Free Buffalo's Plan and Studies

[Jim Ostrowski]

Lots of people and groups are talking about changing Buffalo.

Free Buffalo has offered specific ideas and proposals to do the two things that need to be done:

1. Reduce the government’s consumption of private capital, a/k/a, our money.

2. Take political power away from Albany and Washington and give it back to individuals and their local communities.

If the "reformers" aren't proposing to do those things, they're wasting our time, and time is not our friend.

Here's the Free Buffalo plan--

http://www.freebuffalo.org/mission_statement.htm

And here's our studies so far--

http://www.freebuffalo.org/reports.htm

Soon to come: studies on the Niagara County budget, NY state budget, Who Runs Buffalo, Medicaid, the failed Bass Pro model of development and lots more.

[Boost Buffalo]

Lots of people and groups are talking about changing Buffalo.

Free Buffalo has offered specific ideas and proposals to do the two things that need to be done:

1. Reduce the government’s consumption of private capital, a/k/a, our money.

2. Take political power away from Albany and Washington and give it back to individuals and their local communities.

If the "reformers" aren't proposing to do those things, they're wasting our time, and time is not our friend.

Here's the Free Buffalo plan--

http://www.freebuffalo.org/mission_statement.htm

plan, Jim?

please...

[mikewrona]

Lots of people and groups are talking about changing Buffalo.

Free Buffalo has offered specific ideas and proposals to do the two things that need to be done:

If the "reformers" aren't proposing to do those things, they're wasting our time, and time is not our friend.

"Flip answers are more powerful than the best reasoned arguments, which is why so many libertarians are in important government positions." Mike Huben

[therising]

I just read the Plan.
In fact, I read most of the Plan twice.
I did not see one constructive thought there; nothing that resembled a plan of action whatsoever.

This is the closest i saw:

Let’s bring government down to the community level where it can be watched and controlled. And let communities decide if they wish to join forces with other communities or secede from them.

You had a lot of thoughts about the way you feel things should be; but please point out the Plan for me. I missed it.

thanks

[therising]

Oh, by the way, Jim: Please don't use that predictable defense of your's: "Everyone knows my name, why are you annonymous?"

That reply was OK the first 50 or so times you used it.
It's just lame, now.
Besides, I'm not the one asking people for money - you are.

[steven]

Jim I no you will see this as some sort of attack on you. Its not, its my honest opinion.

You just reposted the stuff you came up with in 2004. I thought by now your plan would be a little more specific IE this department in this goverment could do with less workers, funding etc. Being vague was ok 2 yrs ago. By now there should be more substance.

- What departments in county goverment can be trimmed?
- Who should be let go in county govt?
- Where does FB stand on the county police issue with the towns that dont have their own police force?
- County parks?

These are the issues that those of us that supported free buffalo in the past expected to be addressed, not things like, catholic schools, state trial judges and price gouging. There is a high level of frustration with a lot of us for this reason.

[Jim Ostrowski]

I am not sure why you and "lots others" would be frustrated with Free Buffalo. I know I'm very frustrated but not for the same reasons I'm sure.

Free Buffalo was predicated on raising sufficient funds to function like a small think tank. We never raised those funds. We forged ahead anyway, trying to issue as many studies as possible in order to demonstrate to people what we are trying to accomplish. That has begun to work and we are garnering more support as people see in concrete terms what Free Buffalo means. If the Taste of Freedom is successful, we will actually be able to function as intended for the last six months of the year, spending most of our time on substance and not on administrative matters and struggling to pay the rent.

All that said, I believe we have accomplished much in a short time with very little funding, compared to the grandiose budgets of such underachievers as the Buffalo Niagara Partnership ($3M) and the Erie Control Board ($1.4M).

Again, why would you be frustrated? What is that we said we would do that we haven't done? The importance of the plan is that I laid out, for all to see, before our first meeting, exactly what the goals were and how we would try to accomplish them. Everything we have done is pursuant to that plan within the aforesaid financial constraints.

The Partnership's report on county government was widely described as a "volunteer" effort. No way. It cost lots of money and many paid staffers worked on it. We don’t have those kinds of resources, but we did endorse many of their ideas in our own report. That report was very specific in calling for a large cut in Gambia’s budget, leading to a small tax cut, as opposed to a huge tax increase which is what we got.

In the end, our report was better because they were constrained by being influenced by various special interest groups. We are not. We are a general interest group.

Is it our fault that our ideas were not adopted?

We called for a tax cut in Amherst as well.

We called for abolishing the IDAs. That's about as specific as you can get. Abolish them!

We have proposed a complete restructuring of county government, eliminating 17 politicians and 17 political machines. Compare that study to the Free Buffalo “plan” and you begin to see that it really is a plan after all.

