The problem...

[PRESS RELEASE] RJC Calls on Obama to Explain Former President's Role

From: Republican Jewish Coalition [mailto:press@rjchq.org]
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 12:24 PM
To:
Subject: [PRESS RELEASE] Seymour Hersh Says Carter is Advising Obama on Israel Issue; RJC Calls on Obama to Explain Former President's Role

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                        Contact: Shari Hillman                                                                                        Phone: 202-638-6688                                                                                        E-mail: press@rjchq.org

Seymour Hersh Says Carter is Advising Obama on Israel Issue RJC Calls on Obama to Explain Former President's Role Washington, D.C. (March 31, 2009) - The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) today called on the Obama administration to disclose the role of former President Jimmy Carter in advising the administration on critical foreign policy issues.   RJC Executive Director Matthew Brooks said, "In an in-depth article in the April 6, 2009 issue of The New Yorker, investigative reporter Seymour M. Hersh states that Carter has met with President Obama to discuss foreign policy, and that the administration was aware of Carter's trip to Syria in December 2008. Carter is calling for broader U.S.-Syrian relations.   "Former President Carter has never been perceived as a friend of Israel," Brooks continued. "In the years since his presidency, Carter has been openly hostile to Israel and has shown a naïve grasp of the realities in the Middle East.   "When Israel launched a limited defensive campaign against Hezbollah terrorist forces in southern Lebanon in the summer of 2006, Carter stated, 'I don't think Israel has any legal or moral justification for their massive bombing of the entire nation of Lebanon.'   "Carter has called on the United States to recognize and give monetary support to the terrorist organization Hamas, which still has as its central goal the destruction of Israel. When Hamas won the election in Gaza in 2006, Carter told Larry King in an interview that 'there's a good chance' that Hamas would become a nonviolent government.   "Two and a half years later, this past January, Carter toured the Israeli city of Sderot, which has been hit by thousands of Hamas missiles fired from Gaza. He saw first-hand the horrifying results of Hamas' years-long bombing of Israeli civilians. Then Carter met with Hamas leaders from Gaza and Damascus. According to an op-ed he wrote for the Washington Post, he still believes that only Israeli concessions would stop Hamas' rocket attacks. "Now Carter is advocating that the Obama administration become actively involved in Syrian-Israeli talks. Hersh quotes the Syrian President as saying that such talks would be predicated on Israel giving up the Golan Heights, including their strategic control over Israel's water sources. Carter hopes - and Assad has led him to believe - that such talks would be a step in moving Syria away from its strategic alliance with Iran and toward a more positive relationship with the West.   "The Jewish community is rightly concerned about how the Obama administration will relate to Israel," Brooks continued. "If the President is being advised to pursue warmer relations with Syria based on pressuring Israel to make strategic concessions, that would have a terrible effect on Israel's security, which has long been the top priority of American foreign policy in the region.   "We call on President Obama to disclose the role that Jimmy Carter has in his administration as an advisor on Middle East policy. Carter believes that pressuring Israel will result in peace between Israel and those still openly dedicated to her destruction. If this is the kind of advice that President Obama is turning to, that is indeed of great concern to us, to the Jewish community, and to the vast majority of Americans who support our ally Israel."   ###

Work of Art

This was forwarded to me.  Thought you might enjoy...

So I said to him, "Barack, I know Abe Lincoln, and you ain't him."

FW: Press Release from the Conservative Party

A letter from the Conservative Party yesterday that I thought people should see.  I agree fully.  Government should get out of the way, not impede the people from spending their money as they see fit.

---

From: CPNYS [mailto:cpnys@nybiz.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 12:47 PM
To: March, Kevin
Subject: Press Release from the Conservative Party

Conservative Party of New York State Press Release  ~ February 18, 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~ For Immediate Release                      Contact:  Shaun Marie   February 18, 2009                            518-356-7882  www.cpnys.org               VOTERS KNOW INCREASING TAXES DAMAGES ECONOMY     Ft. Hamilton Station, NY - "Today's Quinnipiac University Poll reinforces what the NYS Conservative Party has advocated for years:  cut spending before you raise taxes," said Michael R. Long, Chairman.  "The Conservative Party has consistently called for lower taxes and fees.  The Party is the only political organization in New York that spells out, in its yearly legislative program, how New York government should restrain its spending," Long continued. "New York's families will stimulate the economy when they are allowed to keep the money they earn.  As long as government keeps reaching into their pockets to fund the programs it deems necessary, New York's families are unable to purchase what they deem necessary," Long said. "Instead of forcing New Yorkers to pay additional personal income taxes at any level or pay an iPod tax, a soda tax, a movie tax, taxes on taxi rides or reinstating the sales tax on clothing,  New York must cut its spending across the board and then cut it again," said Long.   "Voters oppose being nickel and dimed to death when government has continued to spend at a unsustainable rate on programs that do more harm than good.  Increasing taxes and fees will force New Yorkers to purchase their clothing in neighboring states, eliminate taxi rides, do whatever they can to avoid the increased fees and when that doesn't work, they will move to a state with less taxes," Long stated.   "People are fed up with the spending and it is being reflected in the latest poll.  The question becomes, when will the legislators understand that the residents have had enough of out of control spending and do what the voters want: cut spending," Long concluded. -30-

State Headquarters: 486 78th Street Ft. Hamilton Station, NY 11209 718-921-2158

Conservative Party of New York State | 325 Parkview Drive | Schenectady | NY | 12303

Chucky's secretary

I tried to call Senator Schumer's office this afternoon to let him know that I wanted him to vote against the not-so-stimulating Stimulus Bill.  I couldn't get through to his DC office (202-224-6542), so I called his Albany office (518-431-4070).

 

I first told his secretary that I wanted him to vote against it.  I then said that if he is to vote for the bill, then I would like his explanation of where in the Constitution he has the right to do this. 

 

This is where the fun set in.

 

I explained to the secretary "I'd like to know which specific power in Article 1, section 8 allows gives Congress the right to pass this bill."  She replied "Article 1, section 2?"  "No, Article 1, Section 8, the section that gives the powers of Congress."  "Right, I know that part."

 

I really have to start taping these phone calls.

A note from Justin Mason re: 4 Corners Pizzeria

I just got an e-mail from Justin Mason, the reporter from the Gazette
who covers Schenectady County, and in this case, Rotterdam specifically.
He stated this was for RotterdamNY.Info, but I will release it here
first...

-----Original Message-----
From: JUSTIN A MASON [mailto:JMASON@dailygazette.net]
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2009 12:05 PM
To: March, Kevin
Subject: Something to relay...

Kevin,

Here's a tidbit for rotterdamny.info...

Indeed, 4 Corners was visited by Ag & Markets, but not for the reason
some have speculated. Angelo is trying to market his cheese as
legitimately as possible, and had contacted the agency to make sure he
was doing everything on the up and up. Eventually in the near future, he
plans to sell the cheese at other retailers around the county. There was
no malfeasance on the part of the county. Or at least none that really
had an impact. Gerard Parisi said the county Health Department did
question the cheese sales after my last article. But they determined
there was no jurisdiction for them to do so and Ag & Markets is the ones
with proper oversight.

And for the record, the cheese is damn good.

Justin

My take on Marcella's and the Metroplex

I find it ironic, reading the Daily Gazette’s opinion piece on 1/25 titled Sch’dy more than Downtown.  Here we have another story how the Metroplex is trying to go ahead and spend taxpayer money to move another business within the city limits to “help the tax base.”  In fact, what this comes down to is actually moving, at taxpayer expense, a business from one area of the city to another, hoping that it will do better where it’s going than where it has been.  The article states “A businessman would have to be crazy to keep a thriving business in a neighborhood so dicey his suppliers are reluctant to lend him promotional support.”  What the article doesn’t look at is WHY the business is thriving or why the neighborhood is so “dicey” that the suppliers are reluctant to go there.  Now, the Metroplex, which is funded by taxpayer money each time sales tax is collected throughout the county, is going to pay to have this business relocated.  Maybe they’re looking at this the wrong way. 

 

They’re spending $650,000 to bring 1 business out of a “dicey” area.  What if they used this money, instead to either lower the tax rates that everyone through the city and county would have to pay?  Then, Marcella would have the money to put towards either repairing the building and area around him or deciding to purchase his new location.  As Carl Strock stated in his 1/22 column, “It has become such a woebegone area that customers are reluctant to shop there.”  If the Metroplex would go ahead and use some of it’s (and by that I mean our, the County Taxpayer) money to bring more business to the area in Mont Pleasant, then maybe this area would start to clean itself up.  Instead, what you will see is a slide even further into the depths in the area of Mont Pleasant, making it less of a chance for this area to come out of the dismal state that it is.  Also, with this move, Marcella’s gets a 10 year break on property taxes?  I mean, isn’t the main idea of the Metroplex to expand the tax base as quickly as possible?  How is this money, almost two-thirds of a million dollars, being handed to Marcella’s expanding the tax base? 

 

One option that I would give to Mr. Marcella is to do what Proctor’s does.  Instead of taking the money from the County and building yourself bigger and better, why not use it for advertising?  After all, for someone who is on the public dole, Proctors seems to have an awful lot of money to do advertising to tell you all the wonderful acts it has coming to town.  I think the biggest act coming there is the acting…but I leave it to you to decide whether it’s the act on stage or by the people running the establishment.

 

The fact is that Schenectady County residents are overtaxed.  It’s a fact that we all see this time of year.  We actually see it all times of year, whether it’s in money that the County is looking to grab from other places or in raises for people in high places when we don’t have the money to pay it. 

 

Schenectady County and its designee, the Metroplex Authority, need to get out of the business of being in business and let the residents and businesses figure out the issues, minus the major overhead of both.

 

Below are links to the above referenced articles:

Carl Strock’s 1/22/09 article

http://www.dailygazette.net/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=CLONE&BaseHref=SCH%2F2009%2F01%2F22&ViewMode=GIF&EntityId=Ar01100

 

Daily Gazette’s 1/25/09 Opinion piece

 

http://www.dailygazette.net/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=CLONE&BaseHref=SCH%2F2009%2F01%2F25&ViewMode=GIF&EntityId=Ar04001

 

Please do me a favor and pass this on to any Schenectady County residents you know.

...and please let me know if you agree or disagree.

Thanks.

 

 

A letter to Congresswoman (now to be Senator) Gillibrand

Here's a copy of an e-mail that I sent, upon hearing news this morning on the placement of Ms. Gillibrand as our new Senator, replacing Hillary Clinton.  The announcement is to be made, officially, at a press conference at noon.  Ms. Gillibrand comes from a conservative district, who just finished running against a Republican who had some issues 2 years ago and had the added strength in the last election of being an incumbent.  This now opens this seat as a possibility for a conservative Republican to get into office.

 

---

From: March, Kevin
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 9:08 AM
To: 'kirsten.gillibrand@mail.house.gov'
Subject: Today's announcement.

Ms. Gillibrand,

 

I just wanted to send you a note of congratulations this morning, before the announcement is made.  I hope that you will be strong and truly represent the people of New York State as you move into your new job in the Senate.  I realize that you will be doing exactly that, representing the entire state and not just the people of district 20, nor will it be just the people of the Capital Region.  While I do not know what all your policy views are, I assume that you are pro-life as per the fact that you have just given birth to your own child as of late.  Also, I would like to say thank you for your vote against the bank bailouts that took place back in September.  These are the types of views that I think that we need someone from New York to show are the values of New Yorkers in the Senate. 

 

While the seat that you held up until now is one of distinction, being 1 of only 435 people to make decisions in the House of Representatives, you are now moving on to a new class, a more important class.  One that will bring you more distinction and more of a chance to be heard, and hopefully, for the people of upstate NY to be heard.  While I am not part of the district that you currently represent in the House, I appreciate how you have represented me with these views, and you can now bring these same views to represent many more people. 

 

I hope that you will listen to people from both sides of the aisle, including Mr. Jim DeMint from South Carolina.  The way to bring our economy back from where it is at this time is to cut taxes, allowing people to spend their money as they see fit, creating more jobs, more money, and in the end, more tax revenue. 

 

I am including below an e-mail that I received from Mr. DeMint last evening that I hope that you review and consider as you go about taking on your new role.

 

Respectfully,

 

Kevin T. March

January 22, 2009 Dear Friend, It's a new year and we have a new president and new Congress. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean our government has a new plan for solving our nation’s continued economic crisis. President Obama and Democrats in Congress are proposing more of the same failed policies Americans are so tired of: out-of-control deficit spending and hundreds of billions more for bailouts. Wasteful spending will not turn around our economy, but it could make things worse by leading to higher taxes and huge debts for our children and grandchildren. In my op-ed printed by The State today, I propose a plan for economic growth founded upon the free-market principles that have made this nation such a great place to work, live and dream. I’ve included a few excerpts from the op-ed below: ...Conservatives need to snap out of their November blues: We lost an election, after all, not our minds. It’s not too much to ask that the largest economic stimulus bill in history actually stimulate the economy. Certainty about the future is essential for economic growth, and the current recession will be prolonged if we continue to allow the government to arbitrarily and unpredictably intervene in the private marketplace. Republicans should insist on predictable, long-term tax relief... First, we must protect the fragile economy from the massive tax hikes coiled to spring on us in 2011, when the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire... Once the 2011 tax bomb is disarmed, we should take the next logical step and lower marginal tax rates across the board on individuals, small businesses and corporations. Our plan will call for a 10-percentage-point cut in the top rate (from 35 percent to 25 percent) and comparable reductions for the lower brackets — reductions to be maintained also through 2013 at least. These tax cuts would soften the recession and expedite the recovery to the tune of 500,000 new jobs in 2009 and 1 million new jobs in 2010 and surpass by 2012 the president’s stated goal of 3.5 million new jobs. ..If Obama is serious about wanting a truly bipartisan bill that creates jobs and ignites economic growth, he can prove it this month by including in his package the proven stimulus of long-term, across-the-board tax relief. And if Republicans are serious about winning back the trust of the American people and leading our nation through these difficult times, we can prove it by demanding he do just that. Click here to read the entire op-ed. I firmly believe that America will recover from this crisis, just as in times past, as long as we remain steadfast in our commitment to economic freedom and allow Americans to keep the fruits of their hard labor. That’s the American opportunity I want to leave to my children and grandchildren, and that’s what I am fighting for in the 111th Congress. God Bless,

Republican Chairs Renew Calls for Democracy in Senate Replacement

 

Mondello: The people should decide

 

State Chairman Joseph Mondello and County Chairs from across the state renewed calls for the Legislature and Governor Paterson to pass a bill requiring a special election to fill any vacant United States Senate seat. This week, Assembly Republican Leader James Tedisco has been aggressively advocating for the rights of New Yorkers by pressing for a special election, and legislation calling for special elections-- not appointments-- to fill vacancies in a variety of positions have been introduced in recent years.

"With the Legislature back in session, now is the time to act to restore democracy, serve the best interests of the people of New York State and allow the public's voice to be heard," Chairman Mondello said. "Governor Paterson should push for a special election to avoid the highly political and ethically questionable three ring circuses that have surrounded Senate appointments here and in other states like Illinois."

 

"Since so much controversy has surrounded these appointments, it is important that the people validate our representatives," Chairmen Vincent Reda (Rockland), New York State First Vice Chair. "Here in New York, some of the Democrats and the press are trying to anoint a completely inexperienced Caroline Kennedy because of her political connections, when a United States Senate should rightly be approved by the majority of the voters and work for the good of the entire state."

"A special election will allow us to find out whether a candidate knows anything substantive about upstate other than it is a place to fly over when you are traveling between New York City, Chicago and LA," said Chairman Henry Wojtaszek (Niagara), First Vice Chair for Upstate, who has been issuing calls for greater public oversight and involvement in the filling of Senator Clinton's vacant seat.

"When you have names of candidates being floated and seriously considered who have never held public office or stood for a vote, it's clear this should go to the public to decide," said Chairman Mike Sigler (Tompkins), who issued calls for a special election over a month ago. "This is not a matter of not trusting the Governor to make an honest choice, as with Illinois Governor "Hot" Rod Blagojevich, but shouldn't every New Yorker have an opportunity to run for and win this seat, not just the politically connected in the Democratic Party? America is not about appointing people to a governing class. That's best left to monarchies."

 

(The information above was copied from an e-mail that I received from the NY Republican State Committee, http://www.nygop.org), with the following disclaimer at the bottom...

Paid for by NY Republican State Committee

Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

315 State Street, Albany, NY 12210 518-462-2601 www.nygop.org

FW: The current economic situation, illegal immigration and gas prices. - A letter to my new Congressman

Since we have a brand new Congressman (for the first time in 20 years), I have decided that this time around, I am going to be asking plenty of questions.  I started with the attached e-mail which I sent to Mr. Tonko, the new Representative for the 21st Congressional District here in New York. 

 

For anyone outside the state, this district covers much of the capital region of NY state.  Also, Mr. Tonko has a history here in NY.  After about 20 years or so as an Assemblyman for the 105th district (covering Montgomery County and Western Schenectady County), he gave up his position mid-term, bringing about the expense of a special election for him to take the position of President of NYSERDA, the New York State Energy Research Development Authority.  Once he got this position, since energy is so important to him, he gave up the position so that he could run for Congress, which he won with a large plurality (I don't have the time to check to see exactly what it was at this time).  He now goes to Congress to represent the 21st Congressional District.

 

I suggest anyone who has a new Representative or Senator to start asking questions...and it's never too late to start asking the incumbents, either.  Question those who represent you...to make sure they truly represent you.

 

Kevin

---

Representative Tonko,

 

First of all, congratulations on your election to the House of Representatives and I hope that you represent us well.

 

I do have a couple of questions that I would like to ask and would hope to get a response in the near future.

 

First, I was wondering what your plan is for the correction of the current economic situation which is plaguing the nation.  Personally, I believe that there are a few things that the federal government could do.  The first is getting out of the way of commerce throughout the United States.  That is, removing taxes and fees from different levels, including gasoline taxes. 

 

Second, what is your plan for illegal immigration?  Would you rather see the people who are here receive amnesty, or would you rather that they are sent back to the countries from whence they came?  What do you see as a turnaround time to these ends, i.e. when do you think amnesty may be passed or expect that we could start returning these people?

