A BIT OF THIS AND A BIT OF THAT

Emergency/Disaster Preparedness.
Albany was lucky this time.
Next time?
No neighborhood churches, schools, synagogues
were available to provide shelter, heat, food, water
to those without power.

Maybe it has occurred to people that we are, in fact
on our own, and must save ourselves?

First line of defense is for individuals and households to
make sure they are as prepared as possible for whatever
happens next.

Then push your neighborhood churches, synagogues
and schools to get ready.

Imagine if the whole NE power grid is taken out in the
winter with a major snow or ice storm and subzero
temperatures , that the grid goes down with little prospect
that power will be restored for weeks or months.

You can bet your boots that this scenario is on the minds
of those who hate us and seek to destroy us.

Hunting season begins again. Beware of all those
armed individuals in camouflage.

Are they all our guys? Who are the hunters? Who or what
is their quarry? How safe are our power lines and plants
natural gas and reservoir and water lines?
Our transporation infrastructure?

The Governor's budget proposals.

(1) 30 percent increase in welfare benefits? Wrong
MOVE! Now is opportunity to wean lifers off welfare system.
A great time to reform the system. Limit one child on welfare.
No benefits for unwed teens. They must live with momma
who is responsible for them. No apartments of their own.
No free college tuition and other perks to reward bad behavior.

NO welfare benefits for illegal aliens.

Return to doling out surplus agricultural products, instead of
food stamps.

End foster parent scam where grandmommas gets paid for
"watching" children of their children.

End crazy money scam where the more damaged, unruly
children, an unwed mother has, the more she is rewarded.
(To the tune of $500 , an head monthly)

Do the math 6 x 500 is 3,000 dollars a month
over and above basic welfare allowance, HEAP
housing allowance and free medical care (medicaid)
food pantries, school breakfasts and lunches, etc, etc.

Doesn't anyone work for food here?

The entire welfare system needs overhaul, because
it only rewards , and promotes, bad behaviors that
society can no longer condone.

With the economic crisis, expect more people to be
applying for welfare and social service benefits.
What will this cost? Who will pay for it?

The STAR Program? Tread carefully here.

Homeowners must have real property tax relief.
In Albany, only about one-third of homes are owner
occupied. Most of those homes are occupied by seniors
who have no children in school, and who are on lower
rebate.

Do not enact the phoney school property tax plan which
will allow school districts to raise taxes 4 to 7 percent
annually.

Real relief
must include: (1) abolition of city school districts, merging
them with city governments

(2) making city government officials responsible and
accountable for city schools.

(3) abolition of TWO competing property tax rolls; creating
ONE property tax roll.

(4) returning to K-8 neighborhood schools which are best
for kids, parents and neighborhoods. The Governor must
act on this because the state legislators lack the will and
courage to sponsor the legislation to achieve these real
educational reforms.

Camp McGregor. Don't close it. Convert it to a boot camp
boarding school for unruly hard cases from tri city urban schools.

Staff it with returning GI drill instructors. This will provide
needed male role models for boys who lack a fathers in their
households, and it will provide for a safe school environment
conducive to learning by those who want to learn.

Illegal Aliens. End the sanctuary status of NYC and NYS.
No jobs, no benefits of any kind to reward illegals. Our own
citizens will now be willing and able to take any kinds of jobs
just to survive in hard times.

Obesity tax on non diet soda? Come on Gov, why not cut
to the chase and enact a fat tax? Hurry, as food gets scarce
and people have to walk to school and work, the obesity problem
will disappear, and so will this source of revenue.

Caroline Kennedy for U S Senator from New York.

Appoint Caroline .

She has the heritage of her father and uncles Joe and Robert, to
uphold. New York and the Nation owe her the opportunity to
sound JFK's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you;
ask what you can do for your country".

Andrew Cuomo is doing just fine as Attorney General. New York
needs him there. He has more clout here than he would being a
freshman senator in the back of the chamber.


Joe Sullivan