There is nothing more dangerous to the status quo than a mouthy curmudgeon who’s flush with cash.

Thanks to Artvoice for posting it.

John McCain in 2004:

QUESTION: Let me give you a hypothetical, senator. What would or should we do if, in the post-June 30th period, a so-called sovereign Iraqi government asks us to leave, even if we are unhappy about the security situation there? I understand it’s a hypothetical, but it’s at least possible.

McCAIN: Well, if that scenario evolves, then I think it’s obvious that we would have to leave because— if it was an elected government of Iraq— and we’ve been asked to leave other places in the world. If it were an extremist government, then I think we would have other challenges, but I don’t see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people.

The elected head of state of sovereign Iraq said this to Der Spiegel this past weekend:

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki supports US presidential candidate Barack Obama’s plan to withdraw US troops from Iraq within 16 months. When asked in and interview with SPIEGEL when he thinks US troops should leave Iraq, Maliki responded “as soon as possible, as far as we are concerned.” He then continued: “US presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.”

and

“So far the Americans have had trouble agreeing to a concrete timetable for withdrawal, because they feel it would appear tantamount to an admission of defeat,” Maliki told SPIEGEL. “But that isn’t the case at all. If we come to an agreement, it is not evidence of a defeat, but of a victory, of a severe blow we have inflicted on al-Qaida and the militias.”

The Bush Administration first blundered by promoting the Spiegel article to its press distribution list rather than an internal distribution list, and then sometime on Sunday, Maliki issued a “clarification” of his remarks, which was puzzlingly released through the US Central Command.

Oh, and did I mention that Maliki’s “clarification” came after the White House called him to tell him to “clarify”?

From the New York Times:

Mr. Maliki’s interview prompted immediate concern from the Bush administration, which called to seek clarification from Mr. Maliki’s office, American officials said.

Scott M. Stanzel, a White House spokesman with President Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Tex., said that embassy officials explained to the Iraqis how the interview in Der Spiegel was being interpreted, given that it came just a day after the two governments announced an agreement over American troops.

“The Iraqis were not aware and wanted to correct it,” he said.

So, the Iraqis trotted out a guy to say that Spiegel screwed up the translation.

Diplomats from the United States Embassy in Baghdad spoke to Mr. Maliki’s advisers on Saturday, said an American official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss what he called diplomatic communications. After that, the government’s spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, issued a statement casting doubt on the magazine’s rendering of the interview.

The statement, which was distributed to media organizations by the American military early on Sunday, said Mr. Maliki’s words had been “misunderstood and mistranslated,” but it failed to cite specifics.

“Unfortunately, Der Spiegel was not accurate,” Mr. Dabbagh said Sunday by telephone. “I have the recording of the voice of Mr. Maliki. We even listened to the translation.”

But the interpreter worked for Maliki - not Spiegel, and the Times got a hold of the tape, and offers this direct translation from its original Arabic:

“Obama’s remarks that — if he takes office — in 16 months he would withdraw the forces, we think that this period could increase or decrease a little, but that it could be suitable to end the presence of the forces in Iraq.”

He continued: “Who wants to exit in a quicker way has a better assessment of the situation in Iraq.”

And all of this comes during a campaign where McCain and Bush have steadfastly refused to consider a timetable for American troops to leave Iraq, lest it be perceived as failure. The Republicans have been trying to apply the “cut & run” language they used against Kerry against Obama, but 2004 is different from 2008. So different, in fact, that the White House itself has had to acknowledge that some sort of pullout is going to happen, but they prefer to call it a “time horizon” or somesuch.

By talking pullout, Bush and Maliki have effectively removed one of the big rationales behind McCain’s candidacy.

(EDITS: Links added, corrections made)

This story in today’s Buffalo News featured a repeat of an excuse for take-home vehicles that Buffalo Police union capo Bob Meegan made last week. Setting aside for a moment the fact that patrol vehicles are generally in crappier shape than the brass’ take-home Tahoes (free of insurance, gas, and maintenance requirements, naturally). Sheriff Tim Howard says,

He believes every take-home vehicle can be justified. For example, Doyle, his administrative chief, often works weekends or late into the evening and should not be expected to tie up a personal car that his family might need

So, how is it that people who work in the dreaded private sector and are on-call or have unusual hours are able to cope by using a personal car for the commute and for business travel? Who among us doesn’t technically “tie up a personal car” when we’re at work?

