By 8-7, the Leg passed a 4-year plan that would:

1. Raise sales taxes by 1/2 penny;
2. Raise the county’s share of property taxes by 16% (in 2006); and
3. Contain no deficit financing.

It phases out the Sheriff’s road patrol over the next 3 years, which means that towns with no police departments (like mine) would have to find and fund alternative means of police protection. I suppose that they’ll also be charging municipalities for housing inmates at the holding center. Hell, maybe the entire Sheriff’s department can be pay as you go. You can top up your police usage along with your cell phone.

Since only 8 legislators voted for it, there’s no way the sales tax will pass (you need 10 votes), and the whole thing is a nice use of paper and toner, but little else.

The Hard Control Board’s a-coming.

The Coalition will be hosting a Fundraiser on Saturday October 22nd. Save the date, and sign up at Meetup.com for updated information and notification of future events.

Sunday at 11am on WBEN-AM 930:

Donn Esmonde from the News will join the Professor and take your calls at 803-0930 (for the 1st time in a while).

Unfortunately, I’ll be somewhere between New York City and Binghamton around that time on that day. So listen for me and report back any wackiness that takes place.

That’s what they call it in Germany - the act of two lanes “zippering” into one.

These unfortunate motorists on the 190 in Black Rock yesterday need to learn how to Reisverschluss.

Photo 1
Photo 2

HT Indabuff.com

What do you do when you’re a minor-party candidate for public office and the media are paying absolutely no attention to you?

Give ‘em a dumb reason!

This is verbatim what Charlie Flynn sent out to the media yesterday:

Buffalo Mayoral candidate Charles J. Flynn wishes to disclose to the media and the voters of The City of Buffalo 2 incidences from his past.

Mr. Flynn urges all other candidates to “Put the cards on the table, face-up” in order to move the campaign along and end any and all speculation to his past.

In 1982, Mr. Flynn was involved in a brawl in a restaurant on Seneca which resulted in an assault conviction.

In 1993, Mr. Flynn made a prank phone call to the electric company in an attempt to have a rival realtor’s power cut off after a commission dispute. This resulted in a tampering charge and conviction.

Mr. Flynn’s past history as a Hooligan and prankster should be known to all voters and those considering to support him.

Flynn has said “I was wrong and learned and moved on to do many positive things for myself and community since my wild youth.”

Here’s my question: why is “Hooligan” capitalized?

When I was 2, my Dad was in the Army and stationed in Columbia, SC. (Not a very hospitable place in 1970 for immigrants driving a Renault 10 with NY plates. But I digress).

So, for 2-ish years, I was a resident of South Carolina.

Which means if I ever do something quite so newsworthy, The State (Columbia’s paper) could splash “Former Columbia Resident Does _____________”

Because I have as much connection with Columbia, SC as John Roberts has to Buffalo.

Nobody can kiss one’s ass better than oneself.

I agree with every single word of Craig’s post here.

I said it was indefensible, but Craig defends it.

I link, you decide. (My comments are posted at Craig’s page).

But one note: whenever the left criticizes some idiotic statement (in this case, patently racial) by a prominent conservative, it is alleged that the left is engaging in the stifling of speech and/or political correctness.

Let me be clear: Bill Bennett can be as racist as he wants to be, and he can say whatever damn fool thing he wants, between bets. But I have every right to point it out and criticize it. That’s not PC; that’s free speech.

I will be out of town this weekend, and part of my travels will take me on the Thruway-maintained, but completely gratis, roadway of I-287. I’m sure you will all feel quite heartened to know that your 75 cent tolls in South Buffalo and Black Rock will go to subsidize the maintenance of a roadway that cuts through the center of one of the wealthiest counties in the entire country.

It’s nice to know that the working class of Buffalo can subsidize Mercedes drivers throughout Westchester.

I don’t know why I’m on a Thruway kick today. They just really pissed me off this morning.

