Albany's Insanity

The Control Board is here for the duration, accept it and deal with it. Your the reason why they are here to begin with, the inaction, the lack of accepting responsibility to do your number one job (passing a budget and fixing government) has been nonexistent.

Comptroller Mark Poloncarz disagreed, citing that if the control board saves the county $400,000 over 20 years, with a $500,000 annual budget, the county is paying much more to sustain the board than it would make back in savings.

Lame, really lame, sorry Mark. Looking at the whole picture and not the immediate future is what we have to look at. The Control Board has seen NO effort at all in the way the legislature does it’s business, no effort in cutting the size, costs and even a desire to reform/restructure government. If they had even see a desire to do business different I think their attitudes would change.

Tell me how many jobs were created in just the past year? How many management confidential jobs were created out of thin air and made Civil Service and are now protected by the unions over the past year? Tests for their fictitious jobs made up, positions made up to give the cronies, friends and family more and more jobs. This legislature is worse than the past, the crap just continues on and on and on.

Legislature votes down borrowing

After hearing testimony from the control board on why it should be allowed to do the county’s 2007 borrowing, the Erie County Legislature rejected the proposal by a vote of 11-4 at Tuesday’s regular session.

Chairwoman Lynn Marinelli, D-Town of Tonawanda, was the only Democrat to vote for the measure, and said the rejection places the county on uncertain ground.
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Ever since Marc and Chris made the video clip of Saturdays protest of the tolls I have not been able to get this image out of my mind. Then I searched out Network and not only found these two you tube clips, I found the whole speech Howard Beale gave that night on television.

Read and listen to what he is saying, it’s just as appropriate now as it was in 1976 when the movie was made. I think it is time for all of us to do it again and keep at it until we get our towns, villages, cities, counties, states and country back. Haven’t we had enough? I know I have.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dib2-HBsF08[/youtube]

I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It’s a depression. Everybody’s out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel’s work, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter.
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Boy, why am I not surprised… This has been going on for years, as our tolls continue to rise our roads deteriorate. How many millions are sent to Albany every year and we have to fight tooth and nail to be represented.

Higgins says new Thruway Authority capital plan shortchanges …

Buffalo — Changes to the New York State Thruway Authority Capital Plan will result in over $200 million less for Western New York from 2007 to 2010, according to Congressman Brian Higgins.

In order to justify the toll hikes of May, 2005, the Thruway Authority promised substantial construction work in its Buffalo District over the following six years.
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I find myself agreeing with Lynn Marinelli on this one. Will we ever learn? Doubt it. Like it or not the control board is here and the more they fight them the further we will go into the hole.

I can see big conflicts and confrontations with Collins too. The arrogance of this class will follow right on through the next 2 years, I can see it now. 25 grand a year is not small change, see how little they care about your money?

The Buffalo News: City & Region: Control board fails to win support for borrowing
Meeting doesn’t sway county legislators

Erie County legislators got their sit-down with the state-appointed control board Monday and a chance to examine its claim that it can save money by taking over as the government’s borrowing agent.

Lawmakers weren’t swayed. They said the saving — about $25,000 a year for 20 years for a county that spends $1.4 billion annually — isn’t worth the cost of prolonging a control board for decades. The arrogance is disgusting….
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Gaughn is exactly right. Every town, village and city should cut two positions from their council. That would be one step in the right direction.

Gaughan challenges officials to downsize

Backed by his study of bloated government, Buffalo lawyer and civic activist Kevin Gaughan is launching a drive today to reduce the number of elected officials in Erie County.

Gaughan says he plans to appear before 45 town, village and city boards and councils to challenge them to downsize by eliminating two members through attrition. His first presentation is scheduled for 8 p.m. today in the Village of Lancaster.
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