 

Lastly, while gas prices are seemingly low at the moment, I believe that if something is not done immediately, we will see the price of oil, and therefore gasoline skyrocket again this coming summer.  In fact, there are many sources which state that they expect gasoline to be in the range of $4.50-$5.00 this coming summer.  Do you believe that is reasonable to expect?  Do you promote this coming true?  Do you think that it's better to keep an artificially high price by adding a tax to gasoline to keep it at a specific floor?  Do you believe that gasoline prices should be low so that the free market can work, in both this area and others more smoothly? 

 

Thanks so much and I look forward to your response in short order.

 

Respectfully,

 

Kevin T. March

Join Jim Tedisco, Fight the ITax

Help Jim Tedisco, Assembly Minority Leader, to fight back in New York State, against the new proposed ITax. Don't take my word for it, check out his new YouTube video (something new itself from Jim Tedisco, I believe).

http://www.stoptheitax.com/



Just think of this...if you live in New York State, how far do you think the government will go to keep taxing you until either they get all the money they "need" or until they force enough people to leave? If you DON'T live in New York and this passes, how soon do you think this will pass to other states?

RE: A little early for anti-Obama cartoons

This is another letter that I recently had published, this one in the Daily Gazette.  The opinion piece that I am referring to can be found on their website, http://www.dailygazette.com to see what Ms. Baker's opinion was and you can see below for my response to her article...

---

To: 'opinion@dailygazette.com'
Subject: Opinion submission RE: A little early for anti-Obama cartoons

Regarding Mary Baker's 12/1 opinion that it is a little early for anti-Obama cartoons, I ask her this question:  Isn't it a little early for Mr. Obama to try to run this country?  After all, you state that Obama has not even got into office yet.  That is true.  In fact, he will not take office for another month and a half (January 20th). 

 

Believe it or not, people will find fault with Obama's policies.  He didn't get 100% of the vote, so there's some people out there that do disagree with him.  Barack Obama promises "change" to help get this country back on track.  Some of us don't want to be part of his plan, whether we want to or not. 

 

I ask this question, except for the attacks on 9/11, what was the problem in the country under the Bush administration when the Republicans controlled Congress?  The major problems that we are facing as a country right now have been under a fully Democrat-controlled Congress. 

 

If we need to wait for him to get into office before we "start picking on the guy," then why doesn't he just lay back for the next month and a half and allow the country to run as it should...under the final days of the Bush administration?

Big Three need to steer clear of Congress

This is a copy of the article that I have recently had published in the Times Union.

 

Big Three need to steer clear of Congress

 

Paul Finnegan’s recent letter (Big Three should steer toward future, 12/4/08) stated that “instead of asking the CEOs if they “jet pooled” to a meeting in Washington, they should have focused on the real issue.”  He goes on to say that the real issue is that Congress needs to know how the Big Three are going to reorganize and decide to fix their companies before they get the “free” money from Congress. 

 

The first thing that needs to be looked at is the fact that Congress has no right to take taxpayer money and give it to whoever they want.  There’s an old document that most people have either forgot about or decided is now useless.  It’s the Constitution of the United States, which is what our country has been based on since it’s signing in September 1789.  If you review this document, in Article One, Section Eight, it gives 16 specific powers, then states that Congress has the power “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers.”  Upon review of these 16 powers, there is nothing in there which would state that it is Congress’s job to help by handing money to anyone for any reason. 

If the Big 3 need money, maybe they should do what they have done on several instances in the past.  There’s a reason that their stock is traded on the stock market, because they offered partial ownership in their company and someone wanted to buy it.  Maybe it’s time to see if anyone else wants to buy partial ownership by offering a new amount of stock into the market.  What people don’t realize is that the company makes no money off of the trading of it’s stock on the market.  Instead, it is only from the initial offering of the stock on the free market that brings the company money.  Let the Big 3 offer new stock to bring in their money and let the people who have confidence in them buy it.  It’s worked before, it’ll work again.  It’s the free market.

 

Bedford Falls Bailout...2008

I received this from a member of a conservative group that I'm part of.  Thought it to be a little ironic.  Let's go in our "way back machine" and see how Bedford Falls 2008 would handle the situation George Bailey had years ago...

 

http://plainbluntpolitics.blogspot.com/2008/12/bailout-george-bailey.html
 

(The only thing I changed down below is changing "XMAS" to the true meaning of the season...CHRISTMAS. 

Monday, December 15, 2008

BAILOUT GEORGE BAILEY!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

I was enjoying my annual viewing of, Its A Wonderful Life and something struck me. First let me say I own a DVD version of this movie first, because I purely love the movie, and second, I refuse to watch it on NBC with unlimited commercial interruption, and the entire NBC prime time lineup, telling us how much they love the film. The fact that it is a universally conservative film makes it even more sickening, when the liberal prime time stars rave about how much they love it. I wonder if it crosses their minds, this is a pro life film, Quote from Clarence: You see George, you really had a wonderful life! Don't you see what a mistake it was to just throw it away? There is no way the abortion on demand, NBC prime time star, who just told me how much they love this movie, could have seen it, with a line like that in it!!! There goes her NARAL membership!!

Now back to the title of the post, later in the film Uncle Billy loses the $8,000 bank deposit, and George is in trouble with the bank examiner. Keep in mind George and Billy didn't run the place into the ground and grab their large bonuses, and hit the street leaving the stock holders with the empty bag. Not at all, Uncle Billy left it in the rolled up newspaper, he gave back to Old Man Potter, after having a battle of words with him. Uncle Billy honestly misplaced the money, its as simple as that!!! Because of it George is going to jail for theft. WHAT?!!! Where is the bailout money when George needs it?!! If George goes out of business everyone in Bedford Falls will have to crawl to Potter for money. I would say George is too big to fail wouldn't you?
How can George be arrested for innocently losing money he was in charge of? Why didn't the government just print up some money for him so he wouldn't be in trouble?

Here in lies the difference between the world our grand parents lived in back then, and the way things are now. If you were in a position of trust back then, you payed for the betrayal of that trust, even if it was an honest mistake. The reason for that thinking was to promote caution with the people entrusted with the basic welfare of the people of the community, to get them to be prudent in their actions, and their decisions. When they exercised that prudence they were rewarded, with the prosperity they had helped the rest of the community earn. When the rest of the community failed they shared in that failure. That's Leadership!!!

So we will need to have a remake of Its A Wonderful Life, in it George will take over the old building in loan his father founded, negotiate a lucrative salary, with stock options at a guaranteed price. The company must pay that price, no matter what the current value of the stock is when George takes the option. He will then proceed to give out loans to the people of Bedford Falls, at 105% of value of their over inflated homes, the homes are over inflated in value, because the local government cant afford the decreased income, caused by deflated property values. Deflated property values caused by Sam Wainwright taking his plastics factory, with its high paying jobs to China. Meanwhile the remaining industries are receiving large economic incentives to move to Bedford Falls. They are bringing in illegal immigrants, that drive the wage base down so low, that no one can afford to pay for a mortgage. The resulting social services burden caused by jobs that don't pay benefits anymore, has bankrupted Bedford Falls, the housing market collapses, George cashes in his stock options, then negotiates a deal with the Mayor of Bedford Falls, to buy the building and loan, with yet to be collected tax dollars, that the children of Bedford Falls and their children will have to pay. George says he had nothing to do with the failure of the building and loan,during testimony in front a committee hearing, with the Bedford Falls City Council. Then he grabs Mary and they move to Dubai, or a tropical island they find at a bargain price.

ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE!! he says

MERRY  CHRISTMAS!!!

 

YOU WILL ALWAYS GET THE PLAIN BLUNT OF IT FROM: PLAIN BLUNT POLITCS.COM 

http://plainbluntpolitics.blogspot.com/

What's the New Deal?

Here's an e-mail that I received from Grassfire.Org regarding Mr.
Obama's plans for the country once he is brought into office.

-----Original Message-----
From: Grassfire.org [mailto:alert@grassfire.net]
Sent: Monday, December 08, 2008 6:06 PM
Subject: Obama announces massive government programs

From the Desk of:
Steve Elliott, President, Grassfire.org Alliance

Over the weekend, President-elect Barack Obama launched his solution to
America's economic struggles...

More and more government spending!

More bailouts. Hundreds of billions for "New Deal" style public works
projects. Billions and billions more for schools. Billions and billions
to make federal buildings "green." Even though our federal deficit is at
$10 trillion and growing, Obama says "we can't worry in the short term
about the deficit."

+ + Stop Obama's march to socialism

As many analysts have predicted, Barack Obama will use the economic
struggles to orchestrate the largest expansion of government power in
history!

And all this government money will come with strings attached that
ultimately limit our freedoms. Decisions like the kind of car you can
drive, your home mortgage and the light bulbs in your house will be made
by politicians and bureaucrats!

+ + Help me Resist Obama

A few weeks ago Grassfire launched a national "Join The Resistance"
campaign to unite grassroots Americans in a patriotic, resilient,
conservative resistance to Obama's far-left agenda.

We now have over 260,000 citizens joined together. But we must grow by
hundreds of thousands to be ready for what Obama will unleash on Day
One.

Please go here to Join the Resistance:

http://www.grassfire.net/r.asp?u=14238&RID=14993784

Thank you so much for taking a stand.

Steve Elliott, President
Grassfire.org

P.S. We just received our 48-page resource, "Living in an Obama Nation,"
back from the printer. If you have not yet requested your copy or would
like more information (including a sneak peek inside the booklet and the
list of 21 topics we've covered), go here:

http://www.grassfire.net/r.asp?U=14236&CID=111&RID=14993784

+ + + + +
Grassfire.org Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)4 issues advocacy
organization dedicated to equipping our 1.5 million-strong network of
grassroots conservatives with the tools that give you a real impact on
the key issues of our day. Gifts to Grassfire.org are not tax
deductible.

+ + Comments? Questions?

http://www.grassfire.net/r.asp?U=14237&CID=111&RID=14993784

-------------------------------------------

This is from a blog that I follow.  Thought I would pass this along as it might be of interest.

 

 

---

From: Bar Of Integrity [mailto:noreply@onlinequickblog.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 9:15 AM
Subject: New Entry at Bar Of Integrity

	Bar Of Integrity published a new entry entitled "New Zawahiri message addresses Obama election?" on 11/19/2008 10:14:29 AM, written by CalperniaUSA. New Zawahiri message addresses Obama election? Laura Mansfield has translated a new message from Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri.  The audio can be downloaded from her site. In the Name of Allah, and all Praise is due to Allah, and Prayers and Peace on the Messenger of Allah and on his family, Companions and allies. Muslim brothers everywhere: Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His blessings. As for what comes after: Barack Obama has won the presidency of the United States of America, and on this occasion, I would like to send several messages. First, a message of congratulations to the Muslim Ummah on the American people's admission of defeat in Iraq. Although the evidence of America's defeat in Iraq appeared years ago, Bush and his administration continued to be stubborn and deny the brilliant midday sun. If Bush has achieved anything, it is in his transfer of America's disaster and predicament to his successor. But the American people, by electing Obama, declared its anxiety and apprehension about the future towards which the policy of the likes of Bush is leading it, and so it decided to support someone calling for withdrawal from Iraq. The second of these messages is to the new president of the United States. I tell him: you have reached the position of president, and a heavy legacy of failure and crimes awaits you. A failure in Iraq to which you have admitted, and a failure in Afghanistan to which the commanders of your army have admitted. The other thing to which I want to bring your attention is that what you've announced about how you're going to reach an understanding with Iran and pull your troops out of Iraq to send them to Afghanistan is a policy which was destined for failure before it was born. It appears that you don't know anything about the Muslim Ummah and its history, and the fate of the traitors who cooperated with the invaders against it, and don't know anything about the history of Afghanistan and its free and defiant Muslim people. And if you still want to be stubborn about America's failure in Afghanistan, then remember the fate of Bush and Pervez Musharraf, and the fate of the Soviets and British before them. And be aware that the dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to them. As for the crimes of America which await you, it appears that you continue to be captive to the same criminal American mentality towards the world and towards the Muslims. The Muslim Ummah received with extreme bitterness your hypocritical statements to and stances towards Israel, which confirmed to the Ummah that you have chosen a stance of hostility to Islam and Muslims. You represent the direct opposite of honorable black Americans like Malik al-Shabazz, or Malcolm X (may Allah have mercy on him). You were born to a Muslim father, but you chose to stand in the ranks of the enemies of the Muslims, and pray the prayer of the Jews, although you claim to be Christian, in order to climb the rungs of leadership in America. And so you promised to back Israel, and you threatened to strike the tribal regions in Pakistan, and to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, in order for the crimes of the American Crusade in it to continue. And last Monday, your aircraft killed 40 Afghan Muslims at a wedding party in Kandahar. As for Malik al-Shabazz (may Allah have mercy on him), he was born to a black pastor killed by white bigots, but Allah favored him with guidance to Islam, and so he prided himself on his fraternity with the Muslims, and he condemned the crimes of the Crusader West against the weak and oppressed, and he declared his support for peoples resisting American occupation, and he spoke about the worldwide revolution against the Western power structure. That's why it wasn't strange that Malik al-Shabazz (may Allah have mercy on him) was killed, while you have climbed the rungs of the presidency to take over the leadership of the greatest criminal force in the history of mankind and the leadership of the most violent Crusade ever against the Muslims. And in you and in Colin Powell, Rice and your likes, the words of Malcolm X (may Allah have mercy on him) concerning "House Negroes" are confirmed. You also must appreciate, as you take over the presidency of America during its Crusade against Islam and Muslims, that you are neither facing individuals nor organizations, but are facing a Jihadi awakening and renaissance which is shaking the pillars of the entire Islamic world; and this is the fact which you and your government and country refuse to recognize and pretend not to see. As for the third message, it is to the Muslim Ummah. I tell it: America, the criminal, trespassing Crusader, continues to be the same as ever, so we must continue to harm it, in order for it to come to its senses, because its criminal, expansionist Crusader project in your lands has only been neutralized by the sacrifices of your sons, the Mujahideen. This, then, is the path, so stick to it. As for the fourth message, it is to the lions of Islam, the Mujahideen. I tell them: may Allah reward you in the best way for your historic heroics, which have ruined America's plans and rendered its projects ineffective. So be firm and resolute. Your enemy's stagger has begun, so don't stop hitting him. And I say to my brothers the Mujahideen in Iraq in general and the Islamic State of Iraq in particular, and to its Amir, the towering mountain Abu 'Umar al-Baghdadi: your enemy has admitted defeat, and the forthcoming stage is expected to be dominated by conspiracies and betrayals in order to cover the American withdrawal, so you must persevere, for victory is in an hour of perseverance. And I tell my brothers, the lions of Islam in Somalia: rejoice in victory and conquest. America is gathering its wounds in Iraq, and Ethiopia is looking for a way out, and for this reason, the stage of conspiracies and machinations has begun. So hold tightly to the truth for which you have given your lives, and don't put down your weapons before the Mujahid state of Islam and Tawheed has been set up in Somalia. And I tell all Mujahideen everywhere: the Hubal of the age has begun to falter and recede, and Allah has granted you success and honored you by making you the most important cause of that, so be resolute on the path of Jihad until you meet your Lord while He is pleased with you. And my fifth message is to all the world's weak and oppressed. I tell them: America has put on a new face, but its heart full of hate, mind drowning in greed, and spirit which spreads evil, murder, repression and despotism continue to be the same as always. And the Mujahideen of Islam, by the grace of Allah, continue to be the spearhead of the resistance against it to restrain it from injustice, aggression and arrogance. As for my final message, it is to the American people. I tell it: you incurred defeat and losses from the foolish actions of Bush and his gang, and at the same time, Shaykh Usama bin Ladin (may Allah preserve him) sent you a message to withdraw from the lands of the Muslims and refrain from stealing their treasures and interfering in their affairs. So choose for yourself whatever you like, and bear the consequences of your choice, and as you judge, you will be judged. And our final prayer is that all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and may Allah send prayers and peace on our Master Muhammad and his family and Companions. Permalink: blog.barofintegrity.us/2008/11/19/new-zawahiri-message-addresses-obama-election.aspx Comment on this entry. Subscribe to future comments on this entry. Unsubscribe from this blog This is an automated message.

The road to socialism

Bailout for GM?  What's next?

 

There is talk in Congress at this time that the next round of bailouts for business across America may be on it's way.  Well, the next business that is "too important to let it fail," is GM, General Motors.  Now, I won't say that GM is a small business.  It may have been at one time, but because of the free market, GM has grown to be such a large corporation and so successful in years past.  Well, who knows how much is about to be spent by Congress to bail them out next, but here's a list of other companies (and this is not a full list), if counted by the number of people employed by the company, who would be more important than GM:

 

GE

AT&T

IBM

Target

Sears

Wal-Mart

McDonald's

 

So, if we bailed out the banks and next we bail out big manufacturing (or big auto, if you prefer), what's next?  Well, it looks like it could be big retail, big phone or big burger.  How much will be spent on our behalf?  How  much can this country afford to continue down this path to socialism?

 

Fight back.  Tell Congress not to bail out big auto and let the free market take care of itself.

 

Call your member of the Senate and the House.  Call the Capital Switchboard at 202-224-3121. 

Daily Gazette, please explain your coverage...

To whom it may concern,

 

Good morning.  As a person who goes to the newsstand to buy your newspaper on a regular basis, I'm starting to wonder a bit about your coverage.  Now, maybe it's because of one thing or another, but Mr. Lamendola's coverage at some points is OK, while at other points is very lackluster. 

 

In today's newspaper, on the front page, we have the article regarding Mr. Paul Tonko's success in running for Congress, beating out Republican candidate Mr. James Buhrmaster.  Now, the part that I find interesting on this is that this article not only states that Mr. Tonko has won the election, but gives specifics as to the amount that he won by, specifically, a vote of 44,814 to 29,218.  This is very good that we can get answers to such big questions such as this so quickly. 

 

The part that is quite concerning is that the same reporter, Mr. Lamendola, can't even sit in a room where a vote is being taken between less than 20 people to get us an actual vote?  I go back to the vote by the Schenectady County Legislature, who recently voted in another tax increase on the residents of Schenectady County, trying to get Schenectady back into the top 10 taxed counties in the nation.  We only slipped out of this "honor" as some of the localities in the area have recently re-evaluated property values. 

 

I don't know Mr. Lamendola's reason for falling short on this, but for the newspaper that is "The locally owned voice of the Capital Region," as well as the official newspaper of many (if not all) the localities throughout Schenectady County, you would think that you would be able to get the full vote on a story that affects so many of the people who are subscribed to and/or buy your publication at the newsstand daily. 

