The Taxes Are Too High In Buffalo!

Or, are they?

One thing I find quite irritating, are those who claim taxes in Buffalo are too high, and that's why people are moving out.

When I try to nail down which set of taxes are too high, property taxes generally come up first.  Property taxes in the City of Buffalo are quite reasonable, actually.  Average property tax bill in Buffalo is about $1500 a year.  I think people might be confusing Buffalo with Kenmore, whose average tax bill is about $4 or $5K per year.

Or, people try to get more generic, and move up to the state.  Income taxes!  Well, income taxes in NYS are rather reasonable too.  Albeit, it's not Texas (Where they have no income tax), but I can attest, Texas sucks if you need anything more than a license.  No real service stations on the interstates (That I saw), just parking spaces, where you've gotta move before 30 minutes is up.

Then, it comes to sales taxes.  Well, I've got to admit, sales taxes are pretty high.  But, we have a huge state, and with minimal income taxes, you've got to fund it somehow.

But I digress.  I do think it's silly for people to say the taxes in Buffalo itself are too high.  The taxes in the city are meager at best.  I think people are venting their anger at their suburban tax bill, and somehow equating that to Buffalo.

My suggestion for people doing this?  Why not ask your town board why your taxes are 4 times that of the City's.

Well, Corasanti Pretty Much Walks

Well, the sentencing came in for the Corasanti case:  He gets 8 months in prison, loses his license for 6 months, and is required to have an interlock device for 6 months, with a couple of years probation.

All in all:  A slap on the hand for a murderer.

Jack Quinn, that 'tard, wrote a letter asking for leniency because the Good Ole Doc was funding some scholarships for ECC.  That's great and all, and I suppose any person who wants to commit murder just needs to set up a scholarship, and they'd get it easy, right Jack?  Jack, you're not longer a politician, thankfully, you scum-sucker.

But, thankfully, the judge nailed it on the head:

"Being a well-respected medial doctor does not put you above the law."

At least the judge realized the jury erred, and did her best to correct it.  A misdemeanor DUI usually gets a slap on the wrist, couple years probation, and that's it.

As Donny Esmonde puts it, "Consequences do not always match the crime. Justice does not always get a full piece of the action.  I hope that, in this case, a little goes a long way."

Capital Improvements Coming to the CoB

City Hall yesterday came out to talk about planned improvements to the Lovejoy are, with improvements such as bicycle lanes, lighting, etc for the planned commercial district.

One thing I'm liking thus far, is the fact that bicycle lanes are getting a focus, but primarily that the neighborhood itself was involved in the determination of what to do.  Far too often, City Hall has been on it's own when determining the direction a neighborhood should take, or scumbags like Carl Paladino call the shots for whatever might get investment from the City.

The community in Lovejoy wanted to work on their commercial district, so that's where the focus is.  Brown also said there's going to be similar projects in Elmwood Village and the Filmore district.

I'm not sure why these areas got priority, I'm sure there was some cronyism involved here, to be sure.  Can't have anything done in politics without that.  But, if it were me?  I'd have slotted Grant St area first, since any improvement there is likely to improve on EV, due only to proximity.  In fact, Grant St. is already looking to get spillover from EV.  Take a ride down Grant St, between Forest and Ferry.  Park your car at Lafayette and Grant, and just watch for a few minutes.

They've got an art gallery, coffee shop, community center, bike share hub, and much more within a 5 minute walk (At most) from Lafayette and Grant.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Lovejoy, Fillmore, and the EV; but in the spirit of triage, I just see other areas more in need than EV at this time, which is doing fantastically on it's own.

Now, when will Riverside/Black Rock get some City Hall loving?  I'll bet it's close to never, mainly due to a couple of "problems" I see with RS/BR, one of which are far "out-there" ideas for what they want done.  The Community groups there are talking about removing the 190 as their first priority.  Remove the 190?  Come on...  Once RS/BR pull their heads out of the clouds, City Hall will take them seriously.   The other issue is that voting in those two neighborhoods is dismal.  At best, there's a 7% turnout, in a presidential election.  The only politician willing to listen to concerns is Golombeck.  Nobody else will until more than 7% vote, which would post a threat if the politico didn't listen.

To Romney: Thanks For the Election

So, Romney picked Ryan as his VP pick.  About the only thing I've got to say:  Thanks for the election Romney!

He just had to pick the most radical of all GOP'ers (Well, short of Bachmann, but Ryan's close).  Romney:  Did you really think that picking a person who wanted to kill Medicare was a good idea?  Did you forget which group reliably comes out to vote, at every election?

