HEIN ANNOUNCES FIRST PROJECT LIST

Michael Hein has announced the list of the first wave of "Stimulus" funded projects selected in Ulster County. Just under $21 Million has been earmarked for transportation-related projects.

Most will begin as soon as the weather turns for the better since many were considered "Shovel Ready" when the financial crisis hit and thus set aside for stable times. Well, Ulster County is getting a slice of the Obama Pie in the form of road and bridge repair.

According to Hein's office: about $18 million will be spread around 10 highway, bridge and pedestrian projects while another $3 million will end up in eight transit projects.

There are bridges in Ellenville, Lloyd and Kerhonkson that need serious attention while Marbletown will see some street scapes attended to.

Our own City of Kingston will get a small portion to offset the already large sum needed to make the Pedestrian Waterfront Walkway a reality. Breaking ground this spring!

Also mentioned was the new hybrid UCAT buses that, according to some, will lessen the cost of operation. It will be nice to have an active example to point to when scouts for potential "Green" companies visit Ulster County.

I do alot of renovation work west of Kingston so when I heard Route 28 will get paved from Route 375 to the Delaware County Line, I was both elated and upset. Elated because that highway has needed a new surface for a long time, upset because I will now have to endure the year long traffic delays to and from work everyday.

I'll deal with it because I remain thankful to have a job to go to.

ASSEMBLY SETS JUDGES FREE

In an amazing display of trust, the New York State Assembly today passed a bill that would bring back sentencing discretion to judges. How would they do this? By finally stripping the Rockefeller-era drug laws from the books.

Its been 35 years since the Rockefeller Drug Laws were enacted, the rigidity of the laws left no room for judges across the state to dictate offence appropriate sentences that fell below the minimum options. Many people who handled small amounts of pot, were placed in the same conditions as hardened criminals.

It is also quite obvious to everyone that mandating imprisonment for even lower level offenders like potheads, hasn't diminished the rampant incidences of violent crime in New York. It's just cost taxpayers alot of money.

Assemblyman David Townsend of Oneida County, told the Poughkeepsie Journal; “This legislation is letting them off the hook!” He went on to say measure would allow drug dealers to escape serious punishment.

Nonsense. Nowhere in the new legislation does it let dealers pedal their goods with impunity. Most of the Bill continues to mandate prison time for those who sell drugs while having a loaded gun, adults who sell to children and “kingpins” involved in numerous or large-scale transactions.

What's different about this years proposal? The leadership of the State Senate. The Assembly passed this Bill with the usual 96 to 46. The Senate would always let it die in committee before having to deal with this hot potato.

Many people who were merely addicted to illegal substances were sentenced to severe punishments at the Felony level, when most could have been issues a misdemeanor and shuffled through recovery programs, usually at 1/3 the cost to taxpayers.

According to the article: About 13,400 of the roughly 62,599 state-prison inmates are serving time for drug offences, 80 percent of whom have never been convicted of a violent crime. About 2,000 of them could get their sentences reduced if the bill becomes law.

If I recall correctly, this was a front page discussion during the DA race of 2007 and repealing the ROC Laws the central component. Giving judges the discretion over whether a drug offender should serve time in prison or get treatment still seems rational.

It would be foolish to avoid the other element of this issue...the cost of incarceration. This state has been saddled with this expense for too long. We must find an alternative to the costly housing and healthcare we provide for inmates in the system. Hell, it's better than what we offer the regular taxpayer. Where's the logic in that?

I'm hoping Malcolm Smith and Company get their act together and pass this bill so that the rest of us can get back to paying our own bills, not theirs.

BARE BUDGET MY A$$

One of the annual rituals we experience in the first few months of each year, is the internal budget transfers. Almost every Department is guilty of this phenomenon.

This month we received an internal request from the Rec Dept. asking permission to shift $130K back and forth throughout their current budget.
I'm having difficulty understanding, If the financial needs of the Rec Dept surpassed the amount of money the Council offered in the way of a working budget, how is it they found this much scattered throughout their existing budget to shift?

We asked if the leaders of the Rec Dept would please come to Caucus, or at least the next Finance Committee, to explain how it is that they found extra/expendable funds in any accounts to pull money from for the purpose of suring up other accounts?

Didn't we hear the cries of poverty during the budget process? Didn't we lose a few positions?

