5/6/2010
Dear
Editor, The Onteora Board of Education recently unanimously
approved the Superintendent's Recommended Budget for the coming
2010-2011 school year. Knowing that these are difficult economic
times for taxpayers, we worked hard to limit the budget increase
to only 0.31%. This is not only the lowest increase at Onteora
in decades; it is also the lowest budget increase in Ulster
County. The corresponding increase in the tax levy is 3.9%.
Some of the factors we are contending with: ∑ The Governor's
proposed 5% cut in State Aid in the coming year. ∑ A
reduction in Federal and State funding of about $1,500,000,
or 3% of our budget ∑ Increases that are currently out
of our control, including a 15% rise in health insurance premiums.
Like other districts, we have been forced to make several
personnel reductions. We would like to publicly thank those
members of our Onteora staff for their dedicated service to
the District. During the budget process, the Board held 3
extra meetings, working with our Administration on budget
details, so that we all understood the impact of any reductions.
We would like to thank those of you who spoke to us at our
BOE meetings and who addressed us via e-mail. We heard students
and parents speak to the importance of specific programs and
extra-curricular activities, and we had to make some difficult
decisions. We maintained appropriate funding for all our core
educational programs, and services for students. We appreciate
the community input, and thank our administrators for their
hard work on formulating this budget. The 3.9% tax levy corresponds
to a $37.61 increase per $100,000 of your home's fair market
value. This means that if you own a house assessed at $200,000
your school taxes will increase by about $75 for the year.
We hope you see this increase as an investment in our students,
the future of our community, and our nation. Additionally,
property taxes in the Onteora School District, at just $9.63
per $1,000, also remain the lowest in Ulster County; one-third
lower than any other school district. If the budget is defeated,
a contingency budget would still necessitate a 2.85% tax levy
increase - a 1% difference from the proposed budget. A contingency
budget would mean slashing programs and possibly positions
that many in our community value. For all these reasons, we
urge you to vote on May 18th from 2-9pm at your elementary
school in your town of residence. The Onteora Board of Education
may be contacted at onteoraboe@onteora.k12.ny.us. We appreciate
your support, and look forward to hearing from you on any
and all district issues. Sincerely, Laurie Osmond, President
Ann McGillicuddy, Vice President Onteora CSC Board of Education
Dear Editor. As a former school boardmember and a currently
involved parent, I'm asking people to vote YES for the school
budget on May 18th at your local elementary school. We really
need and want this community's support. Yes, the budget increases
our taxes slightly, to approximately $3.50/month, or nearly
$40/year for a $100,000 house. To me, this seems like a cost
people can afford for something that is so essential to all
of our community's children. And, the budget was arrived at
by eliminating $2.3 million in various costs. The Board and
administration have worked diligently to try to reduce and
eliminate costs while maintaining programming. Onteora has
its strengths and its weaknesses. And, I think many understand
that there is room for further improvement to attain district-wide
excellence. I hope the staff, board and community understand
the importance of dialoguing together, so that we can further
improve this district, with the goal that every student is
engaged and excited in their learning, every day of the school
year. And, I think it is essential that surveys be created
- asking students, their parents, staff and community members
about their Onteora experiences. Annual cost increases for
our nearly 400 employees; and for those who have retired having
served our District for 30 years; are significant. In the
coming years our School District will face very tough choices
as in these past few years we have trimmed the operating budget.
I urge the Board and administration to take up this discussion
in September, and to plan on a number of forums which allow
for in-depth discussion, prior to the budget being set, so
that we as a community can work toward consensus on our priorities.
And, budget building should stem from envisioning what we
want and associated costs, rather than working from what we've
been doing over so many years. Issues to be discussed include
- community elementary schools; importance of depth and breadth
of course offerings; including the arts, professional development
to support and foster improved teaching; ms configuration,
the ms and hs electives, the extra-curricular sports and clubs
at the ms and hs; the summer school and intervention programs;
class size; any departmental curricular innovations that improve
learning; facility upgrades and length of bus rides. Please
support our schools. Vote YES on May 18th. Thank you. Maxanne
Resnick Chichester, NY Dear Editor, I was able to attend the
BOE budget meeting held on April 13. I was impressed with
the attention to detail and thoughtfulness our current BOE
trustees demonstrated at the meeting. This board is serving
the district at a most challenging time and has worked hard
to figure out ways to continue the district's operations in
the midst of the current economic crisis. I applaud both Administration
and the BOE for their diligence in coming up with a budget
that is focused on quality education while keeping fiscal
responsibility on the forefront as well. Lysa Ingalsbe Woodstock
PTA President West Hurley, NY Dear Editor, In speaking with
several folks around town, I've been made aware of some information
that is troubling. It concerns our school children and transportation.