• Howard wants to be able to call his appointees to work when needed.

“If I ever say, meet me at the office, I don’t have to hear, well, my wife has the car,” he said.

Really? Maybe they only own one car because they don’t need a second one, since the boss gives them one. Take away the take-home car, and I’m willing to bet there’s be some extra money in the pockets of Mssrs. Campbell, DeLacy, and Paddock pretty darn quick.

• The superintendent of his Holding Center, Robert Koch, and Correctional Facility, Donald Livingston, often go to their facilities at odd hours, “either because of emergencies or to make checks,” Howard said.

Wouldn’t their personal car get them there?

“It would,” the sheriff said, “but would it be fair to expect them to do that?”

Why, yes. Yes it would. Since the people are paying for that car, and for its maintenance, and for its gas, and insuring it, it would be perfectly reasonable to get it off the road and save a few of the people’s dollars.

Here’s a handy tip for all of the take-home hacks out there: the IRS reimbursement rate is now 50.5 cents. Start tracking your mileage and give the public coffers a break.

Every. Penny. Counts.

While Donn Esmonde goes off on a sarcastic rant about how great it is that the casino is (he says) not going to open, I have to say that my thinking on the casino downtown has morphed from ignorance to opposition to indifference. (As my dad’s joke goes, Q: What’s the difference between ignorance and indifference? A: I don’t know, and I don’t care.)

Does anyone think for a second that the Seneca casino won’t stay open or that the current hotel project is going to be halted? I strongly doubt it, because the Senecas will counter the request for an injunction by arguing that they opened their temporary casino and began constructing their property in good faith based on the government’s approval, and that it is they who would be irreperably harmed by a shut-down - not the casino opponents. In the meantime, the Senecas can go about an alternate procedure to ensure that the land can be used for gaming.

Although the Citizens for a Better Buffalo and CACGEC will continue to fight and oppose this casino project, and although the Margaret Wendt foundation will continue to fund the legal battle, I no longer care.

The casino won’t be a silver bullet for the city. It isn’t a great deal that Pataki negotiated for the city. It will engender even more litigation between the county and the city, who will compete for “host community” status under the compact. The casino won’t pay property taxes or income taxes to the state. It’s a crappy deal.

One of many.

Look at Niagara Falls. People like to point out that the area surrounding the casino is just as full of fail as it was before the casino came in. That’s true. But it should come as no surprise, since Niagara Falls has more than its share of fail. But at worst, it’s the status quo.

People don’t leave casino grounds to go for a walk around the neighborhood? What neighborhood? Where are they supposed to go? The dilapidated, crumbling, in-breach-of-contract Rainbow Centre acts as a physical and psychological barrier blocking pedestrian access from the Casino to the Falls state park. And what’s past there? After dark, not much. A balloon ride? Some street vendors? A gift shop? A crappy Hard Rock Cafe? At least the old, leaky convention center got fixed up and is used on a daily basis.

Will people leave the Buffalo Creek Casino? If there’s stuff to do, they will. Canal Side will be mere blocks away. It will feature hotels, restaurants, shopping, a boardwalk, etc. The Sabres play at HSBC Arena. A casino won’t solve a lot of problems, but it adds one more thing to do downtown. It adds a world-class hotel to add to options limited right now by a shitty, subsidized Hyatt and an Adams Mark that looks like it was airlifted from Cold War-era Soviet apartment blocks. (More concrete, Sasha!)

What’s done is done. The casino will undoubtedly be completed. The Senecas will make loads of money. People will come from near and far to check it out. The city will make money off the slot revenue. So will the state.

And so will the food distributors who employ people and pay taxes. So will the liquor and beer distributors who employ people and pay taxes. So will the people who live locally and work at the casino and pay taxes. So will the suppliers and construction workers and furniture wholesalers who will all make money off of this project. So will the architects and landscapers.

