News That Matters » property tax reform

NtM – July 1, 2009

Jeff Green — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:46:34 +0000

Good Wednesday Morning,

Happy Canada Day!

Minnesota finally has a US Senator. Sheesh. That took long enough. Norm Colman finally called it quits yesterday after Jesus returned from heaven, sat him down, and told him there was no way in heaven or hell he could pull this one off. Previous to that, Mr. Colman knocked on the door of virtually every and any court that would let him in and they all said the same thing: “Give it up, kid”. He finally has.

Keep Putnam Beautiful is again soliciting artists to generate additional custom painted 55 gallon trash cans for use in the county. The two themes optioned are, a 1950′s automobile theme and one for Sybil Ludington, that under appreciated heroine of local fame. These will join the 34 already in existence. For more information write to Walt Thompson.

Now that Albany is about as interesting as Kent Town Board meetings used to be back in the day, property tax reform is going to have to wait for another session. While property tax reform (PTR) groups were putting all their eggs into the Omnibus basket (a collection of smaller, politically easy and weaker bills) what they found was that there was never any desire in the Albany leadership to move the bills forward. Not the circuit breaker, not the cap – nothing. Their opportunity was lost through what I call the “politics of apology” where you pick something you think is easy in order to take baby-steps towards a solution and then, mismanaged from the get-go, let the system get the better of them by apologizing, “We thought we could get this but because [something non-germane to the conversation happened] it didn’t happen.”

Rather, what they should have done is used their political capitol and taken the hard road: The Quality in Education Act, (QEA) which would have shifted the burden of school funding from property taxes to a progressive graduated income tax. The end result would be that somewhere around 90% of property owners would see an actual and real decrease in their overall tax burden. But in order to pay for the QEA the state income tax rate would have to be broadened from a low of 2% to a high of 15% which would raise enough money to pay for education at the state level.

Right now, NY has an essentially flat tax rate running from 4% to around 8% (for earnings over $2 million!) where you reach the standard 6.85% at as little as $20,000 a year all the way up to the high six-figures, a system about as fair as property assessments done by a blind man. When we moved from the graduated income tax to the flat tax system we have now, the super-rich paid $8 billion LESS each year while the middle classes (that’s most of us) had to make up the difference… and we have.

Over the past year I’ve worked with fellow Kent resident Vic Tiship to get the Kent Town Board and the Putnam County Legislature to pass non-binding resolutions (for the county it was the second time) in support of the QEA and it’s property tax relief system but the problem lies not with the town or the county but with, well, those three men (now four, I guess) in that room in Albany. But the problem also exists with the PTR groups for not taking a definitive position on the only bill (currently locked in committee) that actually solves the problem. And, why is that bill locked in committee? Two words: Sheldon Silver. For reasons I will never understand, PTR groups think they can work with Mr. Silver but time and experience has shown that no matter what they do he, and Albany, will fail them.

Now it’s time to play hardball but I fear the PTR groups just don’t have the chutzpah to do it and Vic and I are just about out of [legal] ideas. We’ll keep working though and will encourage all of you to write your state reps and let them know that there’s a real solution out there, Assemblyman Kevin Cahill’s Quality in Education Act, and that you want that bill out of he education committee and on the floor for debate and ultimate passage.

In other words, while Albany fiddles, newspapers fill with foreclosure notices and those four men in that room? They just don’t give a damn.

Many communities in the Hudson Valley are canceling their 4th of July celebrations due to economic constraints. It’s going to be a bad year for fireworks. The Town of Kent is working on privately raising $10,000 and they’re about half-way there. Collection Buckets are out at various establishments in town and whether you live there or not, one of the nicest places to watch fireworks on the 4th is on the shores of Lake Carmel. Do what I did yesterday morning at Bloomburg’s – drop a few bucks in the bucket and help to light up the skies this weekend.

While we’re talking about the Town of Kent, the story about a proposed law-change to allow the Supervisor to have a four-year rather than a two-year term is still the most read story at the blog. The issue is one I am probably going to have to take a position on at some point but all I can say now is that there are as many valid arguments in favor as there are opposed.