This of course, comes after Romney is begging to keep his business record off-limits.  Except, Romney, you keep bringing up your business record as a reason why people should vote for you!  You can't have it both ways here.

So, Romney's team basically just handed Obama 2012.  Not saying we can all sit back, and let it happen, as you can bet another "Show me your birth certificate" will pop up, or something.  Maybe a new one, where Obama is a sworn-in Weatherman or something.  Who knows.

What we do know?  Unemployment is dropping.  GDP is growing.  DJI is doing well.  By all measures, we're getting better.  And, Romney, nor Ryan, can dispute that.

Grisanti v. Stocker

This shows how much I keep up with politics.  I didn't even know Kevin Stocker was running against Mark Grisanti!  I just figured the GOP and right wing nuts rolled over this time around, and left Grisanti alone.

I learned Stocker was running yesterday when I got a politimailing reminding me about the GOP primary (Yes, I'm registered GOP, no, I'm not changing my affiliation).

The funniest thing about it:  Stocker's "Promises" read just like Grisanti's voting record.  About the major sticking point Stocker is trying to nail Grisanti with is the marriage equality vote.  Got news for ya Stocker:  WNY overwhelmingly supports marriage equality.  If that's your selling point, you're all doomed to fail.  Remember the area you are running in:  Home to the largest LGBT communit between NYC and Toronto.

Personally?  I like Grisanti.  He's no-nonsense, gets things done, and works for our region.  Stocker just seems like he's promising the exact same thing as Grisanti, but repealing the marriage equality law.  And that right there, is the reason he doesn't stand a chance.

Another Shooting, and Still Shirking the Responsibilities...

Another mass killing.  And the same playbook getting trotted out:

* Mass killing happens.
* Media runs stories speculating motive
* Politicians start saying how bad they feel about it.
* Extreme liberals blame guns
* Right wing nuts blame not enough guns
* Wait a while
* Go back to step one

But yet, the shootings are merely a symptom of a larger disease:  Neo-conservatism.  The notion that every person is their own country, and free to act in any way, shape, or form that suits them.  Neglectful of the community they are a part of, and unwilling to self-police their own communities.

I asked to a dealer,"You know, why don't the arms dealers take it upon themselves to screen potential buyers a bit more?"  The answer,"I follow the letter of the law.  As long as I get my money that's all that matters."  Symptom of selfishness and greed, indicative of the "My own country" mentality, ignorant of the ramifications.

I asked an extreme lefty this:"The Netherlands require every person to own a gun, yet their violent crime rates are low.  How is banning guns going to solve anything?"  The answer?  "The only safe place is a place without guns!"  Sure, let's ask China how safe it is there.

The issue at hand isn't the inherently the number of guns in the US.  It's our attitudes about them.

"They're just a tool, like a hammer or screwdriver!"  Yes, and tools are designed for a purpose.  A gun's purpose is to kill.  So, stop trying to beat around the bush.

"Fewer guns on the streets makes us all safer!"  No, it doesn't.  Crime rates appear to have no correlation to gun ownership.

"The constitution says I can bear arms, so the gub'mint can't tell me what guns I can or can't buy!"  Yes, they can, much in the same manner as they restrict other arms from being borne by you, such as nuclear tipped missiles, tanks, RPG's, etc.  Reasonable restrictions to all rights has always been supported by the Supreme Court, just like the restriction on free speech which prohibits a person from yelling,"FIRE!" in a crowded theater.

We need to change the attitudes of our country if we want to prevent more mass killings.  Dealers need to take responsibility for flooding the streets with guns.  Neighbors need to pay better attention to their neighbors (Not Big-Brotherish, but pay attention for someone about to flip).  Communities need to figure out ways to keep their kids out of crime's way, not usher them right into it.  Gun owners need to take responsibility for the deadly tool under their control (At all times).

And, most of all, we need to drop this "I'm a self-made person, and owe nothing to nobody!"  That's the attitude that brings us things like this.

Madigan v Higgins...

I find it laudable, and laughable at the same time, this race between Madigan and Higgins.

I think the primary reason I do, is because I've got insight into the minds of the stumpers for Madigan.  These people are, shall we say, interesting to say the least.

I think I covered my first encounter with the Madigan stumper.  This poor soul was opposed to "ObamaCare", but thought Newt's 1994 plan was the "Way we should do it".  She was also "Pro Small Government", but saw no problem with the government intervening in a woman's choice to do with her body as she pleases.  She also thought Obama is a communist, and is looking to take our guns.

