Done with reading the first quarter recaps?  Welcome to the second quarter - enjoy -

April 5

March 31 saw the special election to fill Kirsten Gillibrand’s former seat - Murphy finished 65 votes ahead paving the way for a recount.  April 1st meant our usual April first posts - my favorite - RenFaire.   Ed Schutz gets a TV Show.  There is a witchhunt in Pittsford.  The State Budget is finalized and the Comptroller doesn’t like it.

April 12

BEEP BEEP, Time Warner announced Internet restrictions, the rally of stopthecap is heard and Massa takes the lead.  He announced he was  introducing legislation to stop the cap.

Deputy County Executive James P. Smith - County Exec Brooks’ second in Command unexpectedly resigns.  Are the wheels of the local GOP bus starting to fall off?  Does this have anything to do with the ROBUTRAD scandal?

On the lighter side - Dan Maffei visits Steven Colbert.

April 19

The Time Warner Caps died.  There was this remarkable footage of Congressman Eric Massa putting the issue into perspective.  We asked where do our other members of Congress stand on the issue?  There was a Rochester Teabag protest. We missed the dropping of the ROBUTRAD heel because it never came.

RIP Steve Minarik.  Amazingly, these two editorials on Steve Minarik are actually talking about the same guy.

April 26

Investigators are hired to investigate the Greece Police chief.  There was FUBO which should really be FUBOB.  We are short votes  to pass a same-sex marriage bill (nothing changed by year end).  Indicted former State Senate leader Bruno asks for softer corruption charges.  RenSquare debate rages.

May 3

Arlen Specter changes parties. Funny how 60 becomes the new 49 by years end.  Greece Police Chief Merritt Rahn is caught shredding documents. The MCC President is appointed with no drama.

Campaign contributions to County Exec Maggie Brooks are  analyzed.  There is incorrect paperwork and weirdness. Maggie Brooks’ former number 2, Jim Smith, is out as Greece GOP leader. ROBUTRAD?

Oh yeah - H1N1.

May 10

Incompetence - Monroe County can’t tell us how much tax revenue is made from the County Hotel tax.  On Health Care we started questioning the Democratic negotiation tactic of instance capitulation because Chuck Schumer looked like he was ready to give away the farm. The number of lobbyists in New York State increases again.

Remember the St John Fisher Law School?  It becomes clear that we are fighting over the same piece of the pie.

RIP former Rep. Jack Kemp.

May 17

Health Care - we started looking at the so called public option that was being advocated and decided that advocating for an undefined entity was a non-starter.   The White House had its secret deal with the Health Care Industry where they magically agreed to cut expenses.  I should have called that post - “let them eat Fuitcake.” Funny that post also contained a suggestion that the D&C pick up David Sirota as a columnist.

RenSquare goes on life support as Mayor Duffy decides to act, enters a phone booth and changes into Duffy the RenSquare Slayer.   Parks and Recreation, over significant objections, are poised to approve mountain biking in Monroe County Parks.  There were high hopes of flipping the legislature as several GOP incumbents announced resignations or were not running for reelection.

The words “Golisano says he will still stay involved in New York  State Politics” prepare to take an ominous turn as Tommy G picked up his marbles, stomps his feet and moves to Florida.

May 24

The D&C had a good article on Merritt Rahn’s missing service weapon. However, missed the boat on the upcoming Democratic primaries. The editorial board advocates a separate but equal approach to gay marriage.  We explain why they are wrong.

There was a Building Trades Audit and ROBUTRAD was a problem back then.  COMIDA gives an  outsourcing agency tax breaks - and touts the new job creation.

Mayor Duffy releases a budget in May with an eye to lowering taxes where the County doesn’t have to release a budget until AFTER November.   Harry Bronson blasts  Maggie Brooks’ State of the County Address - it isn’t kind.

May 31

This weeks ICYMI contained a lot of Health Care editorial.  It is fascinating to reread 6 months later.  Bill Moyers discussed a Single Payer system.   We discuss the drug safety non-issue from imported drugs.  Health Care was front and center in the national debate.  Meanwhile families are going bankrupt.

