WNY Coalition for Progress

This Blog to be Shutdown - Please Go To New Blog at http://wnyprogressreport.wnymedia.net/

2005-11-28T15:11:00.000-05:00

This blog is being replaced by the WNY Progress Report Blog at http://wnyprogressreport.wnymedia.net/

Please go to the new blog for the latest in WNY Coalition for Progress' news and opinions from members, including Cliff Parks, the progressive voice of WNY.

http://wnyprogressreport.wnymedia.net/

WNY Coalition for Progress statement on NYS Proposition One

2005-11-07T11:48:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday November 8th New York voters will be provided the opportunity to amend New York State’s Constitution in order to change the way our State government passes annual budgets. This ballot measure is known as “Proposition 1.”

Proposition 1 provides, in part, that if the budget as proposed by the governor is not passed by the legislature by a certain date then a contingency budget takes effect and the legislature is given power to draft a budget as it sees fit. Proposition 1 does not require that the budget be balanced. Instead, it provides the legislature with additional budget-writing powers than it has presently.

The Board of Directors of the Western New York Coalition for Progress has reviewed Proposition 1, as well as articles and documents advocating both for and against this proposed Constitutional amendment. We respect the opinions of all organizations advocating both for and against Proposition 1.

As a result of our review, we believe New York voters should reject the proposal and vote “NO” on Proposition 1.

Although New York State’s budget process is certainly dysfunctional and combative, and needs to be reformed, Proposition 1, by diminishing the role of the governor in the budget process, threatens to make matters worse. Before our current system was created, the legislature had control over the budget. As a result, constant appropriations led to crushing debt and perpetual fiscal crisis.

It was thought that the governor, who is elected by all New Yorkers, would ensure that the process protects everyone’s interests. Ideally, the intention was that the governor should act as a check on runaway spending by a pork-hungry legislature. While that system has not worked as intended, a check and balance does presently exist between the two branches of New York State’s government: the executive and legislature. We believe that such a check and balance could ("may" or "might" work her too?) be severely weakened, or even eliminated, if Proposition 1 is passed.

While we certainly think that deep, structural changes are needed to reform Albany and the way it does business, Proposition 1 doesn’t seem to fit the bill. If and when imposing a contingency budget, instead of having “three men in a room”, Proposition 1 would drop that number to two; the Senate President and Speaker of the Assembly. We think this "contingency" is highly likely to be a chronic problem due to the fact that the legislature has no real incentive to pass the governors budget on time.

Contrary to what the Proposition's proponents claim, there is no real guarantee that this proposed procedure would lead to on-time budgets. Instead, it merely imposes a “contingency budget” on the day it becomes late. At that time, the governor’s authority is co-opted, and the legislature earns full and exclusive budget-writing authority. Furthermore, New York’s budgets can be prepared secretly by the legislature, with no transparency, and without any balance constraints. If anything, Proposition 1 would likely act as a disincentive for not only on-time budgets but also real structural reform from taking place. The Western New York Coalition for Progress thinks that the content of state budgets and an open method for which they are created are more important than their timeliness.

We recommend a no vote on Proposition 1, and ask instead that you demand that your state legislators instead work to enact real, meaningful reform in Albany.

From the NY Election Reform Working Group - AP - State Board Pushes Ahead With Selecting Vote Machines

2005-10-22T14:45:00.000-04:00

Associated Press
October 20, 2005

State Board Pushes Ahead With Selecting Vote Machines
By MARC HUMBERT
AP Political Writer
October 20, 2005, 4:34 PM EDT

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The state Board of Elections formally began the process Thursday of settling on new voting machine standards for New York, but a spokesman said it may take a miracle to get them in place for next year's election.

The state board's advisory committee on voting machine standards held its first meeting Thursday. Board spokesman Lee Daghlian said the goal is for the state board to approve machine standards by January.

Once that is done, voting machine companies will have to submit machines for certification by the board before counties can start buying the machines that are supposed to be in operation for the 2006 elections.

The first test of the new machines in New York was supposed to come in the September 2006 primary elections.

"That would be a miracle," Daghlian said Thursday, noting the delays that have dogged the process so far.

New York needs the new machines to comply with the federal Help America Vote Act adopted after the disputed 2000 presidential election. States were told in 2002 they had to come up with better voting technology by 2006.

Despite repeated warnings from many interest groups that the federally-set deadline for new voting machines was in jeopardy, partisan bickering between the Republican-led state Senate and Democratic-controlled Assembly stalled an agreement on legislation allowing the process to move forward until June of this year.

The high-tech machinery is meant to replace lever-action equipment that has been in use in most of New York for much of the last century. The mechanical technology was first demonstrated in Lockport, near Buffalo, in 1892 and the machines quickly became the national standard.

HAVA is designed to bring states into the modern age of voting technology with its ATM-like, touch-screen machines or optical-scan technology. That means replacing about 20,000 machines in New York.

New York is receiving more than $220 million in federal aid to help finance the changeover. Some state officials have warned that a portion of the money might have to be given back if the deadline is missed.

Copyright © 2005, The Associated Press

http://www.wnyprogress.org/Election_Reform.html

From the NY Election Reform Working Group - AP - State Board Pushes Ahead With Selecting Vote Machines

2005-10-22T14:40:00.000-04:00

AP - State board pushes ahead with selecting vote machines

October 20, 2005

By MARC HUMBERT
AP Political Writer
October 20, 2005, 4:34 PM EDT

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The state Board of Elections formally began the process Thursday of settling on new voting machine standards for New York, but a spokesman said it may take a miracle to get them in place for next year's election.

The state board's advisory committee on voting machine standards held its first meeting Thursday. Board spokesman Lee Daghlian said the goal is for the state board to approve machine standards by January.

Once that is done, voting machine companies will have to submit machines for certification by the board before counties can start buying the machines that are supposed to be in operation for the 2006 elections.

The first test of the new machines in New York was supposed to come in the September 2006 primary elections. "That would be a miracle," Daghlian said Thursday, noting the delays that have dogged the process so far.

New York needs the new machines to comply with the federal Help America Vote Act adopted after the disputed 2000 presidential election. States were told in 2002 they had to come up with better voting technology by 2006.

Despite repeated warnings from many interest groups that the federally-set deadline for new voting machines was in jeopardy, partisan bickering between the Republican-led state Senate and Democratic-controlled Assembly stalled an agreement on legislation allowing the process to move forward until June of this year.

The high-tech machinery is meant to replace lever-action equipment that has been in use in most of New York for much of the last century. The mechanical technology was first demonstrated in Lockport, near Buffalo, in 1892 and the machines quickly became the national standard.

HAVA is designed to bring states into the modern age of voting technology with its ATM-like, touch-screen machines or optical-scan technology. That means replacing about 20,000 machines in New York.

New York is receiving more than $220 million in federal aid to help finance the changeover. Some state officials have warned that a portion of the money might have to be given back if the deadline is missed.

Copyright © 2005, The Associated Press

From Buffalopundit.com - Are You Aware You Can Vote to Change NY's Constitution This Year

2005-10-19T14:20:00.000-04:00

There is a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November. Have you heard of Proposition 1? Probably not, because the local media have completely ignored it.

Here is the text of the proposition question:

The proposed amendment to Articles IV and VII of the Constitution would change the process for enactment of the state budget by:

(a) providing for a contingency budget if the Legislature does not act on the Governor’s appropriation bills before the start of the fiscal year;

(b) placing limits on the amount of spending during such contingency period;

(c) once such contingency period begins, eliminating the requirement that the Legislature act on the Governor’s proposed appropriation bills, and instead authorizing the Legislature to end the contingency period by adopting a multiple appropriation bill making changes to the contingency budget, subject to line item veto by the Governor; and

(d) authorizing the Legislature, subject to veto by the Governor, to modify the spending limits for future contingency budgets, except that such changes cannot take effect until three years after enactment.

-------------------------------------------------

The proposed amendment also sets forth certain requirements for the operation of a fiscal stabilization reserve fund, from which money could be disbursed in a subsequent year. It would require estimates and information provided by state departments to the Governor for use in preparing the budget to be available to the public.

It would provide a date certain by which the Governor must submit a budget and appropriations bills to the Legislature. It would reduce the time the Governor has to make changes to the budget and appropriations bills submitted to the Legislature without the Legislature’s consent from thirty days to twenty-one days.

Shall the proposed amendment be approved? Before I weigh in, you can read the following:

Pro:
NYPIRG
League of Women Voters
Common Cause of New York

Con:
New York Public Policy Institute
Ray Keating in Newsday
New York Daily News
New York Post

Posted in NYS Politics 1 Comment »

WNY Coalition Fundraiser this Saturday Oct. 22nd

2005-10-17T16:53:00.000-04:00

This SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 is the Fundraiser for
THE WNY COALITION FOR PROGRESS!

Help support progressive values, ideas, and radio!

Saturday, October 22, 2005 7-10 pm
The American Serbian Club 1200 Tonawanda Street, Buffalo

Donation: $20
Includes food and open bar!

For more information contact Jeremy Zellner @
yankeeone21@msn.com
or 716-870-5489

As the Fonz used to say, Be There or Be Square!!

Recent Blog Posts from Alan at Buffalopundit.com

2005-10-13T10:55:00.000-04:00

Flip flopping
October 13th, 2005
BuffaloPundit

A judicial nominee’s religion isn’t relevant, and Senators should be ashamed of themselves for bringing it up.

Except when it is relevant.

I’ve got Dobson and Robertson advocating strongly for this pick, and Rove is busy reassuring religious kooks that she’ll be kooky enough for them. But when Democratic senators wanted to bring up John Roberts’ Catholicism, they were roundly browbeaten by indignant Republicans.
Under the rules of evidence, what Bush, Rove, Dobson, and the rest of the Christian taliban have done is open the door to religion being a major issue with this nominee. They brought it up. Now they have to deal with it.

Religion is a wonderful thing. And it belongs in the home, in the church, temple, or mosque, and otherwise in one’s private life. Not in the political arena, where it can be imposed upon people who don’t want it, or cynically manipulated by catastrophically unpopular politicians.

UPDATE: Others, like Boston media pundit Dan Kennedy, reach the same conclusion.
Posted

Recent Blog Posts from Cliff & Kevin of the WNY Progress Report

2005-10-02T19:50:00.000-04:00

The WNY Progress Report's Radio Show team of Cliff Parks and Kevin Burd have been hard at work lately, not only on the show, but also on their blog: http://wnyprogressreport.wnymedia.net

Here are their latest posts:

Dragging Us Down

October 2nd, 2005

CLIFF:

Who, who I say will lead us to the promised land? Not the House of Representatives, which our friend Tom DeLay has turned into a sewer of outright partisan hackery, dirty dealing and criminality. For folks in the Gulf Coast area it sure ain’t gonna be FEMA, which is leaving these poor souls high and dry, Brownie or no Brownie. And the White House? They’re too busy buying news and spreading propaganda, and hoping that Karl Rove, their Darth Sidious, their mastermind doesn’t get arrested (along with Darth Cheney’s boy Scooter). Yes, something is happening, but I do know what it is Mister Jones: the powerful look out for the powerful while WE get dragged down by their perfect society, and OUR nation becomes something else, diminished and cheap, a house of illusions and delusions. It’s as simple as that.

It has to stop.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

October 1st, 2005

KEVIN:
ok, ok I’m up… Green Day sucks, though I do like the video

Bill Bennett always was a total jerk. Didn’t care for him under Reagan, thought he was plain dangerous under Bush Sr. Well, just when you thought he was gone, out he crawls from under his rock. Total scumbag. Let the fallout begin.

Last Wednesday I joined 500 of my closest environmental friends for a tremendous lecture at UB North campus by Dr. David Orr, Professor at Oberlin College. Many familiar faces from the environmental community, including Judy Einach, Buffalo mayoral candidate. Judy’s message about climate change was verified, as Dr. Orr spoke for an hour on the most pressing issue facing our society, climate destabilization.

A rebroadcast of his presentation will air Monday October 3rd at 9:00 am on wbfo, 88.7 fm. Tune in!!!

Upcoming Coalition Events!!

2005-09-27T10:07:00.000-04:00

WNY Progress Report
WHLD, 1270 AM
co-hosts Cliff Parks and Kevin Burd
Tuesday, Sept. 27th 4:00 - 5:00 pm
w/special guest
Erie County Sheriff Candidate Charlie Fieramusca

Please Call in with your questions or comments: 855-6848 or 855-6862

WNY Progress Report/Media & Communications Working Group Meeting
Tuesday, Sept. 27th, 5:15 pm
Spot Coffee 227 Delaware Ave., Buffalo

Foreign Policy Working Group Meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 11th, 7pm
Cafe Allegro 1374 Hertel Ave., Buffalo

For more information on Upcoming Events please check out our Events page!

Cocktails with the Coalition - Sept. 15th 6:00 - 8:00 PM!!

2005-09-02T08:53:00.000-04:00

Cocktails with the Coalition!

Please join us for an informal meetup and a few cocktails!

Come find out what the Coalition is all about!

Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, 76 Pearl Street, Buffalo, NY

September 15th, 6-8 pm

Also, don't forget to donate to help the millions displaced by Hurricane Katrina in the post below or by clicking here: Help the Victims of Hurricane Katrina

Please Donate to Help the Victims of Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-02T08:52:00.000-04:00

Friends,

The past week has shown us that we are all at the mercy of Mother Nature. The scenes we have seen from New Orleans are horrific in nature - both natural and man made. Millions of people will be displaced for the upcoming months, and may never return home.

Please consider making a donation to the American Red Cross to help aid the disaster relief effort. There has been some discussion in the local media about whether people should give a donation when looting and anarchy erupts in New Orleans. Most of the people displaced by the Hurricane are good law abiding citizens. Please do not allow the actions of a few hurt the millions that need help.

Therefore, please consider making a donation to the American Red Cross to help in the relief effort. To donate to the Hurrican Katrina disaster relief fund please click here:

American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund

To donate to the American Red Cross' General Fund please click here:

American Red Cross General Fund.

Thank you,

The WNY Coalition for Progress

NEXT WNY COALITION MEETING - MONDAY 8/22

2005-08-21T21:36:00.000-04:00

REMINDER:

Next WNY Coalition for Progress
General Membership Meeting
Monday, August 22, 2005
7:00 PM

Eggertsville Snyder Branch Library
4622 Main St.
Snyder, New York

On the Agenda:
Discuss working group leadership issues;
Review recent press coverage of Bass Pro Report;
Review upcoming Coalition Events.

Washington Post - What Democrats Should be Saying

2005-08-19T11:01:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting piece in today's Washington Post that I thought our readers might like to see. Please offer your comments - pro or con, to the writer's premise.
---------------------------------------------------
What Democrats Should Be Saying

Washington Post
By David Ignatius
Friday, August 19, 2005
Page A21
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/18/AR2005081801645.html?nav=hcmodule

This should be the Democrats' moment: The Bush administration is caught in an increasingly unpopular war; its plan to revamp Social Security is fading into oblivion; its deputy chief of staff is facing a grand jury probe. Though the Republicans control both houses of Congress as well as the White House, they seem to be suffering from political and intellectual exhaustion. They are better at slash-and-burn campaigning than governing.

So where are the Democrats amid this GOP disarray? Frankly, they are nowhere. They are failing utterly in the role of an opposition party, which is to provide a coherent alternative account of how the nation might solve its problems. Rather than lead a responsible examination of America's strategy for Iraq, they have handed off the debate to a distraught mother who is grieving for her lost son. Rather than address the nation's long-term fiscal problems, they have decided to play politics and let President Bush squirm on the hook of his unpopular plan to create private Social Security accounts.

