The Hayseeds blog, No. 228 for the week starting October 22, 2007.
Tuesday
Wednesday
Rudy is Going to Be the Next President?
Thursday
Sign A Petition To Support Pete Seeger's Nomation for A Noble Peace Prize
Berger on the Berger Commission
Friday
Boondocks is about farms, rural life, and power toys.
Energy looks at high energy prices and our future.
Enviroman looks at man and the environment.
Individual looks at myself and how I'm changing
Outblog is all about my outdoor experiences.
Transit looks at the changing ways we get around.
Truck gives you stories and trips in my Ford Ranger.
What the Senate Did Yesterday. Governor Spitzer did a nice job explaining all the hard work that the State Senate did when they came back yesterday to have another one of their lovefests.
This spring, two months of public leaders’ meetings identified the priorities that were most important to New Yorkers, including lowering property taxes by reforming the Wicks Law; lowering energy costs and revitalizing the Upstate economy with a new Article X law and a reformed Brownfields law; strengthening families and children with the Healthy Schools Act and Paid Family Leave; and campaign finance reform to clean up Albany. Yet, four months ago, the State Senate abruptly went into recess, leaving all of this business unfinished. Over the past four months, these problems have not solved themselves.
Despite many areas of potential agreement, the Senate today placed pending matters on the back burner to debate the recent administrative change at the Department of Motor Vehicles that will bring undocumented immigrants into the system. While constructive discussion is always welcomed on any issue, my hope is that we can set aside the demagoguery surrounding the national immigration debate and pragmatically evaluate this important policy for its impact on the safety and security of New Yorkers.
In its first day back, after 4 months, the Senate failed to bring to the floor issues such as a senior property tax cut, capital for Upstate projects or Wicks Law reform, the cost of which is mounting daily for taxpayers.
The Senate took one step forward by addressing the gridlock created by its failure to confirm nominations to state agencies. Today the Senate confirmed more than 80 of my nominees, some of whom have been awaiting confirmation for almost 8 months. I welcome these talented men and women to public service and thank them for their patience. It is my sincere hope that this step leads the way to future progress on behalf of the public.
That's kind of a disappointment, although nobody really thought the State Senate would be a beacon of progress for the Governor. At least they allowed many of the Governor's people to proceed forward and implement the policies that the voters wanted. P'Link
Right Wing Facebook. This parody of the Republican candidates for President is really great.
Okay, maybe a bit offensive. But still a good illustration of whose running on the Republican side of things. P'Link
Anton Konev Was a Democrat. Despite his letter that we posted the other day on Cowboy it appears there is this little nugget in the Altamont Enterprise this week:
The candidate Graziano spoke of is Anton Konev who originally sought a Democratic primary challenge against Mary Lou B. Connolly for a seat on the Albany County Legislature, but his petition signatures were challenged and he fell short of the needed number of names. He enrolled as a Democrat and is now running on the Republican ticket against Connolly.
So that proves my point that Anton is not only switched parties, but he's now a liar. Or at least quite misleading. What exactly he said:
I did not switch parties: I have never been more Democrat than now federally. I do believe the Republican Party does have a few things right locally (reduce county legislature, reduce waste, maintain taxes at the level), which is why they gave me their endorcement. At the time I alsoa ttempted to run in Democratic Primary. I collected 119 signatures (Ineeded 93) but then the Democratic Party bosses challanged my petition and29 signatures were thrown out (including some "signature didn't match theone we have on record from 20 years ago" and one person registered at myaddress while her entire family is across the street and that is where shealways lived). I was several signatures short of running. So I went aheadand collected 181 signatures to get on Citizens for Change line (theycouldn't challange those since you only need 141 to get independantnomination). I retained Republican line since that is one of the mainlines. My opponent was running on Conservative and Independance lines aswell and I challanged her on those as "Opportunity to Ballot" - that isvery hard to win as you get no press coverage and its hard to get peopleto write in correct full name. Less than 1/3 of regular turnout came outthis time from those parties and I lost those lines (still unclear by howmuch - the board of elections doesn't want to release me the final number-it is around 3-12 - Con and 11-25 Ind).
So what. He doesn't have a serious chance against Mary Lou Connelly, and is making a real jackass out of himself. He could have of course just done a better job petitioning, or waited until an open seat came available. P'Link
Rudy is Going to Be the Next President? Yes, it would appear that the man who says all ferret rights people are mentally ill is likely to be the Republican candidate for President.