There's more...$31K is expected to come out of the Fund Balance to sure up these accounts. Bob Senor made the right complaint when he said: "When the Council tapped into the Fund Balance last fall to provide some resemblance of tax relief, we were scolded by the Mayor for doing such, but here we are allowing the Rec Dept to do the same with his permission! Who's running this ship?"

Well, I'm just looking at two pages of account numbers and dollar amounts showing credits & debits. Some lines as high as $15K and $10K. What lines in their budget had that much fat?

That Finance meeting, March 18th, is going to be interesting!

BEVERLY BECKER: OUR LOSS

My sincerest condolences to the family of Beverly Becker.

Beverly was one of the welcoming residents of Yosman Towers here in Ward Nine.
For the few years that I got to know her, I witnessed her support and encouragement to the other residents in the building as well as her large family.

Beverly always gave me the "Go Get Em" that I needed whenever I visited and her door was always open. Although my interaction with her was professional, I have to say she, and a select group in the "Towers" always made the Mayor and I feel like family whenever we visited.

Bernie and the staff at Leahy Funeral Home provided a fine service where I got to meet her family members who confirmed all that I concluded. Beverly was a great lady.

Ward Nine has suffered a great loss in her departure.

BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!

I think you'll get a kick out this weird news. You know there has been a trend in the last few decades where famous actors jump into politics. Most notably Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Well, one actor wants to boldly go where no actor has gone before: Canada. To run for Prime Minister, that is. Against Stephen Harper, who lead the successful shift toward Conservative control in Canada in 2006.

William Shatner, famous for his role as Captain Kirk on Star Trek, is about to make the big leap into politics. He may find that fighting Klingons to be a much simpler task, since you know where their allegiance lies.

Shatner’s ambition came to light in response to a letter from a fan who suggested he put himself up for the post of governor general of Canada. I'm sure one letter wasnt enough of a trigger to create a "Shatner4PM PAC". He must have been thinking about this before.

When contacted by the AP, Shatner responded, “My intention is to be prime minister of Canada, not governor general, which is mainly a ceremonial position.”

He added, “As prime minister I can lead Canada into even greater exploits.”

I dont know what affect star power has in Canada, but if it's anything like what we experience here in the US, Shatner has a chance. Love 'em or hate 'em, famous people have sought and won elected positions throughout our history. They dont always have the qualifications needed to do a good job. Some learn on the job.

But considering the cast of charactors running some of the most corrupt and lethal regimes today, I expect Shatner, if he runs & wins, will do just fine.

I wonder if Celene Dion would accept the Secretary of State position?

DEATH WITH DIGNITY

Washington State is the next state to offer lethal medication to terminally ill patients with less than six months to live. A triumph for those who believe in the right to clinically controlled suicide.

The law takes effect Thursday, but some doctors are conflicted or not willing to write the life-ending prescriptions; in addition, many doctors are hesitant to talk publicly about where they stand on the issue.

There has been a continual awareness campaign here in the Hudson Valley by friends of mine. William See and the rest of the Hudson Valley Chapter of "Death With Dignity" have championed this delicate subject for over a decade.

Once the issue is studied a little closer, the scary image of rampant death squads running through nursing homes disappears and the unbearable pain & suffering of the individual becomes the focus of each case.

Compassion & Choices, lead by Dr. Thomas Preston, was the strongest support group of the legislation and they are of course thrilled that this option for terminal patients is now available.

I jumped around the Internet and found that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2006 that it was up to states to regulate medical practice, including assisted suicide, and Washington's Initiative 1000 was passed by nearly 60 percent of state voters in November.

Washington follows Oregon and Montana in allowing this procedure. Under the Oregon and Washington laws, physicians and pharmacists are not required to write or fill lethal prescriptions if they are opposed to the law.

Just like our local Yellow Pages here in the Hudson Valley, Compassion & Choices of Washington is compiling a directory of physicians who aren't opting out of the law, as well as pharmacies willing to fill the prescriptions. Perfect for that last desire of convenient service.

I didn't know that already, since the measure passed and was enacted, more than 340 people [mostly ailing with cancer] have used this avenue to end their lives at their own hands. [Including this patient to the right]

You know the odds are against the newly merged Benedictine/Kingston Hospital jumping on the support wagon to introduce this option to New Yorkers. As I noted in the last posting, the lobbyists who represent the insurance and pharma industries would object to any legislation that would decrease their steady stream of income. Never mind the philosophical opposition locally.

