Entries Tagged 'Home of the screwed' ↓

New York Assembly Approves Toll Elimination Bill
New York State Assembly votes to eliminate a toll booth from Interstate 95 over noise and air pollution concerns.

The New York State Assembly moved on Monday last week to eliminate a toll booth from Interstate 95. Members voted 87 to 47 to abolish the collection of tolls at the New Rochelle toll plaza on the New York State Thruway. Motorists on this stretch of I-95 currently most stop and pay $1.50 or use E-ZPass, and the toll is scheduled to rise to $1.75 next year. State Assemblyman George S. Latimer (D-Westchester) introduced the idea of stopping the tolls because they imposed unfair burdens on his constituents.

“Daily commuters from Westchester, the Bronx and Manhattan pay a disproportionate fee to use this section of the Thruway, compared to every other corridor across the state,” Latimer wrote in support of his legislation. “Further, the presence of this toll plaza serves to direct northbound traffic onto local roads, particularly U. S. 1 (Boston Post Road), through the developed corridors of New Rochelle, Larchmont and Mamaroneck, adding to local congestion and air pollution.”

It’s as if our state law-makers don’t feel WNY taxpayers have them very same “unfair burdens” like downstate. We are in deed Home of the screwed! I haven’t had the chance to converse with Rus Thompson on the matter, but it’s safe to say he’s probably as “fed-up” as my blogging name.

I waited to see what Rus Thompson’s take would be on this before sounding off with opinions of my own.

New York State Thruway Authority members give up perk

(WIVB) - Members of the New York State Thruway Authority are giving up a nice perk.

Board members gave in to public pressure Wednesday and agreed to stop using their free E-ZPass tags.

The move comes just one day after the New York Daily News revealed that about 60 past and present board members, many of them multi-millionaires, had received the free tags for life.

Rus Thompson’s reply to it all:

Oh, whoopie frikin do….. 7, only 7? Like this will have a big effect on toll revenue. This practice started in 1965 in union negotiations, there are thousands of these out there. This will do nothing and is simply pandering. Is it a start? Only time will tell. My god there are many, many other places to go to in this bloated budget and the corrupt system.

This does not impress me in the least bit. Do something real, something substantial…. Or our hands tied and we are at the behest of the NYSTA…. Read the noGItolls website for some more real waste.

Agreeing that this move to halt lifelong Ez-Passes for TA members isn’t as substantial as the media/news is making it out to be. IMO, The Thruway Authority thought they could escape pressure by thinking the public would be pacified with them giving up this perk.

Do we buy it? Hell NO!

Back in the simple days when we had a government by to people, for the people we needed not worry about political governing so unfulfilling. Today, all it’s doing is drowning the taxpayers of New York State more and more.

Governor Paterson hires a new person to the Thruway Authority just as it was looking close to having the Grand Island tolls removed. One of the strongest allies of the taxpayers will be replaced with someone new who says she doesn’t know where she stands on the tolls issue. Bull Crap!

Maybe my intentions have been misuderstood….

Another installment of: Home of The Screwed! This one at a local level.

In today’s Buffalo News is a story about Erie County Legislator Timothy Kennedy who while lobbying for Motorola, accepted campaign contributions toting up to $1,250.

State Board of Elections records indicate Kennedy, a Buffalo Democrat, received a $1,000 donation from Motorola Inc. last year and another $250 from its local dealer after he launched a loud campaign against a technology competing with Motorola’s.

Kennedy believes it isn’t a conflint of interest because he accepted money more than 5 months after:

“The fact that individuals gave to me more than five months after I began shouldn’t raise any eyebrows. It’s not a story,” he said. “Those who gave to me believed in what I was doing.”

Um, does anyone know how to spell KICKBACK???

We all know that New York State is no stranger to the aged-old concept of “you do for me, I do for you“, but for a local politician to flat out deny any impropriety to the News is 110% arrogant, IMO.

Asked if had considered not accepting the contributions, Kennedy said only that he had been consistent in his arguments and anyone is free to give to his campaign.

“I work in the best interest of taxpayers,” he said. “If I had taken contributions prior to this or had changed my tune, then I believe this would be a conversation worth having.”

Only a true politician will leave his treasure chest wide open for anyone to toss their contributions in and then look the other way when such money is put into question. That’s not what’s in the best interest of the people he represents… it’s putting his election cycle first, plain & simple.

You’re only as good as not getting caught with your hands in the cookie jar.

Erie County Executive Chris Collins says that by cutting the number of cell phones it saves the County $150K. Being one of 921,390 residents in Erie County, I feel I am owed a grand total of 16¢ when all’s said and done.

