Most of the time, the Disgruntled Taxpayer complains about government. But tonight I am feeling festive and I found a program which I agree with. Officials in Gwinnett County, Georgia are working in concert with ICE to identify illegal aliens in the County lock up for deportation. This is a smart move and should be implemented at all county lock ups. http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/12/30/gwinnett_deportations_surge.html
Traditionally, immigration judges and assistant United States Attorneys are stationed at prisons which hold individuals who are serving felony sentences. This enables a deportation trial to be held which both respects the rights of the prisoner and rids society of dangerous aliens.
It makes sense therefore to extend this program to jails, where individuals serving misdemeanor sentences or who are awaiting trial may be evaluated by ICE to determine if they are illegal aliens, and then deport individuals who are identified as such.
Ultimately, the rule of thumb for "illegal aliens" might just be that "good people can stay but bad people have to go," a sort of zero tolerance for bad behavior. People who work and do the right thing and who do not get involved with behavior which would interest the police can stay. But if you screw up, you're out.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The Traffic Light Cam Scam Sham
One of the great municipal government scams is the effectiveness of the so called traffic light cam. This is one of the more widespread and odious scams because the idea is to generate revenue, and not enhance safety. The recent experience of Houston, where accidents have doubled at intersections guarded by a camera, is consistent with the universal experience that these controls cause accidents, and do not facilitate public safety. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6185795.html
The traffic light cam scam sham goes something like this: public sector budget managers wish to generate "revenue" for their municipalities without raising taxes. A municipality claims a balanced budget through anticipated increased fines, and without raising taxes. The taxation presented by hidden traffic cams is a form of "hidden" tax, much like fee hikes and other levies by the government which are not initially apparent, but disguised in some other form of expense, like a tariff levied on a public utility with respect to their use of easements, such as when a utility transmits and distributes eletricity over power lines or telephone poles and wires used by telecommunications companies to transmit information and data. These are fees which do not receive press coverage and are not readily understood by newspapers with writers who are unsophisticated (which would include most print media with the exception of the Wall Street Journal and the editorial board of the New York Post).
Indeed, the press appears to tolerate an amazing double talk from politicians. The politician - particularly if considered a liberal Democrat - is lauded for "holding the line on taxes" and for "running the government like a business," without informing the government is being run like a business which submerges "hidden profit centers and revenue streams." The incorrectly assessed parcel of real property would be one hidden profit center. The tax rate may not go up, but your assessed value may do so, and ultimately the tax you pay increases. The taxes on consumption that New York Governor Paterson proposed while running away to Iraq to play Santa Claus are also a form of not so hidden taxation, as the cost is ultimately passed onto the consumer. All of these brain fart ideas are enacted to justify optimistic revenue projections which are used to promote a "balanced budget."
The traffic cam scam is particularly odious because it implicates individual liberty. The bottom line is that the operator of a motor vehicle is confronted with an accusation by "an infallible" technology, one which cannot questioned. When the consumer has to appear in traffic court, she cannot cross examine a traffic light, even though the constitution affords us to the right to "confront" witnesses against us.
The accusation by the "infallible" camera could of course be based upon a partial ID of a plate or partial photograph, or could have been made of a vehicle which was stolen or not operated with the permission of the owner. And again, we have all of those crashes.... and all of those police officers who are hired to patrol our road ways who are the ones who should be making the stops, and protecting the public against dangerous drivers. Police officers who can be cross examined in traffic court. Indeed, it would seem that a politician or municipal manager could present themselves as a "budget hawk" with respect to refusing to maintain adequate levels of police staffing, in reliance upon the false security presented by the traffic cam.
Traffic cameras take both our lives and liberties. They are a dangerous and unnecessary technology which only serve the interests of dishonest politicians and public sector managers who do not want to make the tough decisions to balance the budget, and who want to rely upon projected revenue streams to protect their public sector enterprises.
Just Say No to Traffic Cams!
.
The traffic light cam scam sham goes something like this: public sector budget managers wish to generate "revenue" for their municipalities without raising taxes. A municipality claims a balanced budget through anticipated increased fines, and without raising taxes. The taxation presented by hidden traffic cams is a form of "hidden" tax, much like fee hikes and other levies by the government which are not initially apparent, but disguised in some other form of expense, like a tariff levied on a public utility with respect to their use of easements, such as when a utility transmits and distributes eletricity over power lines or telephone poles and wires used by telecommunications companies to transmit information and data. These are fees which do not receive press coverage and are not readily understood by newspapers with writers who are unsophisticated (which would include most print media with the exception of the Wall Street Journal and the editorial board of the New York Post).
Indeed, the press appears to tolerate an amazing double talk from politicians. The politician - particularly if considered a liberal Democrat - is lauded for "holding the line on taxes" and for "running the government like a business," without informing the government is being run like a business which submerges "hidden profit centers and revenue streams." The incorrectly assessed parcel of real property would be one hidden profit center. The tax rate may not go up, but your assessed value may do so, and ultimately the tax you pay increases. The taxes on consumption that New York Governor Paterson proposed while running away to Iraq to play Santa Claus are also a form of not so hidden taxation, as the cost is ultimately passed onto the consumer. All of these brain fart ideas are enacted to justify optimistic revenue projections which are used to promote a "balanced budget."
