EDITOR TEDDY LINENFELSER
Letters To The Editor must include a name and contact (phone/email) and may be Emailed to
Editor or addressed to: Letters to the Editor, 1871 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island, NY 14072
Supervisor Addresses New Staley Roundabout - March 2010
March 18, 2010 . . .In response to questions I have been receiving regarding the round about, the Town Engineer, Highway Superintendent, members of their staff and I attended a NYS Department of Transportation briefing on Monday afternoon, March 15.
The project is expected to begin early in April although DOT employees were on the site yesterday. The first thing that you will notice is that the utilities (electric, gas, water and sewer lines) will be moved back, away from the road, to accommodate the roundabout. Actual construction will follow almost immediately. There will be a truck detour which directs trucks to use the Whitehaven Road exit from the I-190 to avoid the construction zone. Once the construction is complete, trucks will have no problem negotiating the roundabout.
During the construction there will be some changes in traffic patterns. Temporary pavement will be used to allow continuous traffic flow during the work. There will undoubtedly be some delays associated with the construction. If it's feasible, I suggest that you use the Whitehaven Road interchange to access the I-190.
The roundabout will reduce the possible conflict points (places where traffic conflicts or crosses another lane of traffic) from 32 to 6. In addition, the nature of the accidents will be changed from head on and t-bone to side to side which will significantly reduce the severity. Finally, the speeds at which any accident occurs will be much lower.
I have personally monitored the intersection during periods when the South Grand Island Bridge was backed up. The size of the backup depends on the length of time that the bridge is closed or traffic flow is reduced. During my observations, I noticed that about 50% of the time, vehicles entering the intersection from Staley Road will block the northbound lanes of Grand Island Blvd. The rest of the time, even though southbound traffic is stopped or very slow, northbound flows at speed.
I believe that there will be tie ups at the intersection when something happens on the South Bridge, regardless of the configuration of the intersection. I also believe that there is some degree of "fear of change" which will rapidly disappear when we become familiar with the new roundabout. I visited the Village of Hamburg and talked to dozens of people who use their roundabouts. Most of them expressed early concerns about how they would work. All of them express satisfaction now that they are in place and being used daily.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'll be happy to answer your questions. If I don't know the answer, I'll get one from the DOT or the contractor on the project.
Can We Afford More Wine Outlets? - 2010
As you may know, Gov. Paterson has proposed to raise additional revenue by allowing the sale of wine in grocery stores, drug stores, convenience stores and other outlets. If our legislature approves – it’s part of the proposed 2010-2011 New York budget - it would open up thousands of additional outlets where youths might gain access to wine.Consider that:
Approx. 823,000 underage youth in New York drink each year.
Underage drinking costs New York’s citizens $3.2 billion every year. Our government should be working to reduce this problem, not make it worse.
In Florida, California, and Texas – where wine is sold everywhere – the rate of alcohol related fatalities is more than double that of New York, and TRIPLE FOR THOSE UNDER AGE 21!
Clearly, underage drinking is a problem. Recent incidents right here in our community should serve to raise our awareness. So we find it difficult to understand how the Governor’s proposal comports with state agencies’ and community organizations’ efforts to mitigate the damage caused by underage drinking and educate and protect our youth.
Even more difficult to comprehend is the position taken by the New York State United Teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers, the Alliance for Quality Education, and the Campaign for Fiscal Equity; education related organizations that are on record as supporting the increase in outlets for wine. Are they thinking of our youth?
The Governor’s proposal is a direct threat to the survival of our small business. So we obviously have a vested interest in the outcome, and, some will say, a biased opinion in the matter. We’ll concede that point, and strongly urge Island residents to form their own opinions. Then let their elected representatives know what they think.
Yes, it might be convenient to get wine at Wilson Farms, Tops, Rite-Aid or Noco, but will it be worth it?
