Hypocrites

[morphinebrian]

It is one thing to be against tax increases. That is easy.
How do some of the people voting against the tax increase hold up when voting against additional spending?

Erie County Legislature Special Session 18 (August 18, 2004) - Cut Vacant Positions

AYES: DEBENEDETTI, DUSZA, HOLT, KUWIK, MARINELLI, SCHROEDER, &
SMITH, WROBLEWSKI. NOES: CHASE, CUSACK, MARSHALL, McCARVILLE,
RANZENHOFER, SWANICK, WEINSTEIN. (AYES 8, NOES 7)

Erie County Legislature Special Sessioin 14 (June 18, 2004) - Intermunicapal Agreement to take over City of Buffalo Parks

AYES: CHASE, McCARVILLE, RANZENHOFER, SWANICK, WEINSTEIN, DEBENEDETTI, HOLT, MARINELLI, SCHROEDER & SMITH. NOES: CUSACK, MARSHALL, DUSZA, KUWIK & WROBLEWSKI. (AYES 10, NOES 5)

It is evident to me that the people who don't want to raise your taxes don't have a problem running up the County's credit card bill.

[gubmentcheez]

You know, you are right. I asked Joel Giambra the same thing about the same issue, and he told me that taking over the City Parks didn't cost Erie County anything. Anything.

Get out the abacus and show this dumb hick how THAT works....

[citymouse]

It didn't cost the county anything because the city pays a service fee. That is why if the county parks close the city parks will stay open, because Buffalo paid up front to keep them open.
Joel administrates the city parks so it must cost something. You belive him? I wouldn't buy a used car from him.

[gubmentcheez]

That's just it, I DON'T believe him.

It all sounds like a bunch of smoke to me anyways....if an "administrative fee" keeps the City parks open, what did we need to take them over for? Or are we just talking symantics here?

It costs "X" to keep the City parks running.

Is Buffalo paying "X", is the County paying "X", or do they share it?

I'm getting the feeling that the City Parks Department is still itself, it just has a different administrative department and we saved Buffalo a portion of the costs of running the parks. If doing that keeps the City parks open, great, but it doesn't sound to me like we "took over" the City parks' budget, personnel, and work.

[WNYresident]

Here's the clincher.. We all see this as crap thats going on and theres acutally 9 people on the legislature that want to give them MORE money to continue this crap.

[Night Owl]

Here's the clincher.. We all see this as crap thats going on and theres acutally 9 people on the legislature that want to give them MORE money to continue this crap.

Oh, I totally agree with you WNYresident.

[WNYresident]

I'm also puzzled that 9 people got to be county legislators thinking this is an allowable way of running the county. Scary isn't it.

Well one wasn't elected, he was appointed by the "connected" ones. He's willing to vote yes and let them take more money from us while putting in a paper tiger "citizen" control board.

I was told the legislature hasn't been given proper accounting reports of departments for a long time. What are they basing thier voting decisions on? They don't even have a realistic budget in front of them to make this important voting decision.

These are the people that are suppose to be monitoring what is GOING on in our county. I mean it is our money after all. We are going to install a citizens review board to do what the county legislature is paid to do?

And why are they bull****ting us with this medicaid crap? If this sale tax is because of medicaid increases why are they talking about sharing it with the city and surrounding political turfs? Do each of these turfs have medicaid increases also?

But somehow we have 9 all knowing legislators that will vote yes to allow them to take more money from us. Makes you wonder.

[morphinebrian]

Because County taxes have not gone up in 5 years. County property taxes have in fact gone down almost 40% in that time period. Meanwhile, they have used up the tobacco settlement and Gorski reserves to pay for this 5 year tax break. In addition to that, they have borrowed a ton of money to pay for fixed costs.

Meanwhile, the County has done nothing to decrease its spending, and has in fact increased spending. On top of that, mandated costs, like Medicaid, have gone up year after year.