So, I’m now indifferent. If it’s blocked, great. If it goes up, great. Either way, my day won’t change. But if I’m leaning in any one direction, I’d say build the damn thing already. Build it nice, build it big, and build it in such a way so as to maximize pedestrian entry and egress from the property. By cooperating with the Senecas, we can help make it a project that is integrated into its surroundings, rather than an island surrounded by a sea of useless parking.

Bob Confer: Activist and commentator.
Scott Leffler: Lockport broadcaster
Niagara’s Voice: Niagara County political blog
Niagara Journal: Niagara County political blog

Niagara. It’s more than just a waterfall and fail.

Apparently, the author of a local political website received a cease & desist letter/message from the Buffalo News after he re-published, verbatim, a story that appeared on the Buffalo News’ website. The author replies to the News’ C&D letter on his website, and includes the following paragraph:

Besides that there is NO such thing as copy-write material on the Internet when you invite readers to pass the story along via email etc.

That’s not true.

First of all, when you click to email someone a Buffalo News story, they’re sent a link to it - not the whole text. Secondly, when you click to Digg the story or post it to Facebook or some other social networking/bookmarking site, an excerpt from the story is posted - not the entire thing. None of that somehow automatically voids copyright protection.

You hold an immediate, automatic copyright with respect to anything you create, whether it’s a writing or a drawing. I am the copyright holder with respect to any of my posts, and you can’t reprint it in its entirety - with or without attribution - unless you have my express permission. That’s why outfits such as Creative Commons were created, to more easily enable republication of internet material.

When I am commenting on something that I saw published elsewhere, I am careful to make sure not only that I am attributing my source, but also linking to it and blockquoting the text so that you know it’s someone else’s work and not mine. Furthermore, I am careful to include only a portion of the text in the blockquote, and not the whole thing. I am encouraging you to go to the source itself and read the piece in its entirety (and to view the source’s advertisements, etc.)

Furthermore, my republication of excerpts from the original piece is protected by the Fair Use doctrine, which permits me to repost portions for the purpose of commentary. It’s a grey area, but no one’s ever complained to me about it. Most notably the Buffalo News, which I quote and cite most often.

By the same token, you own the copyright to your comments. By posting them here, you give me implicit permission to publish them in their entirety.

This article in today’s New York Times details how Roger Ailes and FNC’s PR machine operates.

At Fox News, media relations is a kind of rolling opposition research operation intended to keep reporters in line by feeding and sometimes maiming them. Shooting the occasional messenger is baked right into the process.

While it’s certainly hardball, the only thing I can say is that I’m thoroughly impressed by its effectiveness and the fear, hatred, and respect it engenders among other members of the media.

And this similar piece at Gawker is a nice postscript.

Some privileged scion of a Mississippi political family, Representative Chip Pickering (R) announced in August 2007 that he was not going to run for re-election. He wanted to spend more time with his family, he said. He’s all set to take a cush lobbying job when he leaves Congress at the end of the year.

Last week, he filed for divorce from his wife, with whom he has five children. I guess spending more time with the family is out of the question, now.

So, why do I bring this up? Why do I care about the personal life of an obscure and undistinguished Republican congressman?

Because he’s one of those self-righteous, moralistic imbeciles who believes that permitting gay marriage somehow harms the sanctity of the institution of marriage. He is against adoption by gay couples, because evidently a child being in an orphanage or some other institutional environment is healthier for that child than to be raised by a loving same-sex couple in a stable home. He does not think that other states should have to recognize same-sex marriages or unions performed in other states. While full faith & credit applies only to judgments, I wonder whether Mr. Pickering would have supported the rights of states not to recognize, e.g., interracial marriages back when some states were ok with them while others weren’t.

The hypocrisy, which is evident even to the most ignorant, is par for the course. There are so many politicians who proclaim their piety and traditionalism to the mountaintops. They quote from the Bible to support policies that oppress people who bother no one.