Rose Liquor Store
Mike Hachee
Posted March 11, 2010
Faddish, Expensive International Baccalaureate - 2010
At the February 23 budget forum hosted by the School Board we heard about the rising costs of salaries, energy, and unfunded government mandates. We have also been hearing about the coming drastic cuts in state aid to school districts. The question is how we are to deal with the coming budget gap: raise taxes, make some cuts, or both. Exactly 68 “possible budget reductions” were listed on the handout, with none including dollar amounts or seriously discussed. And let us not forget all the issues contained in the Capital Project which have yet to be dealt with. That proposal was voted down, but will surely be resurrected in the future. Incidentally the whole project could have been done with NO added tax levy, using the $2 Million categorized by the board as the “Unappropriated Unreserved Fund Balance.” What better use of the money if the Board considered their proposal worthwhile? The Board has added more than $15 Million to the reserve funds over the last 5 years, so $2 Million is certainly not “irreplaceable.”What was addressed by several speakers, two for their entire three minute allotments, was the newly adopted International Baccalaureate. This “programme” was listed as costing us $12,179.55 so far-- not counting the $25,000 grant (tax money) paid out by State Senator Antoine Thompson. But even if we got some state funds every year (are we really going to count on that?) the future costs will be much higher, NOT LOWER. This is because there is an annual subscription fee of $9,600 for the Diploma Programme alone, with many additional fees and expenses. There are always out of town trips for IB teacher training, salaries for the needed substitute teachers, salaries for IB coordinators and CAS and Extended Essay advisors, periodic IBO evaluation visits (now $3500 each time) and special required IB materials and office space. Extra classrooms may be required—the IBO decides. (From their website: “The programmes of the IBO should not be marginal in the IB World School.”) Hundreds of dollars are paid for each student’s exam taking, and thousands more for a school district to mail exams abroad for grading.
A district like ours, located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, dropped IB after 8 years because out of 400 seniors only 3 got IB diplomas. The certificates for the “standard level” courses are worthless. That’s what the voters in Fairfax, Virginia also decided when they dropped IB. Closer to home, the Lewiston-Porter district eliminated IB years ago, and Williamsville, deciding that the AP program was more worthwhile, rejected IB. Couldn’t we just learn from the other suburban districts around us, and skip the faddish and expensive IB? Let’s capitalize on the excellence we have, and prudently use our funds to maintain it
Patricia Akinbami
Posted March 11, 2010
Cui Bono? - 2010
I used to teach economics. When we studied various policy proposals or actions that seemed irrational I always said that they, the students, shouldn’t presume the action was irrational. While it may seem irrational from the point of view of an outside observer, one needs to ask cui bono? This is Latin for “who benefits?” It is usually the case that actions that appear to be inexplicable to those on the outside are perfectly rational once one understands the motivations of the insiders.I bring this up because the school board is planning on having a presentation of the International Baccalaureate program (IB) later this month. This is an exceptionally dumb (this is the technical term) program. It duplicates the Advanced Placement (AP) program already in place, but is more restrictive. One is compelled to ask , Why isn’t the AP program being funded instead of this boondoggle?
Conservative commentator and, arguably, our most prominent public intellectual, Thomas Sowell (Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago and currently a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University) has labeled it a "junk program." He has also written that “Parents in Fairfax, Virginia, have succeeded in getting rid of one of the endless series of fad programs that distract American public schools from real education in real subjects. Like most fad programs, this one had a high-sounding name: The International Baccalaureate Curriculum.” Unfortunately, Grand Island is being teed up to be next in implementing this nonsense. We need to ask, cui bono.
Even a cursory glance would show that this program is a waste of time and money. Former school board member Lee Cohen thinks the program is wasteful and duplicative. Mrs. Cohen, for those who are unaware, had never seen an expenditure she didn’t like until this one. That, in itself, should speak volumes about the inanity of the IB program. So why are the school board and Mr. Christmann still pushing it. We need to keep in mind that resources devoted to the IB program mean less devoted to everything else at the schools.
