The Hayseeds blog, No. 253 for the week starting April 20, 2008.
April 6, 2008
Hayseeds No. 252
April 20, 2008
Hayseeds No. 253
April 27, 2008
Hayseeds No. 253
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“Albany County legislators are expected to approve tonight the purchase of 210 voting machines for the September primary that are specifically designed to allow a voter -- and, particularly, disabled people -- to mark a ballot with a special device.”
“I see the Thruway Authority is considering another toll hike. Would you know how the state of New York managed to continue operating the Thruway as a toll road when the tolls were supposed to be removed after the bonds were paid off in the late 1990s?”
“A shorted-out underground wire led to an explosion on River Street early Sunday that blew manhole covers almost 20 feet in the air and broke about 30 upper-floor windows.”
“How the state's unused and moribund death penalty statute costs taxpayers plenty”
“With one state budget under his belt, Governor Paterson is already looking for ways to close a projected $4 billion gap in next year's spending plan. It's an encouraging sign Mr. Paterson intends to be much more forceful in urging fiscal restraint on lawmakers than he was during his first budget effort. At the same time, he needs to take a broader look at costly fiscal practices by state entities that have led, among other things, to New York's crazy quilt of salaries for top administrators.”
“Technology can connect upstate and downstate, and benefit all involved”
“Is an almost 100 percent increase in the state sales tax on cigarettes sending the wrong message to New Yorkers? It is essentially preying on smokers' addiction to nicotine, and the lawmakers' knowledge that smokers will be forced to swallow the price hike to continue their habit.”
“The system has worked for more than a century, but those volunteers will face major new demands if an Advanced Micro Devices computer chip plant is built here.”
“When Cindy Sheehan made a detour to Crawford, Texas, in 2005, she only intended to ask President George W. Bush to explain the “noble cause,” the term he used to describe the objective her son Casey and scores of other soldiers died for in Iraq.”
“Neither record-high gasoline prices nor news of instability for airline travel seems to have deterred families determined to escape the Capital Region for spring break Friday.”
“People who live in Plattsburgh Housing Authority buildings refuse to be stereotyped.
Below is an image I created this morning that graphs out how late our state budget has been since 1975.
( You can click on the image to enlarge it to something that is readable. )
A few obvious things. The state budget is almost never on time, only being on time 18% of the time since 1975. In the eighties it was largely on time, but it got worst in the early 1990s and particularly bad under the George Pataki administration.
The source is the April 9th Newsday article on this topic.
After suffering political harassment from the Troy Code Enforcement after showing a controversial exhibit, changes have been made to appease code inspectors.
Just more than a month after it was forced to shut its doors, The Sanctuary for Independent Media announced Friday that it will re-open on April 26.
The media outlet was forced to stop hosting public gatherings on March 11 after the city enforced a 14-month old code violation which stated that the building’s doors were too narrow and needed panic hardware. The violation was enforced the day "The Night of Bush Capturing: Virtual Jihadi," a controversial exhibit created which depicts the assassination of President Bush through a video game, was set to open to the public.
A protest against the exhibit was led by Bob Mirch, commissioner of the Department of Public Works, the night before the building was shut down.
Steve Pierce, director of the sanctuary, explained he was glad to see the building re-open thanks to the generous support of local organizations, including Christ Church, the Arts Center of the Capital Region, and AME Zion Church, which have hosted several of the sanctuary’s exhibits while it was closed down.Advertisement
“City officials used code enforcement as a weapon as a weapon to silence the artist, Waffa Bilal, and shut us down, simply because they disagreed with what was being said,” said Pierce.
Read Sanctuary to Reopen in the Troy Record.
That would appear to be the case according to Brooks is claiming today, about $175k for the past filing period. Steck in contrast is claiming he raised raised $200k prior to April 3.
It seems that Brooks has more small donors, but we don't have final numbers for Steck in yet. I doubt Steck's contributors are anywhere near maxed out in the primary fight, and we still have a lot of months until September.
I look forward to seeing those number tomorrow.
“Many renters may believe that they have avoided the chaos of the subprime loan crisis and the mortgage meltdown simply by renting and not buying, but they may not be as insulated as they think. Buildings with tenants are going into foreclosure as well.”