The sharing of the additional sales tax is because all Sales tax in NYS is shared, with the exception of the Erie County 8%. The other municipalites may choose to give you a break off your property tax with that money. It is something almost every municpality, and almost every State Legislator who has to vote for the increase has asked for.

[morphinebrian]

The real problem is the spending, not the taxing. As soon as the spending goes down, the taxes will go down. It is that simple.

Some County representatives want to spend all your money, but don't want to take responsibility for that and not vote to raise your taxes. Maybe if some of these people not voting to raise your taxes had chosen to spend less, we would not be in this fiasco to being with.

[gubmentcheez]

So, back to the question in my original posting about re-electing no one....What are we going to DO about it?

Don't tell me we can't put an Erie County Coalition of United Taxpayers (ECCUT) representative in every stinking district next election and throw them all out. It can be done, but people have to register, petition, and get out and vote for the candidates, leaving behind the Republicans and Democrats - now one in the same around here.

New York State Independence Party maybe? I don't know, but they all have to lose their jobs.

[citymouse]

Politicians never give you your money back. Why do you think Joel won a seconed term? He gave you a property tax relief.
Meanwhile he raided all the reserves to do it and when he actually needed it( reserve money), it was gone.
Now it is everyone elses fault.
Bush is doing the same thing on a different level. Only he is using deficit spending to achieve his ends.
They never cut anything, particularly thier patronage and projects involving contracts of connected friends.

[Curmudgeon]

Politicians never give you your money back. Why do you think Joel won a seconed term? He gave you a property tax relief.
Meanwhile he raided all the reserves to do it and when he actually needed it( reserve money), it was gone.
Now it is everyone elses fault.
Bush is doing the same thing on a different level. Only he is using deficit spending to achieve his ends.
They never cut anything, particularly thier patronage and projects involving contracts of connected friends.

Yes. Joel TOOK LESS OF MY MONEY, so I didn't have to wait for him to "give it back"... You are absolutely correct.

And, since he has takes less money from me, things now have to be cut. That's why he was re-elected. That's what the majority of people in Erie County want to happen. They want leaders who will cut programs and collect less taxes. Yes, thank you for observing the obvious.

[southbuffaloguy]

Curm, you really must be smoking something. He took less money from you ? When the final bill comes in from all his borrowing and and his ECMC deal you'll find you paid him back triple because of that tax cut. And there will be more and you can take that to the bank. We will see how much of a plan you still think he has when he raises those property taxes you hold so dearly to your heart at the end of this year. You are correct , people in this county want leaders . But the cold hard fact is that Giambra has been a total disaster in that regard and this budget fiasco only served to open eyes to a great many who thought otherwise. I don't think he could even be elected as a dogcatcher should he choose to run.

[gubmentcheez]

...sorry, I have to say it...

If he IS elected Dogcatcher though, who drives?

Sorry....wide right, no goal, and now these guys.

[WNYresident]

Originally posted by southbuffaloguy
Curm, you really must be smoking something. He took less money from you ? When the final bill comes in from all his borrowing and and his ECMC deal you'll find you paid him back triple because of that tax cut. And there will be more and you can take that to the bank. We will see how much of a plan you still think he has when he raises those property taxes you hold so dearly to your heart at the end of this year. You are correct , people in this county want leaders . But the cold hard fact is that Giambra has been a total disaster in that regard and this budget fiasco only served to open eyes to a great many who thought otherwise. I don't think he could even be elected as a dogcatcher should he choose to run.

What i find odd is, why do the number change from week to week?

Where's the balance sheet? Before the the election things were super duper.. (ah that should be in the remember when thread)

Didnt' they project the physical running budget to see where the spending surpassed the income?

How much did medicaid really go up this year? Doesn't this tax increase give them the possibility to have more than just the medicaid increase?

I still wanna know if this is only for medicaid why would the towns want a share before the tax goes to medicaid? We are trying to help the needy and the towns/city want thier cut instead of allowing it all to go to the needy.