Wednesday, January 11, 2006

THINGS I CANNOT REMAIN SILENT ABOUT

DEAR READERS:

REGARDING MY RECENT LETTER TO THE JOURNAL NEWS ON ENERGY HIPOCRICY, MR. SMITH WRITES ( YES THAT'S HIS REAL NAME) " ONE OTHER ITEM TO MENTION REGARDING ALTERNATIVE POWERED AUTOMOBILES IS THAT IF THE HYBRID CARS GAIN WIDE USAGE IN THE U.S. AND ELSEWHERE, THERE IS LIKELY TO BE A SHORT TERM BENEFIT, BUT WITH A SIGNIFIGANT LONGER TERM ISSUE THAT WOULD STILL NEED TO BE RESOLVED. IF SUCH CARS WERE TO BECOME COMMON, THIS COULD END UP WITH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS TO EVENTUALLY MILLIONS OF UNITS. THE PROBLEM RELATES TO HOW ANY NATION WOULD PROPOSE TO DISPOSE OF THE INEVITABILITY OF THE MASSIVE NUMBER OF STORAGE BATTERIES SUCH AUTOS RELY UPON. AS THEY ARE PRESENTLY MANUFACTURED, SUCH BATTERIES MUST BE REPLACED FROM TIME TO TIME(DEPENDING ON MANY VARIBLES OF COURSE). TOXIC MATERIALS ARE IN EVERY SINGLE MODEL OF THESE BATTERIES AND NOP NATION IS EQUIPPED TO HANDLE THIS AT THE MOMENT. SUCH A SHIFT IN AUTOMOBILES IS SIMPLY EXCHANGING ONE PROBLEM FOR ANOTHER AND IT IS YET UNCERTIAN WHICH IS THE LESSER OF THE TWO."

ON THE SAME TOPIC OF THIS HIPOCRICY, I WOULD HAVE A BETTER TIME LISTENING TO THE ADVOCATES IN POWER WOULD THEY PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH. THOSE SAME ADVOCATES WHO WISH US TO DRIVE SMALLER AND/OR HYBID CARS AND WOULD LIKE US TO GIVE UP OUR SUV'S (SHOULD YOU OWN ONE)
DRIVE SUV'S OR ARE DRIVEN BY LIMOS THEMSELVES (AN EXAMPLE OF THE RULING CLASS MENTALITY). THEY ALSO FLY CHARTER UNLIKE US WHO FLY COACH. IT REALLY DOES DISTRACT FROM THEIR MESSAGE, AND MAKES THEM LOOK FOOLISH.
(ON A PERSONAL NOTE: THE ABOVE WAS EDITED OUT OF MY RECENT LETTER TO THE JOURNAL NEWS, BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD)
************************************************************************************* JUST WHEN I THOUGHT WE WERE THROUGH WITH THE COUNTY AND IT'S PAY RAISE, ON MONDAY JANUARY 9, 2006 IN THE JOURNAL NEWS WERE A COUPLE OF ARTICLES
ON THE COMMITTEES OUR COUNTY LEGISLATORS HEAD TO EARN THOSE EXTRA STIPPENDS(THAT MONEY WE PAY THEM OVER THE MONEY THEY GET TO SHOW UP).
TALK ABOUT MAKE WORK PROJECTS, NO WONDER THEY THINK THIS IS A FULL TIME JOB(HOW STUPID OF ME TO THINK THAT THE ONLY FULL TIME PART OF THEIR JOB WAS TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION). KEEP IN MIND THAT WE HAVE ONLY 17 LEGISLATORS, APPERENTLY OUR COUNTY BELEIVES WE NEED 23 COMMITTEES. OF THOSE 23 ONLY 11 MET AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH, YET ALL THOSE COMMITTEE HEADS GOT THEIR AND CONTINUE TO GET THEIR STIPPEND. WOW! THINK ABOUT THAT WHEN YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL(WITH IT'S 4% INCREASE) COMES IN THE MAIL. I FIND THE OTHER AMAZING THING IS THAT THIS ONLY COMES OUT IN THE PAPER AFTER THE ELECTION. I GUESS THIS IS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE ITEMS OUR LEGISLATORS AND THIER WILLING PARTNERS IN THE PRESS THOUGHT WE SHOULD NOT BE BURDENED WITH WHEN DECIDING WHO TO VOTE FOR. THIS ISSUE OF HOW OUR TAX MONEY IS SPENT WAS APPARENTLY CONSIDERED UNIMPORTANT. NEVER FEAR THOUGH, OUR COUNTY LEGISLATOR (AND MOINORITY LEADER) GEORGE OROS (REPUBLICAN) HAS THE ANSWER. ANOTHER COMMITTEE!!!! THIS TO TACKLE THE ISSUE OF FUTURE COUNTY PAY RAISES. ALL THE TIME I THOUGHT THAT EVEN IN NEW YORK, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY STOOD FOR SMALLER GOVERNMENT, AGAIN HOW STUPID OF ME. I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT COMMITTEE ALREADY EXISTED IN THE FORM OF US THE VOTERS. IN OTHER WORDS, I WOULD THINK THAT ANY FUTURE PAY RAISES SHOULD BE PUT TO THE BALLOT AND LET THOSE WHOSE POCKETS THAT MONEY COMES OUT OF DECIDE. I GUESS THAT IS TO FRIGHTENING FOR ANY ELECTED OFFICIAL TO CONTEMPLATE. JUST WHAT WE NEED, ANOTHER LAYER OF BEAUROCRACY TO BE PAID EXTRA TO DETERMIN HOW MUCH EXTRA WE SHOULD PAY THEM. I WOULD LAUGH IF THEY WEREN'T SERIOUS ON THIS MATTER.
JUST TO BE FAIR, I MUST ALSO REPORT THAT WILLIAM RYAN (DEMOCRAT) WHO IS THE MAJORITY LEADER HAS PROPOSED TO ELIMINATE SOME OF THOSE COMMITTEES. HOWEVER THIS IS THE SAME WILLIAM RYAN WHO SAYS HE LIKES TO LET MEMBERS OF THE MINORITY HEAD SOME COMMITTEES, JUST TO BE FAIR. OUT OF THE EXISTING 23 COMMITEES THE MINORITY PARTY HEADS 4. NONE OF THOSE FOUR MET AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH. SO IF THEY WERE TO ELIMINATE THOSE COMMITTTEES THAT DIDN'T MEET AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH, THERE GOES THE FOUR MINORITY MEMBERS ... JUST TO BE FAIR.

