Another reason I Love New York (note the sarcasm). According to an article in The Buffalo News
As consumers in Western New York and across the state await or receive their state property tax refund checks, some women are discovering to their dismay and frustration that they can’t cash them because only their husbands’ names are on them.
That’s right…ever-PC New York State is handing out sexist property tax refund checks.
…many of the checks are made out to only one person, usually the husband, because the state is using records that sometimes are decades old. Spouses or other property owners are left out, even if they are listed on the deeds.
But this isn’t just an issue of political correctness, its causing real problems for women whose husbands have died or who are having marital problems.
Banks often won’t let the other property owner cash or even deposit the check if their name isn’t on it. The result has been limbo for many of these taxpayers, especially elderly consumers like Carol Decker of Angola. Her husband died in 1994, but his name is still on their deed, along with her name.
She always notes on her income taxes that her husband is dead. But she never changed the deed. Still, she says it is unfair to have to go through hoops to get her money.
“It upsets any woman. It doesn’t seem right,” Decker said. “Whenever we paid taxes, I always had to sign with him, and the house is in my name as well as his name. And if I make a mistake on my income tax, they’re going to come after me. They’re not going to go after my husband.”
One more reason to join the FSP…no property tax means no screwed up property tax refunds
This is ridiculous. According to a CBS/New York Times poll,
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the Democratic candidate for governor of New York, is making inroads in both Republican strongholds and on traditional Republican issues, with voters seeing him as the most likely to improve the economy, help avert terrorism and hold taxes steady or lower them
This shows not only that Spitzer has done a great job of misrepresenting his stance on various issues, but also that Faso has done a crappy job of showing New York State where he stands. According to the article,
Five weeks before the election, about eight in 10 voters said that they have no opinion of Mr. Spitzer’s Republican rival, John Faso. Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat, is supported by a majority of those surveyed not only in Democratic-dominated New York City, but also in its more heavily Republican suburbs and in upstate areas.
The poll showed that Mr. Faso’s central campaign message — his pledge to cut taxes, and his claim that Mr. Spitzer would raise them — is either not getting through to voters, or not resonating with them. While 32 percent of those surveyed said that they thought taxes would go up if Mr. Spitzer was elected governor, roughly the same amount, 37 percent, said they thought that taxes would go up if Mr. Faso was elected.
Fifty-three percent said they thought that Mr. Spitzer would keep taxes at their current levels, or lower them, while 40 percent said Mr. Faso would.
Yes, you read that right…New Yorkers think that Spitzer is the guy to lower taxes and Faso the guy to raise them…
Normally, I would just say that my fellow New Yorkers are idiots if I read that. But I think there’s more at stake here–Elliot Spitzer has tried to position himself to appeal to moderates and conservatives–his ads are positive ads that show a better New York all made possible by his plan to “cut taxes”–failing to mention the fine print: who’s taxes, how much, etc.
Meanwhile, Faso’s presence is nearly non-existent–I can understand the lack of a big ad campaign (although I’ve only seen one very,very negative television ad–which may work, but I think he should have a softer ad too). I understand that he has a small budget to work with–but why isn’t his campaign working on drumming up more grassroots support? I actually signed up on his website to help out with the campaign, but I haven’t been called to help at all. All that came of signing up to help was a bumper sticker that came in the mail, with a letter which implied that they were now wrapping up the campaign. Wrapping up the campaign? In September?
Look, I’ll vote for Faso–I certainly think he’s the better candidate. But I just wish his campaign could get the word out. I’ll bet most New Yorkers wouldn’t even recognize his name.
I’m becoming more and more convinced that it is time to join the Free State Project.
Yesterday, there were numerous reports that additional wounds had been found on Trooper Donald Baker Jr. The Buffalo News based its story on statements given by state police spokeswoman Rebecca Gibbons. The story began
Doctors have discovered additional gunshot wounds to the trooper who survived an ambush shooting during the hunt for Ralph “Bucky ” Phillips.
State Police spokeswoman Rebecca Gibbons says surgeons performed an operation Friday on Baker, after the wounds were found as he emerged from a medically induced coma.
Baker was in serious condition Saturday.
Gibbons says the new wounds were discovered during exploratory surgery, but would not disclose where on Baker’s body they were or how many times he had been shot.
But today, we’re hearing something entirely different…
A state police spokeswoman said a published report of additional wounds being found in a shot trooper is incorrect.
The report in Sunday’s editions of The Buffalo News said more wounds were found Friday during exploratory surgery on Donald Baker Jr., who shot August 31 during the search for fugitive Ralph “Bucky” Phillips.
But state police spokeswoman Rebecca Gibbons said the report, based on an interview with her, is wrong. She said Friday’s surgery was done on Baker’s existing wounds.
She said, “These are not new wounds. There was no extra gunshot in him, nothing like that.”
Who knows…
Yes, it is September 25th and I just now saw my first John Faso for Governor commercial on TV. Besides that, I think I’ve seen one sign, and two bumper stickers (besides my own) for Faso. I wish the guy all the luck in the world, and I’ll do whatever I can to help him out. But this isn’t working. I don’t watch that much television, and I live in a left-leaning part of the state, but Faso’s campaign should be at least a little visible, even here.
I know Spitzer is really hard to beat, and it looks like Republicans have all but thrown in the towel. But, we have to remember that Spitzer also has some high negatives, and I hope Faso’s campaign is finally gearing up to give him a bit of a run for his money. Any thoughts?
…and they don’t mean cruel to the participants who have to swallow the things.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants Six Flags Great America to scrap its Halloween-themed cockroach-eating promotion.
