Threats to Freedom . . .

Seemingly escaping the mainstream media (except FOX of course) comes the story: EPA claims it has the power to garnish wages without court approval. The process is called "Administrative Wage Garnishment" -- because it is being done by an administrative agency.

This is only the latest step is what has been brewing for a long time (decades)  . . . indirectly abolishing the three branches of government under the guise of administrative agencies.

Another recent phenomenon is the militarization of government agencies with SWAT teams, as written about in the National Review.

Big problems are in store for us when government agencies can act as lawmakers, judges, juries, and executioners.

If you have not been a long time reader of Fault Lines, please read  this post from 2009 where it is all explained: The Ominous 4th Branch of Government.

Time to Impeach?

In a Breitbart exclusive: Sarah Palin: It's time to impeach President Obama

Without borders, there is no nation. Obama knows this. Opening our borders to a flood of illegal immigrants is deliberate. This is his fundamental transformation of America. It’s the only promise he has kept. . . . 

Palin powerfully summarizes why the border crisis is the tipping-point of this presidency.

Do people care?

Getting Closer . . .

A few days ago, we noted that the Federal Government was looking at sites in Buffalo and Rochester to house illegal immigrants.   Now Capitol Confidential reports that a location in Albany is being considered as a "potential refugee relocation" site for housing some of the thousands of children from Central America illegally pouring over our southern border.

Breitbart posts a video revealing that many illegal immigrants are given, at OUR cost,  bus tickets to the interior of our country.

How is this not ENCOURAGING more to come?

This is a crisis that has been created by our own government for the purpose of justifying congressional or executive action to somehow legalize what is happening for political reasons.

We don't need "immigration reform," we need enforcement of our existing laws!

Ultimately we will bear the cost of all this.

Fracking: Bad News and Good News -- At the Same Time!

The New York State Court of Appeals has upheld Home Rule when it comes to municipalities being able to ban hydrofracking.

The bad news is that it becomes more difficult for companies to hydrofrack in NYS . . . more difficult for NYS to obtain the economic benefits of same . . . and more difficult for the country to achieve energy independence from some not-so-nice countries in the Middle East.

The good news is that the governments closest to the people, local municipalities, can act to protect the interests of their citizens.  And isn't that why we have government, to protect our well being?

Read the complete decision here.

Running Gov't Like a Business??

New York Workers Get Extended Lunch Break to Watch Team USA 

Not sure that many of our NYS civil servants actually took advantage of this "perk" -- but it is troubling how it was handed out.

NY-22: A Post Mortem: 47% are Not Extremists . . .

The results in the NY-22 Republican primary are in and Mr. Hanna has won the right to continue to call himself a Republican.  Mr. Hanna's views, thus, represent the direction that the majority of Republicans want to move their party in.

The Republican machine was out there in full force for the incumbent. The barrage of negative ads, and the lack of a one-on-one debate, were calculated to keep the focus on the personalities and avoid the issues.  The calculations and hate speech worked -- and the majority of Republicans were OK with it. 

One would like to say that as Republicans we should now all come together for the good of the party and the good of the country.  But after a campaign such as this one, how is that possible?

47% is almost half --  a number of voters that cannot rationally be regarded as "extremist" - but that is what Mr. Hanna has called us ... and listening to Mr. Hanna's declaration of victory last night, I heard no reaching out to us. 

Mr. Hanna can no longer be called RINO. He represents the direction of the party.  Given the general failure of "Tea Party" candidates nationally (excluding Texas and excluding the aberration of Cantor's loss caused by Democrats voting in the primary) , and Mitch McConnell's declared war on the Tea Party,  constitutional conservatives apparently are no longer welcome in the Republican "Big Tent."

So what are constitutional conservatives to do?  The Tea Party needs to think long and hard about what is next.  Tea Party issues are not seriously considered, and Tea Partiers are dismissed as [racists, extremists, fringe -- you fill in the blank].  

Organization is the key to getting our issues discussed -- and to countering the negative stereotyping propagated by the mainstream media.

The time has come for Tea Party oriented individuals to seriously consider forming a Third Party to get that organization. 

While this will likely ensure that Democrats will be elected for a time, to quote Hillary Clinton, "What difference does it make?" when the difference between Republicans and Democrats has become harder and harder to discern?   

   

Bretbart: Hanna, in Primary Battle, Supports Amnesty

On Bretbart: Hanna, in Primary Battle, Supports Amnesty

"Why would we want to make criminals out of dairy farmers simply because they want to run their business, when we know there are people available to do the work," he said. "It's important that New Yorkers find a legal way to help people come here, do the work they want to do, know who they are, where they are how they contribute, what they cost, have a way to find those people and if necessary send them back," said Hanna. "But our process today is out of control." 

The New York Republican believes that foreign immigrants do not take American jobs. 

"Much immigrant labor is highly skilled and thus presumably not differentiated," he told The Washington Post. "Why would wage competition not incur in the labor market?" 

Utica, which serves as a large chunk of Hanna’s district is among the top ten cities in the state with a current unemployment rate of 6.4 percent or above. That number once skyrocketed to 10.5 percent in 2012.

Mr. Hanna fails to see why immigrant labor is needed on local dairy farms while the region has a sustained high unemployment rate:  It is easier to sit home and collect welfare than work on a farm.

There is a lot more in the Breitbart article about Mr. Hanna and our local area.  Please read.

Refugee Camps . . . Coming to Facilities Near US?

If you think that we won't be affected by the border crisis, better think again.  The Blaze and the Buffalo News report that the Feds have been scouting hotels in Grand Island (near Buffalo) and Rochester to house the overwhelming number of children from Central America that crossed the border illegally without their parents.

Why New York State? The word is out that NY wants illegals.  Per news reports last week New York State is considering one-upping the Federal Government and rolling out the "Welcome Mat"  with a "New York is Home Act" that would grant all sorts of State Benefits to illegals.

If the Feds are looking at Buffalo and Rochester, how long will it be before the Feds cast their eyes a mere 150 miles east to Utica-Rome with its "International"Airport that is hardly used, shuttered prisons and other empty state facilities, reputation for welcoming (legal) immigrants, and a bevy of politically connected cronies who will jump at the chance to make a quick buck on the backs of the taxpayers?

Our immigration policy is in shambles BECAUSE THE LAW IS NOT ENFORCED. The Federal Government has failed us and both political parties have failed us.  They are all acting on behalf of special interests and not for the benefit of individual citizens and taxpayers.

Keep that in mind the next time you vote.

My Take on NY 22 ...

We are hearing lots of radio ads and TV ads, and our mailboxes are inundated with campaign literature -- mostly negative material on behalf of the incumbent with little substance on his record.

Mr. Hanna's claims of being fiscally conservative and wanting to reign in federal spending are belied by his votes to raise the debt ceiling several times and his proposal of an expensive new Federal Pre-K program. But it gets much worse.

Last Tuesday he voted against an amendment that would have cut off Section 8 housing for those in the country illegally -- perpetuating federal benefits that have attracted illegal immigrants and contributed to the humanitarian crisis now on our southern border.

Mr. Hanna advocated for more visas for foreign workers with technical degrees at a time when the number of our technical graduates far exceeds the job supply.  This deprives Americans of jobs.

Mr. Hanna approved of several "free trade" agreements that caused the loss of local jobs to foreign countries (see Revere's Mr. O'Shaughnessy's Paid Ad on p 5A of Sunday's OD).

Although Mr. Hanna claimed in yesterday's OD  that he is "not negative to people" he routinely mocks those that disagree with him.   Just last year Oneida Dispatch documented how Mr. Hanna behaved condescendingly to a 4th Grader who expressed concern over the National Debt. A 4th Grader!

Mr. Hanna's negative mindset becomes dangerous when he lets his ideology impede communication with colleagues. Mr. Hanna called fellow Republican Rep. Michele Bachman an "extremist" for questioning how the daughter and sister of Muslim Brotherhood operatives (Houma Abedin) became the top assistant to our Secretary of State (Hillary Clinton).  Not only did Mr. Hanna disrespect a fellow Member of Congress, he displayed a naivete that risks our national security.

With such a record is it any wonder why Mr. Hanna smears his opponent with lies while denying the public a debate that would allow the voters to discern who the real liar is.

