Albany's Insanity

I am getting more and more convinced that politicians that run our state just want upstate and wny to just whither away into the wilderness. They do everything against us and nothing to help us recover. Recover is a word that hes been used around here for 20+ years. Spitzer even called us names during the campaign and all he can do is appoint a temporary economic czar.

We continue to be at the wrong end of every list with no help from our Western New York delegation. All the more reason to split this state and let upstate be upstate.

News from Business Council of New York State

For more information contact: Matthew Maguire, 518-465-7511
Council’s New ‘Economic Growth Index’ Shows New York Trails Most States in Growth in Jobs, Pay, and People

New York earns a grade of ‘D’ on the 50-state comparison; Upstate’s grade is ‘F’

ALBANY, NY — Fully half of the 62 counties in New York State trail the nation in all five core measures of long-term economic growth included in The Business Council’s new Economic Growth Index. New York State as a whole trails the nation in four of the five categories, giving it a grade of D on the new index.

The Council’s new Economic Growth Index ranks the five boroughs of New York City, the state’s 57 other counties and all 50 states according to their growth rate in five key areas between 1995 and 2005: jobs; average wage per job; total personal income; per-capita personal income; and population. The data used in the index come from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, and were compiled by The Business Council’s research affiliate, the Public Policy Institute.

Each state’s growth in those areas was compared to the national average. States that matched or exceeded the nation’s growth in all five categories received a grade of A+. States that matched or exceeded the nation’s growth in four, three, two, or one category were graded A, B, C, and D, respectively. States that trailed the nation’s rate of growth in all five categories were graded F.

New York earned a grade of D because its 10-year rate of growth matched or exceeded the national average in only one of the five categories, average wage per job. (The complete Economic Growth Index, with the rankings of all 50 states and all 62 New York State counties, is appended. The complete Economic Growth Index is also available as a two-page PDF file at www.bcnys.org/whatsnew/2007/0829growthindex.pdf.)

Thirty-one of New York’s counties were marked as F—as was Upstate New York as a whole. Twenty-seven states got grades better than New York State’s D. Ten states—Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, New Hampshire, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming—received grades of A+ on the Economic Growth Index. Three states—Georgia, Maryland, and New Mexico—earned grades of A. There were also eight Bs, seven Cs, and 13 Ds, including New York State. Nine other states—Arkansas, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, and West Virginia—trailed the national average in all five categories and received grades of F.

“This index shows just how badly New York’s economy has performed compared to the nation, and it confirms that Upstate New York is locked in a profound economic crisis,” said Business Council President Kenneth Adams. “Through a long period that includes both ups and downs in the national economy, New York’s economic performance has been awful.”

At the county and borough level, the index shows that:

* There were no grades of A+. In other words, not a single county or borough in New York State matched the nation’s growth rate on all five indicators.

* Only two counties, Putnam County and and Saratoga County, earned grades of A.

* Only two other counties, Suffolk County and Dutchess County, earned grades of B.

* New York City’s overall grade was C. In the suburbs, Suffolk County was a B, and Westchester was a C, while Nassau and Rockland counties both received a D grade.

* Rated overall, Upstate’s slow growth meant a grade of F.

* Of the 52 counties that are part of what economists typically consider Upstate (all counties outside New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties), 27 received a grade of F and 10 received a grade of D.

* The counties that are home to Upstate’s largest cities (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton, and Albany) all showed sub-par growth rates. Erie County, Monroe County, Onondaga County, and Broome County received a grade of F. Albany County was a D.

Here are some facts about New York’s performance in each of the five categories used in the Economic Growth Index.

Job growth: New York’s 10-year job growth rate in the period ending with 2005 was 12.2 percent, well behind the national average of 17 percent. The job-growth rates for New York City (14.3 percent), its suburbs (16.5 percent), Upstate (7.3 percent), read more —>

Sorry Gov, I disagree. Since when is it legal to use official stationary to attack a political opponent? It never has been and never should be. I don’t care how twisted the thinking is in Albany. We all know that Albany has a twisted view of everything, now we are setting an all time low example. Grow up!

Attack on GOPer gets gov’s seal of approval

SYRACUSE – Gov. Spitzer yesterday defended his administration’s role in authorizing a state Homeland Security Office attack on a GOP state Senate candidate last February.