It strikes me that the main argument in opposition is that we might get stuck with a bum Supervisor for four years. The Town of Kent is known for such and people do remember. So what’s needed is a way to elect someone who becomes a consensus candidate, not a pularity candidate. In a multiple field race it’s entirely possible, under our current system, for someone to win with less than 40% of the vote – and it happens all the time. The winner-take-all system we have isn’t working very well as the winning candidates often do not have the support of the majority of voters. What’s needed then is a change and Instant Runoff Voting is one option that is catching on across the nation and around the world. Read more about IRV here.

And now, The News:

Putnam lawmakers vote not to pay MTA its payroll tax
Questions raised over candidates’ plan
Summer Slots Still Available at DEC Camps
Month of activities to put spotlight on watersheds
Flesh out Dover plan but keep it moving
Create Bike-Only Roads
Isolated Forest Patches Lose Species, Diversity
Betraying the Planet
Venus and Mars in High Contrast
God, Firearms and America Come Together at a Church in Kentucky

Putnam lawmakers vote not to pay MTA its payroll tax

CARMEL – The Putnam County Legislature is thumbing its nose at the MTA, voting Monday night to refuse to pay the new mobility tax to the New York City transportation system.

The State Legislature and the governor approved the payroll tax, which will add a one-third of one percent levy on all payrolls in the Mid-Hudson counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester.

But, Putnam lawmakers said the tax is a job killer and they aren’t going to pay it on the county’s payroll.

Questions raised over candidates’ plan

Re the June 23 Journal News article, “Southeast Town Board candidates propose contract with voters” that names Joseph DePaola and Matthew Neuringer as candidates promising to cut taxes by 10 percent:

I wonder if they have determined what services will be diminished if taxes are reduced by 10 percent. Will town roads be plowed after six inches of snow, or only three? On what days will Wells Park open and close? How many days will the library be closed? How high will town baseball field grass be before it is cut? Will there still be a ragamuffin parade at Halloween?

How many people will be laid off in the town administrative offices? Will the people left be paid overtime or a regular salary for the extra hours needed to fulfill the work of their fired former colleagues? If so, what will be the source of the funds?

Summer Slots Still Available at DEC Camps

June 26, 2009 by newyorkoutdoors

Summer is just beginning, but it is still not too late for youth to register for a week of fun and excitement at a DEC Environmental Education Camp. The camps focus on conservation education, immersing campers in outdoor activities, lessons and games that teach the wise use of natural resources and protection of the environment.

For people who love being in the outdoors, chances are that they had a great experience as a kid that triggered their interest in nature. DEC’s environmental education youth camps provide this experience to boys or girls aged 12 to 17 each summer.

A week at the sleep-away camp begins on Sunday afternoon and goes through the following Saturday morning. While at camp, the campers will have fun learning about ecology, forests, conservation, water and much more. Highly qualified staff ensure that campers enjoy their week-long outdoor adventure, whether in camp or on an overnight hiking or canoe trip. For those who are interested, hunter safety training is available from certified sportsman education instructors, with prior permission from parents/guardians.

Month of activities to put spotlight on watersheds

By Jennifer Rubbo
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

It’s hip to be green.

Global warming, sustainable energy, carbon footprint -these are all words we hear almost on a daily basis. Yet, as we drive on our highways and neighborhood streets, we still see garbage on the side of the road – candy wrappers, styrofoam cups, potato chip bags.

There seems to be an educational disconnect. On one hand, people are learning how to save the world from global warming, while with the other, they are throwing their cigarette butts out the car window. Not only does this litter affect the beauty of our landscape, but eventually a majority of it will end up in the creeks, ponds and wetlands that are so prevalent here in the Hudson Valley.

The disconnect must be remedied so each of us can understand how our daily actions affect the environment. One way to do this is to begin thinking on a watershed level.

But what are watersheds and why are they important?