The traffic cam scam is particularly odious because it implicates individual liberty. The bottom line is that the operator of a motor vehicle is confronted with an accusation by "an infallible" technology, one which cannot questioned. When the consumer has to appear in traffic court, she cannot cross examine a traffic light, even though the constitution affords us to the right to "confront" witnesses against us.
The accusation by the "infallible" camera could of course be based upon a partial ID of a plate or partial photograph, or could have been made of a vehicle which was stolen or not operated with the permission of the owner. And again, we have all of those crashes.... and all of those police officers who are hired to patrol our road ways who are the ones who should be making the stops, and protecting the public against dangerous drivers. Police officers who can be cross examined in traffic court. Indeed, it would seem that a politician or municipal manager could present themselves as a "budget hawk" with respect to refusing to maintain adequate levels of police staffing, in reliance upon the false security presented by the traffic cam.
Traffic cameras take both our lives and liberties. They are a dangerous and unnecessary technology which only serve the interests of dishonest politicians and public sector managers who do not want to make the tough decisions to balance the budget, and who want to rely upon projected revenue streams to protect their public sector enterprises.
Just Say No to Traffic Cams!
.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Self Wheeling and Dealing
Bailout mania has come to define our way of life. The political class benefits by making deals. With the Community Reinvestment Act, people who could not repay mortgage obligations were given loans which they could not pay back. These loans were backed by the federal government, and now everyone pays. In Detroit, the Big Three automakers had a cozy deal. Management doesn't carp about benefits conferred upon the UAW workers, if the union didn't carp about executive compensation. Politicians, wishing to assure a union vote, want to preserve the system and in addition, force Detroit to make and manufacture "politically correct automobiles."
The only problem with this utopia is the fact that folks stopped buying american cars. And then one cold November morning we find out that our auto industry will collective fail to make payroll. We get the dire news that we need to bail out the auto industry or else 'bad things will happen."
Now we see bailouts and governmental failures throughout the country. Even governments are going broke. Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Atlanta also have their hands out for some of that mad money. http://www.getmoneyenergy.com/2008/11/municipal-bailouts-phoenix-philadelphia-atlanta/ These three municipal bailouts auger future disasters.
What is the anatomy of a municipal bailout? It pretty much starts with the toleration of corruption by our print media. Usually it takes the form of a newspaper liking the ideology of one political party (say the Democrats) and wishing to create stars out of pieces of human dreck. Eliot Spitzer is one politician who immediately comes to mind. If there was ever an intemperate blow hard it was Pimp Daddy Eliot. He threatened media people on the Sean Hannity Show.
Spitzer showed his pimp hand to Wall Street chasing frivolous cases, while the real crooks were apparently robbing us blind. Amazing. I bet Eliot Spitzer and Bernard Madoff hit alot of the same people for campaign contributions and investments, respectively. And good ole E Spitzer somehow never caught Madoff and his "Ponzi" Scheme, which largely defrauded people who were not unlike the former disgraced Governor's parents.
But Eliot Spitzer was "Pro-Choice," so he must be a nice lad who respects women. This kind of thinking, of course, is killing us.
What is the anatomy of a municipal collapse? Nassau County, New York offers a fine laboratory for this. Nassau has certain unique issues, like its inability to correctly assess property value for real estate tax purposes, which has created huge public sector debt under successive Republican (Gulotta) and Democratic (Suozzi) Administrations. A failure to negotiate successfully with collective bargaining units to contain labor costs is the next failure, one which I suspect is an accident done on purpose.
Long Island Newsday has been a cheerleader for County Executive Tom Suozzi, an ambitious politician who ran an unsuccessful primary against Eliot Spitzer in 2006, where he garned less than 20% of the vote. Nevertheless, a recent Newsday Editorial has come to criticize Mr. Suozzi's recent handling of negotiations with the collective bargaining units. http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpnas285979133dec28,0,1281915.story
The Newsday editorial is interesting both in what it said and what it did not say. The editorial board fails to discuss the recent soft negotiation tactics in light of the pay raise that the County Executive achieved for himself and key staffers only last year. So, without the true moral authority to lead by example, Suozzi enters negotiations with the CSEA, the county's largest collective bargaining unit, after soft deals were already in place for himself, his cronies, and the police unions. It also happens that 2009 is an election year for the Nassau County Executive, all county wide offices (DA and Clerk), and the entire Nassau County Legislature. So folks have to be taken care of if they are to attend lavish golf fundraisers, if they are going to be counted on to carry nominating petitions (or to refrain from supporting a primary insurgent), or if they are angling for some kind of "benefit." Appointed people want raises. Appointed people want promotions. Appointed people tend to have their benefits piggy-backed along with the union people.
So, what happens in a year where it is highly likely that sales tax receipts will lower than average? And what happens when real estate taxes should decrease theoretically due to lower property value assessements?
Everyone gets a raise!
Folks get to keep full and free medical benefits. The Union makes one small concession which really isnt a concession. Nassau County government has a few "husband/wife" teams on the payroll. It use to be that both spouses enjoyed full and free medical coverage, even if both had duplicative family coverage. Under the new agreement, the County gets to terminate the benefits for one spouse, but gives a $2000 per annum buy back to the spouse who gives up his benefits.
