Walter Williams could be talking about the Buffalo school district here too. Once again Williams is right on.

Black Education by Walter E. Williams

“Hard Times at Douglass High,” is an HBO documentary that aired last June. It captured much of the 2004-2005 school year at Baltimore’s predominantly black Frederick Douglass High School. The tragedy is that what is seen in the documentary is typical of most predominantly black urban schools.

Douglass’ students are four to five years below grade level. Most of its ninth-graders read at the third-, fourth- or fifth-grade levels. In 2006, only 24 percent of its students tested proficient in reading, in math just 11 percent, and that’s an improvement over previous years. Only one student managed to score above 1,000 on the SAT and another student scored 440 out of 1,600. You get 400 points for just writing in your name. Out of its 1,100 students, 200 to 300 are absent each day. Many of those who do show up don’t do so on time; they roam the hallways and leave the school during the day. Only one-half of the school’s 500 incoming freshmen ninth-graders return for their sophomore year and far fewer remain for graduation

Sixty-six percent of the teachers are uncertified. Even if there were no certified teacher shortage, I doubt whether many teachers with attractive alternatives would want to teach at the school. Douglass High School is not a place for teachers with high expectations for their students. English teacher Mr. McDermott resigned in the middle of the school year saying, “Teaching becomes secondary, and discipline is the main thing that goes on. I don’t feel like I’m making a difference anymore.”

Cameras followed then-principal Isabelle Grant on her visit to the home of a chronically absent student. The student who reads at the fifth- or sixth-grade level is promised that if she attends school regularly she’ll be promoted to the 11th grade. It is impossible to eliminate such a reading deficit in a semester. Teachers are pressured into passing failing students. The documentary showed that within a few days of graduation time the school went from having 138 eligible graduates to 200. Promoting and graduating students who haven’t made the grade is nothing short of academic fraud.

Douglass High School teachers and staff appeared to be concerned and caring people, but the poor quality educational outcomes demonstrate that concern and caring is not enough. The virtually empty classrooms, filmed on back-to-school night, suggested little parental interest in their children’s education. School day behavior demonstrated little student interest. Some students spent class time laughing, joking and tussling with one another. Others had their heads lying on their desks or appeared uninterested in the teacher’s discussion. Many of those engaged in student-teacher exchange on academic topics showed very limited reasoning ability.

Frederick Douglass was founded in 1883 as the Colored High and Training School before it was renamed. It is one of the nation’s oldest historically black high schools. It was a draw for Baltimore’s brightest black students. Success stories among its alumni include Thurgood Marshall, Cab Calloway, as well as several judges, congressmen and civil rights leaders. I guarantee you that if Douglass High student test scores of that earlier era were available, they wouldn’t show today’s achievement gap. Also, a 1940s or ’50s Douglass High graduate would find no comparison between student behavior during their school years and that shown in the documentary.

Politicians and the teaching establishment say more money, smaller classes and newer buildings are necessary for black academic excellence. At Frederick Douglass’ founding, it didn’t have the resources available today. If blacks can achieve at a time when there was far greater poverty, gross discrimination and fewer opportunities, what says blacks cannot achieve today? Whether we want to own up to it or not, the welfare state has done what Jim Crow, gross discrimination and poverty could not have done. It has contributed to the breakdown of the black family structure and has helped establish a set of values alien to traditional values of high moral standards, hard work and achievement.

HAHAHAHA… A democrat resume enhancer! The National Enquirer’s lawyer is David Kendall — Bill Clinton’s impeachment defense attorney. I would bet anything that HRC was waiting to drop this to kill JE’s VP chances and put her higher on the VP list. From what I hear, this is all true. What a sleeze bucket…

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS CAUGHT WITH MISTRESS AND LOVE CHILD!

Vice Presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards was caught visiting his mistress and secret love child at 2:40 this morning in a Los Angeles hotel by the NATIONAL ENQUIRER.

The married ex-senator from North Carolina - whose wife Elizabeth continues to battle cancer — met with his mistress, blonde divorcée Rielle Hunter, at the Beverly Hilton on Monday night, July 21 - and the NATIONAL ENQUIRER was there! He didn’t leave until early the next morning.

