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Thread: The political class has a tax party

  1. #1
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    The political class has a tax party

    The local political class had their own party today, announcing Kaleida's new vascular center downtown.

    PCD was there since I thought it would be nice to have a report from the point of view of those who will actually be paying for all this.

    It's a $191M project and of course Kaleida, a secretive private group run by the local plutocrats, is spending mostly other people's money. The state (you) is kicking in $60 million. ECMC (you) is oddly enough lending them some big bucks. The rest is probably being borrowed. Kaleida likes to borrow money from anyone around.

    So the players here are Kaleida, a private firm with a government-granted hospital monopoly; UB, ECMC, the Buffalo Medical Campus. These are all public or quasi-public entities with access to tax money, subsidized loans and various laws protecting them from competition. They can thus afford to pay themselves supra-market rates for their "services."

    This is what the corporate state is all about. Competition and having to go out and earn a living in the marketplace is anathema to these well-coiffed types. That's for suckers like the greybearded sole proprietors you see at the tea parties.

    This is what the political class is all about and judging from the crowd, life is good when someone else is paying the freight.

    All the usual plutocrats and political class rogues gallery were there: Higgins, Volker, Stack, Brown, and Thompson.....

    Will there be any market or demand for this lavish new facility? Who knows? No one there today cared to ask. They assume that the subsidies will continue to roll in forever since they have richly paid off the politicians with huge campaign donations.

    And no one talked about the opportunity cost of this venture. No one there even knows what that term means, especially the local media who acted like cheerleaders as they usually do at these things.

    About this Medical Campus, Simpson bragged that we "put togther in one building" various functions. That's 19th century thinking. This is the digital age when xrays are sent half way around the world and the reports comes back in 20 minutes. So we pay $191 million so researchers can bump into doctors at the water cooler?

    It was noted that WNY has the highest rate of heart disease in the state. Well, what a surprise. When an area has declined for 50 straight years, people get depressed and hit the bars and comfort food pretty hard. Not to mention the lousy schools whose graduates can't distinguish between a healthy meal and junk food. The wheels of the Gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.

    To sum up, when I see the rich get richer at the expense of the working class, I like to think back to Jack Warden's line to Paul Newman in The Verdict. About the rich, he said, "How do you think they got all that money?"

    (From the saps at the tea parties.)

  2. #2
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    please Rich Liberal politicians? Never! they love spending all of their money helping all those poor unfortunate souls out there!!!
    "I know you guys enjoy reading my stuff because it all makes sense. "

    Dumbest post ever! Thanks for the laugh PO!

  3. #3
    Member nickelcityhomes's Avatar
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    And no one talked about the opportunity cost of this venture. No one there even knows what that term means, especially the local media who acted like cheerleaders as they usually do at these things.
    That sums the project up quite handily.
    Most of all I like bulldozers and dirt

  4. #4
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    $60,000,000 tax payer money?

    Lets see...

    60,000,000 / lets say 400,000 non government workers/non government business owners who work in the private sector in Erie County = $150 a person. I don't really know how many actual non government workers/non government business owners are in Erie County so I took a stab at the number.

    I don't feel I'll get $150's worth of value because they are building that building. Do you?

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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    $60,000,000 tax payer money?

    Lets see...

    60,000,000 / lets say 400,000 non government workers/non government business owners who work in the private sector in Erie County = $150 a person. I don't really know how many actual non government workers/non government business owners are in Erie County so I took a stab at the number.

    I don't feel I'll get $150's worth of value because they are building that building. Do you?
    I would put that number closer to 200K!
    "I know you guys enjoy reading my stuff because it all makes sense. "

    Dumbest post ever! Thanks for the laugh PO!

  6. #6
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Does anyone actually know? how many actual non business laborers and non government businesses owners are there that would contribute to the tax base in erie county?

  7. #7
    Member buffy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Ostrowski View Post
    The local political class had their own party today, announcing Kaleida's new vascular center downtown.

    PCD was there since I thought it would be nice to have a report from the point of view of those who will actually be paying for all this.

    It's a $191M project and of course Kaleida, a secretive private group run by the local plutocrats, is spending mostly other people's money. The state (you) is kicking in $60 million. ECMC (you) is oddly enough lending them some big bucks. The rest is probably being borrowed. Kaleida likes to borrow money from anyone around.