Ms. Tenney has earned in the Assembly a reputation as a tenacious, no-nonsense conservative who stands for smaller, limited government and lower taxes.  Ms. Tenney articulates with passion the founding principles of our nation that guide her.

I believe it is time we get our government "back to the basics" that our Founders intended, and get it out of trying to run our everyday lives.  That is why I am supporting Claudia Tenney for NY-22.  

Hanna Favors Welfare Benefits for Illegals . . .

This is an example of why many people don't believe Mr. Hanna when he calls himself "conservative," and asks for "fiscal responsibility." Via Breitbart: HOROWITZ: FORGET AMNESTY, CONGRESS VOTED TO GIVE WELFARE TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

On Tuesday, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) offered an amendment to the FY 2015 Transportation-HUD appropriations bill (H.R. 4745) to cut off Section 8 housing for those here in the country illegally. . . . Amazingly, 70 Republican House members joined with almost every Democrat to defeat Gohmert’s amendment.

Not so amazing, Mr. Hanna was among the 70 "RINOs"  who think it's OK for the US taxpayer to subsidize housing for illegals.  No wonder why we now have a full fledged humanitarian crisis at our southern border . . . likely to be followed by a health crisis . . . and even a security crisis.

The actions of Rep. Hanna and his ilk give incentive for people to flood our border and illegally cross.

This lunacy must be stopped.

Michelle Malkin is Right Again . . .

Conservative nationally syndicated writer and frequent talk-show guest Michelle Malkin usually gets it right . . . and she did it again today in this article in National Review Online: Laughable Lies of Liberal Republicans.

"How do you spell “sidesplitting chutzpah”? In New York’s 22nd congressional district, it’s spelled: R-I-C-H-A-R-D H-A-N-N-A. He’s the liberal GOP incumbent trying to cling to public office by smearing the Marine mom, small-business owner, lawyer, and conservative state assemblywoman poised to take his seat next week.

Claudia Tenney is as rock-solid a Republican as they come: pro-life, pro-limited government, pro–Second Amendment, pro-entrepreneur, pro–American worker. . . ."

Malkin then proceeds to dismember Hanna and his special-interest backers while highlighting Tenny's efforts for the common citizen. . . . A succinct summary of all that is at stake in the NY-22 race in a very entertaining read.

"The Special Interests Are Mighty Desperate" . . .

That's the thought that went through my mind as I heard 3 attack ads in a row on the radio yesterday against Ms. Tenney during lunchtime . . . repeated again at dinnertime.

Perhaps these will be effective elsewhere, but in this part of the 22nd district -- unless you've been asleep -- Ms. Tenney's reputation as a "no-nonsense" conservative and Mr. Hanna's reputation as a man who regularly trashes his own party are pretty well established.

There's the Wall St./pro-gay rights America Unity PAC,  Oneida Indian Nation's Patriot's Prosperity PAC, and "establishment" Republican Main Street PAC: special interests hard at work, protecting their man.

What are they afraid of losing?  Money ...  and the power that it brings.

Let's face it, we often judge our congressional reps on the money they bring home.  In that regard Mr. Hanna has been rather typical and not much different from his two predecessors:  doling money out to various groups, government contracts to local businesses, and keeping DFAS in Rome. Republicans and Democrats both do similar nationwide, "horse trading" with each other to reach "deals" and, despite Congress' incredibly low approval ratings, managing to get re-elected because people don't want to risk losing their federal "lifelines."

The end result, of course, is mountains of Federal Debt and an Ever Expanding Federal Government that becomes ever more intrusive into our everyday lives, usurping the roles of state and local government and injecting itself into things as piddling as what we give our children for their school lunch.  No wonder so many Republicans and Democrats agree that NSA spying on us is "no big deal."

When someone like Claudia Tenney comes along to point out that our Constitution stands for a limited federal government -- now THIS IS A THREAT to Congress' slimey "business as usual" that must be crushed.  That is why there is so much "superpac" action on radio and TV now. The status quo must be kept in place.

It will be interesting to see whether the people who fear losing their "federal lifeline" will prevail.  If they do, they should not complain later when their rights, and the value of their savings and pensions, are eroded away. 

H-1B Visas - Destroying Citizens' Jobs

From "Computerworld" (of all places) comes this bit of info: This IT worker had to train an H-1B replacement

At A.B.'s company, about 220 IT jobs have been lost to offshore outsourcing over the last year. A.B. is telling the story because, initially, there was little knowledge among fellow employees about H-1B visa holders and how they are used. They didn't know that offshore outsourcing firms are the largest users of H-1B visas, or exactly how this visa facilitates IT job losses in the U.S. 

"I think once we learned about it, we became angrier toward the U.S. government than we were with the people that were over here from India," A.B. said, "because the government is allowing this."

Read the full article to get the details. . . . and know that our local congressman is behind increasing these visas (see sec 201 of HR 2131).

Michael Vasquez has more on this issue.

A Route 5S Wishlist . . .

We read last week how the State has awarded a $7.8 million project to re-do Route 5-S from Broad St. westward to the Aud, and that the project will reduce traffic lanes and pavement area.  Sounds good, but the "devil is in the details" which could not be found at the DOT website.  A map showing the proposed configuration would be nice . . . adding public hearings and the opportunity for public input into the design would be even nicer.

When 5S was "arterialized" in the 1960s it significantly contributed to the decline of Downtown Utica by taking scores of businesses, destroying an intuitive street grid, and creating a "no man's land" of traffic that had to be crossed to walk from the Busy Corner to Baggs Square.  Reversing these ills will hopefully be objectives of this project.  Here are some things I would like to see . . .

1) Creation of develop-able parcels of land with street frontage that can be turned back over to the City and marketed, hopefully to recapture some of the tax-base and economic activity previously destroyed.

2) Addition of full intersections at Cornelia and 1st Streets to partially restore the street grid and make it easier to drive from point to point Downtown.

3) Crosswalks at Franklin Sq. and Hotel St. to enable pedestrians to walk directly between those locations, perhaps creating some synergy between developments at those locations.

4) A crosswalk on the west side of John Street.  (Currently if you are walking northward on the west side of John and want to cross 5S to the other side, you are forced to cross to the east side of John, then cross Jay, then 5S, then recross John to get back on the west side of John . . . a frustrating waste of time waiting for lights to change).

5) Putting the median between Oriskany Blvd. and Liberty St. to a productive use that enhances developments along both sides . . . a landscaped parking area, perhaps, that could serve the Gerbers Tavern  - Hotel St. area.

6) A street configuration that encourages a 30 MPH limit along this stretch.  There should be no need to rush through this 0.7 mile stretch - which should be considered a destination.

Perhaps you have some ideas of your own . . . Feel free to share them here.      

Canal Corp. Calculations . . .

The NYS Canal Corp. claims that it generates over $6 billion dollars in non-tourist economic activity in a new study that has just been released.

The study examined the economic benefits associated with 9 business sectors.  Other than the obvious "Commercial Shipping for transport of goods and materials," the remaining 8 involve "water used" by Industries, Research and Development, Agricultural, Hydroelectric Facilities, Quarries and Mining, Public Water Supply, Waste to Energy Facilities, and Golf Courses (!).

"The economic impact (benefits) of all businesses, industries and farming operations that rely on the Canal System for its abundant, reliable and inexpensive supply of water has been totaled in terms of the economic output values consisting of direct employment, total employment, total personal income, tax revenues and total economic impact."

Canal Corp estimates almost 9,000 jobs are at businesses that directly rely on the Canal System and over 26,000 jobs when "indirect and induced effects" are included; that these jobs generate almost $1.7 billion in personal income and $702 million in state, local and federal taxes -- for a grand total of over $6 billion in economic impact!

"These impacts were measured using the IMPLAN economic model.  Direct employment was used as the input into the model . . ."

Redflag! Warning!  Computer model involved!  IMPLAN uses "multipliers" and various assumptions about how money moves through the economy.  Here, the "direct employment" was input into IMPLAN, and the computer "model" generated all the other numbers in the "study" that are sure to impress people with the "benefits" of the Canal Corp.

This all sounds suspiciously similar to another computer model in the news recently (the one that produced a "hockey stick" graph no matter what data was input).   Like that other computer model, key pieces of information are being left out of the Canal Corp's study that would place the study's findings (assuming the findings are correct) into a perspective that would be meaningful to most people.

The canal "water used" to create jobs is water that is available in the environment anyway.  The water could still be used whether or not the canal exists if the users build appropriate facilities. (E.g. MVWA would not need Canal Corp's Hinckley Reservoir if it had its own "compensating" reservoir.)  Should not all these water "users"  pay for the facilities they need to get the water?

There is no mention of the 500+ employees of the Canal Corp., what they cost, and the costs of parts, equipment and materials to keep the canal operational.  There is also no mention of the revenues to the Canal Corp., nor where they come from.  Most people would want to know costs and revenues in deciding whether or not Canal Corp. is worth keeping around.

And shouldn't the revenues be paid by those reaping the so-called benefits?  That does not seem to be the case.

It is understood that the Canal Corp. cannot make ends meet on its own, and that a significant part of its operating budget comes from Thruway Tolls. "Thruway" is no where to be found in the study. Thruway users get no benefit from the portion of their Tolls that are used to buoy Canal Corp.

Computer models can cut both ways.  Where is the estimate of the negative "multipliers" associated with Tolls on an interstate highway that in most other states would be free?  How many truck-shipping jobs have been lost to the tolls?  How many manufacturing jobs have been lost to the tolls? How many jobs that would otherwise have been "induced" have also been lost?  How about value of potential farm products made unsaleable because New York's truck-transportation costs have been increased to pay for a Canal Corp that is on the dole?

The Canal Corp study is merely there to present numbers that will make people "feel good" about the Canal System and distract them from the numbers that really count: costs and revenues.
 
You know what you can do with the Canal Corp Study!

Post Mortem

The Stewarts' zoning change went down to defeat, while the Brewery's zoning change was approved.  Both could be characterized as "spot zoning."  The difference?

Stewarts got buy-in from the city administration which immediately pushed for it before engaging the neighbors.

The Brewery reached out to the neighbors early-on and got a buy-in from them.

People don't like to be pushed around and will respond accordingly even after concessions are made.

Utica and Developers: Learn the lesson! 

Short & Sweet!

As seen on the N-S Arterial, Utica, this evening

MVWA's 4 Towns Permit -- An Update

The Mohawk Valley Water Authority has been granted a permit by the Department of Environmental Conservation to expand water service within the Towns of Frankfort, Schuyler, Westmoreland, and Kirkland.

The New MVWA Permit

DEC's Responses to public comments

The MVWA's responses to public comments

My comments on this development will be posted on a future date.

Stewarts: A Voice of Reason . . .

Finally someone, Jason Flemma, "gets it right" on the Stewarts issue . . . and the fact that this comes from one of Utica's newest councilpersons raises hope for Utica's future.

Mr. Flemma points out that Stewarts has scaled back its Culver Avenue proposal from 6 pumps to 4, that the entire project will be shifted toward the (commercial) Culver Ave. side, that a "green space" with plantings and privacy fence will buffer the residential area to the west, and that Stewarts will extend a fence on city property to prevent children from running out in traffic.

Isn't this how the planning process is supposed to work?  The developer listened to the public, and changed its project to meet the public's needs!

Go to Culver Avenue and see that other businesses have buffered their impacts to neighboring residents in the exact same way.

Granting a variance is not "running roughshod" over the zoning ordinance. Variances are contained in the zoning ordinance to allow worthy projects to go forward when adjusted to meet conditions on the ground.  This is a worthy project.  It will bring in property taxes and sales taxes, beautify a non-descript parcel of land, transfer ownership to a party that will be capable of dealing with any contamination that might be on site . . . and quite possibly break the stranglehold on gas prices created by the limited number of purveyors in the city.

The revised Stewarts project on Culver Avenue should be approved.

Whither the Debate Mr. Hanna? - Part 2

From Time-Warner Cable News: Hanna, Tenney Battle for Votes as Republican Primary Approaches

Time Warner Cable News invited the two candidates to a debate, Tenney accepted the invitation immediately, but it took months before Hanna's office eventually denied the request. 

"I'd rather have a straight forward debate with someone from the other party, the Democrat, it would be interesting, it would be fun actually. I've done it many of times. There's value in that, but somebody who just lies to your face, I'm not going to engage that. It's just something I'm not willing to do," Hanna said.

So let me get this straight, there is "value" in Mr. Hanna debating a Democrat, but "no value" in debating another Republican for the right to wear the party's label?

No value to whom, Mr. Hanna? Are we talking about rank-and-file Republicans who must make a difficult choice on June 24? Or are we really talking about the Republican "elite,"  such as the billionaire hedge-fund manager, Paul E. Singer, whose "American Unity PAC"  is funding some of your worst "attack" ads against Ms. Tenney.

As far as "lies," Ms. Tenney could have easily slinged that mud at you, Mr. Hanna, but she has taken the high road and refrained from doing so.  Besides, using alleged "lies" as an excuse for not debating your opponent in a Congressional race is - simply- laughable! Mr. Hanna, do you seriously expect your constituents to believe that everyone you debate in Congress is truthful?  In 2014?  Especially with the current administration? Debating "liars" would seem to be a qualification for the job!

Ms. Tenney has given the voters of the 22nd Congressional District the gift of a "choice" between two experienced politicians with records, each of whom have been tested by re-election.

Mr. Hanna, obedient to his handlers who apparently don't want to risk losing out on the gravy train, would deny rank-and-file Republicans the opportunity of a side-by-side comparison.

Side-by-side comparisons afforded by public debates usually assist voters in determining who the real "liars" are. 

Climate Cringe . . .

Here we go again . . . Big power-plant pollution cuts are ordered

In a sweeping initiative to curb pollutants blamed for global warming, the Obama administration unveiled a plan Monday aimed at cutting carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by nearly a third over the next 15 years . . . 

"This is not just about disappearing polar bears or melting ice caps," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "This is about protecting our health and our homes. This is about protecting local economies and jobs." . . .   

Environmental groups hailed the proposal, praising both the climate effects and the public health benefits they said would follow.

First of all why is Carbon Dioxide -- a naturally occurring gas that is exhaled by all living things (including plants at night) -- considered a "pollutant"?

Second, how does cutting back on CO2 protect our health and homes?  How does cutting back on CO2 protect our local economies and jobs?

Third, what exactly will be the environmental change we will get by cutting back our CO2 emissions by 30 %?

There are a lot of bold claims made here but little -- other than public ignorance -- to support them.

Independent Journal Review a few days ago published 25 Images Show That Climate ‘Changes’ – Whether or Not Man Does Anything About It

After reviewing the images, you have to ask yourself what will be accomplished by the latest EPA effort?

Whither the Debate, Mr. Hanna?

GOP candidates debate in north NY Congress primary

The two Republican primary candidates in the sprawling 21st Congressional District agreed on many issues, but continued to spar over their roots in northern New York during a debate Tuesday.

But to date, no debate has been scheduled between the contenders for the 22nd Congressional District. . . . According to newscasts, Mr. Hanna refuses to schedule one.

We've seen Mr. Hanna's reluctance to debate before where it appeared that Mr. Hanna was threatening to pull campaign ads from TV stations  that intended to go forward with "debates" that he did not want to participate in. . . . but we gave Mr. Hanna the benefit of the doubt then.

Unless Mr. Hanna changes his position, there is nothing to doubt now. 

Avoidance of scrutiny by a public servant should be taken as arrogance.

More on the STEM Shortage Myth . . .

From the Florida Bizpac Review: US needs better human resources directors, not foreign workers

In a 2013 article, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers suggested the United States has all the skilled workers it needs.

“[T]here are more STEM workers than suitable jobs. One study found, for example, that wages for U.S. workers in computer and math fields have largely stagnated since 2000,” institute officials wrote in an article published in its Spectrum journal. “Even as the Great Recession slowly recedes, STEM workers at every stage of the career pipeline, from freshly minted grads to mid- and late-career Ph.D.s, still struggle to find employment as many companies, including Boeing, IBM, and Symantec, continue to lay off thousands of STEM workers.” . . .

“About 15 million U.S. residents hold at least a bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline, but three-fourths of them –11.4 million — work outside of STEM,” the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers reported.