 

If Mr. Lamendola can't do the job, would you please find someone that will?

 

Thanks,

 

Kevin March

163 Princetown Road

Rotterdam, NY 12306

518-847-6897

 

cc: Daily Gazette

cc: Michael V. Lamendola

cc: http://www.rotterdamrepublican.blogspot.com

cc: http://www.schenectadytoday.com

cc: RotterdamNY.Info

 

One final request before the election

Well, there's less than 24 hours until the election is up and running, less than 36 hours until we will have the results.

 

I just wanted to remind people that personally, I am voting for John McCain because he is the one of the 2 of the major party candidates that are still in the race.  The reason that I will not vote for a third party candidate (i.e. Bob Barr) is that with the way that the election for president is set up in the United States, it does not truly give a chance for a third party candidate to be elected to the Presidency.

 

Also, did you know (and you can go out and do your own research to verify this...) that Congressman Ron Paul did come on to "The Wilkow Majority," hosted by Andrew Wilkow on Sirius Patriot (channel 144) last week and stated that he liked the health care policy of John McCain.  I don't remember (and don't currently have access) to the rest of the conversation that these 2 gentlemen had, however, I believe that Mr. Paul himself will be voting for Mr. McCain.  If you truly believe this is not the case, please give his office a call tonight and/or tomorrow and let us know otherwise.  The phone number that you can reach his office in Washington D.C. is 202-224-3121.  Just ask for Congressman Paul's office and they will forward you to his office.

 

If you think that voting for a third party to show that you don't agree with the 2 main party's candidates, then I cannot be held responsible for the outcome of this coming election, and I hope that you will review the options and think about what your vote could really mean.  Even look back into history and see what voting for a third party candidate has done in the past (again, I bring up H. Ross Perot in the 1990's).

 

 

God Bless America!

 

(now, get out and vote)

 

Kevin March

How's Iraq going???

Video by Iraq war veteran Joe Cook on the election     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8

TEXT of video:

“Dear Mr Obama ,

Having spent 12 months in the Iraq theater, I can promise you this was not a mistake.

I’ve witnessed first hand the many sacrifices made for the people of Iraq. Those sacrifices were not mistakes.

The Iraqi people are just like us. They want the chance to live in a secure world, free from tyranny, free from terrorism, free to prosper, free to raise their children and pass on a future.

Are they better of today than they were in 2002? You bet!

I’ve seen many men sacrifices their lives for the Iraqi people.

They died for a purpose, not a mistake. They died giving hope. They died promoting freedom.

Do you rescue a fireman just as he is about to save a child?

When you call the Iraqi war a mistake you disrespect the service and the sacrifice of everyone who has died promoting freedom.

Freedom carries with it a price.

Because you do not understand nor appreciate these principles, sir, I am support Senator John McCain for President.

He, too, made a huge sacrifice promoting freedom. Because he understands a fundamental truth...Freedom is always worth the price.”

 

The day we lose our will to fight…is the day we lose our freedom.

Schenectady County Government Must “Cut Here, Cut Now” by Brad Littlefield

This is a letter that was posted to here. This is a letter from Brad Littlefield regarding the latest proposed budget increase in Schenectady County of almost 13%.

Posting a Letter to the Editor that I submitted to the Daily Gazette and SchenectadyToday.com today. I'm sure that there are those who will disagree with my expressed opinions. Regardless, it is posted below for your consideration. I would encourage all to contact their government representatives and the media to express your opinions.

Schenectady County Government Must “Cut Here, Cut Now”

I am writing in response to the article “Schenectady County Budget proposal cuts jobs, services. Average homeowner would pay $125 more” that appeared in the October 13th edition of the Daily Gazette and a subsequent story that reported on legislation that was proposed by County Legislator Gary Hughes.

At the October Legislative meeting, Mr. Hughes proposed Resolution 164-08, that urges the Governor and the State Legislature to enact legislation that requires the state to assume the full cost for the non-federal share of the Medicaid Program and Resolution 165-08 that urges the Governor and the State Legislature to increase the income taxes paid by those earning over $1,000,000 rather than pass the cost of state programs to “seniors and working families” through property taxes. At a time when the New York State government is faced with a reported 2009 budget deficit of $6.4B and Governor Paterson is calling for $500M in Medicaid cuts and decreases in local aid, Mr. Hughes and his fellow Legislators should be focused on identifying tangible and achievable cost savings at the county level that will close the 2009 budget deficit of $10M, not engaged in political grandstanding by proposing legislation that has no likelihood of being considered.

Hughes’ proposed Resolution 165-08 espouses the redistribution of wealth and plays on the class envy that some have for those who have achieved goals in life and accumulated more wealth than they. The proposal is consistent with the philosophy of Communist Karl Marx who populated the slogan “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need”. While it may elicit support from those who blame our nation’s woes on the rich, rather than on the corruption and ineptitude of government, it does nothing to address the fiscal challenges faced by county residents.

Schenectady County has the 12th highest county taxes in the nation. Responsible elected officials must enact an austerity budget that reduces the size, the cost and the power of county government. Our elected representatives must consider the elimination or consolidation of non-essential county services (e.g., Camp Kosiur), forging collaborative procurement agreements between the county and surrounding local municipalities and their vendors to purchase good and services at lower cost, privatization of county facilities and services, and suspending capital improvement projects.

At a time when the county residents are struggling to keep their homes, pay for heating fuel and energy, and buy food for themselves and their families, the adoption of a county annual budget that results in a tax increase is irresponsible and exhibits a callous disregard for the constituents who our elected “leaders” were elected to serve.

Brad Littlefield
Delanson, NY

Bailout Bill fails miserably

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard it this afternoon, the free market lives.  Congratulations, America, there are enough of the 435 people sitting in the House of Representatives down in Washington D.C. that do actually believe in a free market.  They don't believe that Communism is needed to help the economics of the United States stand strong. 

 

The $70 Billion bailout has been voted down this afternoon by a vote of 228 nay, 205 yay. 

 

While the stock market is feeling the ramifications of this at the moment, believe me when I say that I believe in the long run, this is a good thing.  Let it ride out, let the market settle down.  This was a major pothole that we just got through and the base of the free market will handle this. 

 

The only problem I see with this being voted down is that the Democrats who wanted to get this to pass have now decided that they are going to stick around and work on trying to get this figured out and "fix" the economy...something they have no right nor responsibility to do. 

 

Congress has no right, per the Constitution of the United States of America, as signed 219 years, 12 days ago, and amended several times since.

 

My thanks go out to the Blue Dog Democrats and Conservative Republicans who helped to vote this piece of Communism down.

 

Today, America lives on.

 

God Bless America!

Another story not covered by the Daily Gazette - Biden received 5 deferments before being declared medically ineligible

I just wanted to post this here to show that I have been questioning the Daily Gazette and Judy Patrick, the Managing Editor on why they have not covered both sides of stories dealing with the upcoming Presidential election. As you can see below, on September 2nd, I supplied a story to Ms. Patrick regarding Joe Biden and the way that he worked around having to serve his country.

I have had no correspondence with Ms. Patrick since she originally sent me the e-mail regarding the fact that the links timed out as below. (For her privacy, I have removed Ms. Patrick's e-mail address from this correspondence, however, I'm sure that you can get in contact with her or someone else at the Gazette by using the e-mail address that I originally sent my question to, news@dailygazette.net)

-----Original Message-----
From: March, Kevin
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 2:30 PM
To: 'Judy Patrick'
Subject: RE: Re: Fwd: A question regarding Presidential coverage

Ms. Patrick,

Since sending this back to you with what I believe are fully functional links, I have neither seen this in the Daily Gazette, nor have I received any correspondence from you regarding the possible publishing of this article. Could you please advise what the current status of this article for the Daily Gazette are?

It has now been a full week since I sent this to you originally, correcting the link the following day. Although it has been this length of time, this is still quite a pertinent story, as the election is not until November 4th, 56 days from now.

I hope to hear from you again soon, or see this article published in the Daily Gazette.

Thanks,

Kevin March

-----Original Message-----
From: March, Kevin
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 6:40 AM
To: 'Judy Patrick'
Subject: RE: Re: Fwd: A question regarding Presidential coverage

Ms. Patrick,
While I was home last night, I went and tried the link and it did work. Here's another copy of the exact link, http://www.courant.com/news/politics/ats-ap-cvn-biden-vietnamaug31,0,2934547.story. If this link does not work, can I suggest that you go to http://www.rotterdamny.info and search for Obama. There is a link regarding Obama / Biden running for the office of President where one person has copied this article to with the working link.
Thanks,

Kevin March

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy Patrick
Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 3:48 PM
To: March, Kevin
Subject: Fwd: Re: Fwd: A question regarding Presidential coverage

Kevin,
The links you sent have timed out.
Judy Patrick
Managing editor
The Gazette Newspapers
Schenectady NY 12301

-----Original Message-----
From: "News Department" <news@dailygazette.net>
To: 'Judy Patrick'
Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:00:04 -0400
Subject: Fwd: A question regarding Presidential coverage

-----Original Message-----
From: "March, Kevin"
To: <news@dailygazette.com>
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 13:49:53 -0500
Subject: A question regarding Presidential coverage

I just have a question regarding the coverage of the upcoming Presidential election in your newspaper. I see that today, in the lower left-hand corner of the Capital Region edition of your newspaper, you have the story today titled "Palin reveals news on family, Unwed daughter, 17, is pregnant," by Liz Sidoty from the Associated Press.

What I find mysteriously missing from your newspaper over the past few days is the article which was in the AP regarding the service record (or lack thereof) of Vice Presidential nominee, Joe Biden. Could you please explain why this story and others like it would not be published in your newspaper?

Upon speaking to one of your reporters some time ago, they told me that the Daily Gazette gets is national news (generally Section A of your newspaper) directly from the Associated Press. I hope that you will take the time and space in your newspaper at the earliest convenience to publish the following article, found at this link -
http://www.courant.com/news/politics/ats-ap-cvn-biden-vietnamaug31,0,2934547.story
<http://www.courant.com/news/politics/ats-ap-cvn-biden-vietnamaug31,0,2934547.story> .

If one Vice Presidential nominee should have this aired in your newspaper, shouldn't both?

I hope to hear from you and/or see that you will publish this story and/or others such as this, showing all sides of the story. I find this missing from almost all of the media and hope that the Gazette will be a difference in this field, making it an outstanding paper that is wanted by many more customers for its views of all the news, not a slanted view from one side.

This is one main reason that you see a declination in general numbers of newspaper subscriptions around the country, including in the capital region. The full story can be found on the internet, but needs to be searched out. We should be able to get the full story from the Daily Gazette also.


Respectfully,

Kevin March


________________________________

Biden received 5 deferments before being declared medically ineligible
for Vietnam

By RANDALL CHASE | Associated Press Writer
1:32 PM EDT, August 31, 2008

DOVER, Del. (AP) _ Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden received five student draft deferments during the Vietnam War, the same number of deferments received by Vice President private Cheney, and later was disqualified from service because of asthma as a teenager.

Officials with Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's campaign released Biden's Selective Service records at the request of The Associated Press. Less detailed records were available from a National Archives facility in Philadelphia.

According to the documents, Biden, 65, received several deferments while he was an undergraduate at the University of Delaware and later as a law student at Syracuse University. A month after undergoing a physical
exam in April 1968, Biden received a Selective Service classification of 1-Y, meaning he was available for service only in the event of national emergency.

"As a result of a physical exam on April 5, 1968, Joe Biden was classified 1-Y and disqualified from service because of asthma as a teenager," said David Wade, a campaign spokesman.

In "Promises to Keep," a memoir that was published last year and became an instant best-seller after he was tapped as Obama's running mate, Biden never mentions his asthma, recounting an active childhood, work as a lifeguard and football exploits in high school.

The Obama campaign pointed to media interviews from 1987, when Biden was making his first bid for the presidency, that mention his asthma.

Military service and questions about which presidential ticket would be stronger on national security are intertwined in the presidential race. Republican John McCain, a former Navy pilot who spent 5½ years in a Vietnamese prison, has argued that he has stronger background to be commander in chief. Democratic nominee Barack Obama counters that McCain would continue a wrong-headed foreign policy from the Bush administration.

Biden has had extensive experience with national security issues in the Senate. McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, has been Alaska governor for two years and before that was a small-town mayor.

Biden's five student deferments equal the number given to Vice President private Cheney, who has been quoted as saying he had "other priorities" than military service in the 1960s.

According to records AP obtained from the National Archives, Biden registered Feb. 15, 1961, with the Selective Service, when he was an 18-year-old student at Archmere Academy in Wilmington. The archives documents do not include any information about his classification or physical exam.

Documents provided by the Obama campaign indicate Biden received a classification questionnaire in October 1963, when he was enrolled at the University of Delaware, and received his first 2-S student deferment a month later. Additional deferments were granted in roughly 12-month intervals, the last coming in January 1968, shortly before he graduated from law school at Syracuse University.

Then in April 1968, when he was 25, Biden was disqualified from service due to asthma.

A response from George Amedore...I'm NOT impressed.

First, here's a link to the blog post of my original post on Monday.

Letter to George Amedore

Well, first, I want to give a short story on how I got the reply to this letter. Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Holly Van Schaik regarding an upcoming fundraiser for Mr. Amedore at 4:06 PM.

Next, I advised Ms. Van Schaik (via a reply e-mail at 4:12PM) that I would not be attending. I also believe that I advised her that I would not be voting for Mr. Amedore, since I never received a reply to the e-mail that I sent him some time ago.

I do appreciate the tone that is used by Mr. Amedore in his reply e-mail which came quickly at 4:58 and here is the text of that e-mail. While I sincerely disagree with almost every point he made, he did so civilly.

September 9, 2008

Kevin March

Dear Kevin,

It has come to my attention that a piece of correspondence went unanswered from my office on July 31, 2008. This oversight was by no means a slight against you or the matters that you addressed in your letter. In fact, I would like to address some of the points with you now.

Providing health insurance is one of the costliest factors limiting our families and businesses owners. Many hardworking families and business owners benefit from opportunities like Child Health Plus. It has the potential to free small businesses and start-ups from bearing the costs associated with health care and they have been vocal about such measures. In addition, the expansion will be partially funded through an increase in family contribution levels for the program based upon income level.

Other factors that contribute to the heavy burden on individuals and businesses are Medicaid fraud, workers compensation premiums and rules, frivolous lawsuits, high regulations and hidden fees. It is inevitable that New York State will spend money, but we do not have to do so irresponsibly. Forcing someone to comply with a mandate is very different than providing an opportunity.

As an aside, I was unsure whether your use of “Chips” was an acronym you were using for Child Health Plus or a reference to state aid for roads, which is something we need, and would be willing to discuss with you at a later time.

As you are aware, many issues do not hit the front page in the media or the public until a crisis is imminent. I have been very vocal about the Ton Mile Tax on truckers, gas taxes, wasteful spending and ever increasing Thruway tolls throughout the entire legislative session. It took that time to gain increased traction in the Assembly and gain the favor of the public. Many worthy initiatives take time, despite their relative and pragmatic simplicity. These and other burdensome taxes will continue to be on my agenda in the coming years as we fight to change Albany from within.

Lastly, I would like to comment on the Metroplex legislation. The advancements made in downtown Schenectady have been truly remarkable. However, I do believe that if the city had a friendlier business climate, these changes would have occurred without outside intervention. Regardless, the final legislation came by reaching a compromise, which required greater transparency and adherence to ethical guidelines. The presence of Metroplex has helped to expand the tax base in Schenectady and attract new jobs; these are important factors to future tax cuts. It is my hope that this organization will not be needed in the future, and I will continue to press leaders to produce an environment that is suitable to free-market development.

Finally, I would like to thank you for your continued support and diligent adherence to the principles of Conservatism. In a broken system that requires citizens to go to their government for what they need, great conservative ideas become stifled by intervention. It is my hope that we can continue to break down these barriers and allow for businesses and citizens to make choices based on their needs and desires, not those required by government.

I look forward to continuing this dialogue in the future and exchanging our ideas, hopes, and dreams for our community.

Sincerely,

George Amedore

I'd like to know a few things.

First of all, I'd like to ask Mr. Amedore, who runs a company who builds houses across the Capital Region how many of his employees he expects to be covered by Child Health Plus. It doesn't matter where the funding comes from, in part, as the majority of the whole is actually coming from the pocket of every taxpayer across the state. Yes, some of the money for this comes from the people who are part of the plan, but the majority of this is still coming directly from the taxpayers pockets. Part of the money that is taken out of every paycheck you get and part of everything that you buy that includes sales tax and fees. I do realize that there are always "other factors," but these are things that, until we get rid of these programs once and for all (and let the free market actually take care of things), these "other factors" will always cause us more money. You sell your houses on the free market, let health insurance also be on the free market. Allow people to keep their money to spend it as they see fit on the free market. If they want health care, they will make sure they get it. If not, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Secondly, this paragraph really threw me for a loop.

As an aside, I was unsure whether your use of “Chips” was an acronym you were using for Child Health Plus or a reference to state aid for roads, which is something we need, and would be willing to discuss with you at a later time.

If you're approving programs expansion and you don't know what these programs are called, then maybe, before approving multiple million dollar additions per year to programs, you should FULLY learn about them. While I would be interested in finding out Mr. Amedore's ideas as far as state aid on roads, this was in no way part of my questioning.

On the issues that Mr. Amedore states "do not hit the front page," then maybe Mr. Amedore could take up an idea that other legislators, such as Greg Ball from downstate have, making sure that these things are updated in a timely manner on his web page, allowing concerned residents to know that even though he has no results, at least they know what he's TRYING to do for them...instead of coming back at election time saying "I got all these government programs approved for you, but here's where I'm trying to cut the bottom line."