A spokeswoman for the animal rights organization says the contest at the amusement park’s FrightFest is “gratuitously cruel.”
The park in Gurnee, Ill., is joining other Six Flags parks in offering unlimited line-jumping privileges to anyone who eats a live Madagascar hissing cockroach. The bugs are up to three inches long.
I love the Six Flags spokeman’s response:
Amusement park officials are defending their menu choice. Great America spokesman Jim Taylor says the bugs are nutritious, high in protein and fat free.
You can read the full story here.
An article in yesterday’s Buffalo News reports that Bucky Phillips Admitted to shooting NYS Troopers, but said that he thought they were bounty hunters.
Ralph “Bucky” Phillips admitted to authorities that he shot two New York State troopers in Chautauqua County, killing one and critically wounding the other, reliable law enforcement officials told The Buffalo News on Friday.
Phillips, now being held in a jail in Elmira, told federal marshals and the State Police that he thought the men he was shooting were bounty hunters and he was not trying to kill them.
Phillips made the statements shortly after he surrendered Sept. 8. The admission was confirmed by five reliable sources with knowledge of the case.
Doctors recently discovered additional gunshot wounds on Trooper Baker during exploratory surgery.
Buffalo, NY (AP) - Doctors have discovered additional gunshot wounds to the trooper who survived an ambush shooting during the hunt for Ralph “Bucky ” Phillips.
State Police spokeswoman Rebecca Gibbons says surgeons performed an operation Friday on Baker, after the wounds were found as he emerged from a medically induced coma.
Baker was in serious condition Saturday.
Gibbons says the new wounds were discovered during exploratory surgery, but would not disclose where on Baker’s body they were or how many times he had been shot.
Phillips set off one of the state’s largest manhunts when he escaped from the Erie County Correctional Facility, in Alden, in April.
While on the run, police say he shot Baker inthe back, and Trooper Joseph Lonagbardo in the thigh, severy an major artery. Logobardo later died.
The Buffalo News has reported that Phillips confessed to the shootings shortly after being taken into custody on September 8th. Their account- based on several anonymous sources- says Phillips thought the troopers were bounty hunters, and that he never intended to kill them.
Probably not. But, some pretty interesting gossip nonetheless…A leaked French intelligence document indicates that Bin Laden may have died of typhoid, but no French or US officials have been able to confirm the report. Check out the story here, here and here. The Saudi’s are apparently now denying that there’s any truth to the report.
Also Blogging:
Blogs For Bush
Blue Crab Boulevard
Basil’s Blog
California Yankee
Mensa Barbie
Michelle Malkin
Funny that communist and former communist countries have such a poor track record when it comes to the environment. Check out this article on acid rain in China…
China had its worst spell of acid rain in August with Beijing among the hardest hit, the China Meteorological Administration said Friday.
The CMA report said 19 of the 155 acid-rain monitoring stations across China recorded acid rain every rainy day last month. Beijing had 80 percent acid-rain days, the news service Xinhua reported.
Acid rain erodes most building materials as well as crops, leading eventually to human consumption.
Rain traditionally slacks off from September on.
China is the world’s biggest sulfur dioxide polluter, with 25.49 million tons discharged in 2005, up 27 percent from 2000.
If someone ever decides to make this into a movie, they’ll have about a million different directions to take the film in. Now, the state police union is demanding a review of the manhunt for Ralph “Bucky” Phillips. As this
The president of the Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Troopers, Sgt. Daniel M. DeFedericis, criticized the manhunt in a letter sent on Tuesday to Gov. George E. Pataki, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and several state lawmakers. In the letter, which he also sent to reporters, Sergeant DeFedericis said turf wars among investigators, as well as poor management, enabled Mr. Phillips to elude troopers who were, at times, literally lost.
“At one point during the detail, two troopers became lost in the woods and a state police helicopter had to be used to find them,” he wrote. “Had there been proper command and control, incidents like this never would have happened.”
He called for an investigation of the manhunt, as did Assemblyman William L. Parment, a Democrat from Jamestown, a city in the search area. “During the process of the search, I had numerous complaints from constituents who felt the search was not being properly conducted,” Mr. Parment said.
The state police superintendent, Wayne E. Bennett, said at a news conference in Albany yesterday that he would welcome an independent investigation, and that police investigators would look into the incidents described in the letter. Mr. Bennett said he knew of no complaints from troopers about the manhunt.
Governor Pataki issued a statement later, praising the troopers’ work in the manhunt and saying the review was under way. “We look forward to the timely completion of that review,” he said.
DeFedericis also said that the state police rebuffed an offer of help from the FBI for several weeks. The union letter described exhausted troopers working weeks of double shifts and supervisors at times “ranting and raving” and bullying troopers, or donning camouflage uniforms and joining the search instead of supervising.
On Aug. 19, a trooper following a suspicious motorcycle identified its driver as Mr. Phillips as he was entering a house. But before backup officers could arrive, he had escaped again, the state police have said. Sergeant DeFedericis said the trooper was initially denied backup because of a policy of “measured response” to sightings.
In a statement, a spokesman for the New York State Police, Lt. Glenn Miner, said, “We welcome the input of the P.B.A., and all members of the New York State Police, and trust that in the future, when there is an issue of health and safety regarding an ongoing matter, that it will be brought to the attention of management immediately, not weeks later.”
I’m no big union supporter, and I don’t know how accurate these allegations are, as I’ve mentioned several times before, I was less than impressed by what I saw of the manhunt.