Would you want the option of Physician Assisted Suicide in New York State?

http://www.compassionandchoices.org/

http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/

OBAMA'S FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY SUMMIT

One of the biggest burdens for corporations and municipalities alike, is the cost of Health care. So much of what we do in our fiscal budgets is based on how much is left after the mandatory expense of contracted health programs, both for current and retired workers.

With the economy in the slump that it's in, Americans suddenly seem willing to consider sensible ideas that other developed countries have done to solve problems. Problems that have baffled us for generations.

It looks like we are going to have a temporary Nationalization of our major banks. Many feel this is far more prudent than handing over billions of dollars greedy bastards who wrecked the financial system in the first place.

Privatizing Social Security is history. Who knew just a few years ago the push from the White House for privatization would be so evidently wrong. Even a money guru like Alan Greenspan, just shakes his head and wonders where they went so wrong.

So President Obama has convened his "Fiscal Responsibility Summit". What was in it surprised many on both sides of the issue; A cognitive plan to deal with the swelling price of health care for the retiring generation of baby boomers and its effect on Medicare and Medicaid. This is considered to be the biggest threat to America's future solvency.

The rate of cost increase per beneficiary combined with the sheer numbers of the Boomer Generation is what threatens the system. I found this article to be most helpful by Ezra Klein on the American Prospect website on February 23.

After the abuse of tax shelters by the super-rich, and the absurd rip-offs by military contractors, the biggest money is in the health sector. The collusion between the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry have not only drained our individual pockets, but have devastated our municipal budgets.

Here is a chance for a new direction bringing reform to the way we finance and deliver medicine. This is central to the Obama Administration's fiscal plan. He's looking to other countries that provide quality care to all of their citizens, spending less than half what we do and achieving better outcomes.

Those countries have shifted their focus on funding their resources into energy and education programs while we try to keep our hospitals open. We witnessed the long struggle to merge Benedictine and Kingston Hospitals only to be saddled with the higher bills anyway.

I realize that change will come slowly. Its human nature to resist change, especially for those of us in the Boomer population. You'll agree that the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies don't want this reform any more than the oil companies want alternative energy development. But I look forward to the day when our private and municipal pockets are less burdened with the rising costs of healthcare. Americans are more open to these progressive alternatives.

Most of every tax increase we experience in Kingston and Ulster County is a result of the these untouchable entitlements, so when the method of healthcare shifts to a more manageable and less expensive program, I expect the masses to rejoice.

So, as I wade through the hours of cable news and witness the banter on this issue, I can only hope the Obama Healthcare Plan succeeds against the entrenched "Party of NO" and that the legislation has teeth.

FINAL PLANS FOR WTC

Above, the first look at the just-released final renderings for the World Trade Center site—specifically, the towers that will stand alongside the Freedom Tower.

At first glance, none of the designs have changed radically from when we first met Freedom's Friends, but the new renderings offer an unbelievable new level of detail on the architecture, especially at street level.

The buzz in the world of building design is the new elevators.

On opening in 2013, it will have the five fastest elevators in the Western Hemisphere, according to the company that will make them.

According to the New York Times: These express cars, serving the restaurant and observatory, will reach a top speed of 2,000 feet a minute, meaning that a trip to the top of the city’s tallest building will take less than three-quarters of a minute.

To put that speed in perspective, it is 25 percent faster than the express elevators that served the twin towers — which seemed plenty quick enough, once you had negotiated the long waiting line.

Imagine hopping on the new High Speed Rail here in Kingston and visiting the WTC site while it's being built.
You know I'm kidding.

PINK FLOYD: THE WALL

A classic rock musical film by British director Alan Parker based on the 1979 Pink Floyd album,

The Wall, with a screenplay by Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roger Waters. Guitar by world renown David Gilmour.We just lost Richard Wright this past fall. R I P Richard.

Show starts at 7:30pm Get there early! Tix are only $5


This event is sponsored by Kevin & Brian Ginty, CFP and the Kingston Daily Freeman.

GRAND VIEW TOPLESS COFFEE SHOP

I caught this cute article in the papers about a coffee shop in Maine that features a little extra skin while serving it's customers.

The Grand View Coffee Shop in Vassalboro, Maine has gone topless. Yep, that's their answer to the economic downturn. I understand their business has jumped.