Responding to a Daily News story about the attack on Nassau Republican Maureen O’Connell, Spitzer said it was important to tell the public her supporters improperly used a state Homeland Security Office seal on campaign literature.

“What [homeland security officials and his aides] did was not only right but necessary, and we would do it again tomorrow,” Spitzer said at the state fair here.

The governor drew a sharp contrast between the O’Connell slap and what he has conceded was his aides’ “egregious” misuse of state police to discredit state Senate GOP leader Joe Bruno in what’s become known as Troopergate.

He noted The News would raise similar objections if someone used the newspaper’s masthead without authorization.

Senate Deputy Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) called Spitzer’s justification badly flawed, saying it was inappropriate to use taxpayer resources and state officials to smear O’Connell.

“This was an outrageous misuse of taxpayer resources at the highest levels of government, and it’s especially outrageous to use Homeland Security because that office should be sacred and never misused after 9/11,” Skelos said.

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And only one of the 528 papers reviewed makes any reference to climate change leading to catastrophic results.”

Remember this dire warning from 15 years ago?

On November 18, 1992, the Union of Concerned Scientists,
..representing over 1,500 of the world’s leading scientists
..(including 99 Nobel laureates), issued an Urgent Warning to
..Humanity that implored all peoples of the world to halt the
..accelerating damage to Mother Earth’s life support systems. The
..scientists warned us that we may have as little as ten years to
..avert the environmental disasters that now confront us.*1
..
..”The human world is beyond its limits. The present way of doing
..things is unsustainable. The future, to be viable at all, must
..be one drawing back, easing down, healing.” If correction is not
..made, a collapse is certain “within the lifetimes of many who are
..alive today.”*2
..
..1 “World’s Scientists Issue Urgent Warning to Humanity” —
.. Union of Concerned Scientists (11/18/92).

How Many Scientists Say That Mankind Is Affecting Global Warming?
Conventional Wisdom

Earlier this year the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said it was “90 percent likely” that man was having an impact on global temperatures. And dailytech.com reports an analysis of scientific papers in 2004 concluded that a majority of researchers supported what it called the “consensus view” that humans were effecting climate change.

But now a study of all research papers between 2004 and 2007 indicates only seven percent give an explicit endorsement of that so-called consensus. Forty-five percent give an implicit endorsement. But 48 percent of the papers are classified as neutral — neither accepting nor rejecting the hypothesis. And only one of the 528 papers reviewed makes any reference to climate change leading to catastrophic results.

Another case of environmentalists fighting among themselves. It concerns the new global warming movie — “The 11th Hour” — produced and co-written by actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio.

The film contends that cutting fewer trees and using less wood would be beneficial to the environment. But Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore writes on Canada.com the opposite is true — that using more wood, and growing more trees — is a better plan. Moore says trees absorb carbon dioxide — convert it to wood — and that wood retains the CO2 when it is cut down. He says trees release the carbon dioxide only when they rot or burn.

Moore says increased use of wood could lead to less use of concrete, steel, and plastic — which produce large amounts of CO2 during manufacturing.

Is this just another vast right wing conspiracy? Or is this just the beginning of a bigger scandal. She will be testifying in the Peter Paul money scandal next month.

Democratic fundraiser is a fugitive in plain sight (big Clinton moneyman)

California authorities have sought businessman Norman Hsu for 15 years. Since 2004, he has carved out a place of honor raising cash for such candidates as Hillary Rodham Clinton.

For the last 15 years, California authorities have been trying to figure out what happened to a businessman named Norman Hsu, who pleaded no contest to grand theft, agreed to serve up to three years in prison and then seemed to vanish.

“He is a fugitive,” Ronald Smetana, who handled the case for the state attorney general, said in an interview. “Do you know where he is?”

Hsu, it seems, has been hiding in plain sight, at least for the last three years.

Since 2004, one Norman Hsu has been carving out a prominent place of honor among Democratic fundraisers. He has funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions into party coffers, much of it earmarked for presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

In addition to making his own contributions, Hsu has honed the practice of assembling packets of checks from contributors who bear little resemblance to the usual Democratic deep pockets.

A self-described apparel executive with a variety of business interests, Hsu has focused on delivering hefty contributions from citizens who live modest lives and are neophytes in the world of campaign giving.