Perhaps the institute should set up a nationwide job bank to help employers find the high-tech professionals companies say don’t exist.

Will a Double Standard Be Applied?

F.X. Matt brewing official to explain expansion project to residents 

In West Utica the proposal is to change zoning from multifamily residential to industrial.

Sounds like "spot zoning"does it not?

Will the same people who opposed adding the auto overlay zone for a Stewarts in East Utica (in an area that is already commercial) now claim that the Brewery's proposal is contrary to the Master Plan and oppose it? . . . or

Will a Double Standard be applied?

Who's the Extremist?

Houma Abedin, top aide to Hillary Clinton while secretary of state, was reputed to have been the daughter and sister of members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Common Sense would tell most people that Ms. Abedin would pose a security risk, but somehow she was able to obtain a high position in this administration.

Republican Congresswoman Michelle Bachman questioned Ms. Abedin's status... but our own congressman called Ms. Bachman an "extremist" for doing so.

Who's the extremist here?

Will Syracuse Get It Right?

A Salina forum on rebuilding Interstate 81: Raw exchange on 'suffering' goes to core of debate

Tuesday, downtown developer Bob Doucette, a founder of Armory Square, gave a presentation on why he wants the interstate gone. He did it on the home court of Mark Nicotra, Salina supervisor and a principal in Save I-81, a group that calls for keeping the high-speed interstate more or less where it is.

This was much like the debate in Utica over the N-S Arterial remake. Neighbors of the highway in-town pushed for a boulevard while suburban interests wanted an expressway.  In Utica, the suburban interests prevailed.

Syracuse has something that Utica did not have:  a successful developer pushing for a boulevard. It will be interesting to see if the Syracuse project turns out differently. 

HR 2131: Increasing the Labor Supply to Keep STEM Wages Low?

HR 2131: SKILLS Visa Act, a/k/a Supplying Knowledge-based Immigrants and Lifting Levels of STEM Visas Act, co-sponsored by many prominent Republicans, including our local congressman, was promoted to

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to enhance American competitiveness through the encouragement of high-skilled immigration, and for other purposes.

From its summary the Act would

set worldwide employment-based immigration levels at: (1) 140,000 through FY2013, and (2) 235,000 beginning in FY 2014 reduced by the number of returned visas resulting from the elimination of the diversity immigrant program.

It seems that American Citizens will be getting it at both ends of the STEM: Increase the domestic supply of STEM workers by government subsidies or credits, and import more from out of the country... At a time when there IS NO SHORTAGE.

That's "free market" for ya!

STEM: Have We Been Misled?

Over a year ago our local congressman pushed a bill that he created that would provide a tax credit to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) majors.

“We have to acknowledge that this country has to step up and formally encourage people to do the things we say they should be doing,” Hanna said.

One would get the impression that there is a national shortage of STEM majors if we have to "encourage" students to do what "we say they should be doing." We previously blogged about this bill here.

The problem is, there ISN'T a STEM shortage after all: What STEM Shortage? (Steven Camarota in National Review Online)

The idea that we need to allow in more workers with science, technology, engineering, and math (“STEM”) background is an article of faith among American business and political elite.
. . . The country has well more than twice as many workers with STEM degrees as there are STEM jobs. Also consistent with other research, we find only modest levels of wage growth for such workers for more than a decade. Both employment and wage data indicate that such workers are not in short supply.

So why the push to increase STEM majors and why the push to allow easy immigration of foreign workers with STEM degrees?

The answer, put simply, is greed and politics. 

The businesses that want more immigration would get more workers to choose from, holding wages in check and increasing their bargaining power over their employees.

Read the entire article for an explanation why both political parties have colluded to perpetrate the STEM myth. And ask yourself afterward:

 "Who still represents the interests of the everyday ordinary citizen in Congress?"

School Election 2014 - A Turning Point

School elections are tomorrow.  Unless you have children in school -- or your school taxes have become unaffordable --  the motivation to vote is often not there.

But this year is different.  This is the first election since implementation of the Common Core, giving a national-issue dimension to your local school election.

Ask your candidates how they feel about Common Core.  Ask what they think they can do about implementation of Common Core.  If you get something back like "higher standards are always a good thing," ask them how they know the standards are "higher?"  If you get something back like "I have taken an oath of office to uphold the law" ask them how do they know what the law is?

If you are told that the problem is in the "implementation of the standards,"  run the other way.  You are facing someone who believes that the Common Core standards (which are a vehicle for political indoctrination) are a good thing.

The students of today will be running the government of the future.  What you choose tomorrow may define that future.

Symptoms of NY's "Malaise?" . . . or the Cause?

Per the OD today "1 Year Later, Oneida's deal showing results."  However, the problem with the OIN agreement, like the MVWA-Canal Corp. agreement, like the "StartUpNY" approach to economic development, is that they are all examples of "Crony Capitalism." In all three, the State government gives a special "deal" to a particular party while the impacts to/rights of non-participants get ignored. 

At some point, the people and businesses not on-the-take figure out that NY discounts their value, and they go elsewhere -- further undermining NY's economy.  

Utica Planning: Ripe for a New Beginning . . .

The recent coming together of ordinary citizens from West Utica and East Utica to debate the location of a Stewart's Shop is both a symptom of the Utica Master Plan's unfinished nature and a demonstration of what is needed to complete the job.  The Master Plan should have already informed prospective developers of what is wanted or not wanted in each neighborhood.  The citizens' meeting demonstrates that the public still needs and desires to be engaged with planning on a site-specific level.

The Master Plan calls for a Citizens' Committee that as yet does not exist. There is now this group of citizens ready willing and able to get involved.  Give them maps . . . give them some professional guidance (like that in the recent Rust-to-Green planning meetings for Genesee Street), and have them map their vision for their neighborhoods.

The Utica Master Plan needs a Proposed Land Use Map for each neighborhood.

Federal Overreach . . .

From CNYCentral out of Syracuse: 55 colleges, including 4 from NY, facing sex assault investigations

55 colleges are facing Title IX sexual assault investigations, and four of them are in New York, according to the Education Department.

This, just two days after the White House task force promised government transparency on sexual assault in higher education. . . . “We are making this list available in an effort to bring more transparency to our enforcement work and to foster better public awareness of civil rights,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon said. . . .

The four NY institutions are Hunter, Hobart & William Smith, Sarah Lawrence, and SUNY Binghamton. . . . But don't let that distract you from the real issue here . . .

While people talk about what it is about these institutions that gives cause to the investigations, no one seems to be asking how sexual assault -- a crime in probably every locality and state where the institutions are located -- became a FEDERAL ISSUE?

The Washington Post version of the story fills in the missing detail . . .

The [US Department of Education]’s Office for Civil Rights is examining complaints it received from individuals on campuses and those it discovered as part of its regular efforts to see if schools are in compliance with the federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender at schools that receive federal funding.

So if a student gets sexually assaulted at a school that is NOT receiving federal funding, there is NO Title IX violation!

We have here a bureaucracy, the Dept. of Education, that is alleged to be focused on education injecting itself into what are local and/or state crime prevention/enforcement matters. No doubt there are lawyers, investigators, administrative proceedings, etc that goes with this.   Compounding this overlap with state penal authority, the US Dept. of Education is, itself, an unnecessary and Constitutionally unauthorized involvement with State's matters, because education was never made the responsibility of the Federal Government.

What allows the Federal Government to inject itself into state and local matters?  Federal Dollars!  With the taxpayers going into hock 40 cents for each dollar spent.

The Constitution gives the Federal Government specific responsibilities:  defense, border security, international trade regulation, etc. Remaining matters were reserved to the States and the People. Cutting the Federal government out of the non-essential matters will result in less debt, better focus on Federal responsibilities, non-duplication with lower levels of government, and decisions being made closer to the people affected (which hopefully will be better ones).

As Mies van der Rohe once said, "Less is more."

Griffiss International: Crash and Burn?

Per the 4/21/14 OD: Takeoffs, landings drop significantly at Griffiss 

In 2013, total operations, which include takeoffs and landings, were 33,503, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. That’s a drop of more than 21 percent from 2012’s 42,474.

It's an even bigger drop from the 60,265 operations in 2011!