Next, we have "Metroplex legislation." Now, for anyone that doesn't know, the Schenectady Metroplex is an organization "established in 1998 to enhance the long-term economic vitality and
quality of life in Schenectady County." Essentially, it is a Communist organization which redistributes money which it collects from anyone that buys anything that is able to have sales tax collected on it so that it can be spent on a "pet project (my words, no one elses). We have seen Metroplex buy property for almost nothing and turn around and sell it again. Worst of all must be for some of the businesses that are not able to receive the Metroplex funding for one reason or another. We already had one coffee shop that was denied for some reason as far as getting funding to start up downtown. The owner of that shop has since closed up shop and moved south...permanently. Actually, what I would say are the bad parts are this...you have people who may not work in the area who do spend money in the area. This money may be actually given to a competitor of the person's employer. The person coming to spend their money has no choice where the money goes, but they are in effect giving money to the competitor. Then, there's the businesses that collect the money to be handed over to competitors. Just ask the movie theaters in the county (Scotia and Rotterdam Square are two that I can think of off the top of my head). They collect sales tax on each and every sale they make. Every ticket, every soda, every candy, every popcorn. Then, they get the sheer joy of sending this money to the Metroplex...to fund the Bowtie Cinemas...a competitor located right on the strip in downtown Schenectady. I'm sure there's plenty of other examples that we could come up with if given the time.

I'd like Mr. Amedore to know that the same effect could be felt of handing the money to these companies from the Metroplex (and felt more in the community) if the taxes that are holding these businesses down could just be cut. The County raises taxes because sales tax revenue is down...after they raised it another percent some time ago. Less tax revenue from a higher tax rate...something Schenectady County can't figure out. Well, when you're shaving money off the top to hand to companies, that could be PART of the reason, don't you think?

As a reply to Mr. Amedore's paragraph regarding "Conservatism,"

Finally, I would like to thank you for your continued support and diligent adherence to the principles of Conservatism. In a broken system that requires citizens to go to their government for what they need, great conservative ideas become stifled by intervention. It is my hope that we can continue to break down these barriers and allow for businesses and citizens to make choices based on their needs and desires, not those required by government.

I say this...Mr. Amedore, in a broken system that requires citizens to go to their goverment for what they need, by giving these government programs, YOU ARE THE BUILDER OF THOSE BARRIERS THAT YOU PROFESS TO BE TRYING TO REMOVE. True Conservatism is removing these barriers / taxes / fees FROM the people, not adding these additional requirements ONTO them.

If these are what you bring as your proof of Conservatism, then Conservative you are not.

Opinion: Still being deceived by Metroplex - Still no Big House - Still no audit results

Found this interesting opinion piece over at Schenectadytoday.com

Opinion: Still being deceived by Metroplex - Still no Big House - Still no audit results
September 8, 2008 11:27 am – 11:27 am
Regarding an earlier story here (Metroplex and the Big House Blunder - Deceit and Dining Out) we’ve decided it’s time for an update.


In a statement by Ray Gillen on May 1, 2008 to the Daily Gazette, the Chairman of the Schenectady Metroplex Development Agency said:

One bright note amid the disappointing news is the response from other business owners. Retailers — not restaurateurs — are eager to move into the building, according to Gillen.

“We’ve had tremendous interest from other retailers,” said Gillen, who thinks a retail establishment would be far better for downtown than yet another restaurant.

“We love restaurants, but we need other kinds of retailers. We want to diversify the retail mix,” he said.

… The response has been promising. One prospective tenant even brought in a construction crew last weekend to determine how much it would cost to install the counters and other furniture needed for his store, Gillen said. He added that Waite has set a reasonable rate — $12 to $15 per square foot — and has finished the interiorwork.

Now, six months later, there’s still newspaper covering the windows and there’s no signs of activity on the media forgotten project that has cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars

The Financial Report of Metroplex, for December 31, 2006 and 2005 indicate that through December 31, 2006, the Authority had approved $350,000 in grants, a loan of $1,100,000 at 0% interest and “related expense” of $100,000 for the project. The loan is repayable over a 15-year period (25-year amortization) due in monthly installments of $3,667, matures 15 years from completion of the project, with a ballon payment for the remaining balance.

Stephen Waite and Ray Gillen have missed countless “grand opening” anticipated dates for 411 State Street - and it appears that we’ll be closing out the year without so much as a peep from local media about this fleecing of taxpayer monies. The last report by major media in this area was from Greg Floyd on WRGB on April 25th - not a followup peep from that network either. When I contacted Floyd I was told it wasn’t “newsworthy right now”. The Gazette has refused to address this issue, in fact no major media outlet is touching this political hot bed.

The taxpayers of Schenectady have been deceived - our tax dollars have been used to finance a project that has no indications of making any progress - and when contacted for a comment, nobody at Metroplex would respond, nor apparently provide any tours of the “nearly completed” building (as Gillen/Waite describe it).

The Audit of Metroplex was supposed to have been completed, and results released. That has not happened yet - according to the New York State Comptroller’s Website even though it was announced on April 3, 2008.

The comptroller plans to examine Metroplex’s operations from Jan. 1, 2006, to Dec. 31, 2007. The period covers some of Metroplex’s major investments when it distributed millions in loans and grants toward the construction of the Hampton Inn and the Bowtie Cinema, as well as provided grants to the Downtown Schenectady Improvement District and the Upper Union Street Business Improvement District.
Spokesman Bill Reynolds of the State Comptroller’s Office said the audit could take several months.

No audit results. No “Big House” opening. Why is there no transparency in this progress? Why is there no media outrage? Where’s the general public knocking on the doors of their county legislators and state representatives?

A letter to Mr. George Amedore, sent July 31st, with no response.

The following is the text of an e-mail that I sent to George Amedore, the Republican who was voted into office in a special election last July.

Anyone who believes that Mr. Amedore is in Albany to change things might be asking the same questions I have.

The following is exactly what I sent to Mr. Amedore with the subtraction of my own personal e-mail address and my home address.

(see more comments after the letter)

From: KEVIN MARCH
Subject: I'm confused, Mr. Amedore
To: AmedoreG@assembly.state.ny.us
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2008, 3:46 PM

Mr. Amedore,

I realize that you have been in your position for almost a year and will, I assume, be running for re-election this coming November. I was one who pushed quite strongly for you during your election campaign, including going out on Election Day knocking on doors and putting up doorhangers. I pushed for you for several reasons. Some of these reasons are as follows: We're overtaxed, gas prices were high, and you were supposedly for lower taxes throughout the state, as well as smaller government.

Now, that being said, I am quite confused with some of the things that you have done since you have been in office. I received a mailer at home, which stated that you helped to increase coverage for children's health insurance through Child Health Plus (Chips). Wouldn't it be smarter and better for your constituents, the taxpayers of Schenectady and Montgomery Counties, if they could keep this money in their pockets to spend on their own health insurance?

Also, I realize that only since Mid-May, the Republicans were pushing for a gas tax holiday starting on Memorial Day. Now, while I realize that Governor Paterson is against this as he stated that he thinks that "Big Oil" would just take the extra profits, I would have thought this would be something that you would have been pushing for before you got to 10 months into your position. Now, I realize that we may not be able to get the taxes fully removed from this for ANY time this summer, so isn't it about time to see if there are ways that we could bring down some of the taxes on this, such as fees that are charged per tanker or per gallon, other than the sales tax, hence reducing the price per gallon to the end customer?

Then there's the Schenectady Metroplex that you, Mr. Tedisco and Mr. Farley all stated that you are supporting the "home-rule" on this issue. The Schenectady Metroplex, a group that taxes money from citizens and visitors of Schenectady County and redistributes them to local businesses. I can only think of one word that this group can be described as...Communism. I cannot see where anyone who considers themselves a conservative could even think of voting for something that is this far from their base of cutting taxes and relieving the taxpayers of the burden.

Living in one of the top 10 taxed counties in the United States of America, I thought that we were getting someone into office that would help to reduce some of that burden.

I would like to know, with this type of track record over the past year, what would be the good reason for me to vote for you in your re-election this November? I don't think that I see any difference in how any of these votes would have gone if we had an elected Democrat in the office? What reason could you give me for not (for the first time in my life) voting for a Democrat when it comes time for the election? Maybe I should let others make the decision and decide when I go in to vote, not pick a selection under the Assembly District column, essentially letting the rest of the district's decide who they think is best?

Now is the time to start making changes to this, turn around what has been happening. Whether what you (and your constituents) want to happen actually is approved not, at least it would show that you are voting with your conscience. Maybe it’s time to start with cutting some of the programs that you have approved in your short tenure in office.

A confused taxpayer,

Kevin March

To this date, I have not received a response. I have, however, received a sign to place on my lawn for the upcoming election. Attached to it (since they just dropped it off while I wasn't home), was a note with Mr. Amedore's letterhead stating that he had a record that I put up a sign for him last year and he was hoping he could count on my support again this year.

The fact is, if I wanted one up, I still have the same signs left from last year still sitting in my garage. I have actually decided that I will put up the sign at the speed of government. That is, I will wait after the receipt of an answer that I agree with one day for every day it takes his office to respond. Since I originally sent the letter to Mr. Amedore on July 31st and have not yet received an answer, that brings the date that I would put up the sign currently to October 17th. That would give him 18 days from today (September 26th) to have any chance of having the sign up, even on election day.

I don't really even know if I can bring myself to put it up at this point. Maybe I'll just wait until after the primaries tomorrow to find out who the Democratic nominee is and contact him for a sign. Don't be surprised if you see it on my lawn. I'm SURE it would surprise some people, especially those who know my political ideology.

How's your "6 in '06" doing?

I was just thinking back today to the last national elections. A group of Democrats who were running for positions in the House of Representatives were making some big promises. They called it their "6 in '06."

From the Democrats own website:
http://www.democrats.org/agenda.html

In 2006, the Democratic Party promised to address six important issues in Congress. Now that Democrats are back in charge in the U.S. House and Senate, you can keep up with the Democrats as they follow through on their promise for a new direction.

OK, so let's look at this and see how each of these are looking now...

First, honest leadership and open government. Let's look first at 2 local people serving their people in Congress. Mr. McNulty and Ms. Gillibrand. They both worked on one special bill over the past 2 years. At the time of the vote on bill # 3161, Mr. McNulty was sitting in the position to take the vote for this bill and it was his job, at the appropriate time to gavel the vote closed.

The following is the night as captured on politico.com.

House erupts in chaos


In a massive flare-up of partisan tensions (video link courtesy Breitbart.tv), Republicans walked out on a House vote late Thursday night to protest what they believed to be Democratic maneuvers to reverse an unfavorable outcome for them.

The flap represents a complete breakdown in parliamentary procedure and a distinct low for the sometimes bitterly divided chamber because members of one party have rarely, if ever, walked off the floor without casting a vote.

The rancor erupted shortly before 11 p.m. as Rep. Michael R. McNulty (D-N.Y.) gaveled close the vote on a standard procedural measure with the outcome still in doubt.

Details remain fuzzy, but numerous Republicans argued afterward that they had secured a 215-213 win on their motion to bar undocumented immigrants from receiving any federal funds apportioned in the agricultural spending bill for employment or rental assistance. Democrats, however, argued the measure was deadlocked at 214-214 and failed, members and aides on both sides of the aisle said afterward.



One GOP aide saw McNulty gavel the vote to a close after receiving a signal from his leaders – but before reading the official tally. And votes continued to shift even after he closed the roll call - a strange development in itself.

Whatever the final tally, acrimony quickly exploded between lawmakers on either side of the aisle as Democratic leaders tried to plot a solution, while parliamentarians on either side argued over protocol.

Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) eventually offered a motion to reconsider, according to floor staff on either side, ostensibly giving members a chance to recast their votes. But the maneuver sparked a chorus of angry protests from the Republicans, yelling “shame” on Democrats, while they returned fire with angry volleys of their own.

When Democrats finally moved to consider the spending bill as the last vote of the night, furious Republicans left the chamber en masse to protest the maneuver. The House eventually recessed at 11:18 p.m. But Republicans quickly discovered that there was no longer any record of the controversial vote and immediately charged Democrats with erasing the bad result.

“Obviously, the Democrats don’t want to stand up against illegal immigration – so much so that they’re willing to cheat in order to win a vote,” Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) said in an e-mail. “They’re desperate – and it shows.”

The official House website did not show a record of the vote as of 1 a.m. Friday

Add this to the fact that Ms. Nancy Pelosi decided to literally turn off the lights in Congress.
CBS News article

House Dems Turn Out The Lights But GOP Keeps Talking
By John Bresnahan

Aug 1, 2008

(The Politico) Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democrats adjourned the House and turned off the light and killed the microphones, but Republicans are still on the floor talking gas prices.

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other GOP leaders opposed the motion to adjourn the House, arguing that Pelosi's refusal to schedule a vote allowing offshore drilling is hurting the American economy. They have refused to leave the floor after the adjournment motion passed at 11:23 a.m. and are busy bashing Pelosi and her fellow Democrats for leaving town for the August recess.

At one point, the lights went off in the House and the microphones were turned off in the chamber, meaning Republicans were talking in the dark. But as Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz..) was speaking, the lights went back on, and the microphones have been turned on as well.

But C-SPAN has stopped broadcasting the House floor, meaning no one is witnessing this except the assembled Republicans, their aides, and one Democrat, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who has now left.

Only about a half-dozen Republicans were on the floor when this began, but the crowd has grown to about 20 now, according to Patrick O'Connor.

"This is the people's House," Rep, Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) said. "This is not Pelosi's politiburo."

Democratic aides were furious at the GOP stunt, and reporters were kicked out of the Speaker's Lobby, the space next to the House floor where they normally interview lawmakers.

"You're not covering this, are you?" complaing one senior Democratic aide. Another called the Republicans "morons" for staying on the floor.

Update - The Capitol Police are now trying to kick reporters out of the press gallery above the floor, meaning we can't watch the Republicans anymore. But Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) is now in the gallery talking to reporters, so the cops have held off for a minute. Clearly, Democrats don't want Republicans getting any press for this episode. GOP leaders are trying to find other Republicans to rotate in for Blunt so reporters aren't kicked out.

Update 2 - This message was sent out by Blunt's office:

"Although, this Democrat Majority just Adjourned for the Democrat 5-Week Vacation, House Republicans are continuing to fight on the House Floor. Although the lights, mics and C-SPAN camera's have been turned off, House Republicans are on the Floor speaking to the tax payers in the gallery who, not surprisingly, agree with Republican Energy proposals.

All Republicans who are in town are encouraged to come to the House Floor."

Update 3 - Democrats just turned out the lights again. Republicans cheered.

Update 4 - Republican leaders just sent out a notice looking for a bullhorn and leadership aides are trying to corral all the members who are still in town to come speak on the floor and sustain this one-sided debate.

Also, Republicans can thank Shadegg for turning on the microphones the first time. Apparently, the fiesty Arizona conservative started typing random codes into the chamber's public address system and accidentally typed the correct code, allowing Republicans brief access to the microphone before it was turned off again.

"I love this," Shadegg told reporters up in the press gallery afterward. "Congress can be so boring...This is a kick."


Copyright 2008 POLITICO

So, even though at this point it's been in the news that Nancy Pelosi has agreed that we need the vote on energy, for some reason, the lights are still out in Washington, D.C.

I guess that takes care of points # 1 and 3.

Point #2: Real Security: Seems to me that Congress has done everything they could to this point to block the wall from being built at the border of the United States and Mexico. In fact, they have removed the funding from this, therefore, from what I understand, unless another bill is passed, there will be no fence, therefore, no security.

Point #4: Economic Prosperity and Educational Excellence. I'm sorry, but if they think that their program of "No Child Left Behind" actually does anything to help, they are sadly mistaken. I agree with many who have given this the more proper name, "No Child Gets an Education." This is what this program really is, as since they decided that they needed this program, the realization has swept across America that the determination of if this is coming true is per scores on tests. Now, I realize that testing is important, but if the only qualification is how many kids pass a test, then you'll get what you have now, teachers teaching so that kids can pass a test, not to make sure they can learn. They need to be able to spew facts out of books (which, in themselves, are open to controversy if the information in them is actual fact or not).

5. A Healthcare System that works for Everyone. Now, I see that they have constantly tried to work on this, both at the state and the national level. I would like to pose the question first to the House and Senate in Washington, D.C., what part of the Constitution is it that allows you to make up and run a national healthcare system? And haven't you realized with running Medicare and Medicaid that things just aren't working? The "New Plan" from many years ago needs to be done away with. We need, instead, to go with the "Old Plan," allowing the free market to decide who is going to have what coverage. Instead, we here in NY have the Berger Commission closing our hospitals and making things "better" for us. For more on the issues that this has caused locally in Rotterdam, please check out this link at RotterdamNY.info:

And finally, #6, retirement security. Well, I must say, as a person who is living in New York State in my younger 30's, I must say that I have already realized that I need to make long-term plans, as I don't expect that either Social Security or Medicare will be there for me when I get to retire. Also, with everything that's been going on as far as approval / denial of the availability of oil on the open market has played havoc with my (and I'm sure many other people's) 401k plan. The fact that costs have gone up so much on other things makes it so that it is more difficult for me to put away money for retirement, as the costs to live are at a level nowadays that it outweighs the availability of funds. With the price of gas going from somewhere around $3.20 in January 2008 up into the $4.15 - $4.25 per gallon range, only to make us feel secure in prices now that they are down in the range of $3.60 per gallon. That's right, we should be so lucky that the prices are at $3.60 per gallon. Everybody says that the economy has gone so poorly in the past 8 years. I would like to rebut that with saying, with the exception of the time of Hurricane Katrina hitting Louisiana 3 years ago, the only time that the economy seems to have been in a tailspin is within the past 2 years, since the Democrat majority took control in Washington, D.C.

As Fred Thompson said tonight,

"Now, our opponents tell us not to worry about their tax increases, they tell you that they're not going to tax your family, they're only going to tax businesses. So, unless you buy something from a business, like groceries, clothes or gasoline, or unless you get a paycheck from a business, abig business, or a small business, don't worry, it's not going to affect you. They say they're not going to take any water out of your side of the bucket, just the other side of the bucket."

Another $1,000 a day we don't have to spend

Congratulations, residents of Schenectady County. As a county resident, the debt that the county owes is owed by you also. So, up to this point, the county has found that it has a $16 MILLION debt. Now, instead of cutting costs at all corners, our County Legislature is spending money hand over fist on patronage jobs and unneeded services.

First, I'll start with the newest. This came from an article in the Daily Gazette today.

http://www.dailygazette.com/

Special gear is awaited for park
Playground aims for certification as disabled-friendly
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

Now, I go through this article and see that it is a park improvement that is in Central Park. The part of this that really gets to me is how the entire article goes and states that this is something the city is doing...

The city is awaiting arrival of specialized equipment to finish the Capital Region’s first playground that meets a national gold standard of full accessibility by children with disabilities, a Schenectady official said.

The city is converting the traditional Central Park children’s play area into a new playground to serve all children up to age 12.