She was, more or less, the complete and total stereotype of the Tea Party.  I didn't bother with the deeper subjects, such as why running government like a business is an inherently bad thing, or how economics doesn't "trickle down".  She was a dyed in the wool right wing nut.  And, sadly, so are the rest of his supporters, if their message boards are indicative of their membership.

Basically, they want more government, more spending, less paying for it, and more corporate control.  And, since they are such a small minority, they'll cry about how the election was "stolen" from them, and what not.

It's an interesting race, to say the least.  But, amusing to watch the train wreck roll right in.

Community Projects You Can Do - Get Involved!

I've been kicking around a couple of project ideas after I finally move, to help embed myself in the new neighborhood, which is always difficult to do in WNY.  Took me 8 years to re-embed myself after leaving for 6 years, and returning to the same neighborhood.

First and foremost, the family has decided to take advantage of the large yard, and start "urban farming" there.  We want to start with a single raised bed, and maybe a chicken or two, and then work up.  That's not the community part, though.  The community part is converting our front yard to another raised bed, for use by our neighbors.  You can do this too!  A single bed, with maybe some tomatoes or cucumbers (Something moderately easy to grow and harvest), then hang a sign on the bed "Take what you need, no more.  Thank you to all of our neighbors!" or such.  You'll be surprised at how many new friends you'll make, and in the process, strengthen the fabric of your neighborhood.  So, that's our first step.

Now, the first one is going to take a while to get into action (At least one growing season).  In the interim, I plan on putting up a small community radio station, broadcasting news, alerts, etc on a Part 15 transmitter.  Most people think "Part 15?  Meh. You can only get a few feet!"  Well, I've got some radio know-how, and I know how to get it a bit further.  I think this will be a nice way of giving a service to my neighborhood as well, and to help keep them informed of the goings-on here.  This isn't a difficult project either, and anyone with an attic can do it as well.  A little research on the internet will point you to the right direction on how to start.

Another idea, albeit this one is not for the faint of heart, is public wifi.  I do not recommend this for anyone unless they know how to secure it, while allowing public access, though.  I would also try to find a couple of people to help.  It can become a full time job, very quickly.  You can start here to learn a bit more if this sounds interesting.

Most of these are small projects that one person can take on.  All of them help to bind the community together somehow.  This is key to strengthening our city, by building our communities back into rock-solid structures, instead of being subject to the whims of City Hall.

Less government spending, but...

You always hear conservatives rant about cutting government spending.  One thing you'll never see them actually do, is try to cut spending on the single largest drain on our budget:  Defense.

NF Airbase got it's funding, for another year.  Call me nuts, but I don't think Canada is going to invade the US anytime soon.  There really is no good reason to keep an airbase open here.

If funding gets cut, will it gut jobs?  Sure.  But that's the rub when you cut government funding:  Jobs get cut.  Would WNY recover from the 800 jobs lost?  Sure, just like we recovered when many businesses decided to ship their manufacturing jobs overseas.  But, whenever that happens, it's lauded by those on the right as "Smart Capitalism".  When it's done by the government to defense jobs, it's called "Being weak".

Give me a break.  If conservatives were truly serious about cutting funding, they'd never would have voted to pass the funding bill for NF Airbase.  What it does demonstrate is the true reason for their rants:  They want to shift more dollars from the lower and middle class, into the pockets of the upper class.  Cut welfare spending, and then cut taxes for the upper 1%.  Cut infrastructure spending, and then cut taxes on the upper 1%.

It's merely a shell game for them.  And they use emotional rhetoric to convince people to vote against their own best interests.  Hopefully, the voters have woken up this time around.

More Green Space - Falls Style

So, firstly, I've got to apologize for last week.  Work, home buying, and life in general got in the way.  But, now I'm back!

Heard some excellent news (Well, read it).  Niagara Falls is finally moving on doing something with the immense number of empty lots under their control.

NF is moving forward leasing those properties to Niagara University, who then can be approached to sublet these for community green spaces.  This is great news, since it appears city governments here in WNY seem to move incredibly slow when it comes to land issues.  Joe Golombek has been fighting the housing courts for years to deal with about 20 properties in Riverside/Black Rock; and I can presume the rest of the councilmen in Buffalo are in the same boat.

NF has been managing these properties for a while already, doing nothing with them.  The nail in the coffin for them, has been the revenue shortfalls.  I'm just trying to figure out why more cities aren't doing similar projects.  I've suggested to a couple of councilmen in Buffalo to put something similar into place, to clear the docket of abandoned lots and houses.

But, the good news here is great.  And, it's great to see other areas of WNY emulating Buffalo for a change, in a positive way.