Contrast Tom Suozzi to a real municipal chief executive - the Great Rudolph Guiliani. Guiliani negotiated tough with the collective bargaining units, including the PBA which was so annoyed with how tough Guiliani was that it endorsed Ruth Messinger, an ultra-liberal Manhattanite who would not exactly be the choice of rank in file police officers. Rudy risked a huge constituency's support to do what he thought was best for the City and its taxpayers. Arguably, what applies to Suozzi also applies to George Pataki when he was Governor of New York. Pataki made numerous concessions to the UFT and the health care unions which were not the best for New York State, but which assured his re-election.
So - the anatomy of a fiscal bailout is this - Management, either public or private, leaps into bed with a unionized workforce. This arrangement benefits certain politicians who gain votes from union members, and campaign contributions from the big wigs.
The politician can either can count on full union volunteer support, or gain the "neutrality" of a key opposition voting block, as when the UFT stayed Neutral in George Pataki's successful race in 2002. They did not back the Democratic, and did not aid his campaign efforts, when normally they would. Also, think how many UAW votes went to politicians who were friendly to the bailout. Bailout money adds a corrupt dimension of aiding failing and failed private and governmental enterprises, preserving the status quo. Eventually, no matter how many times artificial attempts are made to preserve corrupt institutions, the market will prevail.
The same of course could be said for the Financial Sector bailout. The Community Reinvestment Act encouraged lending to high risk borrowers, as did activism from groups like ACORN, "red lining" litigation against lenders by the Janet Reno Justice Department, and the efforts of HUD under the stewardship of Andrew Cuomo. Congressional watchdogs like Christopher Dodd and Barney Frank assured us that everything was ok with Freddie and Fannie and that no meltdown was expected, until it came. Even more ironic is the large number of mortgaged properties which had been purchased by investors instead of homeowners, and the housing glut we face with abandoned units which still have a high sticker price, but which nobody can buy.
Few -if any - of our political leaders want to take the long hard look necessary to fix these now systemic problems, which become permanent.
The only problem with this utopia is the fact that folks stopped buying american cars. And then one cold November morning we find out that our auto industry will collective fail to make payroll. We get the dire news that we need to bail out the auto industry or else 'bad things will happen."
Now we see bailouts and governmental failures throughout the country. Even governments are going broke. Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Atlanta also have their hands out for some of that mad money. http://www.getmoneyenergy.com/2008/11/municipal-bailouts-phoenix-philadelphia-atlanta/ These three municipal bailouts auger future disasters.
What is the anatomy of a municipal bailout? It pretty much starts with the toleration of corruption by our print media. Usually it takes the form of a newspaper liking the ideology of one political party (say the Democrats) and wishing to create stars out of pieces of human dreck. Eliot Spitzer is one politician who immediately comes to mind. If there was ever an intemperate blow hard it was Pimp Daddy Eliot. He threatened media people on the Sean Hannity Show.
Spitzer showed his pimp hand to Wall Street chasing frivolous cases, while the real crooks were apparently robbing us blind. Amazing. I bet Eliot Spitzer and Bernard Madoff hit alot of the same people for campaign contributions and investments, respectively. And good ole E Spitzer somehow never caught Madoff and his "Ponzi" Scheme, which largely defrauded people who were not unlike the former disgraced Governor's parents.
But Eliot Spitzer was "Pro-Choice," so he must be a nice lad who respects women. This kind of thinking, of course, is killing us.
What is the anatomy of a municipal collapse? Nassau County, New York offers a fine laboratory for this. Nassau has certain unique issues, like its inability to correctly assess property value for real estate tax purposes, which has created huge public sector debt under successive Republican (Gulotta) and Democratic (Suozzi) Administrations. A failure to negotiate successfully with collective bargaining units to contain labor costs is the next failure, one which I suspect is an accident done on purpose.
Long Island Newsday has been a cheerleader for County Executive Tom Suozzi, an ambitious politician who ran an unsuccessful primary against Eliot Spitzer in 2006, where he garned less than 20% of the vote. Nevertheless, a recent Newsday Editorial has come to criticize Mr. Suozzi's recent handling of negotiations with the collective bargaining units. http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpnas285979133dec28,0,1281915.story
The Newsday editorial is interesting both in what it said and what it did not say. The editorial board fails to discuss the recent soft negotiation tactics in light of the pay raise that the County Executive achieved for himself and key staffers only last year. So, without the true moral authority to lead by example, Suozzi enters negotiations with the CSEA, the county's largest collective bargaining unit, after soft deals were already in place for himself, his cronies, and the police unions. It also happens that 2009 is an election year for the Nassau County Executive, all county wide offices (DA and Clerk), and the entire Nassau County Legislature. So folks have to be taken care of if they are to attend lavish golf fundraisers, if they are going to be counted on to carry nominating petitions (or to refrain from supporting a primary insurgent), or if they are angling for some kind of "benefit." Appointed people want raises. Appointed people want promotions. Appointed people tend to have their benefits piggy-backed along with the union people.
So, what happens in a year where it is highly likely that sales tax receipts will lower than average? And what happens when real estate taxes should decrease theoretically due to lower property value assessements?
