Schwinn Tourist Review - Post honeymoon period...

Here's the review I've promised on the new bike purchase, post honeymoon period, and about 250 miles or so into it.

For starters, I settled on this bike for a couple of reasons:
* I would like to start commuting regularly (Been doing the half commutes occasionally)
* I want to start training for the 50 mile Ride-For-Roswell next spring/summer
* For errands
* Not sure if cycling was something I'd get into

I ended settling for the Schwinn Tourist from Target.  Specs are:
* 700c, 28 mm tires
* Swift Arriv aluminum aero wheelset
* Shimano Altus rear derailleur
* SR Suntour front derailleur
* SR Suntour chainrings, crank (And pedal, presumably)
* Aluminum frame
* One set of bosses for water bottle/pump/etc
* Schwinn-branded (p)leather seat

I think I lucked out in what Target location I bought it from.  The bike was well assembled (Greased properly, assembled properly, and wheels trued).  The only issue I had was the front and back der required adjustment.  15 minute job, tops.  If you are at all handy with a hex key and a screwdriver, you'll be able to do it yourself.  You can take it to a shop for a once-over if you are not comfortable learning a bit about the machine.

The seat is a roadie-style saddle, which looks uncomfortable at first look.  Let me assure you, it will hurt for a week or so, until your body acclimates to riding, if you've not been on a bike for a while.  However, quickly, it becomes a very comfortable saddle.

While, you can set this up for a more relaxed riding style, this bike really shines once you set it up for the type of riding it's designed for:  An aggressive riding style.  Put the seat two inches above the handlebars, +/- a half inch or so.

It does have the mount points for the rear rack at the drop out, but not at the top of the chain-stay.  Some wire clamps, or zip-ties, and you'll be all set there, if your rack doesn't come with the applicable hardware.  Front fork does NOT have the mount points for a front rack, nor fenders.

The weight of the bike, according to my scale, is 22 lbs, without accessories.  I added a rack, a water bottle cage, and a hand pump.  Which, leads to my biggest complaint about the bike:  Only one mount point for accessories.

I got around this one problem by using the same mount point for my pump and water bottle.  The mounting for my pump sucks, so occasionally, I have to pull the pump back up (It slides down), so it doesn't rub against the front chain ring.  For 15 cents more, they could have added two more holes on the seat tube.

The ride itself was nice and smooth.  It didn't feel "twitchy", and was surprisingly comfortable, even over the rough pavement we call a "Bike path" here in WNY.  It does feel unstable when going through sand or debris on the road, but that's to be expected with the narrow road tires.

All in all, this was a fine purchase, and even a couple of the guys from a local bike shop said this was a fine ride, and well worth the money.  Online, there are some reviews about the tires blowing out quickly, but I'm just not seeing how this is possible with properly inflated tires.  There are also some riders who think the bike is too small/too big.  This may be the case, or it may be a case of not knowing how to adjust a bike to fit.  The seat needs up/down-forward/backward adjustment, which is really key.  I'm 5'10", and it fits quite fine after some adjustment.

About the only experience I can lend, is wider tires would be better for Buffalo roads, which generally are crappy even for cars.  Even worse on bikes.  Not a ding against the bike, but on piss-poor road quality in WNY.

Will I need to upgrade soon?  I don't think so.  I've already set my goal at 1500 miles over a rolling 12 month window before I upgrade the bike.  I think this ride will last me quite some time, and thus far am quite happy. I'll review it again after 6 months, to let everyone know how it's going.

Department Store Bicycles: Are they really that bad?

Something really grinds my gears:  The automatic admonishment of all bicycles bought from department stores, like Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, etc.

Yes, most bikes from department stores are crap.  And, yes, they, almost without fail, will have to be taken to an actual bike shop to get a final tuneup prior to being road worthy.

But, I said MOST are crap.  Not all are.  For about 95% of all cyclist out there, a department store will hold a bike that is a fine deal, pretty good quality, and fit their needs fully.  I learned this lesson.  And, thankfully, not the hard way.

I'm a decent bike mechanic.  I can do most adjustments and repairs on my own (Still getting handy with derailleur adjustments).  I first bought a bike at a police auction (Don't recommend the BPD police auction...  You have NO idea what you are buying until it's in your hand).  I spent WAAAY too much on it.  About $20 more than I should have.

So, I started doing what every person has suggested:  Start prowling CL and check out the Local Bike Shops (LBS).  Basically, everything on CL was over priced for used bikes.  The LBS?  Couldn't find even a used bike fitting my needs for less than $300.  The fact that no area stores have their inventory online, and only are open for limited hours (6PM on a weekday...  Seriously?  4PM on a Saturday?); I started doing the next best thing:

I started browsing department stores online.  I ruled out Wal-Mart on philosophical and practical grounds.  I know why Wal-Mart is cheaper than everyone else.  It's how they treat their suppliers, which forces the suppliers to use sub-standard parts on everything.  There's a "QA Check" and a "Walmart QA check" for most suppliers these days.

