Comment Archives: stories: News & Opinion
Re: “Teachers warn of the end of public education”
Conti's letter is full of empty self-pitying blather about freedom and autonomy — for himself and his ilk, of course, but not for you or your children, or for the taxpayers who pay the freight. It is the teacher unions and allied ideologues who fight tooth and nail to deny students and families the slightest degree of freedom or autonomy or self-determination. You have to laugh at their whining about the perils of conformity and "one size fits all" when they fight savagely to preserve an archaic and unproductive government monopoly.
Now they're going to quit rather than be held accountable? Pardon me, but that sounds like a solution, not a problem.
Re: “Governor proposes new anti-bribery laws”
Another example of Cuomo rushing to pass laws based upon media attention. We don't need fast laws, we need good laws. We don't need a hysterical Governor acting like chicken little. Under Cuomo NY has experienced the demise of 39,453 NY state businesses last year, Cuomo is raiding $1.75 billion from the reserves of the off-budget State Insurance Fund (SIF). Coumo can not even hold on to his democratic majority which is in the middle of a corruption scandal and “show-me-the-money culture” and “pay-to-play politics.” He has disenfranchised the Northern and Western part of New York with his SAFE Act.. He can’t make a decision, either way with respect to fracking. New York has the highest taxes in the nation, is the most indebted state, with 33 percent of income dedicated to borrowing. It is ranked as the least "business-friendly" state in the country and if that were not bad enough NY has the distinction of being the least free state in the union and is called the “Nanny State” with politicians legislating what we eat and drink. Municipal governments from Nassau County to Yonkers to Syracuse are teetering. And during Mr. Cuomo’s time in office, unemployment has risen above the national average. 9% of the state’s 2000 population left for another state between 2000 and 2011 — the highest such figure in the nation," the study by George Mason's libertarian-leaning Mercatus Center found.
Re: “Teachers warn of the end of public education”
I blogged about this a number of days ago (http://askingquestionsblog.blogspot.com/20…); a lot of us (teachers, that is) have been saying this for some time, but Mr. Conti's letter maybe will finally get some people to take the complaints seriously. Thank you, Mr. Conti.
Re: “Cuomo compromises on IDA reform”
When did we agree it is okay for non elected officials to raise our taxes. that is what IDA's are doing. By giving tax exemptions to a few they are actually costing everyone else more. To continue to allow this to happen for some residential and retail projects is a travesty. The majority of the tax benefits given are landlords and they are not even creating permanent jobs! This actually is depressing investment, as rents are kept low and other small investors can not justify the investment.. But do not take my word for this there was a study by Metro Justice of COMIDA and this is what they found
• 63% (124 out of 196) of COMIDA projects hadn't delivered the jobs that the businesses promised.
• Of the 196 projects with sufficient reporting data, 27% lost jobs (54 out of 196), reporting fewer current jobs than the employment level before IDA status was granted. An additional 5 projects had no change in employment. (It should be noted that COMIDA is not required to report how many projects had not "ripened," meaning that there still could be time left to create the jobs. Once again, this points to the need for better reporting requirements).
• Only 52% of the projects that added jobs (72 out of 137) met or exceeded their job creation targets.
While the Governors suggestions were good they actually did not go far enough an the whole system need to be revamped so that actual creation of jobs through business start ups is the goal. Until then we continue to make us poorer so a few can legally defraud State and local governments of tax revenue.
Re: “Ren Square buildings likely headed to auction”
Carl Rupert Binger - Good News ! The doors of City Hall are always open should you want to express your views to your elected representatives. And in just seven months the public will be able to have all the say they want by electing a mayor and city council.
Re: “Slaughter: train station construction starts in August”
Clint – Slaughter aside, if we want to talk about what the Framers had in mind the answer is a VERY restricted democracy. They created an executive that was elected for 4 years, not by the people, but by a group of electors appointed by states. They created a senate comprised of members serving for 6 years, again elected by the states not the people. They created a federal judiciary comprise of individuals nominated by the executive to serve for life and confirmed by the senate. Again, participation by the people was zilch.
The only involvement in the national government by those white males who were permitted to vote was the election of a House of Representatives who served for a mere 2 years.
That you view voters repeatedly electing who they wish to a public office as a “problem” is telling indeed. As telling as are the views of those who believe that democracy is better served by term limits than by continuing to permit the voters to exercise their elective franchise as they see fit.
Your disagreement with Slaughter’s decisions is well established. That those decisions were “against the interests of the district.” is of course merely your opinion. As is your belief that she and she alone wields semi-divine power to control the fiscal floodgates of federal largess.
I suggest it boils down to this. In your opinion, as in the opinion of many others, democracy only works when your party’s candidates get elected.
