Merry Christmas to all and to all have a great night. We will see all the grandkids tomorrow! A great day in the North Country. Then we can start looking to the New Year. Be careful and think before you react, kindness is not a weakness but a virtue!
41 comments:
Bah Humbug!!! I just got my St. Lawrence County tax bill with a $253 or 14% increase over last year.
We can thank Patti Ritchie for laying this entire increase on the land owners of the county, instead of a 1% increase paid by everyone (especially Canadians and college students).
If you are a land owner in the big county, and ever vote for Patti Ritchie for anything again, you are just plain stupid.
1:23I got mine too and was a whole lot worse than that. You are still barking up the wrong tree. I agree sales tax would be much more fair than property tax, but not with the clowns in charge over there in Canton now. Lets look at the new committee> Finance chair, how many times has he gone bankrupt?, Vice chair how many times bankrupt? Also owes huge penalty to Tax dept that would also go into county coffers> Chair large union background. Morrill not able to hold a real job for too long look at his resume, and believe bankrupt once as well. hmmm. Lets give them some more revenue are you kidding? Clowns and clueless.Stay firm Patty don't give them a red cent.
2:10: What you say may be true, but we would be BOTH be paying 50% less if Patti hadn't signed on with Grover Norquist.
I dont know or care about Grover Norquist. Simple facts, these people are clueless and way out of their league on this. Taxpayers and business owners are pushed to the final straw and these inept indiviguals sit there acting like king shit with no clue how real people hurt.I like the idea of going bankrupt and starting from scratch. Giving them any more money on the idea they will reduce property tax is a short term 2 year joke.
OK. I get it. You believe the County Legislature is incompetent, and I believe Patty is incompetent. If we are both correct, this county is in for some more bad times!
lets get this straight, you believe the legislature is just fine the way it is? That is my main concern>
I am happy with the legislator I have, and don't have any control over the rest. There are some honorable folks in the county legislature, and in the administration, who I think are trying to do the best they can with what they have. Others, whom you know better, seem to be questionable.
However, it concerns me greatly when county services are being cut that are needed by our most vulnerable citizens. At the same time, we get a property tax increase that taxes only a small portion of the population, and still doesn't raise the revenue to run the county.
A 1% sales tax increase would have solved all three of these problems. Patty Ritchie blocked that from happening, and she did it because she took the mindless No Tax Pledge. Thus, people like you and I end up with an unfair property tax increase.
I believe Patty blocked because the big cheese Cuomo stated time and time again no new taxes. What is the sense of taking the chance and getting it thrown in her face. To me was a good move. Yes I will complain dearly about my property taxes. If they would propose that the increased revenue would be an equal property tax decrease across the board, then I would like to hear that proposed. Property owners have flipped the bill in this big and depressed county for far too long.
You mention services, but the Chaa or whatever it is will not skip a beat and a year from now no one will ever know it is gone and things will be fine.
The sheriff patrol should be evaluated very very closely. The troopers are much more prevalent than 15 or 20 years ago and the population is stagnant if not down. School taxes will rise again and again with no end in site. Ogdensburg will offer a paid fire dept with 20 year retirement and a handful of fires with all firemen having 2nd jobs. A family of 4 with an income of 49000 gets heap? Where does it end. Sorry to ramble on but these are facts and unless drastic changes are taken we in the north country are basically screwed. This is not a revenue problem we have here, but an entitlement and safety bunch of crap.
Property owners should bear the burden of this tax, not those too poor to own property. The sales tax is regressive and unjust.
I want to enter this discussion with this comment only..
The Sheriffs road patrol must be elimated, period exclamation point..
If outlying areas need or feel the need for law enforcement they should hire their own out of their village or town budgets.. We pay for troopers, sheriffs, city police, border patrol, imigration, park police FBI all of which patrol this county.. Duplication or layering of services must stop..