First it came to my attention that the contract for transportation
has been renewed for another year - without bidding. I've
never been a fan of the idea of having only one contractor,
as I've never felt it was the most efficient for everyone
involved. We were stuck with the single contractor for a while
because we signed a contract for several years. But now, in
our current state of economic crisis, I would sure like to
think that our Trustees would be looking for ways to reduce
our costs, not just accept the numbers that come in from the
current contract holder. Bidding is a healthy way to keep
everyone's pencil sharpened - to provide us with cost effective,
safe transportation for the very precious cargo that they
are carrying, and at the same time, reduce costs when possible.
In the 2005-2006 school year, the full cost of transporting
our kids was $1,585,895.60. It included carriers from around
the area, Clyde Russell, Tonche Transit, Evco Transport, Beatrice
Shader, and James C. Hoyt. I find it odd that the one carrier
that "won" the single contractor bid, was not one
of our transporters at this time. Under the single contractor
contract, By May of 2007, this amount had increased to $2,144.873.
But wait, this is an amount that did not encompass a full
year - this was the amount only through May 31, 2007. I have
to tell you that it's quite difficult to navigate the budget
to try to find out exactly how much we are spending today
for pupil transportation - and while waiting to get clarification
from our Transportation Director, David Moraca - I found two
budget amounts - both of which are troubling to say the least...
Along the line item named Contract Transportation was the
amount of $2,697,000. And in a separate line item dubbed Pupil
Transportation was the amount of $3,725,825. Even with rising
costs of gas, insurance and the like, this kind of increase
is insane over the past five years. Not sure which one will
come back as the actual contractor contract amount - either
are startling enough. But that you've just accepted this as
our fate and not taken the time to put this out to bid tells
me you're not interested in what might be best for this district
at all. You are more interested in what's easiest for you
to deal with. The other concern also pertains to transportation
and came from a very reliable source. Did you know? It's apparently
not in their contract that the buses must have snow tires
- and apparently, some or all of the buses transporting our
children are not equipped with snow tires! Such a simple thing...
I don't know about you - but if any of the kids on these buses
were mine, I would want them to have the advantage of snow
tires in the winter. Just in case they have to be traveling
in the snow. Chris Johansen West Shokan. NY Dear Editor, Seniors
and the working poor it's time to hold the Onteora School
Board responsible for our standard of living. It always can't
be just about students. Of coarse I don't think none of us
wants to see any kid go without a decent education, but the
Board members should have been more cost effective. Sometimes
I wonder if any board members even ever heard of the word
words cost effective. What did the Onteora School Board and
the School Administration do to help the working poor and
seniors that deserve a better standard of living? When asked
if during last years election cycle that included an advisory
committee, if the 2.3 million dollar savings to close one
school was a true District Saving. Superintendent Ford e mailed
to say. That figure was compiled from our own stats at that
time, based on actual personnel, layoff effects, etc. Those
things change in time, so I could not say the figure was exactly
the same now. As with any large shift, there would need to
be recalculation toward a goal date. Well, the goal date would
be this years tax levy and even it saved the 2 million dollars
it would have given seniors a little better standard of living.
The School Board had a whole year to do what was right. Of
coarse that was not a direct answer any different then any
other. But, the important fact is, the Superintend didn't
say that the study did not save the 2.3 million dollars. Seems
that if the present Board of Education was interested in just
more then what the School wanted and seniors to have a better
standard of living they would have continued the study. And
why didn't the School Administration insist on following through.
Although I can't personally verify this many friends have
told me that the three women that got elected last year promised
not to close any school if elected. So why did they want to
be a member of the Board of Education and to make sure that
the Phoenicia School wouldn't close? Politics pay a part,
friends, kids in the Phoenicia School or something else? From
all the minutes of the Board's meetings that I've read I've
never seen any member make one motion to do something constructive.
