Devastation Downstream . . .

With some notable exceptions (more) (more) (more),  Greater Utica was spared the worst of Hurricane Irene.

Not so our friends to the east . . . YNN has some incredible footage of flooding down the Mohawk River and Schoharie Creek.  I-90 is still closed. Traffic is still snarled in Johnstown. The Elwood Museum in Amsterdam is devastated and Guy Park Manor damaged. A death in Glen has been confirmed. Canal locks are swamped in Rotterdam and the canal's reopening is uncertain. The historic Stockade District of Schenectady had major damage.

The extent of the devastation is just starting to sink in.

Here's a place where Neighbors can help Neighbors. Thanks B95.5

Rainy Day Reading . . .

If you wanted to get away from all the Hurricane Irene TV coverage, today was the perfect day to curl up on the couch with your I-pad or tablet and check out some of the area's newest blogs.

LunarTicks has just launched and promises "A few News items to discuss. From everywhere, with music thrown in for no good reason." It's Dave Griffin's (of Windswept Press) latest foray and joins the popular "Monk in the Cellar" to entertain you. Brother Jesse is working overtime!

Ray Jadwick's Utica has been around for only a couple months but has already stirred the pot, garnering an article in the Utica Daily News, discussion on Mark Piersma's Show,  and threats of a lawsuit from the Observer Dispatch! Mr. Jadwick is a master of Photoshop and paints our local luminaries into ... shall we say "interesting" ... situations.  It's provocative reading and viewing ... and entertaining unless, I suppose, you find yourself painted into one of the pictures.  Caution to parents and sensitive individuals, this is strictly adult stuff that many may find shocking and offensive with some posts crossing the line.  Mr. Jadwick has something to say, and a talent for saying it, but runs the risk of turning off an audience with certain recurring themes.

If curling up with technology is not your cup of tea and you prefer a good old fashioned magazine to share your lounger, Dan Weaver's Upstream & Downtown Blog (formerly just Upstream) has spawned a full fledged magazine: "Upstream - A Mohawk Valley Journal ." It bills itself as "A Cultural and Counter-Cultural Journal from New York State's Mohawk Valley," has a host of talented writers, and is available through Amazon and AbeBooks. Check the link for availability and other information.

Upstate NY -- You've got talent!

All For Naught?

Users of the Mohawk Valley Water Authority have faced increased water bills to pay tens of millions of dollars to construct new water tanks to hold the treated water from formerly open reservoirs. Per a 2009 independent auditor's report for MVWA, EPA regulations are to blame.

Essentially, all open reservoirs must be treated as a raw water source and either re-treated or eliminate the reservoir from daily use by means of covering the reservoir or constructing alternative tanks. 

Now that our water bills have been raised and the construction project to comply with the new rules is about complete comes this article from the Portland Mercury newspaper's blog ... about something happening in New York that might obviate the need to comply with these rules:  New York might just have saved Portland $500 million.

For seven years, the Portland Water Bureau and several activist groups have been fighting a national Environmental Protection Agency requirement stating that the city must cover its iconic reservoirs to protect against cryptosporidium . . .

In March, it looked like the city had lost and would have to spend $500 million to cover the city's five reservoirs...

But from the East comes a sign of hope! New York state is fighting the same rule, not wanting to spend $1.6 billion to put a concrete cap on an upstate reservoir. New York Senator Chuck Schumer wrote a letter to the EPA asking them to scrap the plan and, miracle of miracles, the EPA wrote back this weekend saying they would reconsider. If the EPA is willing to reconsider for New York, they could be willing to reconsider for Oregon, too!

In the early 1990's area residents were forced to pay for a multimillion dollar filtration plant ... a requirement that New York City managed to escape.  Now the same thing seems to be happening with the covered reservoir requirement.

Since there is no memory of MVWA or the earlier Utica Board of Water Supply ever having had a problem with water-borne diseases, these costly federal mandates appear to be unnecessary expenses, placing significant burdens on local residents and businesses and making the region uncompetitive. Perhaps we should have been more like Portland or New York City ... or allied ourselves with them in challenging the need for such rules.  

Anyway, it looks like NYC is getting another break ... too late to save Greater Utica's money . . . but perhaps in time for Portland.

Pataki for Prez? They're Kidding, Right?