Re: “O'Brien says upstaters shouldn't have to pay for Indian Point closing”
Since Downstate has been subsidizing Upstate for over 30 years now, O'Brien is way off base here. We're all New Yorkers. Ted, what did Bill Clinton say at the DNC last year? "We're all in this together." This comes off as dumb posturing, something we don't need. If he and others want to highlight the prohibitive costs of nuclear energy, fine - there is certainly enough to be said about that. But let's do so without this kind of divisive politics and posturing.
Re: “Choosing a mayor in a challenging time”
Also, just a note, the Green Party and Occupy are not the same group. There are many devoted and intelligent people active in the Green Party who never set foot at Occupy. The Four Pillars of the Green Party are 1) ecological wisdom , 2) social justice, 3) grassroots democracy , and 4) nonviolence, which to me is not a bad framework to approach public policy. Rochester needs a government that is inclusive, invigorating, focused on the entire fabric of our community. We have too much potential as a community to keep limping along like this. We need to give people a real stake in their neighborhoods, a real voice at the table, and empower them to help drive this city forward, which is what the Green Party puts on the table.
Re: “Choosing a mayor in a challenging time”
Our current budget situation is pretty dire, we are at the point of closing down libraries and recreation centers, delaying critical infrastructure projects, and cutting community and youth services. I would say that asking whether the amazingly low property values these deals grant and the low taxes they allow businesses to pay is good for Rochester is a perfectly fair question. I don't disagree that we should encourage businesses to grow in Rochester, but at what cost? How many jobs is a recreation center for at risk inner city youth worth? 10? 50? 200? We're talking two issues, the taxes these deals set and the assessments granted, and I don't think it is unreasonable to ask that Rochester businesses deal with a higher level on both of those scores so that we don't pass all of the pain of our budget crisis to the residents who live here. Having a serious conversation about the budget and not talking about the tax breaks and property assessments for major development deals is unproductive and shortsighted. Tom Richards and Lovely Warren won't even talk about this issue, and Alex White is making a valid argument. Maybe Rochester simply cannot afford these deals at the levels we have been granting them, we are simply passing on too much pain to the people who live here, we're at risk of slashing the social fabric of Rochester in this budget season, and I think we need to change our priorities to benefit everyone in Rochester and not just the businesses that operate here. I think everyone would agree that Rochester needs a new economic vision, and 40 years of one party Democratic rule hasn't brought it.
Re: “Cuomo compromises on IDA reform”
I like the idea of state guidelines, but I like the idea of more community oversight and veto over these tax-break packages. The list of COMIDA board members is mostly business executives of varying fields, with a union member and a few lawyers. I'm not saying these people aren't qualified or are evil or malicious, but it means that these tax breaks are being given out by a very narrow slice of the Rochester community. I would advocate for more community members, perhaps a rotating member from a neighborhood council, maybe a college professor, community advocates on issues like housing or poverty. We need to stop letting these tax breaks be given out by the business community, and deal with them holistically with the whole Rochester community in mind.
http://www.growmonroe.org/comida/about/boa…
Re: “Police chief responds to problems with city's red-light camera program”
MJN - I know it's been a month. I didn't see your response.
First, I recommend spending an hour or two perusing thenewspaper.com, you'll come away as pissed off at the way government treats its citizen drivers as I am.
Second - Admittedly, until the City of Rochester decides to start enforcing the tickets with more than just strongly worded letters, they aren't "unconstitutional" in the strictest sense. However, it is still creepy as hell.
Third - Court decisions: Sixth Amendment violation decision: http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/37/3714.a…
Due process violations: http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/38/3802.a…
Certainly there are cases on the site wherein courts have accepted some red light systems as well, but the execution of these systems, in the main, is a tale of corruption, graft, or otherwise poor judgement due to using private industry to do public safety jobs. From all I've heard and read, the city is learning from past mistakes, and the current lack of effective enforcement (requiring people to be fearful enough of a letter with the photo and the police shield to send money is not as effective as a personal stop by a cop) only leads me to believe that it is nothing but a money-grab.
While going through the articles on that website, be sure to pay particular attention to the articles about how cameras actually compromise traffic safety and that there are a whole bunch of other, more cost-effective and less intrusive/less constitutionally questionable methods to increase safety.
Re: “Is support for gun control slipping?”
Full disclosure: I do not own a gun, and I think my wife still has a .22 rifle that hasn't been out of the closet in years.
How about a website that tracks auto deaths, or smoking-related deaths, or any number of other causes of death? The numbers do NOT warrant a response. How many millions of guns and gun owners versus how many deaths? Such a tiny percentage. And don't give me any crap about one death being too many. If that were the case airplanes, swimming pools, ginsu knives and water balloons would all be outlawed.
It is about rights.
Period.
Why do we insist on continuing to give away our rights?