The taxpayers are getting the impression they are propping up this airport for (1) aircraft maintenance companies and (2) potential drone companies.  There certainly isn't any passenger or cargo service to speak of to serve our regional needs. . . . Those needs are taken care of out of Syracuse and Albany.

At some point the County Legislature needs to step back and objectively assess whether what we get out of this albatross balances what we put into it.

The Latest RINO Meme . . .

An interesting juxtaposition of subject matter yesterday from the Republican camp . . .

First this post on Facebook from our own Congressman Hanna . . .

"Today my House Committee on Small Business subcommittee examined the impact of occupational licensing laws on business startups and the economy overall. 

For many workers and would-be entrepreneurs, licensing requirements are presenting a barrier to economic opportunity."

This was soon followed by this video from Sen. Marco Rubio on CNBC Squawkbox . . .
Both Hanna and Rubio talk about the need to get rid of burdensome regulations to foster entrepreneurship . . . and who could disagree with that? We have all seen how New York State's heavy handedness (along with high taxes) has driven out our Upstate manufacturing base over the years . . . but there seems to be something more going on here . . .

A day earlier Rep. Hanna posted a link to a video of an entrepreneur being arrested for braiding hair. It would seem to most people like a pretty outrageous situation that needs fixing. But then one has to stop and think:  Occupational licensing (such as in the cosmetology area) is generally a STATE responsibility, not one of the Federal Government.  Should it not be the STATE's responsibility to clean up its own overly burdensome regulations?

The Rubio post also seems to be targeted at STATE regulations.

While it is a valid point that States must not unduly impede interstate commerce with their own regulations, there is already a mechanism for dealing with that:  The Federal Court System.

States have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of their citizens. And, yes, some states may use their regulatory powers to protect their own resident businesses. . . . but that may be protecting small businesses.

What the RINOs seem to be doing, under the guise of protecting "small" businesses, is setting things up to have the Federal Government supplant or regulate State and local regulations on business. . . . which would favor BIG (national and multinational) businesses.

Rep. Hanna and Sen. Rubio both seem to suggest that we need increased Federal involvement in our lives.   The "one-size-fits-all" "top-down" approach is contrary to our Founding Fathers' concept of a Limited Federal Government . . . and usually hurts the average citizen.

If States want to mess themselves up with regulations, so be it . . .

We do not need the Federal government -- the level furthest from its citizens -- becoming more powerful to "fix" things.  

SUNYwhatchamacallIT . . .

Per the Rome Sentinel

State overseers have approved the merger of the SUNY Institute of Technology and the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. . . .
"The merger of CNSE and SUNYIT sets a high bar for what a 21st-century entrepreneurial college campus can achieve for the Capital Region, Mohawk Valley, and the entire State of New York," said Zimpher. "We are bringing together two institutions with similar missions and existing partnerships to create a high-tech academic and economic development juggernaut that does not exist anywhere else in public higher education."

"Bringing these two institutions together is exactly the type of forward thinking we need here in Upstate New York," said County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. . . .
State Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-47, Rome, said, combining the two institutions into one makes sense.
"Both recognize this growing industry needs people in the Mohawk Valley and Capital Region who are educated and trained – and they're doing their best to meet that demand," he said. I see this as a wonderful opportunity for our local university to become more attractive to prospective students, without sacrificing other disciplines that are needed in this area as well."

Assemblyman Anthony J. Brindisi , D-119, Utica, said the consolidation is a boost to economic development .

"By further positioning Utica as a dynamic economic driver for New York, the merger will prime our region to become even more competitive in global markets and further revitalize the local economy," he said.

While everyone is toasting this as a good thing . . . and it may be . . . where are the questioning voices exposing potential downsides to this?

It is important for the public to remember the original name which revealed the original purpose of that college up on that hill:  SUNY Upper Division College -- a place where students from MVCC and HCCC could continue their studies and earn Bachelors and Masters Degrees.

While the expansion to a four year institution was welcome, and the addition of engineering and contemplated PhD programs is looked forward to with anticipation,  the original mission must not be forgotten.

Where will governance of this new SUNY-XYZ be located?  What will be its focus?  If governance  is out of Albany, you can be sure that the original mission will become lost.   And that must not happen.

Billions for Nano-What?

Headline Albany Business Journal: Tech boom isn't stopping 'out migration' :

Thousands of new jobs have been created in recent years, and billions of public and private dollars invested in the region's growing tech economy. Still, out-migration continues . . 

So, even with the practically recession-proof economy in Albany (because government is the main industry) and the much-touted, heavily taxpayer-financed, tech "boom" there, more people still leave the region than come in.

This is proof positive that the heavily-government-involved model of economic development simply does not work.

What does work? What has always worked:  Leverage our natural/public assets to lower overall costs of doing business, and then leave private businesses alone to figure out their own way.

New York's assets a century and a half ago were (1) lots of natural, low-cost hydropower and (2) a natural route to the West (the Mohawk Valley) .  NY leveraged the latter by constructing the Erie Canal.  With Cheap Transportation and Cheap Power, New York (driven by Upstate NY in particular) became a magnet for industry and thrived.

What has happened since?  We now tax transportation in NY (the Thruway) -- turning transportation into a liability.  All the cheap hydropower is sent Downstate to cheapen electricity rates there (where cost of electricity is likely a smaller percentage of income), which has the effect of raising Upstate's rates -- turning cost of power into a liability here.

Upstate will never regain it's role as an economic engine for New York State while policies are forged in a Downstate-dominated state government.

Returning to a form of government that gives Upstate more control over its destiny will solve economic problems, stop the out-migration, and benefit the entire state as a whole.

Why We Don't Produce Enough STEM Majors . . .

Study Finds That One In Four Americans Don’t Understand This Basic Scientific Fact About the Earth

More than a quarter of Americans incorrectly believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth, according to a new study by the National Science Foundation.

Students are not going into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math studies in college because they lack even the basic knowledge to understand the world around them, much less than succeed in advanced studies.

Let's cut back on the group activities and student's "constructing their own knowledge" and get back to direct instruction of the knowledge they need.

Duplicitous . . .

Duplicitous -- adjective -- "marked or characterized by duplicity."

Duplicity -- noun -- "deceitfulness in speech or conduct, 

as by speaking or acting in two different ways . . . 

double dealing . . ."

Rep. Richard Hanna: Why I voted Yes on the House Amendment to S. 540, the Temporary Debt Limit Extension Act.

"This legislation prevents our nation from defaulting, which has never happened in our history. . . . Default is entirely unacceptable for the United States of America and it would be painful for most every family and household I represent. . . .we need to pursue overdue reform to the long-term, structural drivers of our debt . . . I believe my constituents sent me to Washington to govern responsibly and not engage in petty politicking, so I look forward to resolving our serious fiscal problems in a thoughtful and productive way that allows us to stop borrowing from our children to spend on ourselves."

Rep. Hanna, why don't you and the other members of Congress recognize the existence of the debt ceiling when proposing new spending -- like YOUR spending proposal for universal Pre-k -- and stay under it?  The only reason why you are now forced to raise the ceiling to prevent "default" is because you and other members of congress are undisciplined, spending money that you already know we don't have.

Portraying yourself as concerned about borrowing while proposing a massive new spending program illustrates the definition of duplicitous, no? 

You may technically prevent a default, for now, by raising the debt ceiling, but you cannot not stop its effects from eventually happening. When the world starts thinking that we might not be able to repay our debts, the game is over.

We are just about there now.  Some countries have already stopped trading using the dollar, in spite of its status as the world's reserve currency, over fears that its value will no longer be there. When American companies issue bonds in other currencies (like Verizon's recent issue in Euros) the handwriting is on the wall.

The dollar will be devalued, like with other countries and their currencies, overnight. The value of a portion of people's lifetime savings will be wiped out.  And when people can't get their money out of the bank, there will be civil unrest.  And Congress' spending beyond our means will be to blame.

The debt ceiling is there to prevent over-spending.  Raising it only allows over-spending to happen.

APPLE-Flavored Lipstick . . .

On the Common Core Pig?

When government leaders want to implement a program that proves unpopular, sometimes the program is re-branded with cosmetic changes (like a name change), but the program is still basically the same.  Is that the case with the Common Core reform package entitled “Achieving Pupil Preparedness & Launching Excellence (APPLE) Plan?”