Pay up Mr. Collins! If you’re going to talk about saving within the County, I want to see what’s going to happen, I’d like it to be in the form of what I can put back into my own pocket.

I don’t suppose you’re going to do anything about the County/government taxes that’s on my cell bill every month since talking about “savings”, are you? Um, I didn’t think so.

For my 16¢, I’d prefer it in cold hard cash in my hand. One dime, one nickel, one penny. And you can ignor the the $2.61 that I pay in Government fees to At&T each month.

Home of the screwed indeed!

I lifted this from the home page of WNYmedia.

DECIDING PRUDENT BORROWING FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS
Written by Lynn Marinelli
These are the items identified by the County Executive’s Office:

GENERAL PROJECTS: Ralph Wilson Stadium ($2,800,000) , Botanical Gardens ($1 million), Convention Center renovations ($5 million), code compliance ($700,000) and county buildings roof replacement ($700,000), highway vehicles replacement ($700,000), and Old County Hall rehabilitation ($500,000).

HIGHWAY PROJECTS: Capital overlay ($3,800,000); Federal aid road reconstruction ($1,002,100), intersection improvement ($181,150), road design ($116,160); unanticipated road and bridge construction ($75,000) and design ($10,000); FEMA road reconstruction ($485,000) and design ($95,000); Hopkins Road construction ($790,000) and design ($225,000); and preservation of roads and bridges ($11,500,000).

SHERIFF: Correctional Facility roof ($2,500,000) and video surveillance upgrades ($175,000); renovations to Yankee Compound ($800,000); Holding Center medical unit renovations ($150,000), roof replacement ($2,500,000), and improvements ($500,000); and health records module upgrades ($700,000).

PARKS: Improvements to Chestnut Ridge Park Casino ($750,000) and Wendt Beach Mansion ($150,000).

DIVISION OF INFORMATION: computer replacement and upgrades ($1 million), data information storage ($300,000), SAP expansion ($160,000), business/disaster planning ($250,000), and fiber optic network ($290,000).

HEALTH: Medical information system ($900,000), security improvements at clinics ($200,000), Medical Examiner cooler/freezer system replacement ($155,000) and X-Ray equipment replacement ($85,000).

EMERGENCY SERVICES: Public Safety communications ($1,400,000) and Training Center renovations ($2 million).

LIBRARY: Replace Fuel Tank – Parking Lot – Storage Space ($150,000).

ENVIRONMENT & PLANNING: Times Beach improvements ($100,000) and bicycle trail construction ($300,000).

BOARD OF ELECTIONS: voting machines ($500,000).

COMMUNITY COLLEGE: equipment ($1,800,000), building restoration ($700,000), Campus security ($700,000), and Flickinger roof replacement & HVAC equipment ($1,750,000).

The 2008 County Budget proposed seven other projects, not currently included in the executive’s list, such as Frank Lloyd Wright boathouse ($800,000), Buffalo Zoo ($1 million), Clerk’s office purchase of equipment ($100,000), Bethlehem Steel site redevelopment ($2 million), downtown library escalator replacement and asbestos removal ($2.23 million), more than $500,000 cut from bike trails, and over $800,000 removed from bridge projects. Also not included was a legislative request for $500,000 toward city of Buffalo roads.

If memory serves, Chris Collins beleived in running government like a business. As it turns out one of the biggest “businesses” is top of the list in receiving more taxpayer funding for capital improvements. Run government like a business or just another reason for corporate welfare? What a shame! When the hell is Ralph Wilson going to get (our losing) Buffalo Bills to stand on their own two feet without a contract & a hand out of taxpayers money?

Think about how much money could be saved, or used for other needed things (see quote below) if the Bills were sent packing or forced to pay their own way for a change in Erie County?

Just as homeowners determine capital improvements, so does government, mostly with public health, safety, economic development and community projects. Decisions are weighed on needs versus wants, priorities, costs, timelines and market conditions.

I don’t see how corporate welfare fits into any of the above government making “decisions”. Obviously priorities & costs don’t fit, and neither does health, safety, economic development and community projects.

Next to patronage, the Buffalo Bills are the biggest form of pork spending in all of Western New York, thus sealing the deal that New York State will always be Home of the Screwed!

It was a dreary day. Rainy, foggy… A day to go out for some great wings at a place called Honey’s. It’s a bar with restaurant-type qualities to take the young ones to. They have a reasonably priced menu and the staff was very friendly. Specialty wing sauce is available for purchase. The raspberry BBQ is highly recommended.