Your State unemployment benefit debit card makes you donate $1.50 to banks.  Mayor Duffy - came out strongly in support of Gay Marriage in this beautify written piece.

Nothnagle Reality goes on the public dole to move its headquarters a couple of miles.  The City provides a loan that can convert into a grant if a production company creates jobs.   Remember Gov Paterson’s love of Empire Zones?  Well, the State started to take action.  Check out the views from around the state on the shutting down failed empire zones.

June 7

More Health Care coverage and editorializing as we wrapped up coverage and video of the huge health care forum held on May 30th.  Health Care reform?  Here is a video showing the 100 year history of attempted reform.  Watch it again in light of recent events.

No kidding - Robutrad workers donate to the local GOP.  More here.

There was an excellent article on the history of RenSquare.  Duffy was right about RenSquare.

June 14

Two words - the COUP.  OK - Two more, Tom Golisano.   Follow this link for a brief summary on how New York State went from dysfunctional to laughing stock.

Neil Bauman is thinking about running for County Exec.   Mayor Duffy’s city curfew is deemed unconstitutional.

More health care as the public option, something many many groups were fighting for still undefined.

June 21

The ROBUTRAD hammer falls on ex Gates GOP leader and Ex County worker Robert Morone.  Additional information comes out - linking a GOP County legislator and the County Finance Director to Bob Morone.  The County hiring its own investigators.

More State Senate drama and future convict Hiram Monserrate’s legal fee source was questioned.

Lots more Health care posts but this one stood out - Insurance companies figured out how to overpay for services and NOT go out of business.  Meanwhile Big Pharma finds 80 billion over 10 years.

June 28

More ROBUTRAD - The D&C editorial board comes out strong on transparency and Accountability.   City News comes out even stronger on lack of County leadership.  Sean Carroll (13Wham) provides some analysis - this is deeper and more will come out and some folks will get away.

More Health Care -A bus trip and tone deaf elected officials.

Greece Police Chief Merritt Rahn is suspended without pay.   Monroe County Bond ratings are downgraded.  RenSquare has ethical issues.  The Mendon Library breaks ground.

More shortly - likely tomorrow.

Michael Steele continues to be a ground-breaker as Chair of the Republican National Committee. Among his firsts, it turns out, is collecting side money  on the speaking circuit… except, as a former a RNC Chair points out, that’s already kinda his job, for which RNC pays him over $200,000 per year.

“Holy mackerel, I never heard of a chairman of either party ever taking money for speeches,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., RNC chairman under President Reagan and CEO of the American Gaming Association.

“The job of a national chairman is to give speeches. That’s what the national party pays him for. We didn’t have a rule book back then, but being national chairman was and is a full-time job,” Mr. Fahrenkopf said.

Oh pshaww, says Steele, giving his side of the story — where else? — on Fox News:

The RNC said in a statement sent to FoxNews.com Tuesday that Democrat and Republican national chairmen have “regularly received outside income” and that Steele “does not receive compensation for any speeches conducted in his duties as chairman.”

“This is silly,” RNC spokesman Gail Gitcho said in the statement. “Michael Steele has been giving inspirational speeches based on his personal story long before he was elected RNC Chairman and will long after.”

I’m trying something different this year and recap the year on RT .  I’m going to publish four posts highlighting each weekly ICYMI post for a particular quarter.  The ICYMI posts will have a separate link (bolded so to serve as a header) and I’ll pull out a few posts of interest that capture the general monthly theme.  Note that the dates are the week ending date.

Hope you enjoy reading as much as we enjoy writing.  Feel free to highlight your favorite posts, themes, reflections in the the comments.

Enjoy the long and not so strange trip it has been.

January 11

A New Congress sworn was sworn in.  One of those new Congressman was our own Eric Massa.  It was an interesting ceremony to watch.  All the hard work over the past couple of years to get him elected - There were these reflections on the D.C. visit and this noting that we have turned the page to the legislative process.