Because they lack coherent plans for how to govern the country, the Democrats have become captive of the most shrill voices in the party, who seem motivated these days mainly by visceral dislike of George W. Bush. Sorry, folks, but loathing is not a strategy -- especially when much of the country finds the object of your loathing a likable guy.

The Democrats' problem is partly a lack of strong leadership. Its main spokesman on foreign policy has become Sen. Joseph Biden, a man who -- how to put this politely? -- seems more impressed with the force of his own intellect than an objective evaluation would warrant. Listening to Biden, you sense how hungry he is to be president, but you have little idea what he would do, other than talk . . . and talk.

The same failing is evident among Democratic spokesmen on economic issues. Name a tough problem -- such as energy independence or reform of Medicare and Social Security -- and the Democrats are ducking the hard choices. That may be understandable as a short-term political strategy: Why screw up your chances in the 2006 congressional elections by telling people they must make sacrifices? But this approach keeps the Democrats part of politics-as-usual, a game the GOP plays better.

Howard Dean is a breath of air as chairman of the Democratic National Committee -- but unfortunately a lot of it is hot air. Dean is admirably combative, and in that he reflects a party that is tired of being mauled by Karl Rove's divisive campaigning. The problem with Dean is that, like his party, he doesn't have much to say about solving problems. Pressed about Iraq last Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation," Dean passed the buck: "What we need is a plan from the president of the United States." Rather than condemn a NARAL Pro-Choice America ad against the Supreme Court nomination of Judge John G. Roberts that was so outrageous it was pulled from the air, Dean averred: "I'm not even going to get into that."

Today's Democrats have trouble expressing the most basic theme of American politics: "We, the people." Rather than a governing party with a clear ideology, they are a collection of interest groups. For a simple demonstration, go to the DNC's Web site and pull down the menu for "People." What you will find is the following shopping list: "African American, Asian Amer./Pacific Islanders, Disability Community, Farmers and Ranchers, Hispanics, GLBT (Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender) Community, Native Americans, Religious Communities, Seniors & Retirees, Small Business Community, Union Members & Families, Veterans & Military Families, Women, Young People & Students." That's most of the threads in the national quilt, but disassembled.

What can the Democrats do to seize the opportunities of the moment? I suggest they take a leaf from Newt Gingrich's GOP playbook and develop a new "Contract With America." The Democrats should put together a clear and coherent list of measures they would implement if they could regain control of Congress and the White House. If the Democrats are serious, some of these measures -- dealing with economics and energy -- will be unpopular because they will call for sacrifice. But precisely for that reason, they will show that the Democrats can transcend interest-group America and unite the country.

America doesn't need more of the angry, embittered shouting matches that take place on talk radio and in the blogosphere. It needs a real opposition party that will lay out new strategies: How to withdraw from Iraq without creating even more instability? How to engage a world that mistrusts and often hates America? How to rebuild global institutions and contain Islamic extremism? How to put the U.S. economy back into balance? A Democratic Party that could begin to answer these questions would deserve a chance to govern.

davidignatius@washpost.com

Mayoral Debate 8/23 at 7pm at Hamlin House

2005-08-19T10:14:00.000-04:00

It's being put on by Revitalize Buffalo, the New Millenium Group, the Buffalo Jaycees, and Buffalo 2032. Channel 2 did a preview piece, available here.

Stef Mychailiw is moderating the debate, which will take place at Hamlin House next Tuesday at 7pm.

As Amy mentions in the piece, we've had 2 mayors in 26 years, and change is inevitable and imminent. Change of faces, that is. Will there be a change in leadership? A change for the better? A change to lurch Buffalo into the 21st century and on a path to prosperity and growth?

As Deborah Lynn Williams says in Stef's piece, "You have to pay to play, and the currency is participation."

Say something & say it loudly.

The Partnership's Report

2005-08-18T14:47:00.000-04:00

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership has issued a report on streamlining the County's business and budget.

Here it is (pdf format) for your review & comment.

Informal Pearl Street meetup on 9/15

2005-08-17T14:55:00.000-04:00

The Coalition will be holding an informal get-together/meetup at the Pearl Street on September 15th.

What we need is a name for it, so I've set up a poll at this link on the Coalition's bulletin board.

Vote for a name, or leave a new suggestion as a post.

Next WNY Coalition for Progress Meeting - 8-22-05

2005-08-16T07:47:00.000-04:00

Next WNY Coalition for Progress General Membership Meeting

Monday, August 22, 2005
7:00 PM

Eggertsville Snyder Branch Library
4622 Main St.
Snyder, New York

On the Agenda:

Discuss working group leadership issues;
Review recent press coverage of Bass Pro Report;
Review upcoming Coalition Events.

Free Buffalo on Bass Pro

2005-08-13T18:12:00.000-04:00

Jim Ostrowski's Free Buffalo has issued a "rebuttal" of sorts to the WNY Coalition for Progress' Bass Pro report.

It is important to note that Free Buffalo has only one officer and one director - Jim Ostrowski. His rebuttal was not shown to anyone in advance, nor is it a document that was vetted by the membership of Free Buffalo. Free Buffalo has no board of directors to approve such a document.

In addition, Ostrowski's "news alert" consists of little more than rumor, innuendo, assumptions, and recklessly false accusations against the coalition, its motives, its membership, its connections to political parties and entities, and the authors of the Bass Pro report.

It is disappointing that the self-proclaimed head of the Erie County "tax revolt" can do little more than call others names.

Next Media & Communications Working Group Meeting

2005-08-10T11:19:00.000-04:00

Next Media and Communications Working Group Meeting:

Thursday, August 18th,7 pm at
Cafe Allegro
1374 Hertel Ave.
Buffalo, New Y ork

BBC - Food Crisis "Runs Across Africa"

2005-08-10T11:14:00.000-04:00

Here is a news item that is not necessarily on local media but everyone should know about it..
--------------------------------------------------------------
Food crisis 'runs across Africa'
By Mark Doyle BBC News world affairs correspondent
August 10, 2005

With attention on food shortages in Niger, aid agencies say a vast "hunger belt" is stretching across Africa. People across Africa are affected, from Niger in central Africa to Somalia on the Indian Ocean seaboard. Latest reports from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network say over 20m people are at risk from food shortages.

The broad cross-section of international aid agencies says that urgent action is required in seven countries across Africa. The dramatic TV pictures from Niger may have pricked the conscience of some donor countries, but a broader look at the continent shows much wider need. The Famine Early Warning network, made up of a variety of aid agencies including the aid arm of the US government, USAid, says no fewer than seven African states are facing food emergencies.
These are mostly on the fringes of the Sahara desert and stretch from Niger, through Chad and Sudan, to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.

Rain crucial
One factor unites most of the people at risk across Africa. They rely overwhelmingly on rain-fed or flood-plain agriculture rather than having access to irrigated fields. When rains are erratic or fail it is a disaster. It is also no co-incidence that most of the worst affected countries are on the edge of the Sahara. The desert is advancing and soils across the region are being eroded. The only long term answer to this situation, aid workers say, is massive investment including the productive harnessing of rivers like the Niger and the Nile.

This massive investment, they say, will need to be guaranteed over many years. The picture is mixed within the countries affected. The largest number of people at risk in a single state, for example, is in Ethiopia, where some 10m people are said to be facing food shortages. But in some parts of Ethiopia an ambitious government plan to provide a safety net for poor people is beginning to bear fruit.

War and peace
Within Sudan, it is the south of the country that is most at risk. The end of the war in the south has paradoxically made the situation more difficult, with refugees returning home putting land under pressure. The seventh country facing a food emergency, according to the Famine Early Warning network, is Zimbabwe, where the situation is more complex than the water shortages and lack of irrigation that characterise the other affected states. Aid workers say the recent clearances of urban dwellers have created pressure on rural land as townspeople are forced to settle elsewhere.

The slum clearances came on top of the problems caused by President Robert Mugabe's land reforms. And these illustrate another side of the complex agricultural problems facing Africa.
Giving mechanised, irrigated farms to subsistence farmers will not necessarily improve food security, because they, too, are dependent on rainfall if the farmers who have taken them over do not have the money to maintain the irrigation systems.

Story from BBC NEWS http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4138120.stm

Published: 2005/08/10 12:15:33 GMT© BBC MMV

From Cliff Parks

2005-08-03T10:03:00.000-04:00

Our friends with the WNY Progress Report Radio Show have a blog of their own: http://wnyprogressreport.wnymedia.net/. Here is the latest entry from our good friend Cliff Parks:

Odds and Sods
August 2nd, 2005
CLIFF PARKS:

Many thanks for Representative Brian Higgins for doing the show today. It was fun.

Serious question: how do you actually teach intelligent design? I mean, if the gist of it is “the theory of intelligent design says life on earth is too complex to have developed through evolution, implying that a higher power must have had a hand in creation,” what else is there to teach? And how do you grade kids on this stuff? What’s on the exam?

The Higher Power responsible for life on Earth is:

a) Vishnu
b) Yoda
c) God
d) Logic
e) Magrathean subcontractors hired by otherdimensional super-smart mice

Clearly somebody has to help me here.

Behold, more electoral excitment in OHIO! I will reserve judgment of course until the facts are in.

Apparently helping install a President and getting a seat on the Supreme Court is pro bono.

And last but not least, I’m with today’s caller Anne about the need for a stiff upper lip in the face of apparent inevitable doom, and so if the Christian Science Monitor. I too am damn tired of this AGE OF FEAR…

Next WNY Progress Report - Congressman Brian Higgins!!

2005-07-29T10:17:00.000-04:00

On the next WNY Progress Report
co-hosts Cliff Parks and Kevin Burd

will be joined by very special guest:

Congressman Brian Higgins

Please Call in with your questions or comments:

855-6848 or 855-6862

Tuesday August 2nd
4:00 - 5:00 PM
on
WHLD 1270 AM

Just another example of the WNY Coalition for Progress having a positive impact in our community by bringing today's newsmakers directly to you!!

Next Foreign Policy Working Group Meeting - 8/2/05

2005-07-25T10:56:00.000-04:00

The next WNY Coalition for Progress Foreign Policy Working Group meeting will be held on:

TUESDAY, August 2nd
at 7:00 pm

at Cafe Allegro
(1374 Hertel Avenue).

An agenda will be posted closer to the date of the meeting.

Originally it was reported the meeting was on Wednesday August 2nd. Well August 2nd is TUESDAY, so that's when the meeting is. Sorry for any confusion.

Next WNY Progress Report - NYS Sen. Byron Brown

2005-07-23T05:57:00.000-04:00

Next WNY Progress Report
Tuesday, July 26th
4:00 - 5:00 pm
WHLD, 1270 AM

Co-hosts Cliff Parks and Kevin Burd will have in the studio as a special guest Democratic Mayoral Candidate NYS Sen. Byron Brown.

Please Call in with your questions or comments for what is sure to be a good program:

855-6848
or
855-6862

This is the second in a series of interviews of City of Buffalo mayoral candidates that the WNY Progress Report is presenting.

Also, if you enjoy the show you can show your support by keeping it on the air by sponsoring the show. Please contact Cliff Parks at 440-2619 to find out how you can help keep on the air one of the best radio shows in Buffalo.

Comment On Steve Calvaneso Interview

2005-07-19T23:13:00.000-04:00

If you listened to Cliff Parks' and Kevin Burd's interview of Buffalo Mayoral candidate Steve Calvaneso on the WNY Progress Report today please offer your comments on the candidate and the interview questions below.

Also, Cliff and Kevin will be interviewing mayoral candidate Byron Brown on next week's show, and if you have any specific questions you would like them to ask Sen. Brown please post them below as well.

The only way we can make the show better is from your comments, so comment away!!

WNY Coalition for Progress' Homepage: http://www.wnyprogress.org
WNY Coalition for Progress' Radio Show: the WNY Progress Report

Reminder - Steve Calvaneso on Today's WNY Progress Report

2005-07-19T11:22:00.000-04:00

On Today's WNY Progress Report
4:00 - 5:00 pm
WHLD, 1270 AM

Co-hosts Cliff Parks and Kevin Burd will have in the studio as a special guest
Democratic Mayoral Candidate Steve Calvaneso

Please Call in with your questions or comments for what is sure to be a good program:

855-6848
or
855-6862

Next week's show will feature City of Buffalo mayoral candidate Byron Brown.

Check out the WNY Progress Report website!!

NY Times Article on Medicaid Fraud

2005-07-18T11:05:00.000-04:00

There is an excellent article in Today's New York Times on Medicaid Fraud in New York State. I suggest everyone read this article, because if you live in NYS you are impacted by the Medicaid program. Also, check out the reference to the issue in the City of Buffalo's School District, it is discussed in detail at the end of the story.

New York Times
July 18, 2005
New York Medicaid Fraud May Reach Into Billions
By CLIFFORD J. LEVY and MICHAEL LUO

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/18/nyregion/18medicaid.html?hp&ex=1121745600&en=21122212efe36b3e&ei=5094&partner=homepage

It was created 40 years ago to provide health care for the poorest New Yorkers, offering a lifeline to those who could not afford to have a baby or a heart attack. But in the decades since, New York State's Medicaid program has also become a $44.5 billion target for the unscrupulous and the opportunistic.

It has drawn dentists like Dr. Dolly Rosen, who within 12 months somehow built the state's biggest Medicaid dental practice out of a Brooklyn storefront, where she claimed to have performed as many as 991 procedures a day in 2003. After The New York Times discovered her extraordinary billings through a computer analysis and questioned the state about them, Dr. Rosen and two associates were indicted on charges of stealing more than $1 million from the program.

It has drawn van services, intended as medical transportation for patients who cannot walk unaided, that regularly picked up scores of people who walked quite easily when a reporter was watching nearby. In cooperation with medical offices that order these services, the ambulettes typically cost the taxpayers more than $50 a round trip, adding up to $200 million a year. In some cases, the rides that the state paid for may never have taken place.

School officials around the state have enrolled tens of thousands of low-income students in speech therapy without the required evaluation, garnering more than $1 billion in questionable Medicaid payments for their districts. One Buffalo school official sent 4,434 students into speech therapy in a single day without talking to them or reviewing their records, according to federal investigators.

To read the article in full (it is quite long but very good), please click above, or if you do not have a subscription to the New York Times online, here

http://wnyprogress.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=147#147

On the Next WNY Progress Report - Mayoral Candidate Steve Calvaneso

2005-07-14T10:11:00.000-04:00

Next WNY Progress Report
Tuesday, July 19th 4:00 - 5:00 pm
WHLD, 1270 AM

Co-hosts Cliff Parks and Kevin Burd will have in the studio as a special guest Democratic Mayoral Candidate Steve Calvaneso

Please Call in with your questions or comments for what is sure to be a good program:

855-6848
or
855-6862

This is the first in a series of interviews of City of Buffalo mayoral candidates that the WNY Progress Report will present.

Talking Points

2005-07-13T16:54:00.000-04:00

So you can see the weak defense of Rove and characteristically vehement attacks against Joe Wilson / Valerie Plame, I present to you:

The GOP Talking points.

I guarantee every one of them will be all over the media by tomorrow. I also guarantee that most TV news will regurgitate them as if they were somehow relevant and factual.

GOP on Offense in Defense of Rove

2005-07-13T10:12:00.000-04:00

GOP on Offense in Defense of Rove
Washington Post

By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 13, 2005; A01

Republicans mounted an aggressive and coordinated defense of Karl Rove yesterday, contending that the White House's top political adviser did nothing improper or illegal when he discussed a covert CIA official with a reporter.