Maybe now we will have a federal ban on ferrets? And free mental health services for all that own ferrets?
A Rudy vs. Hillary race is going to be very scary. Do you want a national ferret ban or Hillarycare? P'Link
Quick Fun Little Poll. Just to break things up a little bit on the blog:
Downtown Albany Gentrifying? It looks like yet another abandoned build downtown will be fixed up and made into an expensive restaurant and apartments, bring some much needed life to downtown Albany—which normally dies at about 5 PM each night after all the state workers leave. P'Link
Sign A Petition To Support Pete Seeger's Nomation for A Noble Peace Prize. The noble committee gave the peace prize to Al Gore last week, and now there is a growing movement to lobby the committee to support giving Pete the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize.
Pete Seeger is an amazing person who has done so much for the cause of peace and environmental protection. If anybody is deserving of such a recognition it would be Pete. Let's hope that if he doesn't get it this year, he will get it some year in the future. P'Link
Berger on the Berger Commission. The TU has coverage of Stephen Berger, the chair of the commission that made recommendations, that became law, on the future of many health care institutions in our state.
None of the closures or mergers were personal, he said. The commission was trying to restructure a broken health care system by lifting up the healthiest institutions to provide the best service to patients, he said. Berger, now chairman of a private New York investment firm, said no one disagreed with the concept. But when it came time to make hard decisions, everyone thought the theory did not apply to their institutions.
"We have a system that's provider-driven, that's institution-driven," he told the group of about 50 people from state health care interests. "It is not consumer-driven, it is not customer-driven."
You have to give Berger the utmost in respect. He chaired a commission that had to decide where literally billions of dollars would be allocated in our state, and who would be the winners and losers in it's decisions. Not only did some hospitals lose out badly by some of the recommendations, others benefited massively by cash influxes as they merged.
Hopefully the net result will be better health care at a lower cost in our state. This is wait and see, but it looks good for brighter future for health care in our state. P'Link
More Staph at More Schools. It looks like that there continuing problem with kids getting sick at schools from staph, the form that's difficult to treat because we are so damn trigger happy with antibiotics. P'Link
Now This is a Car. The 1960 Chevrolet Corvair. Can your truck do all the things that this car can do ?!
It reminds me a lot of my old Plymouth Sundance and the sh*t I used to put that ol' car through.
See the Prelinger Archives.
McNulty is Out. It looks like Congressman Mike McNulty is not going to run for re-election. This is a serious concern for many people, most importantly for Congresswomen Kirsten Gillibrand.
If there is an actual race in the 21st district, then it will take resources from the district we all need to focus on—the 20th district. All the evidence points to their being a real competition in the 20th district.
If anybody with following last names gets involved in the 21st District race there will be a guaranteed blood bath:
Jennings, Conners, Breslin, Bosworth
It will be almost impossible for local politicos to stay out of their race. Indeed, getting their candidate elected will be key to the perception that they have power and still are relevant.
There is still hope for a consensus candidate—somebody from outside the Albany-machine that won't evoke such passions. Ron Canestari and especially, Brian Stratton are names that come to mind. But maybe we need more of a dark horse.
My long shot hope is that we can somehow convince Sandy Gordon to run for Congress, and that he could both snap up the rural vote as a farmer, plus the support of the liberal wing of the party (for being pro-environment/pro-labor), and also the Jennings-Conners faction of the party. He's a articulate speaker, and a consensus candidate.
At any rate, I will still be focusing my time next spring and summer helping Kirsten Gillibrand on her re-election. Next fall, I will unfortunately be out of the region and very busy working for DACC.
Regardless of whatever ideology candidate wins McNulty's old seat, it's likely the Democrat will need relatively little support. Yet, Kirsten Gillibrand needs our support to ensure that she keeps her seat, and the Congressional Democratic Majority is preserved or expanded.
Kirsten Gillibrand has been an awesome Congresswomen, not only pushing a progressive agenda in our federal government, but also working on the many issues facing the farming and rural economy that makes up here district. It's so important that we can keep her district. P'Link
Copyright ©1999-2008 Andy Arthur.
All mistakes are intentional or otherwise.
Mind where you step in a cow pasture or legal mindfield.