Rielle had driven to Los Angeles from Santa Barbara with a male friend for the rendezvous with Edwards. The former senator attended a press event Monday afternoon with L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on the topic of how to combat homelessness.

But a months-long NATIONAL ENQUIRER investigation had yielded information that Rielle and Edwards, 54, had arranged to secretly meet afterward and for the ex-senator to spend some time with both his mistress and the love child who he refuses to publicly acknowledge as his own.

The NATIONAL ENQUIRER broke the story of Edwards’ love child scandal last year, when Rielle was still pregnant and Edwards was still considered a strong candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Both parties denied the NATIONAL ENQUIRER report and a close friend of Edwards’ came forward and said he was the father of Rielle’s baby. But sources told the NATIONAL ENQUIRER a far different story - they revealed that Edwards was engineering a massive cover up of his shocking infidelity.

Sources came forward after that story appeared and told The NATIONAL ENQUIRER that Edwards and Rielle had met secretly several times, so that he could see his baby and continue his relationship with Rielle.

The NATIONAL ENQUIRER learned ahead of time that one such meeting was set for yesterday.

At 9:45 p.m. (PST) Monday, Edwards appeared at the hotel, and was dropped off at a side entrance. NATIONAL ENQUIRER reporter Alan Butterfield witnessed the ex-senator get out of a BMW driven by a male companion and stroll into the hotel.

How many times have I said that Silver is the most powerful politician in Albany? A million? 2 Million? It doesn’t matter what the Senate does or what Paterson wants with this Property tax cap, if Shelly says no then no it is… It also does not seem to matter what the rest of the Assembly has to say, why is that? How and why does one person wield so much power and control? Did you elect him? I didn’t here in Western New York, so how come what he says goes? These Bills need to go to the floor for debate and a secret ballot, if that happened I would guarantee it would pass.

Sheldon Silver needs to be bounced out on his buttocks and have his head yanked out of his……..

While dysfunction lives, tax reform is ‘DOA’- Syracuse.com
DICK CASE
POST-STANDARD COLUMNIST

I’m here to say that nothing much has changed in Albany, in spite of what we’ve heard.

I had a startling revelation recently when Dean Skelos, who’s from Long Island, stopped by the office to talk with us about himself, and his plans for the state Legislature. Dean’s the guy who replaced Joe Bruno, who stepped down from his job as Senate majority leader.

The new majority leader didn’t pull many of his punches. He gets along fine with “David” (Paterson), who’s also breaking into the job, as governor. “Shelly” (Sheldon Silver, the Assembly speaker) is another matter.

Nothing gets done in Albany unless Shelly says it’s OK.

This was not good news. For months, we’ve heard about how dysfunctional our state government has become. Even with new pairs of boots on the floor,

the dysfunction stays.

Dean Skelos quoted Shelly as saying the governor’s proposal on tax reform was “dead on arrival” in the legislature.

He said “DOA.”

Dean went on to explain that’s a lousy response to the governor’s program, which he said is all he hears about on his tour Upstate: “property taxes, property taxes, property taxes.” If the governor puts out a bill, Dean thinks “we owe him the courtesy of a real examination of it. To say it’s dead on arrival basically is saying no to the governor.

“It’s also saying that you’re not serious about real property tax relief.”

Hoyt, Brown, Lenihan, Rumore, Struggle for Power?
That’s my title for this article I found in the Buffalo News. All this is really so dam typical in WNY politics. I heard so many rumors when I was running against Hoyt it got to be hilarious. Everything from he was not going to complete his term to he impregnated a staffer in Albany. Where did they come from? I have no idea, people would call and email me. Byron Brown? Wow I have heard some doozies about him too, but rumors run rampant as there is real power struggles going on.

I can’t vote in this primary and that’s a good thing I suppose, I don’t like either one of them.

Buffalo’s Mayor Brown accused of trying to oust Assemblyman Hoyt

According to the first rumor, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt would resign in disgrace. The second one claimed the FBI was hot on the trail of Mayor Byron W. Brown. Neither rumor proved true, but each side accuses the other of spreading such allegations, which speaks volumes about the escalating feud between the two politicians.

The rift has helped to put Hoyt, up for re-election this year, in the cross hairs of some of Buffalo’s most powerful leaders, from Sabres owner B. Thomas Golisano to Philip Rumore, president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation.