As for judges, it is critical that we change the way they are selected for reasons set forth in that report.

The Catholic school report is meant to illustrate the urgency of our plight. Our institutions are dying! They are like the canary in the mine. Beware. Catholic Charities and United Way are down. These are big warning signs that drastic change is needed.

For a thorough review of our first year, see our annual report.

[therising]

We called for a tax cut in Amherst as well.

We called for abolishing the IDAs. That's about as specific as you can get. Abolish them!

I'm asking this as a serious question, because I don't know the answer:

You "called for" a tax cut in Amherst, and abolishment of the IDA's. "Calling for" something is not a Plan.

As an example, did you have a method for abolishing the IDA's? Did you have a well-structured plan, with statistics, showing the reasons they should be abolished? Maybe historical figures, showing that the loss in tax revenues were not offset by the gains in employment? And projections of job growth/loss if the IDA's are abolished?

Maybe you have these figures already, i don't know.

I'm serious here, not just busting your chops. There's a difference between a plan and a suggestion.

[Jim Ostrowski]

I really don't want to argue over the meaning of "plan."

We issued a study on the Amherst budget and called for a large tax cut. It's based on a statistical analysis of public sector employment compensation.

We have also formed a committee to go over the budget line-by-line and those results will be issued in time for the next budget round later this year.

You are free to disagree with our proposal of course. I was responding to the notion that we had no specifics. We do, that's why we engender harsh opposition and have from the beginning.

As for IDAs, we will issue a study on them this year. I included their abolition in our first-year agenda because they violate equal protection of the laws and make no economic sense. Also, they have been around for many years and have failed to turn the economy around.

They also are very costly in terms of wages and expenses and they overcomplicate development and add unnecessary legal expenses. They cause “decision paralysis” as in the Bass Pro deal.

We will be issuing an analysis shortly concerning the failed Bass Pro model of development which will elaborate on these matters further.

As for numbers crunching, as far as I'm concerned the IDAs have the burden of proof. They didn’t exist until the 60's. They haven't turned our economy around.

[Jim Ostrowski]

"Where does FB stand on the county police issue with the towns that don't have their own police force?"

We already endorsed the Partnership's proposal to make them pay for such services.

http://freebuffalo.org/articles/poli...yreportno2.pdf

Pages 9-11

[Boost Buffalo]

I really don't want to argue over the meaning of "plan."

As for IDAs,... they have been around for many years and have failed to turn the economy around.

They also are very costly in terms of wages and expenses and they overcomplicate development and add unnecessary legal expenses.

As for numbers crunching, as far as I'm concerned the IDAs have the burden of proof. They didn’t exist until the 60's. They haven't turned our economy around.

Jim, you know nothing about the IDAs. You never have.

The IDAs are designed to be the liason between industrial expansion and WNY government. IDAs offer incentives providing tax relief. IDAs are a result of an over taxed, union-run community. IDAs are not the reason the community is overtaxed.

Without the IDA, we lose most all industry in WNY.

Industry refuses to pay premium for union politicians and the extreme related costs, as their competition will destroy them if they do.

So Jim, first we need to reduce the tax burden because Industry wont fight it or pay it, they just relocate.

And without tax hell, IDAs wont be necessary. Tax hell is a result of union politicians, public labor unions, and public Authorities. Not the IDAs.

[Boost Buffalo]

We issued a study on the Amherst budget and called for a large tax cut. It's based on a statistical analysis of public sector employment compensation.

Jim, I recall your preparing of this in-depth research illustrating public verse private labor costs. Didnt know you followed through.

Is it available?

[Jim Ostrowski]

BB:

It's on the Free Buffalo website along with lots of other information.

What do you know about IDAs? Most people know very little.

How did you come to be an expert in IDAs?

[Boost Buffalo]

BB:

It's on the Free Buffalo website along with lots of other information.

What do you know about IDAs? Most people know very little.

How did you come to be an expert in IDAs?

hardly an expert, the ECIDA plays the expert role, and they are, and Amherst IDA too, true experts.

They are experts at doing everything possible to offset the forbidding taxes that prevent and discourage our industrial expansion and retention in WNY.

I know this as a "co-recipient", being involved on projects throughout the years. The people involved within the IDA are decent and they live here and play an important and critical role here, and they'll continue to do so until our union-driven tax matters in WNY are resolved.

and I dont doubt our IDAs need consolidation, but they need enhancements too. And when taxes are realistic in WNY, we can eliminate most roles the IDAs play.

[Boost Buffalo]

Jim, could you please at least link or paste your report that illustrates public versus private labor costs? We could all have a look at it and discuss our lopsided labor market.