I landed on a couple at Target.  I really didn't want anything with suspension, so it ruled out most.  I was looking for a nice 700c road bike.  Landed it:  $269, a Schwinn Tourist.  Light, agile, and 700c wheels.

Yes, it had issues.  I had to re-adjust the derailleurs.  But, that was about it there.  I got a new bike, with entry level components found on other bikes that cost $499 or so.

Will this bicycle last me for, say, 4 years?  Most likely.  My "post-honeymoon" review will be coming shortly. But, the bottom line is this:  You don't have to go to an LBS in order to find a decent bike.  Yes, going to your local LBS is preferential, but don't sweat taking one sale away from them on a bike.  They only get like 5-10% margin on it.  Go to your LBS for services and parts, they get a much better margin, and you keep the mechanics there employed.

Car-lite

No, I'm not a crunchy, granola fed, vegan.  No, I'm not an environmental extremist.  I am however, someone looking to get a little more physically fit, and save some money.

So, I bought a bicycle.  Before I get assaulted, I bought it at a Target store, not a local bike shop (LBS).  I need to dip a toe in before plunging head first into a $500+ bicycle.

The past couple of weeks, I've been working up mileage to a point where I was sure I could in fact, do the commute (Well, half-commute.  More on that).  So, I've been putting in 10+ miles on Saturdays and Sundays, and during the week, I do short runs around the neighborhood (To the store, bank, etc).

Today, I jumped into it.  I rode from my house, to University Station, then took a bus from there to work.  I've been bus commuting for a while, and I enjoy it (I get more reading time in, and more Netflix watching).

It's a 4 mile trek, 20 minutes or so, all uphill I discovered, into the bus station.  Then a 20 minute ride on the bus to work.

I have to say, the bike racks are rather nice.  I jostled around inside of the bus more than my bike moved on the rack.  It doesn't look like it would be secure, but it is.  The bus driver was happy to assist when I couldn't figure out the front wheel latch.

The racks are easy to use once you see it done.  You pull the handle up, drop the cage.  Plunk your bike down in the rack.  Pull out the handle (yes, it extends outwards), and drop it over your front wheel.  Ch-ching!  Ready to go.

Hopefully, I'll get to do the whole commute, but the first leg was killer (165 ft in climbing over 4 miles).  I think the rest of the trip is mostly flat though.

I'm hopeful, after keeping an eye out on my afternoon buses, that there will be a rack on the front.  We'll see though.  It's hit or miss, but 95% of the buses do in fact have racks on them.  I know my second bus most likely WONT have one.  Seems the 5 bus rarely has one, but seeing it's a core route, it's understandable to put them on the suburban feeder routes when possible.

So, at the end of the day, I'll have 8 miles under my belt in cycling.  That's enough to settle my "mandatory exercise" for each day.  Everything over and above is just gravy.  And, I get a "warm fuzzy" from burning just a little less gasoline.  And, I get to spend even less on vehicle maintenance, which means the car lasts longer in between replacements.

I see it as a win-win.  Now, if only we can get Kenmore avenue worked on to be a little less broken.  Literally, it's so bad, a mountain bike would be more appropriate than a road bike for much of the trip.

The Stigma of Mass Transit

We in Western New York are an odd bunch.  When we think of metro buses, the first thing that generally comes to mind is "poor people with no cars".  I think that's a major reason why very little attention is paid to the NFTA, unless it involves the airport or the canal side.

I've been commuting 20 miles round trip per day for the last 3 or 4 months.  When I first started taking the bus, I assumed I was going to be surrounded by the dregs of society.  I was going to be the only white-collar guy on the bus, clutching my laptop, making sure nobody ran off with it.  Welfare moms picking up their checks, and drug dealers using the bus as a mobile spot to deal their wares.  Basically, I expected to see pretty much of type of leech on the system; concentrated into one place.

What I encountered was far different.  What I encountered were normal people, who might not make as much money as I, going to and from work.  The worst I've seen is people kicking back some vodka or whiskey, while on the way home from work.  I saw at least one person who makes the same, if not more than I.

I saw those people who make a fraction of what I make, leaving their houses at 6AM, and seeing them on their way back home at around 5PM (That's an 11 hour day, FYI).  They are not lazy, scum-sucking leeches of the system.  They are hard working people, trying to make a dime, or just taking the bus to save some money (Like me), or just trying to do something a little more environmentally conscious than driving their 2 MPG SUV 20 miles round trip to work every day.

Now, this got me to thinking:  Since the NFTA is rather convenient for many, and for many the only way they'd be able to get to work; when it's reducing the amount of traffic on our roads; when it's further reducing emissions by switching to hybrid vehicles;  Why is the NFTA largely ignored?