I did a little research recently and what I found was quite amazing. Sheriff have to keep a jail thus jailors are mandated.. oad patrol is not mandated.. Civil divisions are thought to be mandated however I fond no specific law mandateing this service. I called a friend of mine in clinton county who worked for a while as a asst county attorney.. Civil Divisions are not mandated.. Some of what they do is mandated however could be done by jail staff road patrol etc etc.. Lets look at this closer.. The Sheriff is hiding the truth with riddles about whats mandae and whats not plus how he has to acomplish these things... Jail can transport for one thing....
5:52 without doubt you r the receiver of some handout.7:06 you have got it. Jail transports at state level this was a deal done long ago by Knowlton to keep his boy's. You cannot have this conversation with a receiver for they do not know anything except where to sign up and their family as well. Sorry 5:52 but that is simple fact. I do not care about little Johnnies boots or whatever the picture is a lot bigger than you paint it.
You want to talk about waste? Talk about yet ANOTHER $50,000 study to see if we should have a combined high school with Heuvelton, Morristown, and Hermon Dekalb.
How about the buses driving right by OFA, which is, by far the best high school in the area? OFA could absorb all three of those high schools tomorrow. But no, we'll build a new $60 million dollar regional high school in Heuvelton, and name it after Senator Patty Ritchie!
Remember, the most prominent families in Morristown and Heuvelton have paid tuition for years to have their their college bound children graduate from OFA.
Name one Ogdensburg family that ever paid to have their college bound child attend any neighboring district for a better education.
Those of you arguing against government spending are either insane or stupid. The constitution implies that the government is the last line of defense for our economy. During a recession, the only way to revive business confidence and get the private sector spending again is by having the government spend more money directly, since that guarantees that 100 percent of it would be spent rather than saved. If the private sector can't or won't spend, the government has to do it. The government has to be prepared to act as the spender of last resort, just as a central bank acts as lenders of last resort. There are plenty of people with plenty of money in this country - if you want to reduce the burden of spending on the government, induce the wealthy to spend more money on American products, American workers and American cities.
DID YA ALL NOTICE AND REMEMBER WHEN ELECTION TIME COME ALL OF THE CANIDATES CAME ON THIS BLOG TOLD A LITTLE ABOUT THEMSELVES AND SIGNED THEIR NAMES... nOW THAT THEIR ELECTED they have forgotten what an instrument this blog could be to reach out to the taxpayers..
Funny isnt it... We got your vote now xxxx you......
Remember all the promises people like Wayne Ashley and Bill Nelson were making us? Town Hall meetings? Hiring a economic development person for the city? Lies. They used all of us.
2:31: Interesting thoughts. some folks would say you are a socialist (I.E. Sharing the wealth and all).
But, I would say you are more of a visionary. Like Henry Ford was a visionary when he was the first industrialist to pay his workers a $1 an hour, and to go to a 40 hour work week. He did that, so his workers and maybe other American workers, could afford to buy his cars. And Henry Ford was no socialist. He was a pragmatist.
You are correct, the economy only gets going when goods and services are being bought and sold by many people. Right now, as before the great depression, the wealth of this county is concentrated in the hands of a few very wealthy people.
This past election helped some when those few people weren't allowed to buy the Presidency to keep the status quo for themselves, but they aren't done trying.
Only when those Americans who realize they are only hurting themselves by supporting right wing industrialist causes, will this country see any real change, and we will have a middle class again.
47 million now on food stamps. A family of 4 with an income of 49,000 gets heap. If this is the change you desire we are screwed. How about your most recent pay check. Did you notice was a little less or is it one of those guaranteed ones? Middle class is no more and not much longer before business owners throw in the towel and say enough is enough.
Paper today shows Badlam retiring from city FD and already looking for a new job. If you think we can keep this bull---- going for ever you are dead wrong and the good old days are over.