There's been comments made that didn't mean anything other
them let people know, hey I'm a member of the Board. Asking
Ann McGillicuddy what cuts have the Board made to reduce taxes,
she responded in an e mail that the administrators were still
working on the budget. In other words it looks like they simply
sat back and let the School do as they wanted and then sit
around the table look at one another and all say yes. Check
the budget and I bet you'll wonder if it couldn't have been
reduced further. You know seniors that if our School budgets
had been defeated years ago you probably would have had a
more secure, better standard of living. This year make every
effort to get out and vote and vote to defeat the budget and
that should be worthwhile. William Warnecke Glenford, NY Dear
Editor, Although I'm clearly not a "kid," I find
"Kid's Corner" by Cally Mansfield a pure delight.
The joy in Cally's writing is infectious. Uninhibited, playful,
and completely engaging, her words leap across the page with
abandon, like a dancer sailing through the air. Cally seems
to be as remarkably comfortable with her use of language as
she is with her choice of subject matter. When I'm reading
"Kid's Corner" I find it impossible not to smile.
Thanks for encouraging young writers like Cally! Betsy Hallerman
Samsonville, NY Dear Editor, I found Paul Smart's April 8th
piece on the Tea Party very interesting. A good bit of reporting.
But there was one part, towards the end, when i went "Whabdafoo??!?"
(As a cartoonist, i do spout such nonsense.) "'You have
to cut benefits,' Langbert says." Great! Give us some
specifics! But no, the piece drifts off. Smaller government
means more revenue and/or less spending. We need specifics.
Otherwise it's just mist. Let us speak about what to do specifically.
I have two notions on higher taxes to propose: 1) Eliminate
the cap on income subject to FICA taxes, and 2) Raise capital
gains taxes to the same rate as income taxes. Both would raise
heaps of money, such that actual rates could come down. There,
it's on the table. Places to cut are also important. I'd love
to hear Mr. Langbert's suggestions. My mind is open. Gus Murphy
Brooklyn, NY Dear Editor, Thinking about the Tea Party reminds
me of a lovely golden retriever my friend Mike had. That dog
loved to chase bees and moths and such, and would bark and
jump and snatch them off the walls. Thing was, though, those
things are too small to reliably spot, so the dog would rely
on Mike to point them out. Quite a team. But then Mike took
to pointing out bugs that weren't there. And that sweet dog
would go into his great dance and attack the space where than
bug was pointed out. And that would last and last and last
and Mike kept telling him "get it boy!" Lots of
fun. And thus, the tea party: point at issues that aren't
there, cry out that Obama is raising taxes (he isn't! he isn't!
he isn't!) and you get the Tea Party, up in arms, barking
at something that isn't there. (With Fox taking the role of
Mike: get 'em!) These people bark like Mike's dog, salivate
like Pavlov's dogs, and have a ball doing it, telling each
other ghost stories about frightening tax increases they've
seen, and busily topping each other. Lots of fun! Gerald Berke
Kingston, NY Dear Editor, You didn't get angry when the Supreme
Court "Conservative" Five stopped a legal recount
and appointed a President. You didn't get angry when Cheney
allowed energy company officials to dictate energy policy
while excluding any environmentalists from that meeting. You
didn't get angry when Bush's generals let Bin Laden escape
from Tora Bora. You didn't get angry when a covert CIA operative
was outed because her husband did his job and exposed Bush's
lies about yellowcake uranium. You didn't get angry when the
Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act and the John Warner
Defense Bill were passed and our Constitutional rights were
shredded. You didn't get angry when Bush illegally invaded
a country that posed no threat to us. You didn't get angry
when it was revealed that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell and
Rice all lied us into the illegal, unnecessary war on Iraq.
You didn't get angry when Bush spent over $600 billion (and
counting) on the illegal, unnecessary Iraq war. You didn't
get angry when over $10 billion just disappeared in Iraq.
You didn't get angry as thousands of Americans and hundreds
of thousands of Iraqis were killed or maimed in Bush's illegal,
unnecessary war. You didn't get angry when it was revealed
U.S. soldiers and the CIA were torturing people, including
in former KGB prisons. You didn't get angry when Bush admitted
the government was illegally wiretapping Americans. You didn't
get angry when it was revealed that Bush ignored many warnings
of the 9/11 terrorism. You didn't get angry when you saw the
horrible conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital while
you claimed you "supported our troops." You didn't
get angry when Bush let New Orleans drown. You didn't get
angry when mostly white people were helped in New Orleans.