We asked again how does COMIDA assess job creation, looked at the new sidewalks at Cheryl Dinalfo’s house and wondered aloud about ROBUTRAD, and most importantly watched as the 50-state strategy, crucial in the election of President-elect Obama, was in the process of being dismantled.

January 18

What a difference a Congress makes - SCHIP passes.  Meanwhile, our love for Rahm Emmanuel blossomed.  Little did we know how that would play out through the year.  We learn about corporations like Wilmorite who flaunt their losses and shield their profits to avoid taxes so they can bid on development projects.   The D&C op-ed board calls for more transparency re RenSquare (remember that, when they are surprised and disappointed later when RenSquare crashes and burns).

January 25

In fifty years, we have gone from here to watching the inauguration of the first African American President.  Ladkiddo shares her experiences on the ground in D.C.   Senator Clinton becomes Secretary of State Clinton and the ugliness of her Senate seat appointment resulted in these reflections of Kirsten Gillibrand being appointed to fill the spot.   Councilman Mike Barry resigns from the Greece Town Board and Joe Bruno is indicted.

Layoffs hit Xerox and here is how you get “unfired”

Feb 1

Arguments about RenSquare as the Administration looks to tap stimulus dollars.  It appears that RenSquare was a done deal.   There were budget games with Monroe Psychiatric Center.  Remember Tom Daschle’s tax problem and to think he almost had something to do with health care as an Administration official as opposed to what he ultimately became - a health care lobbyist.

Feb 8

We highlighted the recent string of COMIDA “successes” (the term Epic FAIL or derivatives there off hadn’t come into the vernacular yet).  With Tom Daschle withdrawing, we wrote a lot about Obama’s team of rivals concept.  We were a annoyed over some selections especially no place for Dean.  We wrote  “…Or, are all rivals equal but some are more equal than others?”  Apparently, because one would have thought there would be some progressive appointments or putting progressive voices at the table.

Like magic, RenSquare is announced to be on schedule and ahead of budget.  Perfect news when you need to pull to wool over the tax payers.  The fight over taxing wealthy New Yorkers starts with Governor Paterson simply not getting it.

Feb 15

The New York Budget was being discussed.  We discuss taxing Health club members (yet find ways to give clubs tax breaks), increase SUNY tuition without services.  Even the D&C said taxes are necessary.   Governor Paterson defends Empire Zones and pulls environmental funding.

Remember when Obama nominated Judd Gregg? Yeah how did that work out and finally recall when Flight 3407 crashed.

Feb 22

The stimulus bill is passed and the GOP opposed on of the largest tax cuts ever.   Speaking of tax breaks - IDAs oppose IDA reform.  Big surprise.   More COMIDA fuzzy math - this time Nixon Peabody.    Now York Budget follies continue - money to train doctors may be redirected.

March 1

Check out this great picture of the Inauguration.   Remember the endless nonsense coming from the governor’s office?  Nickle and diming the wrong people.  With all the budget cut proposals coming from the Governors office - we hoped he wouldn’t suggest this.

There was Massa mixing it up with the D&C op-ed board over campaign contributions.  We posted our take on his 2010 campaign policy.

Oh, guess what IDA’s don’t deliver per this report from Tom DiNapoli.  Judge Dandrea Ruhlmann is censured.

March 8

The 2009 federal dollars start to flow to Rochester as both Congresswomen Slaughter and Congressman Massa bring home sizable separate grants.

Remember Health Care?  We said - “Good thing that Health care reform  starts to pick up steam because the private sector is doing so well, bilking milllions from customers.  The GOP says healthcare is NOT a right.”

More Rochester hotels - a report was issued saying that hotels in Rochester aren’t fully occupied but that doesn’t stop developers from moving forward trying to build them.  Medley Centre PILOT agreements moves forward.

March 15

We upgraded the website, noted that Murphy was closing in on Tedisco for Gillibrand’s old seat, and Governor continued to raise salaries of some and scrapped the proposed nickel and dime taxes.