With a growing number of Democrats calling for Rove's resignation, the Republican National Committee and congressional Republicans sought to discredit Democratic critics and knock down allegations of possible criminal activity.

"The angry left is trying to smear" Rove, RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman, a Rove protege, said in an interview.

A federal grand jury is investigating whether anyone in the Bush administration unlawfully leaked the name of a CIA official, Valerie Plame, to the news media. Although the White House has previously said Rove was not involved in the episode, a recently disclosed internal Time magazine e-mail shows that Rove mentioned Plame, albeit not by name, to reporter Matthew Cooper before her name and affiliation became public in July 2003. The grand jury is scheduled to hear from Cooper today.

The emerging GOP strategy -- devised by Mehlman and other Rove loyalists outside of the White House -- is to try to undermine those Democrats calling for Rove's ouster, play down Rove's role and wait for President Bush's forthcoming Supreme Court selection to drown out the controversy, according to several high-level Republicans.

The White House said Bush retains full confidence in Rove, but for a second day officials would not answer a barrage of questions about Rove's role in the leak scandal on the grounds that the investigation is not complete. But the RNC -- effectively Bush's political arm -- weighed into the controversy in a major fashion.

Mehlman, who said he talked with Rove several times in recent days, instructed GOP legislators, lobbyists and state officials to accuse Democrats of dirty politics and argue Rove was guilty of nothing more than discouraging a reporter from writing an inaccurate story, according to RNC talking points circulated yesterday.

"Republicans should stop holding back and go on the offense: fire enough bullets the other way until the Supreme Court overtakes" events, said Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.).
Rove has not been asked by senior White House officials whether he did anything illegal or potentially embarrassing to the president and he spent most of the day strategizing on Bush's Supreme Court nomination, aides said.

"No one has asked him what he told the grand jury. No one has deemed it appropriate," said a senior White House official, who would discuss the Rove case only on the condition of anonymity. "What you all need to figure out is, does this amount to a crime? That is a legitimate debate." Still, some aides said they were concerned about the unknown. "Is it a communications challenge? Sure," the official said.

Privately, even Rove's staunchest supporters said the situation could explode if federal prosecutors accuse Rove or any other high-level official of committing a crime. William Kristol, a conservative commentator with close White House ties, said it would be hard to imagine a prosecutor conducting an investigation that has landed one reporter in jail and challenged the constitutional rights of the journalism profession without indicting someone. Special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald "is the problem for the White House, and we have no idea what he knows," Kristol said.

Bush has said if any White House officials were involved, they would be fired. The president yesterday twice refused to answer questions on whether Rove should be dismissed.
The controversy involves former U.S. diplomat Joseph C. Wilson IV, who had been sent by the CIA in February 2002 to Niger to investigate allegations that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was attempting to buy nuclear material. Wilson subsequently became a critic of administration policy in Iraq and after the invasion in March 2003 questioned whether Bush had exaggerated the threat from Hussein.

After Wilson went public with his concerns, columnist Robert D. Novak reported that he had been told by two administration officials that the Niger trip had been suggested by Wilson's wife, Plame. It is a federal felony to knowingly identify an active undercover CIA officer, but legal experts said such a crime is very difficult to prove.

Whatever the legal considerations in the case, the emerging record suggests that the administration was involved in an effort to discredit Wilson after he went public with his criticism.

According to the Time magazine e-mail, the conversation between Cooper and Rove took place a few days before Novak's column appeared in July 2003. Cooper says Rove raised questions about Wilson's credibility, offering a "big warning" not to "get out too far on Wilson," Newsweek has reported.

The e-mail comports with a previously reported conversation between a Washington Post reporter and an administration official two days before the Novak column ran. The administration official, who has not been identified, described the Wilson trip as a boondoggle that was set up by his wife and was not being taken seriously by the White House.
Rove has maintained he neither knew Plame's name nor leaked it to anyone. In an interview yesterday, Wilson said his wife goes by Mrs. Wilson, so it would be clear who Rove was talking about, and noted how Rove attends the same church as the Wilson family. Wilson said Rove was part of a "smear campaign" designed to discredit him and others who undercut Bush's justification for war.

Wilson was a chief target of the new GOP offensive designed to take some pressure off Rove. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) said the White House did not have to discredit Wilson. "Nobody had to do that," he said, adding that "he discredited his own report" by including unfounded allegations. The RNC talking point memo included a list of anti-Wilson lines.
"In all honesty, the facts thus far -- and the e-mail involved -- indicate to me that there is not a problem here," said Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah). "I have always thought this is a tempest in a teapot."

© 2005 The Washington Post Company
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Postscript-
If this happened in the Clinton Administration the GOP would be filing criminal charges against the leaker and obstruction of justice impeacment charges against Clinton. Pure hypocrisy.

Opening up the discussion

2005-07-12T10:07:00.000-04:00

Since I hold the key to this blog, I'm inviting anybody who's interested to email me if interested in becoming a participating member of & contributor to this blog.

WNY Coalition Gets a National Internet Plug!

2005-07-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

The WNY Coalition for Progress got a nice plug on the main page of the Democracy Cell Project as today's "Five Minutes a Day for Democracy" example of how an organization can have a positive impact in its community.

The Democracy Cell Project (DCP) is a non-profit organization with a bold approach to using online communications to integrate, educate, and include the millions of people across America who are ready to work for a more democratic country. It's team members are spread across the nation, and comprise some of the best and brightest leaders and organizers this country has to offer. It is dedicated to assisting individuals and communities to tighten their messages, build coalitions, and organize on the ground to make political change a reality.

We thank them for the nice comments, and wish them well in their efforts.

Democracy Cell Project: http://www.democracycellproject.net
WNY Coalition for Progress: http://www.wnyprogress.org

7-11-05 Washington Post - UK Memo Cites Troop Reduction Plan

2005-07-11T11:42:00.000-04:00

U.K. Memo Cites Plans For Troop Reduction

By Glenn Frankel and Josh White
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, July 11, 2005; A01

LONDON, July 10 -- The United States and Britain are drawing up plans to withdraw the majority of their troops from Iraq by the middle of next year, according to a secret memo written for British Prime Minister Tony Blair by Defense Secretary John Reid.

The paper, which is marked "Secret -- UK Eyes Only," said "emerging U.S. plans assume that 14 out of 18 provinces could be handed over to Iraqi control by early 2006," allowing a reduction in overall U.S.-led forces in Iraq to 66,000 troops. The troop level is now at about 160,000, including 138,000 American troops, according to a military spokesman in Baghdad.

Reid on Sunday did not dispute the authenticity of the document, but said that no decision on troop levels had been made. In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman said officials there had not seen the document.

The undated memo, which was reported in the newspaper The Mail on Sunday, stated that "current U.S. political military thinking is still evolving. But there is a strong U.S. military desire for significant force reductions to bring relief to overall U.S. commitment levels."

While top U.S. military commanders and Pentagon officials have been hoping to reduce troop levels in Iraq for some time, the British memo is apparently the first time such a significant reduction has been outlined under a specific timetable. President Bush has refused to set a withdrawal date, citing concerns that such a deadline would allow insurgents to wait out the U.S.-led occupation.

The memo, posted on the newspaper's Web site, notes a debate between U.S. officials at the Pentagon and military leaders in Iraq, saying that officials in Washington favor "a relatively bold reduction in force numbers," differing with battlefield commanders, "whose approach is more cautious."

To read the rest of the story click HERE!!

Healthcare Group Examining Medicaid Issues

2005-07-08T21:28:00.000-04:00

Coming after the release of the Bass Pro report, other WNY Coalition for Progress working groups are reviewing and preparing reports on issues that impact us all. One such examination is being done by the Healthcare Working Group of the WNY Coalition for Progress as it reviews the issues related to Medicaid in New York State. Your input is greatly appreciated as they continue to examine this matter and offer their perspective on an issue that has a tremendous impact on all counties of WNY.

To be a part of this group, and help out with this project, please contact Healthcare Working Group Chair Dean Carroll by dropping him an e-mail HERE!

Terrorist Attack in London

2005-07-07T08:51:00.000-04:00

To those who may not have heard it yet, there was a coordinated terrorist attack in the heart of London today. We call on all out there to keep in your thoughts and prayers our friends overseas as we all continue to battle the scourge of terrorism.

To find out more about the day's events please click on any of the below news sources:

http://www.cnn.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/
http://www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.nytimes.com
http://www.npr.org

To Sandy Beach listeners:

2005-07-06T16:58:00.001-04:00

We did not advocate for the implementation of a tax-free zone downtown, nor did we advocate for Bass Pro to be sales-tax free.

So, the entirety of Sandy's show today is based on ignorant misinformation.

Bass Pro Media Roundup

2005-07-06T14:34:00.000-04:00

Channel 2
WBEN: Check the webpoll on the sidebar
WBFO
WBEN article
WB49
WIVB (4)
WNED AM-970
Buffalo News
WNYMedia.net has posted a good portion of the news conference itself.

Thanks to Ellen & Mark for help on the report & logistics in getting it out there. Thanks to everyone for constructive criticism & suggestions & support. Thanks to WNYC4P for putting this thing out & thanks to everyone for their kind words.

WNY Coalition for Progress Issues Report in Favor of the Proposed Bass Pro Project

2005-07-05T18:51:00.000-04:00

WESTERN NEW YORK COALITION FOR PROGRESS ISSUES A REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSED BASS PRO/MEMORIAL REHABILITATION PROJECT.

Buffalo, NY – On Tuesday, July 5, 2005, the Western New York Coalition for Progress issued a comprehensive report in favor of the proposed Bass Pro/Memorial Auditorium rehabilitation project. The Western New York Coalition for Progress’ WNY Development and Economic Affairs working group chair Ellen Poch stated that, “in issuing the report we hoped to offer an unbiased review of the proposed project and along the way perhaps clear up any misconceptions. Though we support this project, we do not look at it as a silver bullet that will save downtown Buffalo. Instead our members support this project because it is a very important step forward in the redevelopment of downtown Buffalo.”

Alan Bedenko, the leader of the team that performed the research and prepared the report, noted that, “while the initial public investment to the project is large, there are a number of valid reasons to support this project. When looked at in the grand scheme of the future of downtown Buffalo and the Buffalo waterfront, Bass Pro is just one piece - though a large one - that already includes the Erie Basin Marina, Naval and Servicemen’s Park, the hopefully soon to be completed Erie Canal project, HSBC Arena and the Cobblestone District.”

The report may be viewed on the Internet at http://www.wnyprogress.org/basspro.pdf .

You can find the Western New York Coalition for Progress on the Internet at http://www.wnyprogress.org.

The Coalition Bass Pro report: a preview by Channel 2

2005-07-04T18:35:00.000-04:00

From Channel 2 (WGRZ):

Report on Bass Pro Set for Release

Posted by: Laura Steele, Anchor/Reporter
Created: 7/4/2005 3:57:54 PM
Updated: 7/4/2005 4:53:04 PM

Watch Laura Steele's Report

The Western New York Coalition for Progress is set to release its own, independent report on how much Bass Pro would revitalize this area.

"I don't think Bass Pro is going to all of a sudden turn Buffalo into some kind of bustling city," says Coalition member, Alan Bedenko. He says the group's report examines both Bass Pro's contract with the city of Buffalo and what effect the chain has had on other communities its settled in. During that research, Bedenko says, "I have yet to hear a bad word about Bass Pro."

The report comes as Bass Pro's officials are expected to update Western New York leaders on its plans to renovate the Memorial Auditorium downtown.

The WNYCP report comes out tomorrow.

WNY Coalition to Issue Bass Pro Report Tuesday July 5 at 5:30 PM

2005-06-30T11:33:00.000-04:00

The WNY Coalition for Progress will issue its report and recommendations on the proposed Bass Pro Project next Tuesday July 5, 2005 at 5:30 pm at the corner of Main and Hanover Streets behind the old Memorial Auditorium.

This will be a comprehensive review of the project. We hope you all will come to the press conference as we issue our report.

The report reviews all aspects of the proposed project, its possible impact on downtown Buffalo, and will contain certain recommendations.

WHO: Western New York Coalition for Progress

WHAT: Issuance of a Report on the proposed Bass Pro/Memorial Auditorium Rehabilitation Project

WHEN: Tuesday, July 5, 2005, 5:30 PM

WHERE: Corner of Hanover and Main Streets across the street from the Memorial Auditorium.

Check Out the Coalition's Website here: http://www.wnyprogress.org

Check Out the Coalition's Forum Here: http://www.wnyprogress.org/phpbb/

US Supreme Court - Can't Display Framed Ten Commandments in Courtrooms but OK on other Government Property

2005-06-27T10:25:00.000-04:00

June 27, 2005
Commandments Barred at Courts but Not on Government Land
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- A sharply divided Supreme Court on Monday upheld the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments on government land, but drew the line on displays inside courthouses, saying they violated the doctrine of separation of church and state.

Sending dual signals in closely-watched cases, the high court said displays of the Ten Commandments -- like their own courtroom frieze -- are not inherently unconstitutional. But each exhibit demands scrutiny to determine whether it goes too far in amounting to a governmental promtion of religion, the court said in a case involving Kentucky courthouse exhibits.

In that 5-4 ruling and another ruling, involving the positioning of a 6-foot granite monument of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the Texas capitol, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was the swing vote. The second ruling, likewise, was 5-4.

In a stinging dissent to the ruling involving Kentucky's courthouse exhibits, Justice Antonin Scalia declared: "What distinguishes the rule of law from the dictatorship of a shifting Supreme Court majority is the absolutely indispensable requirement that judicial opinions be grounded in consistently applied principle."

The justices voting on the prevailing side in the Kentucky case left themselves legal wiggle room, saying that some displays inside courthouses -- like their own courtroom frieze -- would be permissible if they're portrayed neutrally in order to honor the nation's legal history.

But framed copies in two Kentucky courthouses went too far in endorsing religion, the court held. Those courthouse displays are unconstitutional, the justices said, because their religious content is overemphasized.

In contrast, a 6-foot-granite monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol -- one of 17 historical displays on the 22-acre lot -- was determined to be a legitimate tribute to the nation's legal and religious history.

"Of course, the Ten Commandments are religious -- they were so viewed at their inception and so remain. The monument therefore has religious significance," Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote for the majority in the case involving the display outside the state capitol of Texas.

"Simply having religious content or promoting a message consistent with a religious doctrine does not run afoul of the Establishment clause," he said.

**********************************************************************
Mark's comment,
Looks like more cases will come down the pipeline after these decisions. This will surely be used as a wedge issue by those on the right in next year's congressional election and probably the 2008 presidential election, even though 2 of the justices who voted with the majority on the courthouse ban, O'Connor and Souter, were appointed by Republicans.

Omaha World-Herald - Hagel sounds alarm over Iraq.

2005-06-27T10:13:00.000-04:00

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1638&u_sid=1445550

Hagel sounds alarm over Iraq

BY JAKE THOMPSON
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Published Sunday, June 26, 2005

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - More than 200 Nebraska American Legion members, who have seen war and conflict themselves, fell quiet here Saturday as Sen. Chuck Hagel bluntly explained why he believes that the United States is losing the war in Iraq.

It took 20 minutes, but it boiled down to this:

The Bush team sent in too few troops to fight the war leading to today's chaos and rising deaths of Americans and Iraqis.

Terrorists are "pouring in" to Iraq.

Basic living standards are worse than a year ago in Iraq. Civil war is perilously close to erupting there. Allies aren't helping much.

The American public is losing its trust in President Bush's handling of the conflict.