From the NY Daily News: Former Gov. George Pataki close to entering Republican presidential race

"Pataki the first two years was great, then we went on a spending binge," said Assemblyman Thomas Kirwan, an upstate Republican first elected in 1994, the same year as Pataki. "The federal debt runup was rivaled only by what we did in New York under George Pataki."

I could not have summed up Mr. Pataki's problem better.

Numbering the Corporate Welfare Days . . .

One can only hope that the days of taxpayer-funded corporate welfare are coming to a close. James Ostrowski's lawsuit against numerous state officials, agencies, and corporate-welfare recipients to end the freebies has been percolating through the courts and will be heard by the New York State Court of Appeals on October 12, 2011.  A big rally is planned for Albany that day.

Government funds going to the politically connected (i.e., state capitalism) has poisoned the marketplace, rewarded defective business models, discouraged competition, and cost the taxpayers dearly.  It must be ended if New York State, and now the nation, are ever to return to robust economic health.

New Hartford Online has all the details on the lawsuit. 

Thank you Mr. Ostrowski for taking this on! 

Big Government in a Small City . . .

Per today's OD, popular events are leaving downtown Utica.

The Indie Garage Sale, Fireworks Over Utica and Taste of Utica are in the process of being moved out of the city or dissolved completely.

 And organizers say oppressive fees – either enacted or enforced for the first time this summer – are to blame. . . .

But it hasn’t prompted any hindsight change of mind from Common Councilman Jerry Kraus, D-at large, who captained the legislation that included a 15 percent surcharge on the sale of alcoholic beverages and a $1 fee per ticket sold at events on city property.

The money gained from the events would have been “nominal” when compared with the level of public safety and public works services from the city, he said. 

How about the level of public safety and public works services from the city for Saranac Thursdays, Utica Monday Nights, and the Boilermaker?  Following that logic, the city should be slapping a participation fee on everyone attending these events, too . . . And what would be the result if the city did this?

As the region's population center, it is advantageous for events to be located within Utica's city limits. However, this advantage quickly disappears if "Big Government" imposes special fees and requirements. Utica is geographically small.  It is easy for organizers to move events across the city line.

Big Government in a Small City simply does not work.

Little New Here . . .

The Final Draft of the Utica Master Plan (UMP) has been issued. The biggest change is the cover which adds the following words, "A NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED PROCESS TO ESTABLISH THE VISION AND GUIDE FOR UTICA'S FUTURE"

That sort of sums up the whole problem with the UMP. 

It's an admission that the master plan is not really a master plan, but rather a plan to make a plan in the future.

Appendices have been added to the Final Draft to explain some of the document's jargon (e.g. "dark sky principles" and "context sensitive solutions").  Some new maps have been added to show current zoning and land uses. 

But overall, the UMP remains a fundamentally flawed document because it, itself, does not present a vision of the city's future, but, rather, substitutes a cumbersome, special-interest charged process in place of the vision to guide Utica's future planning decisions.

I detailed UMP's flaws here so I won't repeat them.   Suffice it to say that the flaws remain.


The UMP in its current form will create more harm than good.  It should not be enacted into law by the Common Council.

Shake Up at MV Chamber of Commerce...

Per tonight's OD: Elias ousted as Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce president

Frank Elias III was removed Tuesday as the president of the Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Of course there is much more that is not reported in the OD. This past Friday, Mr. Elias e-mailed fellow C of C Board members and Ex-Officio members to protest the manner in which a nomination was placed before the Board -- apparently in a surprise move engineered by insiders in the organization and sprung without notice upon other members.

Attached to the e-mail was a document "Fellow Board Members.doc" which is reproduced in the PDF document at left.

The Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce has long been perceived as a non-transparent regional "good old boys" network that caters to the area elite and is uncooperative with peer organizations.  Mr. Elias' missive confirms it as such.

This blog has long been critical of the MV C of C . . . especially with its use of the "Mohawk Valley" moniker when "Greater Utica" is the accurate -- and more precise -- description of the market it serves. . . 

The "regional" trappings adopted by the C of C appear to be nothing more than a subterfuge to serve the interests of particular powerful members.

Too bad . . .

Shooting the Messenger . . .

From the Right: George Will: We’ve Learned Nothing From Standard & Poor’s

And from the Left: ‘Stunning Lack of Knowledge’: Geithner Slams S & P for Showing ‘Terrible Judgment’

Guess that means S & P must be on to something.