If you’re going to send out three yellow trucks’ worth of crew members to block the left-most lane of travel just in front of, but not blocking, a toll lane;

and if you’re going to have said trucks’ worth of crew members do nothing more than stand around;

please, for the love of God, don’t do it at 8:25 am on a weekday.

Love, BP

Courtesy of former drug czar, and current gambling aficionado-cum-morality czar Bill Bennett:

I do know that it’s true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could — if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky.

Don’t believe me? Clicky.

Posting Light. Talk amongst yourselves.

Renault is returning to the US!

Well, not really.

But the Nissan Tiida, which will be coming to the US as the “Versa” (and gets 38 MPG) is about as close to a Renault Megane as you can get.

Since Nissan and Renault are now the same company.

Tom DeLay is indicted for criminal conspiracy for accepting campaign contributions that are against Texas law. NB: These are state criminal charges - not federal charges.

He’s stepping down as majority leader, but not quitting the House. Not yet, anyway.

I’m disappointed. Drudge doesn’t have the siren up.

Smoking Gun has the indictment, which includes the incriminating check.

I grabbed one yesterday and read some of it - not all of it - so far.

It doesn’t completely suck, but I wouldn’t pay money for it.

The price is right, but you get what you pay for. Two cliches that about sum it up for me.

You can read other people’s comments here.

The Senecas are buying up land left and right down near the Cobblestone & the DL&W terminal.

Among the properties sold is a gas station.

Promoted from comments:

Anyhow, if you and your readers truly support the construction of something new like Menn’s bridge - please have them email Bruce Campbell at the PBA.

Our new signature bridge needs all the support it can get.

Thanks.

Bruce.L.Campbell@parsons.com

That’s ultimately the issue: depending on who becomes Mayor in November (*cough* Byron *cough*), to whom will payback be owed?

Brown’s contributions also include a second donation from Goin South, a political club headed by Raymond K. McGurn, a top administrator when James D. Griffin was mayor who now serves as inspections and permits commissioner for Masiello.

So far, Goin South has given $450 to Brown’s campaign.

Swell.

Somewhat way off-topic, but I caught this in the Times, and just had to share with you a quote therefrom.

It’s from an opinion piece; the Times opposes the State’s plans for one or three Indian casinos in the Catskills.

The state legislature had whittled a proposal for five casinos down to three, and then ultimately to one; the site of the former Kuther’s resort.

The Kutsher’s site was not approved by the Legislature, mainly because Senate Leader Joseph L. Bruno wanted two other casinos in the Catskills as well. Mr. Bruno’s son is a lobbyist for one of the tribes that wants a casino near the Shawangunks, an area with some of the most beautiful vistas in the Catskills.

So, the one-casino plan was scrapped.

What a messed up place we live in that the Senate President’s son is permitted to lobby the state legislature. Fucking banana republic.

I didn’t watch the whole thing yet, and what I did see looked like a bit of a cluster-eff. But its TAR, and I’ll watch.

It was nice to see Kevin & Drew make an appearance at the “Frank” stand on 91st between Lex & Park. It was even nicer that one of the kids recognized them.

Also, sure enough, the clueboxes do sport that newfangled flag I took a picture of at the Falls. More later when I’ve watched it.

Craig takes me to task for having the audacity to suggest that Wal Mart should treat its employees well. He says that Wal Mart doesn’t treat its employees any differently than Wegmans or Tops.

Except Wegmans was named the Best Place to Work in America.

Except Tops has unionized employees, and is a relatively small subsidiary of a Dutch-based worldwide conglomerate. Oh, and it provides health care insurance to many employees.

Except Wal Mart is the No. 1 company in the Fortune 500, and its 2004 sales climbed 10% to $288 billion; profits rose 13% to $10 billion.

I’m no fan of Wal Mart’s because their products suck and are cheap. I don’t like them because they pay their employees shit - in some cases, so low that they’re encouraged to go on Medicaid and other forms of public assistance. I’m not crazy about the fact that they portray themselves as a flag-waving proud American star spangled company, but they require suppliers to source from China to keep prices low. Are outsourcing and minimum wage the new patriotism?