Flesh out Dover plan but keep it moving

A Poughkeepsie Journal Editorial

More than six long years into a grueling process, the Town of Dover and a major developer are still trying to iron out plans for the former Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center. They are getting closer -and residents still have time to share their views following two public hearings. They should take advantage of that opportunity, considering this would be one of the biggest development projects in Dutchess County’s history.

In many ways, the issues haven’t changed much over the years. Town officials, as well as county planners, want to ensure the developer – Dover Knolls, owned by Long Island-based Benjamin Companies – is offering a healthy mix of residential and commercial uses on the 800-acre center. They definitely want the developer to take advantage of the property’s close proximity to a Metro-North railroad station and curb the sprawl in the outlying areas of the property. For its part, the company has contended it can’t overextend itself with commercial offerings that could sit vacant if viable businesses aren’t found to use them.

There have been several significant moments during this arduous process, however.

Create Bike-Only Roads

by Max Fisher

Citing a need to alleviate motor traffic, reduce air pollution, and increase general health, cities are carving out more bike lanes. But bike lanes simply don’t work. Maybe something about America’s competitive cowboy culture means drivers just can’t bring themselves to share the road, frequently parking in bike lanes, turning across bike lanes without warning, and colliding with bikes.

In 2007, car-on-bike accidents killed 698 cyclists and injured 45,000, including me, courtesy of a Washington, D.C., minivan driver who, unsatisfied with my 22-mph pace at the height of rush hour, decided she had more of a right to the stretch of road I was occupying. With law enforcement often unwilling to enforce bikers’ claims to the road, it’s hard to see behavior changing. Take the much-publicized case of the driver who crippled a 14-year-old cyclist by dragging him under her SUV for 131 feet and got a $500 ticket. Not much of a disincentive.

Isolated Forest Patches Lose Species, Diversity

ScienceDaily (June 23, 2009) — Failing to see the forest for the trees may be causing us to overlook the declining health of Wisconsin’s forest ecosystems.

Even areas with apparently robust trees and lush canopies are threatened as forests are increasingly fragmented by roads and development, becoming isolated green islands in a sea of agricultural fields, housing tracts, and strip malls, say University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.

A new study is revealing that decades of fragmentation of Wisconsin’s forests have taken a largely unseen toll on the sustainability of these natural ecosystems.

The long generation times of trees and other plants have masked many of the ecological changes already under way in the patches of forest that remain, says study co-author Don Waller, a professor in the Department of Botany and Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison. “Things may look healthy, but over time we see an erosion of biodiversity,” he says.

Betraying the Planet

By PAUL KRUGMAN

So the House passed the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill. In political terms, it was a remarkable achievement.

But 212 representatives voted no. A handful of these no votes came from representatives who considered the bill too weak, but most rejected the bill because they rejected the whole notion that we have to do something about greenhouse gases.

And as I watched the deniers make their arguments, I couldn’t help thinking that I was watching a form of treason — treason against the planet.

To fully appreciate the irresponsibility and immorality of climate-change denial, you need to know about the grim turn taken by the latest climate research.

Venus and Mars in High Contrast

By Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, June 29, 2009

As the nation celebrates another birthday, see the spangled Venus and a dim Mars in July before dawn’s early light.

Mars, our neighboring red planet, rises about 3 a.m. in the northeastern sky, followed shortly by a brilliant Venus. Both can be seen high in the east before sunrise in the constellation Taurus, but the differences are striking. Venus, at a negative fourth magnitude, is very bright; Mars is much less so at first magnitude and is even harder to see in light-polluted urban areas. By the end of July, Venus is seen lower in the eastern heavens.

Late night with Jupiter: The largest planet in the solar system rises in the east-southeast about 11 p.m. After midnight you should see it snuggled between the constellations Aquarius and Capricornus. It’s a negative second magnitude, very bright and easily seen from the city. By 4 a.m., Jupiter is high in the southwest.

Still loitering in the constellation Leo, see ringed Saturn high in the western sky after sundown. The planet remains visible at first magnitude. By month’s end, the planet will be noticeably lower in the west after dusk.

God, Firearms and America Come Together at a Church in Kentucky

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Some of those seated in the pews of New Bethel Church here Saturday night, their firearms tucked to their sides, saw themselves as modern-day pioneers.

“This country started by people gathering together in churches and complaining about taxation and about their current government, King George III, taking armaments that they had,” said Chesley Kemp, 61, a family doctor with his Kimber .45 Auto at his side.

Dr. Kemp said he had driven two hours from Bowling Green to attend a gun celebration at the church, which event organizers said appeared to be the first of its kind, at least in modern times.

The pioneer spirit suffused a 90-minute program staged by Ken Pagano, the pastor of the Assembly of God church, for whom God, guns and America are a package deal.

NtM – June 26, 2009 – Things To Do Edition

Jeff Green — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:04:23 +0000

Good Friday Morning,

We had our first day of summer weather yesterday and though it’s more like we’re living in the Adirondacks than the Hudson Valley, all I can say is that I hope summer last a little longer than usual to make up for the late start.

The NY State Senate failed to take any action on property tax relief this year even though there were dozens of bills in front of them that might have offered *something*. Among them was an Omnibus bill, a collection of other bills that would have included circuit breaker legislation (similar to what Sandy Galef proposed). Even though those bills were only hesitant, politically easy baby-steps to an actual solution, the shifting of education funding from property taxes to a progressive, graduated income tax, would have been nice. The average NY property owner would have seen an actual, real, reduction in their overall property tax bills.

Regular readers will be familiar with my constant calls of support of Kevin Cahill’s “Equality in Education Act” and wonder why the solution is not ‘on the table’ in Albany. It’s easy: Sheldon Silver. Oh, and the super-rich who would actually have to start paying a fairer share of their income in taxes and who control state government through their financial largess. Any questions?

Remember the 13 year old girl who was strip-searched at her school on a tip that she was hiding drugs? The Supreme Court ruled the other day that the search was illegal. The Washington Post wrote: “In a case that had drawn attention from educators, parents and civil libertarians across the country, the court ruled 8 to 1 that such an intrusive search without the threat of a clear danger to other students violated the Constitution’s protections against unreasonable search or seizure.” The suspected drugs? Ibuprofen.

Southeast Supervisor Michael Rights is in the news again. This time it’s for allegedly causing an accident in which is his car was not directly involved. The point here is that community outrage has already begun yet, there are few facts on the case and people with preconceived notions aren’t even bothering to wait before spouting off about this and that. Are their lives so empty this is what they do for recreation? Chill.

While we’re talking about Southeast’s town government, just keep in mind that it’s a result of what happens when a handful of vocal naysayers, people who only seek the worst in others, for whom politics means digging into people’s closets, get control of things. As election season approaches keep an ear out for those type of folk. You’ll hear them, alright. They’re the ones who become morally outraged at others but for whom life would be empty if they couldn’t target someone to make themselves feel better about themselves. It’s a shame we’ve allowed those people to control the discussion and the failure of government to effectively govern is the result.

The Country Store at Boni-Bel Farm, a Green Chimneys vocational education program. Is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit them at 301 Doansburg Road in Brewster, NY for high quality organic foods, handcrafted gift items and more! “The Country Store and Vocational Learning Center is dedicated to building a greater sense of community through its seasonal offerings of organic and fresh produce, cut flowers, and handicrafts — all raised, grown or manufactured by children and staff of Green Chimneys and or local community artisans and farms,” says Kim Pratt Lawrence, director of public programs. “The store will give students an opportunity to learn about working in a retail setting while fostering interaction with the community. The Country Store will offer a full calendar of events and activities, bringing neighbors together and highlighting the rich diversity of talents that our children and the organizations in the area have to offer.”

Looking for a hike this weekend? Take a walk around the Wiccopee Reservoir on Wiccopee Road in Putnam Valley (about a mile west of the Taconic State Parkway. The Wiccopee Reservoir holds water for the City of Peekskill, releasing it into the Hollow Brook as it flows on its way to that city on the Hudson. This 500 acre property, backed by the scouting reservation and Fhanestock State Park, offers an easy 3 mile loop hike (on a serviceable road) around the lower reservoir and a walk along a beautiful portion of the upper. It takes you across the top of one, and then along the base of the other dam. Using this facility as access you can cross into Fhanestock State Park and hike the easements at the boy scout camp. In other words, it’s easy to alter this 3-mile loop into as many miles as you’d like. Boats are forbidden in the reservoir. Maps and photos are at PlanPutnam’s Outdoor Recreation pages.

Tonight:

Leo Burmester Retrospective

7PM – 10 p.m. – Cultural Center on Lake Carmel. Opening Reception – “We are such stuff as dreams are made” Retrospective continues with 8 p.m. Kent resident Leo Burmester, who died in June 2007, was an accomplished actor who appeared in 37 films, made 32 television appearances and had roles in 9 Broadway plays. He was nominated for a Tony as Best Actor in Robert Altman’s production of playwright Frank South’s “Rattlesnake in a Cooler”, which opened at the St. Clement’s Theatre in 1981. Burmester won the New York Fanny award for Best Supporting Actor for his Lincoln Center performance in “Ah, Wilderness!”

The retrospective highlights Leo Burmester’s work as a collage artist and will include a showing of his unusually large and thought-provoking collages. Burmester began making his collages while working in a shed outside his Kent home in the 1980′s. His pieces were often made on plywood bases and contained glass, seeds, trinkets, cloth, sting, beads and an assortment of other knickknacks, and his pieces evoke the adage, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Burmester and his art were featured in the May 2007 issue of Hudson Valley Magazine.

Burmester’s art work is featured in “Leo Burmester and The Literature of Junk” which won best documentary at the Westchester Film Festival and will be shown during the Retrospective.

Saturday:

Wild Edibles Walk

9:30AM -Noon. Mohonk Preserve. Explore wild plants at the Mohonk Preserve. Learn to identify plants that can be used for food and medicine. Registration through the Mohonk Preserve. 845-255-0919. Led by Aleese Cody, LMT, NCTMB. www.aleesecody.com email: coyotefarms@att.net. Cost: Free to members. Non-members must buy a day pass.

Hike to Anthony’s Nose

10 AM – U-Bend parking area Route 202 and 6 one mile south of the Bear Mt. Bridge. Anthony’s Nose – It should be a beautiful morning to join Geof Connor of the New York-New Jersey Trails Conference for a 2.5 mile return trek up to Anthony’s Nose. At approximately 900 feet, its summit offers sweeping views of the Hudson River, where one of the liberty chains stretched during the Revolutionary War and the Bear Mountain Bridge stands today. Meet: 10:00am U-bend parking area, Route 202 & 6, one mile south of Bear Mt. Bridge Duration: 2.5 hrs. Level: Moderate/Difficult (500 ft. climb) Sponsored by the Hudson Highlands Land Trust

Rattlesnake in a Cooler

8 p.m. performance by Daniel Burmester (GUTworks Theatre) of Rattlesnake in a Cooler, reproducing Leo Burmester’s landmark, Tony nominated performance from 1982. At the Cultural Center on lake Carmel (the old firehouse on Route 52 just south of the 311 causeway)

GUTWorks newest performance follows the story of a man finding the dark side of his dreams. Daniel Burmester, Jonathan Maloney and Kali Quinn will be collaborating once again to bring the gut-wrenching, play Rattlesnake in a Cooler to life. Distinguished playwright Frank South has been known to create folksy, Middle American characters and then squeeze them until they start to spurt blood. Daniel Burmester will portray Souths character of the young doctor in this one-man powerhouse play that will grab hold of the audience and leave all wondering if they have a dark side of there own.