Spilling Beans, Mr. Greenspan?

Per CNBC

"The United States can pay any debt it has because we can always print money to do that. So there is zero probability of default" said Greenspan on NBC's Meet the Press

Since that is the case, why would ANYBODY want to invest in US Government Bonds? The bonds get repaid in money that is worth less (if not worthless).

Scary thinking.

Does Anyone Buy This?

John Kerry: ‘This Is the Tea Party Downgrade’

“I believe this is without question the Tea Party downgrade,” Kerry said. “This is the Tea Party downgrade because a minority of people in the House of Representatives countered even the will of many Republicans in the United States Senate who were prepared to do a bigger deal, to do $4.7 trillion or $4 trillion, have a mix of reductions and reforms in social security, Medicare, Medicaid, but also recognize that we needed to do some revenue.” 

I. The Tea Party was not the party that demonized every attempt to fix projected shortfalls in the Social Security System.

II. The Tea Party was not the party that enacted a vast new prescription drug program costing billions without ensuring that money would be available to pay for it.

III. The Tea Party was not the party that voted for Obamacare and Economic Stimulus packages requiring trillions of new spending without ensuring that "increased revenues" would be available to pay for it.

IV. The Tea Party was not the party which failed to produce a budget for over 800 days even though the one party that now complains the most controlled all three branches of government during most of this time.


The Downgrade was caused by a government which spends beyond its means.


The Tea Party has been the ONLY party to insist on fiscal sanity. . . . yet Sen Kerry not only blames the Tea Party for the results that he helped to create, he would even deny air time to the Tea Party to conceal the truth of the situation from the public.


I guess the truth is simply something Sen. Kerry -- and most Republican and Democrat leaders -- cannot deal with.

Spending Business As Usual . . .

I'm really not too sure what was accomplished yesterday in Congress. $2.4 Trillion Would Be Largest Debt-Limit Increase in U.S. History.

Up until now, the largest increase in the debt limit was the $1.9 trillion increase passed by Congress and signed by President Obama on Feb. 12, 2010. That law increased the debt limit from $12.394 trillion to $14.294 trillion.

The bill hasn't even passed the Senate yet, but that doesn't stop the Federal Government from more give-aways. $1.3 million in border development funds available. 

Joseph Farah of World Net Daily isn't too happy:

We're back to business as usual in Washington. . . . .
They could have forced deep cuts and possibly even the elimination of worthless and unconstitutional agencies and departments like Education, Agriculture, Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency and Homeland Security. They could have forced defunding of Planned Parenthood, NPR, PBS, the National Endowment for the Arts and countless foreign wealth transfers. They could have postponed any implementation of Obamacare until it could be dealt with in finality in 2013.
Republican control of one House could have made all that possible with one no vote on raising the debt limit. 

Instead, House Republicans chose to trade away that one political nuclear weapon it wielded for a "compromise" plan that calls for massive new unsustainable debt and massive new unsustainable spending. . . .

Disaster?
Catastrophe?
Outrage?

Yes, but none of these words even comes close to adequately characterizing the betrayal perpetrated by the Republican establishment in Washington over the last few days.
The era of big government is back with a vengeance – and apparently here to stay.
There are no limits. There are no restraints. There is no accountability. There is no end to red ink as far as the eye can see.

 At least one local Republican voted against this. Kudos to her for standing up for what is right. Whatever . . .

I agree with Joe: "red ink as far as the eye can see."

It Pays to Have Friends in Government . . .

Access still a major issue at N. Hartford business park reads the headline but . . .

The New Hartford Town Board took steps at its last meeting for the two major projects aimed at easing traffic into the business park.

 The board voted to go out to bid for construction of the Route 840 ramp and to establish a public hearing for the eminent domain proceedings that would allow for the Clinton Street extension. 

The New Hartford Business Park is a PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT. Not only is the Town taking residents' monies by applying payments in lieu of taxes to construct roads that are only good for Park access, Town Government is using its power to take private property from another person to complete the project.

County residents should have a beef too because payments in lieu of County Taxes are also being used.

In addition, the type of development duplicates other developments that already exist in the area. It will not create jobs, but, rather, will move jobs and economic activity further away from the older urban core and out toward the fringes.  This sprawl costs us all money because our stagnant population is forced to maintain an ever expanding infrastructure.

