Perks For Public Authorities Are Illegal

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

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

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 . . .

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

"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

"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

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)

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#!@%

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

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

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 . . .