Songs for the River

8PM – Mills-Norrie State Park, Staatsburgh. With Betty And The Baby Boomers. Announcing their latest CD “Where the Heron Waits”. Sponsored by the DEC Hudson River Research Reserve, Margaret Lewis State Park (Norrie Point Environmental Center), Staatsburg. Free. Wheelchair accessible (845)300-0010. beebuggy@hotmail.com

Sunday:

Maps and Dreams

5:30 PM – Paramount Theater, Peekskill. “Maps & Dreams” is a unique, one-hour, one-man show that launches off from Samuel de Champlain’s dream of amity, and his mapmaking activity, to inspire the audience to do their own 400th anniversary dreaming and mapping. Starting from a consideration of Champlain and Hudson’s experiences on their journeys in 1609, the performance ranges over the last 400 years of history in the two valleys, contemplating the changing nature of both, mapping and dreaming, and the unchanging nature of what both activities can help us discover our individual, regional, and national destiny. Presented by Dr. Kevin Dann, an author, musician and professor of history at SUNY Plattsburgh beloved by his students for his dramatic, humor-filled and heart-centered approach to the sacred art of learning, this educational and entertaining presentation will offer stories, music, slide show images, audience participation, and most importantly, the gift of wonderment. Admission is free.

Into the Future:

Monday, June 29

Garden Forum at Millbrook

7PM – 9 PM Farm and Home Center, Millbrook, NY. The Gathering of Gardeners. The first hour will be a tour of the gardens followed by questions for the Master Gardeners. Sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County. Farm & Home Center 2715 Rt. 44, Millbrook. Contact Nancy, 845-677-8223 x115 nh26@cornell.edu Cost: $5.

Saturday, July 11

Jeff’s Annual Picnic and Garden Party at the Asylum – Everyone is Invited!

3PM – Onwards. Come celebrate the beauty of the highlands in western Kent. Rain or Shine! Bring some food for the pot luck and drink for the coolers, a blanket and/or some chairs, or just wear light, comfortable clothes and hang out on the grass in the field. We’ll have plates and forks and knives and spoons and cups so you can leave those at home.

Don’t forget your sunscreen. There’s afternoon shade near the edge of the forest so you can set up over there if you like. Last year the kids had a massive water fight to stay cool. No adults were harmed in the battle.

When the sun goes down the fire-pit becomes the place for gathering and we’ll be sure to have it blazing once it’s dark enough for the after-party which ran until 6AM last year.

The weather report projects 80º and partly sunny so we’ll have lots of ice and cool, non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages on hand. What you could do:

Bring along some friends, the extended family, the neighbors, your kids, the dogs… pretty much anything and anyone that walks or rolls.

Bring your musical instruments, your talents and yes, even your accordions and kazoos. But be prepared to play them.

If you’re traveling from away or taste testing the barleycorn, bring your tent. There’s plenty of room to camp.

Handicap parking is available!

More info is here.

Sunday, July 12

Putnam County Humane Society

Treat your dog to a day of pampering! Complete Spa treatment: Shampoo, Nail Trim, Micro Chipping @$35.00 Shampoo Only: $10 Large Dog $8 Small Dog Nail Clipping: $7 Micro Chip: $25 Sunday, July 12th (rain date July 26th) from 11:00am to 4:00pm at Putnam Humane Society Shelter, Old Rte. 6, Carmel, NY Proceeds to benefit our canine and feline residents!!

Thursday, July 23

Hudson River Watershed Alliance

10AM – 3PM At this meeting, we will learn about the current activities of each watershed group and what new issues you are facing in your efforts. In addition, we will collectively chart a course for organizing quarterly or semi annual watershed roundtable meetings. The goal of this meeting is to find new ways in which you can learn from one another and move your local watershed
efforts forward! In preparation, please consider these questions and be prepared to discuss your related activities:

1. Since our last meeting (July 2008), what aspect of watershed planning protection has your group focused on?

2. What challenges have you faced and how has your group addressed these issues?

3. Is their mutual consent to commit to more frequent roundtable meetings? If so, how should we structure these events?

Please RSVP by Thursday, July 16, to katy@hudsonwatershed.org or 845-486-1556.