Oh boy Fred morrill and the gang were in the burg last night pulling wool over the eyes of our council. Every penny will be used to either lower property tax or build fund balance hmmmmmm. What is the projection on health insurance for the county for the next 5 years once this Obama care kicks in again? Hmmm, which union contracts are not settled or coming up for negotiations? I see they will first year decrease the increase from this year to a net zero. Thanks a million buth that is not even close.Dont be fooled people this is the biggest joke>
Health insurance costs are projected to decrease once Obamacare kicks in.
And I got a bridge to sell you. What about the union contracts well informed?
The county personnel director Boulio has sold out the CSEA union in order to give the CO union at the Sheriffs a raise that in some cases reached ten percent.. The union representing the Road Patrol said they took no raise however if the truth known they got somewhere between five hundred and twenty five hundred dollars in their pay check for longevity plus a step system which will be another five or six hundred for those reaching certain areas.. What did the CSEA get... Hmmmmmmmm... Nothing but screwed...
PUtney is a follower one hundred percent so its obvious that Fred Morrill will be calling the shots from his position on the board and Lightfoot is calling the Republican number this time around.. Both public servants with a good pension and health insurance..
Patty Ritchie voted AGAINST her own assault weapons ban!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
FYI: Grover Norquist is on the Bd. of Dir. of the NRA.
She HAS to go. She does not represent us or those twenty 6 and 7 year olds who were shot in Massachusetts by an assault weapon.
She did the right thing as far as I am concerned. She tried to protect the 2nd Amendment, as she has sworn to do. You, 5:29, ought to read the Constitution. The real problem is mental illness, but you don't see that. You are the typical liberal Democrat, complaining about anything a Republican does.
The second amendment does not give anyone the right to own or use firearms. The sooner we acknowledge that, the sooner we move towards becoming a civilized nation.
It does give that right. Why don't you just leave if you don't like it here? There must be some Country that satisfies you. No one is holding you back.
I read the second ammendment and I am a believer but then again how many AK47 assault weapons were there when it was written.. I wonder how many fast shot clips in handguns or how many auto handguns were there.. Hmmmmmmmmmm Makes me wonder if the guys that wrote it wrote for those times... I gues our guys will have to rewrite it for these times..
You can only legislate that which is in existence. The people who wrote the Constitution wanted the citizens to be able to defend themselves from tyrants. Arms of any kind weren't mentioned, but you wouldn't defend yourself today with a muzzle loader when your attacker has an assault rifle. Weapons change. The constitution is the same.
9:23 your right on - you can't argue witha bone head liberal!!!
Correct Facts and Logical thinking does not apply to them. If one liberal has an Idea they all stick to it ... our problem is we have several ideas and ways to fix things with facts, ideas,and a open mind!! Illegal hand guns and illegal people are the problem ....look at the percentage of crimes . Its hard to get a hand gun and so be it but 10 - 20 -30 + years in jail stop the illeagal owners and users. But what to hell they want to blame the gun not the person responsible! If he pissed
on the floor he blames his penis
"it could be his fault!!"
Typical NRA radical thought blaming the penis trash talk but no facts to back anything up just emotion.. 923 is correct in saying you can only legislate whats in existance.. Thats what I said only turned around a little.. There was no assault rifles back then.. There was no repeating weapons of any kind.. Todays world needs legislation such as we just got and yet stronger in some cases.. There is no need to own these type of weapons even for collections.
The ammendment was made to give us the right to protect us from tyrants as you put it but our modern armed services does that for us .. If your saying we need protection from our services or our police then fried you are a sick radical such as those in the sixtys in the South...
I think this new gun bill needs refining somewhat as it was politically motivated by an over zealous power hungry governor but our represenatives outside of Patty Ritchie will support it and modify it if necessary. Ritchies main objective was to protect less than 15 percent of her constituants ..
Funny thing. Other countries have mental illness, video games, violent movies etc., but no where near the gun violence the U.S. has.
What's the difference? Could it be the powerful NRA gun lobby sponsored and paid for by gun manufacturers? When all of the B.S. is cleared away, it's about the gun manufacturers continuing to make more money, and the boneheads (12% of the population) who think they need assault rifles to be "REAL MEN".
Thats a fact that scary.. Go out and play Rambo with the assault weapon, wear his camo and face paint and go over to the bar and have a few with the boys.. Then go home clean the weapon and leave it for his wife to clean up and put away hoping the kids dont get a hold of it..
Can you imagine the wife of a CO or former councilman calling the authorities and telling them hubby just beat her up please help. But be careful he has a n assualt rifle with a bout 10 clips in his bedroom.. Can you imagine going to that kind of scene and wondering what in the hell might happen..
The young female trooper who shot the guy in Potsdam can only thank God this guy didnt have one.. She never would have defended herself
Its particulary disturbing when I read the other day about the range shooting near Ogdensburg by COs . I investigated and found the accusation is true.. This is completely un-called for this close to a city...
The young female officer was shot by a Muzzel Loader !!! Look Back at the record !
At the shooting range it it again was the shooters error - not the guns !
Again... assult weapon --- looks are nothing its the operation of the gun! Its already banned!
Whats yor problem with Rambo - it's fake , not true ,its a movie not reality! Don't be scared!
I can clean my own weapon and store it away in a safe place and will take responsibility for it!
Your " Can You Imagine " statemate is your imagation sneeking up on you ... try reality.
I"ve got to go ......... WOW
744 Your guns must go also...WOW
The constitution isn't the same, guys. If I recall correctly, the original draft of the constitution said 5 black men equalled three white men, and only white men with property could vote. Senators were elected by state assemblies, not by the people. In 1919, we passed the 18th Amendment to the constitution. Anyone recall what that amendment said?
Most gun owners favor keeping weapons out of the hands of the mentally ill.
In an ironic twist, the vast majority gun owners are already mentally ill.
When people quote the 2nd amendment, they often refer to a well regulated mititia. That could mean a well supplied force that has weaponry to suit its needs. It doesn't have to mean under gov't control. People interpret what they wish. I have no problems with the AR-15. I can have the same caliber in a semi-auto that looks like a hunting rifle. So why ban the former if either can kill you just as dead?
210.. Your onlly answer needed is BECAUSE THEY CAN....
Oh how great is this? NY has the toughest gun laws of any state. Our local elected idiots feel a 14% property tax increase is doing their best to keep taxes down. Then we give big raises to dept heads. The city council drank the Kool Aid and went with the idea of increasing sales tax for the extra revenue.
Fred Morron states will be used to build fund balance and cut our last property tax increase. County does not even have it passed yet and already showing what will happen with increased fund balance. What are the qualifications to be a legislator again? Thought so.
TP 76.. You qualify you have a big mouth but not much else.. You would make an excellent legislator. Yo probably could do as well as Forsythe did while he ws in there or work for Ritchies staff.. That is if you can write good stories about her... Hired Regan and hes a excriminal...
oh 9:01 hit a little sore spot? I know you legs check this daily to see who is knocking you. I was not talking about any of the above, but you were able to vent a bit. How many bankrupcies on the legislator staff? Cant balance a checkbook with a few hundred bucks in it but think qualified to handle a couple hundred million dollar budget. Just wanted to know qualifications.
Republican -dem crap don't mean nothing to me just my high taxes and idiots making dumb decisions.I will vote for Patty again, but will have a hard time if she lets the sales tax into the hands of fools.
The Republican blogmaster hasnt posted since SMas eve and I,m begining to see why.. His heart is broken for the Republican party and the shambles its in.. The only vote he won was Patty Ritchie but he wont win that one again guarenteed...
I,ve been asking the mayor of Watertown on his blog to post what good or offered services or good deeds Doheny has offered to the people of NNY.. We,ve heard what Mr Wonderful he is and the great things he would bring the the North Country.. He lost.. Now what has he done from the heart with his thirty five million dollar wealth...????????
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