RenSquare was big news - Well, I’ll just quote the ICYMI

County Executive Maggie Brook does her Mrs Hyacinth Bucket imitation (Hyacinth pronounces her last name  of “Bucket” as “Bouquet”) by announcing RenSquare is ready to go .  She holds a Press Conference to put up a sign to reinforce this false perception.  Her union friends are looking for a short term payday and closed to different ideas .  Of course,  part of joining Maggies’ bucket brigade is having Maggie writing their press releases  and calling opponents of RenSquare “Political Opportunists “.   yeah bucket brigade.

Finally in the “they believe we are stupid department” the Arts Center is still on the table .

Yeah, same water carriers, same bucket of BS

March 22

Retention bonuses.  Remember AIG?  They can go to hell and take their retention bonuses with them.

Locally, we discover that RenSquare isn’t fully funded because the State GOP electeds spent the money.  COMIDA approves tax breaks for hotels remember the study that didn’t support more hotels in the area?  The D&C writes an IDA reform editorial that tries to get it but doesn’t.  The governor wants to reform Empire Zones but not so fast as to actually reform them.

I wondered as Mayor Duffy announced that he is running again if we would share some love with County Legislature candidates.

March 29

Remember Toxic Assets?  Frank Rich says Obama’s approach to the economic crisis is lacking.    Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz rips the toxic asset plan too. A member of the AIG Board of Directors is appointed to the President Obama’s  Task Force on Tax Reform.

Drama with Westside Cable.  Meet Neil Bauman - about to cause drama with RenSquare.

Next up April through June

From the New York Observer comes this statement from Assembly Speaker, Sheldon Silver:

“I think he’s clearly showed he’s popular and has always wanted to be governor, and I think he senses thinks it’s his opportunity.”[sic]

Not that this is any big revelation, as I think most of New York believes he is going to run (even though we ran this post back in June) but to have the beginnings of a confirmation from Sheldon Silver makes it more of a reality.

“Where I will be, let’s talk in June,” Silver said, noting this was not an outright endorsement of Cuomo.

Cuomo drew accolades from one member of RT when he came to town.  Although I’ve never seen him speak, or followed him closely, I certainly admired his father and usually, Tree…….Apple, you know?

“I want to do what’s best for the Democratic Party,” Silver said. “I want to elect members of Congress, members of the Assembly, Democratic members of the Senate, and I want the strongest ticket possible out there in order to do that.”

But, call me crazy, I still admire Governor Paterson and feel he has been dealt a terrible hand-unwinnable in more ways than one.  He can only play the cards he’s been dealt.  That being said, (Did I really just write that?) the polls don’t give much hope for his chances against anybody. So, my hope is that he will ultimately make a graceful exit as Cuomo steps in for the good of the party.  We need a strong presence in the Governor’s mansion.

Update 7:59:  Here is the video

Tonight at 6:00 pm Eastern, Rep. Eric Massa will appear on MSNBC’s “The
Ed Show” to discuss the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day.

Remember when this bridge was suddenly closed?  I mean suddenly - without warning.

New York state transportation department officials closed the bridge Oct. 16 because of severe erosion in its massive concrete piers. New York and Vermont, which share ownership of the bridge, had already determined it needed to be replaced. But the sudden closing caught many around here by surprise.

“We knew there were issues. We didn’t think it was going to be closed like that: Bang! Close the door,” said Tom Jaquish, a 53-year-old retired construction worker from nearby Moriah, N.Y.

About 3,400 vehicles used the bridge every day, and many of those motorists live in one state and work in the other. The closing has forced some to take 100-mile detours or ride crowded ferries to reach their jobs, while local businesses that rely on bridge traffic have seen revenues plummet.

I remember thinking at the time - that the sudden discovery shouldn’t have been so sudden.

Now, via face book, Andy Arthur who watched the implosion posted this status

Yesterday, Champlain Bridge RIP. Now I am hoping they discover a structural flaw in that State Capitol, so I can watch them implode it!

So, yeah, 2010 is going to be a big year where the State legislature has to justify to voters that they deserve to be reelected.  We also get to elect a Governor, AG and Comptroller. Only Cuomo was elected to his position outright.

Unlike the Lake Champlain Bridge which we “suddenly” discovered something is wrong - we know what we have to do to in November to put New York on the right path forward.