This past restructuring was the only major change done to our mass transit system in many years.  But, even still, it wasn't really a big change.  Some "duh" items, like getting rid of the 4 zones, transfers, et al.  Basically, all the vestiges of the WNY mass transit system's patchwork past.

But, 10 years after starting the bike rack program, STILL not every bus has a rack.  There is STILL no easy way to get from Depew to Williamsville via bus (You have to go downtown, then back out to Depew)...  There are no circumscribing routes.

This is a ridiculous state of affairs.  When we know that the vast majority of passengers using mass transit are workers, why can we not build a system that is conducive to efficient movements of labor?  This is one of the biggest things killing our area.  We have a huge labor pool, but the costs of getting to your work (in some cases) larger than what you can gain.  This restricts free labor movement.

If we want to improve our employment figures, we need to make it as easy as possible for labor to go to their jobs, wherever they may be.  And, to do this (Since we can't force car and gas prices lower) we need to improve our mass transit system.  It doesn't need to be on par with NYC or Chicago, but it surely needs to be much better than what it is today.

I don't think I'm at the position as of yet to think that this is a concerted effort to keep the middle and lower classes constrained as slave labor, but I'm getting there.  With the concerted fight across our nation against light-rail rapid transit (Which would accomplish the same goal:  Moving labor efficiently from point A to point B), and the concerted effort to maintain public subsidies on private jets; it's getting me closer and closer.  Is this part of the plan to turn us all into wage slaves?  By making it so difficult to get to other geographic areas, that we are forced to accept whatever wage our masters offer?

Tell me what you think?  Is this a concerted effort, or simple shortsightedness?

Buffalo Community Organization Highlights

I'm going to do a new "section" from now on in this blog:  Community Organization Highlights.  I'm going to highlight some of the great community groups we have here in Buffalo, working their arses off to make our city better, most of whom get $0 dollars from the government (Unlike Carl Paladino, and his ilk).  Imagine if we gave each of these organizations the same amount of money that we gave good ole Carl?

Green Options Buffalo

Green Options Buffalo is a community organization looking to move Buffalo to becoming a greener, more sustainable community.  And, to make our neighborhoods look nicer :)

Some of their projects are:

• Recycle-a-Bicycle: GO-Buffalo's Recycle-A-Bicycle program is an after school initiative for at-risk youth within the city of Buffalo, winning the “Bronze Commitment to Education” award from the Buffalo Alliance for Education in 2007. Recycle-A-Bicycle teaches up to 40 students per semester from Monday to Thursday. Through GO-Buffalo’s Recycle-A-Bicycle programs with Baker Victory Services, Bennett Park Montessori, Big Brother Big Sister, the Buffalo Youth Hostel, Enterprise Charter School, Harvey Austin Middle School, the Massachusetts Avenue Project, North Park Middle Academy and public schools 18, 27 and 77, students learn about bicycle repair and maintenance, as well as safety, health and the environment, while building their own bicycles from refurbished parts.
• Complete Streets: Complete Streets works to ensure that when a roadway is constructed or repaired in the City of Buffalo, equal consideration is given to commuters of all kinds – including bicyclists, pedestrians, public transportation users, children, people pushing baby strollers and the disabled.

As well as many other low-speed transportation initiatives, which can cut down on our reliance on fossil fuels, and also give us cleaner air.  In addition to the energy benefits of increased foot and bicycle traffic; we also get the beautification benefits.  Nice looking neighborhoods lead to increased property values, which leads to a more desirable place to live, which reduces unemployment.

Buffalo ReUse

Buffalo Reuse, Inc. is a non-profit organization focused on green deconstruction of eyesores, which does two things:  Keeps demolished building materials out of landfills, and also reduces the problem of blight.  From their site:

Buffalo ReUse, Inc. is committed to creating an economic and community development program related to deconstruction and re-use that provides quality job and educational opportunities; cross training in the trades, marketing, sales, and small business entrepreneurship; and a community collaboration process that considers both current and future use of our collective land resources

This organization has done much in the past to eliminate abandoned or neglected buildings, while also returning much of the antique architectural points of our city back into use (Such as building fixtures).  They operate both an brick and mortar store, and also an eBay store(http://www.buffaloreuse.org/ReSource/ReSource).

The Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP)

The Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) is essentially, a block club that has dedicated itself to urban gardening, and support local farmers through sponsorship of farmer's markets, classes, neighborhood gardens, neighborhood outreach programs to intervene in youth's before they turn to less than scrupulous affairs.

This group demonstrates, that with city cooperation, neighbors can be enabled to take their neighborhoods back from criminal elements.  Their work has made great strides in improving the culture and atmosphere of Massachusetts Avenue, in the Lower West Side.