A gay marriage hurts no one. It doesn’t affect anyone else in the entire world. It will not bring a plague of locusts falling from the sky, and it won’t bring down the wrath of God, and it won’t make God cause terrorists to hijack planes and hurl them into buildings. A gay marriage won’t cause your heterosexual marriage to be cheapened. It won’t make your kids gay. It won’t hurt you in any way, shape, or form. A gay marriage doesn’t alter your political or religious beliefs any more than those beliefs alter the gay couple.

The fact that this self-righteous, pious defender of faith and family is getting divorced (I think the Bible has something to say about that, incidentally), is an actual, physical destruction of a family. It doesn’t get more direct than rending asunder a solemn oath and vow you take with your spouse and your God. It doesn’t get any worse than bringing a quiverfull of kids into the world, and then ripping the family in two.

When contacted about it, Pickering says it’s a painful, private matter and he doesn’t want to comment. No shit it’s painful. Ask your kids, Congressman. But for someone who so publicly assailed the private lives of people different from him, he should be ashamed.

If God will not be mocked, maybe it’s the hypocritical self-righteous Republican values-mongering divorcees who are doing the mocking.

Want to see the erosion of family values? Want to see the sancity and tradition of marriage be mocked and diminished? Look no further than Representative Chip Pickering.

At around 3:30 this afternoon, near the Erie Canal Terminus, Hillary Clinton and other dignitaries, luminaries, glitterati, politicos, and other people with fancy suits will be simultaneously thumbing their Blackberries whilst arguing over who gets to stand close to the ribbon to get their maw on the evening news.

That’s because the canal terminus park isn’t “officially” open until the electeds get their photo op.

On a serious note, everyone who had a hand in crafting the park that we have today deserves the community’s praise and accolades. When I moved to Buffalo in 2001, that spot was a barren wasteland of a parking lot under the skyway. As a newcomer, I had no idea that it held any special significance whatsoever. Now, its historic importance is evident to all, and the city has a new, well-designed, well thought-out attraction to be proud of.

But the work has only just begun. The Canal Side project writ large will bring residents, businesses, retail, and restaurants. Hot dog vendors are a great start, but something more permanent and winterized will be needed to ensure that the project is attractive year-round.

So, give the electeds their oversized scissors and red ribbons. Give them their photo ops and their speeches. It doesn’t matter. With this project, we all won one.

Kathy Konst’s bid for the Democratic nomination to run against Chris Lee to replace Tom “kiddie shield” Reynolds has ended as abruptly as it began. Instead, Konst will enter the race to replace Dale Volker, the cantankerous 30+ year State Senator from district 59 who spends a lot of time patting himself on the back when he’s not screaming at people.

Even more interesting than the Konst about-face is what’s behind it. Evidently, Rochester’s Tom Golisano has decided to form a 527 PAC to support candidates who will shake up the State Senate. From the Capitol News:

A source familiar with Golisano’s thinking said the former gubernatorial candidate plans to spend $1 million of his own money on behalf of each candidate he supports. This includes targeting several incumbents, including at least one who was not previously in danger. Golisano could also potentially involve himself in contested Assembly primaries.

The source said Golisano plans on supporting candidates who share his agenda of reforming Albany, reforming the state budget and promoting economic development upstate, particularly in the region around Buffalo which he calls home.

Candidates will mainly be Democrats, but Golisano will consider endorsing Republicans in the races. Candidates will need to be moderate, committed to Golisano’s agenda and not aligned with career politicians, according to the source.

Golisano’s political website, www.golisano.com, which has remained dormant since his announcement that he would not run for governor in 2006, was updated June 27 with a teaser to “Stay tuned for an important announcement coming soon.”

Golisano will be supporting Erie County Legislator Kathy Konst (D) in her bid to unseat State Sen. Dale Volker (R-Erie), former boxer Joe Mesi (D) in his primary bid to succeed retiring Sen. Mary Lou Rath (R-Erie) and former State Sen. Rick Dollinger (D-Monroe) in his bid to unseat Sen. Joe Robach (R-Monroe), though Golisano is unlikely to announce these specific candidates at his press conference next week.

Golisano’s decision whether to also back Assembly candidates hasn’t been finalized, but he has contemplated supporting Barbara Kavanaugh’s primary challenge against Sam Hoyt. There are also rumors that Golisano may recruit other business leaders who are not content with the state of Albany “leadership” who might be willing to put their money where their mouths are. People like Carl Paladino.