You didn't get angry when it was revealed Bush ignored warnings
about Hurricane Katrina and the levees. You didn't get angry
when Bush gave a $900 billion tax break to the rich. You didn't
get angry when Bush turned Clinton's budget surplus into a
gigantic budget deficit. You didn't get angry when the deficit
hit the trillion-dollar mark and our debt hit the thirteen
trillion-dollar mark. You didn't get angry when Exxon earned
more in profits than any company ever, but paid zero U.S.
taxes. You didn't get angry when, using reconciliation, a
trillion dollars of our tax dollars were redirected to insurance
companies for Medicare Advantage, which cost over 20 percent
more for basically the same services that Medicare provides.
You finally got angry when Obama decided that people in America
deserved to see a doctor if they are sick, but you got angry
at Obama, not the insurance corporations and drug companies
that wrote Obama's bill. If Obama were white, would you hate
him so much? Illegal wars, killing Americans and Iraqi and
Afghani women and children, lies, corruption, torture, stealing
your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with
you. But an African-American president taking the first very
flawed, very insufficient step to getting health care for
all of us? Hell, no! That's "socialism"! you say,
as you depend on Social Security and Medicare. Socialism for
corporations and the rich doesn't make you angry. Only "socialism"
by Democrats is "un-American" to you. Only "liberals"
are your sworn enemies. Are you aware that liberals and progressives
fought to get us all: vacations, the 40-hour workweek, weekends
off, the minimum wage, worker safety laws, child labor laws,
the right to vote for women, environmental protections, food
inspections, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, to name
just some of the social improvements which are hallmarks of
a civilized society? Are you aware that your "movement"
was started by former Republican, now corporate lobbyist extraordinaire
Dick Armey, and is being heavily funded by the extremist petroleum
billionaire Koch Brothers, who also fund climate change denial
and whose father co-founded the extremist John Birch Society
in 1958? Are you aware that the Republican Party is using
you to get back in power so it can resume doing its job of
redistributing the wealth of poor and working class Americans
to the rich even better than the Democrats have done? Do you
realize that, once Republicans are back in power, they will
ignore you until they need you again for the next election?
Will you ever wake up to the fact that the U.S. government
is not much more than a wholly-owned subsidiary of corporations
which are non-democratic by design and whose only purpose
is to increase profits, regardless of how many people suffer
or die, and how much our only planet is despoiled? Will you
ever wake up to the fact that the Corporate-Militarist United
States needs your children, as well as your taxes, to fight
its endless wars of aggression so it can maintain its global
Empire of bases on every continent which keep its corporate/rich
class in power no matter how many lives of your children,
as well as foreigners it takes, and how much of the planet
is polluted and destroyed? Ed Ciaccio New Paltz, NY Dear Editor,
Whenever, the Republican are in the minority, we hear the
suggestion to vote everybody out and start over, or that neither
party cares about the regular American, because nothing is
getting done. It appears, that nothing is getting done, because
Senate Republicans have tried to employ the filibuster more
over the past year than in all of the 1950s and 1960s combined.
Republican are shutting down the Senate over a routine nomination.
They have use the filibuster to force a 60-vote supermajority
for every single substantive vote in the Senate. When Republicans
lost the majority in the Senate in January 2007, they started
using the filibuster on nearly every vote. Consequently, the
Senate is no longer capable of passing legislation or approving
presidential nominees. Our Constitution specifies a supermajority
for ratifying treaties, ratifying constitutional amendments,
overriding presidential vetoes, expelling members of Congress,
and impeachment, because those are the things, that our Founding
Fathers believed should be really hard to do. However, the
Republican minority in the Senate has decided that a supermajority
is required for everything. The last time the rules affecting
the filibuster were changed was in 1975, it was changed, because
Senators thought it was being abused. The way it was being
abused back then was nothing compared to how it is being abused
now. The House of Representatives is where legislation actually
gets done on Capital Hill. A total of 290 bills have already
passed by the House and are waiting for the Senate to take
action. Some of them were passed last spring. Everyone of
those 290 bills were passed by a simple majority in the House
and many of them were passed with a lot of Republican support.
For example, last September, the Medicare Premium Fairness
Act passed 406 to 18, with 161 Republicans voting yes. Obama
insists, that if you want to govern, you can't just say no.
It can't be about just scoring political points. The filibuster
only works as intended if there is a genuine spirit of compromise.
Jim O'Leary Delhi, NY Dear Editor, Today, I'd like to introduce
my idea for a third party. It's the "Bums Out Party".