Property Tax Reform Ramblings

ragamuffin — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:03:23 +0000

Some thoughts on property tax reform In New York and taxes in general; one person’s opinion.

We in Putnam and elsewhere around New York are receiving our county and town taxes at this time and it is another bi-annual reminder to me how our taxes (and “fees”) target those least able to afford them while those most able are not asked or required to contribute a fair share by our representatives in power.

Some in the Property Tax Reform movement leadership have, for yet another year, shown themselves to be irrelevant, weak, ineffectual and gullible; quislings for the Albany status quo. They have betrayed all the NY taxpayers who will lose their homes this year, suffer hardship or be forced to sell out in a down market no less than the makers and sustainers of the inequity, our Albany servants of the rich. Some of the PTR leadership advocate caps and the Galef-Little circuit-breaker, and failed to push for…..or even mention most times…….the real reform of a switch to a state-wide income based system, like the Cahill/LaValle bills.

They asked us to thank and support the purveyors of phony reform, like Tom Suozzi and his stacked commission (it would be a travesty for him to even be considered for senator, as some have mentioned, after his dismal failure!), and Sandy Galef, who touts her own proposals, manipulates deceptive polls, airs video in support of Suozzi that do not show the publics vocal criticism; she has done little of substance to really help the suffering. We all can see what our PTR leaders got for their timidity and capitulation…..nothing, zip, bubkus, nada, zilch, niente. The leadership still goes crawling, hat in hand, to Albany asking; “thank you sir, may I have another”? The Albany legislature worked them with empty promises of change and delivered nothing as they have done for years….the Albany “two-step”…..and the PTR leadership bent over for them…..yet again. Candidates who advocated tax reform forgot their promises once they were elected, were bought off or sweet-talked; or they were so consumed by ego and a desire to push their own proposals that they supported nothing else. Governor Paterson so far has been one disappointment after another; so much for visionary leadership. I still have high regard for the man and hope he will soon wake up and realize that he represents ALL New Yorkers and not just the rich and powerful. He should take decisive action for 95% of New Yorkers and push for real reform and a return to tax fairness and increases on the rich who have evaded their responsibilities to our society for far too long. Gov Paterson should re-institute an updated progressive income tax as was in force prior to 1972. The budget the Governor rolled out does nothing to bring tax fairness to our state or ask those most able to pay their fair share. His cuts will increase our local property taxes even more. The perception of fairness is an important part in asking the rest of us to bear an increased monetary burden, and loss of services.

It is infuriating to me that many more homeowners will be victimized by the timidity and myopic actions of those who supposedly are working for change. We heard that “it is really difficult” and “Cahill cannot be passed anytime soon” and “one step at a time”….all crap! If we don’t work for and DEMAND real comprehensive change and a switch to a state-wide income-based system and forget the empty promises of Albany and their stooges we are fools and deserve to fail. It astonished me that even while advocating for the half-a-loaf approach that many take, that they don’t demand at the same time a Cahill model as the final goal; but only pushed for the Suozzi charade, and the unacceptably complicated and shallow Galef-Little CB.

Until we as a movement end our fragmented stance and coalesce into a forceful demand for an income-based system we are doomed to failure, more business as usual from Albany, and more hardship for NY homeowners. We must work for “Home Security” for all New Yorkers. A system that forces people out of their homes due to inability to pay sky-high property taxes is not acceptable any longer and must be changed. This concept will benefit all New Yorkers; those who may have lost jobs, or will, who suffer a catastrophic illness in the family, who choose a different life-style, low income career or pursuit, inherit a family property “above their means”, or any other cause. Will we assure home security for all, continue to cater only to the rich at the expense of the rest of us or support the reform of income-based school funding and the elimination of the school portion of property taxes?

The current economic downturn, ie recession/depression as well as the reduced revenues of Albany and NYC, will further hurt many homeowners, especially those on the lower and middle income levels. This is being used by Albany as the current excuse de jour for doing nothing except locking in already bloated out of control and unfair property taxes via the Caps proposal. Instead of allowing the status-quo to use this economic collapse and tax shortfall as a further excuse to do nothing, we must pressure them to see that change to an income based state-wide system is the only equitable way forward especially because of this “downturn”.