I see over on Democracy in Albany, they've posted a link to the new website for David Weiss for State Senate.
For all of us who want anybody but Neil Breslin representing us in the State Senate, he seems like a pretty solid candidate—abit one without money or any resources. While he does not have to report his campaign fundraising yet, it should be interesting to see what happens.
Senator Breslin has an absurb amount of money to run a re-election bid, reporting in January that he had $110,409.83 in the bank of his committee, and spending $18,000 mostly on meals and donations to other candidates. He raised $3,900 in the same time period.
At one level Senator Breslin must be looking to build up his base with progressives. Last month he was at the DFHMR meeting, pandering to progressives, to keep him as their candidate, even if his years of blundering along in the Senate has done little for the people of our state.
Plus, I'd like to have a State Senator from Renselearville, rather then suburban Delmar. It's pretty up on County Route 360 where David Weiss lives.
David Weiss is a hard-driving advocate for community-owned green power. He'd make a great state Senator....
— Comment By Harvey Wasserman
“The decline of Hillary Clinton's presidential prospects does not change the fact that she is a singularly hard-working, policy-focused politician. Now that Eliot Spitzer is out, perhaps she should consider running for governor of New York.”
“Conservatives blame the housing crisis on a 1977 law that helps-low income people get mortgages. It's a useful story for them, but it isn't true.”
“Partnerships can help businesses build their customer base”
“Democratic Gov. David Paterson just ended his first closed door visit with the Assembly Republicans, during which (according to a source who was present) he praised the GOP for their fiscal conservatism and refused to rule out wielding his veto pen when it comes to the state budget.”
He told the Daily News that he's not interested in running for Governor of New York.
“It has been three decades since China's one-child policy was introduced as a temporary measure to slow the country's population growth. But there's rising opposition to the policy amid criticism that it's creating another demographic crisis.”
“It's been nearly 20 years since a former housekeeper of Leona Helmsley infamously testified that the wealthy real estate investor claimed that "only little people pay taxes."”
NPR tells you when you will get your $600 dollar check from the government.
“The Democratic National Committee has sued the Federal Election Commission, saying the commission failed in its obligation to investigate Republican John McCain's campaign finances. It's another consequence of the FEC's being nonfunctional in the midst of the biggest fundraising season in history — unable to act because it lacks the necessary number of commissioners.”
“Gov. David Paterson's and his wife made $269,815 and paid $82,780 in state, city and federal taxes, according to their 2007 returns. ”
“John McCain wants the federal government to free people from paying gasoline taxes this summer and ensure that college students can secure loans this fall, a pair of proposals aimed at stemming pain from the country's troubled economy.”
Yes, the Democrats now have a video featuring some of the bad ass Republicans.
Apparently, Republicans have a love for little children in a wrong kind of way.
All in response to this which seems so mild manored in comparison. No pistol whipping democrats or child molesters.
“A second underground electrical fire in less than 24 hours forced some 40 people out of their homes Sunday night to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.”
“The bipartisan prescription to jumpstart the economy was to deliver over $100 billion in rebate checks back into household coffers. Once again, in times of potential peril, our leaders appear to be issuing a deafening call for Americans to continue their consumption habits and carry on as usual. The message is so loud that one would be forgiven for thinking that failing to spend these rebate checks would be downright unpatriotic. Contrary to lawmaker assumptions, many Americans recognize a greater need to reduce personal debt and increase savings. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 47 percent of those interviewed intended to use the rebate to pay down their debt and another 23 percent say they are planning to save the money. This would not be the first time that the reality of the kitchen table will confound the fantasies of Washington.”
““The difference between the two parties is that Democrats take taxpayers money and give it away, but Republicans take their own money and give it to charity,” Tedisco told DN Capitol Bureau Chief Joe Mahoney, to whom the leader jokingly handed a shiny penny with which to underscore his point.”
“Jury decides valuable parcel of land belongs in current owners' hands”
“Authority officials have asked Paterson for long-term state loans to cover another $190 million in expenses”
“Just a week after the current state budget was passed, Gov. David Paterson is pushing his idea to cut next year's state budget by 5 percent to 10 percent.”
“A key Senate committee on Tuesday recommended that Harry Corbitt be approved as State Police superintendent, all but assuring his confirmation.”