If private businesses want to compete with each other, that's called free enterprise.  If some are getting government help to do it, its called state capitalism . . . and state capitalism is unfair. 

Read more on this issue on New Hartford Online: A dollar and a dream. 

Giving and Taking by EDGE. . . .

Giving:  A small firm is given $15,000 to expand and hire one employee via a county "micro enterprise" grant.

The grant program, administered by Mohawk Valley EDGE, uses federal Community Development Block Grant funding through the state Office of Community Renewal.

This is another example of federal spending that MUST be eliminated. Taxpayer money should not be given away to anyone. . . . More so taxpayers' children's money.    The federal government should not be allowed to borrow for this.

If the proprietor has a good idea that will work and generate income, he should look for a loan or sell a share to an investor to expand his business. The government should stay out of private business.

Taking:  Marcy woman forced to sell property in eminent domain battle with MV Edge

A Marcy woman has spent her golden years fighting her own government for land that's been in her family for more than 100 years and on Thursday, she lost that battle. . . .

Officials with Mohawk Valley EDGE said they need the property to make adjoining land more appealing to chip-fab plants, which they've been trying to lure to the area for years.

It is simply wrong for EDGE to use the power of eminent domain to deprive a person of their own property. What kind of country have we become to tolerate this?

This is Oneida County-sanctioned, folks.   Remember on election day which legislators and county executive are supporting EDGE.

Actioni contrariam semper et æqualem esse reactionem . . .

Newton's Third Law of Motion: To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction . . . That's what came to mind with all the chatter about the national debt crisis and the likelihood that the credit of the USA will be downgraded.

As the theory goes, the increased risk that the US will delay/default on payment of its debts caused by the bumbling in Congress will be reflected in a loss of our AAA credit rating among the various ratings agencies.  Action = Reaction.

A downgrading of our credit rating makes US instruments less attractive to investors. Action = Reaction.

A decrease in attractiveness of US instruments requires an increase in interest rates to make the instruments more attractive.  Action = Reaction.

Economics is not Newtonian Physics, but it seems to follow the same natural law.  For every action there is a reaction.

Three years ago we had an alleged "credit crisis" where money available for loans dried up. One would have thought that the natural reaction would have been for interest rates to have gone up to entice people to make loans. Instead the Federal Reserve intervened and started printing money -- loaning it out for a song or outright giving it away.We had "Quantitative Easing (QE) I" and then II pumping dollars into the system. The interest rates that should have gone up were kept artificially low by all the new money the government pumped into the system . . . nice if you were a borrower, but terrible if you were a saver. The value of the money had to decline, too, because if you double the $ supply without a doubling of the economy which backs it up, each dollar represents a smaller portion of the economy.  If money is cheap, it is treated that way, thrown around on risky or nonsense items.

If you constantly spend more than you make, your credit worthiness goes down because it becomes less likely for you to pay your bills on time.  If you have the ability to pay your debts with money that you print yourself, you might get away with it for awhile, but people will eventually figure it out. Your credit worthiness SHOULD go down because you are not returning value for what you initially received. 

Savvy investors, like the Chinese government, have figured this out and have slowly been shedding themselves of US instruments of late because the US has debased the value of its currency with QE I and II. They did not need a ratings agency to tell them what to do.

A downgrade in US credit must occur because the US is repaying its debts with money that is worth less.

While a downgrade would make the US look fiscally irresponsible, it is only because it is true. The good side of a downgrade is that borrowing will become more expensive . . . as it should have become three years ago before the Fed started pumping money into the system. Interest rates may actually return to normal levels from the ridiculously low rates they are at now.

Like Newtonian Physics . . . or Mother Nature . . . government tinkering can only get around the natural laws of Economics for so long.

Just What We Need (Not) . . .

It's difficult enough for the Utica area to compete in the world marketplace for jobs given New York's high cost/high regulatory burden status.

But now we have to compete with other areas of the state in a state-government "contest" for a share of a pot of money we are paying into?

This is apparently "Economic Development" a la Cuomo II.  Per the OD:

Cuomo's twist would pool $1 billion in tax breaks and aid for construction and infrastructure as prizes for the best proposals in 10 regions around the state that would compete for the resources.