Everyone gets a raise!
Folks get to keep full and free medical benefits. The Union makes one small concession which really isnt a concession. Nassau County government has a few "husband/wife" teams on the payroll. It use to be that both spouses enjoyed full and free medical coverage, even if both had duplicative family coverage. Under the new agreement, the County gets to terminate the benefits for one spouse, but gives a $2000 per annum buy back to the spouse who gives up his benefits.
Contrast Tom Suozzi to a real municipal chief executive - the Great Rudolph Guiliani. Guiliani negotiated tough with the collective bargaining units, including the PBA which was so annoyed with how tough Guiliani was that it endorsed Ruth Messinger, an ultra-liberal Manhattanite who would not exactly be the choice of rank in file police officers. Rudy risked a huge constituency's support to do what he thought was best for the City and its taxpayers. Arguably, what applies to Suozzi also applies to George Pataki when he was Governor of New York. Pataki made numerous concessions to the UFT and the health care unions which were not the best for New York State, but which assured his re-election.
So - the anatomy of a fiscal bailout is this - Management, either public or private, leaps into bed with a unionized workforce. This arrangement benefits certain politicians who gain votes from union members, and campaign contributions from the big wigs.
The politician can either can count on full union volunteer support, or gain the "neutrality" of a key opposition voting block, as when the UFT stayed Neutral in George Pataki's successful race in 2002. They did not back the Democratic, and did not aid his campaign efforts, when normally they would. Also, think how many UAW votes went to politicians who were friendly to the bailout. Bailout money adds a corrupt dimension of aiding failing and failed private and governmental enterprises, preserving the status quo. Eventually, no matter how many times artificial attempts are made to preserve corrupt institutions, the market will prevail.
The same of course could be said for the Financial Sector bailout. The Community Reinvestment Act encouraged lending to high risk borrowers, as did activism from groups like ACORN, "red lining" litigation against lenders by the Janet Reno Justice Department, and the efforts of HUD under the stewardship of Andrew Cuomo. Congressional watchdogs like Christopher Dodd and Barney Frank assured us that everything was ok with Freddie and Fannie and that no meltdown was expected, until it came. Even more ironic is the large number of mortgaged properties which had been purchased by investors instead of homeowners, and the housing glut we face with abandoned units which still have a high sticker price, but which nobody can buy.
Few -if any - of our political leaders want to take the long hard look necessary to fix these now systemic problems, which become permanent.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Shout Out to Kenny Lovett, Albany's Star Reporter
The Disgruntled Taxpayer blog loves it when a member of the mainstream media throws it down hard to the powers that be. That is what Kenny Lovett does in his recent story about Governor Patterson's tax hikes. Kenny is a man who always spoke truth to power, from his yeoman days as a sports writer for the Plainview High School student newspaper, through his work with a weekly known as the Plainview Herald.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/12/20/2008-12-20_aw_that_4bs_not_so_taxing_skip_optional_.html
Governor Patterson, New York's gubernatorial replacement for the "whore monger in chief," apparently wants to kill New York's economy with "a thousand paper cuts."
Patterson proposed 137 new taxes and fees on everything from shoes, clothing and soda to movie tickets, music downloads, car registration and insurance. Patterson was a guy who never passed the NY State Bar Exam and proposed laws in the State Legislature which would allow people to "resist" police efforts to arrest them, and require police to "shoot to stop" when confronted by violent street urchins, so thinking that this stuffed suit who can't take a joke on SNL actually has the brains to run the State was a bit of a flight of fancy.
Mr. Lovett's excellent article notes Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco (R-Schenectady), who says the extra fees and taxes would cost an average family of four nearly $4,000 a year, said Paterson's description of the taxed items as optional "boggles my mind."
Another one of my political heroes, Conservative State Chairman Michael Long, had some interesting words to say about Patterson's whacky proposal. Mr. Lovett quotes Chairman Long as saying:
"I can't imagine seeing all of New York walking around barefoot," Long said. "There is nothing optional about what he's done to the working-class citizens of this state."
Here is the problem with the Governor's "deaf dumb and blind" tax and fee hikes which even a reporter as smart as Kenny, and a political observer as astute as Chairman Long did not catch: Patterson's s $4B anticipated revenue is simply a projection and fiscal sleight of hand meant to artificially close the budget deficit gap. The most likely result of these tax and fee hikes is that they will not reach this Four Billion dollar bench mark. With a weak economy, and tax hikes passed onto the public, fewer people will go out to movies, and people will stop buying soft drinks, or buy less of them. Consumers will download less music.
Governor Patterson might be better served by reducing taxes and fees and trying to stimulate consumption. But of course he just wants to have nice little numbers that the other flaks in Albany think will balance the budget, but of course will not.
My favorite of is course the car registrations and insurance. Here is where Governor Patterson proves that he is not only out of touch and blinded by his liberals, but he isn't even street smart. I think Curtis Sliwa would appreciate this observation.