Conclusion
All of these groups, draw very little in public dollars, but reinvest heavily into our community.  Try giving them some of your support next time you have a building project going on, are looking to add a bike rack or buy a bike, or even looking for support to turn to for advice on your garden.

Caylee Anthony... Sigh.

When hopping on Facebook and Twitter over the past couple of days, I've seen a whole lot of "Pass this on for Caylee..." or "Leave a light on for Caylee..."

Ok, I get it.  This was a tragedy, and as of right now, whomever the murderer is, he or she is walking the streets today.  It's senseless violence like this that appalls any sensible person.

But, for Western New Yorkers, did you notice that on July 4th, a woman (Ngoubdo Babagana) was gunned down, execution style in Black Rock(http://www.wkbw.com/home/Fatal-Shooting-On-Dearborn-In-Buffalo-125044989.html)?  Where are the cries for justice for Ngoubdo?  Or, about the other 10K+ murders annually here in the US?

I'm afraid, I must inform everyone:  You were duped by the mass media.  You fell for "Missing White Woman Syndome".  Pretty, well-off financially, white women who are the victims of crime tend to draw lots of national media attention, while non-whites, who are poor tend to draw little at all.

Case in point, that is local here:  Amanda Wienckowski.  You can find about 3 thousands news stories on her (http://www.google.com/search?q=amanda+weinckowski), but yet how many other prostitutes in WNY have been the victim of a crime?  The primary difference:  Her skin color, and her economic background.

But, I do NOT want to draw attention away from the violence here.  We should NOT stand idly by, and do nothing.  However, passing around some copy/paste on Facebook or Twitter; or leaving a porch light on will do naught for these children, nor for any children who may be in similar circumstances.

Do something that has an effect:  Find a charitable organization, and donate money, time, or both.  The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a good one.  So is the Dorris Duke Foundation.  You can find more here: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=protect+children+from+child+abuse+foundations  (I can not vouch for individual organizations.  I don't know them all).  Don't just sit on your duff, and participate in Slacktivism...

I get sad...

No, it's not the start of an emo post.  But, I want to tell everyone here a story:

You get married.  You can't have children for whatever reason, so you and your spouse decide to adopt.  Three times over :)  You get to watch your kids grow up, you nurture them, you make sure they get the things you didn't have.  You watch them grow up, and build families of their own.

Your and your spouse grow old together.  Argue over the TV remote.  Get mad and yell at each other, then cry to each other to make up, and promise to never do so again.  You buy a house together, stress over mortgage payments, bills, and all the other stresses of making a house a home.  You both struggle together to make the most out of the life you were given.  And, you do it together.  And you both make it.

Well, after spending 30, 40, or 50 years together, a grunt over morning coffee says the same thing that you used to have to spend 20 minutes talking about says.  A nod, or a look expresses more in moment than a newlywed couple can say in 5 minutes.  You never really need to finish a sentence in order for your spouse to know what you are thinking, and you can read your spouse the same.  You don't need to ask how the day went anymore.  You already know from the look on their face.  And, your spouse can do the same.

A "Friday Night" is now lovingly spent at home, watching TV together, sitting on the couch holding hands.  Or, sitting on the patio, sharing a glass of wine.  Or, taking a walk through the park.

Now, when the inevitable comes, one of you are in the hospital.  On their death bed.  One of you are holding the other's hand; caressing it, encouraging the other to be strong, or to let go.  To not be afraid.

Then, the burial, mourning for days, weeks, months, or years.  But, every minute is worth it, because you spent your life with the person you loved.

Now, let's imagine some hitches along that road.  You lose your job, fall behind on bills, and need to file bankruptcy.  Except, you are getting yanked around because you aren't "Really married".  So, one of you are deemed by the court to be able to handle all of this.  Joint property?  Yeah right.  You lose it all, because you "Weren't really married."

Let's imagine another hitch.  At that death bed, you arrive at the hospital to see your spouse, and the hospital says,"No, you can not see your spouse.  They are in the ICU, and only immediate family is allowed."  What?  You are immediate family.  The hospital says,"No you aren't.  You are not their spouse."

Both of these cases happen daily.  Because we do not recognize two people who love each other as being "Married."  They both love each other, and have lived with each other for years.  Shared each other's pain, their joy, their sadness.  Raised kids, seen them off to college, watched them build their own family.  But, they are not "married."  And, I get sad every time I see it.  At the WNY Pride festival, I saw not less than 50 couples, who are unable to enjoy all the benefits of marriage.

In the words of Mildred Loving, who was arrested for being married to the man she loved:

Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the "wrong kind of person" for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about.

And, to cite the resounding words passed down by the Supreme Court of the United States, in the landmark case of Loving v. Virginia:

Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival.... To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.