What is state government's track record in deciding what is "best" for business?  The more "economic development" we fund, the less we seem to have to show for it.


This program really seems to be about awarding prizes to those people that will bring the most votes to Cuomo. How about a $ billion in tax cuts for everyone instead?

To put it bluntly, this sucks.

Marriage Rites and Rights . . .

Today is the big day for a number of same-sex couples across the state to finally become legally married now that the "Marriage Equality Act" has been signed into law ... Everyone should be happy for them. Why not celebrate love when there is so much hate in the world?

But what about those who feel the whole concept of same-sex marriage is wrong? Town officials in Granby, Barker, and Guilderland have resigned from their positions over this issue rather than perform duties which conflict with their religious beliefs.  Why should people lose their jobs over this?

The name "Marriage Equality Act" implies that marriage to date has somehow been "unequal." The debate over the law was couched in terms of "civil rights" and "individual rights" vs inequality. But is that accurate?

My, how times have changed!

There was a time not that long ago when marriage was not the choice of the participants. Marriages were arranged by parents or by tribal chiefs to ensure perpetuation of a family or a tribe. Religion regulated marriage for the same reason -- to ensure perpetuation of certain beliefs. Marriage outside one's religion or ethnic group carried serious social consequences. Governments became involved to regulate marriage practices because of their repercussions to society, eg. to control the spread of diseases or to ensure that children are cared for. That is why one has to get a "license," a permission to marry in New York.

But if marriage is a civil right or an individual right, why is permission from the government even necessary?

As noted above, marriage did not necessarily start out as a civil or individual right, but, rather, as a right of society: a highly regulated practice for society to perpetuate itself. Over the years, however, our society has become narcissistic. People have become oriented more toward fulfilling their own desires rather than fulfilling responsibilities to others. In that milieu, the concept of marriage changed.  Activities reserved for married couples became allowed for singles. Marriage became easy to get into and get out of compared to times past. Single parenting became common and socially acceptable. Perhaps marriage has evolved into an individual right, but with that evolution, the beneficial structure that marriage once provided to society is barely there.


And if the benefits of marriage to society are barely there, why should the government continue to be involved with it at all?

Perhaps the time has come to end government involvement in marriage altogether -- leaving marriage as a religious rite, or a personal rite. Let people define their own relationships to each other. With no marriage under the law, there will be no divorce under the law.  Think of the court time that would save!   

This would have been a more fruitful debate for our legislators to have had. Ending government-sanctioned marriage would provide a means to avoid pitting one group's beliefs against another.


In the meantime, while we raise a toast to the happiness of the newlyweds, we should ponder what the ultimate implications will be to society's structure.

That Didn't Take Long . . .

No sooner than a potential deal with state government workers is announced that would save the state millions of dollars, Governor Cuomo lays out a billion dollar plan for "economic development." Per YNN

On day two of phase two of his agenda, Governor Andrew Cuomo laid out an aggressive incentive program for bringing private investment and jobs to New York State, pooling existing state funds which will be available in the form of tax credits and grants. 

PLEASE, stop the nonsense.

You cannot sell a product (New York State) that is defective.

Economic development in the form of government-subsidized jobs simply does not sustain itself. We've done the tax-credit and grant thing in NYS for years with no real lasting results.

If the governor wants economic development in NYS, he needs to fix what is wrong with it: lower NYS taxes and fees (for everyone, not just the ones winning a government-sponsored "contest"), decrease regulatory red tape, and lower the cost of power.

But the governor is actually taking the opposite approach. There are more regulations and burdens that will harm New York, particularly Upstaters. For example, DEC is planning on new regulations to allegedly protect fish in the Hudson, but which will be so expensive to meet that it will either dramatically raise electric rates, or result in shutting down the Indian Point nuclear power plant about 30 miles north of NYC (the likely real objective) -- which will also raise rates.  

So much for this governor's fiscal conservatism . . .

"Balanced Budget" Baloney . . .And Other Things to Give Up Upon . . .

I wish our Republican members of Congress would get off this "Balanced Budget Amendment" (BBA) baloney. Assuming for the sake of argument that the BBA passes both houses (unlikely), that it is signed into law by the President (unlikely), that it is ratified by the requisite number of states (unlikely), what would it accomplish?