Our rights are being eroded a little at a time, all in the name of "safety" or "protecting the children". With the exception of cannabis in Colorado and Washington, when was the last time anybody in this country earned MORE freedom? The fact that both of those were referendums voted in by the people is quite telling. The government has us under pretty much daily surveillance. I can't go to work without being seen by at least 10 light-pole cameras and risking tickets at 2 red-light intersections. The NSA hoovers up any and all electronic communications. They don't do much with it now... but they can. The TSA ignores the 4th amendment, as does stop-and-frisk. My students go to school only after going through metal detectors and then spend the day under unblinking gaze of something like 50+ cameras. We've ceased to be citizens and have become cogs in the machine and revenue sources for the government.
The current hue and cry for more regulation of this or that "danger" just shows that most people are sheep who care more about security than liberty. They deserve neither.
(Anyone who wants to know how Hitler or Mussolini came to power needs to simply look around at our nation in the last few decades. We've slowly gone from being a vibrant, growing, powerful people to a nation of simpering cowards in a fascist-lite environment. Only the continued existence of the First Amendment has kept us anything like free... certainly can't give credit to the 4th or 9th.)
Once more for emphasis:
It. Is. About. Rights.
Re: “And now we wait:marriage and the court”
This article is not only terribly biased, which is no surprise, but shows just how much hatred the liberal establishment has for conservatives. What happened to tolerance preached by liberals? Tolerance does not mean that one should listen to the other sides views, liberals want tolerance to mean that we must not only listen to it, but accept it. Also, your comment that waiting for Scalia to die off is full of hatred. The limited quote you put in here that 'we cannot have a moral feeling against homosexuality' is a shameful way to confuse your readers. The point was why are conservatives not allowed to have a moral objection to homosexuality? Liberals can have their view of homosexuality but if our view is different than yours, you want to shut us down. Where is the openess that liberals claim to have. You know, there is a saying 'there's nobody more conservative than a liberal'. Your article pretty much proves it.
Re: “Slaughter: train station construction starts in August”
I hit the wrong key when writing ...term of office of senate is 6 years! Should not write in the dark..LOL
Re: “Slaughter: train station construction starts in August”
MJN,
Interesting response! So, lets go back to the assumption of the framers. The members of the House were supposed to to Washington for two years and represent their district's interests. They, it was feared, would be subject to populism so, a more deliberative body, the Senate was to go there for 8 years to temper their populism. Representative Slaughter, to be sure, has been elected over and over...therein lies the problem! She killed Ren Square because of a dispute with RGRTA and, because she wanted an intermodel facility.
My point is this, that the County, City, and transit authority wanted Ren Sq. The REPRESENTATIVE was charged with the responsibility of enabling the project at the instruction of the local government, not, killing it because of her ideas!
The Representative has voted time and again with her party and against the interests of the district. Trade policy helped kill Kodak, and she voted for it. But, back to the issue at hand...the corner of Main and Clinton. Bill Johnson has said that that was the problem that was essential to the redevelopment of downtown...Maggie Brooks agreed! Louise killed it and the 243 million that went with it.
So, Senator Schumer, a member of the Senate, the body charged with balance and legislating, got the money, and she sent it away. It is hard to celebrate the 10 cents on the dollar that instead will be used to build a train station that no local official asked for except the Member! I hope this answers your question!
Re: “New York, New York”
I have a question: what are chem-trails, and how do they relate to global warming and/or climate change?
Chemtrails have been seen over the Rochester area lately.
Has City seen them?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC8jSsB5Cjw&feature=youtu.be
Re: “Is support for gun control slipping?”
The majority already speaks in the fact that 80% of us do NOT own guns. And yes, we need gun control. The idea that these laws only inconvenience law abiding citizens just isn't true. There are plenty of non-criminals who are stupid and careless and in need of control. The mother of the Sandy Hook shooter was not a criminal, but she sure was stupid and careless to continue to have guns in a home with a mentally ill son.
Re: “Is support for gun control slipping?”
Te majority already speaks in the fact that 80% of us do NOT own guns. And yes, we need gun control. The idea that these laws only inconvenience law abiding citizens just isn't true. There are plenty of non-criminals who are stupid and careless and in need of control. The mother of the Sandy Hook shooter was not a criminal, but she sure was stupid and careless to continue to have guns in a home with a mentally ill son.
Re: “O'Brien says upstaters shouldn't have to pay for Indian Point closing”
Cuomo allows O'Brien to make this an upstate/downstate issue for show, but O'Brien is his rubber stamp and toady like all NY democrats. Where was O'Brien's support of upstate on the gun law? He wouldn't even let his 'constituents ' comment on it before he voted on it.
Re: “Governor proposes new anti-bribery laws”
Cuomo will try to cram this legislation through before the public has a chance to read or comment on it just like his gun control law. He even said he needs to 'strike while the iron is hot'. He has to do this and get it out of the public eye before there are any investigations into what other Democrats may be involved.