Delores Inzero, who is disabled, questioned why the city is taking so long to complete the project.

Olsen said the city is awaiting the arrival of 82 pieces of playground equipment, costing around $262,000, to complete the project,

Olsen said the city first had to make the area around the playground handicapped-accessible.

The city needed to make major improvements to the park as part of the project, Olsen said.

The city also installed new lighting and had to upgrade the park’s electrical service, Olsen said.

Now, you'll notice that in total, it is remarked by Mr. Lamendola 7 times (4 times quoting Mr. Olsen from the city) that this is a project being done by the city. OK, no problem. The park is located in the city and is used mainly (as I see) by people from the city. That is not meant to say that people from other areas of the county don't use it, but the majority of the use of the park is by residents of the city.

So, we get to the final sentance in the last paragraph of the article...

The county contributed $365,000 to the project, the city $200,000 and the state $440,000.

If this is so much for the city, then why is the city paying less than the county? Why is it that $365,000, which would come out of 1 years budget at the county level, has to be paid by ALL the residents of the county? Why not have this as part of the City of Schenectady's budget? They will be the ones that profit from this, not just bringing people in to use the park, but to also possibly bring people to shop in the city.

Well, it is ONLY $1,000 a day. Since we're cutting so much at the state level (as if that's actually happening), why not get more of the money from there? EVERYBODY is tightening their belts. Why can't our representatives at the County level?

Was this even brought up to all at the county level? Not all of the last appointments were, they weren't even brought up to all the members of the Democratic Majority!

Enough is enough. We can't afford it anymore.

A link to this full article can be found at the following link: http://www.rotterdamny.info/m-1216118577/

Reply to the August 16th letter in the Gazette, "Rotterdam should look into idea for Capitol Plaza"

First of all, let me say that I believe that the Rotterdam Police do need to look into getting a new place for their station.    I also am a little upset that a plaza that has been there for so long was planned to be demolished to put up yet another drug store.    I have talked to a few people since hearing the news that Walgreens had decided not to bring their business to this busy intersection.  Now, when I was speaking with them, I was a proponent of putting the new police station at this location.  I have since changed my mind.  Why?  A few reasons.    First of all, have you ever tried to drive through Curry Road / Altamont Ave. during rush hour?  What do you think would be the consequence of the authorities needing to respond out of an entrance onto either one of these streets during this busy time of day?    Second of all, think of the additional time this would add for responses to the entire town, including Rotterdam Junction and Pattersonville.  They are all part of the Rotterdam budget, overseen by the Rotterdam town board and protected by the Rotterdam police.  Let's look at how much more time it would take to respond to a call in Pattersonville (since it is the most outlying area).  This is an additional 2 miles or 5-10 minutes depending on traffic for any response.    While I realize that they would be responding with lights and sirens when someone is calling 911 for an emergency, do you want the response to be coming that much slower?  While this may be a good central location for Rotterdam proper, we need to think of all areas of town while making these decisions, not just the parts people think about every day.   I do believe that we need to make this plaza area into something that can be used by everyone.  While I don't see the idea put forward by Mr. DeLorenzo in his August 1st letter as the best idea, maybe this could be rebuilt to be something to better the town, such as a new town hall or community center.  Or as another idea, maybe take down the entire thing and bring in someone else who wants to expand the town and county tax bases.   Kevin March Rotterdam, NY

Regarding my last post on the Gazette's coverage.

Well, in the few minutes since I posted my last story, I went to the Gazette's webpage and couldn't even find the story I was referencing in my post. I realize that people DO want this news, so I have a copy of a similar story right here.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-08-01-voa56.cfm

US Casualties in Iraq Lowest Ever, Lower Than Afghanistan for First Time
By Al Pessin
Wshington
01 August 2008

In July, the U.S. combat death toll in Iraq reached its lowest point since the war started, and, for the first time, was lower than the U.S. military death toll in Afghanistan. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

According to the Pentagon, five U.S. troops were killed in combat in Iraq last month. A year ago, there were 66 American combat deaths.

Officials say the reduction in casualties reflects the improved security situation in the country, and the greater combat role being taken by Iraqi forces. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell calls it "stunning," but says casualty numbers are not the only measure for success or failure in Iraq.

"As heartening as that is, it is not the metric by which we measure success, but it is certainly an encouraging sign," he said.

The caution demonstrated by Morrell and other officials is based in part on the uneven pattern in U.S. casualty figures for Iraq in recent months. After three months in the middle of last year with more than 100 U.S. casualties, the numbers began to fall, reaching 23 in January. But U.S. casualties spiked several times after that, including an increase in June.

Still, the overall trend of the past 14 months has been downward, along with the number of insurgent attacks. U.S. officials are careful to say the security gains in Iraq are 'not irreversible,' but President Bush said Thursday they have a "degree of durability."

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that could lead to further U.S. troop withdrawals. "The situation has improved dramatically. And I, personally, believe that there is a real possibility of some additional drawdowns as we look forward," he said.

Gates says he is awaiting recommendations from top military commanders in Iraq and at the Pentagon, which are expected by early September.

He says those recommendations about Iraq will also affect the U.S. ability to send more troops to Afghanistan, where violence has been rising, and 16 U.S. troops were killed in combat last month. That number is higher than the Iraq combat death toll for the first time since the Iraq war began five years ago.

Positioning of pieces in Gazette show paper's true leanings

I wrote the following regarding my feelings on coverage in the Daily Gazette on Thursday after seeing the coverage that they gave a few items. Thought I would let everyone know my personal feelings on how the Gazette looks at things...

Looking at today's (August 1st) edition of the Daily Gazette, it reminds me of how I have viewed this paper as of recent and it's leaning to the far left.

For example, why is it that something that effects the entire nation such as how the U.S. is winning the war in Iraq gets buried on page A5, only to make sure that there is front page coverage taking up almost half the page for a "Summer celebration" at a nursing home in Amsterdam?

Do the editors of the Gazette not think that the winning of the war in Iraq should be front page coverage? I'm sure if the headline for today's story had been "U.S. troop deaths in Iraq hit HIGHEST point of war," this would be prominent front page coverage, probably even with some gruesome picture that would be pulled out, right along side a picture of President Bush. I will give credit where credit is due, here was announcement of this low in deaths on the front page...with a picture the same size as the less prominent story on the front page regarding Lisa Kaczmarek.

Maybe, just maybe, if the Gazette could become "The locally owned UNBIASED voice of the Capital Region."

An answer to the Question Without An Answer

I am part of a group of "True Conservatives" in Yahoo, which the group can be found at the following link...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TrueConservatives/

Now, there is a gentleman who is part of this group, Kenneth Powell, who recently brought up the following question...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TrueConservatives/message/5941

• Fact: gas prices are $3.50 and more per gallon here in Texas
  
• Fact: The government says that illegal immigrants are doing jobs that most "Americans" won't do
  
• Fact: These jobs are generally being done for slave wages
  

Here is my question...if the illegals are working for WAY less wages than most Americans, how is it that they are able to afford these type of gas prices? One of two things will happen, 1) Prices will go down due to the complaining of these illegal immigrants, or 2) these prices will drive them back across the border into their own country where they belong.

Thoughts?

Well, while I think about a more complete answer to this question, I would currently give the following answer, and request that you let me know what your personal feelings are on this... (This was the response that I sent to him in a private e-mail, hence the reason it is quoted).

Hey, I was just thinking this over and I think I have the answer for you. The fact is that (some of) the illegals are actually getting paid under the table, which although they are getting a lower per hour wage, they're bringing home more because they don't lose a minimum of 30% off the top of their actual earnings before they can start spending it.

Wouldn't it be so much easier if we ALL had 30% more money?

And by the way, I do realize how difficult gas prices are at $3.50, but we here in NY are now kicking $3.75 in the teeth. Some Exxon / Mobil stations are up around $3.77 and I think I saw someplace up at $3.81. But at least my corner store just added an E85 pump so we can drive our food, instead of eating it.

Here's the most recent high gas prices from http://www.albanygasprices.com, our local spot for pricing through http://www.gasbuddy.com.
Some prices are now at $3.88)

Response to comment posted - Didn't realize we pay for our parades out of our own pockets.

This is a response to the remark posted by someone anonymously regarding my remarks about paying bands to come in to play in our parades.

I would assume that the person posting was upset as to the following comment:

That's right, the town board is voting tonight to give money to people just so they'll come and march. Is it the schools? Nope! As if the school's bands aren't good enough, we have to pay bands to come to the parade.

Assuming that I am correct that this is the part of the remark that upset this person, then I would fully like to apologize and realize that these comments could (and now, being pointed out, have been) taken in the wrong way.

I realize that this sounds like I would be against any type of professional musicians, as stated in the remark on it. I would fully like to state that I have no issue with professional musicians, or people who decide to dedicate their time to a group like this. I know that it is a lot of work. Now, especially, it costs much more to be part of this with the travel expenses. I didn't mean to remark that these people were no good.

The reason that I did make this statement is the following:
This town and county are overtaxed. This is money that was coming out of the residents pockets to bring someone in from outside our community. I think that the town needs to watch costs in any way possible.

Again, my remarks were IN NO WAY against the Capital District Marching Band or the Excelsior Drum and Bugle Corps (the two groups that I referenced in my posts, agenda items # 139.07 and 140.07). It was only the fact that we as residents were (and are) feeling the pinch of skyrocketing taxes, both on the town level and the county level that had me a little upset to remark that I didn't think these bands should be paid. Not because of the quality of performance / entertainment they would bring, but solely for the money which I would hope that the town board would be watching as closely as possible.

Also, I realize that I have now made my first apology/explanation for any comment that I have put into this blog, and I'm sure that there will be some in the future, however, I would like to state clearly and for the record that this blog and any other comment that I give to the press, whether over the phone, in person, or via a submitted opinion piece or via e-mail is all exactly that...my opinion.

Last thing I knew, that was protected by the First Amendment (and it doesn't matter if you're Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal.

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am1

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791. Note
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Day of Silence...what the media isn't telling you

This Friday is an important day at schools around the Capital Region and around the country. There are students who are planning to “speak out” in regards to their support of people who live with the of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transsexual lifestyle (or knowledge of people who do).

These children will be taking Friday April 25th to celebrate what is being known as the Homosexual Day of Silence. Please read the following paragraph from Mission:America regarding this date:

http://www.missionamerica.com/homosexual.php?articlenum=70

Boycott the April DAY of SILENCE!

Below is the list of schools we believe will be participating in the April 2008 "Day of silence."

This pro-homosexual day communicates clear (and false) messages to ALL students in the school that: homosexuality is a worthy lifestyle; that it has few or no risks; that some people are "born" homosexual, including students; and that those who oppose this behavior are hateful and uninformed.

We do NOT agree. The Day of Silence is, sadly, a day of deception.The facts do not support the implications noted above. Responsible parents and communities will oppose this message of corruption and well-informed schools that really care about kids will never allow this nonsense to take place on the school campus.

This has been publicized in some religious circles, but I think that all people throughout the nation should be aware that this is something that is happening in a school near them. The American Family Association has a full list of the schools which are supporting this.

Here's what Mission:America states about what to do if your local school is actively or passively approving of this:

Parents: Keep your kids home if your school is officially holding, or passively allowing among a group of students, this pro- homosexual event.

VERY IMPORTANT:If your school is listed below, please double-check with your local school to see if the school is actually sponsoring the Day of Silence. Sometimes the "participation" turns out to be a handful of kids who are saying they have a homosexual club and are observing this protest day, but without school endorsement. This is still a problem, though. We sincerely hope your school, if listed below, is not either officially sponsoring this Day nor unofficially allowing its observance. If they ARE NOT, we will take them off the list, if a school official asks us to do so.

The superintendent of Schalmont has said that they are not supporting it, however, they will not stop students from participating. That sounds like support to me. How about you?

My suggestion would be for parents across the Capital Region and the country to contact their schools and find out if they are supporting this. If they are, and you disagree with this, I suggest you keep your children home this coming Friday to show your disapproval of this policy. Also, let other parents that you know in the area know about this. Make sure that you let the schools know that this is not appropriate for in the classroom.

School districts are trying to duck this by allowing it without having a policy.

I have forwarded this issue to several news organizations, and I will be forwarding to more, doing my best to get the word out what the schools which are included in the list are doing.

This is indoctrination of our children and we cannot continue to have things like this occur.

The Root Cause of Crime

This is a post that I am copying directly from RotterdamNY.Info, which was copied to there from SchenectadyNY.Info.

This was written by Joe Suhrada, a Republican representing District 4, which includes Rotterdam, Pattersonville, Rotterdam Junction, Princetown, Duanesburg and Delanson. Essentially, all areas to the west of Schenectady in Schenectady County. Please read this and please act on your reactions. If you agree, then great, let your representatives know. If you don't, then let them know also. Personally, I agree.

I will post this exactly as posted by JoAnn:

I copied this from the Schenectady forum. Someone asked what the root cause of crime was in the city of Schenectady. This respond was posted by Joe Suhrada and I thought it was worth being copied here:

(Beginning of post by Joe Suhrada)

Here is the root cause:For 44 years the US government has told the less fortunate that there is a safety net that is as wide as the ocean and as cushy as an overstuffed from Rentacenter. They have stripped their dignity down to the lowest common denominator and made them special clients who indeed believe that the working people (who PAY for this this) OWE them everything. And by God they are gonna' get what is owed to them. And they are going to break the law, do what the want, take what they want, trespass where they feel like it, and kill for their pride and vanity if someone "disses" them. They throw their crap everywhere, they rent without paying the rent, they destroy the home the landlord makes for them, they spit in the eye of tradition, hard work, convention, those who are "chumps" enough to work form nine to five, and those who even think of insulting them, keeping them from what is entitled to them, and their immediate creature comforts.They have a sick malady of the soul and their numbers are growing out of proportion because our federal, state and local governments have seen to it that reproducing with anyone who they "feel" like reproducing with, in the moment and for the moment has no consequence. As a matter of fact WE WILL PAY THEM MORE to have babies with any babydaddy or babymomma they want. And THAT in and of itself becomes a matter of pride.So for you middle class intellectuals who are trying to find root causes in "poor opportunity" or "bad wages" or a "recession" or whatever quantifiable way to put your finger on something you don't understand, you need to realize that this is the 4th generation of people who have lost their souls, and that you will NEVER understand what it is to become a government fed zombie. But ultimately it is YOU, with your guilt feelings and your mainstream preachers and priests that have told you since you were little the "government" needs to be "Christ-like" - that have created this monster. And it will only get worse. there is nothing economic you can do and do to help. You can triple their welfare, spend 10 times the amount on education, and you can give all the carrots you wish (never with the stick). You haven't been able to find a way to give TOUGH LOVE to the underclass and ween them OFF of government solutions. They have only the government and the street (dealing, hooking, stealing.) Your programs took their family structure, you took away Godliness and you substituted "the check," food stamps the section 8 and every other goodie that could be given. All because you feel guilty.Now you should REALLY feel guilty. You have destroyed MILLIONS of people and there is little hope of changing that entire subculture since it has grown to gargantuan proportions and actually tilts towards becoming a majority. You have no compunction about giving them more, and having your politicians to keep repeating different versions of the same failed programs. Any politician who speaks the truth like I have is vilified and hated- because we don't work on the same "guilt" trigger that you do. Any way in which I would vote AGAINST more programs in Schenectady is frowned on, because then we wouldn't be "helping" the underclass.But folks, I can't do it alone. And I am essentially alone, fending attacks from every flank. But when our public (YOU) and our government leaders wake up and decide we aren't going to keep destroying these people and their future generations, then MAYBE we will see the morality return. The work ethic return. The sense of right or wrong return. And some civility return. But not until then.

So, what is your response???

Time to create "The Lists"

The following is part of a post that I just posted over at RotterdamNY.info.


Tell you what, I think we need to start making a 3 column list. We need to know which businesses in the county have accepted Metroplex money (column 1). This would include franchises which are run by the same proprietor, such as the Subway on State Street. He said at the meeting that he owned 2 other Subways. Then, we can make our voices heard that we will not go to these restaurants.

We also need to know not only what companies have not asked for any money from the Metroplex and have only done their job collecting the Metroplex Moolah and sent it in to the Metroplex Authority. These should be businesses that we do our best to interact with each and every day.

The third list needs to be a list of the shunned. Such as "No Beans About It." People that wanted to invest in Schenectady, so they looked for Schenectady to invest in and they were told to pound salt. The people who, instead of listeining to what they were told said, "I'm going to do it anyway."

I still need to get over there and check them out, but the problem is, from what I just found, they don't open until 7AM. A little late for my first cup of coffee.

Schenectady County taxes are high...That's not a Laffer!

First of all, since it's been about a year since my last post here, I wanted to let you know that I haven't left, and I have actually been here reading what has been going on and keeping track and going to town and county meetings.

Also, the spelling in the subject is NOT a spelling error. It refers to the bottom of this post, please check it out.

To that point, as we all know, Schenectady County has some pretty high taxes. And also, the county legislature has spoke on the fact that they are not seeing as much coming in as far as sales tax revenue, and they wonder why. Well, they think that they may have the answer to why they're not getting enough taxes. The tax rate just isn't high enough. And from what I heard at one point, they want to go and raise the sales tax rate again, thinking that it would bring in more money. This with gas prices sky-rocketing up to $3.60 or more this morning. I heard that some want to raise the sales tax in the county (with state portion included) from 8% to 9%. Gee, brilliant. Not enough sales going through in the county, so let's raise the price on everything. I know that there's things that there is not sales tax on, but really, a raise in sales tax DOES raise the price of everything, as everything needs to be transported to the location where it is to be sold, hence burning gasoline.

Let's look at why the Schenectady County taxes are so high. First of all, patronage jobs. It can be seen from this year's Schenectady County budget that if you run for a seat (any seat) as a Democrat and if you are not successful, you will be given a seat on a committee of some sort, even helping to decide the way that SCCC should be run. This is just one of the many things that needs to stop. The people that get named to these committees (such as former Rotterdam town board member Bob Godlewski) need to actually realize that if the public decides that they want to vote you out of office, they don't want you making decisions for them. Listen to the public, don't take this type of appointment. It only distorts the partisanship in the county more.

OK, so it's time to wrap up for now. I do hope to go on more in the future, however, back to my spelling at the top. Do you want to know why Schenectady County should not raise, but in fact maybe, should lower the sales tax to bring in more revenue? Check out the Laffer Curve.