Are any incumbent legislators worth keeping?

Christmas Hatred Edition

After-Action Report from the Front Lines of 2009’s War On Christmas

The War on Christmas continues. We will not give up until everybody stops this “holiday” nonsense and starts saying “Merry Christmas” in their greetings. Uh, Mr. Steele, may we have a quick word with you? Oops, the Republican National Committee finds itself among the Haters of Christmas by omitting mention of Christmas and instead saying ”this blessed time” on their greeting card.

war-christmas

The next time you hear someone say “Happy Holidays,” remember that what they’re actually saying is “Happy Holidays, Comrade.” They’re playing right into the secularist agenda that seeks to replace the God of the universe with the god of government.

grinch

Typically we introduce items here with a  tongue-in-cheek pseudo wingnut statement… but the previous line is an actual quote from a column, The War on Christmas: It’s a Commie Thing by wingnutter Matt Barber. As an example of over-the-top communist secularization of Christmas in America, he gives this example:

… in 2005, religious bigots at Ridgway Elementary School in Dodgeville Wisconsin - ostensibly spurred-on by the ACLU’s anti-Christian disinformation campaign - followed Communist Vietnam’s lead, secularizing “Silent Night” for the school’s “winter program.”

They renamed the beloved carol “Cold in the Night” and changed the words to remove any reference to Mary or Jesus. The newly secularized version now began: “Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite, how I wish I were happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm.” (Must’ve been hard to keep down your egg nog.)

If true, it might be troubling. However, as you’ll see in this contemporaneous  news account, what actually happened was perhaps ill-conceived, but not a plot by Commies to subvert Christmas:

Dodgeville School District officials say traditional, unaltered carols will also be sung, and that “Cold in the Night” is part of a decades-old Christmas play that students have performed in years past, and is not an attack on the religious nature of the holiday.

“There’s been a tremendous misunderstanding here,” said District Administrator Diane Messer. “Somebody locally, I believe, misunderstood — even after our discussion with them — that one of our teachers took the liberty of changing the lyrics.”

Students at the school will present “The Little Tree’s Christmas Gift,” a musical production that tells the story of a family going out to buy a Christmas tree. Other melodies include “Jingle Bells,” “We Three Kings,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Chanukah.” “Each one has the lyrics changed in order to tell the story,” Messer said. “It’s so that young children know the melodies.”

“You can go to children’s programs in any season and you will find adaptations of music with new lyrics to tell a story, and you can go to any music store and find music that has been adapted,” she added. “Those things occur.”

If anybody’s gonna be re-writing the lyrics to Christmas songs, it’ll be us. Treat yourself to this holiday, er, um,  Christmas video greeting from Tony Perkins and his religious right gang at  Family Research Council.

Jeepers, why so sensitive… we regret if you were offended, Mr. Feliciano. Yet another re-written Christmas song. An update on this wingnut item from two weeks ago. The radio hosts who converted Christmas favorite “Feliz Navidad” into “Illegals in my Yard” appear to get it now… or at the very least they understand the hazards of infringing on somebody else’s copyright. The parody was removed from the Human Events website.

Grammy-winner Jose Feliciano has gotten an apology after accusing a pair of radio producers of trashing the spirit of Christmas by using his popular holiday song, “Feliz Navidad,” for a racist musical spoof about undocumented immigrants.

Feliciano released a statement Wednesday saying that he was “revolted beyond words” and that the song was never meant to be “a vehicle for a political platform of racism and hate.” “When I wrote and composed ‘Feliz Navidad,’ I chose to sing in both English and Spanish in order to create a bridge between two wonderful cultures during the time of year in which we hope for goodwill toward all,” the Puerto Rico-born singer said.

The parody, titled “The Illegal Alien Christmas Song,” was created by radio producers and writers Matt Fox and A.J. Rice and was posted in mid-December on the Web site for Human Events, a Washington-based conservative weekly publication founded in 1944.

Web site editor Jed Babbin apologized Wednesday and said the song would be removed from the site. The link to the song’s page was no longer available by Thursday. “We regret any offense that Mr. Feliciano may have taken from this parody,” Babbin said in an e-mail sent to The Associated Press.