The article itself had a great catch line: "Cup size has more than one meaning at a new central Maine coffeehouse". Good one right?

So the servers are topless at the Grand View, which opened its doors Monday on a busy road in Vassalboro. A sign outside says, "Over 18 only." Another says, "No cameras, no touching, cash only." Both male and female employees are topless. I expect they are all in terrific shape.

The patrons are as diverse as in any coffee shop, however they tend to linger a bit more. The source of the story says the Planning Board passed the business proposal and it meets the letter of the law.

Here's where the issue gets local. You may have noticed that Muddy Cup has shut down on Broadway in Kingston. What do you say we petition the "Grand View" owners to become a franchise and resume sales right here on Grand Street.

Sales tax is sales tax. Might even offer a bigger crowds for karaoke night.

WALKWAY OVER HUDSON: QUAD FUNDING

The Federal Omnibus Appropriations Bill includes $950,000 for the Walkway Over the Hudson!

With an extra push from Sen. Charles Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, this chunk of change will better prepare the historic Poughkeepsie-Highland railroad bridge into the world's longest elevated pedestrian walkways. Just in time for this years 400 year celebration.

If this funding survives the vetting process both on the floor of the Senate and House, then the fast track to the crossing is a sure thing.

Schumer quoted in the AP: “The Walkway Bridge is poised to become one of the greatest tourist attractions in New York, and its opening will be the culminating event of the Quadricentennial Celebration, we are taking a landmark piece of the Hudson Valley’s industrial past and turning it into something that will draw visitors from every corner of the state and beyond—providing terrific opportunities for our local businesses and delivering a shot-in-the-arm to the Hudson Valley economy.”

Senator Gillibrand said: “These federal dollars will go a long way in helping local business make the Hudson Valley a destination for families and businesses. I will continue to work with Senator Schumer to ensure that New York receives its fair share.”

State Assemblyman Frank Skartados heaped praise on our two DC reps and expressed continued support for the project in any way possible. Noting that this is the opportunity for tourism economic growth to really accelerate in the midhudson region. The 100th AD includes both Poughkeepsie and Lloyd.

JUDGE BRUHN RETIRES THIS APRIL

With much speculation these past few weeks, the news is out there.
Ulster County Court Judge J. Michael Bruhn will step down from the bench effective April 30th.

According to the Times Herald-Record, Bruhn stated that he wanted to avoid bumping up against the state’s mandatory retirement age of 70 for judges.

Serving as the City Court Judge from 82 to 94 and then Ulster County Court Judge from 94 to today, I'd say he has served the people of this community steadily and faithfully.

Im guessing either the other judges fill in for him for the time remaining or the Governor appoints a temporary Judge until elections are held in November.

No matter the protocol, Bruhn leaves big shoes to fill and thus changes the scope of the election landscape here in Ulster County. Could be quite exciting since the Dems were poised to endorse Nina Postupack this year. But one never knows who will challenge whom until the dust settles.

A sincere offering of thank you for time served on the bench Sir.

NAPOLITANO TO FOCUS ON EMPLOYERS

Janet Napolitano, the former Arizona Governor was tapped by the Obama Administration to manage the Department of Homeland Security. She, like many other Department heads, is looking for an influx of money from the stimulus package.

We will hear the President speak on a wide range of issues tonight in his Address to the Congress. Illegal Immigration is expected to be a topic.

While serving as governor of the border state for nearly two terms, she enacted laws that focused on halting illegal immigration inside Arizona by enacting very strict penalties for businesses that hire illegal aliens. Her goal now, is to nationalize this program.

In an interview with NPR last week, Janet said: "We are going to…focus on the employers and make sure that they are subject to criminal penalties for violating the law,”

She also stipulated that her organization would focus on human traffickers, the men who profit from guiding illegal aliens across the border, and in many cases people who take advantage of a desperate situation.

Napolitano referred to an array of sensors, radars and cameras balanced on poles at the border. You'll remember an older post about the company that got the contract was also a major player in the last administration. Well, to repeat myself, they had a faulty product, the government knew it but we purchased it anyway.

Janet is finding that so far, this technology, known as SBInet, has been more of a funding headache than a well performing virtual network and at the sum of $393 million for 2007 & 2008, a waste of money.

How about that fence? The Government Accountability Office (GAO), refers to the fence as “tactical infrastructure,”costing about $2 million per mile. Napolitano thinks the money would have been better spent finishing the fence.