*snip*

Barcella said his client did not remember pleading to a criminal charge and facing the prospect of jail time.

*snip*

(Hsu) is credited with donating nearly $500,000 to national and local party candidates and their political committees in the last three years.

He earned a place in the Clinton campaign’s “HillRaiser” group by pledging to raise more than $100,000 for her presidential bid.

Records show that Hsu helped raise an additional $500,000 from other sources for Clinton and other Democrats.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com …

Excellent and very well said. Self reliance and faith and trust in God is gone. Total dependence on government is becoming the norm and it is a very sad state of affairs.

The once great nation of the United States of America is dwindling away. I am very sad for our Country and it’s people.

The religion of Government
CONFER: The religion of the constitution

Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

Back in the formative days of humanity, when mankind was tribal in nature, there was an incredible emphasis placed upon gods in day-to-day life. The nomadic and agrarian peoples of ancient times relied on unseen beings to control the weather, the seasons, and the bounty of forest and sea. By doing so, many societies of the day ultimately became extinct because they essentially gave up on their own actions and ingenuity, choosing to fully rely on their unknown master to get them out of any disastrous situation that may have occurred. In a sort of Darwinistic development, as those societies flopped the smarter and more self-reliant societies grew and aggressively took control of the world around them rather than passively allowing that world to control them.

There was a major underlying reason behind this success. As mankind changed for the better and became more advanced, so did their religions. Gone were the environmental gods, those micromanagers of sun, rain, wind, and animal. They were replaced by the singularly-powerful, omnipotent great overseers that define the world’s two largest religions, Christianity and Islam. These “big picture” gods are nowhere near as intrusive as the legions of gods that were worshipped long ago. Instead, these gods and their religions have created their own worlds in which their people can flourish and achieve glorious rewards, given that they follow a simplistic yet defined path of morality and rules. By instilling virtue and responsibility — with just a little help from above — into its peoples, the followers of these religions (especially the Christians) flourished because of self-reliance. They were empowered to control their own destinies: The quality of their lives and afterlives are a direct result of what they do for themselves and others.

Advancing this success, the United States of America applied this set of mores to its very foundation, becoming somewhat of a religion itself, nearly identical in the aforementioned ways of promoting self-reliance. The Bill of Rights and Constitution did just as the Bible and Koran, creating an environment in which people could pursue their lives and reap the rewards of their sweat and tears. Our citizens could achieve their own personal heaven given that they followed the basic and timeless set of laws defined within the founding documents, our Constitutional amendments comparable in importance and scope to Christianity’s Ten Commandments. Because of this similarity to the practices of modern religions, the United States quickly became — and continues to be — the greatest society this world has ever known. The freedoms, quality of life, and material and metaphysical rewards that have been reaped by hundreds of millions thanks to the American Way are legitimately without peer, our land a veritable heaven on Earth.

Even though we reign supreme now it is unknown how long we can maintain this success. We as a people are losing our religion in a Constitutional sense. The American people are, in a continuous and disturbing way, ditching the tenets of self-reliance and reverting to the helpless ways of the ancient societies that had pushed them to collapse. Rather than worshipping and requiring help from unseen micromanaging deities today’s citizens are worshipping and requiring help from all levels of our government, the new age deity. They want the government to, like the gods of old, do everything for them. As every generation passes, more and more people are forgoing their wits, self-respect and responsibilities, demanding that the government control their very existence and give them comfort and safety, providing for their very existence. The list of demands is without end; the people want an omnipotent government to give them healthcare, job security, retirement security, housing, social welfare, fiscal stability, education, property insurance, and so much more….all things that they should really take responsibility for and control on their own.

These simple-minded and corrupted souls who are worshipping big government and denying the morally prudent values of the Constitution want the government to be something that the Founding Fathers had never intended. Without a doubt, those who framed the context of our nation and fought for its independence from tyranny are rolling in their graves watching their descendants clamor for — if not outright praying for — an all-controlling and all-knowing God-like government. It’s quite sad, for as America’s Bible — the Constitution — gradually becomes a thing of the past, so will America.

Bob Confer is a Gasport resident and vice president of Confer Plastics Inc. in North Tonawanda. E-mail him at bobconfer@juno.com.

