Good, bad or indifferent, (opinions will vary), the Pier adds to the landscape and will afford local fisherman a venue for catching the big one.
"It kinda' resembles a playpen for adults, but I digress".
The truth is, things around town have been quiet, not much news beyond the continuing push to bring finances into the black and the recent plan to allow town employees to apply for early retirement. Progress is being made and we should see a more realistic budget proposed this October.
Not much has been mentioned regarding the lawsuit brought by the mining company in Eddyville and the fact that the town attorney has asked for a 2 week postponement will keep it on the back burner for at least that long.
We have some issues regarding the new teachers pact agreed upon by KCSD, a 4.47% increase over 2 years while the economy is experiencing deflation is questionable at best, we are convinced it is a reward for their contribution of $1.2 million from the teacher's health care trust fund toward their benefit package. In itself all well and good but concerns remain regarding smaller classrooms, lower enrollment, excess staff, student performance and a pension/benefit package that will only continue to cause issues for taxpayers in the future.
Did any one at either the School board or Union officials pay attention to Governor Chris Christi and his actions regarding union contracts in New Jersey?
This is troubling on many levels, the first of which is the fact that the only payrolls growing in this economy are that of state, federal and local government. It still takes tax dollars from the private sector to fund them and unless serious concessions are made by local unions, we don't see any improvement in the immediate future thus making these contracts even less sustainable.
On a side note: The Ulster is Your Town Too team would like to wish Councilman John Morrow continued success in his recovery and continued prayers for him and his family.
All that aside, I guess we begin discussing the impact that County, State and Congressional elections will have for local residents.
It is our position that fiscally responsible/small government candidates are our only intelligent choice. Government is growing faster than any aspect of our economy, a situation that can only spell disaster for every citizen. It is time to forget the ideology of party and entrust our future to elected officials who regard their constituency above their own ambitions. Political service should not be a career choice as many of our elected officials have opted.
Realizing government should have little influence in social issues beyond enforcing our laws, defending the Bill of Rights and protecting our liberties, the choices we make should be based on the best man for the job rather than old party loyalties that can only divide the people and weaken what we can become: 'The most formidable force in the political landscape'.
I can never understand the logic behind elected public service not being a career choice. Why not?
ReplyDeleteIf a person is representing an area or an office in a way that the majority of the residents re-elect them year after year, what is the problem? That is real life, hard and fast term limits. If enough people decide they have had enough of a person, they will go away.
Judge Paula Leonard is a perfect example in Ulster.
Career elected public service is one of the few jobs where the person's job review is undertaken by their customers and not a single boss. Imagine if we got to decide who kept their job in any other service based job on the service we received. I know I would be firing a lot of people!
My vote is based on the service and representation I anticipate and receive. If it does not meet my expectations, I will vote for someone else. It is not based on an artificial criteria based on if someone who may have been elected for a long period of time.
Just curious how many citizens of the Town actually fish? I would be willing to bet that on any given day, the fishing deck or dock or whatever it is called, will be occupied by non Ulster residents.
ReplyDeleteThere should be a fee for non town residents.
The problem with career politicians is exemplified in the current political landscape, elected officials the likes of Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and Arlen Spector seem to forget at whose pleasure they serve. Bills like Health care, stimulus and Financial Regulations might have been read before a vote was taken, the vast expanse between Washington DC and Main St might close up a bit if elected officials spend any time in the private sector. This is not to confuse the choice between working for a government entity and political service.
ReplyDeleteIs the elite arrogance of Washington not responsible for the housing crisis, they still refuse to confront the real culprits, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and spin the onus of the current economy and lay it at the feet of Wall St.
Seriously, if housing for the masses regardless of credit isn't behind the mortgage crisis, if government didn't force banks to make bad loans and then pull the rug out from under them by employing 'Mark to Market' there would have been no reason to package bad mortgages and create derivatives to offset capital to prove balance sheets. Again the fault is laid at the steps of congress, a congress by the way who has ignored the will of the people they represent.