So, why are we refusing basic civil rights to a group of people here in the United States?  We need to get the ear of our politicians who say they are representing the people!

In NYS, Mark Grisanti could be the turning vote on this issue, come Friday.  Let's get out, and let him know we support basic civil rights for all!  Mark Grisanti's contact information is below:


Buffalo: 716-854-8705
Grand Island: 716-773-9600 ext 654

Email:  grisanti@nysenate.gov
           NF.Grisanti@gmail.com
           Tonawanda.Grisanti@gmail.com
           buffalo.grisanti@gmail.com


Let's blow up every email address, and all his phone numbers!

A voided check made out to NYS for $391 Million

So, how much is Marriage Equality worth to New Yorkers?  According to a recently released report:  $391 million dollars in the first three years after implementation.

So, we would bring in an additional $391 Million dollars into our state, by doing something that would cost nothing:  Legalizing same-sex marriage.

Tourism revenue from becoming a northeastern destination to get married.  Tax revenues from couples moving here to get married, and settle down a family.  Taxes and fees associated with getting married here.

That's money in mine and your pockets, that we are giving up, to placate the minority religious extremist in our area.  To placate old, angry, scared white people.  The same people who most likely fought against inter-racial marriages.

How much is it worth to us to placate an extremely fringe minority?  At last count, New Yorkers supports same-sex marriage by a whopping 58%!!!! (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/02/gay-marriage-in-new-york-_n_870523.html)  Only 33% opposed it!!!

Now, what I'd like to ask right now:  Mark Grisanti, why have you not voiced your support for legislation a majority of your constituents want?  Why do you oppose what the people who voted you in support?

Let Mark Grisanti know we want marriage equality in NYS!  He claims to support what will help business in our area, well, this will inject much needed capital into our local economy.  Imagine Niagara Falls returning as the marriage capital of the world, because we have same-sex marriage here!

Let your voices be heard, and tell Grisanti what we want:
Buffalo: 716-854-8705
Grand Island: 716-773-9600 ext 654

Email:  grisanti@nysenate.gov
           NF.Grisanti@gmail.com
           Tonawanda.Grisanti@gmail.com
           buffalo.grisanti@gmail.com
              
 Let's blow up his phones, and blow up his inboxes telling him we want marriage equality NOW!

Well, gee Schumer; I know how to fix this one...

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/money/4_your_job/schumer-blasts-u.s.customs-for-rag-tax

A 32% duty on worn clothing that's imported.  And, it's going to "kill a business"...  Really?  How hard is it to locally source your raw materials?  Rags.  That's it.  They need to find a local source for rags.

Schumer:  Why do you hate American production?  Seriously.  I love Canada.  They're our neighbors, and we should treat them as such.  But duties are in place for a reason:  To encourage purchasing INSIDE of our own borders.  Keep local money local.

Let me get this straight?

Kaleida Health, which owns a great many of our local hospitals, is trying to force employees to pay MORE for health insurance(http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/123727/13/Kaleida-Healthcare-Workers-Remain-at-Odds)?

Really?

THEY OWN THE HOSPITALS.

They are YOUR EMPLOYEES.  They make your business work!  They are the ones delivering that health care!  How difficult is it to say,"You know, how about for all Kaleida Employees, you get Package X, which includes all preventative services."

Preventative services are primarily labor costs.  To which they [The employees] are the ones delivering.  Then, for all employees, discount the billed price for all other services by 50%.  Then, let the insurance company pick up the other 50%.

You are a hospital organization, who's goal is supposed to be to deliver health care.  So, why in the flying fuck are you trying to fight it?

Treat your employees like garbage, and you'll end up delivering garbage services.  I worked at a PC repair place a long time ago.  My boss never charged me for bringing in my home computers and fixing them.  I only had to pay at costs for hardware I used.  And that company was a small business.

Come on Kaleida!  Stop acting like a corporate slug, and start acting like what your charter says:

Each of our member facilities has a strong tradition of outstanding service to the WNY community, dating back to as early as the 1800s. Together we are bringing our patients a strong history of dedication to the community and the finest quality medical care -- every day. - http://www.kaleidahealth.org/gen_info/about.asp

Dedication to the community by trying to shift costs of delivering service back onto the service providers?  How is that "dedication to the community"?

You can't fix the schools by cutting funding...

When is Buffalo going to learn?

You can't fix our crappy school system, by cutting funding and attacking teachers!

If you look at the recent release of local top school systems (http://www.wkbw.com/news/business/SCHOOL-RANKINGS-Top-Elementary-schools-123314043.html), what do you see?

The areas with the highest paid teachers have the best school systems.  Buffalo, with the median teacher pay among the lowest, has the worst school system.

This isn't rocket science:  To attract top talent, you need to pay top wages.  If you are paying slave wages and benefits, to a professional who needs a minimum of a master's degree; you get the people who couldn't hack it anywhere else, and are looking to take ANY job they can find.  If you pay top wages, you attract the best god damned talent!  This is Economics 101 here.