Democrats like Alan Grayson, Dennis Kucinich and Maurice Hinchey
are welcome along with Independent Bernie Sanders. Republicans
like John McCain and Michelle Backman are not. That's all
I have to say about the alternative parties today. Here's
the news I have to share with you this week. It's about Global
Climate Changes. Although the Volcanic eruption in Iceland
continues to pump out more ash into the sky, it's not adding
that many toxins into the air that I can speak of. What has
been reported is that the emissions of CO2, normally the most
prevalent of emissions from erupting volcanos has not added
enough to worry about. How can that be? Well, the cancellation
of the air traffic, diminished the even larger flight emissions
of CO2 into the air. Or, in other words, the cancellations
of air flights has resulted in a good deal less CO2 emissions
than usual. One could conclude that if more people cancelled
breakfast in Dubai and lunch in Abu Dhabi, or Breakfast in
Switzerland and lunch in Germany, we could slow down the pollution
of the air we breathe. That's asking a lot, so why don't we
start with pulling less power out of the depths of the earth
and use more solar and wind, which is just there for us to
take and recycle? I just don't understand what I'm missing
here. That's my messsage for today. I'm off to enjoy spring
and look for some frogs. Jill Paperno Glenford, NY Dear Editor,
I just had a great experience with my county government. I
heard a piece on the radio about the Google Fiber for Communities
Program. Google will competitively choose a community to put
in place a very high speed broadband, something that would
benefit our community enormously. I called County Executive
Hein's Office and someone called me back right away. More
importantly, he dedicated his staff to making sure that our
county applied for this important infrastructure. County Executive
Hein and his wonderful staff responded immediately! The county's
application was funny and informative - see for yourself www.kingston-digitalcorridor.org/googlefiber.
I am so pleased that my "tip" to the County Executive
resulted in action. I hope other citizens will follow this
example and share their good ideas with County Executive Hein.
Donna Calcavecchio Rosendale, NY Dear Editor, My family and
I are writing to thank Congressman Maurice Hinchey and his
wonderful aide Lori Dubord for helping us obtain a replacement
for a Purple Heart medal that was lost due to life's many
transitions. This medal was awarded to my late uncle Pat DeBari
who was killed in France during WWII. I still recall my grandmother's
shrine erected in her apartment to the uncle I never knew.
She kept his photo, medal and a candle lit in his memory.
My family in California tried numerous times to obtain the
medal but apparently were lost within an uncaring bureaucracy.
I told them I knew someone who truly cared about veterans
and who I was sure could help. When I contacted Maurice's
office, Lori told me that would try to assist but it could
take some time. Within a very short time, my family received
an acknowledgement from the VA that the Purple Heart would
soon be replaced. They no sooner received the letter then
a package with the medal arrived. My Aunt Yolanda, Pat's widow,
and Patty, the daughter he never knew, were deeply touched
by Maurice's and Lori's kindness in helping them when others
ignored their plight. We thank them immensely and want them
to know just how much this gesture has meant to our family.
Jo Galante Cicale Saugerties, NY Dear Editor, The Health Care
Bill and its chapter amendment, the so-called fix it bill,
are now law. So what do we have? Some 62 million people were
previously covered and these bills add another estimated 33
million people and we are told there will be no added cost.
Sure - there is a free lunch and dinner for all. Last year
some 41 percent of New York tax filers paid no federal taxes.
Some two percent making over $250,000 paid about 40 percent
of the federal taxes. If you raised the tax rate on people
making over $250,000 to 100 percent there is no great increase
in the amount of federal taxes paid into the system because
there are so few so-called rich people. Conclusion - to cover
the runaway spending going on, the middle class must be taxed
to raise the large amount of money needed to support the bailouts
and expanded programs. Small business middle class people
make up about 60 percent of the tax base that pays taxes.
What can they expect? The Washington Rascals are not going
to renew the Bush tax cuts so the rate will increase from
35% to 39.6%. Capital gains will increase from 15% to 20%.
And the Death Tax rate will increase to 55% of what you are
trying to pass on to your children after an exemption of some
$675,000. The Health Care legislation mandates a new tax of
3.85% on investment income, dividends, rents, and royalties
and also mandates a 2.35% payroll tax. There are lots of other
things in the bill which are mean spirited. If you do not
buy an insurance policy you can be fined and or jailed if
you refuse. Let's not forget about state, local, city, school
district, fire district, water district, sewer district, library
district and other taxing authorities such as the MTA if you
live in the MTA district. They are all going up year after
year at about a 3% average. One way to send a message is to
vote against every incumbent regardless of party affiliation.