And there are larger issues as well from a party political perspective:

Golisano’s chief political advisor is former Erie County Democratic Chair Steve Pigeon, who is expected to play a major role in the new PAC. Some say Pigeon’s fingerprints can already be seen on the Konst and Mesi endorsements.

Konst is the most surprising move of the Golisano involvement, given her May announcement that she was seeking the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-Erie). Golisano offered his support if she switched to the Senate race in a meeting last week. Konst, who according to sources was floundering in her bid to secure petition signatures for her late start congressional bid and was circulating Senate petitions at the same time, began telling people over the weekend that she had made the change.

And every once in a while, in the middle of an interesting story about political maneuvering, you find a statement that’s hilarious in its stupidity:

According to former East Aurora Mayor Dave DiPietro (R), who is running a primary challenge to Volker, Konst’s husband, politically active attorney Harry Konst, told him last week that Golisano promised $1 million to support his wife’s Senate bid.

Harry Konst, who is managing his wife’s campaign, claimed he has not discussed the Senate bid with her and said he did not know who Golisano is.

Why Volker? Ask Paladino:

Palladino said he plans to do anything he can to support DiPietro in his bid and hopes to see him unseat Volker in the primary. He did not rule out assisting Konst in a general election, but noted he would prefer the Senate to remain Republican. Palladino said he opposes Volker’s support for what he defines as anti-business legislation and for being in Albany too long.

“I’ve thought of him as a friend,” Palladino said. “His shelf life is over. He thinks everything is fine in Albany. Albany is murdering upstate New York. Even Barack Obama would be a better alternative to Dale Volker. And that’s bad for me.”

It’s an interesting development that helps un-muddy NY-26, helps push along the effort to rid Albany of Dale Volker, and if nothing else expands options available to voters. The problem is that with Pigeon’s involvement, it loses a great deal of its political appeal. There’s no grassroots effort - any argument that this is a way to stick it to the party bosses is lost with him in the mix.

Also, I’ve been watching what DiPietro’s been doing, and I think he’s an excellent replacement for Volker. Not so much because I know a damn thing about him, except that East Aurora’s former mayor is being advised by Ostrowski, and he’s been endorsed by Primary Challenge. His campaign sent out a media advisory last week indicating that the Erie County Republican Committee, which is backing Volker, had sent some young goon to videotape DiPietro’s campaign announcement speech. But that person wasn’t taping the speech, but the crowd. Soon afterwards, people in the crowd began receiving threats - veiled and overt - about supporting a candidate who is running in a primary against another Republican.

Say one thing about the Democrats, we may bicker and argue and primary each other, but I’m not that aware of people threatening other people’s livelihoods if they do so.

Friedman in the Times yesterday:

My fellow Americans: We are a country in debt and in decline — not terminal, not irreversible, but in decline. Our political system seems incapable of producing long-range answers to big problems or big opportunities. We are the ones who need a better-functioning democracy — more than the Iraqis and Afghans. We are the ones in need of nation-building. It is our political system that is not working.

I continue to be appalled at the gap between what is clearly going to be the next great global industry — renewable energy and clean power — and the inability of Congress and the administration to put in place the bold policies we need to ensure that America leads that industry.

“America and its political leaders, after two decades of failing to come together to solve big problems, seem to have lost faith in their ability to do so,” Wall Street Journal columnist Gerald Seib noted last week. “A political system that expects failure doesn’t try very hard to produce anything else.”

We used to try harder and do better. After Sputnik, we came together as a nation and responded with a technology, infrastructure and education surge, notes Robert Hormats, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs International. After the 1973 oil crisis, we came together and made dramatic improvements in energy efficiency. After Social Security became imperiled in the early 1980s, we came together and fixed it for that moment. “But today,” added Hormats, “the political system seems incapable of producing a critical mass to support any kind of serious long-term reform.”

If the old saying — that “as General Motors goes, so goes America” — is true, then folks, we’re in a lot of trouble. General Motors’s stock-market value now stands at just $6.47 billion, compared with Toyota’s $162.6 billion. On top of it, G.M. shares sank to a 34-year low last week.

