tolls-wkbw1.jpg

Oh this is just to tempting.
Hey Joe, did you write this to taunt me? OK, I’ll take the bait.
Maybe we should both sit down with Hank on a bi-monthly basis and have a running column and a good debate that could grow to a town meeting type thing. But, for now I’ll comment here on all the topics you discussed with Hank.

Tonawanda News - GENCO: Someone has to argue ‘Authority’ with Hank
jgenco@localnet.com

It had been a few months since I stopped for a beer in the Tonawandas, and I figured Taggarts was as good a place as any for a quick pop.

I bellied up to the bar and ordered a Molson when suddenly I heard that familiar hack — Henry Posluszny, who has been smoking Camel cigarettes for too many years, stepped out of the bathroom and headed back to his corner stool.

I thought I’d be anonymous — I hadn’t seen him since before the election last November when I baited him into thinking I was against Chris Collins and he lost his temper.

I remember that column and may have posted it here…

“Well look who the cat dragged in now,” he said. “I thought they told you to stay out of this part of town. You were wrong again last week, and the one before that. It doesn’t surprise me because you supported that Republican Collins. You always get it wrong.”
Seems like Hanks old way of thinking is getting in our way of forward progress.

“Nice to see you, too, Hank, but jeez. I was right about Collins and it’s been more than a month. He hasn’t goofed anything up yet. He even got Lynn Marinelli on his side.”

“So what. It’s too soon. Give it some time,” Posluszny said. “Six Sigma. Minister of Space Utilization. Anybody that smart should be writing for Dilbert cartoons or network comedies. Don’t play me the fool like you did last time we talked or we’re going to brawl.”

“I won’t, but what did I write most recently that offended you?” I asked.

“Don’t get me started. Then again, now you did. Start with that column about authorities a few weeks ago. What are you thinking?

“The Peace Bridge Authority would have built a bridge by now if they let them have a pretty one like they wanted. Their lawsuit has nothing to do with anything other than the fact they didn’t get their way. They are such elitist crybabies they make Andrew Rudnick look middle class.”

Dirty little secret is, if they build a twin span then they have successfully secured union labor for the twin span for 5 years and then another 3+ years for redoing the old Peace bridge. I would like to see a Private company come in and build a dam bridge and let it land at the foot of Tonawanda Street where all the buildings are dilapidated and the 198 and 190 intersect. Instead we are watching the destruction of homes that will be taken over by eminent domain and a huge plaza built. That is simply wrong.

“Come on, Hank,” I replied. “The PBA should have known that no matter what it did, they needed to have all the environmental stuff bulletproof because anyone against anything can stop it in this state. That’s the sheer arrogance of having an authority staffed with political hacks instead of qualified citizens.”

“Well you might have a point, but give me a break about the Grand Island Bridges. The people who live their don’t care about the tolls. They get a discount. My buddy even tells me they worked hard to keep stores like Wal-Mart and Family Dollar off the Island because they attract riff-raff and the snobs who live there prefer to think of it as a gated community. Besides: If you don’t like it go around.”

Oh he’s using the scare tactic that about 7% of the population uses, the “Riff Raff” HAHA.. and keeping the Wal Marts and Dollar stores off the island. And of course my favorite “The Gated Community”. First of all the only retail stores that have succeeded besides Tops is the Dollar Stores, at one time we had three, one closed and we now have two.

Wal Mart would not come here because the population will not support such a store, that is why we are stuck with Tops and no other store like a Wegmans. If you ever shop at this Tops you would find it to be one of the most expensive Tops in WNY, why? Because of the Tolls and lack of competition.

The empty storefronts tell the tale of the economic hit that Grand Island has suffered since the early 90’s when the Senecas wanted to use the Island as a bargaining chip to get the Casino’s. Well they got their Casino in the Falls, after years they finally were defeated in Federal Court but we got screwed yet again. Now businesses struggle to to survive and we suffer everyday with traffic backups and waiting in lines to get home.

The Riff Raff is here and has been here, we just don’t have a weekly publishing of a Police Report. We have section 8 housing, we have low income apartments ie: the Duplexes and at least 6 or 7 apartment complexes. So that argument simply does not hold water. The Problem I see is that the people that want the tolls to keep them in a gated community. Since when is it the responsibility of anyone to pay for your gated community? If you want to live in a secure gated community then move to one. To have people that have to pay to get back and forth to work for your self serving greedy benefit is elitist type thinking and basically telling you to shut up and eat cake.

The main issue is the bloated fat cats at the Thruway Authority and their over reaching intrusions where they don’t belong. It is time for our elected representatives to reign in all Authorities and get them under control. Haven’t we had enough? I have that’s for sure.

“You know what, Hank, I do. It takes five minutes and I like driving along River Road better anyway. I can’t wait until the bike path opens and Barbara Tucker asks me for my autograph.”

“That’s another thing,” Hank said. “You insulted the Power Authority. We got a good deal for Western New York and we don’t use all the cheap power we get now, so what’s the difference? At least we got something.

AHEM,,,,, we don’t use all the cheap power we got now? First of all what is the definition of cheap? Surely not the cost of power here in WNY. Secondly we do not get to keep the power here, the Power Authority sells all the power to 5 states and NY City, we have to get our power from Canada… So where is the good deal for WNY Hank?

If anything is insulting is the Power Authority continuing to slap us in the face. The very first electric that comes from the turbines should be directed right at us here in WNY and should be the lowest rate in the country, instead we are the highest. So once again where is the good deal for us?

“You want to really talk about something? Take a look at the Chevy plant in Tonawanda. Everybody in this town who buys a foreign car is a jerk, whether it was assembled in the U.S. or not, because they just scrapped a $300 million project at the Chevy plant due to lack of sales, keeping two hundred people out of work.”

Wait, didn’t they stop this project because of the new cafe’ standards congress just passed? Yes, basically GM decided not to build the V-8 because the liberals in congress once again are interfering in the free and open market place. But art the same time Joe is right. The excessive costs of health care per car that rolls off the line dives up the costs and now new cars are to dam expensive for the normal everyday working Joe like me. I have never had a new car and probably never will. I will say that I own all American made cars and trucks. GM and Ford.

“Ah come on Hank,” I said. “Do you realize $2,500 of the price of every new Chevy goes to pay health insurance for retirees? Give me a break.”

“So what are we supposed to do? Forget about the working people who built those cars so we can send money to Korea and Japan? Think about the big picture.”

“I do,” I said, “and the big picture says two beers is all I should have before I drive my Chevy Colorado home.”

“Well at least you got some of your priorities straight,” he said.

Then we shook hands and I headed home to my family.

Contact Joe Genco at jgenco@localnet.com