Part two of my post is the toll we’re forced to pay for enjoying our family day in Western New York. A picture’s worth 1,000 words

News both Nationally and local (too many to cite w/o going out of my mind) have made the Governor a marked man… like a marked card in Black Jack.

Governor, yes he’s still our governor, Governor Spitzer has become the latest pawn in the gamble of politics. Millions of dollars a day going to an unjust “war” in another (freakin) Country, our servicemen and women are coming back to America, if not in a body bag draped with an American Flag, screwed up mentally because of what they saw, what they did… of who they are on foriegn lands. And “Spitzer’s screw” is the best “news” being reported???

Governor Spitzer got his freak on for $5,000 of his own money. Nothing has happened to the finacial (in)stability of New York State (you know we’ve been screwed for 3 decades). Yeah, he broke some laws….. how many times a day do you see a person driving one-handed down the thruway, going well over the speed limit while talking on their cell phone? 10? 20? Be honest… How many governors pay for sex that you see in broad daylight vs. the number drug dealers standing on street corners?

It still bothers me that a major drug bust in my neighborhood led to a 4 year old being taken into custody because he answered the door to an undercover with drugs in hand asking for money because his parent was passed out. A 4 year old child knowing how to make a drug transaction…. the best on the “news” is an adult governor paying for sex? Does the mainstream media have any priorities at all?

Let’s talk the ethics of breaking laws. Average citizens break them all day, everyday. Governor Spitzer had to be the pawn. I know he’ll resign, I know he’ll step down…. but I hope he doesn’t leave without naming names. If the governor is doing it, like jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, they all must be.

I know NYS is home of the screwed…. I have had that as a category on my blog for some time now, but let’s get real for a minute.

(pause to roll my eyes)

Oh, I just loooove this though…. Channel 4 has a report “Buffalo Call Girl” said on the news as perfect as Buffalo cashier, or Buffalo business owner, or Buffalo waitress, or Buffalo (woman) whatever.

This news channel interviewed a “call girl” openly & willingly and while preaching about “doing the right thing” did they report this “pay for sex” person to the City of Buffalo Police Department? (as “the right thing” to report).

How about Channel 4 uncovers Buffalo prostitution?

Nope. Not as long as Governor Spitzer gets to play role of the latest pawn in politics. The dirtiest form of politcs around. The last thing we need right now is a governor who goes down (no pun) quietly, without naming names of other “clients”.

I spent a mini getaway in Niagara Falls, this morning the headlines on the Niagara Gazette caught my attention rather quickly:

CRUMBLING BRIDGE
isn’t a driving hazard, according to state DOT

CHIPPED AWAY: Department of Transportation officials said large pieces of concrete fell from the guardrail and sidewalk area of a LaSalle Expressway bridge over Cayuga Drive. (Photo by James Neiss)

Not a driving hazard? The sky is falling & they’re saying it isn’t a problem?

If chunks of concrete are falling from this bridge, why is the NY DOT saying it is safe?

Deficient bridges in need of rehabilitation are defined as having a rating of less than 5, but deficient bridges are not considered unsafe, according to rating syllabus. New bridges are rated as 7.

The falling concrete is not a sign that the bridge’s condition is not up to standard and the DOT will continue to monitor the bridge’s condition, Morgante said.

“These bridges are inspected thoroughly every two years,” he said. “We also have our supervisors who drive around every day and will continue to watch that bridge for any further problems.”

Read the full article here.

I wouldn’t be “fedup” if I don’t put this question out there: What is it going to take for the New York State Department of Transportation to get up off their dead asses and start fixing the infrastructure of Western New York?

While talking about bridges, I also snapped another shot* while on one of the Grand Island Bridges. Note the patches & patches of quick fixes that our tolls are paying for. New York State: Home of the screwed!

*I was the passenger.

Reading on Rus Thompson’s blog, like I do several times a day, I discovered yet another elected official is stepping up and questioning the New York State Thruway Authority:

From the Buffalo News: State comptroller to audit Thruway plan for toll hike

The title alone is enough to make one wonder…. are they only doing the audit on the threat of increasing tolls? Or are they going to take a that big step for taxpayers with a full audit to desolve the tolls all together?

Here’s the full atricle:

ALBANY — The state comptroller will audit the State Thruway Authority to determine if a proposed toll increase is necessary, state officials said Thursday.

Thruway officials, meanwhile, postponed a vote that had been scheduled for Monday on the increase. They cited a conflict in board members’ schedules.

Two state senators and a congressman have asked State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli to look at the Thruway’s books, a review they say should guide action on any toll increases.

DiNapoli’s office did not return calls to comment, but two government officials said the comptroller, a Democrat, had approved the audit.