Per a D&C article - The State Trooper Union is upset because Troopers that could be fighting crime are instead protecting Governor Paterson and there has been no authorized overtime or a new graduating class since June 2009 (Yes, that was 6 months ago and graduated 90 Troopers)

I found this part of the D&C article most interesting -

Former Gov. George Pataki had also increased his detail compared with his predecessor Gov. Mario Cuomo to about 200 officers, police said. The number fell to about 150 under Gov. Eliot Spitzer, but increased again under Paterson, the union said.

So how many is enough?

Who would think that there was such a thing as Prematurity month?  Last month I went to an event sponsored by the March of Dimes in recognition of Prematurity Awareness.  I know that there seems to be a month for everything (and can we vote for Prematurity Awareness to be held during a warm month next year? ) but I think that prematurity is one of those things that people aren’t necessarily aware of unless they are personally affected.

For example, in 2008 in Rochester alone, about 10% of the babies were born premature.

• Not Preterm 7,876 births (88.4%)
• Moderately preterm 807 births (9.1%)
• Very preterm 222 births (2.5%)

Center for Health Statistics, final natality data from www.marchofdimes.com/peristats.

Of course, there are leading factors to premature delivery. Factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, stress and diabetes. Of course, you also have those situations where it’s a mystery as to why these babies are being born early. Prematurity leads to many life long health problems for these children. A recent study also links premature birth to Autism.

It is a shocking sight to see a baby who has been born premature. Luckily, my babies were all healthy 8-pounders. Holding them I still felt like I was a giant. When you see a baby who is born at 27 weeks and barely weighs a pound…it’s a humbling sight.

Of course, I can’t help but look at the bigger picture all the way around. If there were better health care available, maybe this wouldn’t be as big of an issue. One premature baby in the NICU costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and that isn’t even considering the costs of extended care for mental disabilities brought on by premature birth.

So November was Prematurity Awareness month. How about the rest of the year?

There is more to this story, people, than the headline in the D&C

Fairport Schools overcharged taxpayers, audit says

So what exactly do we have here?

The Fairport Central School District overcharged taxpayers more than $16.6 million over the past five years while increasing taxes by more than 17 percent, according to an audit released today by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli

Sounds pretty bad.

According to the audit, the district consistently overestimated expenses and underestimated revenues, resulting in operating surpluses (fund balance) of more than $26 million between 2004 and 2008. And, auditors said, the district circumvented state legal limits on fund balance by shielding the excess money in reserve accounts.

OM G, Do we have an “Epic fail?”  The School district failed to estimate properly resulting in a $26 million dollar surplus.  Sounds really, really bad.  Do you know why it sounds really, really bad - because no where in the the D&C article does it say what the total operating budget is.  No, it simply focuses on $26 million dollars.  The article doesn’t say for example that the operating budget of the Fairport Central School district is over $100 million ($101 million per this presentation).

No, instead it relies on rock solid recommendations from the NYS Comptroller which amount to basically - do a better job next time.

DiNapoli recommended Fairport schools prepare realistic budgets, use the surplus fund balance to reduce property taxes and reduce the amount of money in some reserve funds to “reasonable levels.”

My question is, how do you define reasonable levels?  In an era where political forces outside your district are negatively affecting your district.  Monroe County recently took an illegal swipe at every school district in the county (the Orwellian named F.A.I.R. plan).  New York State is looking at doing the same thing.  How is a district to budget, expecting a shock to the system?

Look, I’m not trying to defend the school district, but it seems like this is complicated and, more importantly, for the Fairport voters to decide.   Especially when you look at the puts and takes in the Comptrollers report - specifically the District response to the Audit and the Comptrollers response to the district.

The article didn’t have a response from the School district but through the magic of the internet, I found this on the Fairport School Website -

Unfortunately, the audit report identifies what the auditors consider a fault regarding budgeting practices. We are chastised for having overly conservative budgeting practices by accumulating fund balance and creating reserve accounts to save money. We budget conservatively, monitor spending, save costs, and return the benefits to students and the community. This has enabled us to realize an average change in our tax rate of –1.12% during the past six years.