One of the more popular insurance scams is for folks to register their vehicles out of state and purchase insurance out of state. Patterson's fee hikes and subsequent rate increases in this area will most likely be met by more shaky folks moving their vehicle registrations to phony out of state addresses. You already see this behavior among insureds in who live in urban areas which are considered "high accident risk" areas. But I forgot, the Governor grew up on Long Island, and lives upstate. Patterson is also the son of one of the most powerful labor lawyers in the State, and never really had to roll around with the little people.
The sad thing about this story is that the principal political opponents of this mischief do not have the power to halt Patterson and his mad schemes. We are left to rely upon the beneficence of the Liberal Democratic Leader of the Assembly Majority, Sheldon Silver, and whoever the Democrats pick to lead the State Senate, now that they have assumed control over that body as well.
Tedisco has many good things to say but he is a minority leader in a veto proof majority Assembly. He has a soap box and little more. Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) is similarly limited.
Chairman Long is both a wise and influential voice in New York, but he is not one of the "three men in a smoke filled room who decides New York's public policy," namely the Governor, the Assembly Speaker, and the Senate Majority Leader, all of whom promise to be Democrats in 2009, barring some bizarre realignment in the State Senate, and the apparent inability of its leadership to get its act together.
"I can't imagine seeing all of New York walking around barefoot," Long said. "There is nothing optional about what he's done to the working-class citizens of this state."
This may be a dark hour for those of us who live and work and spend our lives in New York, and who want to continue to enjoy a good standard of life.
Of course, the kicker is that Patterson drops this little bomb while he was in Iraq visiting the troops with some local congressmen who are probably kissing his butt to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.
God save us all from David Patterson's short sightedness.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/12/20/2008-12-20_aw_that_4bs_not_so_taxing_skip_optional_.html
Governor Patterson, New York's gubernatorial replacement for the "whore monger in chief," apparently wants to kill New York's economy with "a thousand paper cuts."
Patterson proposed 137 new taxes and fees on everything from shoes, clothing and soda to movie tickets, music downloads, car registration and insurance. Patterson was a guy who never passed the NY State Bar Exam and proposed laws in the State Legislature which would allow people to "resist" police efforts to arrest them, and require police to "shoot to stop" when confronted by violent street urchins, so thinking that this stuffed suit who can't take a joke on SNL actually has the brains to run the State was a bit of a flight of fancy.
Mr. Lovett's excellent article notes Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco (R-Schenectady), who says the extra fees and taxes would cost an average family of four nearly $4,000 a year, said Paterson's description of the taxed items as optional "boggles my mind."
Another one of my political heroes, Conservative State Chairman Michael Long, had some interesting words to say about Patterson's whacky proposal. Mr. Lovett quotes Chairman Long as saying:
"I can't imagine seeing all of New York walking around barefoot," Long said. "There is nothing optional about what he's done to the working-class citizens of this state."
Here is the problem with the Governor's "deaf dumb and blind" tax and fee hikes which even a reporter as smart as Kenny, and a political observer as astute as Chairman Long did not catch: Patterson's s $4B anticipated revenue is simply a projection and fiscal sleight of hand meant to artificially close the budget deficit gap. The most likely result of these tax and fee hikes is that they will not reach this Four Billion dollar bench mark. With a weak economy, and tax hikes passed onto the public, fewer people will go out to movies, and people will stop buying soft drinks, or buy less of them. Consumers will download less music.
Governor Patterson might be better served by reducing taxes and fees and trying to stimulate consumption. But of course he just wants to have nice little numbers that the other flaks in Albany think will balance the budget, but of course will not.
My favorite of is course the car registrations and insurance. Here is where Governor Patterson proves that he is not only out of touch and blinded by his liberals, but he isn't even street smart. I think Curtis Sliwa would appreciate this observation.
One of the more popular insurance scams is for folks to register their vehicles out of state and purchase insurance out of state. Patterson's fee hikes and subsequent rate increases in this area will most likely be met by more shaky folks moving their vehicle registrations to phony out of state addresses. You already see this behavior among insureds in who live in urban areas which are considered "high accident risk" areas. But I forgot, the Governor grew up on Long Island, and lives upstate. Patterson is also the son of one of the most powerful labor lawyers in the State, and never really had to roll around with the little people.
The sad thing about this story is that the principal political opponents of this mischief do not have the power to halt Patterson and his mad schemes. We are left to rely upon the beneficence of the Liberal Democratic Leader of the Assembly Majority, Sheldon Silver, and whoever the Democrats pick to lead the State Senate, now that they have assumed control over that body as well.
Tedisco has many good things to say but he is a minority leader in a veto proof majority Assembly. He has a soap box and little more. Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) is similarly limited.
Chairman Long is both a wise and influential voice in New York, but he is not one of the "three men in a smoke filled room who decides New York's public policy," namely the Governor, the Assembly Speaker, and the Senate Majority Leader, all of whom promise to be Democrats in 2009, barring some bizarre realignment in the State Senate, and the apparent inability of its leadership to get its act together.
"I can't imagine seeing all of New York walking around barefoot," Long said. "There is nothing optional about what he's done to the working-class citizens of this state."
This may be a dark hour for those of us who live and work and spend our lives in New York, and who want to continue to enjoy a good standard of life.
Of course, the kicker is that Patterson drops this little bomb while he was in Iraq visiting the troops with some local congressmen who are probably kissing his butt to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.