According to Assemblywoman Malliotakis' website:

The APPLE plan solution addresses critical issues in the areas of Curriculum, Teacher Support, Funding, Student Anxiety, Special Education and Data Collection and concludes with two reform options recommended by members of the Assembly Minority Conference. Proposed solutions within the APPLE Plan include: 

•  Stopping the rushed implementation of the Common Core State Standards; 
•  Providing funding for professional development; 
•  Eliminating the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA); 
•  Reducing the over-reliance on student testing; 
•  Reasserting that an IEP is the supreme document for the education of a child with special needs; and 
•  Requiring that parents must consent to any disclosure of student information to a third party. 

“We need to put the brakes on Common Core implementation. You only get one chance to educate a child,” said Borelli. “Thanks to Ed Ra and the rest of the minority conference, we finally have a good plan in place for the proper education of our children.”

While the Assembly Minority members should be commended for producing a plan (available here) that addresses the most controversial aspects of the Common Core rollout, THE COMMON CORE STANDARDS STILL REMAIN.  These are standards that many psychologists are calling developmentally inappropriate.

As I blogged in December, there is a real problem with the Common Core Standards themselves, with their emphasis on performance over knowledge.  I concluded:

"Critical thinking" is "wisdom" . . . which comes with age and cannot be taught.  Common Core teaches the mimicry of wisdom while withholding the substance of it: knowledge.  

If you care about the next generation and the well-being of the nation, you will fight implementation of Common Core.

Universal Pre-K FAIL. . .

Rep. Hanna and Senator Gillibrand are at it again, promoting their "Strong Start for America's Children Act".

"If we expect our children to walk through the doors of our colleges and universities tomorrow, and succeed in our economy in the years ahead – we need universal pre-k," Gillibrand said in the release."High quality early learning leads to strong cognitive, social, emotional and language development – key skills for a bright future."

The problem with this proposal is that these things have been tried before, but research -- performed by think tanks on both sides of the political aisle -- shows that the results are inconclusive.

Heritage: Universal Preschool’s Empty Promises

For most children, “70 to 80 percent of the cognitive gains associated with attending prekindergarten have faded out by the spring of the first grade.”[19]

Brookings: Can We Be Hard-Headed About Preschool? A Look at Universal and Targeted Pre-K

If a year of Head Start does not improve achievement in elementary school, should we assume that a year of state pre-K does?

Since we now borrow 40 cents out of every federal dollar spent, should we borrow more to achieve inconclusive results?

Predetermined Conclusions?

Per the OD: Hinckley Reservoir proposal elicits concerns for some, hope for others

The authority is asking permission from the state's Department of Environmental Conservation to withdraw up to 48.5 million gallons of water a day, the maximum amount it can legally take, said Patrick Becher, executive director of the authority.

As pointed out a month ago, although the application says 48.5 and MVWA confirms they are seeking 48.5 MGD, both the Notice of Complete Application and, now, the recent re-notice to extend the comment period only refer to "a maximum taking of up to 32 million gallons per day . . .."

Since MVWA seeks 48.5 MGD and has sent DEC plans to increase water treatment plant (WTP) and intake main capacity to accommodate 48.5 MGD, the language of the Notices (which were drafted by DEC) seems to suggest that DEC has already made the determination to issue the permit, but with withdrawals limited to 32 MGD (which happens to be the capacity of the existing WTP).

Another cue that a decision has already been made is the statement in the OD article coming out of DEC Central Office:

The DEC has considered the effect on the area wildlife if this was granted, and there doesn't seem to be an adverse impact, said Emily DeSantis, director of media relations for the department's hub in Albany.

Of course not!  MVWA's projection of an imperceptible increase in demand out to 2030 coupled with no specific expansion plans present nothing that would allow an impact to be identified  . . . But that would be putting the blinders on, ignoring: (1) that MVWA intends to draw 48.5 MGD, (2) that the new agreement with Canal Corp frees MVWA from any requirement to make compensating flows, (3) that no environmental impact study was ever made of the effect of that new agreement, and (4) that in 2007 we already had a water "emergency" caused in large part by the lack of compensating flows. That avoidable "emergency"  resulted in the fishery being shut down, harm to aquatic life, lost electric power generation, and lost income for many businesses.

It is difficult to believe that DEC's conclusion would apply when 32 MGD (much less than 48.5 MGD) is removed from the creek on a sustained basis during dry weather and the creek flows are allowed to drop to 160 cfs for prolonged periods of time . . . .  especially when no study has told us how much more often we can expect these minimum flows to occur.

One gets a feeling that just enough facts (i.e., the minimum projected increase in demand, unspecific "need" for water for economic development purposes in the 4 Towns) will be cherry-picked to justify a politically-motivated DEC (commanded from Central Office) to see no environmental impacts and "rubber-stamp" this application with a 32MGD withdrawal limit, which defacto already exists, to make it look like DEC is doing something.
 
If this happens, expect a slow degradation of the West Canada Creek as withdrawals increase over many years.  Maybe by the time the creek is completely destroyed, no one will remember what a magnificent stream it once was.

A Tale of Two ODs . . .

At left is a comparison of two "ODs" -- Operating Diagrams -- for the Hinckley Reservoir. The top was drafted in 1920 and became part of a 1921 Agreement between the State and Utica Gas & Electric. The bottom was drafted in 2012 and became part of a 2013 Agreement between the State Canal Corp and the Mohawk Valley Water Authority.

The former was the subject of litigation between Erie Boulevard Hydropower, LLC and the State over the State's deviation from the 1920 OD during the 2007 drought.  The State released less water from Hinckley Reservoir than called for in the OD in order to keep reservoir levels above MVWA's intake.  (Had levels dropped, the intake would be high and dry and we would have no water at our taps).  Less water released from the dam means less water turning the power company's turbines -- producing less power to be sold causing lost income to the power company. The Court of Claims threw out Erie's lawsuit citing language in the 1921 agreement that allowed deviations from the OD without compensation to the power company in certain emergency situations.  Erie appealed . . .

A few days ago the Appellate Division reversed the Court of Claims saying . .

Because defendants altered the release rate for the purpose of preserving safe drinking water during a drought – a legitimate public and State purpose (see ECL 15-0105 [5]) – and not for a canal-related purpose, defendants are liable for breaching the contract.

So, unless deviations are for a canal-related purpose, the State's taxpayers will be responsible to the power company for the lost income the deviations cause.

The 1920 OD assumed that Utica's water supplier adds to the flow into Hinckley from its own reservoir to make up for what it takes out of Hinckley during dry periods.  The 2013 agreement between MVWA and the Canal Corp does away that requirement.  The 2012 OD takes that into account and controls reservoir levels to protect MVWA's intakes.

So does not that make the 2012 OD a deviation from the 1920 OD for a non-canal-related purpose?

With MVWA not contributing water to Hinckley, but taking more out as it ramps up to taking 48.5 million gallons a day per its new proposal, how much money will the power company lose in the future?

Since the power company did not approve of the 2013 agreement, it seems like the Canal Corp just locked itself into a course of conduct that exposes us taxpayers to liability to the power company.

I wonder how long this situation will be allowed to last???

Hidden In Plain Sight 3 . . .

In case you missed the MVWA's full page color advertisement in Friday's and Sunday's Observer Dispatch (which YOU paid for!) it is reproduced at left. It is almost verbatim the March 2013 newsletter you already received with your water bill. Both trumpet the agreement reached between the MVWA and NYS Canal Corporation that settled their lawsuit.  Why do we hear about this again, now?

The bold text 2/3 down gives a clue:

"While this agreement does ensure prudent management of reservoir levels, it is important to note that neither the MVWA nor the Canal Corporation controls the flow of water into the West Canada Creek below that reservoir.  The operations of a privately-owned hydroelectric plant determine how much water will be released and when."

Blame for flows of the West Canada below the reservoir is being deflected to a "privately-owned" company -- but not mentioned is the fact that MVWA and Canal Corp (your government) are the only ones who divert water away from the Creek (the power company does not).