That’s us. We’re at a 34-year low. And digging out of this hole is what the next election has to be about and is going to be about — even if it is interrupted by a terrorist attack or an outbreak of war or peace in Iraq. We need nation-building at home, and we cannot wait another year to get started. Vote for the candidate who you think will do that best. Nothing else matters.

There are so many reasons and causes for this inevitable chicken roost homecoming that I can’t even begin to hurl epithets at them. But I’m willing to overlook them for now just to have some people in congress take some bold steps that will help us in the future. Fewer international misadventures and more time and money being spent on transitioning our economy would be a swell idea.

Why I detest cable news and Rush Limbaugh clones:

With apologies to the late Joe Raposo, what happens when a politically well-connected person is brought up on corruption charges? Oftentimes, in order to lighten his sentence, he starts singing like a bird.

Newwnypolitics’ Glenn Gramigna is reporting that John Fischer, the BMHA administrator of capital improvements arrested last week on extortion and bribery charges is singing, and the song is about Byron Brown.

The words “scandal” and “resign” are included therein.

As a follow-up on the Livery Building post, Bill Altreuter posts a comment:

Notwithstanding the rapid degeneration of this comment string (and what’s up with that?) I thought I’d mention that I did a little digging and learned that about 20 years ago the Freudenheim’s planned on converting the building into apartments or condos. They were frustrated in this when the neighbors objected and got the city to put the kibosh on the project. (Parking was what the basis for the kvetching was.)

The Freudenheim’s have been stuck with this white elephant ever since.

If the neighbors put the kibosh on a viable redevelopment project some 20 years ago, it seems that they are, to a certain degree, estopped from now bemoaning its loss.

Discuss.

Lincoln : Douglas.

Kennedy : Nixon.

Now, it’s debate via Twitter. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and John Culbertson (R-TX) have been going at it on Twitter, engaging in a debate, of sorts.

Jason Linkins at HuffPo writes:

thrill to them yelling about ANWR, bragging about their exploits, issuing snarky commentary, all while a nation of Twits looks on and gawks, or adds their own noise. I especially love the portion of this exchange where Culberson types - over and over again - “I understand my Dem colleague Tim Ryan says here he opposes ANWR drilling because it will only reduce gas prices by 2 cents - it will be.” He’s run up against Twitter’s 140-character limitation, but he’s not going to let that stop him!

He concludes that it isn’t, in his opinion, a good example of democracy at work. Instead,

I guess this is just my way of saying that the world was a much better place before any of us were born, and these people would - like Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr - simply go outside and shoot each other in the face, the end.

From Politics on the Hudson:

[T]he state Commission on Property Tax Reform, headed by Nassau County executive Thomas Suozzi, is recommending a school property-tax cap of 4 percent annual growth, tying property taxes to incomes (called a circuit breaker) and relieving schools of state and local mandates.

“There are only three options to address the ever increasing cost burden of the New York State education system: 1) decrease expenses (or at least decrease the rate of growth), 2) increase state aid, or 3) increase property taxes,” the report reads.

“These options involve hard choices, but this Commission concludes that, regardless of any other factors, it must be a priority to limit property tax increases above a capped amount.”

The entire - yet preliminary - report is here (.pdf).

It’s 112 pages long, so no I haven’t read the whole thing yet. But this stood out within the first few pages:

High property taxes have the most negative impact on low and moderate income working families, seniors on fixed incomes, and small business owners, who must shoulder this burden regardless of their ability to pay. Whether your concern is decreasing education costs, or increasing education spending, or addressing inequities in school funding, or improving programs, virtually all agree the answer cannot be to continue to increase property taxes at the current rate. The rate of increase in property taxes over recent years is unsustainable, and simply unfair to those who cannot afford to pay.

and

Expenses are high. New York schools outside of New York City spend more per student than any state in the nation – an estimated $18,768 in 2008-20091. New York’s per student spending is more than 50 percent above the national average. New York is a proud state with a progressive history and a social compact devoted to improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers. Generations of New York’s leaders, committed to maintaining its status as a national model of social responsibility, have adopted laws and regulations that require local school districts and local governments to provide certain functions in certain ways. The unintended consequence is government that is very expensive. The thorny challenge is to help school districts and other local
governments reduce these expenses, while remaining faithful to our social compact.