“It’s time for a change,” Rumore said. “We also think Barbra Kavanaugh is a breath of fresh air.”

Kavanaugh, a former Common Council member, is staging a Democratic primary challenge against Hoyt, an old and now former friend. She has the help of some deep-pocket supporters such as Golisano and Buffalo developer Carl Paladino.

This is the second serious challenge that Hoyt, a lawmaker since 1992, has faced in recent races. Four years ago, he fended off an opponent — North Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr. — who had many of the same backers as Kavanaugh.

Is this new battle with Kavanaugh really about change and reform as Golisano and Rumore suggest? Or is it simply Round Two in Hoyt’s ongoing war with Brown?

“Their view is, ‘You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists,’ ” Jeremy Toth, one of Hoyt’s closest advisers, said of the Brown camp.

Toth says the mayor’s fingerprints, as well as those of Deputy Mayor Steve Casey, are all over Kavanaugh’s Assembly candidacy.

They range from the dozens of City Hall workers who collected signatures for her nominating petitions to the involvement of G. Steven Pigeon, a Golisano confidant who has re-established close ties to Brown and Casey.

“We think he’s a phony,” Pigeon said of Hoyt. “He talks reform, but, in reality, he’s the same old Albany politician.”

Hoyt’s backers say the mayor’s involvement is bewildering given the city’s need for lawmakers with the seniority and clout to continue the flow of state aid to Buffalo.
pfairbanks@buffnews.com

More at the link.

OMG… This is so pathetic. Hoyt or Kavanaugh, what a choice I have for the Assembly this time, I should have run again so at least I could have voted for myself. But a monkey could run on the Democrat line in this district and win. They are both pro-gay agenda, both abortion supporters, both pro big government, both liberal tax and spend, both,,,, forget it. There is no lessor of two evils, they both are. Hoyt has been useless in this toll fight so I wonder where she stands? Haven’t heard a word from either of them except I just received a fundraiser invite from Kavanaugh.

Byron Pigeon Target Pro Gay Legislator

THROW DOWN!

HOYT CHALLENGED BY KAVANAUGH

BUFFALO •The challenger was the first gay or lesbian person elected to public office in Western New York. The incumbent has the best legislative record on gay and lesbian issues in upstate New York.

Former Buffalo Councilmember-at-large Barbra A. Kavanaugh is now officially challenging Sam Hoyt for his seat in the state Assemblyman .

Kavanaugh, a Democrat was was elected to an at large position on the Buffalo Common Council in 1995. She served only half of her term when she took a job as the Director of then New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s Buffalo office. She, until recent weeks was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice John F. O’Donnell, Sr.

Kavanaugh did have two subsequent failed bids for elected office in 2003 (NYS Lieutenant Governor) and in 2005 (Buffalo City Comptroller). She was unable to rebuild the coalition of gay and lesbian voters that has supported her city council campaign in 1995.

In her 1995 campaign for city council, Hoyt actively supported Kavanaugh through fundraising, volunteers and personally walking with Kavanaugh, introducing her to voters.

Hoyt has served eight terms in the New York State Assembly. He has voted and co-sponsored important legislation such as the Hate Crimes Law, Sexual Orientation Non Discrimination Act, Same Sex Marriage bill, Gender Expression Nondiscrimination bill. Hoyt has throughout his legislative career had a 100% score from the Empire State Pride Agenda. Hoyt is also responsible for millions of dollars in state funding for groups like Aids Community Services, Gay and Lesbian Youth Services, Pride Center of Western New York and other programs that directly benefit gay and lesbian people.

Mayor Byron Brown and former Erie County Democratic Chairperson Steven Pigeon have in the past have targeted Hoyt. In 2004 the pair backed conservativeCity Councilman Joseph Golombek in his challenge to replace Hoyt. Hoyt easily defeated a well financed Golombek. 2008 finds Pigeon financially backing Kavanaugh and the majority of Kavanaugh’s petition signatures were gathered by city hall employees.

Hoyt has been endorsed by The Empire State Pride Agenda and The Stonewall Democrats of Western New York. Kavanaugh did not seek the Stonewall Democratic endorsement.

