When No One Wins…

Chess is a game of strategy where you always need to be at least one move ahead of your opponent. The ultimate victor is the one who declares Checkmate! However, more often than not, many chess games end in a stalemate. No one wins, you’re simply left sitting in your chair looking at your opponent as the chess pieces on the board can move no more. When it’s a game, that’s fine. You just pick up the pieces and move on. However, when governmental leaders play a game of chess with taxpayer money, we expect more. That’s exactly what’s happening in New York State these days.

New York State leaders are playing chess, they’re at a stalemate,
and they’re all poor losers.

New York State is in the midst of a budgetary crisis. Governor Paterson appears to be working hard to deal with the crisis. But many other leaders are simply playing a game of chess. However, they have no clue what their opponents next move will be. As a result, the leaders have egg on their face, and are in the midst of a stalemate. The so-called leaders have stooped to name-calling and are exhibiting the traits of a poor loser.

These so-called leaders of New York State should be ashamed of themselves.

Read on …

New York State Legislators Balking At Budget Cuts

New York State Governor David Paterson is set to meet with legislative leaders today to discuss mid-year budget cuts once again. However, it appears not everyone is on board with the idea of cutting the budget. Not only do some of the Albany-fat-cats not want to trim the budget this year, but they’re even balking at trimming the budget for next year. The Governor keeps say the budget deficit needs to be addressed now before it gets worse. While he’s partially right, he is on the mark when trying to cut the budget. We did not get here overnight. New York State spending has been out of control for years. In the past, instead of trimming an already bloated budget, legislators decided to take loans to cover the losses.

How stupid is that? Borrowing to cover loss, does not get you out of the hole.

Reality is, thanks to some of the legislators who’ve enjoyed the gravy-train ride to Albany, New York State is facing a huge budget deficit. The sad thing is, many of those same legislators are busy drawing political lines in the sand, than really trying to work a solution for the budget shortfall we now find ourselves in.

Could it be some are waiting for a Federal Government bailout?

Read on …

I’ve blogged extensively about New York State’s ‘accidental’ Governor, David Paterson. It appears he likes to make rules for others, while ignoring them for himself. At times it appears he’s making decisions in a bubble, or at least behind closed doors in either the Governor’s mansion or the Governor’s office. First he quickly moves on a budget after inheriting the office because his predecessor liked high priced call girls. In an effort to gain favor with New York State voters, he made a knee jerk reaction and passed something he didn’t have all the details on. Now, when the budget doesn’t balance, he decides to make across the board cuts.

Then, showing his ignorance of the New York State Constitution, the ‘accidental’ Governor Paterson decides to issue an edict from his office mandating that all governmental agencies and counties must start paying benefits to same-sex couples. Not only does this break the Constitution of New York State, which says “marriage is between a man and a woman”, but it also breaks the bank for many counties who are already over-mandated. The so-called mandated programs cost counties millions of dollars each year.

Now, the latest blunder by the ‘accidental’ Governor comes in the form of approving the hiring of a friend of his to a government agency. In the midst a budget crunch, and in the midst of calling for a “hiring freeze,” Governor Paterson apparently figures his “hiring freeze” words apply to everyone else, but not him.

Read on …

It is no secret that we find ourselves in the midst of tough economic times in the United States. Unemployment rates are up and down like a toilet seat in a co-ed bathroom. Many people, especially unions, are up in arms because of outsourcing. More and more we see jobs being shipped overseas. Companies shut down, and move across a border, or overseas, where labor is cheaper. State after state after state offer various incentive packages and tax breaks to companies who decide to stay put, or expand. Millions of dollars are available for some companies as long as they’re willing to expand and employ local people.

Stack on top of this the fact that car manufacturers in the United States are cutting back and laying workers off as car sales plummet. The reason for falling car sales…high gas prices. It’s hard to believe we get excited when gas prices dip below $4 a gallon. One of the main Presidential election platforms touts the fact that we in the United States must get off our dependency on foreign oil. The nation is held captive by both big oil, and foreign oil when it comes to high gas prices. It’s also amazing to think that the U.S., while we’re running billions of dollars in the red, continues to hand out money to foreign countries like it’s nothing more than Monopoly money. And, on top of that, we export a large amount of our own oil to other countries!

But, when it comes to stupidity, I think New York State holds the corner on the market for that label. Gas prices are already sky high in New York State, well above the national average, because of high taxes. Yes, politicians in New York State recognize this as an issue, but many in Albany refuse to budge and do anything about it. Some New York State politicians are doing their best to stop the outsourcing of jobs, but is it enough. It’s no secret that young people leave the State simply because of lack of jobs, and high taxes.

Now, just when you thought outsourcing in New York State could get no worse, New York State regulators have decided to outsource electricity to Spain! That’s right folks, if everything goes through, instead of paying the utility bill in U.S. dollars, New Yorkers may soon find themselves using Pesos.