However the best tool to fight illegal immigration is to deal with the supply side of the issue. She said: "Reducing the demand for illegal immigrants in the US will lower incentive for them to risk their lives to cross in increasingly inhospitable areas, like the Sonoran desert in Arizona".

ICE arrested some 250,000 illegal immigrants and deported some 130,000.. Even with nearly 700 miles of fence in place, immigrants continue to enter the US every day, risking their lives to do so. People from all over the world make the journey to Mexico to take advantage of the largely unprotected southern border.

Janet said: "Deportation may be a necessary component of a comprehensive illegal immigration plan, but as the numbers show, it is a zero-sum end game. So long as employers are willing to offer jobs without a background check and ID, the drive to enter the US will continue to tempt the continued crossing"

Obama's speech tonight is likely to touch on the issue of border security and what to do with the estimated 12 - 20 million people who havent bothered to check in. When the economy in the US is forcing citizens to get on line at the food pantries [many for the first time] the issue of jobs and healthcare bring the painful issue of illegal immigration back to the conversation.

I'll be paying attention.

DUSTIN LANCE BLACK

SOTTILE'S RETIREMENT BUYOUT

For how long have city taxpayers been asking the Council to do something about the tremendous cost of running the Fire Department?
Sure there are minimum staffing requirements dictated by the State, but the perception on the street is that our paid fire-fighters are in abundance and an extreme cost to the city.

You'll notice that Mayor Sottile has revealed his offering to the press regarding retirement buyouts. We knew this was coming and knew it was a good idea, but had to be hashed out with our Departments. There are contract issues that had to be reviewed as well.

Sottile's proposal would allow city employees who are eligible for retirement to receive about $12,000 buyout. Doesn't sound bad on the surface right? That's because the money offered the retiring employee would be taken out of the proposed salary of that employee had they continued serving.
Point is, the position would not be filled after the employee left.

Jim quoted in the Freeman: “This is going to create more in the way of overtime, but there will be a larger savings in salaries and benefits.”

In these tough economic times, the temptation of a buyout might push a few employees to jump at retiring, but the reverse is true too. These trying times may cause eligible employees to work a few more years to build a bigger "nest egg". So these numbers could go either way.

I would be concerned if there were a rush to retire in the Police Department. It's pretty thin on the streets now and the officers are already above average on overtime. I would also note...crime isn't going to decrease anytime soon.

This isn't much different than what most of the larger private corporations have done in the past. However that was the past. In these times, those same companies are plainly chopping personnel without regard for the employees. The City of Kingston is more like a big family and would never do anything so rash. Sometimes to a fault.

Thank you Mr Mayor, we will be anxiously awaiting your proposal in committee and expect countless hours of reassurance that this is the course that's best for the city.

PATAKI FOR U.S. SENATE?

I know, you think I'm crazy. But I'm not making this up.

One of the AP sources I follow, says George Pataki met with John Cornyn, the head of the Senate Republican campaign committee about possibly running for the Senate in 2010.

First approached by national Republicans, George has been rumoured to be testing the waters for a challenge to Gillibrand in 2010.

Keep in mind, the AP has no proof of a Senate run in the conversation, but why else would they meet?

I understand that with the leadership positions all but consumed with Democrats from Dog Catcher to President, the Republicans need a big name to set their come-back in motion. Is Pataki the one to do it?

Close friend and former Representative Tom Reynolds told the Gannett News: "Pataki is enjoying the private sector and spending time with his family, I just don’t know that George Pataki wants to pursue a senatorial race.”

Granted, we have time to watch the many possible candidates formulate their strategies, but you can count on Pataki visiting Kingston if this were the goal. Our own Mayor Jim Sottile bent over backwards to endorse and campaign for Pataki in 2002[right on the steps of City Hall]

The outcome of the Governor's race in 2010 between Giuliani and Cuomo will give George a good indication of what to expect from a Senatorial race in 2012.

CONDOLENCES TO THE TEETSEL FAMILY

My heart pains me to think about the sad news in the Teetsel family.

My sincerest condolences to the family on the lost of their son, Dwight. Having lost a previous son not long ago, I can only imagine what affect this can have to such a close and loving family.

Like so many of us throughout the City, I offer my warmest thoughts and support to the Teetsel Family in these days.

Wake and Funeral arangements will be posted in the Freeman.