And Hagel's deep fear is that it will all plunge into another Vietnam debacle, prompting Congress to force another abrupt pullout as it did in 1975.

"What we don't want to happen is for this to end up another Vietnam," Hagel told the legionnaires, "because the consequences would be catastrophic." It would be far worse than Vietnam, says Hagel, a twice-wounded veteran of that conflict, which killed 58,000 Americans.

Failure in Iraq could lead to many more American deaths, disrupt U.S. oil supplies, damage the Middle East peace effort, spread terrorism and harm America's stature worldwide, Hagel said.

That's what keeps him on edge these days. That's why he is again the most outspoken Republican in Congress about Iraq. His view that America is losing in Iraq, which first aired in a newsmagazine last week, prompted rebukes from conservatives such as talk show host Rush Limbaugh, concerns from others in his party and praise from anti-war advocates on the Internet.

But Saturday, he was unrepentant. "The point is, we're going to have to make some changes or we will lose, we will lose in Iraq," he told the legionnaires. At the same time, he said, he wants President Bush to win, and he believes that the United States cannot pull out anytime soon.

The legionnaires gave him a standing ovation at the end of his speech. Carl Marks of Omaha, a Korean War veteran, said: "It sounds like he's conflicted . . . like a lot of us." Bennie Navratil of Hallam, Neb., whose son left last week for military duty in Afghanistan, said, "I feel he said the right thing: that we can't pull out and something's got to change."

Aboard a plane back to Omaha, Hagel was asked whether he thought Bush was aware that adjustments might be needed in his Iraq policy. "I don't know," Hagel said. The whole Iraqi situation makes him sick to his stomach, he said. "It has tormented me, torn me more than any one thing," he said with a grim look on his face. "To see what these guys in Iraq are having to go through and knowing what I know here: that we didn't prepare for it, we didn't understand what we were getting into. And to put those guys in those positions, it makes me so angry."

He lays part of the blame on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who argued before the war that he needed only 150,000 American troops in Iraq. That caused more casualties than were needed, Hagel said. "We still don't have enough troops," he said. "We should have had double or triple the number."

It has led to a bleak situation, Hagel said: Insurgent attacks are more frequent than a year ago. Bombs used by insurgents are growing more deadly, piercing America's best protective clothing and equipment. Oil production is down. Electricity is less available than a year ago. Economic development is lagging. Ninety percent of the humanitarian and economic aid pledged by 60 nations hasn't reached Iraq because of the continuing violence. Only one Middle Eastern country has an ambassador in Iraq.

Bush has said America is fighting in Iraq with a "coalition of the willing," allies who have committed a relatively small number of troops and aid.

Hagel scoffed at that idea. "It's a joke to say there's a coalition of the willing," he said, adding that many are pulling out and the United States is fronting the bills for those who remain.

Meanwhile, U.S. troops are under severe strain. Troops are stationed in more than 100 countries, and their rapid tempo of deployments with little time off leaves them fatigued and in danger of making mistakes.

"We are destroying the finest military in the history of mankind, and the (National) Guard, too," he said. "We're stretching our Army to the breaking point."

Public pronouncements from the Bush administration also have gotten under Hagel's skin. Vice President Dick Cheney's recent comments that the insurgents in Iraq are in "the last throes" echo a refrain of the Vietnam era, he said. Back then, officials saw "the light at the end of the tunnel" in Vietnam, Hagel said.

Toting up all those points, he said, leads him to conclude that the United States is losing in Iraq. "That doesn't mean we have to lose," he said.

In his speech and in an interview, Hagel offered some ideas that he thinks could help in Iraq:

U.S. troops and others could work harder to train local militias in small Iraqi towns to help identify and take on insurgents. Allies who don't want to enter Iraq could help patrol its borders, blocking terrorists from entering the war-torn country. The training of Iraq's military and military police should be accelerated immediately.

Middle Eastern nations should become more engaged, he said, but it doesn't help when administration officials criticize Egypt and Saudi Arabia for not moving quickly enough toward democratic practices.

Hagel said he shaped his views after many talks recently with senior U.S. military officials; foreign policy experts; Brent Scowcroft, who was the first President Bush's national security adviser; and others. He plans to share his views with the current president and his team and says he feels an urgency he hopes they will share.

The United States has only about six more months to begin to turn things around in Iraq, he said. "I believe that there can be a good outcome in Iraq," he said.

"I also believe there could be a very bad outcome for Iraq. I believe we have a very limited time for that good outcome."

SUNDAY - RALLY FOR NIAGARA FALLS AIR BASE & MONDAY LINE THE STREETS IN SUPPORT OF THE AIR BASE

2005-06-24T22:33:00.000-04:00

Rally For Niagara Falls Air Force Base

Date: Sunday, June 26th

Time: 2 pm

Place: Dunn Tire Park, Downtown Buffalo

Directions: Click Here

How To Get Tickets:
First Niagara Bank and The New York Power Authority are teaming up with NIMAC to provide anyone who signs at least 5 letters to the BRAC Commission with tickets to the game. Letters are available at all First Niagara Branches in Western NY and at the Power Authority. Letters can also be printed from our website and taken to these locations.

After enjoying the baseball game, we will rally together at the park with Larry Norton from 97 Rock and a few local and national celebrities! NIMAC T-shirts will be available at the Rally. Feel free to bring homemade signs showing your support for our Air Base!

Monday June 27th: Line the Streets: NIMAC Needs Everyone's Help

NIMAC wants to show the BRAC Commission how much this community cares about our Air Base, so we plan to line the streets of the route the BRAC Commission will take once they arrive in Western NY and travel to the Air Base for the site visit Monday. They will be driven North on the 190, exiting at the Porter/Packard Rd. exit. They will turn right and continue down Packard Rd. and Lockport Rd. until they reach the Lockport Rd. entrance of the base.

At 7:15AM we need people to stand anywhere they chose along Packard and Lockport Rds. from Military Rd. to the base entrance. We have planned for local volunteer firemen to line the NORTH side of Lockport Rd. with their Equipment and we need all of you to line the SOUTH side of the street with home-made signs of POSITIVE SUPPORT. We will notify all the residents our plans.

Later that morning, at 11am, we plan to assemble outside of the Center for the Arts on the North/Amherst Campus of the University of Buffalo. The BRAC Commission will hold their regional hearings inside from 1pm to 5pm. Click here for directions to the University of Buffalo’s Amherst Campus.

View Campus Map for location of the UB Center for the Arts.

Remember, the BRAC Commission did not put Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station on the list, but they sure can take us off!!!

Important Meeting on Future of Social Security

2005-06-24T22:29:00.000-04:00

Saturday June 25th, 11:00 AM Congressmen Higgins, With Special Guest Congressman Charles Rangel to Host Social Security Town Hall Meeting; President of National Committee to Preserve Social Security Will Join

Cheektowaga, NY—National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare President & CEO Barbara Kennelly will join Congressman Brian Higgins (NY – 27) and Congressman Charles B. Rangel (NY – 15) at a public town hall meeting on the future of the United States Social Security System. Residents are welcome to join the Congressmen at 11:00am on Saturday, June 25th at the Cheektowaga Senior Citizens Center at 3349 Broadway. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear the Congressmen’s views, ask questions and provide their opinions on the issue of Social Security.

WHO: Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27)
Congressman Charles Rangel (NY-15)
Barbara Kennelly, Former Member of Congress &
Current President & CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare

WHAT: Social Security Town Hall Meeting

WHEN: Saturday, June 25, 2005, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

WHERE: Cheektowaga Senior Citizens Center
3349 Broadway
Cheektowaga, NY

Congressman Charles B. Rangel is serving his seventeenth term as the Representative from New York’s 15th Congressional District, comprising East and Central Harlem, the Upper West Side, and Washington Heights/Inwood. Congressman Rangel is the Ranking Member of the Committee on Ways and Means, Chairman of the Board of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Dean of the New York State Congressional Delegation.

Barbara Bailey Kennelly, President of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, served nine terms as a member of Congress representing the State of Connecticut. The Committee, founded in 1982, advocates for Social Security & Medicare programs and the goal of providing Americans a healthy, productive and secure retirement.

“The future of Social Security impacts the lives of all Americans and is a particularly important issue to the hard-working people of Western New York,” said Congressman Higgins. “It is an honor to have Congressman Rangel and former Congressmember Kennelly visit our area to hear the concerns of local residents.”

-30-

Next WNY Progress Report Tuesday 6/28 With Jack Davis

2005-06-24T10:18:00.000-04:00

The next edition of the WNY Progress Report will feature as the guest Jack Davis, the founder of Save American Jobs Association. This show will be very timely following a Chinese state sponsored oil company's unsolicited takeover bid of the American oil company Unocal Corp. announced yesterday. Today the Washington Post did a cover story on the takeover bid and Washington's reaction.

So read up on the issue,
listen to WHLD AM -1270 next Tuesday from 4:00 - 5:00 pm,
and call Jack Davis with your questions at 855-6848

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062302065.html

China's Oil Bid Riles Congress
Attempt to Take Over U.S. Firm Spurs Calls for Retaliation
By Jonathan Weisman and Peter S. Goodman
Washington Post Staff WritersFriday, June 24, 2005; A01

Political fears of China's economic might intensified yesterday following China's unsolicited bid to take over a U.S. oil company, with lawmakers from both political parties warning that Congress will take retaliatory action against Chinese trade practices if the Bush administration fails to respond.

Under a barrage of questions, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and Treasury Secretary John W. Snow warned the Senate Finance Committee against punitive legislation that could trigger a trade war and ultimately harm the U.S. economy. "Resorting to isolationist trade policies would be ineffective, disruptive to markets and damaging to America's special role as the world's leading advocate for open markets," Snow said.

But the $18.5 billion bid Wednesday by China's third-largest oil producer to buy California-based Unocal Corp. put such sentiments on weaker ground. Already, lawmakers from both parties had stockpiled bills to punish China, and President Bush's ongoing effort to ratify the Central American Free Trade Agreement had stirred up political forces against further trade liberalization. Lingering discontents about the economy had politicians looking for a new outlet to voice their concerns. The bid by a state-run Chinese oil company to swallow a U.S. competitor "threw gas on the fire," said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who has coauthored legislation that would impose a 27.5 percent tariff on Chinese imports unless China allows its currency to rise in value.

"Fighting back is not protectionism," Graham told Greenspan and Snow. "No more saber-rattling. We want results."

To read the rest of the story please click HERE!

Karl Rove says you're a traitor

2005-06-23T16:24:00.000-04:00

The politics of hatred in our own New York.

Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers.

I don't know about you, but moderation and restraint is not what I felt when I watched the twin towers crumble to the ground, a side of the Pentagon destroyed, and almost 3,000 of our fellow citizens perish in flames and rubble."

Mr. Rove also said American armed forces overseas were in more jeopardy as a result of remarks last week by Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, who compared American mistreatment of detainees to the acts of "Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others."

"Has there ever been a more revealing moment this year?" Mr. Rove asked. "Let me just put this in fairly simple terms: Al Jazeera now broadcasts the words of Senator Durbin to the Mideast, certainly putting our troops in greater danger. No more needs to be said about the motives of liberals."

Senator Schumer properly said: "In New York, where everyone unified after 9/11, the last thing we need is somebody who seeks to divide us for political purposes."

Gadflyer says Schumer should have used stronger language:

"Karl Rove's comments are even more despicable than what we've come to expect from Republicans. There is no depth to which they will not sink, no tragedy they will not exploit for political gain. The next time Mr. Rove wants to come to New York to lecture us about what September 11 means, he'd better hope this New Yorker isn't in the room."

Also: the point has properly been made that Durbin didn't compare what happened at Gitmo to nazis, Pol Pot, or gulags. He read something by the FBI and made a perfectly valid point: that if he hadn't told you that it described American actions, you would have thought that it described the actions of some totalitarian dictatorship. And you know what? He's right.

Leave it to Karl Rove to use 9/11 to divide New Yorkers on their own turf.

Honestly, I just edited a string of expletives before posting. I do very much hope he's not in the same state as I anymore.

Express your opinion on the matter:

CPNYS State Headquarters
Michael R. Long, Chairman
Conservative Party of New York State
486 78th St., Brooklyn, NY 11209
Voice: 718-921-2158 FAX: 718-921-5168

Albany Office
Shaun Marie Levine, Executive Director
Conservative Party of New York State
325 Parkview Drive, Schenectady, NY 12303
Voice: 518-356-7882 FAX: 518-356-3773

info@cpnys.org

Also: if you're in Reynold's district, as I am, ask him if he shares Karl Rove's opinion about his own liberal constituents. Does Tom Reynolds also believe that the liberals living in the 26th want troops to die?

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

500 Essjay Road, Suite 260
Williamsville, NY 14221
(716) 634-2324

1577 West Ridge Road
Rochester, NY 14615
(585) 663-5570

Washington, D.C. Office
332 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5265

DNC Issues Report on Ohio 2004 Vote

2005-06-23T13:36:00.000-04:00

New York Times
June 23, 2005

In Ohio Vote, Woes, Yes, Fraud, No

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/23/politics/23voting.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1119542454-h+FJ1snmZ4KaaEPJb5Ar3Q

By JAMES DAO

WASHINGTON, June 22 - A five-month study for the Democratic National Committee found that more than one in four Ohio voters experienced problems at the polls last fall, , but the study did not find evidence of widespread election fraud that might have contributed to President Bush's narrow victory there.

The detailed report, released Wednesday, said that disproportionately high numbers of blacks and young people had complained about long lines, intimidation and malfunctioning machines. But Democratic officials said they could not conclude that Mr. Bush's Democratic challenger, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, would have won in Ohio even if voting had gone smoothly.

"The purpose of this study was not to challenge the results of the election," Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told reporters at the party's headquarters in Washington. But Dr. Dean said the volume of problems reported by blacks and young people suggested that Republicans had tried to suppress the vote in heavily Democratic districts.

The report called on state legislatures to enact rules that would improve voting; for example, by issuing clear standards for allocating voting machines, replacing punch-card and other voting machines with so-called precinct-tabulated optical scan systems and adopting more lenient standards for absentee voting.

"This is bad for America," Dr. Dean said. "We need to repair and restructure the way we conduct elections in America." Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, called the report "pure political fiction," asserting that Democratic groups did more to subvert voting last year by submitting false voter registrations in Ohio. "Republicans will continue to register and inspire new voters, make it easier for everyone to vote at the polls and protect everyone's franchise from being canceled out by illegal or fraudulent registration," Mr. Mehlman said in a statement.

The Democratic investigation was conducted by pollsters, political scientists and voting-machine experts led by Donna L. Brazile, head of the party's Voting Rights Institute. It was based on a survey of 1,201 randomly selected Ohioans and a precinct-by-precinct analysis of registration data, turnout and results.

TONIGHT - Media Group Meeting 6-23-05 @ 7:00 PM

2005-06-21T10:21:00.000-04:00

Tonight's the night for the next
WNY Coalition for Progress'
Media & Communications Working Group Meeting

June 23, 2005 at 7:00 pm at

Katie and Kevin Burd's house
292 Knowlton Ave
Kenmore, New York 14217

For more info please e-mail Cliff Parks at cparks1138@msn.com

Can Having Too Many Civic Groups Be Bad?

2005-06-17T14:22:00.000-04:00

As many know I am running for Erie County Comptroller. As part of the campaign I have been attending MANY events throughout Erie County. At one recent event I got into a conversation with someone affiliated with a local civic group working towards a better community, similar to the goals of the WNY Coalition for Progress. What should have been a good conversation on having so many people involved in the community became an accusation that this group, alongwith the other newer groups, are actually hurting the efforts to revitalize this community by spreading the activist community too thin or working on too many projects.