God save us all from David Patterson's short sightedness.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Disgruntled Taxpayers Unite!
I cruised the net using "disgruntled taxpayer" as a search term. Apparently, many of us out there. One Blog which borrows its title from the great Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense provides some excellent observations about the current bailout situation. http://commonsensepoliticalthought.com/?p=3670 I think these folks pretty much lay it on the line.
More ominously, there are some disgruntled taxpayers who resort to what some might call vandalism, but what others might call "artistic free expression" to make their points about how ridiculous government spending and taxpayer waste can be. Witness the graffiti wall in the UK, which proves that even the "efficient" bureaucracies of White Hall can be wasteful. http://arbroath.blogspot.com/2008/10/3000-graffiti-wall-vandalised-by.html
Here, an enterprising protester expressed his or her self with the bold strokes of brush and paint. This incident typifies just how banal the political left really is. In the peaceful Town of Wadebridge, UK, the smart folks in the local government built a 6ft high by 30ft long wall so youths could practice their graffiti artwork without vandalising local property. This to the tune of 3,000 British Pounds. One "disgruntled taxpayer" chagrined at what he or she considered a waste of public funds, and borrowing from those awful vacation t-shirts from across the pond, writes "I paid my tax + all I got was this lousy wall."
Funny, how the local constabulary was up in arms about this and needed to remove this offensive critique of their moronic program from this public wall. Can you think of a more vivid expression of the nannystate? These idiots build a graffiti wall and probably would have been ok with the most odious forms of expression. One can picture the UK variant of the ACLU rolling into action if some punk painted a swastika on the wall, or gang signs. But the minute their moronic social policy is called to question peacefully and in the manner provided by the municipal government, all kinds of efforts are required to apprehend the evil person who dared to say the emperor's not wearing any clothes.
It was reported that this monument to stupidity was built in the town's Jubilee Park and was the brainchild of Sergeant Robin Moorcroft who has vowed to investigate the graffiti.
- "The ironic thing is that the wall has been built thanks to the generosity of local people giving time and resources for free," he said.
"But it is now going to cost the taxpayer, as we will have to crime it, investigate it and paint over it."
Amazing, how common sense ideas become unpopular when the authorities are shown to be as truly incompetent as they appear to be in this small English Township.
One wonders how much money is wasted like this in the States? Even a dollar is too much.
More ominously, there are some disgruntled taxpayers who resort to what some might call vandalism, but what others might call "artistic free expression" to make their points about how ridiculous government spending and taxpayer waste can be. Witness the graffiti wall in the UK, which proves that even the "efficient" bureaucracies of White Hall can be wasteful. http://arbroath.blogspot.com/2008/10/3000-graffiti-wall-vandalised-by.html
Here, an enterprising protester expressed his or her self with the bold strokes of brush and paint. This incident typifies just how banal the political left really is. In the peaceful Town of Wadebridge, UK, the smart folks in the local government built a 6ft high by 30ft long wall so youths could practice their graffiti artwork without vandalising local property. This to the tune of 3,000 British Pounds. One "disgruntled taxpayer" chagrined at what he or she considered a waste of public funds, and borrowing from those awful vacation t-shirts from across the pond, writes "I paid my tax + all I got was this lousy wall."
Funny, how the local constabulary was up in arms about this and needed to remove this offensive critique of their moronic program from this public wall. Can you think of a more vivid expression of the nannystate? These idiots build a graffiti wall and probably would have been ok with the most odious forms of expression. One can picture the UK variant of the ACLU rolling into action if some punk painted a swastika on the wall, or gang signs. But the minute their moronic social policy is called to question peacefully and in the manner provided by the municipal government, all kinds of efforts are required to apprehend the evil person who dared to say the emperor's not wearing any clothes.
It was reported that this monument to stupidity was built in the town's Jubilee Park and was the brainchild of Sergeant Robin Moorcroft who has vowed to investigate the graffiti.
- "The ironic thing is that the wall has been built thanks to the generosity of local people giving time and resources for free," he said.
"But it is now going to cost the taxpayer, as we will have to crime it, investigate it and paint over it."
Amazing, how common sense ideas become unpopular when the authorities are shown to be as truly incompetent as they appear to be in this small English Township.
One wonders how much money is wasted like this in the States? Even a dollar is too much.
Soft Fascism is Here.
The soft fascism embodied in political correctness was demonstrated when none other than Jane Fonda was chastised for using the "C word" on Network TV.
Arguably there are few public figures who are as iconic on the left as Jane Fonda in the entertainment world, and no public figure which has remade herself so many different times, be it as the sex kitten Barbarella, the prostitute in Klute, the anti war activist, the exercise video Diva, the wife of Ted Turner.
Indeed, even the use of the aforementioned "unmentionable" word was in the context of a discussion of the "Vagina Monologues." so its utterance was totally innocent, and not even remotely offensive, and definitely cannot be considered "anti-feminist," since the context was a discussion of feminist art.
Still, the tolerance police had to be satisfied, and even one of the more preachy and self righteous had to engage in one of those 1930's style Stalinist apology sessions meant to placate the authorities... or else you have committed the crime of "insensitivity." Boo Wooo.