What is not reported is that our conservative budgeting practices have safeguarded the District. For example, we were protected when Monroe County attempted to enact the F.A.I.R. plan to reduce our share of sales tax. This year, we were protected when NYS aid was cut by $3.6m.

In addition, the audit report did not recognize how we have effectively utilized fund balance and reserve accounts to lower taxes and to enhance facilities and programs. We have saved more than $2m annually since forming a health consortium in 2004. During the past six years, approximately $8.7million of fund balance has been used to reduce taxes. Reserves have been used to reduce future debt by funding our Phase II and Phase III renovation projects. Further, reserves are available to protect us against insurance claims, property tax rebates, or major expenses resulting from immediate and necessary emergency repairs.

Two days before Christmas, Eric Massa wrote this piece for HuffPo discussing our continued presence in Afghanistan and including a video, which highlights the similarities between our current military action and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, 30  years ago.  I want to share that video with you here:

Interesting how “hubris” was used so often when describing the Bush Administration.  It saddens me that it is now being used in the same context for the Obama administration.

Change?

Eric invites us to make an impact:

This is where you can help

If you agree that the American people deserve an up or down vote on the escalation in Afghanistan, then I urge you to call your member of Congress and Senators to tell them to support an Up or Down vote on this issue.

Nothing gets the attention of a member of Congress quite like returning from the holidays to discover 500 voicemails demanding action.

You can find your Congressman or Congresswoman by visiting house.gov.

You can find your Senators by visiting senate.gov.

Let’s declare that enough is enough on this 3,000th day of the war in Afghanistan. It’s time to bring our troops home.

Demonizing those crazy leftwingnuts, who exist on the fringe, those wacky liberals who really thought change was possible has begun and I give you this article from the NYT as first case in point:

Mandel Ngan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

President Obama spoke on health care Dec. 19 at the White House as Rahm Emanuel looked on.

Enlarge This Image

Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Howard Dean shown in his presidential run in 2004.

Now, one year into Mr. Obama’s presidency, a sharp dispute between the president and Mr. Dean over the health care bill the Senate approved Thursday — Mr. Dean denounced it as a sellout, while Mr. Obama heralded it as a historic breakthrough — is illustrating the roots of the ideological breach within the Democratic party.

Please, look at the pictures presented-Obama standing straight and tall, calm and self-possesed. Dean, on the other hand is shown in his famous “Dean Scream” mode, displaying emotion,which is perceived as a very weak charecteristic of his.

Maybe they could have used this picture:

calm, cool and collected

Or, how about this one?

composed and confident

But, no, the scream pose was chosen for the effect it would have-I almost wonder that they didn’t use the one with the photo-shopped dead kitten.

With all the Health Care talk - remember a few months back we heard about how health care benefits will now be extended to age 29? What a wonderful benefit we thought this would be! This week I had the opportunity to look into this age 29 thing a little deeper. A close friend is turning 26 this weekend and therefore being removed from her father’s insurance policy. Since she works a job where health care is not a realistic option for her, we were banking on the new deal to come through.

Par for the course these days with health care, the extended version has disappointed again. Bottom line…if your company offers you any kind of insurance coverage, regardless of affordability, as long as they offer hospital and medical coverage you do not qualify for any kind of a break.  How is that the answer to health care problems for individuals aged 26-29?  Sure…the extended coverage may be perfect for the college student who isn’t offered benefits, but it’s not coverage for all.  New York State is throwing us a bone…I think we deserve the whole kit and caboodle.

So there are still individuals who will fall through the cracks. Going into her birthday, my friend will be uninsured. She has a job…as do many 20-something’s, but no affordable coverage. If she did not have a job, she could apply for Medicaid and be fully covered for medical, dental and prescriptions.

Seems like a shell game to me.  Great Press, not a lot of substance.

Something we haven’t covered/commented on is the proposals to drill and extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation.  That will change. In the meantime, NYC came out strongly against drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation because they are concerned, rightfully so, that the drinking water of millions of New Yorkers will be contaminated.

