at hand here is the NYS Lotto itself. If Joe would have thought things through maybe he would have seen the Lotto for what it really is: a regressive form of double taxation on the lower wage earners in our state; and, as illustrated in Schenk's case, is a system not designed to provide people with their dreams that their dollar could supposedly provide them.

In all actuality those purchasing the most lottery tickets are not those paying the most taxes. As most never win, this essentially equates to a lower class tax. In the event that someone does win, a large portion of the money is returned to the state in the form of income tax (as we see above, 50,000 becomes 34,000), making the actual payouts a fraction of what is payed into the system.

Let's look at how the funds are divided. It is not that the lottery commissioners are heartless, certainly most people would want to help a dying man, but the funds and the flow of them in and out of the Lotto system are not such to provide Schenk with his winnings all at once.

The distribution is seen in the dollar bill illustration above: 32% is passed on as aid to education, 56% is paid out in prizes and the remaining 12% goes to commissions, fees and operating costs. Of course there is the fine print. The 32% that supposedly goes to education is deposited into the general fund and can legally be spent in any manner and, as previously mentioned, a large portion of the 56% in prizes is returned in tax.

What the state legislation is left with is a large stream of double taxed money which they would otherwise be at a loss to account for if those monies were eliminated from the budget. So the system, actually established by the New York City mafia before the government took control, goes untouched by passive legislators incapable of tackling reform issues. If an exception was made for Schenk the whole structure would crumble as others receiving periodic payments would come out of the woodwork with expenses that needed immediate funding.

Lotto money also supports area businesses but this may be indicative of a larger problem. The New York State Council on Problem Gambling found that 40% of calls to their help hot line were because of lottery games.

On top of everything else the enormous costs of operating a lottery are apparent as the state's take has been below expectations for the last 10 fiscal years.

Hevesi Sentenced

2007-02-10T13:22:00.000-05:00

Hevesi's lawyer mentions that this was about accepting responsibility. Let's see - he paid back $200,000, a fraction of what authorities believe he swindled from the taxpayers, and then received another $5,000 fine for commiting a felony. To top it all off he paid these fees with funds from his campaign commitee.

How Do I Vote For This Guy?

2007-02-08T21:23:00.000-05:00

Standing Up to Shelly

His name is Assemblyman Greg Ball. He represents the 99th district and he has GIANT balls. He's also a Republican, that's right some of us here at the WBP are registered Republicans - EGAD! - and we need more in our party and in our government like him. Assemblyman Ball is only 29 years old and if the voters of New York are smart he will have a long career. At the vote for comptroller he decided to speak up.

The saddest part is that his colleagues actualy boo him for pointing out what everyone else already knows.

Governor Spitzer later called Assemblyman Ball to thank him for his comments.

Economic Snapshot

2007-02-08T14:52:00.000-05:00

There has been plenty of talk from Rochester political and economic groups stating that the way to revitalize the area economy is to capitalize on our vast educational and high-technology resources. Let's take a look at some recent economic news:

- Xerox sold their headquarters in Connecticut and promptly announced that it had no plans to establish headquarters in Rochester.

- Kodak made an announcement that it will begin manufacturing and selling a new printer aimed at the home and small business market. The machines will not be made in Rochester, they will be made in Asia. But the announcement was made in Rochester, right? Nope, New York City. Then job cuts in the thousands were announced.

- Bausch & Lomb has finally filed its earnings reports . . . for 2005 - and at over $10 million less than previously reported. Overseas legal troubles have supposedly hindered the accounting process and there is no word on when 2006 figures will be released. Think the IRS would be so understanding if you filed your taxes two years late?

- After shelling out $250,000 to keep open its option to purchase the Midtown property, and a jaunt by Mayor Duffy to Italy, the City announced that . . . nothing is happening.

- We still own the Farce Ferry and it is has cost us more to move and store the boat north of the border than if we had left it where it was. I guess with the good Mayor out of sight is truly out if mind.