Recently, on a high school alumni Facebook page, I posted about a college era incident in which I anticipated (unwittingly, since I was a liberal in college) the rise of soft fascism on the left.
I recounted that at about 22 years old, I sustained one severe writer's block from my frosh year in college up through about graduation from Law School, when I began writing again.
The cause was a creative writing class. I had an idea for a short story about a society in which people didn't read anymore, and there were no more newspapers or books, but folks watched cable on hundreds of channels, and all the politicians were really good looking, and ethnically, racially, and sexually represented in proportion to their numbers in society, but was an absolute tyranny.
The project was really too ambitious for a short story, and I couldn't capture the universe I wished to create in those few pages. And it was in the days before word processors and computers so I really couldn't slam out a major work for just little creative writing class.The story had its obvious plotting and stylistic issues. This story was written in the Spring of 1985, before the Berlin Wall fell, and before the wide spread use of fiber optic cable and the Internet communications revolution.
But I confess. The story sucked.The story just didn't move, and while the concept was great, it just didn't have life. But, curiously, this is not what angered the instructor.
The instructor was a grad student who was ultimately tough of the work because it offended his political sensibilities. He was a self styled Marxist who bragged about being harsh with a Cuban colleague, calling him "a counter revolutionary." Needless to say, he was a real a-hole.
He criticized the universe created in my story because "they could never invent the bandwidth necessary to have hundreds of channels on TV. "Years later, even though this project was long abandoned, I came to realize that my vision was correct, even if my execution was flawed. I was told that I needed to read more books about Marxism before criticising this philosophy. Again, I fancied myself as a "liberal," someone who was committed to civil rights and tolerance, but I was always "anticommunist."
But this instructor embodied the short sightedness of the statist campus radical, the safe little man with a limited imagination who cannot see beyond the parameters of a limited and flawed ideology. He cannot see the murders and atrocities committed by his heroes in brutal Marxist regimes. He does not appreciate the freedoms he enjoys through a society which at least for now is committed to the rights of life, liberty, property, and free expression.
Sadly, what originates on campuses often comes to inform the intelligentsia, be it the journalists who never truly left college or even business people who do not understand that the surrender of some economic and political liberties eventually means the surrender of their own liberties.
Ultimately, it is a sad irony that Jane Fonda is not chastised by "mainstream media" for consorting with the enemy during war time, but for uttering a "dirty word" which references female genitals during a discussion of a play which discussed lfe and current events from the point of view of sentient female genitalia.
Arguably there are few public figures who are as iconic on the left as Jane Fonda in the entertainment world, and no public figure which has remade herself so many different times, be it as the sex kitten Barbarella, the prostitute in Klute, the anti war activist, the exercise video Diva, the wife of Ted Turner.
Indeed, even the use of the aforementioned "unmentionable" word was in the context of a discussion of the "Vagina Monologues." so its utterance was totally innocent, and not even remotely offensive, and definitely cannot be considered "anti-feminist," since the context was a discussion of feminist art.
Still, the tolerance police had to be satisfied, and even one of the more preachy and self righteous had to engage in one of those 1930's style Stalinist apology sessions meant to placate the authorities... or else you have committed the crime of "insensitivity." Boo Wooo.
Recently, on a high school alumni Facebook page, I posted about a college era incident in which I anticipated (unwittingly, since I was a liberal in college) the rise of soft fascism on the left.
I recounted that at about 22 years old, I sustained one severe writer's block from my frosh year in college up through about graduation from Law School, when I began writing again.
The cause was a creative writing class. I had an idea for a short story about a society in which people didn't read anymore, and there were no more newspapers or books, but folks watched cable on hundreds of channels, and all the politicians were really good looking, and ethnically, racially, and sexually represented in proportion to their numbers in society, but was an absolute tyranny.
The project was really too ambitious for a short story, and I couldn't capture the universe I wished to create in those few pages. And it was in the days before word processors and computers so I really couldn't slam out a major work for just little creative writing class.The story had its obvious plotting and stylistic issues. This story was written in the Spring of 1985, before the Berlin Wall fell, and before the wide spread use of fiber optic cable and the Internet communications revolution.
But I confess. The story sucked.The story just didn't move, and while the concept was great, it just didn't have life. But, curiously, this is not what angered the instructor.
The instructor was a grad student who was ultimately tough of the work because it offended his political sensibilities. He was a self styled Marxist who bragged about being harsh with a Cuban colleague, calling him "a counter revolutionary." Needless to say, he was a real a-hole.
He criticized the universe created in my story because "they could never invent the bandwidth necessary to have hundreds of channels on TV. "Years later, even though this project was long abandoned, I came to realize that my vision was correct, even if my execution was flawed. I was told that I needed to read more books about Marxism before criticising this philosophy. Again, I fancied myself as a "liberal," someone who was committed to civil rights and tolerance, but I was always "anticommunist."
But this instructor embodied the short sightedness of the statist campus radical, the safe little man with a limited imagination who cannot see beyond the parameters of a limited and flawed ideology. He cannot see the murders and atrocities committed by his heroes in brutal Marxist regimes. He does not appreciate the freedoms he enjoys through a society which at least for now is committed to the rights of life, liberty, property, and free expression.