Wal Mart is huge and doesn’t have to be responsible for the health care of its employees (they’re expendable, I guess). But it could, and the largest corporation in America ought to, since nobody else will.

Our universal health care in America is called “Emergency Room”, “dunning”, and “bankruptcy.”

Shop there if you want, but I’ll go to Target, where the stores are clean and the products are of better quality.

Today, c’mon down to the Hamlin House. Christina Abt (candidate for Eden Town Board) will be hosting the launch of her book, “Chicken Wing Wisdom: WNY Stories of Family, Life, and Food Shared Around the Table”

Today: Wednesday September 28, 2005 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm

At the Hamlin House at 432 Franklin Street between Virginia and Allen.

Tickets are $25, including an autographed copy of the book, wings to eat, and soft drinks. (Cash bar available). (Cash or check only - no plastic). Additional books at $15, and party tickets only for $10.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Family and Child Crisis Services / Haven House and the Hamburg Domestic Violence Office.

Want a sneak peak? Check out the CWW website.

www.chickenwingwisdom.com

It’s funny that I left Boston when I did.

The Big Dig commenced construction in 1990 - the year I graduated from college in Boston. I still remember the news reports about people in the North End complaining about the rats infesting the neighborhood because their underground homes were being disturbed.

I returned in 1994, and construction was in full swing. It seemed that every couple of months, the already screwy Boston traffic patterns downtown by the waterfront would get even screwier. It was a big mess, but the Commonwealth did a good job with public relations, and people were genuinely supportive of the project as a whole. Everyone looked forward to the day when that project would be done, and downtown would be reconnected with its waterfront. I still have some of the booklets about the Dig that were sent around in the mail, or included as inserts in the Sunday Globe.

The Big Dig’s pretty much been finished for a year now. The elevated Central Artery is gone. The tunnel is open (and leaking like a sieve). Funny that I had to put up with the traffic headaches, and now I don’t even get to reap the benefit. Oh, well.

But the most visible part of the Big Dig project was the new Charles River crossing.

Once an ugly, rusting bucket of steel rising high over the Charles, complete with a Y-connection to the Tobin Bridge Chelsea-bound, it’s since been replaced by an elaborate ribbon of off & on-ramps, connecting with a gorgeous cable-stayed bridge designed by Swiss engineer Christian Menn.

By 2001, the bridge was complete and had become a distinctive and beautiful addition to Boston’s skyline.

In fact, the biggest controversy about the bridge was its naming - then-Governor Cellucci decided it should be named after a local civil rights activist who had recently died. But the adjacent Charlestown neighborhood balked, and demanded it be called the Bunker Hill Bridge. After all, Menn had the foresight to add little obelisk shapes to the tops of the towers - identical to the obelisk at the top of Bunker Hill nearby. A compromise was struck, naming it the “Leonard Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge”.

The traffic guys call it the “Zakim Bridge”.

As early as 2001 - just around the time that the bridge was completed - a local financial firm already incorporated the bridge’s design in its logo.

So, Buffalo, Christian Menn says you ought to rip down the existing Peace Bridge and replace it with a modern, cable-stayed bridge. Something that’s unique and distinctive. Who says a utilitarian bridge can’t be beautiful?

Thanks to several emailers, including 10th Legislative District Candidate Rus Thompson, the Buffaloblogger, and Pat McNichol from NMG for the postable pictures.

Folks, sometimes symbolism and perception mean more than reality.

The Peace Bridge is the past. Menn’s design is the future. I think Buffalo’s best days are ahead.

Let’s build the future.

The New Millenium Group has released its proposed design for a signature Peace Bridge. The design is by Christian Menn, who designed Boston’s Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge. It’s quite unique, and it’s gorgeous. Build it.

Linkage (pdf). If I can get a hold of some reasonably-sized pictures, I’ll post them, too.