Reduce or Eliminate Taxes For Flood Victims

I was surfing for some firematic and flood articles and came across an interesting tidbit out of Albany. It reminds me of the comment Fulton Park Civic Association President Maria Gomez, made at the last Greenburgh Town Board meeting. In response to the ludicrous suggestion by Paul Feiner that maybe FEMA would purchase homes in the flood zone, she told the Board if they really wanted to help the victims of the flooding, lower their taxes! Well, along those same lines, a new legislative bill would exempt New York flood victims from state sales tax for their moving expenses and for purchases that replace clothing, appliances and other items.

The proposal by two upstate lawmakers — Assemblyman James Tedisco and Sen. Hugh Farley — would cover the sales tax on storage, furniture and other purchases large and small necessitated by the flooding damage caused by from tropical storms Irene and Lee. Why aren’t any of our local lawmakers, otherwise normally whores for publicity, offering the same type of relief?

Flood victims would be reimbursed for disaster purchases through a tax credit as long as they have receipts.

The bill could be taken up in January or earlier if the Legislature calls a special session this fall. Let’s hope the politicians can put the partisanship aside and unite for the victims.

The Behavior of Both Sides Stinks!

As a registered Republican, I voted for County Executive Rob Astorino. During the same election period, I ran for County Legislator and lost. While disappointed, I’m not bitter. However, there does seem to be bitterness between the parties that may or may not simply be partisanship at its worst. I’m almost glad I’m not there. Regardless, I’m disheartened with the behavior of both sides – it just stinks! To be clear, I won’t give a pass to any politician’s behavior merely because of party affiliation.

The County Legislators recently voted to override the County Executive’s veto to move forward with the repairs necessary to preserve the home owned by soldier Elijah Miller, host to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The building is located on Virginia Road in North White Plains, and also has plans to move it nearer the Kensico Dam. It is surrounded by commercial properties and lacks easy access and parking. While I am emotionally against changing its location for historic reasons, intelligent thought warrants it. I vaguely remember visiting this treasure on a field trip as a grammar school student. Back in the day, I couldn’t appreciate the significance of it. I recall thinking something to the effect that this was a trip away from school and we get to look at more old stuff. Old stuff indeed!

The overwhelming and most troubling part of this entire debacle is the point that this historic landmark has been owned and neglected by the County long before Astorino replaced Andy Spano as County Executive. Why wasn’t this mostly-the-same legislature not maintaining this landmark all along? It appears the responsibility and onus is not only Astorino’s, but the legislature's as well.

Astorino stated in his veto message, “Under the County Charter, the sole authority for the direction of a Commissioner is vested in the County Executive, and so the Act is a nullity since it goes beyond the powers conferred to your honorable board.” Well, there you go: the official answer as to why we will let a historic portion of our heritage in Westchester County rot before our eyes. Voting along with Astorino, but for different reasons was Democrat Mike “Tax-Hike” Kaplowitz of Somers, who supported the project but didn’t feel the economic times were right for the County to pick up the tab, saying, “I thought we should have had more of a group that would have helped offset some of the cost.” C’mon, Mike. If you support it, and the money has been appropriated, then just fix it. You’re trying to play both sides and not show any backbone when pressed later. Why haven’t you been leading the initiative to have a private/public confluence that can help offset the costs? Probably because that would mean actually doing something and we can’t have that, can we?

The legislature is playing games by ignoring an issue that never should have gotten to this point - had they been doing their due-diligence. Astorino apparently prefers to stand on principle rather than doing the right thing. They are both wrong! Astorino has told the two commissioners involved to put together a cost projection and time schedule to move the house. Prioritization is what’s missing here. There are two issues involved with the home and they don’t necessarily go hand in hand. The first is repairing the house; the second is moving the house.

During each campaign every candidate says how they will cross the isle to work with their colleagues from other parties and they can mend fences or have a knack of turning people from one position to another. It’s all campaign bull! This latest tug of war is proof. Fix the building and play the games later. 

Indian Point or Dealing From the Bottom of the Deck

Everyone, especially our politicians in Westchester seem to be jumping on the ‘close Indian Point’ bandwagon. Why? Probably because they know one of two things, although there certainly may be more. First, it has picked up steam (no pun intended) and seems to be the publicity-crazed cause celeb, providing unlimited exposure for all politicians. Two, not dissimilar to Paul Feiner's political strategy, they have no control over it, no real input about it and know nothing will happen for years, giving them unfettered amounts of publicity with no jeopardy to themselves. It’s a win-win for them.

In the recent Westchester Guardian, Abby Luby, a known opponent of Indian Point and nuclear energy in general, tells that, “The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has never rejected a single application tendered by any utility company seeking to keep their reactors online.” Could it simply be because the stringent measures that are routinely followed by these agencies mandating compliance to all rules and regulations, allows the NRC to not find cause to shut them down?