Read on …

The New York State accidental Governor, along with an activist judge, are at it again breaking the Constitution and giving no regard to what the popular vote actually wants.

First off, activist liberal left judges have been trying to change the Constitution, which by the way they have no right to do, for years. Unfortunately many have come to expect the so-called keepers of the law to break the law when it comes to the Constitution. After all, they’ve been doing it for years and no one has questioned them. But when a Governor, who’s supposed to uphold the Constitution, falls into the same category of the activist judges, then something really needs to be done.

Secondly, maybe we shouldn’t expect any kind of respect from the Governor of New York. After all, the accidental Governor Paterson landed in the position of Governor after his boss, former Governor Eliot Spitzer, got caught in the midst of a prostitution ring scandal. After Spitzer resigned, the disgraced Governor position fell to his second in command Paterson. Shortly after he took the oath of office, we suddenly started hearing confessions from the accidental Governor that he had an affair and liked cocaine at one time. I guess the apple didn’t fall very far from that corrupt Democrat tree. It appears the duo of Spitzer and Paterson both had some worms in their apples which just made them bad.

Now we’re seeing the lunacy of both an activist judge and the accidental Governor teaming up on the issue of same-sex marriages in New York State.

Read on …

In New York State political news, the Independence Party of Monroe County asked for the resignation of Rafael Colon from his chairman’s post. He agreed to the request, and has resigned. The Executive Committee of the County party asked for the resignation of Colon and his wife after reports surfaced that Jack Davis, the Democratic Congressional candidate for the 26th District, paid Blanca Colon $5,000 in consulting fees. On the surface one might say, “So what.” But, here’s the catch, According to Davis’ campaign manager, the goal of the payments had nothing to do with consulting. Instead, he readily admits that the Democratic candidate made the $5,000 payment with the sole goal of building relationships with Independence Party members.

In other words, mulit-millionaire Democratic candidate Jack Davis from the Rochester, New York area, readily admits he’s looking to buy votes.

Read on …

The Democrats want us to think they’re looking out for us when it comes to gas prices, but their actions certainly tell a different story. It’s been said that actions always speak louder than words. In this case, their actions are speaking loud and clear. The Democrats, whether it’s at the State level or the Federal level, really don’t care that we’re being gouged at the gas pumps.

In New York State, the state with the highest gas taxes of any state, the Democrats consistently vote down any kind of tax break on gas. Time and time again whenever it comes to either the Senate floor or the Assembly floor, New Yorkers can thank the Democrats for the high gas taxes because they vote down any measure to lessen the tax choke hold.

On the Federal level, once again we can thank the Democrats for consistently voting down a decrease in gas taxes. They also vote down any kind of expansion when it comes to drilling in the United States. Once again, we discover the Democrats really don’t care about the high gas prices. Now, in an even more interesting turn of events, we can thank the Democrats for telling Iraq to slow down on western oil contracts. That’s right folks, the very party that likes to scream the War on Terror is really a War About Oil has told the Iraqi government they need to slow down on oil production. The screaming left, that love to say President Bush lied and people died for oil instead of terror, are throwing up roadblocks which would increase oil production in Iraq. Of course an increase of oil production, would bring gas prices down simply because there would be more oil on the market. But no, the very politicians who love to scream that it’s all about oil, are telling Iraq not to supply oil.

Iraq wants to award no-bid deals to Western oil companies to help improve and increase oil production. But, the Democrats want nothing to do with that. At a recent news conference, Democratic Senators Charles Schumer, John Kerry and Clair McCaskill are all telling Iraq to slow down. Don’t do it! A few weeks ago it was announced that U.S. workers were planning to go into Iraq and help Iraq revamp the old oil production facilities, which would of course increase the oil supply. Updated facilities means more oil production. It’s simple economics folks, as supply goes up, price goes down. But no, thanks to the above mentioned Democratic Senators, that may not happen. These Democrats who say they’re looking out for us at the gas pumps even went as far as to call on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to intervene in Iraqi oil. However, once again we discover some Democrats have no clue when it comes to the constitution as a State Department spokesman said the U.S. is not at liberty to interfere in matters of the Iraqis arranging contracts with outside sources.

So, the next time you hear that the price for a barrel of oil has hit yet another record high, you can thank the likes of Schumer, Kerry and McCaskill. The next time you hear that gas prices have hit yet another record high, you can say thanks to those Democratic leaders. The next time you have to decide whether you’ll buy a gallon of gas, or a gallon of milk, you can send a great big thank you note to Schumer, Kerry and McCaskill. While you’re at it, maybe you can ask them for a few extra bucks so you can buy both a gallon of gas and a gallon of milk.

Hey even better, the next time you head to the voting booth to pull that lever electing a Senator to office, maybe you should think twice and ask how much that vote will cost you in your gas tank.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

In the continuing Rochester, New York Fast Ferry saga, we have yet another interesting turn of events. On the heels of rejecting two plans by companies looking to start a ferry service between Rochester, New York and Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy and the rest of his politically astute council buddies have instead given the green light for a nightclub/bar at the Port of Rochester. That’s right folks. It’s another example of your tax dollars hard at work in New York State.