Throw the Rascals Out. If an incumbent is unopposed, write
in the name Mickey Mouse. This is not meant as an insult to
the values and standing of Mickey Mouse. If Mickey Mouse gets
a lot of votes perhaps some incumbents will take notice. H.
Clark Bell Woodstock, NY Dear Editor, I am an average person
who pays taxes on a very small piece of land and resides full
time in the town of Olive. I am not very educated, especially
in the ways of the world in which we live except for the familiar
feeling of the life of a fish in a barrel, on a hook, on a
ship, or in a port next to a market. I am now only realizing
my fate as I feel the tug on the string that is lifting me
from the water of which I am only aware because it is beginning
to move over me as a result of forces other than my own acting
against it. If vague metaphors come across as the rantings
of a desperate, uneducated person fighting for his life against
an army of Ivy League think tanks commissioned to hunt and
destroy any sign of free will, enterprise, or ingenuity, forgive
me but that is what I feel is my condition. We are subjected
to corporations who have not loosed the reigns of oppression
from around our necks since their inception as human trafficers.
We are meant to feel hopeless, scared, to become so dependent
on goods and services that any knowledge of self-reliance
and self-sufficiency is bred from us like dogs so we cannot
think for ourselves and only behave like well-trained animals.
In the short time we have existed as a nation our sovereignty
has been slowly, steadily, and unscrupulously stripped from
us. Our democracy has been bought and parcelled before our
eyes. Our representatives fight within a system which only
consumes them and with them, our votes and cries for equality
and justice. Our courts have been used against us to give
unsustainable, unrealistic, ungrounded, illegal status and
rights to corporations which diminish our abilities to govern
ourselves, to educate ourselves, and to use our own natural
and God-given resources to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
If we cannot use our water because it is polluted or owned
by a corporation... If we cannot breathe our air because it
is polluted or use the waves that travel through it... if
we cannot safely eat our food because it is polluted...then
the corporations and the ownership and management responsible
and liable for those actions to the soverign power which chartered
the corporations must be dissolved because it has failed.
We the people are the only soverign power in this country.
If we cannot use our own resources to provide for ourselves
and our children a safe and prosperous clean future, then
I say that we the "richest," most powerful country
in the world have been hijacked and enslaved. Corporations
are not people! People grow and die. Corporations grow but
do not die, they exist to drain life and resources. Our Supreme
Court has time and time again ruled in favor of corporations,
granting them constitutional rights that we have had to sacrifice
our lives and blood for. Every time a corporation is granted
a constitutional right, our own rights are weakened and undermined.
Our government is not totally to blame, our system can work.
There are weak people and strong people representing us but
they are still only people like us , imperfect and easily
lead astray. We need to shine the light on the real enemy,
place the blame squarely where it belongs, stop pointing our
fingers at each other and start using our hands to wrench
back from the cluches of greed what is ours. Many generations
of Americans have fought and died for the liberty we have
let slip away to the highest bidder. I want it back and need
help. If I am crazy, then so be it. I can live with that much
easier than if what I believe to be the real state of affairs
is true. Let me know how you - the townsfolk - feel. Let's
get to work and make this town and its people a shining example
of what a sovereign body can do with its resources. Let's
find and implement real solutions to real problems that plague
every man, woman, child, Democrat, Republican, Independent,
Left, Right, Middle, Muslim, Christian, Jew, Lesbian, Soldier,
Tree Hugger, Black, White, Brown, Yellow, Red, and Orange
person. The problems are numerous and like elephants in a
room. The solutions are tough to face but necessary if we
want to all survive together as free people in a world with
a future. We th epeople must unite and take back from the
corporate state what has taken from us, our country, and our
destiny. Hopefully yours, Fish on a hook Editor's Note: Although
we don't usually run anonymous letters, and tried to find
a true name and address for the author of this missive, we
felt its contents were in no way libelous and its message
key to the issues of the day Dear Editor, Tax reformers and
their allies and many state legislators held a joint press
conference in Albany last week to insist that Wall Street
pony up a portion of their ill-gotten gains to pay for property
tax reform and restoration of critical services like school
aid. As you know, the gang on Wall Street made out like banditos;
Main Street? Not so much. Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Paterson
immediately started hyperventilating because it might cost
Wall Street a penny or two. The billionaire mayor and the
lame duck governor rushed to protect their privateer friends
on the Street paved with taxpayers' gold. To hell with Main
Street, which is footing the bills for the party. Except,
we now have a big new best friend, guys. Guess who's holding
up the budget in Albany until and unless we get property tax
reform? The Senate, that's who! (Of course by the time you
read this, they might have caved.) Don't ask why the Senate
is doing this for us property tax reformers. It's too complicated,
too dark and ultimately too nerve-wracking. Our work involves
fostering all kinds of pressure on the legislators, from all
kinds of allies, for all kinds of reasons; and we do not have
a single qualm being La Cosa Nostra of tax reform - without
all that dead fish business though. After all, we're talking
here about people losing their family homes and marriages
breaking up and kids moving away from their friends to places
with names like Big Butt, Kansas just because of insane property
taxes. So we do whatever it takes to change that. Please join
us in calling Senator Sampson, the head honcho, and telling
him to hang in there. Really, the senators need our help to
stiffen their spines. Maybe these senators have just decided
to do what's right for their constituents and New York State
and we need to support them. Stranger things have happened
- but not recently - and certainly not in Albany. Call Sampson!
Gioia Shebar Gardiner, NY Dear Editor, While it is clear New
York is in a state of economic crisis, some budget cut proposals
just don't make sense. As a not-for-profit human services
agency, we are seeing assaults on service provision from every
direction. Some of these will be unavoidable. However putting
an artificial "cap" on the number of personal care
aid hours a person with a disability can be authorized for
at twelve, is not appropriate philosophically under the Americans
with Disabilities Act nor is it fiscally responsible. People
who need over twelve hours of daily personal care assistance
will not be automatically eligible for other programs as Governor
Patterson has implied. The more likely scenario is that many
of these people will end up being admitted to nursing homes.
This can be devastating to an individual's independence as
well as costly to taxpayers who will pick up the cost through
Medicaid. Please consider contacting your state legislators
and request they not cap personal care assistance. At best
it is penny wise and pound foolish. At worst it is discriminatory
and expensive. Susan J. Hoger, Exec. Director Resource Ctr
For Accessible Living Kingston, NY Dear Editor, The Staying
In Place organization may seem rather unnecessary to many
a 60 to 80 year old person or couples who are doing eveything
that needs doing except really major things. Hate to say so
but things will change as those aging genes take over. The
change is pretty subtle. And one of the couple may leave.
With the SIP program, whenever any need arises one does not
need to face a Yellow pages quandry but will have a quick
referral to a reliable agency or a volunteer. It is amazing
how much you can save by hiring a reputable company with a
small discount to boot. There are many folks out there gladly
volunteering services. This program has incredible possibilities.
Mescal Hornbeck Woodstock, NY Dear Editor, One of the many
corrupt, big-government scams in New York State is the fruit
of a son of Olivebridge, Arthur H. Wicks. Wicks ran a laundry
company in Kingston before being elected to the New York State
Senate, in which he served from 1927 to 1956. He later became
Lieutenant Governor, but was forced to resign when he was
discovered making frequent visits to convicted Machinist Union
president Joseph S. Fay while Fay was vacationing in Sing
Sing prison. Fay had been convicted of extortion on construction
sites. Arthur Wicks remains a legendary name today because
the Wicks Law bears his name. The Wicks Law was origianally
passed in 1912, but it was amended during Wicks's tenure as
Senate Majority Leader. The Wicks Law prohibits any public
entity in New York State from hiring a general contractor
(GC). Four separate categories of contractors, (a) heating,
ventilating and air conditiong, (b) plumbing, (c) electrical,
and (d), all other, must be hired and supervised directly
by the state or other public entity. At the state level, agencies
like the Department of Transportation, the Office of General
Services and the Dormitory Authority oversee construction.
It is well known that they lack the competence to do so because
GCs of the caliber needed to manage large-scale construction
projects have out-sized salaries that do not fit civil service
pay scales. But as Olive citizens who work in construction
know, general contractors limit waste. The lack of a GC opens
the door to abuse, crime and law suits. Studies have found
that the Wicks Law increases construction costs in the state
by 15-30%. No one except construction unions and public contractors
supports the Wicks Law. In the 1980s, Mario Cuomo had appointed
an anti-crime commission that found that the Wicks Law fosters
organized crime. The Wicks Law serves as a long lived example
of why government does not work, and why political decision
making on a large scale fails. At a point in time when the
state needs to cut spending, a law like this would seem to
be a logical place to start. Yet, at a recent meeting of the
Tea Party here at the Shandaken Gun Club, a Republican candidate,
who is aware of the Wicks Law and who owns a construction
firm, did not mention it as a potential area for cutting.