We hear that “we can’t increase taxes on the rich because they will move to another state”; that is a canard and supposition that fails to impress. Many New Yorkers are ALREADY leaving the state…being forced from their homes due to the inability of paying more than their fair share of school funding. Admittedly school spending is also out of control, fragmented, inefficient and top-heavy, and needs comprehensive reform. When so many are losing their jobs and people of modest means are required to pay essentially the SAME taxes, both property (for similar properties) and income (as a percentage of income) as the super-rich, it is an obscenity that we do not reform the entire system NOW! While the rich….those MOST able to pay, continue to evade their arguable responsibilities to our society, the middle-class and poor are burdened by a disproportionate levy in school and local/county taxes that have also become an unacceptable burden. For every dollar the rich and corporations evade, either in property taxes or state income tax, it is made up by a higher tax (or new and increased fees) on the rest of us, and Albany dutifully represents the greed of the rich at the expense of 95% of New Yorkers. I wonder how much of the $60 billion stolen by the swindler Madoff went to support our schools. Albany should be focused on restoring the progressive tax structure (updated) in force prior to 1972, and less on what the rich MIGHT do if finally forced to pay their fair share again; let them move if that’s what they see as right! When many people are already being forced from their homes due to the outrageous and regressive property taxes, I have little sympathy for those well off who threaten to move out, or those who deceitfully do their bidding in Albany. The truth is, I believe, that few will chose to move rather than pay a little more.

NYC and their entrenched representatives are also a big part of the problem and care little or nothing about upstate. It is about time we in upstate refuse NYC, and their agents in Albany, anything they want until we get some goddamn respect and leadership representation! The NY Yankees just got a plum deal from the city, with funding guarantees and the gift of land for their new stadium, but they will pay NO property taxes and NO rent on the land while making huge profits and signing numerous multi-million dollar players; try that if you are just folks!. Mayor Bloomberg just announced that he will raise city property taxes 7%, and we in upstate can expect an increase also due to slashed education funding from Albany, all while the Wall St thieves walked away with billions. The obscenity of the very wealthy being either bailed out for their incompetence, failure or greed (with no strings or accountability), or getting sweet deals to “keep them here” is not acceptable and I believe increases the tax burden on all the rest of us! If “we” are being asked to make sacrifices in this downturn, the appearance (and reality) of fairness is essential, and that means that the rich and powerful must pay back to our society in balance with their wealth.

http://www.sports-venue.info/Construction/New_Yankees_Stadium.html

We must stand firm for real comprehensive reform and stop being so damn weak and silent! Since when has trying to curry favor with the powers that rule ever worked? Those who do just use up our valuable time and energies and allow the current system to make victims out of more thousands of our neighbors! Are candidates, those elected, and many in the PTR leadership real advocates for change or merely ineffectual quislings for the status quo?

Mad? You bet I am, and I fail to see why some who waste our time and energies to drag out real reform for yet another year should have anymore air time or respect. Are their efforts for ego and self-aggrandizement only?…….do they really believe in change or just the spotlight? Do they want to truly reform our primitive, regressive and unequal/unfair tax system to fund public schools and local government and find a way to actually succeed and help the most vulnerable among, us or will they continue being de facto agents of the greedy-rich and powerful?

I, like Howard Beale, want everyone who believes in true comprehensive reform to stand up and shout “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore”! We all need to lobby for real comprehensive reform, especially in this time of hardship. We need to make our voices heard and call, write, fax and email our representatives both local and in Albany. Please forward this appeal for action to your networks if you feel it is worthwhile.

I am truly saddened and infuriated at the same time at the prospect of yet another year going bye while the rich continue to avoid paying their fair share back to our society that makes their success possible while our home-owners suffer oppressive property taxes and the PTR leadership chalks up yet another year of failure built on timidity.

Victor Tiship
Kent Cliffs