And, you'll also see another trend:  Areas with the best school systems attract the best businesses.  Want to know why Tech Companies aren't banging down the doors to move in here?  It isn't because NYS taxes are high.  It's because talented employees DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN A DUMB AREA.

Charter schools, while appearing to be a panacea, are in fact hiding behind the ability to pick and choose who they accept.  The same goes with all privatized school solutions.  They can pick the cream of the crop, and leave the "undesirables" alone.  Private schools don't have to deal with problem students, problem parents, and poor neighborhoods.  They pick who they let in, and where they set up shop.

Fixing our school system should be the top priority.  Not trying to woo companies with exorbitant tax breaks to move here (Which, come 5-10 years, they will threaten to move again unless we cut their tax bill).  Not giving welfare checks to millionaires like Carl Paladino (http://goprealitycheck.com/paladino/171/ny-taxpayer-brigade-carl-where-are-the-jobs-), who gets $1.4 million per year to create ONE JOB.

Fix our school system, and then you'll find people WANTING to move here.  Parents (Who work, and are professionals) look for the best school system to settle down their children.  When we have the best schools, we'll get the best people moving here.  Which in turn leads companies to MOVE HERE in order to get the talent they need to succeed in this competitive business environment.

If we continue to fight against our teachers, and other public workers; we are actually gouging our own eye out in order to hand more money over to people like Carl Paladino...

Lessons learned from ACORN

After ACORN was assaulted by the radical right in this country, and destroyed; there are some lessons to be learned here.

One is that any large organization working on behalf of the people will half inherently less money than a multinational corporation.  All things considered, this makes it a very large target to be hit upon.  Large targets are much easier to hit with legal attacks, and lobbying efforts.

ACORN didn't have the funds to hire an army of lobbyists and lawyers.  They didn't stand a chance against the Koch-funded GOP war chest.  They had barely enough to meet their main missions: neighborhood safety, low costs housing, voter registration, and affordable health care (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now).

So, their inherent weakness was being such a large, undefended target (legally speaking).  All it took was on Breitbart attack, and the GOP was all over that.

So, from this lesson here, our next model of community action must be just the opposite:  Small.  This works well in only one model I've seen:  Guerrilla Warfare.

Now, I'm NOT talking about actually going to war.  War doesn't solve a damned thing, usually.  But, we can take the tactics of guerrilla warfare, and apply them to community action.

Small, decentralized, and infinitely flexible lends itself well to any organization that has minimal funds, yet is a very powerful force when motivated towards a goal.  Even when working towards multiple goals sharing the same foundation principles.

An example of a non-violent, guerrilla group is the internet group known as "Anonymous"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_(group))  This group uses anonymity combined with self-organization to accomplish huge goals, to wit they have been very successful with many of them.

Now, Anonymous works in the cyber arena, one arena in which the people have the most power.  This is demonstrated as above where a group of world citizens converge on a single aim, and accomplish it.  Anonymous has also during at least one of their "projects" (Chanology), branched off into what they call "irl", and what we call "In real life" activities.  They organized a world-wide protest of over 9000 people to protest the Church of Scientology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Scientology).

So, we can take lessons from what they've accomplished, and apply them to democratic movements.  The only toolkit required is a place to organize.  Internet forums, Facebook, Twitter, et al.  Anonymity served Anonymous' purposes well, since ideas that came to the surface were voted down or up based on their merits, not on who it was.  This has benefits, since there are no "leaders" of the movement to take down.

So, in a self-organized flash mob of local cells all working towards one goal, there is never a single "head" to take out.  No organization to de-fund.  No organization to sue.  Infiltration of the group would gain nothing, since the group organizes more or less openly on the internet.

This is what the new "era" of community action needs to be:  Small, decentralized, local cells.  Maybe of a neighborhood, or city regional area (ie, Riverside/Black Rock; Elmwood Village/Allentown; Iron Island; et al).  These would be unable to be "attacked" by conservative groups like the Koch Brothers, or Breitbart's little gang of scumbags.

Now, get out there an organize!  Comment here for ideas you may have, or looking for ideas on how to get started organizing these groups!

How much you wanna bet...

... that the NYS GOTea votes "NO" to this:
http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/122404/13/Cuomo-Assembly-Democrats-Reach-Tax-Cap-Deal

And, I'm sure they will, since there are exemptions for Unions workers, those stinkin' commies!  If it helps keep unions strong, the GOTea will say no to it.  They have to.  The only way the GOTea can stay in power is to keep the working class (Read:  You and me) divided.  Even after the cries of "Cut Taxes", they'll conveniently forget about that when looking at this bill.