With West Canada Creek's natural flows ranging from about 150 cubic feet per second up to over 30,000 cfs, there is plenty of water available for all sorts of uses -- provided that "excess" water is captured when flows are high and released when flows are low. Although MVWA has often claimed a "right" to take 48.5 million (75 cfs) gallons of water per day, that right was contingent upon it maintaining a storage reservoir upstream of Hinckley Reservoir of a size per the table reproduced at the right. Doing the math with these figures reveals that MVWA should be holding about 120 days' worth of water use in storage.  At the full 48.5 MGD, 6 billion gallons should be in storage. That's almost 1/4 the size of Hinckley reservoir itself! MVWA should be using this 120 day storage to replace what it takes out of Hinckley when creek flows are low.

MVWA's ad is drumming up public support for the MVWA-Canal Corp agreement now perhaps to avoid it being scrutinized as part of MVWA's pending application before the Department of Environmental Conservation to expand its service area. The new agreement does not hold water.  It was made without benefit of an environmental impact statement. The two "consumers" of West Canada Creek water went into a closed room and divided the creek's water among themselves. The agreement relieves MVWA of the storage and flow augmentation requirements which means that water will be removed by MVWA and not replaced.  Ultimately that means less water available for the creek below Hinckley Dam. 

Slick public relations campaigns may distract, but they cannot paper over the math.  

MVWA and Canal Corp hope no one notices that their agreement comes at the expense of everyone who uses the creek below the Hinckley dam. 

Hidden In Plain Sight 2 . . .

Observer-Dispatch: Authority wants to increase output from Hinckley Reservoir

The Mohawk Valley Water Authority is requesting permission to withdraw roughly 27 million more gallons of water a day. The authority is asking the state Department of Environmental Conservation to modify its water-supply permit, from 21.4 million gallons per day to its legal maximum of 48.5 million gallons per day from Hinckley Reservoir.

Thank you, OD, for getting the facts out to the public! The public notice was misleading as to the amount of water that was being sought.

And here's a bit more detail that trickled into DEC's public file . . . . The total "peak day" water demand for MVWA's existing service area + 4 Towns + Western Oneida County + certain Herkimer County Towns (including places already getting water from other sources) will zoom from 25.462 mgd  in 2010 to . . . (hold onto your hats). . . . . 26.619 mgd in 2038 (strains of Peggy Lee "Is that All There Is" playing in the background) (see p 17/119 of the added materials).  And this "huge" increase in need justifies spending . . . about $50,000,000?  (see p 118/119)

Of course, as noted in small print, the figures do not include water that may be needed by a chip fab (or 3) . . . But assuming chip fabs come, do you think the chip fabs will be paying for all this infrastructure increase? or any of it?

But there is even MORE that is being hidden in plain sight . . . Stay tuned. 

Ohhh Nooooo. Not Again . . . .

A year ago in the post Sewer District Sleight of Hand I warned that the County was shifting its economic development costs for the new North Utica Interceptor onto the backs of current sewer users rather than paying for it itself.

Well guess what was buried in the Utica Observer Dispatch, Friday, January 3, 2014
Legal Notices?

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the County Legislature of the County of Oneida, New York, will meet at the County Office Building, in Utica, New York, in Oneida, New York, on January 15, 2014, at 1:45 o'clock P.M., Prevailing Time, for the purpose of conducting a public hearing in relation to the proposed $4,000,000 increased cost of the increase and improvement of the facilities of the Oneida County Sewer District in said County, consisting of the North Utica Interceptor improvements at a new maximum estimated cost of $15,630,000. The revised estimated annual cost to the typical property owner in said Sewer District as a result thereof is $5.36 for a single family home and $8.04 for a two family home.

Dated: Utica, New York, December 30, 2013. 

Existing sewer users did not then and do not now need this project to treat their sewage.  Now the cost of an additional $4,000,000 is being dumped onto them in the name of "economic development."  Your water bills are going up some more!

This is a project that will benefit new users who, as yet, do not exist. It should be paid for entirely by those who will benefit from it. 

Hidden in Plain Sight . . .

In the last post it was noted that MVWA water users' bills have skyrocketed because County Sewer District costs for a consent order and sewer system/waste treatment plant expansions have been passed on to water users. Now MVWA seeks permission to expand its own system to serve outlying parts of Towns of Westmoreland, Kirkland, Frankfort, and Schuyler.  Few details of the expansion are provided in MVWA's application to DEC because the "need" to expand the system to these areas is hypothetical, based more on MVWA's desire to relieve itself of future DEC oversight rather than actual planned developments in these places.

What is not hypothetical is the amount of water MVWA is requesting to withdraw. From "Water Withdrawal Application Supplement WW-1" Question #9 (see page 6 of the 68 page PDF of the Application made available to the public at DEC on 12/26/13):

 9. WATER WITHDRAWAL AMOUNTS  This project involves withdrawal of up to: 48.5 gallons per day.

(You should note that the amount requested from DEC (48.5) does not match the amount advertised to the public by DEC (32mgd).)

Also not hypothetical is the construction that MVWA proposes - almost 3 miles of new water main - in order to take additional water from Hinckley Reservoir. From "Exhibit C.1" (see page 16 of the PDF of the Application):

It is the intent of MVWA to construct one new main of sufficient capacity to handle the full amount of authorized withdrawal, 48.5mgd, without utilizing the capacity of existing mains. The existing 36" main will remain in service and function as a back-up to the new main . . .

The Greater Utica area currently served by MVWA uses about 21 mgd of water and has a population of about 130,000.  The 4 Towns proposed to be served combined contain a small fraction of the Greater Utica population.

Does anyone really believe that the proposed new mains are related to MVWA's expansion into the 4 Towns?  The real objective of this project is hidden. 

There is good information that an expensive expansion of the water treatment facility is also in the offing because the existing plant can only handle 32 mgd, but this does not appear in the application available at DEC for public review . . . yet.

Guess Who will be tapped with even higher water bills to pay for all this?

We've seen it with the Sewer District, we've seen it with Griffiss "International" Airport, and we are seeing it again with the MVWA.  The people of Greater Utica, deprived of effective representation in government by design, are being forced by that government to pay for the "economic development" dreams of local developers, contractors, and all the other politically-connected leeches who hope to get rich at the Taxpayers' risk.

When does it end?

There is more about this proposal that is hidden in plain sight.  Stay tuned. . .

Not the Only Reason . . .

In the Christmas edition of the OD: Less water used could mean higher prices paid suggests that

As more and more residents, who get their water from the Mohawk Valley Water Authority, buy water-efficient appliances, the authority is forced to look at continually raising rates. . . . 

"When I came here 16 years ago, the average customer, the whole household used 80,000 to 100,000 gallons a year," [MVWA Executive Director Patrick Becher] said. "That's down to 50,000 gallons a year. We've been seeing a two to three percent declined in actual water sales, which is troublesome because our costs don't go down to operate the system."

Undoubtedly there is some truth to Mr. Becher's assertion that water-efficient appliances contribute to a decline in demand.  But is Mr. Becher ignoring the "elephant" in the room -- the Oneida County Sewer District -- whose charges have caused the bottom lines of all of our quarterly water bills to balloon?

Since Mr. Becher does not control the County charges, he may be forgiven for overlooking their effect . . . but we homeowners cannot.  The County signed the Consent Order, the County determined that a new sewer interceptor and expansion of the Wastewater Treatment Plant were necessary for economic development, and the County passed ITS costs on to the water users.  When it costs a small fortune to water your lawn or garden, or wash your car, you stop doing those things, even in times of drought like we had during 2012.  When you can no longer afford your water-using business (due to rates/taxes/regulations etc.), you leave town. And demand for water drops.

Our local government is so fragmented functionally and geographically that the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing -- making it incapable of adequately responding to the needs of the average citizen or small business. For every action taken by one part there is a reaction elsewhere.

While the reason for the story seems to be a set up for higher water rates, the more likely motivation is MVWA's recent application to DEC (buried in the legal notices last week) to expand its service territory to include all of the Towns of Frankfort, Schuyler, Kirkland, and Westmoreland. We probably will hear that MVWA needs to do this to get new customers to offset the decline in demand. See http://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/20131218_reg6.html#699060001700001 (scroll down to multiple counties).  The comment period expires 1/17/14 -- just in time for Christmas, New Years, and the ML King holidays!  I'll post more on this later.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Innocent Victims . . .