Instead, he advocated raising cigarette taxes. Of course,
it goes without saying that loot-and-spend Democratic Party
Assemblyman Kevin Cahill has no interest in touching the Wicks
Law with a ten foot pole. Cahill roars with delight wherever
massive government waste occurs. Hence, low quality, mismanagement,
waste and incompetence are part and parcel of big government
New York. Add to which neither Democratic nor Republican candidates
have the vocabulary to question any of it. The speaker at
the Tea Party was so lacking in vocabulary that he could only
speak in terms of a spending freeze. The vocabulary of freedom
on which the nation was founded has been lost, and the Republicans
appear to be as much in the dark as are the Democrats. Perhaps
the nation should give its government a two year vacation
and spend the two years re-learning what the now-forgotten
anti-federalists like Sam Adams had to say. Given the low
quality of today's public figures, Americans have every reason
to fear for their childrens' future. The problem starts with
the benighted public schools, which are purveyors of ignorance,
ideology and suppression. The first place to look for anyone
interested in change is Onteora High. Mitchell Langbert, Ph.D.
West Shokan, NY Dear Editor, Attention all gardeners the annual
Phoenicia Library Fair & Plant Sale is coming up on Saturday
June 12. Now is a great time for you to dig, divide and DONATE
your overgrown or unwanted perennials, herbs, shrubs or houseplants
to sell atour fair. You can bring your donations to the Library
onFriday, June 11 or the morning of June 12. If you need to
have them picked up, call the Library and we'll try and arrange
it. If possible please label your plants with their names
and we will find happy new homes for them! We look forward
to seeing everyone on June 12 between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM
at what has always been a lot of fun and a great opportunity
to get some new plants, participate in our silent auction,
eat home baked goodies and all for a wonderful cause: The
Phoenicia Library. Many thanks in advance, Marvella Casale,
Library volunteer Phoenicia Library Dear Editor I would like
to thank Supervisor Rob Stanley and the rest of the town board
for their support on the purchase and installation of the
new star net climber playground structure in Phoenicia's Parish
field. I would also like to thank Eric, Eugene and Kenny from
the Highway Department for their help with the installation.
The structure has been the result of community and town government
working together and sends such a wonderful message to our
children. Thank you Heather Roberts Phoenicia NY Dear Editor,
I invite my friends and neighbors to join me in congratulating
Barneche Designs on its fourth anniversary. Stephanie Barnes
and David Seche have grown a unique business in a rebuilt
shed alongside the stream in Chichester. Barneche is a showcase
for the creative community we live in - Stephanie's splendid
clothes, David's remarkable recycled furniture and antique
lighting, paintings, photography, and jewelry by local artists.
But it is more - it's a sculpted environment along the rushing
stream; it's fresh eggs from Randy Ostrander's chickens and
cookies from Shandaken Bake; it's a benefit for the Killian
Mansfield Foundation or a special dessert tasting. It's a
place to be, an experience to have. I take houseguests to
Barneche as one of the local must-visit places; one family
member, a frequent visitor from Virginia, recently walked
in my door saying, "I need to go Barneche while I'm here,
OK?" Small towns in the Catskills and all over the Northeast
are struggling to recast their identity, to remain viable
and exciting for full time residents while also attracting
visitors. Barneche is a model for the kind of business that
helps invigorate small towns-a spirited place that serves
its community while attracting customers from afar. Congratulations,
and thanks, Stephanie and David! Lawrence Webster Phoenicia,
NY Dear Editor, This Friday, May 7th is our Phoenicia School
Western Day Square Dance featuring the fabulous Earl Pardini
Band, and everyone in the community is invited to this annual
hoedown for buckaroos and buckarettes of all ages! Doors Open
at 6 p.m. for a chili dinner and games, and Square dancing
begins at 7 p.m. As usual, we will have our fun-filled cake
walk as well. Entrance is $6 for adults and $2.50 for students.This
is our big spring fundraiser, and there will also be a silent
auction. All proceeds will go toward funding the PTA's activities
for our students. So dust off your cowboy hat, put on your
cowboy boots, and celebrate our annual Western Day! Native
American garb welcomed as well! See you there!! Holly George-Warren
President, Phoenicia PTA