The person I was speaking to happened to be a member of an organization that has been around for a few years, and he/she seemed to think that everything "progressive" or geared toward making our community a better place should be done through his/hers group. I was of a different opinion, stating that every effort will help the cause, especially when some groups seem to have a narrow focus. I don't want to reveal the organization because I don't want the opinion of one member to be taken as that group's view, which I do not think it is.

While I agree that a group's effort can get lost among the crowd when it is very crowded, I don't think we have reached that stage yet in Buffalo & WNY. One of the major goals of this organization is just not making Buffalo a better place, but all of WNY. That is because what happens in Buffalo and Erie County affects all of WNY, and vice versa. This point is something that the person I had my discussion with did not really get.

For example, a plant closing in Lockport by Delphi would have huge repercussions for all of WNY, not just Niagara County, just as the Erie County budget crisis impacts those not living or working in Erie County.

I guess the moral of this post is that if these groups work together under a common theme, even if the efforts are spread throughout the area, much can be accomplished. However, if a multitude of groups are created and end up duplicating efforts then we are wasting the resources of those few who really seem to care about this area.

This group is active and about to release a major substantive review of a proposed urban project. Keep an eye out for this important report - an example of what just one group can do.

To find out more about the WNY Coalition for Progress please check out our website and forum:

Website: http://www.wnyprogress.org
Forum: http://wnyprogress.org/phpbb/

Reminder - Meeting Tonight & Next WNY Progress Report Tomorrow

2005-06-13T15:56:00.000-04:00

CoPro Events Reminder:

TOMORROW, June 14, 4:00 - 5:00 PM:
WNY Progress Report
w/hosts Cliff Parks & Kevin Burd
w/special guest Joe Schmidbauer from Alt Press
Tues. June 14th, 4-5 pm
WHLD, 1270 AM
Please Call in: 855-6848 or 855-6862

TONIGHT, June 13, 7:00 PM
General WNY Coalition for Progress Meeting
Mon. June 13, 7:00 pm
Eggertsville/Snyder Library
622 Main StreetSnyder, NY 14226

Hevesi Report on Erie County

2005-06-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a brief snippet of NYS Comptroller Alan Hevesi's Report on Erie County's fiscal status:

CONTACT: Press Office (518) 474-4015
FOR RELEASE: Immediately June 6, 2005

Erie Budget Gap is $118.4 Million for 2005, Rises to $279 Million in 2010

Cause of Erie's Budget Crisis— IT Cut Taxes, Then Increased Spending and Used One-Shots to Close the Gaps

Comptroller Calls for Erie County Control Board

Erie County faces a 2005 budget gap of $118.4 million and projected gaps in future years that grow from $131 million in 2006 to $279 million in 2010 and as a result is running out of cash to pay its bills, according to a report on the County budget issued today by New York State Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi.

“Erie County is facing a fiscal crisis, a cash crisis and a crisis of confidence. The ongoing strategy of cutting taxes without cutting spending and using gimmicks to cover up the deficits set the stage for this fiscal crisis years ago. I am recommending that the Governor and Legislature establish a control board to force Erie County to solve its financial problems. The people of Erie County deserve no less,” Hevesi said.

The review of Erie County’s finances found....

To Read the Complete Report Please click here:
http://wnyprogress.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=48

Next General Membership Meeting Monday June 13th!

2005-06-08T11:30:00.000-04:00

The Next General Membership Meeting of the
WNY Coalition for Progress
will be held on

Monday June 13, 2005 @ 7:00 pm

Eggertsville/Snyder Library
4622 Main Street
Snyder, NY 14226

This will be an important meeting as we discuss future projects for the Coalition. All members are requested to attend if possible.

Mark Poloncarz, President

Greetings from Honduras on CAFTA

2005-06-05T23:18:00.000-04:00

This came to us on our forum from Honduras where Elise Garvey, the WNY Coalition for Progress' Foreign Affairs & Global economic Affairs Working Group Chair, is volunteering for the summer. If you ever wonder if our members participate in our community, here is one participating in the world community!

Greetings from Honduras! I am on a much needed break on the island of Roatan after spending a week working in a small base community in the Baja Lempa in El Salvador called Nueva Esperanza. Let me tell you what an amazing group of people they are. The people who started this community built it from the ground up, literally, after suffering through a twelve year civil war that killed tens of thousands of people in El Salvador and displaced hundreds of thousands more (which the US government provided support to the Salvadoran government to continue by the way). They were given no support from the government, just the land, but now have a school system, clean water, a sanitary system, health care, etc.

One of the ways they provide a small amount of income to the community is through growing crops like coconuts, sugar, etc. When we were given a tour of the cooperative, Don Pilar (you can read his story in Like Gold in the Fire, along with stories from other members of the community) was explaining how CAFTA could wipe out their ability to grow these crops because of the way the agreement works. Markets are flooded and small farmers destroyed as we saw in Mexico with corn among other things.

To think that these people lived through civil war, the loss of family members, loved ones, and built a community without government aid and now face the loss of much needed income by the actions of the same government. I have run out of minutes at the internet cafe, but I will write again on this. I wasn't able to get all of my thoughts together.

Take care and please look further into this and write to your representatives. This could mean destruction to a lot of people. Faithfully,

Elise Garvey
Co-Chair Foreign Policy and Global Economic Affairs Working Group

WNY Coalition for Progress gets a plug

2005-06-03T12:20:00.000-04:00

I got a call today that Bauerle was talking about the Bass Pro deal, and apparently he was on the Jim O "corporate welfare" bandwagon. (This is a repost off my BuffaloPundit weblog).

I called in as "Alan" (natch) and said that I think the Bass Pro deal is a great one for Erie County. I managed to give the screener about 5 reasons, but on the phone, I only got one out: that Bass Pro wouldn't be spending $57 million on a losing proposition.

Bauerle said that I was wrong, and that Jim O had told him that Bass Pro only commits to 22 million in the MOU. Well, Jim O's wrong. Two sentences control Bass Pro's outlay (section (B)(4)); the first one is written horribly, and seems to indicate that the $57 million includes the public money. But the next sentence clarifies that Bass Pro itself is going to pay $57 million. You have to read both sentences, and not take the first one out of context. That being said, I actualy spoke with a Bass Pro rep in early April, and he confirmed the $57 million figure for me, so that's that.

Next, I mentioned that I belong to a group that was analyzing the Bass Pro deal, and he asked me which one, and I plugged the WNY Coalition for Progress. He asked me who funded it. I was quite taken aback, (what the hell's the point of this inquiry?), and replied "just people - average citizens." Bauerle was quite intent on ferreting out whether we were a developer's group, or what. I replied that it's a progressive group, and he called it liberal-socialist. I replied that I'm a centrist - a former Republican who switched democrat, and that we have members from all political spectra. We have socialists and conservatives as members, we're non-profit and don't endorse candidates.

He said I was being defensive, and I replied that I was frankly surprised by these questions. I said he could read all about it at www.wnyprogress.org. Then I got cut off.

Then I turned on my radio, and heard that he'd love to have me and Ostrowski on at the same time.

I called back and asked for his producer, but only got the screener. I told the screener my name, the name of this blog, and told Tom I'd go on with him and Jim O any day, any time.

And look for the WNY Coalition for Progress to come out with a real analysis of the Bass Pro deal, and not a droll hit piece like Free Buffalo's.

New National Blog - tpmcafe.com

2005-05-31T15:00:00.000-04:00

There is a new good national blog from Josua Micha Marshall, the man behind Talking Points Memo, with many well known contributors - tpmcafe.com.

This week's guest blogger is non other than John Edwards!! Check it out, it is quite good:

Sat. June 4th - Art Alive

2005-05-31T13:16:00.000-04:00

Here is where I put in a plug for an organization I have been involved with for a long time - the New Group @ the Albright-Knox. This Saturday, June 4th, the New Group will be holding its annual, and very popular, Art Alive!!

Art Alive is a walking, talking, living tableau contest in which contestants create, through costumes and props, a living representation of their favorite work of art from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery or any other major art collection. This is a great event for the whole family, and best of all it is FREE!!

So bring everyone down to see the many tableaus and cheer on your favorite as they all compete for cash prizes in a great community event. Here are some entrants from last year's Art Alive and this year's details are below:

ART ALIVE
Saturday, June 4
Noon – 2 P.M.
Back of Albright-Knox Art Gallery Lawn facing Hoyt Lake
Free!!!!!!
Awards Ceremony, 1:45 P.M.

Rain Date, Sunday, June 5

http://www.albrightknox.org/artalive.html

NIagara Air Base Closing - Offer Comments

2005-05-24T09:35:00.000-04:00

The WNY Coalition for Progress will be issuing a statement on the proposed closing of the Niagara Falls Air Base. We would appreciate all members to comment on the proposed closing, and many of your comments will be included in the statement.

So please offer your opinion on the proposed base closing!!

Upcoming Meetings & Events

2005-05-20T13:32:00.000-04:00

2 Events TONIGHT May 24th!!

Healthcare Working Group Meeting
May 24, 2005; 7 PM
American Express Financial Advisors
6622 Main Street #2
Williamsville

The WNY Progress Report
w/hosts Cliff Parks & Kevin Burd
Tues. May 24th, 4-5 pm
WHLD, 1270 AM
Guest: Artvoice'sMichael Niman
Please Call in with Questions or Comments: 855-6848 or 855-6862

General WNY Coalition for Progress Meeting
Mon. June 13, 7:00 pm
Eggertsville/Snyder Library
4622 Main Street
Snyder, NY 14226

IT'S BACK - RETURN OF THE COALITION FORUM!!

2005-05-13T20:19:00.000-04:00

Now that we are on a stable server we are bringing back the extremely popular WNY Coalition Internet Town Forum.

You can post stories, news articles, your comments on issues and converse back and forth with fellow members. Unfortunately as this is a brand new board all members will have to re-register, so click here to signup for the new Internet Town Forum: http://wnyprogress.org/phpbb/index.php.

Next WNY Development & Economic Affairs Working Group Meeting - 5/17/05

2005-05-13T15:05:00.000-04:00

NEXT WNY DEVELOPMENT WORKING GROUP MEETING:
TUESDAY MAY 17, 7:15 PM
CAFE ALLEGRO
1374 HERTEL AVENUE, BUFFALO

On the Agenda:
- Statement of the WNY Coalition on Bass Pro project;
- Radio Forum on the Erie County Fiscal Crisis;
- Review of proposed waterfront casino on NFTA property;
- other issues.

For more information please contact Working group chair Ellen Poch

Next WNY Progress Report - 5/17/05

2005-05-13T14:57:00.000-04:00

On the next edition of The WNY Progress Report, host Cliff Parks & special co-host Kevin Burd will discuss the environment and how much we have lost under President Bush's reign. Special guest Walter Simpson, a noted local environmentalist and activist, will join Cliff and Kevin.

The WNY Progress Report -

Tuesday from 4:00 - 5:00 PM on WHLD AM - 1270

Please Call in: 855-6848 or 855-6862

Brought to you by the WNY Coalition for Progress' Media & Communication Working Group

5-3-05 WNY Progress Report - Bass Pro & Bush Foreign Policy

2005-05-03T11:56:00.000-04:00

NEXT WNY PROGRESS REPORT -
Tuesday May 3rd
4:00 - 5:00 PM
WHLD 1270-AM

On Tuesday May 3rd, Cliff Parks & Mark Poloncarz, the Odd Couple of Buffalo Radio, will be joined by the "Buffalo Pundit" on the next edition of the WNY Progress Report to discuss his take and research on issues related to the proposed Bass Pro shop redevelopment of the Memorial Auditorium Project.

Cliff & Mark will then discuss issues related to the Bush Administration's foreign policy, and its decision to stand behind embattled UN Ambassador pick John Bolton.

You can play a part in this exciting new radio program by calling in with your comments or questions: 855-6848 and 855-6862.

So listen to the WNY Progress Report for the latest in local, national and international news and discussion on the important topics of the day!

The WNY Progress Report is a produced by the WNY Coalition for Progress' Media & Communications Working group.

Upcoming Working Group Meetings

2005-04-22T11:09:00.000-04:00

The working groups for the WNY Coalition for Progress have been hard at work and have scheduled more meetings. Here is the upcoming schedule:

Healthcare & Social Security Working Group Meeting
Thursday April 28, 2005, 7:00 PM
American Express Financial Advisors, Suite 2
Williamsville Professional Park
6622 Main Street Williamsville, NY 14221

On the Agenda:

- President's Social Security Privtaization Plan
- Medicaid in New York
- Other Issues

Foreign Policy & Global Economic Affairs Working Group Meeting
Tuesday May 3rd, 6:30 PM
Cafe Allegro
1374 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, New York

On the Agenda:

- Discussion on Refugees in Buffalo from Crisis in Darfur led by Elise Garvey
- Examination of G-7 Meeting and Third World Debt Issues led by Maureen Hoeffren Ponicki
- Discussion on Status of North Korea Nuclear Program led by Nelson Starr

Civil Rights & First Amendment Working Group Meeting
DATE CHANGE!!!! DATE CHANGE
Monday May 2nd, 7:00 PM
Snyder/Eggertsville Public Library
4622 Main Street, Amherst

Next WNY Progress Report - Was Jesus a Liberal?

2005-04-21T22:50:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday April 26th, from 4:00 - 5:00 pm on WHLD 1270-AM, Cliff Parks will host the next edition of the WNY Progress Report with co-host Mark Poloncarz and special guest Rev. Sarah Smith of the Kenmore United Church of Christ. They will discuss whether Jesus was a Liberal, Conservative, or non-partisan? They will also discuss whether there is a growing religious left movement and how those on the religious left perceive those on the right.

Cliff and Mark will then review the president's Social Security privatization proposal and the debate in general. They will be taking calls on all issues, and look forward to another great show.

The WNY Progress Report, a presentation of the WNY Coalition for Progress' Media & Communications Working Group, can be heard on WHLD 1270-AM from 4:00 pm - 5:00 PM.

STARTING THIS TUESDAY APRIL 19TH: THE WNY PROGRESS REPORT

2005-03-31T17:37:00.000-05:00

Starting this upcoming Tuesday April 19th, from 4:00 - 5:00 PM on WHLD, AM-1270, Cliff Parks will host THE WNY PROGRESS REPORT. The show will focus on local, national and even international issues - from the Erie County Budget Crisis to the right wing nature of the Republican party. Cliff will be joined by Coalition president Mark Poloncarz as his co-host, and special guest James Hartman to discuss the Erie County Budget Fiasco.

If you would like more information ON THE SHOW or become a sponsor of the THE WNY PROGRESS REPORT, please contact the Coalition Here. As always, if you would like to play a part in Media & Communications working group please e-mail working group Chairperson Cliff Parks, Jr.

So tune in to WHLD AM-1270 from 4:00 -5:00 pm each Tuesday to hear a sane voice on the radio - Cliff Parks and THE WNY PROGRESS REPORT!!

What Do You Think Is Really Needed for WNY?

2005-03-29T09:01:00.000-05:00

OK, free forum blog time. We are asking our readers/members to comment on what they really believe is necessary to move this area forward - lower taxes, consolidation of City and County, consolidation of all municpalities, no consolidation, electing new leaders, reforming Albany, all of the above, none of the above?

Feel free to bring up any topic because no idea is a silly idea. If we are too move forward we need to know what everyone is thinking. So go at it and comment on what you think is really needed to move Buffalo, Erie County and WNY forward to a better future.

