The Hayseeds blog, No. 84 for the week starting October 10, 2004.
September 26, 2004
Hayseeds No. 83
October 10, 2004
Hayseeds No. 84
October 17, 2004
Hayseeds No. 84
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Fortunately paid entirely by private money, that will go up in Tricentenial Park, so everybody can remember the man who replaced the late Erastus Corning the 2nd, who will never be forgotten (despite his lack of accomplishments excluding his 40 year term).
I never could get the attraction of having a statute made of you, and placed in a city park. In other words, it's a place for pigeons to poop on you.
It sounds like a good way to get some extra money and promote a dieing sport, but concerns about nuisane behavior like littering, probably temper such excitement.
Many farmers in the past have rented out or otherwise opened up their land, only to find cattle gates left open, shell casings littering the ground, and trash strewn around the farm. It becomes a big disinsentive to continue such a program, when an already busy farmer has to clean up for a mess left by careless hunters.
Crosier's fear of private land allowing hunting only for rich suburbanites is fairly absurd, figuring that there is so much public land nearby open for hunting during the season. You can argue that maybe some parts of Partridge Run are overhunted, but there always is other parts, Renselearville State Forest, and many other areas in nearby Schoharie County. Roughly 16,000 acres or 23 square miles is public land that allows hunting in Albany County.
I'd like to wonder what they are smoking, but the TU explains why that's a silly idea—namely that parkways are designed for cars, and only cars to enjoy the scenery on.
The TU also has interesting biography of this man who provides us with many useful stats and information.
Now only if WAMC could get him as a commentator like Bob Ward. Maybe he's just too introverted. At any rate, he's a great guy.
Some at say that it does, by citing a number of focusing events, but I have to disagree and say there are the two following problems on highways today:
So maybe I agree with the premisis of the article to a degree. There are too many drivers that go 70+ MPH in the 55 MPH zone of the Northway, creating a really dangerous condition. People are less likely to speed excessively in the 65 MPH zone, if only because non-overdrive transmissions strain to exceed that speed.
Apparently he's been out in farm country, trying to get some peace and quiet, before he kicks old Cheney's butt at 9 PM EST time tonight in the one and only Vice Presidential debate.
Edwards has so much charisma, and Dich Cheney is such the anti-thesis. Cheney looks like an oilman, and Edwards like a real person. Of course, I am biased.
At least it seems that if he wants to stay in power he's going to have to losen up the reins of power, at least slightly. That's not surpising, but I don't see too many changes to the power structure coming down the pipe.
See the NYT coverage.
He said it was disgraceful, ugly, and evil:
"To stay in jail and not have the holidays with my children and grandchildren will kill me and serve no public purpose"...
... "You can't believe how horrible Rikers Island is. Sometimes the food is so bad most of the inmates just tell the wagon to keep going so the smell doesn't get them sick..."
..."I almost believe Mario Cuomo that life without parole is worse than the death penalty"...
Luckly for him, he had friends in high places that could get him a get-out-of-jail-almost-free card:
He was sprung at the urging of some of the state's most powerful political, civic and religious leaders ó sparking cries of favoritism and triggering a probe by Mayor Bloomberg of the obscure city commission that authorized Velella's release. Among the high-powered individuals and groups working for his early release were former Mayor Ed Koch, the Archdiocese of New York—in a letter citing Edward Cardinal Egan—and Patrolmen's Benevolent Association chief Patrick Lynch.
Though at the end of the day, he does have a point in noting this was a big fall, and pretty absurd when the stuff he did really wasn't that bad. He was more of a gentleman who didn't know when it wasn't okay to line up deals for people from his powerful office.
Us Americans just too much like building people up, and then beating them down the next day. We can be so vicious to nice people like Senator Guy Vellela.
His charisma blew Cheney out of the water, though Cheney did pretty good at keeping up with him and answering his debate.
It seems that Edwards was on the moral high ground most of the time, but Cheney did do a good job at poking some holes in the weakness of Kerry and Edwards, such as his questionable voting record on defense and his lack of 2003 and 2004 votes.
Edwards kept an attentive look throughout the debate, and appeared to be happy and alive. During the middle of the debate, he looked slightly bored, but far less then Cheney who often looked bored. Cheney improved dramatically from the begining of the debate, when he was looking at the desk and not the camera, but remained angry looking throughout the debate.
Only time will show who will win in the eyes of the public, particularly after the pundits chew on it all. Ultimately though, I think everybody will be impressed with Edwards, far more then Kerry. Cheney was a better debater then Bush, but he fell behind Edwards.
CNN tells us that the winner of the debate is hotly contested, with Republican leaners saying that Cheney one, and Democratic leaners going for Edwards.
Both where great debaters. Cheney offered his experience and knowledge to his advantage, and Edwards was as charismatic as always. The debate took up many issues of subtance, it appeared that Edwards was slightly lacking but far better then either candidate in the Kerry-Bush debate.
Two issue I want to pick on from the debate for a quick note:
Years after you could no longer buy leaded gas for your gas-guzzler or Dodge Dart, you can still get leaded water from your tap and not even know about it because of lies and decit by local municipal water corporations.
That's not all that surpising, as lead in the water must be at such low levels to make the EPA standards. Much of the problem seems to be lie in homeowners with pipes with lead solder, instead of the city. And there are far bigger containmentants that muncipalities are concerned about like biological agents that will make your sick, or MTBE that will make you water taste like turpentine.
Don't worry, lead will just make you dumber and give your babies brain dead. But in most cases, the violations are minor enough that there will be no effect on your. We aren't talking about eating lead paint chips, which will do damage after a while.
Remember, I know all about lead abatements as I worked for an environmental company two years ago, and I know about the so called fraud with asbestos, lead and all that other frightening stuff. :P
Without the Democrats that is, and only by the few pigs and defense lawyers who continue to support him.
I have my doubts about that he has a prayer of winning, especially in light of the fact that this is a major election year, and more then hard-core partisans will end up turning out.
To many Albany County people, at least those who lack first hand experience with the criminal justice system (unlike me ;), he's just going to appear as another unknown on the Conservative and Indepdence line. Most Democrats or those who are going to be Democratic leaning, will first vote for Kerry, then just go on down the line,.overlooking everybody else.
Clyne's chances of winning this election seem to be slightly less then Roger Cusick, who will at least enjoy Row 'A' and the backing of Democrats.
It seems that Paul Clyne is just destine to become another Conners (who is running for State Senate this time).He will become a disaffected Democrat who ends up as a Republican without a chance of winning. It should be noted that for Conner's latest campaign, his signs don't even mention what office he is running for. That's a strong vote of no confidence.
It's good to see these largely volunteer individuals who do so much for their community, getting remembered by the state. Unlike police and other town services, they people aren't official paid agents, but instead just like helping nice people out.
It seems that some neighboors to Rapp Road are pretty unhappy, particularly those in the Village of Colonie to the North East. It's nice when the winds are blowing out of the city, as it's not a city problem, and residents can do little to fix the problem.`
The issue apparrently is methane, being released in excessive quanties, thanks to the city replacing part of an outdated methane collection system from the landfill. Actually, it's not methane but the baterica that eating away with the rotting material released with the methane.
The city doesn't have any liability in this issue, as it's not a public health or pollution issue per se. It's a nuisane issue, as as such the city is not under any obligation to notify neighbors in Colonie
as as Joe Rabito, spokesman for Jennings said.
I was actually at the Pine Bush when I wrote this, and I happened to be the East Barriens, where the smell is suppostly the wrost. Besides being the most beautiful barriens out there, it's always smells a little like methane. I didn't notice it much this time, but I've gotten used it, and probably also have started to associate a positive feeling with the smell—ie. the farm smell—though I prefer that smell to landfill methane, which smells more chlorinated and less grainy.
It seems like some kid brought a BB Gun to school, probably a really dumb thing to do, but even stupider was the knee-jerk reaction of authorities (like usual!).
So the kid is or at least was in jail for possesing a gun on school grounds. That sounds serious, but it only just a violation like overstaying a parking meter, jaywalking, tresspassing, or riding an licensed ATV on private property without permission. The maximum fine is $500 + about $100 in courts fees and the so-called crime victim fee. The maximum jail time is 15 days, but only repeat offenders ever get jail time for violations, and even that is rare.
If your convicted of a violation is goes away in less then 3 years with an inexpensive expungement hearing in front of a city judge, like with misodemeanors. And as this person was a minor, it's likely to be even less, totally falling off the map by the time the individual is 18 years of age. But school wise, he's probably f@cked.
So it's kind of silly, generated by paranoia. Remember, your more likely to die from getting attacked by a rabbid racoon on State Street in downtown Albany, then a shot on school grounds. Also don't forget about how a murderous kid wwith a baseball bat can do serious damage.
It was made more silly by this violation being the possesion of the B.B. gun. Most people give them to kids when they are about 10 years of age, to first learn to handle a firearm safely. You can't do too much damage with one of them, and they are lightweight for kids to handle. Indeed, one of my neighboors was dragged off to the emergency room, when another one spray him with BB's, but it wasn't exactly serious or life threating.
But moving right along, this all was made worst by the school administrators not communicating and giving vauge lock-down instructions to students. Many fled in fear, probably a reasonable reaction when the authorities have no control. Sometimes you just have to take things into your own hands, when the officals that are suppost to protect the general welfare fail to protect your personal welfare.
So I don't know. Let's move on.
Yes kids, it's a bit too easy for somebody resembling a cop to stick a little tracking device on your car and follow you around without actually following you.
Some people say that tampering with people's vechicles ought to be illegal, and indeed it should be. I don't want my government or any random citizen climbing under my car, and adding or removing part as they so please. That's private property, after all.
It looks like as the county's surplus has been drained away by Medcaid the people at Standard and Poor's are ready to drain away at it's high credit rating.
Which means it will cost us fine citizens of Albany County, more to borrow, and ultimately means we will pay more in property taxes. Just what we need! Another property tax hike.
And pissing off farmers at the same time—not a good thing, for the man whose trying to be all hat and no cattle.
I had mentioned a Mother Jones article in the past, but this new article from The Nation is particularly insightful and avalible completely online. The only advantage to the Mother Jones article was the dramatic pictures of the destruction.
Basically, in a nut shell the Bush adminstration is aggressively pushing alternative forms of petrolum-based fuels avalible in the US of A (namely Natural Gas) to the extreme, deminishing environmental safe guards and letting oil companies off the hook to swindle ranchers and farmers, and destroy their land and kill their cattle at the same time:
It's a policy that has pleased industry but antagonized a growing chorus of ranchers, hunters and property owners, people who tend to be politically conservative yet find themselves making alliances with strange bedfellows--Native American groups, environmental organizations--in a common effort to protect their livelihoods and land. Natural gas may be relatively clean to burn, these critics note, but getting it out of the ground wreaks havoc on the environment in other ways. For one thing, accessing the gas trapped in coal seams requires companies to pump millions of gallons of water out of the ground, depleting aquifers and bringing to the surface huge amounts of sodium-laden waste water that can destroy vegetation. Drilling on the scale now taking place in the West, moreover, can cause erosion and surface disturbances that will permanently scar the landscape of one of the nation's most spectacular regions and poses a long-term threat to livestock and wildlife.
A tour of the Blancett ranch underscores the problems. At several of the wells where we stop, tanks dripping ethylene glycol (antifreeze) have not been properly fenced, leaving a toxic stew from which cattle can drink--and die. At others, barrels have not been netted. Trucks hurtle past us on roads that seem to be everywhere. Roads built too wide have destroyed vegetation in some areas; pipelines have not been reseeded in others. There are places where the ground is stained black from overspray and other byproducts that are less visible but potentially more hazardous. Emissions from the more than 400 wells on the Blancett allotment contribute to the estimated 6,900 tons of volatile organic compounds and 29,000 tons of nitrogen oxide that the oil and gas industry emits in San Juan County each year, creating surface ozone levels close to the EPA's maximum allowable standards.
Not only are ranchers getting screwed, but those who use the land for other uses like hunting or fishing. Posioned water and drilling rigs all over the land make for some rather poor land.
That is just disgusting. People who thought they could gain a little bit of money through unobtrusive drilling, are finding their land spoiled and their kids unable to take up the trade that they so loved. We really need to find solutions beside the terrible policy choices that our President has made.
that newspaper I sometimes swear off and sometimes love (at least their coverage is sort of balanced in a WAMC kind of way) I had to note some little issues with their stories.
On Energy Efficency: It's nice to claim that we have alternative energy sources, but none of them come close to making up for the globs of power we consume. Theortically we can get about 175 watts of power from each square inch of sun on a solar cell, but it will never be realistic to get more then 150 watts, figuring losses caused by wiring and collection methods. Currently we get only about 100 watts per square inch.
Powering that 200 HP pickup truck or car is going to take something like 150,000 watts of energy (assuming 100% efficency—50% efficency is more realistic and internal combustion engines give us 30% efficency). In other words, we are talking 15,000 square feet of solar equipment you'd have to stick in your back 40. That number seems big, but it's about a third of an acre, you'd have to give up to ugly solar cells. Not a lot of space, but do you want to have to devote a third of an acre to each car you own? A full-size heavy-duty truck would set you back about an acre of land for solar cells.
That's all ignoring the issue of energy storage (probably using yet-to-be developed capcitors or hydrogen technology) and cost. At a something like $800 a foot, you'd need a lot of money. Home energy is much more doable.
Simple things like closing the door after you come in, turning off lights when your not using them, and spending $1 a bulb at the Home Depot would do a lot to save energy and help today. People overlook such things so much. And I can't even get started with how inefficent things are at SUNYAland. Walk to the Lecture Center in the winter and find out.
I'm rambling (like usual). Time to move on.
On CDTA: They are dumping transfers as a way to milk more out of the poor public. Bad, bad, bad, but I guess I don't want to pay more in taxes for a decript bus system. I just love the ease of Delmar park-and-ride to Downtown (and luckly I don't have to transfer to do that).
On Sucidal Docs: I don't like doctors, and I've made my opinion well known on this issue before, but still kind of an interesting issue. I love reading about psychopaths and those who generally choose to live their lives in a different kind of way. It's their choice, and I don't think we should be passing judgement on people. Hopefully whatever action they choose as individuals has been fully thoughout, and not made in the rush of the moment or by somebody caught up in emotions. That and I read too much Szaz and Laing.
That's the name of the rather provactive fodder that hasn't yet made it past the black-note book drawing stage. Being the tolerant-racist that I am, it just seemed so perfect.
I just got listening to Scott Stringer and Alan on the Capitol Connection and watching the debate, forgetting about all tha good stuff. But for now, check out the rather pathetic story about some reactionaries at Amherst College out in Massachussetts. I'm sure the civil liberties people are already having a real fit about the college, and that the courts will ultimately support the students. That is despite the fact that students have less rights then employees and your typical 900 lb holstein cow.
Moo indeed. If you got gay marriage, then you better at least be able to support the first admendment rights of some people with rather extreme political views, like myself.
I haven't mentioned this story, falling all but totally off my radar. The last mention of the uglified Dodge Dokota had to been around February 13th to be exact, a day that will forever live in my memory.
At any rate, check out PUTC's tests of the 2005 Dodge Dakota. A much more complete overview, it shows a lot to like about the truck.
Kirwin is insisting that Guy Vellela got political friends to spring him loose way too early from his one year jail sentence.
Over last year's 27% increase of property taxes. The average homeowner will end up paying more then $200 more in property taxes over last year, assuming his house is worth $200,000k.
Really, really shocking. I'm sure somebody by the name of Sandy Gordon will complain about this a lot at the county legislature, but the county will inevitably bite the buck and pass it into law.
We need to do something about Medicaid getting so out of hand, something like pushing poor and disabled people off the Dunn Memorial Bridge into the Hudson River. Hmm... too gory, but I'm sure that's an idea that Mike Breslin entertained.
I've mentioned Medicaid costs many times in the past, but not all of you are too familiar with it.
To summarize, Albany County pays about $1.95 a second in Medicaid costs, or about $61 million dollars a year. That's more then what the county brings in from property taxation in a year, and makes up a majority of the county budget. The rest of the monies come from sales tax, state aid, and other sources of money (including other property taxes).
Medicaid is an essential program that provides health care to millions of Americans. In New York, however, the program’s funding formula has created a crisis situation which is devastating local property taxpayers.
Because county governments must rely on property taxes to pay this huge debt, it is ultimately the homeowners that suffer. And because the property tax is the most regressive form of taxation, the greatest burden is placed on those who can least afford it.
...Although officials in Albany County have absolutely no say on the Medicaid services offered, they have been forced to appropriate more than $65 million to ensure there will be enough funding to pay the County's local share...
The Albany County Medicaid Page has all these gory details. The banner has slightly shrunken on that homepage, the facts are as terrible as ever.
Apparently he wanted to protest Breslin, and try to show how he as a Republican could change things in NYS.
It seems that the Indians in NY gave the state such a hard time at directly collecting taxes on purchases by non-Natives on Native lands.
Some upstate small businesses are probably really unhappy that the governor couldn't fix this loophole. They are losing out to Indians who can sell products artifically low to non-Indians. And those non-Indians generally aren't paying sales taxes when they declare their income, like they are suppost to do on Line 57 of the state tax forms (bad, bad!).
With high fuel prices and low capicity, using resources from New York State has become an interest again. Unfortunetly, like in the west, some companies are taking advantage of landowners, giving them insufficent payback or excessive damage to their land.
The trouble is some landowners are realizing it better than others, and the range of lease arrangements between exploration companies and landowners correctly has caught the attention of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. He pledged during a political appearance in Schuyler and Chemung counties last week to investigate how companies deal with landowners in negotiating leases to tap into natural gas deposits on their property.
It's good to see the state taking an active role at protecting landowners. While New York State may have more lawyers per capita then most states, the majority of us still lack law degrees.