Multi-term congressional and senatorial representatives re district in their favor to increase their power base, the game is better played by experienced members and like Hinchey, once he secures himself his campaign chest is filled with $'s in multiples that a contender could not hope to attain.
Have you noticed that the only sector of the economy doing real well right now is Wall St. The bail outs for the investment and banking community saw to that, Your Tax Dollars at work, turned into lobby money and placed back in the hands of the politicians who granted it.
Same way that Washington is bailing out unions by giving them ownership of Chrysler and GM at the expense of investors whose bonds were paid at pennies on the dollar, their contribution to national politicians is over $400 million dollars last year alone, think of how many teacher and police contracts could have been resolved had they used just a portion of that money to prop up the rank and file for the term term of the recession.
Of the $26 billion dollar bill just passed in congress today, $90 million goes directly to the unions themselves, not a political payoff?
Politics and Money, keep them apart if you want good government, Just ask Charlie Rangel and Congresswoman Waters!
5:32 You are right when it comes to local politics. But when it comes to the state and federal level your theory doesn't work. Once there politicians are able to use your tax money and political donations received in return for their commitment to the right people, to block out any competition. Look at Bonanciac, Hinchey and Schumer, between the earmark money that they use to buy off voters and the campaign war chests paid for by big money donors they are unstoppable. How can a "candidate" get a word in edge wise against them.
ReplyDeleteBesides an interior decorator and probably a bad one what other career choice could Hinchey have been a success?
ReplyDeleteOK maybe a male version of the DC Madam!
Bonacic would have made a 1st rate wax figure at Madam Tousaults in London and Schumer would be the perfect poster boy for birth control or why parents should eat their young!
Dear UIYTT, the kingston school district teachers contract is only the tip of the iceberg. Now that the business manager is gone, I hear it is back to "business as usual", beginning with the insurance contract. Would it be possible for you to do a little investigating, as it has become perfectly clear that the local press is out to lunch? Try less coverage , for more premium, without any bidding. Sounds like the "good ol boys" are into our pockets once again, now that they havent replaced the watchdog. Didnt take long, and watching the 9 stooges that call themselves the school board is better than watching comedy central.
ReplyDeleteI swear Hinchey has lost his mind, he is almost unintelligible anymore. Bonicac has become all but invisible now that he doesn't have all those checks to hand out to fire departments and rescue squads, makes you wonder about his motives. Shumer is just another press whore who only comes around when there is an opportunity for favorable press, he reminds me of Paris Hilton.
ReplyDeleteWhen it looks like a candidate can not be beaten because they are financed to the teeth, that is when the County, State and National Republican Party should step in.
ReplyDeleteI hope that Mario is planning on putting up some big bucks for whoever is challenging Hein. He needs to go.
You gotta' give them credit, the union that is, they seem to have all the right people in all the right places. These people should be acting on behalf of the taxpayers and voters, they seem to forget that when they get to the bargaining table and just give the unions everything they ask for, all with a little window dressing. The truth is the unions are our for the unions, they use the rank and file at their pleasure, they claim to represent them but at their expense they are forging agreements that only enhance their power. Just follow the money, little of their millions upon millions of dollar war chests goes back to the rank and file unless it can be used for PR. they contribute to local, county, state and national political campaigns that also enhance their power.
ReplyDeleteThe ultimate slap in the face of their constituency, the rank and file is card check, if it gets passed no member will have the privacy afforded under the constitution, pressure will be brought to bear to ostracize any member who casts a ballot contrary to the objectives of the union.
Teachers, Firefighters, police, nurses etc., wake up, you are being exploited by those who claim to represent you!
Here's some news for you, the Freeman is planning a layoff of some 60% of it's workforce. Yep, they are outsourcing the printing of the paper and laying off the entire printing staff, including managers. If you think they are a day late and dollar short now, just wait until the printing deadline is pulled in to about 7:00 PM. Plan on getting your local news via TV or the Web, the Freeman is about to put the final nail in it's coffin.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the Freeman, it's failure is a testament to it's biased OPED page and it Editorial Point of view. It seems to be completely out of touch with the readership. Besides it only reprints news items from the THR and AP & UPI. We only read it for the OBITS and I'm looking forward to seeing it's own OBIT one day.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing though is because of its myopic point of view and ideology it will be costing good hard working people their lively hood!