New Updates to the Website

2005-03-25T21:40:00.000-05:00

The WNY Coalition for Progress' Website has been updated to provide links to all the working groups. More changes will be forthcoming, including a new logo, but for now check out the website at http://www.wnyprogress.org.

A local education weblog.

2005-03-23T12:02:00.000-05:00

Florence Johnson, the President of the Buffalo Board of Ed has a blog called "A Permanent Revolution"

Education is the key to this region's future. It's quite obvious that Ms. Johnson gets it. Pay her a visit.

3-24-05 Meeting of WNY Coalition ROOM CHANGE

2005-03-22T16:26:00.000-05:00

Please note that the WNY Coalition for Progress general meeting to be held this Thursday, March 24th at 7:00 pm will be held in the same building, but different room. The location is

Buffalo State College
Campbell Student Union
ROOM 415
1300 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, New York

The Student Union is behind the main library which is behind Rockwell Hall. A map can be found here:

http://www.buffalostate.edu/pdf/campusmap.pdf.

The student union is building 8A on the map.

Kevin Gaughan will be present to discuss his onebuffalo movement. He is slated to speak at 7:30 pm

3-20-05 Sunday Buffalo News Article on Erie County

2005-03-22T15:36:00.000-05:00

This article was on the front page of the Viewpoints section in Sundays Buffalo News. Many are commenting to it elsewhere so please respond below.

A realistic Erie County budget
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We need to move beyond babble and deal with the hard realities
By JAMES M. HARTMAN
Special to The News 3/20/2005

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050320/1010201.asp

The recent Buffalo News poll on the Erie County budget crisis was highly curious. Some 75 percent of respondents opposed raising the sales tax. However, 64 percent disagreed or expressed uncertainty about the layoff of county workers. Apparently, most people thought there was some easier, more painless way to cut the budget. Well, bluntly put, most people were wrong in that viewpoint - and therein lies the heart of our current public dilemma.

Perhaps the best insight into the contradictory public mood came in the Feb. 22 Buffalo News column by Jeff Simon. He described our quality of public discourse in Erie County as reduced to "government by babble." Simon correctly points to some elements of the media as deliberate, self-serving purveyors of bad information. The worst offenders are our local Rush Limbaugh imitators on talk radio.

More interesting, however, is the phenomenon of certain television stations that have aired inaccurate, sensationalized reports that both originated from and whipped up their e-mail constituencies. Even the usually thoughtful Donn Esmonde of The Buffalo News has written multiple columns based more on emotion than analysis.

Well, congratulations to the cheerleaders of the "tax revolution." The guillotine is in full swing and heads are rolling. Sadly, we are now dismantling the basic service delivery capacity of county government. More disturbing, despite the bloodletting, Erie County is still headed for fiscal insolvency.

The public has been badly confused and misled. Engaging in babble does not solve a budget crisis. Someone needs to pick up a calculator, do some honest math and share the simple but hard facts with the public. So, let's give that method a try.

Are our taxes in Erie County too high?
Yes, of course, but that's no different from elsewhere in New York State. According to the most recent data, compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, local taxpayers in New York pay property and sales taxes with a statewide average that is 72 percent above the national average.

Meanwhile, state government taxes in New York are 3 percent below the national average. This situation results from a deliberate Albany strategy to push Medicaid and education costs downward to local governments while resisting a more progressive system of statewide income taxation.

But, hey, everybody, surprise! County taxpayers in Erie are under-taxed relative to other counties. We have not had a major tax hike in Erie County in more than 10 years. Increases during the late 1990s in the last years of the Gorski administration were quite minor.

Then enter the Giambra administration, which foolishly initiated a 33 percent property tax cut in 1999-2000 - removing $70 million of permanent revenue. As is by now well known, it plugged subsequent budgets with nonrecurring reserve and tobacco funds.

We often hear the statistic that property taxes in Erie County are 42 percent above the national average. This number comes from the New York State Business Council and includes school, town and county taxes. However, the same report shows that property taxes in upstate New York overall are 55 percent higher than the national average. The number is 70 percent in Monroe County and 75 percent in Albany County.

Property taxes in Erie County are less than in other areas of the state because our county portion is comparatively quite low. Our current county property tax rate is $4.24 per $1,000 of assessed value. Other upstate counties have rates more than double that amount.

Those county governments gradually raised property taxes in recent years while Erie existed in an unreal world of fiscal gimmickry and obfuscation. Why do you think we "suddenly" had a 2005 budget hole of $130 million? I

s Erie County government bloated and wasteful?
The answer is no. The Gorski administration had cut 1,400 jobs during its tenure. County Executive Joel Giambra has not achieved similar economies - but neither did it add extravagant spending to the operating budget. Objectively analyzed, there is limited waste or "fat" in the county's operating budget. (Note: The Giambra capital budget, funded with borrowed and tobacco monies, has grown markedly.)

The operating budget is more than $1 billion - half from federal and state sources and half from local tax sources. Of the county-funded portion, more than two-thirds is dictated by federal and state mandates in areas such as Medicaid, social services and criminal justice.

The county has discretion over only about $150 million. Of that amount, more than 75 percent goes to personnel. Simple conclusion: Cutting the budget means cutting people who provide basic services.

In my role as budget adviser to the County Legislature, I spent several months examining that $150 million. In my judgment, the county reasonably could have cut about $50 million of that total.

To mitigate the service impact, those cuts should have been phased in over one year and accompanied with well-planned management reforms. Even so, we would have needed to make some tough choices with regards to work rules and fringe benefits, the libraries, the sheriff's patrol and the Erie County Medical Center.

In contrast, the recent action to cut up to $110 million - with immediate implementation - is recklessness verging on insanity. Public outrage will grow as the details and impacts emerge. We are willfully destroying the basic institutions of county government. We are at risk of doing irreparable damage to the economic competitiveness and quality of life in our region.

Erie County is not overstaffed relative to other counties. The Buffalo News report of Feb. 13 showing the county to have 9,000 employees compared to 4,667 in Monroe County was highly misleading. The Monroe number is regular, full-time employees. The Erie number included 2,300 grant-funded and part-time employees.

Erie County has about 6,700 full-time employees - of which 2,000 work at the medical center. Monroe County has no public hospital. Thus, staffing levels in equivalent functions are quite similar in the two counties.

What about the reports of patronage, pork and perks?

This issue has been wildly exaggerated. Some employees indeed may obtain jobs using political connections. Giambra has admitted to poor judgment on certain high-profile officials. But many so-called "patronage" jobs are necessary positions filled by qualified people doing good work. Flagrant patronage abuse probably existed with about 100 positions - the elimination of which saved close to $3 million.

With regards to the so-called "pork," there was about $4 million of discretionary funds available to the Legislature and executive for community projects. Most of those projects were worthwhile - but they were not a priority and were eliminated. Also, the final budget cut more than $100,000 in take-home cars, cell phones, etc.

So we now have saved about $7 million in the notorious category of patronage, pork and perks. But let's not pretend that it represents a solution to the basic budget problem. Some legislators guilefully used this issue as an excuse not to vote for the sales tax increase.

What is the true structural condition of the county's budget?

The number of $130 million was widely reported as the 2005 budget gap. But the true gap actually was about $180 million. The Giambra administration stuffed its proposed budgets - both the red and green versions - with its usual fiscal tricks. Sales tax receipts are overestimated by about $20 million. The administration also included $30 million of nonrecurring reserve and tobacco funds. In its final budget actions, the executive and Legislature agreed to another $15 million of one-shot fixes.

Because of the fudged approach to 2005, the outlook for 2006 is quite alarming. Reserve funds will be totally depleted. Thus, the county will enter 2006 with a starting gap of at least $65 million that needs to be filled with real money. That number makes two highly optimistic assumptions: 1) that all the projected 2005 savings will be realized, and 2) that Albany proposals to cap local Medicaid costs will succeed. Otherwise, the 2006 problem grows even larger.

What should we do now?

The citizens of Erie County now have a basic choice. We can acquiesce to the current path initiated by a minority group of misguided, inexperienced legislators. Alternatively, we can decide to restore some level of sanity and stability to our county. This latter choice will be difficult and it will require accepting the needed reality of a major tax increase.

How much of a tax increase? Follow the logic of the math I've presented. We should fund at least $60 million of service restorations. We need to raise about $70 million to ensure solvency to the 2006 budget. Thus, we need $130 million of new revenue.

This money should come from a combination of sales and property tax increases. The sales tax increase should take effect in the second half of 2005 to guard against any further risks to this year's budget. The property tax increase should take effect in 2006.

Many citizens will argue that we should not raise taxes locally without the guarantee of mandate relief from Albany. That view is befuddled. Other counties have pressed for reform while managing responsibly in the interim. Only Erie County has decided to protest by blowing itself to pieces. We are not advancing our case in Albany. We simply look foolish, and we are hurting ourselves deeply. We need to come back to our senses.

Copyright 1999 - 2005, The Buffalo News

Member Ellen Poch's Letter to the Editor of the Buffalo News

2005-03-21T09:33:00.000-05:00

3/20/05
Buffalo News

How many local taxpayers wanted this revolution?

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050320/5035952.asp

It would be nice, wouldn't it, if we could describe this entire budget mess not as red or green but as a revolution of John and Jane taxpayer? Those poor souls who have paid too many taxes over the years are just fed up. Where do they reside? No offense, but probably in Amherst. Did the rest of us taxpayers want this revolution?

How do you measure a revolution? By the callers to Sandy Beach's show? By Channel 2's Web log? Or do you instead look to an inept government that had no notion of a balanced budget and looked for the easy button - a taxpayer revolt?

It's true that the taxpayers did not want an increase in the sales tax or the property tax. That is why we are in the mess we are in, and need to cut the jobs of the lowest-salaried workers. More than 1,300 people are losing their jobs. These people are also taxpayers.

Our leaders now point to this opportunity for regionalism. This is another convenient distraction. Show us reform, show us willingness to cut your own fat while cutting the life out of this region.

No matter how you describe this budget process, the poor have lost their jobs and the rich politicians remain in office. We have no parks to play in, fewer days to look at art and little left to do but leave.

Ellen Poch

Buffalo

Elmwood reconstruction

2005-03-17T15:18:00.000-05:00

Someone from the group should go to this & report back. -ed.

ELMWOOD RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT
SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2:00 PM
ALBRIGHT-KNOX ART GALLERY AUDITORIUM

The city is rebuilding Elmwood Avenue from the Scajaquada Expressway to
Forest Avenue, something that won’t happen again for years.

Don’t miss your chance to get your input into what we end up with. Will it
be just a reconstruction of what’s there, or will we get a gateway into
the Elmwood Village, a project that highlights the museum district, and
something we can be proud of for many years.

Representatives from Forever Elmwood, Partners for a Livable Western New
York and the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo and WNY will
present some alternate plans and ideas for discussion.

Proposed Bass Pro Transaction - Coalition to Review

2005-03-14T22:12:00.000-05:00

The WNY Coalition for Progress will be examining the issue related to the proposed Bass Pro Shop/Memorial Auditorium rehabilitation to determine whether it is a good or bad proposition for WNY. As part of this process we are asking our members to voice their opinions below. All opinions matter and we ask all to state the reasons why they do or do not support the deal. We also ask everyone to use their true names, not pseudonyms, so we know who you are. If you are uncomfortable posting information on this site you may e-mail the Coalition at wnyprog@wnyprogress.org.

All opinions will be taken into consideration, but they will not be determinative to the final choice. Ultimately the board will make a decision based on members' opinions, review of the proposed transaction and the impact other similar projects had on other communities.

Therefore, please comment with your opinions below.

Mark Poloncarz, President
WNY Coalition for Progress

Next General Meeting 3-24-05

2005-03-14T22:07:00.000-05:00

Coming off of the successful and fun fundraiser held last weekend, the WNY Coalition for Progress will be holding its next general meeting on Thursday March 24th at 7:00 pm at the Fireside Lounge, 2nd Floor of the Student Center at Buffalo State College.

We will be going over quite a number of items and hope you all will make it.

Reminder - Fundraiser This Saturday March 12th!!

2005-03-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

The First Annual WNY Coalition for Progress Fundraiser.

WHEN: Saturday March 12th, 6:00 - 10:00 PM

WHERE: American Serbian Club, 1200 Tonawanda Steet (Corner of Tonawanda & Roswell Streets just off of the Vulcan Street Exit on the I-190, Buffalo

WHO WILL BE THERE: Everybody!! including Mark Green, former NYC Mayoral Candidate and the founder and president of the New Democracy Project which is a New York City-based national/urban affairs public policy institute that seeks to provide policymakers and the public with thoughtful solutions that promote democratic participation, economic fairness and social justice.

WHY ARE WE HAVING IT: To have a Great Time (and just like every other not-for-profit today because we need $).

COST: $20 or $15 for students with valid ID gets you in the door for food, beverages (beer for those 21 or older, cash bar for the hard stuff) and music from some of WNY finest musicians including Coalition members Bob Farmer and Joni Russ (others to play as well).

As the Fonz used to say "Be There or Be Square!"

2005-03-06T21:28:00.000-05:00

Please Note a Change in the Location of the March 8th Healthcare & Social Security Working Group Meeting.

March 8, 2005, 7:00 PM
Higher Grounds Coffeehouse
3622 Sheridan Drive, Amherst NY

The war against AARP

2005-03-01T11:13:00.000-05:00

The Bush Administration is out to change social security. It'll cost trillions, it'll decrease benefits for younger people, and it'll enrich Wall Street. There are lots of good ways that Social Security could be strengthened, but drawing money out of it doesn't seem like the best one.

AARP opposes Bush's plan. If you were over 50, and someone was discussing gutting a program on which you're relying, you'd be pissed, (or at least cautious) too.

Bushies can't tolerate disagreement with their policies, so they wage war on the dissenters. They literally hired the Swift Boat liars to smear AARP, and (like good little sheep) the disingenuous cretins at NRO join in on the fun. And so will Hindrocket and Big Trunk and other right-wing bloggers - those with and without homoerotic pseudonyms.

As I briefly discussed previously, USA Next is wholly owned by the (mostly foreign-owned) pharmaceutical industry. It is supposedly the "conservative" answer to AARP, which is non-partisan. USA Next is also a dishonest and deceptive organization.

AARP took a big political risk supporting Bush's medicare drug plan, and this is the thanks they get. What's so weird is that USA Next; a group no one had heard of a month ago, decides to call AARP "liberal", and the right wing just plays along. Not one critical question is raised.

And why, pray, do I call NRO disingenuous cretins? Why, because they are!

Another sign that the AARP is driven by politics is that it has stumbled into that common pitfall of partisan advocates — hypocrisy. In one of its ads it has a couple saying of investing in the stock market: "If we feel like gambling, we'll play the slots." This from an organization that offers its members the opportunity to invest in 38 separate mutual funds. To date, the AARP doesn't encourage its members to play Internet poker or slots on its website, a sign that it doesn't truly consider investing equivalent to gambling.

Puhleeeese. Give. Me. A. Break. Rich Lowry must either be stupid, or he must think his readers are stupid.

It is not hypocrisy for AARP on the one hand to offer its members discount stock market/mutual fund sales & services, and to oppose privatization of Social Security on the other. One is discretionary. The other would be mandatory. Big difference.

And what of USA Next's horrible attack ad?

[It's] riding a wave of publicity from its (rather ham-fisted) attack on the AARP on the issue of gay marriage (an AARP affiliate in Ohio opposed an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment in the state).

And, I guess, therein lies AARP's liberal agenda?