We need to stand against this attack on us.  Keep you eyes peeled on this one, I bet I'm right (I say they'll vote NO to it).  I hope I'm wrong, but not counting on it.

$150 ticket for tall grass?

Say it aint so!

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/122338/13/Mayor-Responds-to-150-Tickets-for-Not-Mowing-the-Lawn--

Now, don't get me wrong.  I like police out there enforcing quality of life issues.  But, I do wonder, why do residents get tickets for tall grass; but not businesses?  Well, connected businesses, at least.

How many ticket does Carl Paladino get for tall grass on his property?  Or, for snow removal?  Name any other connected business that gets cited for the same thing residents do?

In Carl's case, when asked about the very same thing during his failed gubernatorial run, he blamed it on the residents of the neighborhood, and accepted no blame for it.  "Not my fault", he says.  "It's all the black bums doing it!"

I guess that's why Carl decided to try and turn jails into "Hygiene Dorms" for people on welfare.  They were blacking up dirtying his properties...

Wait a minute! That's socialism!

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/southern_tier/Niagara-Allegany-Cos-look-for-FEMA

Both of these counties are largely conservative, with the GOTea Baggers calling for "SMALLER GOVERNMENT!!!"

Where, pray tell, does funding for FEMA come from if you cut taxes?  Hm?

I guess I can give them a small break.  After all, they did just vote Hochul in.

Redistricting? More like Gerrymandering...

Anyone else wonder how a district in Western New York could be historically GOP, in an otherwise (Short of one other district) Democratic Party state?

That's easy.  Look at the district map for NYS.  Seems, somehow, down the line, a district carved from only rural areas was drawn up.  And, the 26th district contains only Rochester, which, while it is a major metro area; the population covered is far less than the rural areas.

So, a giant swath of rural area, with a smaller metro area tossed in for good measure, somehow got created, rather than a more sensible method of using major metro centers as the center of the districts, and the surrounding rural areas being included.

This is gerrymandering.  From Wikipedia:

"In the process of setting electoral districts, rather than using uniform geographic standards, Gerrymandering is a practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating geographic boundaries to create partisan, incumbent-protected districts. The resulting district is known as a gerrymander; however, that word can also refer to the process." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering

This is a perfect example of the above.  The rural area carved out in such a way, that the metro area is engulfed by the rural constituents.  The effect is that Rochester as a whole, gets ignored, while the true minority have an unusually large command of the legislative process.  Which in turn causes things like the GOP controlling ANY seats in the US Senate and House for NYS.

This is a major reason I am opposed to the redistricting process put forth by Mark Grisanti.  He proposes a "bipartisan" committee draw up the map.  Why do we need a committee?  Draw the map up with population centers being the biggest districts, which include the surrounding more rural areas.  This is not rocket science people.

Of course, he neglects to mention who would APPOINT this committee.  Wont be a vote by us.  It will be by appointment.  And, who controls the NYS legislature right now?  The GOP.

Another example of gerrymandering going on is with Erie County: http://www.buffalonews.com/city/politics/article434405.ece

The only plans being talked about greatly are the ones put forth by the political parties; both of which are looking to secure their power.  We need a logical, not a political method of creating districts.  Not something that keeps politicians in power, but rather one that keeps the citizens in power.

What's the Democrat Plan to "Save" Medicare?

So, the rallying cry among the neo-nut right-wing folks is,"Well, what's the Dem's plan to save Medicare?  Huh?  Huh?"

Laughable question, especially coming from a group that was just battling over destroying that program.  Where does the sudden concern come from?  Most certainly not from their care about taking care of citizens.  The GOTeabaggers demonstrated that very clearly over the past 3 years:  Fighting against the Affordable Care Act (Which extends the solvency of Medicare - http://www.ohanet.org/Newsletter-Issue/newsletterissueHealthENews051611); proposing a budget which destroys Medicare (Paul Ryan's plan - http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-paul-ryans-budget-plan-screws-old-people-2011-4), which interestingly enough pays for more corporate handouts by cutting spending on the elderly; and the desire to cut every social program in the federal budget, while cutting taxes for the wealthy.

Right now, the "plan" to save Medicare is first and foremost, prevent the GOTeabaggers from destroying Medicare.  Phase one is accomplished, when the Senate voted down the Ryan plan.

The poor economy caused a regression of the projected solvency of both Medicare and Social Security.  So, the first action is to continue to promote economic growth.  We need to kill the $50 billion annually we hand to the oil companies, and turn it over to companies like J.B.I of Niagara Falls, who is doing phenomenal work to extend our world's oil reserves (http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/niagara/Falls-business-turns-plastic-into-fuel).  Imagine if firms such as J.B.I. had $50 billion annually to do R&D?  J.B.I. alone created a new industry, and adds 20 green jobs to our local economy, without any R&D funding from the government.