How? Well, let’s understand what the process involves.   It involves horizontal drilling into a shale formation, pumping millions of gallons of water, laced with secret chemicals to fracture the shale, and then extracting the natural gas.   Some of the chemically laced water is pumped out (needs to go somewhere) however, the rest stays in the ground - contaminating the underground water supply.

Anyway, NYC just came out strongly opposed to drilling.

Steven Lawitts, the city’s top environmental official, called fracking techniques “unacceptable threats to the unfiltered fresh water supply of nine million New Yorkers,” putting the city at odds with the gas industry, which considers shale drilling completely safe.

“Based on all the facts, the risks are too great and drilling simply cannot be permitted in the watershed,” said Marc LaVorgna, a spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Why is this important?  Well, there are potential drill sites across New York State.

Who is playing?

Major natural gas producers and oilfield service companies like Schlumberger Ltd and Halliburton Co have a stake in shale gas production, and Exxon Mobil cited the potential for unconventional gas production in its $30 billion bid to take over XTO Energy this month.

The deal includes a clause that would allow Exxon Mobil to back out if the U.S. Congress bans or severely regulates the process used to extract gas from shale rock.

One more thing - Secret chemicals - Isn’t this ironic that the drilling will likely contaminate public drinking water with secret chemicals - Who are YOU going to trust?

Ray Deacon, an analyst with energy-focused Pritchard Capital, acknowledged the reluctance of companies to provide details on the fracking fluid because “it’s kind of the secret sauce that makes the rock break apart.”

Shale drilling companies say the industry maintains strict safeguards to prevent any danger to water supplies. But neighbors of drilling in several states report fouled water and increased illness since drilling began.

Only in America do we think that accessing 20% of the world’s fresh water supply, lacing it with chemicals so as to render it undrinkable and using this contaminate  water to contaminate more water in hopes of extracting a non-renewable source of energy can possibly be a good thing.

Our priorities are dead wrong.

Via the D&C

City officials hope to turn over operations of Mt. Hope and Riverside cemeteries to a private entity and eliminate a $1 million-plus annual operational subsidy.

The city is seeking proposals from a private operator to manage and maintain both properties, meaning the firm would handle sales and marketing, building and grounds maintenance. Proposals are due Jan. 8, and the city plans to select a consultant by month’s end — if such a deal makes sense.

Why?

“We have to go through the process and see which proposal is in the best interest of city taxpayers and city residents,” city Budget Director Bill Ansbrow said, noting that a similar analysis is being made of emergency medical service as the city seeks ways to offset rising pension costs and losses in state aid.

So, we are talking about rising pension costs and 20 positions coupled with reductions in State Aid not offset by growth in an annuity stream.  A stream designed to pay the operating costs of a million dollars per year.

Subsidy of cemetery operation has ballooned from $147,443 in 1999-2000 to a budgeted $2.4 million in the current fiscal year. The subsidy includes $1.5 million toward a $4.6 million Riverside Cemetery Chapel of Peace. The project marks the next phase of the mausoleum complex and would include both a chapel and a mausoleum, to be constructed in 2010-11. Meanwhile, earnings from a $6.6 million perpetual care fund have fallen from $352,000 to a currently budgeted $18,200.

“Unfortunately the cemetery business, as all business right now, is affected by the economy,” said Richard D. Fishman, director for the state Division of Cemeteries.

A couple of questions

Why are pension costs rising?  I mean it isn’t like the cemetery division is growing.  There are only 20 people.  What financial structural “thing” is causing pension costs to grow?  Growth to the point where they can’t be sustained?

What did the annuity invest in?  Why has the annuity stream been reduced?  Risky investments?

Finally, what exactly is gained by selling the cemetery other than shifting the labor cost on to someone else’s books.  We will still pay for the service.  This seems like we are selling a a crown jewel to offset budget gaps.  Dare I say it a one shot wonder?

I hope a lot of analysis goes into this deal.  Analysis that focuses on the long term as opposed to the short term.