I mean, seriously, can someone explain to me AARP's supposed "liberal agenda" beyond its opposition to SocSec privatization and the preceding paragraph? I didn't think so. It's all made up. Unless 10% off at Comfort Inn is "liberal". It's a consumer advocacy group where the consumers are all over 50.

An AARP chapter in Ohio opposed the anti-marriage amendment in Ohio, because they thought the wording of the measure was too vague, and might affect heterosexual relationships.

The Bush attack machine is all about lying, manipulation, paid propaganda, a complete divorce from facts and reality, and getting the right-wing echo chamber to parrot it all.

So go ahead, dittohead seniors, and join USA Next. Their agenda is directed from Washington, and paid for by big pharma. Sounds like they're really looking out for you. What does the treasonous AARP get its ideas, you ask? AARP's policies are determined not by the staff in Washington, D.C., but by AARP members.

George W. Bush predicted the insolvency of Social Security by 1988. He was wrong then, and he's wrong now.

Glad they've changed the tone.

March 3rd Youth Caucus & Media & Communications Working Group Meetings

2005-03-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

The Working groups are just moving along. The latest to set a meeting is the newest working group:

The Youth Caucus of the WNY Coalition for Progress. They will be meeting on

Thursday March 3rd at 7:30 PM at

Higher Grounds Coffeehouse (Sheridan and Millersport in Amherst).

For more information please contact Dan Elkan at delkan2002@yahoo.com.

Also Meeting on Thursday March 3rd at 7:30 PM at the

Higher Grounds Coffeehouse will be the

Media & Communications Working Group.

For more information on that group please contact Cliff Parks at cparks1138@msn.com

IT'S COMING: THE BIG WNY COALITION FUNDRAISER!!

2005-03-01T09:56:00.000-05:00

Prepare to get your party on at the next BIG event in WNY: the First Annual WNY Coalition for Progress FUNDRAISER.

WHEN: Saturday March 12th, 6:00 - 10:00 PM

WHERE: American Serbian Club, 1200 Tonawanda Steet (Corner of Tonawanda & Roswell Streets just off of the Vulcan Street Exit on the I-190, Buffalo

WHO WILL BE THERE: Everybody!! including Mark Green, former NYC Mayoral Candidate and the founder and president of the New Democracy Project which is a New York City-based national/urban affairs public policy institute that seeks to provide policymakers and the public with thoughtful solutions that promote democratic participation, economic fairness and social justice.

WHY ARE WE HAVING IT: To have a Great Time (and just like every other not-for-profit today because we need $).

COST: $20 or $15 for students with valid ID gets you in the door for food, beverages (beer for those 21 or older, cash bar for the hard stuff) and music from some of WNY finest musicians.

For more information or to volunteer please contact event Co-Chair Jeremy Zellner at yankeeone21@msn.com

Hope to See You There!!!

New Forum is Up: http://wnyprogress.org/forum/index.php

2005-03-01T09:51:00.000-05:00

After having problems with the old forum the new forum is up. Its address is

http://wnyprogress.org/forum/index.php

We are still having some problems with our host (which caused the transfer from the other forum). Depending on when you try to log in you should be able to access the forum. If you are having problems please add a comment to this thread and let me know what problem you had (couldn't get to forum, couldn't log on). It is important I have this information to take back to server host to detail any issues. Thanks,

Mark Poloncarz

March 15th Foreign Policy Working Group

2005-03-01T09:49:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Foreign Policy/Federal Trade Working Group will be held on

Tuesday March 15, 2005 @ 7:00 PM at

Cafe Allegro
1374 Hertel Avenue(corner of Saranac Avenue)
Buffalo, New York

The working group will discuss formulation of the group's mission statement and research conducted on a specific set of issues by members of the organization. To find out more please e-mail Elise Garvey at garveye@canisius.edu.

March 8, 2005: Healthcare Working Group Meeting

2005-03-01T09:44:00.000-05:00

Please note a location change for this meeting!!!!

The Healthcare & Social Security Working Group will hold its next meeting on

Tuesday March 8th at 7:00 PM at:

Higher Grounds Coffeehouse
3622 Sheridan Drive, Amherst NY

For more information please contact Ayesha Nariman Social Security Group Chair at ayesha@localnet.com or Renata Kowalczuk Health Care Group Chairr at kowalczuk@yahoo.com

Medicaid

2005-02-23T09:36:00.000-05:00

I think Esmonde overstates, to some degree, the affect of Medicaid on the county budget crisis and minimizes Giambra's own mismanagement.

Doesn't matter. He makes a valid point.

"The county made the payroll-and-perk cuts that come every day in corporate America. But there's more to this disease than pink-slipping Victor M. Getz can cure. The local price of Medicaid siphoned an extra $81 million from taxpayer pockets the past five years. It will suction another $40 million over the next two. Where is that money coming from?

I'm ecstatic to see bloated political staffs jettisoned, keys to take-home cars turned in and 'free' cell phones turned off. We're upending a primitive political culture that sees government mainly as a jobs program.

I love that last sentence. It's right on the money.

But don't kid yourself that it will get better, that the cuts we've made loosen the high-tax stranglehold. To twist a line from the Bill Clinton era: It's the Medicaid, stupid. And it's not going away.

State lawmakers blasted County Executive Joel Giambra for his budget bungling. No argument. But Albany lawmakers put us against the financial wall by making Medicaid a collection bin for every health program and perk. From drug treatment to mental health care, what other states leave to managed care we dump into Medicaid.

We looked our fat self in the mirror, now Albany has to do the same. It has to stand up to special-interest muscle: The hospitals, health care worker unions, drug companies and everybody else overfed by the Medicaid beast.
If it doesn't happen, we will keep paying more taxes for less. With parks already gone, medical clinics shut and snowplows sidelined, I'd hate to see what less looks like. "

Schumer apparently is trying to cajole Albany into slowly lessening the county share of Medicaid throughout NYS. I'm proud to have a Senator really paying attention to such basic issues.

Thursday 2-24-05 Forum on City-County Merger

2005-02-22T20:25:00.000-05:00

On Thursday February 24th our friends from the Frontier Democrats Club will be holding a forum on the proposed merger of the City of Buffalo and Erie County. The following local officials will be on the panel:

State Senator and Mayoral candidate Byron Brown
City of Buffalo Council President David Franczyk
Regionalism advocate and Mayoral candidate Kevin Gaughan

The event is free and open to the public, and anyone interested in this important issue should attend. The Frontier Democrats meeting and forum will be held at

JP Bullfeathers Restaurant
1010 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo

and is slated to start at 8:00 pm. Hope to see everyone there!!

Things to remember

2005-02-18T15:27:00.000-05:00

When the now-vactioning King of Erie County tells you that it's "tragic" that the penny didn't get passed; remember - it was he who first introduced the red budget.

Donn Esmonde gets it exactly right today. Giambra wouldn't compromise. He refused to. He had to have it his way - his way meaning keep as much patronage cronies around as humanly possible.

When the legislature was working hard at City Court with Judge Makowski's mediators, Joel and his new best bud Al hatched their own plan - which still needed nine votes.

Make no mistake: Giambra started this. He let it escalate. His stubbornness and arrogance made it worsen. His short-sightedness and blind loyalty made it stick.

To top it off, on the day that 2,000 County Workers are getting axed, HRH jets off on vacation. Not that he's not allowed to, but a lot of politics is about perception.

Joel Giambra is to blame. Let's recall him.

Forum is Acting Funny - Please Comment If You Are Having any Problems

2005-02-18T14:25:00.000-05:00

Folks,

The forum (http://www.wnyprogress.org/phpBB) has been acting a little funny in the last 12 hours. Yesterday our hosting site was working on its servers and was shut down for a few hours late last night. I think it impacted the forum as some data has been lost, including 1 person who registered today and a couple of posts. I am not certain if the problems are permanent or not.

I am trying to clear this up - I think there may be a problem with the Board. If it does not work I may switch forums to a more stable version. Unfortunately that will require everyone to re-register and we will loose all of the posts because it is a different program and require you to go to a different site. So that is a last ditch scenario.

Please add a comment if you have had any problems as I need to know if there are problems.

Mark

Upcoming CoPro Working Group Meetings

2005-02-14T21:14:00.000-05:00

UPCOMING EVENTS:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Foreign Affairs Working Group Meeting
February 15, 2005, 7:00 PM
Cafe Allegro
1374 Hertel Avenue @ corner of Saranac Ave.
Buffalo, NY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Healthcare & Social Security Working Group Meeting
February 15, 2005, 7:00 PM
Contact Dean Carroll for location and directions to the meeting

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Media & Communications Working Groups Meeting
Thursday February 17, 2005 at 6:30
Talking Leaves Bookstore
3158 Main Street, Buffalo N.Y.

Working group will meet and then attend the performance and book signing of Barry Crimmins, author of "Never Shake Hands With a War Criminal." We will then network with the Buffalo Coalition for Progressive Media to see what local progressive media groups are doing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Education Working Group Meeting
Thursday February 17, 2005 at 7:00
Medaille College Library
18 Agassiz Circle
Buffalo, New York 14214

Statement of the WNY Coalition for Progress on the Erie Co. Fiscal Crisis

2005-02-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

The Western New York Coalition for Progress is a nonpartisan organization of hundreds of western New Yorkers dedicated to making our community and America a better place to live, work and raise a family. We are bound together by a common commitment to progressive values and we aspire to ensure that our national and local policies reflect these values.

As such, the members of the Coalition are extremely concerned about the present fiscal crisis facing Erie County and its impact on all of Western New York. While there are many factors for Erie County’s current financial deterioration, we believe the time has come for our elected officials to stop working behind the scenes in separate factions and instead come together to finalize a budget for 2005 that is responsive to the needs of the community. It is also incumbent upon our government to immediately address what will allegedly be a worse situation for 2006.

We choose to live in WNY because it is a culturally diverse, yet interconnected, community. To live here is to appreciate an unparalleled quality of life that is both the bedrock and allure of WNY. While we support the creation of a more efficient county workforce, we call for shared sacrifice among county departments through responsible leadership. We cannot support the county executive’s proposed slash and burn budget that cuts at the heart of the cultural and civic institutions that are the lifeblood of our community.

We call for an open process to resolve this dilemma – an open-minded approach based on open-door discussions between the county executive, legislature, labor unions and the citizens of Erie County. Let’s abandon color-coded budgets and put all services and issues on the table. It is crucial that all parties candidly work together to fashion a budget that controls unnecessary spending and waste, but does not resolve this crisis solely on the backs of the county’s citizens and workers.

As a first course of action towards creating a better county we urge our elected leaders from both sides of the political aisle to ask the New York State Comptroller’s Office to perform an audit of Erie County’s finances to reveal the true picture of the County’s financial status. Only through an examination by an independent source can we genuinely know the difficult fiscal path that we face for the coming years.

The WNY Coalition for Progress intends to be a part of this process. Members of our Healthcare and Social Security Working Group are examining New York’s Medicaid mandates, and intends to offer viable solutions or alternatives to this key program that impacts all local counties. While we work to address the issues that face western New York, we will not stand idly by and permit our legislators to shut Erie County down solely because they refuse to consider any new means of raising capital, just as we reject those who believe the only way out of this predicament is to raise taxes. Likewise, we will not tolerate our county executive’s cynical, punitive, and arbitrary shutdown of county parks and services. We will hold our local elected representatives accountable for their actions, or inactions, if they fail to fulfill the task we sent them to office to accomplish – to lead.

We know that no silver bullet or magic elixir exists to resolve Erie County’s fiscal condition. But only by working together, with open minds and towards a united goal of retaining our quality of life in western New York, will our community move forward. That is why we call on all parties, including the citizens of this community, to complete the budgetary process in an expedited, yet fiscally sound, manner by working together to make Erie County and Western New York a better place to call home.

Website & Forum Are Back Up/We are still finalizing County Fiscal Crisis Statement

2005-02-10T22:10:00.000-05:00

Last night the Website and Forum were down. They are back up now, so post away at the forum.

On another matter, the Board is still taking comment on the Erie County Fiscal Crisis as we finalize our statement. We should have this complete by Friday afternoon. So if you have any comment please send it now!!

Mark Poloncarz

Coalition to Address Erie Co. Fiscal Crisis

2005-02-10T01:00:00.000-05:00

Members of the WNY Coalition for Progress' Board of Directors met Wednesday evening in an attempt to draft a statement in response to Erie County's fiscal crisis. That statement is now being circulated to the full board, and we hope to have it ready for distribution by Friday.

As always, your comments are appreciated and will be incorporated into the statement. Therefore please comment below or on our new forum at http://www.wnyprogress.org/phpBB.

Thank you

Mark Poloncarz, President
WNY Coalition for Progress

New WNY Coalition for Progress Internet Town Forum is Online!!

2005-02-07T23:40:00.000-05:00

The New Internet Town Forum for the WNY Coalition for Progress is now online!! Anyone can view posts, but only Registered Members can post topics or comments to existing topics. Everyone should join this new site which will replace the Yahoo Forum.

http://www.wnyprogress.org/phpBB/

Hope to see everyone there!!

Erie Co. Budget Fiasco

2005-02-05T16:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, February 4, 2005, will be known as "Black Friday" for Erie County residents. The Erie Co. legislature failed to pass the additional one percent sales tax increase by the required 10 votes. Al DeBenedetti (D - West & Riverside) pulled his yes vote after Joel Giambra refused to discuss reductions in patronage jobs. As a result DeBenedetti refused to vote yes. Many will question the rationale behind each legislator's vote, but for now it is quite clear the people of Erie Co. are the losers.

In the next few weeks we will hear stories of the impact of vote, but the root cause of this debacle can be blamed on Erie Co. Executive Joel Giambra's failure to offer a realistic budget last November. He gambled that the voters of Erie Co. would rally behind his claim that NYS mandated Medicaid costs could only be addressed by proposing the red or green budget choice; a choice that put livelihoods, businesses and life in Erie Co. as we know it at risk. This gambled failed and what we are left with is even worse than the Red Budget, it might as well be called the "Dead Budget."

The WNY Coalition for Progress will be announcing its official position on this budgetary disaster soon, and all members are asked to offer their comments which will be taken into account in the formulation of our statement. Therefore, we are asking all to comment below,

Mark Poloncarz, President
WNY Coalition for Progress

Discuss Panel Discussion Here

2005-02-03T22:45:00.000-05:00

Tonight's panel discussion on the the 2004 Election and the Future Course for the Democratic Party sponsored by the WNY Coalition for Progress seems to have been a rousing success, but then again I am biased as I was the moderator. Please post your comments on the event and suggestions for future events. More information will be posted here and on the website at http://www.wnyprogress.org.

Thanks,
Mark Poloncarz

Permanent Website is Up and Running!!

2005-02-01T21:25:00.000-05:00

The WNY Coalition for Progress is pleased to announce that its permanent website is up and running by clicking either of the following 2 links:

http://www.wnyprogress.org or

http://wnyprogress.org.

Please change your bookmarks/preferences from the old beta site as I will be redirecting that link to the permanent site for now, and eventually taking it down.

Mark Poloncarz, President
WNY Coalition for Progress

Reminder - Panel Discussion this Thursday 2-3-05 on 2004 Election and Future Course of the Democratic Party

2005-02-01T09:16:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that the WNY Coalition for Progress will be holding a panel discussion on the 2004 Election and the Future Course of the Democratic Party this Thursday, February 3, 2005 at 6:00 pm at the Richard Winter Student Center on the campus of Canisius College.

A campus map with directions to the Student Center is available on our website here: http://wnyprogress.org/coproevents.htm.