“Representatives from the state Department of Transportation are meeting with people who own property near the state Route 30A bridge this week to establish communication prior to the bridge reconstruction project slated for 2010.”
“People who live near the intersection of Church and Myrtle streets fear a roundabout would make it tougher to turn out of side streets and driveways onto Church Street.”
“From the outside, the hulking former Chalmers Knitting Co. buildings on the city’s South Side are eyesores. Inside, the view isn’t much better; broken glass and debris litter rotted floorboards, the result of leaking roofs at the abandoned mill complex. But developer Uri Kaufman sees the structures differently.”
“More than 200 domestic workers, including nannies, companions for the elderly and housekeepers, gathered at the Capitol on Tuesday to push for a new law that would give them higher wages, sick days and paid vacations.”
Rockefeller's press secretary known for his writings and talks about the governor after his death passed away.
“New York Gov. David Paterson was in Plattsburgh for a ceremonial groundbreaking for a bus-assembly plant that is expected to begin operation in 2009 and could eventually employ more than 400 people. ”
There is a great ad linked on Daily Politics Blog done by SEIU which is supporting Obama for President.
It's a really good ad for all of us feeling pain with the average gas price being $3.51 a gallon in Albany. That's a lot of money, meaning that a modest 15 gallon fill up is $52.65.
If you have a truck, 15 gallons ain't a full tank by any means. The Ford Ranger has a 16.5 gallon tank, the extended cab is 20 gallons. Run it dry, and it will cost $70 to fill up. A long-bed Silverado 1500 has a 28 gallon tank, and that's a lot of money or $98 to fully fill.
I am really starting to warm up to Barack Obama. A previous Hillary supporter, I think Obama has many positive aspects for him, first and foremost a fresh face, and somebody who has a lot of appeal on rural issues.
I don't see Hillary coming back to win the nomination. She doesn't just have enough momentum or delegates to save her now. She might win Pennsylvania, but there is no way she can get the margin in the other states to win the nomination—unless something terrible happens with Obama.
I happened to find this over at Google Video.
This is one of my favorite films of all time, for it's fantastic natural imagery of the west and music, even with all the drug references and so forth. I still got to get out west. One of these days.
And no, the film has gotten no less depressing in the past 39 years. But it's still great to watch.
“State officials are taking a second look at committing funds to the Albany Convention Center and have retained a consultant to examine the nearly $400 million project.”
“The head of the agency that owns the New York metropolitan area's airports, the World Trade Center site and interstate bridges and tunnels quit after Gov. David Paterson indicated he wanted to replace him, a state official said.”
“Bullard said the staff reductions would not impact the company's plans for the Luther Forest fab. AMD actually has until summer 2009 to decide and still be eligible for $1.2 billion in state incentives, including $650 million in cash.”
“President Bush waited until nine months before he leaves the White House to confront the growing threat of climate change. And when he finally spoke out Wednesday, he had nothing substantive to say. His plan -- or as Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., put it, his joke of a plan -- is to wait until 2025 to get serious about curtailing the carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles and utilities that contribute to the greenhouse effect. In the meantime, he would avoid government intervention, such as a higher gasoline tax, and largely rely on voluntary measures by industry and market incentives to reduce overall emissions.”
“The state Department of Transportation would prefer building a new Route 30A bridge to the west of the existing bridge that spans the CSX railroad in the village, but after hearing several pleas to build to the east, officials at DOT said Thursday they may reconsider that option.”
“Craig M. Burridge, 52, of Waterford, becomes the eighth Democrat to announce. Two Republicans are also in the race.”
“The Army is meeting its recruiting goals partly by accepting more enlistees who lack high school diplomas, who have low scores on the military's aptitude test or receive waivers for criminal and medical problems.”
“The Mohawk Valley’s two prime assets are its history and its beauty and both are in jeopardy. Let’s start with its beauty. Poorly planned development has created eyesores along the river that detract from it and the surrounding valley. Three buildings, erected within the last decade, will suffice to prove my point.”
It's not just Troy suffering from overheating electric lines burning up.
“When Frank Britto died at the age of 67 on Feb. 4, his daughter, Clifton Park resident Laura Shockley, helped her mother take care of a few loose ends with his estate.”