At best, the BBA would only create an annoyance for the big spenders/borrowers . . . something to be gotten around. . .   The evidence for this is New York State, which is required to have a balanced budget, but continues to spend and borrow big via a "creative" labyrinth of authorities, public benefit corporations and financial gimmicks (destroying the economy of the former "Empire" State in the process).

At worst, the BBA could significantly delay or prevent appropriate action in case of war (a real one) or an emergency of national scale (like Japan's earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown).

Like morality, fiscal responsibility cannot be legislated.  Our representatives are either responsible, or they are not.  I think most people on the street intuitively know this ... and know that discussion of the BBA is a waste if time.

If the Republicans don't give up on the BBA, it will come back to haunt them.

Another thing to give up upon is the "No New Taxes" stance.  Yes, Bush No. 1's breaking his "No New Taxes" pledge lost him the election.  And Yes, a recession is NOT the time to raise tax rates.  But do Republicans really believe that the American Public will not support their offering to eliminate tax loopholes which subsidize the export of American jobs?  The Tax Code is so Byzantine there are probably many loopholes that can be closed.

Ladies and Gentlemen of Congress, here are your assignments:

• Republicans, since you hate raising taxes, it is now your assignment to come up with a list of the loopholes that can be closed. 
• Democrats, since you like spending so much, come up with a list of spending programs that can be cut.  
  

If you don't do your assignments, you will be failing the country.

Now . . . Stop posturing and Get to work.

It's a SPENDING Problem . . .

Recent headlines from the Observer-Dispatch:

Schumer pushes for funds for worker training

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., announced on Wednesday that he would push for a grant that would bring more than $3 million in job training money to area community colleges.

Gillibrand wants to boost high tech manufacturing

Among the top items on Gillibrand’s agenda is the creation of a block-grant program. This legislation would establish a competitive grant program so small- to medium-sized manufacturers in communities with high unemployment could retool operations and retrain staff.

DEC announces availability of clean-air grants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provided the DEC the funding for the grant program, which has $60,000 available

Housing authority to build homes, spruce up downtown businesses

Within the next month, Furman and Herbowy say they expect construction to begin on six handicapped-accessible homes, scattered between Neilson, Elm and Miller streets in Cornhill.
Total cost: $1.39 million, funded through the federal Section 811 program and the city’s HOME allocation.

$4.2M grant to be used for volunteer firefighting efforts

The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York announced that it was awarded a $4,270,570 grant from U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The grant will help strengthen the response of fire departments throughout the state by promoting and maintaining adequate volunteer firefighter staffing.

Contractor chosen for Oneida Sq. roundabout

The city Board of Contract and Supply unanimously approved Barrett's bid of $1.6 million at its Thursday meeting . . .
The project will be funded 80 percent by the federal government...

New Hartford OKs shorter Rayhill Trail expansion

The town received a federal grant in 2006 to cover $841,600 of the trail extension costs.

Bridgewater meat processing plant set to expand

The company plans to expand, hiring 14 employees immediately and increasing the size of the building’s footprint by a third, using a $210,000 Community  Development Block grant

Grant for 8 Utica firefighters awarded

The Utica Fire Department has been awarded a federal grant for nearly $1 million to fund eight firefighters, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Wednesday.

Schumer, Hanna: Don’t take away Utica’s lead grant

Two federal legislators are lobbying the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to give the city another chance to meet the requirements of a $2.1 million lead abatement grant it is in danger of losing.

Area gets first local food policy council in state, $100,000 grant

Rust to Green Utica, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Resource Center for Independent Living and the City of Utica have created the state’s first local Food Policy Council and have received a $100,000 grant via the United States Department of Agriculture’s “Hunger Free Communities” program.

County using grant funds to add 2 probation positions

Two positions created Wednesday by the Oneida County Board of Legislators are not a sign that the county’s fiscal constraints are loosening. Instead, the county is paying for the salaries of a probation assistant and probation officer using funds it received from a federal grant.

While the above are nice, the country can survive without them.  They are more appropriately the responsibility of local government, private business owners/shareholders, charities, and individuals who would be more careful with how money is spent if they had to raise the money themselves.   


These items all come from our local newspaper.  Now, just think of all the similar stories that can be found in newspapers in every city, town and village across the nation.

We don't have a taxing problem.  We have a SPENDING problem. Raising the Debt Ceiling will only allow for more.