If you plan on attending I ask that you drop me an e-mail at mpoloncarz@yahoo.com with the number of attendees so we have an idea on the number attending.

Also, because parking at Canisius can be a little tight, I suggest that everyone try to arrive no later than 5:45 pm to make the beginning of the program.

More information on the event is below and hope to see everyone there,

Mark Poloncarz
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Panel Discussion on 2004 Election and Future Course of Democratic Party
February 3, 2005, 6:00 PM
Richard Winter Student Center, Regis Room
Canisius College
Buffalo, New York 14214

A discussion about what Happened in 2004 elections and whatProgressives and Democrats need to do to take back the Congress andthe White House in 2006 and 2008.

Panelists:
Simon Peter Gomez, Asst. Professor of Political Science, BuffaloState College
William Graebner, Professor of History Emeritus, SUNY-Fredonia
Kevin Hardwick, Professor of Political Science, Canisius College
Len Lenihan, Chairman, Erie County Democratic Committee
Mark Thomas, County Executive, Chautauqua County
Antoine Thompson, City of Buffalo Councilman and Fmr. WNY Coordinator John Edwards for President

Moderator:
Mark Poloncarz, Fmr. WNY Coordinator, Kerry-Edwards 2004

Discussion will be free and open to public (or at least first 100 attendees as room holds at least 100).

For more information check out CoPro's beta website at http://www.poloncarz.com/wnycoalition.htm.

Democracy? In ALBANY!!??

2005-01-28T15:09:00.000-05:00

Too bad this is in the New York Daily News and not in the BUFFALO News:

"Under the new rules, lawmakers must be in their seats and push a button marked 'yea' or 'nay' to have their votes recorded.

So it was that Assemblyman Sam Hoyt of Buffalo had a captive audience when he spoke against extending an extra 1% sales tax in Erie County, on the grounds that his cash-strapped city would see none of the revenue. In previous years, Hoyt's plea had reverberated in a half-empty chamber, and the bill sailed through on the strength of automatic 'yes' votes. But this time, his colleagues had to pay attention. And whaddya know? They listened. And pushed the nay button.

At one point, Hoyt says, there were 79 'no' votes, enough to defeat the bill - something that never happens on the Assembly floor. Silver and his deputies swung into action, twisted arms and managed to switch enough Democrats back to 'yes' to pass the tax extension by an unusually close vote of 79 to 67.

Still, it was bracing to see the backbenchers, who normally clop along contentedly in harness, take the bit in their teeth even for a few minutes. 'We did a reform that has the potential to rock the boat a little bit,' Hoyt says. 'All of a sudden, the rank and file matter.'

Maybe they will, maybe they won't. It depends on whether they have the courage to stand up for what they believe when they're called on to actually, physically cast a vote. "

And just to be clear: the vote was on the already existing "temporary" penny; not on the Giambra penny.

NY Times Op-Ed, Paul Starr - Winning Cases, Losing Voters

2005-01-27T15:58:00.000-05:00

New York Times

January 26, 2005

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/opinion/26starr.html?oref=login

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

Winning Cases, Losing Voters

By PAUL STARR

rinceton, N.J.

AS Republicans revel in President Bush's inauguration and prepare for his agenda-setting State of the Union address next week, many Democrats would like to consider almost anything but the substance of politics as the reason for their defeat last November. If only John Kerry had been a stronger candidate. If only the message had been framed differently. If only the party's strategists were as tough as the guys on the other side.

The limits of candidates and campaigns, however, can't explain the Democrats' long-term decline. And while the institutional decay at the party's base - the decline of labor unions and ethnically based party organizations - has played a role, the people who point to "moral values" may not be far off. Democrats have paid a historic price for their role in the great moral revolutions that during the past half-century have transformed relations between whites and blacks, men and women, gays and straights. And liberal Democrats, in particular, have been inviting political oblivion - not by advocating the wrong causes, but by letting their political instincts atrophy and relying on the legal system.

To be sure, Democrats were right to challenge segregation and racism, support the revolution in women's roles in society, to protect rights to abortion and to back the civil rights of gays. But a party can make only so many enemies before it loses the ability to do anything for the people who depend on it. For decades, many liberals thought they could ignore the elementary demand of politics - winning elections - because they could go to court to achieve these goals on constitutional grounds. The great thing about legal victories like Roe v. Wade is that you don't have to compromise with your opponents, or even win over majority opinion. But that is also the trouble. An unreconciled losing side and unconvinced public may eventually change the judges.

And now we have reached that point. The Republicans, with their party in control of both elected branches - and looking to create a conservative majority on the Supreme Court that will stand for a generation - see the opportunity to overthrow policies and constitutional precedents reaching back to the New Deal.

That prospect ought to concentrate the liberal mind. Social Security, progressive taxation, affordable health care, the constitutional basis for environmental and labor regulation, separation of church and state - these issues and more hang in the balance.

Under these circumstances, liberal Democrats ought to ask themselves a big question: are they better off as the dominant force in an ideologically pure minority party, or as one of several influences in an ideologically varied party that can win at the polls? The latter, it seems clear, is the better choice.

Rebuilding a national political majority will mean distinguishing between positions that contribute to a majority and those that detract from it. As last year's disastrous crusade for gay marriage illustrated, Democrats cannot allow their constituencies to draw them into political terrain that can't be defended at election time. Dissatisfied with compromise legislation on civil unions and partner benefits, gay organizations thought they could get from judges, beginning with those on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, what the electorate was not yet ready to give. The result: bans on same-sex marriage passing in 11 states and an energized conservative voting base.

Public support for abortion rights is far greater than for gay marriage, but compromise may be equally imperative - especially if a reshaped Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade by finding that there is no constitutional right to abortion and throws the issue back to the states. Some savvy Democrats are already thinking along these lines, as Hillary Clinton showed this week when she urged liberals to find "common ground" with those who have misgivings about abortion.

And if a new Supreme Court overturns affirmative-action laws, Democrats will need to pursue equality in ways that avoid treating whites and blacks differently. Some liberals have long been calling for an emphasis on "race neutral" economic policies to recover support among working-class and middle-income white voters. Legal and political necessity may now drive all Democrats in that direction.

Republicans are leaving themselves open to this kind of strategy. Their party is far more ideologically driven and more beholden to the Christian right than it was even during the Ronald Reagan era. This is the source of the party's energy, but also its vulnerability. The Democrats' opportunity lies in becoming a broader, more open and flexible coalition that can occupy the center.

In the long run, Democrats will benefit from their strength among younger voters and the growing Hispanic population. But the last thing the Democrats need is a revived interest group or identity politics. As the response to Senator Barack Obama's convention speech showed, the party's own members are looking for an expansive statement of American character and national purpose.

Secure in their own lives at home, Americans can be a great force for good in the world. That is the liberalism this country once heard from Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy - and it is the only form of liberalism that will give the Democratic Party back its majority.

Paul Starr is the co-editor of The American Prospect and the author, most recently, of "The Creation of the Media."

Response of Ilona Middleton to Above Article, WNY Coalition for Progress member & Op-Ed Contributor:

I can't help thinking there's something wrong with this premise. Perhaps it's the "centrist" message imbedded in the article. Haven't we tried it before with Clinton, Gore, and, to a certain extent, Kerry? Is Starr intimating that we pussy foot around the important, though controversial, issues of our day?

We're dealing with a RADICAL regime, firmly entrenched in the republican party. Trying to beat this ideological group is going to take far more radical initiatives than Paul Starr has outlined. I've said it before and I mean it, we're going to have to turn the tables on them. The Bush junta (at least George) is intellectually challenged, although extremely cunning; immoral, although they profess otherwise; unpatriotic, though they would have you think they invented the word "patriotism", and power hungry. All this is proven and must be shouted from the highest hilltops. Gore Vidal said it quite clearly on "Democracy Now". He noted that George Bush's inaugural address was the most undemocratic speeches he had ever heard. Again, why aren't our democratic representatives jumping on this and spreading it around?

Trying to do political business in the traditional ways and, at the same time, trying to appeal to everyone will not cut it. Soft peddling major issues will not cut it. Hasn't anyone figured out yet, that it's going to take a revolution in governmental processes and thinking to assure that another George Bush doesn't come along to destroy our democracy and put other countries in jeopardy? We need another Paul Wellstone.

Ilona Middleton

Further Response from Anne Costello, WNY Coalition for Progress Member and Op-Ed Contributor:

Dear Ilona and List

I am glad that this is being discussed - I certainly agree that the Radical Right has

a) taken over the conservative Republican party, to the detriment of that party, our nation and the world;

and

b) intimidated most of the moderate center of the political spectrum.

We have a fair number of radicals of our own, who are pointing out the nakedness of the emperor: Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Daily Show come to mind. They are not intimidated, they strengthen us - or so I think.

And I certainly agree that our so-called mainstream media, like the NY Times and the Weak Kneed Washington Post, have been craven in response to some egregious manipulations by the Bushies.

However....

I think polarization can force extreme responses which turn out to be unhelpful.

What can we learn from the "blow-back" or unintended consequences of the great liberal changes of the past 80 years? Women's Sufferage and Prohibition, which came in simulaneously in 1919: women got to vote, but nobody got to drink, and organized crime expanded exponentially. Good goals don't necessarily make good laws. There's always a trade-off. It took the stock market crash to repeal Prohibition. And now we have the most stringent Drug Laws in the industrialized world, and the worst drug problems.

Truman reluctantly integrated the military, which has since become the most integrated organization in America. The various mainline churches were and are truly and deeply committed to integration, and yet churches are the most segregated organizations in America. The "mainline" churches have now almost completely lost their relevance and influence, and the "born-again" Christians have a vast power, expressed in right-wing extremism which seems focused against individual choice and freedom, and yet there is a significantly higher degree of racial integration in the Evangelicals than in the mainlines.

I fully agree that the present administration is being run by right-wing fanatics. All the more reason to be temperate, measured, and civil in our response. I applauded Barbara Boxer for her dignity and civility as well as her courage in challenging the lies of Condoleezza Rice.

I think Paul Starr has a point when he says: "Democrats have been inviting political oblivion - not by advocating the wrong causes, but by letting their political instincts atrophy and relying on the legal system. The great thing about legal victories like Roe v. Wade is that you don't have to compromise with your opponents, or even win over majority opinion. But that is also the trouble. An unreconciled losing side and unconvinced public may eventually change the judges."

I agree when he says that "Republicans are far more ideologically driven and more beholden to the Christian right than they were even during the Ronald Reagan era. This is the source of the party's energy, but also its vulnerability. The Democrats' opportunity lies in becoming a broader, more open and flexible coalition that can occupy the center....In the long run, Democrats will benefit from their strength among younger voters and the growing Hispanic population. But the last thing the Democrats need is a revived interest group or identity politics. As the response to Senator Barack Obama's convention speech showed, the party's own members are looking for an expansive statement of American character and national purpose."

In other words, I'm not sure that equal intensity in an opposite direction will move us forward.

And I'm wondering, strategically, if this discussion is more appropriate for the blog? Would we get more involvment? Should I have posted Paul Starr's piece there?

----------
Anne Costello
Buffalo
New York

Domestic Propaganda

2005-01-26T10:30:00.000-05:00

There's a reason that the Voice of America isn't broadcast domestically. It's been a given that it's at best bad form, and at worst Orwellian, for the government to propagandize to a domestic audience.

Domestic government propaganda was the province of fascists and communists. Democracies didn't do that sort of thing. Under totalitarian regimes, after all, there was no free press; all press was either wholly owned or wholly controlled by the country's propaganda ministry.

The VOA and Radio/TV Marti are controlled by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which is made up of dems and repubs, with the chairman being of the President's party. It is an autonomous and independent government agency. It is nominally under the watch of the State Department; the Sec of State is an ex officio member of the board.

The Bush Administration has pretty egregiously broken the longstanding ban on domestic propagandizing. It's yet another thing that the Right would have excoriated Clinton for, yet defends almost irrationally because it's Bush.

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS: This conservative commentator (featured on Townhall.com), was paid $240,000 cash money via contract with the Federal Department of Education to promote "No Child Left Behind."

There's more: Click here to read the rest.

Others Have Questions on NFTA's Outer Harbor Choice

2005-01-26T09:25:00.000-05:00

It looks like other stakeholders in the community have serious questions with the plan chosen by the NFTA for the Outer Harbor's redevelopment. Not so much the developers chosen, but the idea to put a convention center on the waterfront miles from downtown (my worry as well).

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050126/1023741.asp

2 quotes from the story are interesting and address issues brought up by Coalition members:

1) The Developer is worried about transportation to the site. Here is his quote:

He stressed that "easy transportation connections" will be critical to moving people between downtown and the outer harbor. In addition to circulating buses and roadway improvements, the developers are asking the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to consider extending Metro Rail service to the site.

This is what Alan has been calling for: extension of the Metro Rail to the Outer Harbor.

2) Luiz Kahl, NFTA chairman, basically revealed that a convention center will not happen if people don't want it there:

NFTA Chairman Luiz F. Kahl said that if the community does not want an outer harbor convention center, it will not happen: "This project doesn't hinge on a convention center. This isn't an all-or-nothing proposal."

I think this one statement will doom a convention center from being built on the Outer Harbor. Now that the cat has been let out of the bag, so to speak, many will argue against a convention center being built there.

Everyone's 2 cents is always appreciated on this matter. Please comment, we know you are out there...

Byron Brown - what's he thinking?

2005-01-25T14:21:00.000-05:00

Via NYCO's blog, we learn that the State Senate just doesn't get it. It doesn't get the idea that people are clamoring for reform; it doesn't get that the people are sick and tired of woefully dysfunctional government in Albany; it doesn't get the idea that a real democracy includes such radical ideas as "debate" and "persuasion."

The RINO Senate majority in Albany talked a big game about reform, but when it came down to it, they resorted to the same old, same old way of doing business.

Here are some choice quotes from Joe Bruno - who Doesn't Get It.:

Senate Republicans learned Monday just how painful opening the chamber's operations would be as they were scolded by Democrats for creating a reform package that minority members said won't cure legislative dysfunction.

Even though the package passed 33-24, with members voting almost entirely along party lines, the Republicans had to suffer through close to four hours of debate as Democrats alleged all manner of slights and unfairness.

*GASP* You mean the Republicans in the Senate actually had to SUFFER through DEBATE in their own legislative body? Perish the thought!

The Democrats put up eight amendments to the package; the Republicans who control the chamber shot them all down before they even made it to the floor for a full vote.

Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, said, "Reform is in the eye of the beholder."

"We're talking about ... a process that works and has worked," Bruno said. "It doesn't necessarily suit every individual, but governing is governing."

Note to Czar Bruno: what you folks in Albany are doing is not called "governing."

So, we learn that the vote as strictly along party lines. The RINOs backed their fearful leader, while the Dems opposed the non-reform reform.
All the Dems...except one.

"Sen. Byron Brown, D-Buffalo, was the only Democrat to vote 'yes' on the Republicans' reform package.

'I didn't want anyone to think I'm not for reform,' said Brown, who is all-but-certain to run in the Buffalo mayor's race this year and can't afford to be labeled as anti-reform."

This should be splashed across the pages of the News, but won't be. This is pathetic. This is selling out. This is the sort of thing that breeds cynicism about government in general, and dysfunctional Albany in particular.

Senator Brown has thrown his lot in with a guy who thinks that running the Senate like a personal fiefdom is good, right and "governing." And to top it all off, he does it for the cheap political payoff of being able to say he voted for "reform". As if the voters in Buffalo are too dim-witted and impatient to find out that he didn't vote for Bruno's reform because it didn't go far enough.