    So the players here are Kaleida, a private firm with a government-granted hospital monopoly; UB, ECMC, the Buffalo Medical Campus. These are all public or quasi-public entities with access to tax money, subsidized loans and various laws protecting them from competition. They can thus afford to pay themselves supra-market rates for their "services."

    This is what the corporate state is all about. Competition and having to go out and earn a living in the marketplace is anathema to these well-coiffed types. That's for suckers like the greybearded sole proprietors you see at the tea parties.

    This is what the political class is all about and judging from the crowd, life is good when someone else is paying the freight.

    All the usual plutocrats and political class rogues gallery were there: Higgins, Volker, Stack, Brown, and Thompson.....

    Will there be any market or demand for this lavish new facility? Who knows? No one there today cared to ask. They assume that the subsidies will continue to roll in forever since they have richly paid off the politicians with huge campaign donations.

    And no one talked about the opportunity cost of this venture. No one there even knows what that term means, especially the local media who acted like cheerleaders as they usually do at these things.

    About this Medical Campus, Simpson bragged that we "put togther in one building" various functions. That's 19th century thinking. This is the digital age when xrays are sent half way around the world and the reports comes back in 20 minutes. So we pay $191 million so researchers can bump into doctors at the water cooler?

    It was noted that WNY has the highest rate of heart disease in the state. Well, what a surprise. When an area has declined for 50 straight years, people get depressed and hit the bars and comfort food pretty hard. Not to mention the lousy schools whose graduates can't distinguish between a healthy meal and junk food. The wheels of the Gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.

    To sum up, when I see the rich get richer at the expense of the working class, I like to think back to Jack Warden's line to Paul Newman in The Verdict. About the rich, he said, "How do you think they got all that money?"

    (From the saps at the tea parties.)
    1st. It's GREAT LAKES HEALTH not
    "Kaleida"
    2. It's not
    ECMC
    , see above
    3.
    "Oddly enough"
    the entity formerly known as ECMC was able to lend money to the project because Mike Young made a profit. Remember Mike Young?

    4.
    all of these public or quasi-public entities
    -are providing healthcare - at least it brings in money; if you've got a problem with a tax dollars to build a vascular center perhaps you should move to a third-world country

    5.
    "About this Medical Campus, Simpson bragged that we "put togther in one building" various functions. So we pay $191 million so researchers can bump into doctors at the water cooler?
    No JO, it's a little more complex than water cooler chat- I think you've got your corporations mixed up; the campus makes for accessible interaction between the STUDENTS and the researchers, hospitals and labs.

    The only comment that made sense to me was the one made about heart disease, depression, chicken wings and fast food. Thank you NYS for giving us more than just "services" (as Stack says) this Vascular Institute is at least beneficial.
    Last edited by buffy; August 4th, 2009 at 12:11 AM.

  8. #8
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    MDs are God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    No, just another special interest group battling the digital revolution.

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    It's amazing that for someone who carefully read my post, you missed the whole point.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Ostrowski View Post
    MDs are God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    No, just another special interest group battling the digital revolution.
    YYYAAAWWWNNN. Everybody is apparently "just another special interest group" except for you and your posse.

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    Typical non-argument and false claim by Linda.

    A special interest group is one that seeks to use the government to gain an advantage for themselves at the expense of others, usually all others.

    On the other hand, we advocate policy changes that would tend to benefit everyone, not just us.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Ostrowski View Post
    It's amazing that for someone who carefully read my post, you missed the whole point.
    I get your point - my point is that it's not a worthy target for disdain or boycott. The benefits are good for all.
    Choose your policy fights carefully; there are offenders aplenty.

  13. #13
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    duplicate post

  14. #14
    Member buffy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Ostrowski View Post
    MDs are God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    No, just another special interest group battling the digital revolution.
    MD's have been at the forefront of the digital revolution for electronic medical record, telemedicine, digital transfers, too many to list here. get a clue

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    Quote Originally Posted by buffy View Post
    MD's have been at the forefront of the digital revolution for electronic medical record, telemedicine, digital transfers, too many to list here. get a clue

    They have, but they've been pushing it to do it THERE way, which isn't nessasary the best way! Many have also been bought by the drug companies, the insurance companies, the govt and many other groups.

    To many MD's the hypicratic oath is nothing more than a joke. It's all about the $$$$!
    "I know you guys enjoy reading my stuff because it all makes sense. "

    Dumbest post ever! Thanks for the laugh PO!

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