From the beginning the whole fast ferry business out of Rochester has been a joke. Millions and millions of dollars were tossed at what was, for the most part, a sinking proposition from the get-go. Then when a pair of companies come up with a proposal to get the ferry running again, Rochester City Council says no. Instead, they decide to approve a nighclub/bar for the location! Amazing, now the millions of dollars spent using tax payers dollars, will support a place for alcohol and over-indulgence. This, on top of the fact that Mayor Bob Duffy has been doing nothing but whine about how he feels Rochester doesn’t get enough state money to balance the budget.

Here’s an idea Mayor Duffy. Maybe you should stop running to Albany every other day to beg for money, and spend more time trying to figure out how to balance your own budget. Green-lighting a bar is not the way to balance a budget. It’s simply a feeble attempt to fill space in a building venture that was taking on water from the beginning.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

New York State lawmakers approved the rise in the maximum penalty for price gouging from $10,000 to $25,000. That’s in addition to restitution for aggrieved consumers. Has the price gouging penalty ever been used before you ask? Yes it has. The New York State Attorney General’s Office sued three gas stations in 2006 for increased prices of 25 to 72 percent immediately after Hurricane Katrina.

Imagine that, a penalty for price gouging. This New York State news came just ahead of the weekend news which said gas prices hit yet another high, breaking the $4 dollar a gallon nationwide average. Today economist Mark Zandi of Moodys-Economy-dot-com says there’s no end in sight to the price hikes. Zandi says, “We’ve gone from $3 dollars a gallon at the beginning of the year to now $4 dollars a gallon nationwide. If oil prices stay where they are, we’ll be at $4.50 a gallon by July 4th.” Meanwhile energy analyst Peter Beutel at Cameron Hanover says, “If this continues, it’s very possible that we’ll seen even $5 dollar a gallon gas before the summer is out.”

When will this madness stop? At some point the bubble has to burst here and gas prices will start to drop. Or will they? I always find it amazing that even when the cost for a barrel of oil goes down, gas prices seem to stay the same, or they keep going up. If that’s not price gouging I don’t know what is.

But here’s another amazing piece of information to keep in mind. While I do realize gas station price gouging can be a problem and that’s why New York State enacted the price gouging penalties. But, reality is this, gas stations make very little profit when it comes to selling gas. Who’s making the money? We know who and we’ve pointed at them many times before. It’s the big oil executives. They are the ones who are aggrieving consumers these days. But, time and time again, nothing happens to the monopoly known as big oil. Instead they keep spinning their web of lies and for whatever reason, politicians keep believing that they’re telling the truth.

Here’s an idea, maybe New York State, and any other State with similar laws about gas price gouging, should all file lawsuits against the monopoly known as big oil. Maybe then both the federal government, and big oil, will figure out that consumers are sick and tired of being held hostage by their big money making machine.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Still reeling from the former New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer scandal and his behind closed doors sex nights with a prostitute, it appears his second in command, and now Governor, David Paterson does things behind closed doors too. No, this has nothing to do with his extra-marital affair, while that too was done behind closed doors. This has to do with how the new Governor likes to lead. Actually, he’s not leading, instead he’s making a lot of decisions behind closed doors and then springing them unannounced.

It started with his budget, which was pretty much all planned behind closed doors with him and two other people. Then, after announcing the budget, Governor Paterson likes to go behind closed doors, cut things out of the approved budget, and then spring that on people. Behind closed doors he decided to cut the position of Upstate Economic Director. That after visiting the upstate area saying he’s in full support of discovering new ways to help the upstate economy. But, behind closed doors, it’s a different story. True to some concerns early on, it appears Governor Paterson is more concerned with New York City, which is where he’s from, than anywhere else in New York.

Now, in his latest behind closed doors decision, Governor Paterson decided to issue an edict saying all government agencies must recognize same sex marriages performed in other states. Constitutionally, New York State does not recognize same sex marriages. But, here we have a Governor ignoring the Constitution, and ignoring his role as Govenor to protect the Constitution. Instead, he made a behind closed door decision that says all New York State government agencies must recognize same sex marriages performed in other states. He made the ruling two weeks ago. Then just recently announced his decision, not in person, but on a videotape! He’s taking either a cowards way out to avoid backlash and discussion. Or, we should start calling him Dictator Governor Paterson. In a dictorship way, the Governor has decided he can make any decision he wants, and force it not only on legislators, but the people of New York State.

When will this outrage end? Maybe it’s time to make another change in the Constitution that allows for the recall of a Governor. New York State has a Governor who was not elected by the people. He’s now abusing his power, making behind closed door decisions, and then forcing them on the people of New York State.

Some say Governor Paterson is a kinder leader than Eliot Spitzer was. I for one am beginning to wonder if he’s really a wolf in sheeps clothing.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus