This'n'That; October Nineteenth [Disjointed NYS Government]

The Problem....or....The Solution?!?!
    'Tis the season for blather of, from and by all manner of crooks who want to replace all manner of crooks!!   I can only speak--as an informed layman--to the New York state government; I've lived here since 1982-when I made the unwise decision to return after military service and college.
    The state has steadily grown worse for the average taxpayer since the democRATs took control of the state assembly (sort of like the federal House of Representatives).  They've consistently increased benefit spending ostensibly to buy the votes of those involved.  Easily done with a democRAT voting majority of 71.8% to 28.2%, with the vast majority in the 'downstate' region.   The representative portion of the state government has nearly always been slanted toward the benefit of New York City.  Most of the leadership rolls are filled by 'City' or 'capital district' representatives!
    The democRATs have a representative majority in all the regions of the state with the exception of western New York.  There are only two major concentrations of population in western New York:

• They being the cities of Rochester and Buffalo. 
• Both cities have democRATic mayors (Rochester-Robert Duffy; Buffalo-Byron Brown);
• The counties surrounding these cities both have republicRAT county executives (Monroe [Rochester] Maggy Brooks; Erie [Buffalo] Chris Collins). 
•  Both county governments are democRAT; relegating each county executive to 'figurehead' status.

     The state Senate is barely controlled by the republicRATs with the slim voting majority of 52.5% to 47.5%.  Essentially, the entire state legislature is controlled from OUTSIDE the chambers by "three men in a backroom!!"  These 'men' determine the direction and tone of the upcoming legislative session, then send their henchmen out to convince the rest of the body to "go along, to get along!!"   This policy pretty much means providing the pork is such amounts as to assure the continuing votes of their constituents.

• New York State's per-capita spending was $7,082, well above the $4,961 national average. The only states that spent more were Vermont ($7,127), Wyoming ($7,861), and Alaska ($12,146).
• New York's per-capita state tax burden in 2005 was the 11th highest in the nation at $2,598. That number, 19 percent above the national average, includes all state taxes collected, but does not include local property or other taxes.
• New York spent more on welfare, including some Medicaid spending, than any other state in the country. The $2,209 per-capita total was 78 percent above the national average of $1,244.
• New York’s debt in 2005 was $5,280 – the fifth highest in the nation and 96 percent above the national average of $2,693.
• The state ranked sixth in per-capita spending on health care at $285. That number was 73 percent above the national average of $165.
• Per-capita hospital spending in New York was $211 in 2005, 46 percent above the national average.
• The state’s per-capita education spending was 8 percent above the national average at $1,657– 18th in the nation.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_members_of_the_New_York_State_Assembly
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Senate#Members_of_the_Senate
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Assembly
4. http://www.bcnys.org/whatsnew/2007/0207statespending.htm
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Senate#Members_of_the_Senate
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Assembly
7. http://www.bcnys.org/whatsnew/2007/0207statespending.htm
8. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/01/25/us/20090126-welfare-table.html
9. http://www.fixnys.org/index.php?ht=d/IlmVoterResources/tab/candidates#
10. http://www.answers.com/topic/mario-cuomo
11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Cuomo

    All this spending; benefitting those of the state who elect not to work-but to spend the money earned by the sweat of another's brow!!  Hell, the welfareRATs actually move INTO the state to partake of the enormity of the beneficial 'tit.'
    The essence of all this rhetoric is..... no matter who gets elected or re-elected, there'll be little or NO CHANGE in the governance of the state.  To this day it amazes me that I'm not the only resident left here!!
    Just take the two major gubernatorial candidates: 
     Andrew Cuomo has had nearly a life-long association with state politics; his father Mario was democRAT nominee for New York Lieutenant Governor in 1974-Mario later became a 3-term governor.
    Andrew Cuomo served as "Slick-Willie" Clinton's Housing and Urban Destruction (HUD) secretary (1997-2001) and was a primary architect of the loosening of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage requirements, the leading reason for the 'housing bubble' and the bursting thereof.
    Andrew Cuomo can only be considered a democRAT machine insider!  He is more the problem than the solution.  During his campaign he's mentioned solutions to the state's fiscal problems; NEVER referring to the three major problems:  the size of state government, the amounts of state employees' TAXPAYER FUNDED retirement benefits and the nearly constant adding of usurious taxes and fees!!
    Carl Paladino:  A Buffalo area businessman; CEO of Ellicott Development Company (a real estate development and leasing company).  Changed political affiliation from democRAT to republicRAT in 2005.  The gubernatorial campaign is his first 'official' foray into state-wide politics.
    Carl Paladino:  As a businessman, has had his "scrapes" with the Buffalo city and the Erie County governments.  He's demonstrated repeatedly that, while his temper sometimes gets the better of him, he is an OUTSIDER that seems to want to reform, resize and redirect the state government.
Between these two choices; I'm casting my ballot for Mr Paladino.  Andrew Cuomo and his predecessors have proven that there IS SOMETHING WORSE than an outsider with a temper!!
Til Nex'Time....