It’s about time someone started looking at the legislature as a full time job.. Let’s get them back to work now and get some things done for the taxpayers for once. They have already kissed up to all the unions and screwed the taxpayers of Western New York, now it’s time to get down to business and work to cut the taxes, stop the excessive rate of growth of government, taxes, pork and make this place a place where people want to return and businesses see an opportunity for growth.

Leaders Meet in Albany - FOX23 News

It was the first chance all three of the State’s top leaders were able to get together. They met this afternoon at the Governor’s Mansion to discuss issues not resolved back in June.

“We’ve agreed that we don’t have to wait until January to start addressing them. We see the Legislature as a full time body,” says Governor Paterson.

One hot topic: Energy costs. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has asked the Governor to consider a plan to enhance the Home Energy Assistance Program. With President Bush calling for federal cuts, Paterson says he agrees something must be done at the state level.

“We’re going to look to the Department of Housing and all the different areas that we might be able to withstand what is a proposed cut,” he says.

Another issue discussed at today’s news conference was the property tax cap. The Governor put that proposal on the table back in June. New Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos says he supports it, but there are hold ups in the Assembly. Speaker Sheldon Silver says the concern is over maintaining educational services.

“What guarantees do we have that the children in those school districts will continue to get the resources that are necessary when they graduate to become competitive members of a global society,” asks Silver.

I can see this battle playing out now. First we have to get an agreement with the governor which should be fairly easy to do. Paterson seems to be working well with the Republican Senate, Thank God. The biggest stumbling block will be Silver and the union controlled Assembly. The unions do not want a cap, they want more and more.

At this same session Maziarz informs me that our toll bill will finally make it to the floor and pass. Now, what will the Assembly do with that? I hope this isn’t going to be used as a political football. That would suck.

State Senate to adopt cap on school property taxes — Newsday.com

The State Senate will adopt Gov. David A. Paterson’s cap on school property taxes in a few weeks, along with bills aimed at reducing education costs and preserving state aid, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos said yesterday.

Speaking to 30 leaders in this upstate city west of Albany, Skelos (R- Rockville Centre) said he planned to meet Monday with Paterson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D- Manhattan) to discuss tax relief. Skelos said he hoped to persuade Silver to join him and the governor in embracing the cap on yearly tax hikes.

“Within the next month, the Senate will pass Governor Paterson’s tax cap bill … but that is only part of the solution,” Skelos told the luncheon group at a community college. “We also have to provide mandate relief and assure there is adequate funding that goes to our schools districts.”

Skelos, who has been touring upstate after succeeding state Sen. Joseph Bruno as majority leader on June 24, didn’t provide details because the bills still are being finalized. An announcement is expected within the next week.

Every person in power is from downstate… What’s new? Bruno was from Upstate? Just barely. The key for us is the majority in the Senate. At least for now we have that. The Assembly is dominated by Democrats and most everything that passes benefits downstate and NY City. Most legislation that benefits them hurts us.

Hoyt loves to boast the fact they the WNY delegation works well together? Well I respectively disagree. Sam, the man who tries to be everything to everybody gets nothing accomplished because of that. He votes the way he is told and therefore gets pork money and committee seats that benefit him, while we continue to get screwed.

WIVB-TV News4 Buffalo, NY |Long Island State senator holding one of the most powerful jobs in Albany

A Long Island State senator now holds one of the most powerful jobs in Albany. Republican Dean Skelos has taken the place of Joe Bruno. News 4’s Jericka Duncan spoke with the new majority leader and the Western New York Delegation.

Sam Hoyt (D) Assembly, Buffalo said, “The senate majority leader is from Long Island. He’s replaced an upstater but the new state senate majority leader Republican Dean Skelos says his commitment to Western New York, is real. His first priority–property taxes.”

You have to stabilize property taxes before you can get businesses to locate in New York State and keep young people and those on fixed incomes here.

Republican State Senator George Maziarz and Democrat Assemblyman Sam Hoyt agree. But how will Western New York Delegation make that vision a reality? By continuing to stick together, says Hoyt.

Sam Hoyt (D) Assembly, Buffalo said, “We have a great reputation of being a delegation that works together, to promote the priorities of this community.”

In a recent New York Times article Skelos was painted as someone who stuck with his own delegation and as someone who held grudges.

Dean Skelos, State Senate Majority Leader said, “I don’t hold grudges but I can be determined and very focused.”

Which is especially important now that the republicans lead the senate by only one vote. One man who is very close to the new senate leader is Senator Maziarz. Sources say he could be next to head the senate finance committee. A job Maziarz says is essentially the number two position in the senate. A job that helps to shift important powers to our area.

As for whether this recent change in power is something to look forward to, Maziarz say without a doubt.

As for what change if any Skelos will have on our region, the verdict is still out.

Sam Hoyt (D) Assembly, Buffalo said, “I want to believe he’s better…but the facts right now don’t speak to it.”

Skelos say he will call the senate back in session next month to vote on legislation capping the property tax.

Story by Jericka Duncan, WIVB

Great article and look where it came from…. University of California, Santa Barbara. If you think about it this makes so much sense. What happens is pressure builds and hes to be released so where else? The ocean floor. How do you stop it? Drill, release the pressure and stop the seepage.

UCSB Press Release: “OIL AND GAS SEEPAGE FROM OCEAN FLOOR  REDUCED BY OIL PRODUCTION”

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) Next time you step on a glob of tar on a beach in Santa Barbara County, you can thank the oil companies that it isn’t a bigger glob.

The same is true around the world, on other beaches where off-shore oil drilling occurs, say scientists, although Santa Barbara’s oil seeps are thought to be among the leakiest.

Natural seepage of hydrocarbons from the ocean floor in the northern Santa Barbara Channel has been significantly reduced by oil production, according to two recently published peer-reviewed articles, one in November’s Geology Magazine, the other in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans.

The Santa Barbara Channel provides an excellent natural laboratory, as it is among the areas with the highest levels of seepage in the world, said co-author Bruce P. Luyendyk, professor and chair of the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The studies were not funded by oil companies, but rather by the University of California Energy Institute and the U.S. Minerals Management Service, states Luyendyk, responding to the fact that the results favor off-shore oil production and are opposed by some environmentalists.

“We’ve done a good piece of science,” said Luyendyk. “We’ve developed a good understanding of a natural process. It’s all public data; it’s all straightforward. If I thought the study was compromised I wouldn’t be involved in it.”

Most of the seepage is methane, a potent greenhouse gas which escapes into the atmosphere, said Luyendyk. About 10 percent of the seepage is composed of “higher hydrocarbons,” or reactive organic gases which interact with tailpipe emissions and sunlight, creating air pollution.

The researchers state that the production rate of these naturally-occurring reactive organic gases is equal to twice the emission rate from all the on-road vehicle traffic in Santa Barbara County in 1990.

This idea has been in my platform since I thought about running for local office. With the population loss the need for 15 legislators is obsolete. 9 is plenty and I think that the $700,000 figure is low. Of course proposing this and actually seeing this come to a vote in the Democrat controlled Legislature is a completely different subject.

The Democrats like big government and all the government jobs they can give to their campaign workers and staff. They could care less about saving the taxpayers a dime. It’s all about them and until we can get people in there with a different mindset things will not change.

WNED: Legislature Republicans Propose Downsizing (2008-07-18)

BUFFALO (2008-07-18) With an eye toward greater efficiency and cost savings, members of the Erie County Legislature’s minority caucus today announced a plan to cut the size of the legislature from fifteen members to nine by 2011.

The proposal calls first for a non-partisan re-districting commission which would review 2010 census figures as it carves the county into nine legislative districts.

The idea was jointly announced by Republican legislators Michael Ranzenhofer, John Mills and Edward Rath III, but Rath was quick to compliment a non-elected official for his commitment to improving government.

“I applaud Kevin Gaughan and the hard work he has done going around Erie County, going into the different towns and the villages and raising awareness of the importance of downsizing,” Rath said.

“We can show some leadership…and that can set an important example,” Rath added.

Similar proposals have failed in the past, but Republican John Mills feels that this effort will succeed. He says the necessary bi-partisan cooperation exists to back the plan, led by the pledged support of Democratic legislator Tom Loughran

“There’s a crack in the armor here where Democrats and Republicans are joining together to do something good for Erie County residents,” Mills said.

It was also noted that another two, unnamed Democrats have indicated they would support the reduction, which could save taxpayers $700,000 annually.