Sadly, what originates on campuses often comes to inform the intelligentsia, be it the journalists who never truly left college or even business people who do not understand that the surrender of some economic and political liberties eventually means the surrender of their own liberties.
Ultimately, it is a sad irony that Jane Fonda is not chastised by "mainstream media" for consorting with the enemy during war time, but for uttering a "dirty word" which references female genitals during a discussion of a play which discussed lfe and current events from the point of view of sentient female genitalia.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Comparative Messiahs: A Cost/Benefit Analysis
I have been thinking about doing this for awhile now. The Disgruntled Taxpayer blog. An electronic soap box for rants and raves. Happy Happy Joy Joy.
Actually, there is so much to be angry about for taxpayers these days: bailouts, Senate seats going to the "lowest bidders," inept government officials who catch a bye from the local and national media because they have liberal views regarding bioethics, or whatever the latest liberal shibboleth is.
The next few years should be good times for those of us who like to comment about stuff. And who loathe the Nannystate.
President Obama should be good for some belly laughs. Without even stepping into the Oval Office we already have Cook County Boys providing comedy relief through Blago-gate. His desire to move into Blair House two weeks early is also good for some titters, as the permanent staff was aghast by this breach of protocol (tradition has it that the President Elect stays in Blair House from 1/15 through to 1/20, Obama wants to roll into town on 1/2). Maybe the Obamas catch a bye on this one because his kids need to start school.
But what is this about taking a train from Philly.... stopping in Delaware to pick up Biden ..... and then stopping in DC for his inauguration? One can only imagine how many millions in taxpayer dollars will be wasted on the pageantry. An entire train has to be secured to ensure the President Elect's safety. This seems expensive.
Why can't he just take the Presidential Limo he just secured with the armor plates and all of that good stuff from Blair House to Inaugural? And where will the President Elect celebrate MLK Day? In Philly? In DC? How much money is this "Messianic Entrance" into Washington going to cost us. Will only those who earn more than $200,000 per year have to shoulder the cost of this nonsense. Besides, doesn't this trip to Philly kind of defeat the idea of a smooth transition of the children into Quaker School?
The real Messiah had it right. He was born in a manger, and rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. And his well wishers paid for their own palms. Not only that, but his well wishers even saved the palms for nearly a year, and recycled them on Ash Wednesday. Jesus of Nazareth was a fiscal conservative. He feed 5,000 people with a couple of loaves of bread and some fish. He fed 4,000 on another occasion. He saved money on boat fares across the Sea of Galilee by walking it. And then he actually gave up his lives for our sins. The real Messiah didn't play GQ in some fancy suits, chain smoke like a bulimic supermodel, and pay homage to the Mayor Daley Machine.
Now, I am not asking for anything big. Just a little humility for the tasks that are ahead. It is bad enough that the "Messiah of Change" is an apostle of big government, and that instead of change, he hired all of the Clintonistas, including Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. I am just hoping that the American people elected an adult, or someone who may become an adult, to be President.
Actually, there is so much to be angry about for taxpayers these days: bailouts, Senate seats going to the "lowest bidders," inept government officials who catch a bye from the local and national media because they have liberal views regarding bioethics, or whatever the latest liberal shibboleth is.
The next few years should be good times for those of us who like to comment about stuff. And who loathe the Nannystate.
President Obama should be good for some belly laughs. Without even stepping into the Oval Office we already have Cook County Boys providing comedy relief through Blago-gate. His desire to move into Blair House two weeks early is also good for some titters, as the permanent staff was aghast by this breach of protocol (tradition has it that the President Elect stays in Blair House from 1/15 through to 1/20, Obama wants to roll into town on 1/2). Maybe the Obamas catch a bye on this one because his kids need to start school.
But what is this about taking a train from Philly.... stopping in Delaware to pick up Biden ..... and then stopping in DC for his inauguration? One can only imagine how many millions in taxpayer dollars will be wasted on the pageantry. An entire train has to be secured to ensure the President Elect's safety. This seems expensive.
Why can't he just take the Presidential Limo he just secured with the armor plates and all of that good stuff from Blair House to Inaugural? And where will the President Elect celebrate MLK Day? In Philly? In DC? How much money is this "Messianic Entrance" into Washington going to cost us. Will only those who earn more than $200,000 per year have to shoulder the cost of this nonsense. Besides, doesn't this trip to Philly kind of defeat the idea of a smooth transition of the children into Quaker School?
The real Messiah had it right. He was born in a manger, and rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. And his well wishers paid for their own palms. Not only that, but his well wishers even saved the palms for nearly a year, and recycled them on Ash Wednesday. Jesus of Nazareth was a fiscal conservative. He feed 5,000 people with a couple of loaves of bread and some fish. He fed 4,000 on another occasion. He saved money on boat fares across the Sea of Galilee by walking it. And then he actually gave up his lives for our sins. The real Messiah didn't play GQ in some fancy suits, chain smoke like a bulimic supermodel, and pay homage to the Mayor Daley Machine.
Now, I am not asking for anything big. Just a little humility for the tasks that are ahead. It is bad enough that the "Messiah of Change" is an apostle of big government, and that instead of change, he hired all of the Clintonistas, including Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. I am just hoping that the American people elected an adult, or someone who may become an adult, to be President.
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