BAZZO 01/14/06
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Wednesday, January 04, 2006

WHILE YOU WERE OUT....WHAT YOU MISSED

DEAR READERS:

WELCOME BACK FROM THE HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. IN MY LAST POST BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS I TRIED TO WARN YOU TO TAKE TIME TO PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR ELECTED LEADERS, FOR DURING THE HOLIDAYS, THEY LIKE TO CAUSE THE MOST MISCHIEF KNOWING YOU ARE NOT LOOKING. WELL, THEY DID NOT LET ME DOWN. THEY DID. OUR COUNTY LEGISLATORS VOTED THEMSELVES A RAISE. THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL INCLUDES A BASE PAY RAISE OF 32% PLUS A 100 PERCENT IN THE STIPPENDS THEY GIVE THEMSELVES TO CHAIR A COMMITEE. THEY ALSO TRIED TO SNEEK IN A MECHINISM TO GIVE THEMSELVES AN AUTOMATIC PAY REAISE OF 4% EVERY TWO YEARS WITHOUT COMMING TO YOU THE VOTER FOR APPROVAL. WHAT WAS SETTLED ON THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR WAS A 14.3% RAISE IN THEIR BASE PAY, AND A RAISE FROM BETWEEN $3,000.00 TO $9,000.00 IN STIPPEND PAY. THEY KNOCKED OUT THE AUOTMATIC PAY INCREASE (FOR NOW). FOR THIS, WE ARE TO FEEL GRATEFUL.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW: NOT ONE LEGISLATOR SEEMED TO THINK THIS WAS WORTH MENTIONING DURING THE LAST RUN UP TO ELECTION LAST NOVEMBER. NOT ONE!!!!! HOW NICE OF THEM TO THINK THAT THIS WAS NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO TROUBLE US WITH AT ELECTION TIME. ISN'T IT NICE TO KNOW THAT OUR LEGILATORS WILL NOW GET $49,000.00 JUST TO SHOW UP, YET IF YOU WANT THEM TO DO ANY WORK WE ALSO HAVE TO PAY THE AN EXTRA $3,000.00 TO $9,000.00 IN STIPPEND PAY TO DO ANY WORK. REMEMBER THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY EXTRA BENEFITS THAT THEY HAVE VOTED THMSELVES OVER THE YEARS. $49,000.00 TO SHOW UP IS NOT ENOUGH, NO, THEY PAY THEMSELVES A STIPPEND TO DO THE PEOPLES WORK. TO ME THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE. QUESTION IS WHY DO THEY NEED THE EXTRA MONEY TO DO THE WORK THE $49,000.00 IS SUPPOSE TO PAY THEM TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE? FOR THE RECORD, MICHEAL KAPLOWITZ VOTED AGAIST THIS, GEORGE OROS (THE MINORITY LEADER) WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THIS, WAS NOT THERE TO VOTE AGAINST THIS. FOR THE RECORD DID ANY OF OUR COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES WRITE TO THE NORTH COUNTY NEWS (ONE OF OUR LOCAL PAPERS) TO EXPLAIN THIS TO US, THE ANSWER IS NO, THAT LETTER CAME FROM JIM MAISANO, WHO IS NOT OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE. I THINK THAT THE LEAST ONE OF OUR ELECTED REPRENTATIVES COULD DO IS WRITE TO ONE OF OUR LOCAL PAPAERS TO LET US KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON. I REALLY THINK THAT IS NOT TO MUCH TO ASK FOR $49,000.00. ONE FINAL QUESTION, WILL THOSE WHO VOTED AGAINST THIS PAY RAISE (OR SPOKE OUT AGAINST IT) TAKE THE MONEY ANYWAY?

BAZZO 01/04/06