- Maggie and the GRE announced they would build on achivements from 2006. Acheivements like . . . the agreement to build a new Barilla Pasta plant in Livingston County? Wait a minute . . .

As Bausch & Lomb, Xerox and Kodak flounder who is stepping up to supply these supposed high-paying, hi-tech jobs? Sutherland, Unisys and 5Linx - somehow I doubt the average income levels and required employee skillsets from these three compare to those seen in the heydays of the Big 3.

Take A Deep Breath

2007-02-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy day around New York state -

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told Eliot Spitzer and New York voters to f@!# off as he chose one of his own, rather than one of the three reccomended by Spitzer's panel, to replace Alan Hevesi as comptroller following a closed door session between Dem leaders.

Craig Johnson won in his bid for state Senate but it has thus far failed to have the ripple effect that some hoped for, despite blogosphere speculation indicating the possibility, no Senate Republicans have announced a change in party. Rochester progressives have been holding out for an announcement from Joe Robach but Senate leader Joe Bruno has stated that Robach will be a Republican for life.

Mayor Bob Duffy was expected to announce his decision regarding Midtown but - no such luck. The City has already payed property owners $250,000 just to keep its options open, Duffy has stated that any additional costs incurred by delays will be covered by private parties. We'll hold him to that.

The Water Buffalo Press

We're Moving!

D&C Hopes Fear = Readers (Pt. 2)

Local Pork

Kurt Vonnegut: 1922-2007

Boooooooo!

Where's The Pork?

COMIDA & Public Pollution

Play Nice

NY Part of New Super Tuesday

The Gitmo Circus

Who Gets What

Checking Up on Congress

NORMLization

Rochester Int'l Jazz Fest

Where's the Accountability?

Reservist Objector to be Discharged

Who Gets What

Albany Preserves Adirondacks

Think This Budget is Done?

Johnson's Ferry: SOLD!

Rosie, Loose Change & the BBC

This is Government?

Working for the Weekend

400 Killed in Iraq Over Last 3 Days

Mo' Money, Mo' Problems

100th Post: Your 5Linx Story

What's Good For the Goose is Not Neccesarily Good for the Dems

Spitz Makes Concessions

Blogrollcall

NYS Assembly Highlights: 3/19 - 3/23

Open Thread: State of the City

D&C Hopes Fear = Readers

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Pork

Destroyer Named for Marine

RCSD Cool With Dem Ebonix

NYS February Cash Report

Rochester Nurse Guilty of Medicaid Fraud

Pictures From the Front

Poll Sitters Sentenced

SEIU: We're Not Fans

NYS Senate Alienating Base

Vegetable Oil Vigilante

Signifying Nothing

Praise for Susan John

WBP Poll: Benefits for Water Board

Shufflin' Off to Livingston County

Sunshine Week: March 11-17

Let's Get Together

NY Consumer Confidence Up

Hurry Up and Wait

It's Caption Time!

Maggie Says No More Perks

AG Cuomo: Authority Perks Illegal

NYS Comptroller Warns About Spending

Monroe County: Fun With Numbers

Kuhl Protests Canandaigua VA Closings

Democrats Privatizing Healthcare

Unshackle Upstate Campaign Launches

Philip K. Dick: 1928-1982

McCain Tosses Hat

Update: AG Response Regarding County Perks

No More Perks for Water Authority

Perks For Public Authorities Are Illegal

Monroe County Loses Again

This War Isn't About Oil

The State of Our County Is . . .

Clinton Outlines Greenprint

Water Authority: Pay to Play

States Denouncing Iraq Policy

Close Gitmo

Democrat & Chronicle Responds to Ethics Complaint

WBP Poll: Who is in Charge of Albany?

Maggie, Porn & the ACLU

Brooks to Library: No Porn

COMIDA Announces Projects

Dr. Gonzo: The Essence of Blog

Still Plenty of Fear & Loathing

NYS Thruway: Taking its Toll

Governor: As I Say, Not As I Do (Updated 2/21)