“The Senate majority conference holds strong reservations regarding the prospect of a potential increase in tolls on the Thruway, particularly in view of the significant additional financial burden that motorists are now already facing due to skyrocketing fuel costs,” State Sens. Dale M. Volker of Depew and Thomas W. Libous of Binghamton, both Republicans, had written in a letter to DiNapoli. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., also has requested an audit.

Last week, a finance committee of the Thruway board had recommended a package that calls for proceeding with a previously approved increase averaging 10 percent in January, followed by 5 percent increases in each of the following two years. Discounts for 1.1 million E-ZPass customers also would be cut in half.

Thruway officials contend the increases — generating an additional $90 million a year — are necessary to offset lower-thanexpected revenues from drivers who, because of higher fuel prices, have been cutting back using the 426-mile highway.

Critics, led by an association of trucking companies and the American Automobile Association, say the state should let the Thruway unload its responsibility for running the state’s canal system. The fiscal gimmick, instituted in the early 1990s, pushed the canal system’s costs out of the state’s general fund and into the “off-budget” authority.

As a result, $80 million from Thruway tolls each year go toward running the Erie Canal and other waterways — only slightly less than the projected additional revenue from the toll increases.

To avert a toll increase, the senators said, the state should examine moving the canal system into the budgets of the state’s Departments of Environmental Conservation or the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Last week, administration officials said Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer is not considering such a move in his budget for the state fiscal year that will begin April 1.

State Senate officials insisted Thursday the issue likely will be wrapped into budget talks next spring.

Thruway officials cite the need for higher tolls to fund a $2.7 billion construction program already under way. Not raising tolls will force cutbacks in plans for improving roads and bridges, according to the agency.

Moving the canal system into the state’s general fund could be a problem for the Spitzer administration. The governor’s budget aides already are struggling with closing an expected $4.3 billion deficit next year, and the canal plan would add $80 million to that gap.

Higher gasoline prices have reduced Thruway travel, especially discretionary trips by weekenders and vacationers. In projections for the construction program, state officials estimated the number of vehicles using the system would grow 2.3 percent this year; it has risen by only a half percent.

Over the span of the construction program, which will run through 2011, the proposed toll increases were expected raise revenues by $360 million.

The Thruway board had been expected to approve the increases next week. Public hearings then would have been held around the state before final action by early spring.

In their letter Thursday to DiNapoli, Volker and Libous worried that higher tolls coupled with rising gas prices could cut further into Thruway traffic.

“This would not only lead to a related decline in Thruway revenues, but would also present additional problems for many upstate communities that have already been impacted by commercial vehicles, commuters and other motorists that seek alternative routs on local roads,” the lawmakers wrote.

I put in bold the message that is being fed to us in this one newspaper town, that lawmakers aren’t at all interested in the burden they have allowed to be placed on taxpayers backs otherwise they would have stepped up a long time ago and desolve the Grand Island tolls once & for all! They have found their topic de’jour and will ride it on stopping an increase of the tolls but leaving communters with having to still pay a toll when going to or through Grand Island.

That’s not good governing, it’s just smart governing.

When you watch the game being played over & over, you kind of get the gist of the ever-changing rules. Here’s what I see as it is happening:

The NYSTA threatens motorists with this 10% increase on tolls, the community gets up in arms about how much more we’re (Western New Yorkers are) being taxed out of our asses, a hand-full of politicians step up saying “it ain’t right”, the newspaper prints the battling back and forth creating a stir on the increasing of out tolls, it goes on for weeks and then a settlement is made… no increase on the tolls. And the politicians look like heroes because they stopped the increase that the NYSTA threatened us with so that in the long run the tolls will remain taxing us every time we have to or want to go somewhere in the God foresaken state. A year from now, I’ll still be paying the say $1.50 going to Niagara Falls and home. You can read the issue like a book because it happens over and over again.

Their audits, these politicians “stepping up”…. they aren’t in it for the taxpayers, they desire the name recognition in stopping an increase on the taxes we still have to pay over all anyways.

In the mean time, there is this petition that is asking for the tolls to be gone for good. If you haven’t signed it already, please do so by clicking HERE and join 6400 other citizens who say “NO tolls”!

Updated in reply to Rus Thompson:

I could almost bet the farm that the politicians are only going to stand on their preventing the increase & after they find something else to showboat in the media on, they will be back to ignoring the fact that we’re still going to have to pay the toll (minus an increase).

Why have their audits stop with the proposed increase? Who of the politicians is asking for a complete audit to disolve the tolls in general?

(Personal note: it’s getting annoying that lately my own comments, on my own blog are flagged as spam )