$2 Million settlement reached in Longo lawsuit

A $2 million settlement has been reached to resolve the wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Utica stemming from police Investigator Joseph Longo's murder of his wife in 2009. . . .

The lawsuit stems from Longo's killing of his wife, Kristin Palumbo-Longo, before he stabbed himself to death Sept. 28, 2009, inside their Deerfield home on Cosby Manor Road.

Mr. Longo's actions left his 4 children motherless, fatherless, and without a means of support. This is a real tragedy. One's heart cannot help but to go out to the innocent victims, the children.

But now the Taxpayers of the City of Utica are somehow on the hook for $2 Million. That's over $30 for each resident, over $100 for each family.  How did this happen?   What did UPD do wrong?  UPD took Inv. Longo's guns. . . . UPD confined him to a desk job . . . UPD insisted on counseling . . . But the Longo family insists that UPD did "not do everything it could."  But what more could UPD have been done? What more was UPD obliged to do?

The article speaks of cronyism . . . but that's nothing new . . . or unusual in any government agency. How did cronyism cause these deaths?

The article suggests that UPD could have done an internal investigation regarding allegations of officer-involved domestic violence . . . But what would have been the outcome? How would that prevent what happened?

The article suggests a "fitness-for-duty psychiatric evaluation" . . . But how would that have changed things?  Assuming that Mr. Longo was unfit for duty, what would have been the result?  Discharge from his job?  How would that have helped the marital maelstrom seemingly at the center of this sad story?

Somehow the UPD is the target of the suit.  But the UPD was merely Mr. Longo's employer.  The crime occurred in Deerfield.  UPD has no jurisdiction in Deerfield.  Other police agencies cover Deerfield.  If someone feels that he or she is in danger from another person, and no satisfaction is obtained from the other person's employer, should not he or she have taken other measures of self-protection?

When does the Taxpayer become responsible for the criminal acts of another person?  

Perhaps the Mayor is right to have settled this suit.  With four innocent children, who knows what the outcome of a trial would have been.  The damages could potentially be a lot higher.  But does that not say something troubling about our legal system?

Utica Taxpayers did not cause the Palumbo-Longo dischord.  Utica Taxpayers did not cause Mr. Longo's mental state.  Utica Taxpayers did not give Mr. Longo the knife.  And Utica Taxpayers did not commit the stabbing.  But Utica Taxpayers are now forced to pay for this crime.

Evil created innocent victims here: The four children . . . And the Taxpayers of the City of Utica.  

Home . . . . Again!

WKTV: Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce unveils new name
WIBX: Chamber Of Commerce Introduces New Name And Branding
YNN: Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce announces new name
UticaOD: Chamber of Commerce changes name to Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce
And from WUTR:

Finally, after YEARS of blogging on this issue, Greater Utica's premier booster organization gets it right!

THANK YOU, GREATER UTICA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE!

Why I DON'T Believe in Common Core . . .

In the NY Daily News a couple days ago was an article "Why I Believe in the Common Core" by Brett Peiser, CEO of "Uncommon Schools."

"The parents of our students understand that, contrary to the criticisms levied by a small contingent of opponents of the Core, the new academic standards are about establishing and teaching the skills and knowledge our students need to be ready for college-level work - not about high-stakes testing. . . .

Our country ranks behind too many others in international rankings of math and reading proficiency. Our schools have simply not been preparing children for college well enough, and we all need to do better.

Common Core is part of that solution . . . Common Core challenges teachers and students to get to the "why" behind how things work. So, it's not just learning that 3 x 5 = 15, but how and why that is true. It's a chance for students to become deeper and more critical thinkers. . . .

What's wrong with asking a third grader to figure out multiple ways of solving 12 times 8 or 36 divided by 4? What's wrong with asking a seventh grader to write an essay comparing two similar newspaper articles and how each author approached the same topic? What's wrong with asking any student to cite the evidence behind their answer?"

Mr. Peiser has mastered word-smithing well. . . .  suggesting those in agreement have higher "understanding" while marginalizing the opposition as a "small contingent" focused on trivialities. . . . citing conditions and aspirations that no one disagrees with . . . and, with the reader hopefully roped-in, presenting Common Core as the salvation.

If you had to rely solely upon the contents of Mr. Peiser's "informational text" for data and had no independent knowledge to draw upon, you would probably think that you now know all you need to know about the issue and accept his position as true.  Of course, Mr. Peiser is banking on you being ignorant . . . and that should make you angry!  It would be easy to marginalize Mr. Peiser's article as a crock by someone in a position to gain financially . . . but that avoids the substance.

The bottom line is that we all want our students to be able to think critically . . . but can you have critical thinking without something to think critically about? 

In the past we equipped our students with a "storehouse of knowledge"  -- things most people could agree upon: math facts and basic skills, history of our country and the functions of its government, basic principles of science, geography, world history, etc. That "storehouse" is the substance of critical thinking -- but it is now dismissed by Common Core proponents as "rote learning."

Why teach 10 ways to do multiplication when one SIMPLE "tried and true" way works and, once mastered, comes up with the right answer every time? The end result of the new approach is that NO way is mastered -- and students don't know when they've come up with the wrong answer. How can there be "understanding" of math without that storehouse of knowledge including math facts?

If you know nothing, there is nothing to understand!

The evil here is Common Core's emphasis on performance rather than knowledge (The same was true for Outcome Based Education, the Regents' "higher" standards of the late 90s, and a bunch of other reforms). By depriving our students of that "storehouse of knowledge" held in common with each other and with older generations, communications with the older generation becomes difficult, communications among different disciplines becomes difficult. . . . And this makes it easy to reprogram students, and eventually a population, using "informational texts" for whatever is the ideology of the day.

Example: If you knew nothing about the ice ages, multiple advances and retreats of ice, geologic changes in sea levels, the Vikings farming of Greenland, etc., you would be less likely to be a skeptic, and more likely to accept the "consensus" than humans are causing climate change. Which scenario (the acceptance, or being a skeptic) best represents "critical thinking?"

What does Common Core fill student's heads with besides mindless exercises in processing information?

At our schools, we inspired our students to "show what you know" on test day. Our students discussed Michael Jordan's career and how often he failed on his road to success, and that he was never deterred. Our students loved coming to school in Michael Jordan T-shirts during the exams. As the week wore on, one of our third graders wrote in a reflection about the challenging questions: "I just knew I wasn't going to give up."

Michael Jordan's career might be inspirational and give students something to talk or write about, but it is trivial in the larger scheme of things and spending a week on it is a waste of time.  It is not the "knowledge" the students will need to succeed in the future . . . and not the knowledge that society needs to maintain itself and help it to evolve in the future as new challenges arise.  

"Critical thinking" is "wisdom" . . . which comes with age and cannot be taught.  Common Core teaches the mimicry of wisdom while withholding the substance of it: knowledge.  

If you care about the next generation and the well-being of the nation, you will fight implementation of Common Core.

Flying High - - But Not Here . . .

From Aviation Week: Million Air Expanding Facilities, But Refuses To Grow At All Costs

". . . the newest FBO to join the chain is a facility at Orlando Sanford International Airport. The facility is operated by Freeman Holdings Group, the ninth Freeman location in the Million Air chain. Freeman CEO Scott Freeman calls the Million Air addition a strategic move for the company that operators facilities stretching from California to New York. . . . As part of the addition, the facility is undergoing a $3.5 million renovation that including stripping the facility’s 10,000-ft. attached hangar down to the structural steel and rebuilding. The 7,000-sq.-ft. terminal building is also undergoing upgrades that will include some of the Million Air-standard features, along with a range of amenities such as a theater, flight planning room and executive conference room."

Wow . . . that's lots of money . . . and a theater? and an executive conference room? Think Mr. Freeman will be doing this at Griffiss?

Well, as the headline says, Million Air "refuses to grow at all costs."  Million Air's CEO Roger Woolsey says:

"“If you overpay for your property, you can’t make money ... or you charge ridiculous fuel prices.”"

With its highest sales tax, Oneida County is already behind the curve on keeping Million Air's fuel prices low.  How are other costs at Griffiss compared to elsewhere?  There is a special utility company there that pays some lush salaries for a small operation.  Are its costs lower?

If it costs too much to do business here, the customers . . . and business expenditures to attract them . . . will go elsewhere.