Now, the Democratic party needs to figure out how to do another round of amendments to the Affordable Care Act to tweak (Not destroy) Medicare.

So, the Democratic plan is not 100% complete, but we can't assume that a complete, and total fix will ever happen.  The only thing we can do is keep pushing it out, through minor tweaks to the system.  And, by improving the economy, solvency gets pushed even further out.

So, yes, the Democratic Party does have a plan.  The problem is:  The GOP is trying to stop it at all costs.  The GOP is trying to destroy the economy by bringing us to a halt (See the debt ceiling issue); trying to cut all of the social safety net programs needed by people who have lost their jobs; and by cutting all revenue into the US, while putting even more war machine dollars on the credit card.

NY's 26th District Race

So, the GOP is quaking...

The Tea Party is in shambles...

"Why do you think this?" you may ask.  Because Kathy Hochul, at last polling, was leading the race for NY's 26th District; a predominantly, and historically bastion of red in an otherwise blue state.

Davis is being laughed at right now.  Tea Party?  Tea Parties are for little girls.  This is federal level politics.  With 30 people showing up at a "huge" Tea Party rally last week; the Tea Party is all but dead.  The people saw what it really was:  GOP 2.0 Beta

Corwin, who is 47, said she's been a successful business woman for 36 years.  So, at the age of 8, she purportedly was a business woman.  Damn woman can't even keep her age right!  Adding to this, her support of a plan that would destroy Medicare, and most assuredly create the "Death Panels" the GOP has been yelling about for the past 3 years.

Corwin, the only "serious" contender to Hochul, is so terrified she will lose, she convinced a judge to seal the ballots for court hearing.  Really?  We need a judge to count ballots now?  Yep, you heard it:  She doesn't want ballots counted until May 26th.  Trying to either stave off defeat, or trying to pull another 2004 Florida maneuver.

The GOP spent about $4 million dollars in campaign dollars in THIS DISTRICT ALONE, for this singular election.  They know they signed their own death certificate when every GOP member, except 4, endorsed Ryan's plan to destroy Medicare.

Now, we're just waiting on the Doctor to call the death:  May 26th, 9AM; when the court goes into session.

UPDATE
Corwin finally conceded.  She realized there was ZERO chance of her winning.

Is it time for community radio?

Right now, if you tune the radio dials here in WNY, on the FM band, you get some music stations, one NPR, a conservative talk radio station, and 5-6 Christian talk stations (Conservative talk, really) and that's it.  Only two stations carries anything remotely resembling local programming:  103.3 WEDG, and 107.7 WBEN.

WEDG has some local DJ's; but they just play the satellite feed given to them by their corporate honchos.  Drive-home time has Shredd and Ragan.  They do a pretty good job covering local stuff.  WBEN has a drive-home conservative talking head (Sandy Beech), but the rest of the time is fed programming that has naugh to do with local events.

How does the current state of affairs serve the public interests?  It doesn't.  All the stations are owned 2 corporations, and the Christian talk is owned by 2 different corporations *cough cough* I mean non-profits, who spout anti-progressive rhetoric as much as the conservative yokels do.  The 5-6 Christian talk stations are generally just simulcasts of each other.

One example stands out in the dark for local programming:  WTF Radio: 94.9 FM.  It's a "pirate" radio station, but serves up plenty of local music, obviously the DJ's are local, and if you listen to it, they play everything on there.  Even some Democracy Now! feeds occasionally.

So, is WNY really 75% conservative, and 20% "easy listening", and 10% wants some state and federal level news (With a smidgeon of science, car chat, and brain food programming)?  I don't think so.

So, since I hate people who spout off problems, but offer no solutions, what is the solution?  Pirate Radio?  I don't advocate illegal actions.  LPFM (Low power FM)?  Nope, LPFM licenses are closed, and the few channels available for it are occupied for Christian Talk simulcasts.  Buy a full-power station?  Good luck.  Corporations don't want the small guy having any of the bands, so their use their full might to make sure the FCC wont grant you a license.

Well, I've been through all the options, right?

Nuh-uh.  There's another licensing portion:  Part 15.  Bah!  Right off the bat, people who know what Part 15 is will balk: "It only gets like, 50ft!".  Yes, it does.  However, what it does allow is a legal way for citizens to use what is ours.  And, if we coordinate, we can cover a whole city on Part 15 FM.  Part 15 AM is easier to do it, but FM is where most listeners are.

One part 15 transmitter per block can usually cover a good portion of that stretch.  One on each side of the block will cover the entire block, with programming WE feel is important, not what some corporate master decides we should listen to.

It's something I'm taking a serious look into, provided a selection of audio feeds for community organizers to use.  Not everyone is a content creator.  But, people submitting content, and the community electing to use that content on their "Broadcast Station" would be a huge leap forward!