State aid as a percentage of total cost is below the national average. It must be noted that New York State spends a great deal on public education, well above the national average. In fact, the State has dramatically increased spending over the past several years and intends to do even more over the next several years, which the Commission applauds. However, the State’s contribution represents, as a percentage of the total cost, only 43 percent, which is below the national average of 47 percent.

In addition to the property tax cap on the rate of growth and the “STAR Circuit Breaker”, which ties STAR property tax relief to one’s ability to pay, the commission suggests changing state mandates that help drive up the cost of education throughout the state, including salaries, pension, and health care costs.

Take a look at the report and report your thoughts in comments. This might be one of the most significant reform efforts in the state in decades. Is it enough? Is it a good start? Will it help?

Good? That it’s being considered at all, and some solutions are being proposed. Bad? I don’t really know. I’m mostly concerned that it’s a Spongebob Band-Aid being placed over a gaping wound.

My long weekend begins today, so posting will be appropriately light, although Mr. Buffalo Geek might hop on if he’s so inclined.

So, consider:

McKinley High School Principal Crystal Barton ought to start talking about what’s going on. Jayvonna Kincannon, on the other hand, is in desperate need of a time out.

County Executive Chris Collins says he’s not a political animal, but the evidence shows otherwise. Not that there’s anything wrong with a politician acting politically, but why keep up the charade?

I wonder why DA Candidate Ken Case is so untouchable, but the Erie County Democratic Committee unanimously endorsed Frank Sedita III - son of the Supreme Court Justice and grandson of the Mayor. There is no question whatsoever that Sedita is an outstanding prosecutor, and chances are that, as 1st Assistant, he has had much experience helping to run that office. I’m sure he’s a good pick, but would love to know why Case wasn’t.

I want to begin dispelling a myth - I think the conventional wisdom out there holds that the people at WNYMedia.net are snarky, sarcastic snipers and gripers, and don’t try to do helpful things. That could not be further from the truth, and I’ll put the civic activism of our members and writers up against anyone. Our people have been involved with Buffalo Homecoming, Broadway-Fillmore Alive, the Central Terminal, the WNY Coalition for Progress, anti-Flipping efforts on the East Side, Revitalize Buffalo, Santa’s Park, South Buffalo improvements, Buffalo ReUse, Buffalo’s dog park at LaSalle - just to name a few. Thesis: it’s perfectly ok to snarkily gripe when you’re out there trying to implement change. Frankly, it’s perfectly ok to snarkily gripe no matter what.

The American Axle strike is now over. The Tonawanda plant will close, but the Cheektowaga plant will stay open. For now. Probably not for very long.

The Erie Canal Harbor park officially opens today. You can go there and cross the truss bridge, look at the excavated canal terminus, read some historical facts about the canal, go to the park along the water, walk along the board walk, go to the naval museum, and see some ruins. It’s quite pretty and very well built. There are most certainly very pretty things to see - the problem is that there is nothing to do there. Construction on Canal Side’s retail, commercial, and residential phases can’t begin soon enough.

John McCain is a newbie when it comes to attracting the religious whacko vote, and has - in one week - had to repudiate Rev. John Hagee, who had some very strange things to say about Hitler, and now Rod Parsley, who has some very interesting things to say about America’s founding, is a raging homophobe, and can cure disease with his touch. Maybe the Reverend A-hole Parsley could be Surgeon General.

Finally, a LOLCat:

more cat pictures

The price of just about everything has shot up like crazy, and Albany thinks you deserve relief.

Are they proposing lowering taxes and fees across the board? Are they going to spend less to make up the difference? Is there any chance that New York politicians might adopt just a smidgen of their constituents’ frugality in the face of the ever-higher cost of living?

No.

But here’s a C-note, kid. Now scram.

The political fad this week seems to be a gas tax holiday. Politicians with ambitions as lofty as President and as lowly as county legislature are proposing that jus