Essentially, I'll boil it down by taking a small portion of this article. I encourage you to read the entire article, as it is written by Arthur Laffer himself, the originator of the Laffer curve, but this should give you enough of an idea.


Laffer Curve

Theory Basics
The basic idea behind the relationship between tax rates and tax revenues is that changes in tax rates have two effects on revenues: the arithmetic effect and the economic effect. The arithmetic effect is simply that if tax rates are lowered, tax revenues (per dollar of tax base) will be lowered by the amount of the decrease in the rate. The reverse is true for an increase in tax rates. The economic effect, however, recognizes the positive impact that lower tax rates have on work, output, and employment--and thereby the tax base--by providing incentives to increase these activities. Raising tax rates has the opposite economic effect by penalizing participation in the taxed activities. The arithmetic effect always works in the opposite direction from the economic effect. Therefore, when the economic and the arithmetic effects of tax-rate changes are combined, the consequences of the change in tax rates on total tax revenues are no longer quite so obvious.

Well, enough for now, but I will be back with some additional information and my thoughts about what can be done in the town and the county. Please stick by, and feel free to let me know what you actually think.

Come one and all tonight, 6:30 PM at the senior center

Please come and let your voice be heard...

(article from the Gazette today)
Rotterdam asks public comment at workshop
ROTTERDAM — Town officials are seeking public comment this evening as they discuss the land use and transportation study under way for Hamburg Street and Curry Road.
Town planners and officials from the Capital District Transportation Corporation are conducting their first public workshop at the Rotterdam Senior Center on 2639 Hamburg St., starting today at 6:30 p.m.
Rotterdam Planner Peter Comenzo said the workshop would be to generate ideas for what the public envisions for the area near Thruway Exit 25.
The study comes as a result of a $35,000 federal grant received by the town last year to prepare a land use and transportation management plan for the eastern end of Rotterdam.
“What we do there is going to affect everyone in that area,” Comenzo said. “So they should get involved.”

Finally, something happening on Rotterdam's west end

I love it. Finally, something is going to start happening on Rotterdam's west end. And from the rumors I'm hearing, things are really getting ready to snowball.
The following is an article from today's Gazette by Justin Mason.

ROTTERDAM
McLane project moves ahead
Environmental impact up for review
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net

Town planners accepted the draft environmental impact statement from the developers of the McLane Foodservice Inc. distribution center slated for land off Feuz Road where a gravel pit now operates.
With the more-than-400-page document in hand, members of the Planning Commission are expected to schedule a public hearing for the development sometime in early May. If approved, the project would build the 168,500-square-foot structure on a 27-acre parcel of land in Rotterdam that also touches Princetown. The center would replace an existing facility in Guilderland.
“It will be state of the art in terms of the building,” said Mike Hale of Synthesis Architecture, who presented the study during the commission’s regular meeting Tuesday.
McLane distributes food mainly to fast food companies such as Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s. The company now employs about 132 workers at its Guilderland plant and could add up to 40 more jobs if it builds the Rotterdam center, Hale said.
Fewer than a dozen people attended the meeting, in contrast to a public forum in February 2006 at which more than 75 people turned out. At the time, many complained that a large 24-houra-day, six-day-a-week distribution center would disrupt the area with noise, traffic and pollution.
But Hale said the proposed center would have a negligible impact on the area. He said roughly 40 trucks a day would leave the center, fewer than 10 during the night.
“There are not a lot of trucks coming out of this,” he said.
Hale said a small part of Becker Drive would be closed as part of the project, in addition to improvements on the road and on Route 7. He said the light timing near the entrance to Interstate 88 would also be adjusted.
As for the noise impact, Hale said the existing gravel pit appears to be producing just as much sound as the plant operating in Guilderland. He said berms planned for the site, as well as the building itself would act to buffer some of the truck noise.
“There is going to be virtually no change in the noise conditions at the existing [residences],” he said.
Less than a 10th of 2 acres of wetlands would be disturbed by the project, Hale said, meaning their wouldn’t need to be mitigation with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. He said the large building and a proposed 12,800-square-foot truck maintenance building will be built more than 100 feet away from a stream channel on the property.
Hale said the Princetown Planning Board is expected to receive the study shortly, but had already reviewed an earlier version of the DEIS. Rotterdam’s planning commission is expected to have the full document posted on the town’s Web site; hard copies will be available for review at the Town Hall and the Rotterdam branch of the Schenectady County Library starting this morning.
Nacy Vlahos of Chazen Companies, a private planning fi rm contracted with the town to review the study, said the DEIS addresses all the previous comments on the project.
“We feel it meets all the requirements of the final scope and is ready for public review,” she told the planning commission.
But Marcus Mastracco, a resident of Country Walk Road nearby the proposed development site, continued to express skepticism, citing noise and traffic. Mastracco also cited the lack of a sewer system in the area. Without sewers in place, he fears the company could end up building the center only to leave it empty.
“I don’t know how they can do it,” he said.

End of article.


There's also other things going on. Believe it or not, Wal-Mart is looking at the west end again. This time, they have discarded the idea of Triange 13 (Rotterdam's version of the Bermuda triangle, held in by Princetown Road, South Thompson Street and Burdeck Street) and are now looking at the old run-down farm by the Thruway and I-88 at Exit 25A of the thruway, Exit 25 of I-88. I guess this would be on the east side of this intersection right where the farm has stood for as long as I can remember. This rumor is coming as part of a comment on http://www.rotterdamny.info, posted by a person under the screen name of bumblethru, an active participant and regular visitor of the website. He/She states that they have a contact, not in Rotterdam, but in Princetown who brought this information to them.
Here's what bumblethru has to say...

"Ok folks here is the latest rumour off the Rotterdam GrapeVine....actually it came from a source in Princetown......It has been said that Wal-Mart did or is in the process of purchasing the land owned by Mr. Crounse (the farm by I88). Well here are my views on this one."

"Be it that I AM NOT a fan of Wal-Mart....it would be a financially excellent move for Rotterdam. Why? It would be located on the real edge of town. Right at the Princetown/Rotterdam line. People from Princetown, Duanesburg, Esperence, Schoharie and other surrounding areas would shop there and Rotterdam would benefit from the taxes!!! Now we must admit that that is a plus."

"On the flip side...what about the families in Eldorado Acers/Country Walk Way...they are already 'possibly' getting hammered with McLanes distribution center and now a possible Wal-Mart Super Center. They may not look too favorably on this. And don't forget also that it will mean another empty box on Altamont Ave."

Well, I think if anything, this is going to be the best place for Wal-Mart to come into town. It's not going to crowd anyone out, it's easy access to the highway, the tractor trailer traffic would be almost negligible, considering the traffic that is already in the general vicinty due to the Golub warehouse being just up the street and the Citgo station / truck parking just the other side of this intersection.

I also think with both of these businesses coming to the western end of town that they, themselves, may wish to have sewers out that way and would go a distance towards paying the cost for these and helping to encourage more businesses to come in. I think I would see the Wal-Mart coming in here to be something more of the idea of how they have things down in Cobleskill than a stand-alone like they have in Scotia/Glenville. I also see the tax dollars that they would have to pay, not only for the land that the store is on, but also the additional tax dollars that could be brought in by anyone that has to / wants to get off the highway for a bit.

While I will reserve judgement until I hear a bit more about the possibilities of this and how it would lay out, if I had to decide right now, I would say is a definite yes.

Hey, Metroplex, where's Rotterdam's cut?

I just have one question for the Metroplex. Actually, the same question goes to the city and county of Schenectady, too. What do the residents and businesses of Rotterdam get for the taxes that we funnel into the city? Where are the Metroplex dollars that Rotterdam is paying? What development has been done in Rotterdam with Metroplex funds? I would bet that besides Schenectady itself (and possibly Niskayuna), Rotterdam puts most of the money into Metroplex. Metroplex has used this to draw companies to downtown Schenectady, actually pulling companies OUT OF Rotterdam.

So, please...what is the Metroplex doing for Rotterdam???

I will state right here that this is my opinion off the cuff. If anyone has any information on where I can find this information (taxes received vs. taxes distributed), I would greatly appreciate it.

Didn't realize we pay for our parades out of our own pockets.

Did you know that the parade is tax dollars out of your pocket?

That's right, the town board is voting tonight to give money to people just so they'll come and march. Is it the schools? Nope! As if the school's bands aren't good enough, we have to pay bands to come to the parade.

From tonight's town board agenda.

"139.07 Authorize Supervisor to execute contract with the Capital District Marching Band in the amount of One Thousand Four Hundred Ten and 00/100 ($1,410.00) Dollars for participation in the 47th Annual Memorial Day Parade."

"140.07 Authorize Supervisor to execute contract with the Excelsior Drum and Bugle Corps in the amount of One Thousand and 00/100 ($1,000.00) Dollars for participation in the 47th Annual Memorial Day Parade."

Maybe this is why the re-evals had to go through so high. To make sure we can pay people to march through town on our streets. If someone wants to celebrate a holiday and show how important the troops are to them, why don't they come and do it for free...or better yet, make a donation in the name of the troops TO the town (or some other agreed upon third party). I bet the schools either get in free or have to pay. I'm sure they're not cashing a check for marching.

Schalmont to raise taxes again...Come on, people.

www.dailygazette.com

ROTTERDAM
Insurance, fuel hikes hit Schalmont costs
Spending plan maintains staffing level
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.

Increased fuel and health insurance costs are expected to drive a 4.96 percent hike in the Schalmont Central School District’s operating budget for the coming school year.
Overall, the preliminary 2007-2008 budget is expected to reach $40 million, which is about $1.8 million over this year, according to Mark Kellett, the district’s business manager.
Superintendent Valerie Kelsey said the bulk of the increase came as a result of health care premium hikes and the cost of utilities. She said the budget keeps intact the district’s staffing levels and does not reflect any cuts in programming.
“The goal is to keep the programming that we have,” she said Monday, following the School Board’s regular meeting.
Kelsey said it’s too early to tell how the increase will affect the district’s tax levy. Full details of the plan are not yet available.
Schalmont’s budget increase is just slightly above the state’s contingency level funding, which allows districts to increase spending up to 3.84 percent over the previous year. Board members are expected to conduct a final meeting of the Budget Advisory Committee next week before hosting two community forums between the end of March and mid-April.
Board members agreed Monday to include a proposition to purchase three school buses and three vans on the ballot May 15. If approved, the district would allot up to $418,700 for purchasing the vehicles.
Kellett said the proposition furthers the district’s five-year plan of removing aged vehicles at a minimal cost to taxpayers. Were the proposition approved by voters, he said state aid would cover 70 percent.
District officials are also seeking input from residents regarding the upcoming decision on whether to impose a two-level taxing system. Were the homestead option approved, Kellett said the state Offi ce of Real Property Services would provide the district with a range in which it could adjust the rates.
“There is a formula set by law that lets the district set the rates within reason,” he said.
Town officials approved the homestead tax option last month, which then allows both the Schalmont and Mohonasen districts to adjust the rates. Both districts must decide whether to use the dual taxing system before April 1.
Officials from both district are conducting separate public hearings on the homestead option at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Mohonasen will conduct its public hearing at the Farnsworth Technology Center in the High School; Schalmont will host its discussion at the LGI room in the middle school.

THIS IS THE END OF THE ARTICLE AS IT RAN IN THE GAZETTE...


Um...excuse me, but haven't gas prices gone DOWN in the last year? So, how have the gas costs INCREASED? Maybe a little routine maintainance is needed? You're not covering more area...oh wait...that's right, Schalmont has decided that anyone that lives near the school can no longer walk to school and needs to be bussed. There's added stops right in the neighborhood of the school...close enough that it would take a shorter time for the children to walk to school than it would take for them to ride a gas-guzzling diesel fueled bus. Come on, Schalmont. Get with it. The rest of is have to cut costs. Maybe it's time for you, too, to tighten the belt. Cut back on some of the benefits that you give your employees.

This graph shows the gas price average over the past 2 years. While I realize this graph is for unleaded and not diesel, the diesel would follow approximately the same line. With small exception, the only time that you see a marked increase in the price of the fuel is in the summer...WHEN SCHALMONT DOESN'T RUN BUSSES...so what's with the "Poor us, suffering from gas prices?"

As far as health insurance costs, why not cut back on the plan that you offer to the employees. Companies everywhere are doing it. Why do the school employees have to have top of the line health care with the lowest copays possible when the children that sit in the rooms with them day by day may not even have health insurance themselves?

Come on, Schalmont, let's start thinking and trimming that waist (or would it be waste) line. I can already tell you that if I see a raise in the amount of taxes that Schalmont wants to bring in, I will be voting no, especially if it is raising because of things that could easily be cut back.

Illegal Immigration and Homeland Security Dinner

Now, I know in a physical manner, this isn't close to home, but when it comes to jobs, wages, and what our Senators and Representatives are doing for us, I wonder why this isn't being just looked into by someone on the Federal level...Mrs. Clinton... Mr. Schumer...

Mr. Gregory Ball again has the following event coming up.


Illegal Immigration and Homeland Security Dinner
With special guest and national security expert



Michael Cutler



March 30th

//NOTE: DATE HAS CHANGED//

Dinner and Cocktails

$100 Per Person

Putnam National Golf Course



For more information go online:

www.Gballevents.com





Breaking News:



BALL WORKING TO KEEP SEX OFFENDERS

AWAY FROM OUR FAMILIES

Ball Spearheads Local “Child Safety Zone” Initiative



Assemblyman Greg Ball (R,I,C-Carmel), who was appointed this week to the highly prestigious Assembly Republican’s Sex Offender Watch Task Force, has been working since being elected with law enforcement and neighborhood groups to enact local anti-crime measures aimed at protecting our families. Most recently, Assemblyman Ball worked with Putnam County officials and concerned families to develop local legislation creating “Child Safety Zones” countywide, which will be voted on by the full legislature this Tuesday night, and is expected to pass easily.



Supporters of this legislation include chairman of the Assembly task force, Assemblyman Mike Spano, Putnam County Legislators Dan Birmingham and Tony Hay, who formally introduced the legislation, as well as activists and residents including Neil Platt, the concerned citizen whose advocacy and initial contact with Assemblyman Ball, helped develop the “Child Safety Zones” legislation in Putnam County .



Mr. Platt and Assemblyman Ball began working together and quickly involved local elected officials and experts to produce and propose legislation on an expedited timeframe. The “Child Safety Zone” initiative, if adopted, will prohibit sex offenders from being within 2,500 feet from various public and private sites including schools, designated school bus stops, child care facilities, and parks, as well as two-family or multi-family dwellings, such as apartment buildings and co-ops, among others.



“Mr. Platt sent me an email, and within a few days I was in their living room listening to their concerns. We came together as a community and within a matter of weeks have developed the legislation this county needs to protect all of our children and families from sexual predators. In Albany I will continue to fight tooth and nail to keep these sick and dangerous criminals off our streets and it is nice to see such strong and rapid action at the local level,” Ball said. “It is outrageous that year after year the State Legislature has not been able to agree on crucial measures to protect our kids. I salute Governor Spitzer for his leadership in orchestrating a statewide agreement for civil confinement and I will support and hope we pass the legislation statewide that is needed this week or next.”



Ball expanded upon his remarks, commenting on the agreement reached earlier this week by the Governor and legislative leaders regarding civil confinement. The original legislation, introduced by Assembly Republicans 5,112 days ago, was the basis of the agreed upon package.

Sidebar (not from his article) - This must be one of those things that Mr. Tonko wanted to get re-elected so that he gould get back to Albany to "finish up." By the way, 5,112 days before today (and I assume it's going off of a recent date to say that, would have been... March 6, 1993. Not done yet Mr. Tonko? Come on, really. Thanks for protecting our families over the past 14 years...

back to the article...
“All New Yorkers should be very excited about today’s agreement. After fourteen years of advocacy, we finally have a crucial tool for our law enforcement and courts to help keep these sick and dangerous criminals away from our families. The most important concern is protecting the safety and security of all New Yorkers, especially our innocent children. I am committed to doing just that and this agreement on civil confinement gives me even more hope for the Governor’s vision for reforming Albany ,” Ball concluded.

Information on notices to be mailed re: Town Reevaluation

I don't know who "Dave" is, but under the username of d8987 on http://www.rotterdamny.info, Dave stated the following, which I believe is important for the townspeople to know...even if the local newspapers don't think that it is important.

Dave states:
It has been a while since i have been on. Wanted to update those of you that use this that we are having a class on Saturday (Feb 24) at 11 am at Townhall to discuss the notice that will be mailed and the process that will take place over the next month. Notices will be mailed March 1 and a cover letter will provide instructions on what to do, where to go, who to call - and yes the 1-800 number will be the option to call.

We had provided all the newspapers with a press release on Feb 9th, and not one has run the article. Unfortunately we get only the bad press from meetings like last night.

Please pass the word to all that Saturday, 11 am. townhall will be an information session on the notice and information that will be available after you receive your notice.

Again, if you or anyone you come in contact with have any questions please let me know. If you need to call me 1-800-836-0382, ext. 3031.

Dave

Just thought that everyone should know this...even if the newspapers don't think so.

State plans to replace aging bridge - Route 159 to be closed 6 months

Quote from the Daily Gazette - http://www.dailygazette.com/

ROTTERDAM
State plans to replace aging bridge
Route 159 to be closed 6 months
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

The railroad bridge on Mariaville Road near Schenectady Steel is to close March 1 for replacement, a $5.5 million project that will take until September to complete, state Department of Transportation officials announced Tuesday.
Regional DOT Director Thomas Werner said the project is expected to require closing nearly a half-mile of Route 159 between Old Fort Avenue and Delmar Avenue until early September. Traffic will be detoured using Burdeck Street and Duanesburg Road.
In response to the closure, fi re officials created a plan this month to staff the South Schenectady Fire Department station — located near the foot of the bridge off Route 159 — to maintain response times. By having four- and five-member crews at the station around the clock, Fire Chief Howard Relyea III said, volunteers will be able to save a few minutes they would ordinarily spend traveling to the station on a call.
“It’s an inconvenience, but we’ve put in action a plan to get around it,” he said.
Additionally, Relyea said emergency vehicles will follow a detour along Old Fort Avenue and Kellar Avenue to Duanesburg Road to reach areas of the district that otherwise would be isolated.
Relyea said the district, which covers roughly 4,000 businesses and homes in the southwest corner of Rotterdam, will most likely continue to keep the station manned through the duration of the bridge closure. But he said the department needed to brace for a “worst case scenario” when planning for emergencies during the project.
“We’ll have to wait and see how it goes,” he said.
DOT spokesman Peter Van Keuren said the 526-foot-long, 24-foot-wide bridge usually accommodates about 5,000 vehicle crossings per day, which is moderate for the area. He said the 66-year-old bridge had been targeted for replacement for nearly four years.
“It’s lived out its useful life,” he said. “The time is appropriate to replace it.”
Van Keuren said the project calls for the single bridge to be replaced by two bridges, which will both widen the road and improve the durability. He said the existing foot-wide shoulders on Route 159 will be widened to 6 feet, while the clearance over the CSX rail line will also be increased by nearly 3 feet.
Aside from traffic inconveniences, Van Kueren said, the project would also create a fair amount of noise for area residents during the first month of construction. He said those living close to the bridge can expect disturbances between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. weekdays.
“Unfortunately, taking out a bridge is a messy job,” he said.
Werner said the bridge replacement is an important project that is necessary to connect traffic between the city of Schenectady and the western part of the county.
“It not only serves the commuters of the area but also is a crucial link for freight carriers and emergency service providers.”

End quote of Daily Gazette article.





Interesting. The state can take 2 weeks to replace the bridge on Curry Road over I-890, but for a bridge, as this states, with a fire station that needs to respond right at the base of it, and spans over the train tracks, it's going to take 6 MONTHS?!?!? Come on, people! Really!

I would like to know what the owners / management of Stewart's think about this doing to their business all summer, considering all the people from the eastern side of that bridge will probably find it easier to go to Mobil (and pay an arm and a leg, by the way) or follow the detour and go to Cumberland Farms instead. And they just finished updating the Stewarts at Mariaville and Burdeck, too. Too bad they won't be able to pay the bill for the update from this store and will have to cut back profits from other stores in the area to cover it.

Maybe this should have been thought about a few years ago. You know, like before South Schenectady moved to the base of it...or before Railex had all it's business starting to bring fresh produce through this way. I know that Railex won't be the only one that is incovenienced.

Come on, New York state...THINK! Interesting to see how "wonderful" these 2 bridges to replace the one will be here...and what does that mean for the clearing of the bridge(s) after a storm like last week?


If this truly “not only serves the commuters of the area but also is a crucial link for freight carriers and emergency service providers," why wouldn't this be taken care of for so long, and why and how can you afford to shut it down for a full 6 months?

How is this going to affect South Schenectady Fire Department, and what can the residents do (between volunteering to be on the squad and in other ways) to help through this period for the fire squad? Will there be additional help coming from District 2, and how much will it affect them? Are they planning on being on stand-by mode for 6 months also?

"By having four- and five-member crews at the station around the clock, Fire Chief Howard Relyea III said, volunteers will be able to save a few minutes they would ordinarily spend traveling to the station on a call." OK, so some time will be saved, but what is this going to do for response times when they have to get to just the other side of the bridge, when they have to drive around town?

Can I suggest that the state think about this and get the eastbound reopened as quickly as possible, as this would be the out-going direction for the fire department to get response times back down to normal as soon as possible?

The snowstorm's over...now, protect yourself.

This has nothing to do with politics, or with any sort of an issue with how things look / are in Rotterdam. It's a plea to the residents of Rotterdam to protect yourself.

It's now been almost a week since we got hit (and hard) last week from the snowstorm that came through the area.

I noticed yesterday that the fire hydrant closest to my house was still covered and almost totally unnoticeable. Now, I could just leave it, since it wasn't on my land. Instead, I went and uncovered it. Why? For the protection of my family and my neighbors and their families.

Please find where the nearest fire hydrant (or 2) is to your house and make sure that you are protected, making sure that if there was an emergency, the fire department would be able to get to it. When you go to clear it, don't just make sure there's room to get around it, think of the width of the hoses and that a firefighter is going to have to get in there, hook in hoses, and open and close the hydrant itself. Hopefully it won't be needed, but wouldn't you rather dig out the hydrant now than have the Fire Department do it at the time your house (or your neighbor's house) is engulfed in flames?

We need more people in the NYS legislature like this.

I wish that I had someone representing me like Mr. Gregory Ball from the 99th District. He was said to have "gone on a tirade." Well, how I see it is that he was calling to the table the New York State government who needs to really get their butts in gear and turn things around before everyone decides to move out of the state.

He has a blog right here on Blogger at the following address:
http://www.assemblymanball.blogspot.com/

His homepage is: http://www.assemblymangball.com/

He represents people down in Dutchess County, Putnam County and Westchester County. I wonder if he actually represents the Clinton's.
Anyway, he called to order during his speech on why he was voting the way he was the other day. Please watch and listen to this video and see that the NYS Assembly is so corrupt that when they get out of control because of something they don't like that the minority is stating, they won't even pull in the reins and give the person who has the floor for the 2 minutes the respect to shut their mouths. It seems more like Kindergarten than it does a political body...maybe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAojIFQczLA



I would hope that Mr. Tonko agrees with him, however I would caution to say as I don't really know.
Mr. Tonko's website can be found at:
http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=105&submit=Go

Well, I will send an e-mail to Mr. Tonko re: this in the very near future and we'll see what he has to say about it. Does he think it's time for change, or does he like the way that Mr. Sheldon Silver just lets everything go uncontrolled?

Main Florist clean-up begins

As I stated before, this location, right at the foot of I-890, sandwiched between the river and Rotterdam Square Mall has to be cleaned up. I stated this with some of the pictures in the following post.

http://rotterdamrepublican.blogspot.com/2007/01/main-florist-campbell-rd.html

I am glad to say that this cleanup has really got some legs under it now, and has really started to look a bit better, although at this time there are many dumpsters now on the property. I realize that this is part of the cleanup and that they may need to be there for some time before all of the building(s) that stood on this ground are cleaned up and out.

I would like to personally thank whoever decided to finally get on this and start doing something about it. I hope that it continues and does get cleaned up.

I apologize that I cannot put any new pictures on here, as my camera is out of service and needs repair.

I did find this interesting little tidbit on this. A Negative declaration of significant adverse environmental impact, provided specific conditions are met. Well, I hope that they do follow these conditions, as this could and would affect the water you drink tonight.

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/enb2006/20060531/not4.html

Portion of Mariaville Road to close - Bridge over tracks

In case you wondered what all the construction signs and the detour signs that showed up on the western end of town since the end of December, we finally have our answer. The bridge on Mariaville Road that goes over Kellar Ave between Old Fort Ave and Old Mariaville Road will be closing on March 1st for an unknown amount of time. This is also sandwiched in between 5 Corners and Burdeck St, right next to South Schenectady Fire Department.
I don't know how long this is supposed to be closed for, but my guess would be as long as the Curry Rd bridge at I-890, which if I remember correctly was a 2 week period. Don't remember exactly.

How dishonest are the Schenectady City Council Committees?

I raise this question due to the blog posted by Pat Zollinger.

http://patzollinger.us/blog/?p=171

Part of what this says is that some of the committee members may not be as open and truthful with the cameras on. Here's one paragraph which shows this from the middle of the Gazette article.

"On the other hand, council President Mark Blanchfield said, those who are interested could just come to City Hall to watch the meetings firsthand. “It’s not like the public is excluded,” he said. “The print media is there. … It’s not like I think there’s any information that’s not getting out there.”
He’s still considering the idea, but he said cameras could have a chilling effect. “The thing is, the cameras discourage candor,” he said. “And if we had to worry about camera angles and miking, I’m not sure we’d be able to get as much done.”"


So, what you're saying, Mr. Blanchfield is that if you can be held accountable for your actions, there won't be any actions, you won't speak your mind? Hmmm...I realize that you're held accountable for what you do in public office, but it's scary to think that the council President thinks that people, and I assume he, himself, would not be so honest and "get as much done," if the cameras are on.

Glad I don't live in the city, because I would give Mr. Blachfield a piece of my mind. People from Schenectady, I hope that you remember this next time you vote for someone on this Council.

Rotterdam Junction residents - See this

I was just checking the Rotterdam town website, and it states the following for anybody out there.
There Will Be a Public Meeting Regarding the
Rotterdam Junction Water Tower

On Wednesday, February 7, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at the

Rotterdam Junction Firehouse
1215 Main Street
Rotterdam Junction, NY 12150

Just a quick FYI

Thanks, FOA for the pictures

Just wanted to say thanks to the Friends of the Aquifer for forwarding these "beautiful (sarcasm intended)" pictures of the Pattersonville Dump. I will get in touch with you as to get more. Again, as with all pictures posted on this site, these are also on my photobucket acount, which can be found by clicking on the link in the right hand column to completely view these.

Families being pushed out of Rotterdam?

OK, here's how I see it. It seems to me that families are going to be slowly pushed out of Rotterdam. Why do I think this?

Well...there hasn't been one month that has gone by recently that had one specific issue on the agenda which states (and I'll leave out the legal code for now) "Change zoning on (insert location of property here) from Single Family Residential to Multiple Family Residential. These are popping up all over town. Whether they are going to become multiple family houses, apartments, condos, whatever else, it means one thing. Cramping more people into a smaller area. How I see this is that families with children are going to be pushed out of town for people without children, and that's not to say they're not families, but it's not your "standard" Mom, Pop, and their 2 1/2 kids. many apartments are usually only 1 or 2 bedrooms, which is fine, except it does exactly that, gives no room for families. Now, I will admit that these are good for the elderly (i.e. Edison Senior Citizens home over on Princetown Road near Putnam) or for a single person or young couple who doesn't have much income or doesn't want to take the responsibility of upkeep.

Now, I'm not saying that these are bad things, because as a community, we need ALL types of people. My issue is as follows. We're getting rid of a lot of the things that DO make a community. The Little League is looking for a new place to hang their hat. Single family residences are being ripped down to add larger businesses (i.e. the new Rite Aid with the drive-in going in at the corner of Curry and Guilderland). Many small businesses are getting ready to be pushed out of their current location (Walgreens moving into the current location of the Capitol Plaza at the corner of Curry and Altamont, across from Price Chopper).

So, tell me this, once these small businesses are misplaced and the houses that would be suitable for a family to grow up in are ripped down and people need to drive out of town to do activities with their children, what will be left in Rotterdam? Let's start thinking ahead, please, Rotterdam. By the way, there were 3 things on the agenda at the town board meeting this week in regards to forwarding more multiple family housing.
Here's the link for the last agenda.

http://www.rotterdamny.org/images/2007%20Meetings/TB%2001%2024%202007.pdf

83.07, 89.07 and 90.07 are all for new complexes.

Let's keep Rotterdam "A Nice Place to Live," instead of "A Nice Place to sleep before you go somewhere else to Live."

Main Florist - Campbell Rd.

OK, next order of business. The Main Florit on Campbell Rd. The first thing anyone sees getting off of the highway (I-890 and by that, also the Thruway from Exit 26) is Main Florist on the left, just after coming through the light.





I realize that at some point, the owners of this property may or may not have gbeen asked to clean this up. Well, as a town resident I have one question. How long is lone enough for this person / these people to clean this up?

You know, there has been talk about bringing professional buildings into town (such as the ones that were going to be placed at the Republican Club as a possibility). Wouldn't this be an opportune place to put something like this? Easy access into town, many people taking their lunch over at Rotterdam Square, pushing money into our local economy and adding majorly to the sales tax revenue coming from town?
The access to I-890, and therefore the Thruway could really be a good selling point on this location. Also, the people could enjoy a nice lunch right down at the lock or across the river at Jumping Jacks in the spring / summer for a nice little getaway.

Old Grand Union - Hamburg St.

Well, I must say that this location is really starting to look a bit better. I don't know what the plans are for it, but I'm glad to see that someone has really cleaned up the storefront.




Much better than it was. Hopefully we can get some business in here and get a boost to Rotterdam. I'm sure that with whoever fixing it up, they have SOME sort of plan, but I don't really know what it is.

More on the Pattersonville Dump

First of all, I apologize for the length of this article, but I think it is a point that needs to be taken seriously.

This story was in the Daily Gazette this morning. Thank you for bringing this issue to light again Justin.

I appreciate the time and money that was sacrificed by the Friends of the Aquifer to pay for the plane to go over this land and get these photos. I would be more than happy to post any of these pictures that you would like to get displayed on this site, also, if you wish.

---------------------------
COURTESY OF FRIENDS OF THE AQUIFER A recent aerial photo shows the extent of debris not visible from the road along Route 5S at Michael Marotta’s property in Rotterdam Junction.


ROTTERDAM
Photos put dumping in spotlight
New evidence goes to DA
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net

A bird’s-eye view of the troublesome Marotta property off Route 5S in Pattersonville apparently will help Schenectady County Attorney Christopher Gardner in legal action against dumping there.
Recently, a grass-roots organization called the Friends of the Aquifer presented Gardner with a compact disc containing dozens of high-resolution aerial photos of the junk-strewn five-acre parcel in Pattersonville. Gardner said this week he intends to use the photos as evidence in seeking a judgment against Michael Marotta later this month, compelling him to clean the property.
“The aerial photos are very helpful,” he said. “It’s very useful evidence.”
Shawn Schultz, a member of the group and across-the-street neighbor of the property, said the photos are proof that Marotta has continued to import junk to the property, despite an earlier agreement to clean it up. And as more trucks continue to haul everything from old tires to old trailers to the rear of the property, she’s hoping the pictures will confirm that.
“We could see him bringing more stuff in and he wasn’t taking anything out,” she said. “We figured we had to prove it to the town that the cleanup was not occurring.”
Earlier this month, Friends of the Aquifer paid $250 to have a photographer take aerial pictures of the Marotta property, illustrating the junk accumulating on land located within the recharge area of the Great Flats Aquifer. Schultz, a member of the aquifer group, said the pictures were presented to the attorneys representing both the town and the county.
For nearly a year now, the junk cluttering Marotta’s property has been the subject of enforcement action by both the county and town over fear the junk — vehicles, tires and such — could pose a threat to the aquifer, which supplies Schenectady’s drinking water. Marotta has been cited for violations of both town and county codes and ordered to clean up the property.
Charges against Marotta, as well as his mother, Genevieve Marotta, who was the property owner of record last year, were initially scheduled to go on trial last month. The case was adjourned so that Genevieve Marotta could undergo competency evaluations, now expected Monday.
But many residents have voiced open frustration about Marotta’s continued resistance. Recently, a blogger identified as “RotterdamRepublican” posted a video clip, along with pictures of the property, demanding more immediate action. (These pictures and video can still be viewed with the links at the top right of this page.)
Previously, Marotta claimed his property was “grandfathered” into a business code, which would allow a dump. The property is now zoned as agricultural.
Bob Duchesne, a Pattersonville resident and Friends of the Aquifer member, hopes the photos will better illustrate for the town and county the problem developing on less visible areas of the land.
“This guy moves stuff around there like Chinese checkers,” he said. “Maybe it’s about time to get things cleaned up.”
-----------------------------------------------

Per another article posted in the Gazette on 11/11/2006,
ROTTERDAM
More junk at site, town says
Michael Marotta had promised to clear Route 5S land
BY MATT VOLKE Gazette Reporter


(I'm not going to place Mr. Volke's contact information here, as his "beat" covering Rotterdam has since been handed over to Mr. Justin Mason, as in the article above.)


Rotterdam officials said Friday a landowner, already headed to trial over a charge of illegal dumping on the aquifer, continued to bring junk to his property this week.
Town Attorney Patrick Saccocio said a building inspector went to the property and confirmed complaints that a flatbed with its roof cut off was taken there Thursday.
Michael Marotta is heading to Town Court Dec. 5 on a misdemeanor charge of failing to obtain site plan review for using the land as a junk yard. That charge was brought in January.
Earlier this year, the town created stricter aquifer and building codes with increased penalties. Those law changes could be used against Marotta for the most recent incident, Saccocio said. So far the town has not taken action.
"Not only did we request [Marotta to stop dumping], he promised and said he would stop," Saccocio said. "We’re not happy about it at all."
In a letter to the town, Marotta promised he would remove junk vehicles before Feb. 28, putting "any and all parts" in proper enclosure and not in open view, and cleaning up debris to comply with code.
Shawn Schultz, a member of Friends of the Aquifer, said she’s frustrated with the recent development. She said the roof on the flat-bed was removed to make room for the debris.
"It’s like he’s thumbing his nose at everybody," she said.
The initial charges date to Jan. 12, when debris from construction sites and junk vehicles were trucked onto the Route 5S property. Environmentalists and neighbors complained. At a Town Board meeting shortly after, more than 100 people packed the room to complain.
The property, on the east side of Route 5S near Route 160, is in the town’s aquifer recharge area and is zoned for agricultural use. Marotta has said the land was grandfathered into a business code, which would allow a dump.
Marotta, of 11 Michael Drive, and his mother, Genevieve Marotta of 1 Michael Drive, both pleaded innocent to their charges in town court in the spring. The property at the time was in Genevieve Marotta’s name and she was also charged with a misdemeanor.
The Schenectady County Intermunicipal Watershed Rules and Regulations Board also alleged violations of state public health law.
Ray Gillen, a watershed commissioner, said a hearing was held and Marotta did not attend. He said a determination of the allegation is still pending, but the maximum fine is only $200. The law and fines have not been updated since the 1950s.
"We’ll prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, which is very limiting," Gillen said. "We need the state to toughen the law."
--------------


Maybe the law needs to be looked at and updated? I mean really, a $200 fine? That's really going to persuade Mr. Marotta to clean up this land, don't you think?
Is this a state law? Is this something that the town board can toughen up on and raise the fine, or keep the state level and add a town level fine? I mean really, if Mr. Marotta was going to have to pay someone to take away this stuff, I'm sure that 1 pile of the tires would cost him more to take off the land than paying the $200 fine. Either that, or he finds another place to ship them off to and illegally dump them. Maybe the land needs to be taken from the Marotta's and sold to someone, cleaned up (yes, I know this would be costly, maybe at the Marotta's expense) and have the deed to this land updated so that the Marotta's would not be able to buy it back, except for paying back the additional amount on top of the sale amount of whatever is the cost incurred to clean this up (which I'm sure is going to be some cost).

Re: RotterdamResident's post on John Mertz

I really like John Mertz and some of the ideas that he has been fighting for and bringing to the table, even if not every thing is a great idea. Who has great ideas all the time.
I think things need to change up a bit, and John brings that to the board. Per RotterdamResident's post, John is not originally from Rotterdam.
That being said, it brings along 2 questions:
1. Where is John Mertz from in the first place?
2. How long has he been here in Rotterdam?

Let's get with the time, Rotterdam. I support John Mertz.


_____________________________________________________-
John Mertz - Rotterdam Town Councilman
By RotterdamResident

Ever since John Mertz was elected to the Rotterdam Town Board, he has come under a bit of scrutiny. Justified or not, it has become quite apparent that he appears frustrated with our Rotterdam process and mentality. From the Police Commission, to a new Rotterdam Park, to Corporate Commerce, to his loss to Tonko, the critizism never ends.

Mr. Mertz is not a home grown Rotterdamian. Coming to a town like Rotterdam and entering the political arena in a town where the general mentality is at least 30years behind the times is like throwing yourself to the lions.

He seems to have the strong drive and desire to change Rotterdam, but Rotterdam doesn't seem to want to budge. Rotterdam meaning, old politics and the old home growns who can't see past their political affiliation or their pockets.

Rotterdam can't stay this way forever, or can it?

It's so nice to know... Thanks to our troops.

It's so nice to know that the Times Union stands behind our troops and their families...oops...sorry, guess I read the main headline wrong for a second there on the front page this morning.

Amid slog of war, troops wonder why.

Many of the troops think that this war, whether they agree with being sent or not, is something that has to be done. They go and faithfully serve their country. It's because of the media in this country, mainly the 3 main networks (CBS, ABC, NBC) and the news media outlets like CNN. They always want a heart wrenching story of how somebody's been done wrong. Well, to be honest, I'm just getting sick of it.

I think that a lot smaller of the troops would be sacrificing their lives and just continue to be able to serve in the capacity they have been if they were hearing POSITIVE things from home.

So, I ask the Times Union, and I know that the from page story, written by Lauren Frayer (from the Associated Press), please remember that the people that are serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and all over the world in places that we couldn't even begin to think of, are doing this so that you can spout of this garbage that they don't know what they're fighting for. Fact is, if they didn't fight for it, you would be TOLD what you had to write...you know...sort of like it was in Iraq until just recently. Just like it was in the U.S.S.R. before the fall of Communism and the Berlin Wall.

Now, I know there's not always going to be pretty pictures and stories of wonderful things to put right on the front page of our local papers, but let's not put down the troops and what they are fighting for. Remember, it's YOUR JOB they're fighting to protect. Whether you (or they, for that fact) like it or not.

The rest of this post actually includes this article for anyone that hasn't seen it.

Amid slog of war, troops wonder why
Some Fort Drum-based American soldiers question what it is to win in fight against Iraq insurgents

By LAUREN FRAYER, Associated Press
First published: Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Baghdad, Iraq -- Their alarm clocks went off at 3:30 a.m., sending members of the Army's 10th Mountain Division reaching for their M-4 assault rifles then trudging from their tents and trailers into 6-inch-deep mud.

Piling into Humvees, they rumbled through verdant brush along irrigation canals south of Baghdad, which provides excellent cover for bombs. Hundreds of American soldiers have died in these mostly Sunni Muslim villages since the war began.

But nearly four years into the fighting, some soldiers say it's getting more difficult to swing their legs over the edge of the cot each morning. With America's Iraq policy in flux, some troops say they're asking themselves for the first time whether the United States can win the war -- or what winning really means here.

"It's hard to tell what's right here anymore," said Case Dewinkel, a 23-year-old Army specialist from Madison, Wis.

The soldiers said they do their jobs and leave politics to the generals. But the debate in the United States over the legitimacy of the Iraq conflict has trickled down to the soldiers patrolling this dangerous area.

Dewinkel and other members of the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division -- based at upstate New York's Fort Drum -- gathered one recent morning in a schoolhouse south of Baghdad to set up a makeshift medical clinic for villagers.

While Iraqis lined up in a dank corridor outside, a few U.S. soldiers leaned against desks in a ramshackle classroom, chomping candy, chatting, pacing to keep warm.

They were reticent at first to express their thoughts about the war, but finally said they felt a certain apathy and ambiguity.

"There are a lot of reasons why we're here, but they're complex. This isn't a war like they used to be, like in World War II when there was good and evil and the direction was clear," Dewinkel said, scuffling his feet on the muddy schoolhouse floor. Rain poured outside.

He pulled off his camouflaged helmet and bulletproof glasses, exposing youthful cheeks turned pink from the cold.

"It's hard to tell who the good guys are," Dewinkel said.

President Bush announced last week that he would add 21,500 more American soldiers to the 132,000 already in Iraq. The plan would cost $5.6 billion, on top of $100 billion Bush is expected to ask Congress for in February for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While soldiers back home prepare for the call to deploy, some here are asking if there was more they could have done. Others fault Iraqis for their slow progress. Some look inward, demoralized. Others dig in their heels, or urge patience.

"People have always said it's a critical juncture, but now we're really about to crest," said Maj. Web Wright, 39, an Annapolis, Md., native also assigned to the 2nd Brigade.

Wright said he worried U.S. public support for the war was waning and that American troops could be withdrawn prematurely. He has worked too hard, for too long to strengthen Iraq just to walk away.

"I don't want to see what we've done go to waste," he said. "What's the solution then? If we pull the troops out, who fills that void?"

Wright said he worries that it is difficult to define what victory would mean in Iraq.
"I've spent two years here, and I want to see us win," he said. "I don't want to rush to get it over with. The problem is, what's a win here, in this a counterinsurgency fight?"

Sgt. Maj. Fred Morris found himself on a blighted Baghdad street corner at dusk, arguing with barefoot Iraqis about electricity.

Six men, surrounded by their children in tattered clothes, pleaded with Morris for help. They had no power or water or fuel, they said, and they had given up looking for work. Militiamen had infiltrated the local police station. Even their revered sheik left town.

"Look at what I'm up against," Morris told a visiting reporter. "They've got six grown men here, each owns a weapon, and they're complaining to me."

"I'm telling them, 'Look, leave your families in the protection of some of the other men in town, and take up your problems with the local Iraqi authorities. Walk down to the nearest Iraqi police station or Iraqi army outpost and tell them, not me,"' he said.

Morris, 45, is on his third tour in Iraq, including Desert Storm. He said he's grown frustrated with Iraqis, who have become increasingly demoralized and more dependent than ever on U.S. troops.

"You guys have got to start figuring this out yourself," Morris said, shaking his head as he turned to walk away.

His Humvee circled through Baghdad's Dora neighborhood, filled with signs of the capital's decline. Women draped in black shuffled in flip-flops across sidewalks littered with broken glass. Downed power lines snaked through the roadside mud, where a black market fuel seller had lined up multicolored plastic gas cans. A boy stretched out his arms and pretended to fly, leaping across mounds of garbage.

Dewinkel, the Army specialist staffing a medical clinic south of Baghdad, pondered the future of the Sunni enclave where he serves, and of Iraq as a whole.

"I don't think it'll get any better. Once we leave, I think they'll go back to killing each other," he said. "They've already started."

Why Am I A Republican?

I believe in the promise of America and the goodness of the American people.

I believe that the roots of our society are found in strong families, personal faith, solid communities, and love of country.

I believe that our flag, the "Stars and Stripes", is a true and unique symbol of the pride and patriotism Americans share in their beloved nation.

I believe that America is still the "shining city on a hill", and represents the dreams and aspirations of current and future generations of American citizens.

I believe that our government is best when it is closest to the people that it serves.

I believe that government and governmental programs should be efficient, and provide full accountability for the practices and policies it's leaders propose and implement.

I believe in the spirit of free enterprise, in which capitalism is the best means to keep our economy running strong, both now and in the future.

I believe that while government can and should be the provider of some essential services, it should function with limited taxation, financial efficiency and the adoption of innovations to allow taxpayers to get the most for their hard-earned tax dollars.

I believe that America's military is the most powerful military force in the world, and that our brave men and women who serve our nation deserve the respect and admiration a grateful nation can only bestow.

I believe that governments first and foremost responsibility is the providing of safety and security to our citizens.

I believe that the rights of law-abiding citizens should outweigh the rights of criminals and that the enforcement of existing laws, combined with the addition of innovative, common-sense policies, is the best means of furthering a civil society.

I believe that our natural environment is a precious resource for all humankind, and that citizens and government should work together to implement common-sense policies that allow for both environmental protection and economic growth.

I believe that in the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, all persons are created equal, and that I oppose discrimination in any form, against any person, and for any reason.

I believe in an inclusive political party, a party with a "big tent" approach where I am encouraged to share my beliefs and to disagree with those who share opposing viewpoints.

I believe that Republican Party leaders and officials have brought needed change to New York State and I agree that supporting their efforts is the best way to ensure a brighter future for many years to come.

Welcome to the ranks, RotterdamResident & Hospitals

This is in response to RotterdamResident's post (which I have copied and pasted below). First of all, RotterdamResident, welcome to our ranks. I noticed that you just started to voice your opinion, and I thank you for being another voice for the people of Rotterdam. I'm sure there's things we will agree on, and others we will staunchly disagree on. We'll see about that over time.

Now...on to my first disagreement. ;-)

While I understand your reasoning to question "Do we really need a 'women's hospital'?", I would like to say yes, we need to keep this. First of all, Schenectady county is already hurting from years of bad government, so we should take every chance that we have to bring people into Schenectady county.

Also, as a question to you, where do you think that everyone in Schenectady county should go to have their newborns? There are only 3 hospitals in Schenectady county right now, Bellevue, St. Clare's and Ellis. One of those hospitals, Ellis, does not even have an OB ward anymore. So, that leaves only 2 hospitals in the vicinity. While Bellevue doesn't necessarily have emergency services, it is a very good place to go to get the care a woman needs, and I must say with some wonderful doctors.
"close the other maternity units in other surrounding hospitals."
Well, as far as the county goes, you're already half way there. Besides, there are people that travel from other counties in the area and even from other states to come to Bellevue for top notch care.
I'm sure almost every hospital could use some "updates on their facility." Ellis is building on, Albany Medical Center is thriving and adding on quite a bit.

I know how some businesses themselves keep certain hospitals open. GE was the original reason that St. Clare's opened, I believe. Because Ellis couldn't handle the entire community.

I understand that closure is definitely a possibility, and with the bill that was suggested by the state, would be happening, along with the merger of St. Clares and Ellis. Here's the thing. I think you might want to look at this location for something other than another nursing home, as there has been quite a few nursing homes having issues in the area already.

January 14, 2007
Bellevue Maternity Hospital
By RotterdamResident

Do we really need a 'women's hospital'? I know that Bellevue comes with history and a hospital where most women went....in the past! Now you have more and more couples going to St.Peters.

Now if you really want to keep Bellevue open, than close the other maternity units in other surrounding hospitals. I have had relatives give birth at Bellevue and I have gone to visit them. The hospital is in desperate need of updating. The service isn't what it use to be either.

Neil Golub has really kept this hospital afloat for a long time. And I commend him for this! But if Bellevue wants to continue in business, they need to update the facility (a simple paint job would be a start), and employ people who are dedicated to service.

If Bellevue is to close, I would hope that they will keep the historic building and create another use for it. It does have a history and is yet a beautiful structure. How about using it to house the up and coming baby boomers? Plain and simple, a NURSING HOME!

Pattersonville Dump - Welcome to Rotterdam, A Nice Place to Live.

Rotterdam...Still "A Nice Place to Live?"














Maybe we can look at getting something done here?!?!?!

Pattersonville Dump - Update

OK, so I haven't been out to Rotterdam Junction or Pattersonville for a while, so I thought I would go out and see what the fuss was about for this dump. Well, to be honest, I didn't see it while I was driving out 5S towards the Montgomery County line. Just saw a few little village houses and a few businesses sprinkled here and there. So, figuring I would have to see it some other time, I turned around and headed back into Schenectady county (yes, I crossed the border), and I saw it.

Just after you cross the Schenectady County border, nothing screams Rotterdam, A Nice Place to Live like tractor trailers sitting out in a yard and everything strewn around. I am hoping to be able to go out and take a better look at this some time in the near future, but hopefully in daylight, where I can really see what's happening out there. To be honest, what I saw was a disgrace, and if that's what someone calls cleaned up, I think they should get to the optomotrist and get that prescription checked...and soon. I think they call that glaucoma...or blindness. Well, I won't turn a blind eye. This is a disgrace to Pattersonville, Rotterdam Junction and the entire town of Rotterdam and County of Schenectady. I think that this place should be shut down and cleaned up immediately. There is no reason for all of that. Someone needs to tell the owner of this land that he's had enough time to take care of this, and to get it taken care of now, or they should have to forfeit the land to the town and village.

Well, like I said, I will see about getting some proof actually on here (or maybe they can call me a liar by having the entire mess cleaned up by the time I get a chance to get back out there. If so, then I will have to give them credit, because they'll have to work night and day for quite a while, by what I saw.

So, Mr. Marotta, please get to work and get this cleaned up. Now.

Are Dems for anything, or against everything?

OK, so in the past, we know that Democrats have had different ideas than the Republicans. I know, a shocker. You never expected to hear that, right? Well, here's just part of that.
Harry Reid has flip-flopped on his idea of what should happen in Iraq within the last month, and here's the proof...
From the Huffington Post on December 17, 2006...

Reid Says Yes To Short Term "Surge" In Troops: Leading Dems Say No Way...
Associated Press | HOPE YEN | Posted December 17, 2006 09:52 PM

The Senate's top Democrat offered qualified support Sunday for a plan to increase U.S. troops in
Iraq, saying it would be acceptable as part of a broader strategy to bring combat forces home by 2008.

President Bush's former secretary of state, however, expressed doubts any troop surge would be effective, noting U.S. forces already are overextended. "The American Army isn't large enough to secure Baghdad," said
Colin Powell, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman during the 1991
Gulf War.


OK, so on that day, he's stating that we need to add troops in order to take care of the job, something at that point that Mr Powell was hesitant to do. Ok, so the president reviewed this and decided (as of his speech this week) that we need to add troops. Obvious by the fact that Colin Powell is no longer the Joint Chiefs of Staff as he has left the office since then, he did not agree with President Bush at that time.

Well, then here we go again. President Bush decides to add troops and what happened?

From the Washington Post on January 6, 2007, here's where he has the change of heart (and my idea is that it's because the president did, and he can't be agreeing with the president, Reid's a Democrat, and won't be found fraternizing with a Republican.)


Pelosi, Reid Urge Bush To Begin Iraq Pullout
President Considering Three 'Surge' Options

By Peter Baker and Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, January 6, 2007; Page A01

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid declared yesterday that "it is time to bring the war to a close" and warned President Bush that sending more U.S. troops to Iraq would be unacceptable to the Democratic majorities that have just taken over Congress.



So, Mr. Reid, what do you and your friends think we should do, agree with you in December, or January. Maybe the Democrats shouldn't have a donkey as their symbol, but instead, a stack of pancakes (easier to flip-flop pancakes than donkeys)

Pattersonville Dump

In recent news, there have been some stories about the land being used as a dump by Mr. Michael Marotta in Pattersonville. By what I have heard and researched, this is quite upsetting, but I am trying to find out a few more facts about what the actual situation is with this. I have e-mailed Mr. Matt Volke, who wrote a story regarding this in the Daily Gazette last March.
This story was also covered by Rob Irwin of the Spotlight News, as well as Justin Mason of the Daily Gazette.

I invite comment from anyone on this issue, whether it be someone from the group I have come to know as Friends of the Aquifer (which I am looking for more information on), Mr. Marotta (if he would like to input his feelings/issues with this), Mr. Volke (who has covered this story before), or anyone else that knows and/or is affected by this situation. Please e-mail me and let me know what is going on and/or your feelings on this issue.

OK, I have to laught at this already

I just started reading House Resolution #5. In the first section it states the following:
"Resolved, That upon the adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the House the resolution (H. Res. 6) adopting the Rules of the House of Representatives for the One Hunderd Tenth Congress."

Now, here's the interesting part. Nancy Pelosi said that they are going to act quick, and even make sure that the Republicans may not even have a chance to review these things. I printed them out to read, and between Res. 5 and 6, there is a total of 24 pages.
Mrs. Pelosi, acting as quickly as she can already got a vote on this, even stating previously that she would not give those on the other side of the aisle the time to review / debate over these bills (those included in her first 100 hours).

"The resolution shall be considered as read."

Well, Mrs. Pelosi, if you are going to enact these certain bills (actually laws once they are voted on and passed), maybe you should make sure that they are true, that EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE TO READ THEM, IF YOU ARE GOING TO INCLUDE IN THE VERBIAGE THAT IS IS READ. I know, I'm trying to tell a Democrat to use common sense. Guess I forgot who I was talking to. Oh, well.

Democrats with Democrats, Republicans with Republicans

Well, that's about the way that House Resolution 5 and 6 went, with our own Mike McNulty supporting both. I haven't read through the entire thing yet, but he agreed with Nancy Pelosi, so as far as I'm concerned, that can't be a point in his favor.
I will review it and get back...sooner or later.
I hope to check out what our state reps are doing also at some later time.

Well, Nancy Pelosi got to work

I heard that the new congress has started some of their antics already. Get ready it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Well, my friends over at http://albanyeye.blogspot.com have gone back into the world of the unknown. I'll believe it when I see it.

I'll do my best to let you know what's going on right here in Rotterdam, in case you're wondering, too.

Well, if you want to e-mail me, if only to tell me that you're reading, but this really sucks, just drop me a line at RotterdamRepublican@iwon.com.

The Rotterdam Republican Appears

Well, I don't have much to say at the moment. Watch here for more information in the future. This blog will be centering on issues in and around Rotterdam, NY and the capital region of NY, town, state, and national government.

Please, visit the blog that inspired me to start this...

http://www.albanyeye.blogspot.com - Weblog of the mysterious Albany Eye

Well, I will give some other blogs that I read eventually, and get much further into depth with different things that are going on, but I just wanted to drop 2 more links for the time being.

http://www.patzollinger.us/blog/ - Weblog of Pat Zollinger, a woman who is not serving in Schenectady, but from what I hear, is very vocal in issues for the city of Schenectady.

http://www.rotterdamny.org/ - Website for the town of Rotterdam, NY

http://www.rotterdamny.info/ - Bulletin board to discuss issues in Rotterdam, Schenectady County, and beyond.