She states that, “A new generation of legal warriors with scheduled appeals and hotly debated contentions, have slowed some relicensing procedures to a global pace.” If I’m interpreting this correctly, she’s more concerned with stopping the plants relicensing than having an honest dialog, seeking real answers to her valid questions. This reminds me of the environmentalists who went after  the manufacturers throughout New York State, complaining about their polluting of our rivers, streams, air, soil, etc. Let me be clear, I am just as concerned as they are about pollution. But by not having open and honest discussions, the consequences forced manufacturing out of New York, taking New York jobs with them! Are they doing the same thing with Indian Point and our power supply? It certainly seems possible. But we won’t know for years to come.

The environmentalists may be able to hold their fists in the air claiming victory, but are they really victorious? Lets see. They closed down the plant in YourTown, NY. The plant moved to China, as well as the job you or your next door neighbor held. Now that they’re gone, they are no longer polluting the nearby river and earth. Well, that’s good, isn’t it? Well, now that they’re in China, they’re polluting the Chinese water and soil. Surely, that’s bad? We all know that the regulations against pollution in China are less than what we have here in the US. The enforcement of the pollution standards in China are also less stringent. Let’s not forget the other countries such as Korea, India, Taiwan and such. So, if they hadn’t been so adamant about chasing the factories from here, and had open and honest dialog - working with them, we might have been able to better control the safety of our environment by more closely monitoring them for environmental conformity and helped keep jobs here, in New York. Can everybody work in medicine, public schools and for the state? No, of course not, but they can work at Sam’s Club, Walgreens or CVS for minimum wage.

The environmental extremists site the Fukushima reactor issue and say Indian Point is just as capable to have a serious accident. If they hadn’t made it so difficult for nuclear energy development for all these years by creating lawsuits and injunctions, perhaps we could have kept pace with France, who gets 80% of it’s power from safe nuclear energy and has a nuclear recycling program to deal with their spent fuel rods. But they’re not interested in dialog, just winning at whatever the cost!

Don’t misinterpret this post as being anti-environmental or pro-nuclear. What I’d like to see is discussion that is honest and not one-sided. I attended the “forum” Paul Feiner held, at tax-payer expense, that was nothing more than a close Indian Point rally. Why wouldn’t he try to rationally and intelligently inform the taxpayers and others of Greenburgh by presenting both sides of the coin, allowing for a pro or con decision to be made by the electorate? Probably because he’s a coward and afraid to do the right thing. It’s easier to pander to a sympathetic anti-nuke crowd, just as Abby Luby does.

Court Upholds Astorino’s Decision To End Money-Losing Contract

In an important victory for the Astorino administration, a state Supreme Court judge has upheld the county executive’s decision last year – over the objections of the Democratic majority on the Board of Legislators – to end a money-losing contract with New York State to administer the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice James W. Hubert threw out the lawsuit brought by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) on behalf of 38 employees who lost their jobs when the contract was terminated at the end of last year.

In October of 2010, the county gave the state the required 60 day notice to terminate its contract to administer Section 8 vouchers for low-income individuals and families because it was losing $500,000 a year on the deal. At the time, Westchester was one of only four counties with such contracts with the state.

The judge ruled that the county executive had the right to end the contract and that the Board of Legislators could not restore the jobs of the 38 employees assigned to the program because it had failed to appropriate any money for their return.

Administering the Section 8 program cost the county $4.5 million a year, of which $4 million was reimbursed, leaving the county with a $500,000 loss. Since terminating the contract, the county has turned that loss into a gain because it is now leasing space to the state’s new administrator of the program. The deal will pay the county just over $1 million over the next five years.

Astorino said the net benefit to the taxpayers would have been more had the Board of Legislators followed his lead. Because the Board of Legislators took the side of the union in the case, the County Attorney had to recuse himself. This forced the county executive to hire outside legal counsel at a cost of about $55,000.

Following the termination of the Section 8 contract with the county, the state contracted with CVR Associates to administer the program. CVR is a national company certified by the U.S. General Services Administration to manage affordable housing programs, including housing choice voucher programs. Its clients include the Chicago Housing Authority and the Boston Housing Authority, among many others.

By leasing space to the state for the Section 8 program, Westchester County will get $1.1 million over the course of the five-year deal. Under the terms of the five-year-lease, the county will receive about $237,000 a year in rental income for almost 9,300 square feet of space at its building at 112. E. Post Road, White Plains.

In addition to the state’s Section 8 program now run by CVR, 13 local municipalities and public housing authorities across Westchester run their own Section 8 programs. Those agencies contract directly with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Portions of this article came from the County's website.

Sunnydale Farms & Village Café Closes - Leaves Gap in Community

In 1973, Nirmal Singh and Jogi Singh (not related) opened Sunnydale Farms at 721 Saw Mill River Road, in Ardsley. Sunnydale Farms would later expand and encompass the Village Café and has been open every day for the last thirty years. This is a remarkable feat given most businesses fail in the first five years. Their longtime employee, David McCleary, started working for them in high school and has been at the restaurant since.

The Singhs have closed both locations and the future of this shopping strip mall includes putting in a Vietnamese restaurant and a Citibank branch. Apparently, there are not enough banks, drug stores, high price restaurants in our area. The landscape of Westchester, and for that matter, New York and the nation, is slowly changing into big corporations, eroding the small-town feel of Ardsley, and ultimately every Village and Town. Shopping locally is becoming more and more difficult to do.