The problem at the Freeman is simple. The editorial board (AKA management) Sucks! They hold vendettas against individuals, organizations or government bodies and let others get by as if they are coated with Teflon. They clearly favor politicians who contract for big ad buys during campaign season.
ReplyDeleteThey are not "on the street" and it shows in the poor quality of the product they put out. MHN.com feeds, 2 or 3 day old Government meeting stories which are a lot of times inaccurate, not to mention that some stories are completely missed.
However, I disagree with wanting to see the paper fold. Daily newspapers are part of the fabric of a community and to see one fall as the Freeman has, is sad. A stronger management team may have been able to convince corporate that Kingston is the place to expand and not Troy. It is after all, one of the few profitable papers in the chain.
Once a community loses it's daily newspaper, tumbleweeds are not far behind.
The guy Ira, the one who writes the Opinion Page is a 1st class loser. He is so arrogant it's no wonder the paper is heading downhill. He has the unmitigated gaul to criticize you if he doesn't like your opinions when you write a letter to the editor, especially if you disagree with his elitist view of entitlements and big government and political correctness and stimulus and health care and the tea party, (which by the way is better described as the silent majority), et al.
ReplyDeleteBring me more like the lincoln eagle, I wish they would cover news as well as opinion, I'm sure it would be the untarnished facts without the ideological spin that is so prevalent in the Freeman.
One thing I can say in defense of the right wing or conservative movement, THEY ARE NOT AFRAID OF THE FACTS! and won't change it to suit their agenda.
The opinion page is written by an editorial board made up of the editors from each section of the paper. They all have an opportunity to write editorials. Ira is the Publisher, and he has final say but these guys write them too. Adamis it the real asshole of the group, he is the one with the stick up his ass.
ReplyDeleteTony Adamis, Managing Editor, ext. 514
Jeremy Schiffres, City Editor, ext. 410
Ivan Lajara, Life Editor, ext. 502
Ron Rosner, Sports Editor ext. 477
Subject: Re: County Reorganizational Meeting
ReplyDeleteDear Republicans, the county reorganizational meeting will be held Thursday September 16th this year. In compliance with the new bylaws, voting for the next chairman will be conducted using a weighted vote for the first time. As we successfully accomplished the selection of our Comptroller candidate using this method, I feel confident in our ability to get it done again.
I am also writing to inform you that I will not be seeking re-election as County Chair. When I originally sought the position, I made it clear that I would serve for 3 to 5 years and then pass the gavel to someone else. This September will be 3 years, and so it is time to move on.
I do not believe that anyone should serve a long term as chair, as I firmly believe that it is important to the party to have a continuous flow of "new blood" to make sure that we remain energized. I would encourage you all to ask each of the candidates how they feel about that.
I also wish to thank each and every one of you for your assistance during these past 3 years. I believe the party is rebounding from years of apathy and neglect. This is evidenced by our winning two county wide races for open seats in the District Attorney's office and County Judge race. We also overwhelmingly re-elected our County Clerk last year. Even in the Obama Tsunami, we almost pulled out a win in the Comptrollers race. On top of that, when I became chairman, we were a 12-21 minority in the legislature. In 3 years we now have a 18-15 majority.To all of you who assisted in these efforts I say well done.
One final note. A letter will be going out to each committee person shortly. As leaders, I am giving each of you a "heads up", so you will not be caught off guard.
Finally, I will pledge my support to whomever you select to secede me. I will continue to work to elect Republicans, and will be available to help each and everyone of you should you require my assistance.
May God Bless America, and all of you,
Mario T Catalano
Chairman
Ulster County Republican Committee
Good Luck Mario,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on a job well done!
Yeah, for the Town of Ulster.
ReplyDelete