As we can see from below that this administration is as useless as any other. Nothing substantial, no changes in real policy, nothing changes no matter who gets elected. What a waste of time and taxpayer dollars paying any of these people to supposedly serve the people of New York state.

Spitzer signs several bills into law including:

A measure allowing local governments to grant property tax breaks to “Cold War” veterans who served at least a year in the military between Sept. 2, 1945 and Dec. 26, 1991.

Are local governments allowed to do anything any more without the expressd permission of the elite in Albany?

A ban on electrocuting chinchillas, mink, muskrats, beavers and other fur-bearing animals.

And the purpose of this ground breaking law? Catering to the PETA generation? Hasn’t this been going on for decades and is the least painful way to kill the fur bearing animals… I do not have any fur coats or hats, why would I?

A federally funded Veteran Burial Fund that would reimburse families of veterans up to $2,500 for burial costs. The fund would only be established if the federal government grants the money.

Looks like another feel good Law where he can say he likes us Veterans.. With no money from the feds, what good is it.

New rules requiring New York City school cafeterias to be adequately heated and cooled.

What is this all about? We have to require the schools to heat the building? Are they to cheap.. Oh, it’s the lack of money and it’s all for the children.

An extension of the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority, created to provide financial assistance and budget oversight to the city of Buffalo, through next July.

This is good….. Now we need one in Albany.

New rules requiring state contractors to print on workers pay stubs the wages they are entitled to when they work on public projects.

Yes, you are entitled to a huge pay increase while working for the government, is there any wonder why public projects cost so much to do. When laborers get 30+ an hour whop really benefits? The Unions…

Of course he is….. should we have expected anything else. He was doing his job on our time on our dime and getting paid very well for it. 175 grand a year. That’s not to shabby, it would take me 5 years to make that kind of money.

Spitzer aide back on state payroll

Gov. Spitzer’s director of communications is back on the state payroll after a 30-day suspension in the wake of “Troopergate,” in which he was accused of hatching a plan to tarnish the reputation of State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno by having state police tail him to gather information on his use of state aircraft. Darren Dopp is once again collecting his $175,000 salary, though it’s unclear whether he’ll return to his former post. Spitzer has said that his punishment was perhaps more than enough.

I remember watching this special election unfold right before our eyes. Seems that Democrat Senators flew in from around the state to also help in with this race. Isn’t all this being done on our time, on our dime? YES…

It goes on all the time and is just another huge problem we have with NY politics. This is how they continue to build their armies of workers. All with taxpayer funded jobs doing the work of the “Parties”, all of which is against the Law. But what are we to do, these people create the Laws and then violate them. Yet this is a states rights issue? Where are the Feds with crap like this?

Spitzer aides’ negative stories helped sink politican

ALBANY – They did it before.

Five months before the Troopergate scandal broke, Spitzer administration aides stimulated negative news stories to taint a Republican state Senate candidate running in a hotly contested race, the Daily News has learned.

A trail of e-mails obtained by The News through a Freedom of Information Law request also shows a high level of e-mail chatter among state government staffers about news coverage of last February’s special election in Nassau County.

Democrat Craig Johnson defeated Republican Maureen O’Connell in what became the costliest special election in state history.

Just four days before the election, O’Connell underwent criticism from the state Office of Homeland Security, a state agency then under the wing of William Howard, who was then a public security adviser to the governor.

Howard was part of the same cadre of Spitzer administration officials Attorney General Andrew Cuomo blamed last month for misusing the state police to smear Senate GOP Leader Joe Bruno in the Troopergate scandal.

State e-mails, some of which had remarks redacted, show an Office of Homeland Security press release attacking O’Connell and implying her campaign committed a crime by using a “fraudulent” seal.

The proposed release was e-mailed to two members of Spitzer’s inner circle – Howard and Spitzer press secretary Christine Anderson.

The statement was attributed to Dennis Michalski, the public information officer for the State Emergency Management Office.

At the time, Anderson reported to Darren Dopp, the governor’s communications director, who would later channel state police documents on Bruno’s use of state aircraft to an Albany newspaper.

After examining the e-mails obtained by The News, a Bruno spokesman ripped the state agency attack on O’Connell in the closing days of the contest, calling it “an eerie precursor of what was to come.”

“These disturbing new e-mails reveal political activities of the executive involving government officials at the highest levels,” said John McArdle, a Bruno spokesman.

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