ABG doesn't believe more large chains stores such as CVS’, Walgreens, Rite Aids, Sam’s Clubs, Chase, Citibank and others, necessarily helps a village have that hometown feel. We do need grocery stores, hardware stores, stationery stores, bakeries, auto repair shops, local drug stores, opticians and other types of small businesses in our communities. We need them because these are the people who own and the run the businesses and support and finance our communities. Otherwise, while it may not hurt to have the chain-stores in our communities, an executive at their corporate headquarters making decisions on how to run an Ardsley store can't be good. In the end, the Village Café was a part of the fabric of Ardsley and ultimately, Westchester County.  “The community loved us and welcomed us," Jogi said. "It was an honor and a privilege for us. We are thankful to everybody.”

We wish them the best of luck and hope they are able to relocate within Ardsley. They’ll be missed.

Welcome to the United States of Communism

I've been listening to the Obama debt crisis and how everybody else is at fault. Yet during this whole thing, some interesting commentaries came up from sources I typically don't participate with. There was a talk show out of Canada that I tuned into last night on AM radio - a shocker to be sure, and their discussion was well under way. Since it was about 2 AM and the lights were out, I don't know what station it was or who it was doing the talking. 

But what I did manage to remember was their topic was about the book The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen. The host and some listeners were comparing our President, the debt crisis and our society in America to what it once was, what it is and what it looks to become. They specifically said the communist influence has been slow and steady from the inside and Americans need to wake up before they lose all their freedoms to the state. I guess they haven't been in New York lately.

They discussed the goals of the Communists and how they wish to alter America and move from democracy to  communism. After reading these points, which I was stunned by, I can see the change that's taken place during my lifetime. Maybe you can see them too? Read this list and then decide.

[From "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen]

CURRENT COMMUNIST GOALS

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.”

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture–education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.

Taxed Enough Already? There Might Be Hope

There’s a resurgence underway. I attended a Taxed Enough Already (TEA) meeting in White Plains this past Saturday. It was attended, if you will, over-attended, by about 150 people of various ages, political affiliation and income. The theme was a common one of dissatisfaction with the political climate in Westchester, New York and the nation. What stood out more was the desire by those in attendance to expect and receive more honesty and responsiveness from our governmental officials. 

I've attended several TEA meetings in the past and even spoken at one or two as a candidate. Each time was impressive as the people participating were hungry for positive change with our representation. It's unfortunate that the same media, hungry for access and the “big scoop”, have abrogated their responsibility to society, woefully abandoning our need for them to scrutinize government and its leaders actions and inactions. They only seem interested when they find some sexual escapade that they can feature on the six o'clock news.

The TEA people did not appear to be kooks or wackos as they've repeatedly been portrayed by the lamestream media, hoping to discredit them. Their speakers were impressive and the main, featured speaker was TEA Party member, newly elected NYS Assemblyman Steve Katz. He spoke with passion for about twenty minutes to a half hour, highlighting some (?) of the dysfunction in Albany and what he and others are trying to do to counter it. In the end, this is the type of representative I want in Albany and Washington. 

One legislative candidate’s representative got up to speak and said that ‘his’ candidate, when elected, will vote with County Executive Rob Astorino, breaking the stranglehold we see in the County Legislature. A man sitting at the table opposite me said that wasn’t what he wanted in a candidate, regardless of party affiliation. He wants a candidate, ultimately an elected official, who would scrutinize the pending issue and positions from both sides and vote appropriately on its merit, not party line. We don’t need a continuation or worsening of the same partisan politics. We need elected officials with backbone and the ability to do the right thing, not the comfortable or expedient thing. I know the candidate whom we were told will vote with Astorino and will be calling the candidate directly to discuss this issue. I’ll see how it goes and hope this was just a miscommunication. I too, want more from our representatives than partisanship.

There were several candidates at the meeting. Most notably was Mark Rosen, who is planning again to run against Nita Lowey for Congress. You may recall that Rosen was in the race in the last campaign but withdrew when he was recalled for duty to Afghanistan. Recently returned, he has been picking up his pace to get back into the political fray. You may also recall the Republicans then endorsed Paul Wasserman, a newly converted Democrat to Republican until he dropped out for personal reasons. Finally, stalwart candidate Jim Russell begrudgingly received the Republican nod only to implode when his earlier writings were exposed by the same people who sued the County over the Housing Desegregation. 

The Republican and Democratic parties both seem locked in a pathetic partisan game of one-upmanship, disappointingly abandoning and alienating more and more voters. It’s why many don't even bother to vote any more. The Conservative Party is no longer endorsing conservative candidates and the Independence Party leader is literally working for the Democrats, subsequently handing out Independence Party endorsements to only the democratic candidates! It’s absurd and not showing signs of improving. Where’s all this hope and change we kept hearing about? Where are the promises made during the last election? Maybe it’s with more TEA endorsed candidates. Let’s hope!