The $47MM capital project that the taxpayers voted down overwhelmingly last November included many (most?) costs that were specifically due to the IB program. Mr. Little’s (the school board president) firm, Cannon Design, is the architectural/engineering firm for the project. Since they get a fee that is a percentage of the total cost, Mr. Little has a vested interest in seeing to it that everything and the kitchen sink are included in this project. (Remember, cui bono?) Of course, that would be a bit too bald-faced, especially after the NY State Controller, in his recent audit, questioned the potential for a conflict of interest for Mr. Little, due to his being employed at Cannon. The Controller, after listening to Mr. Little and his superior’s explanations decided there wasn’t a conflict. Given the unwillingness to abide by the taxpayers' rejection of the spending splurge, I wonder if the Controller would take the same view today. Instead, the capital project will be justified by including things like the IB. If we approve the IB, then, voila, we must of necessity, approve the capital project. Who is pushing the IB? Mr. Christmann, of course. How many conferences, etc. in Geneva, Switzerland, home of the IB, are the Grand Island taxpayers going to have to foot the bill for if this program gets implemented?
Mrs. Cohen listed a number of expenses that would necessarily be incurred for the IB program. These didn’t even include the capital costs mentioned above. Of course, Messrs. Christmann and Little disputed her numbers with a lot of harrumphing. These didn’t give any estimates of their own. We were left with the impression that her estimates were wildly exaggerated on the high side.
There is an easy way to see who is correct. Let school board present its measure of the cost which is, of course, below Mrs. Cohen’s. Then let them sign an agreement that legally obligates them and the administration to personally pay for any and all expenses associated with the IB program above this amount. And I mean all: pencils, paper clips, faxing, paper, trips, capital costs, you name it. Does anybody think they would agree to this? I certainly don’t because they are being disingenuous in the extreme. As Mr. Sowell has written elsewhere, "It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong."
I know that people believe I am unnecessarily critical of the board and the superintendent. I, of course, don’t feel that way. I believe that their interests are not necessarily in concert with those of the taxpayers, teachers, or students. Let me give an example of what I consider to be their attempts at sleight-of-hand. At the February 23, 2010 Budget forum presentation, the following was one of their powerpoint slides’
Moody’s Financial Audit Report
Based on the District’s strong financial position with healthy reserve levels that have increased from near zero four (4) years ago, the Grand Island Central School District is upgraded from an A-2 status to our highest level of A-1. In today’s market, this translates into ten (10) basis points on a borrowing which would save the taxpayers $100,000 for each million dollars borrowed on a 15-year bond. A $10,000,000 borrowing, because of our increased reserves and strong budgeting, would save taxpayers $1,000,000 in today’s market. Conservative reserve estimates have assisted the district with meeting revenue projections under the current economic environment which includes decreases in interest income and lowered sales tax distributions.
Wow! Maybe these guys should be running the Federal Reserve. Seriously, for those who attended this forum, it was clear that their presentation had been worked on and rehearsed considerably. It was a very choreographed event. As such, it is nigh on impossible that anything was overlooked or in error. Therefore, one can only explain the egregious “errors” as deliberate. I am referring to the purported savings of $100,000 on a $1,000,000 15-year bond. One percent of $1,000,000 is $10,000. Ten basis points equals one-tenth of one percent, or $1,000 in this case. If the bond was of a ‘bullet’ variety where only interest is paid during the 15-year term and the principal is paid at the end of the term, the savings would be $15,000. School bonds are typically of the sinking fund variety where 1/15 would be paid off each year. In this case, the savings would amount to $8,000, spread over the 15 years. The $100,000 saving on the million dollar bond is bogus. There are only two explanations for such a colossal error: ignorance in the extreme, in which case one should be more than reticent about having them handle the school’s finances, or deliberate deceit. As I said, they had clearly devoted much effort to this show in order to make themselves look competent. This slide was put in with these numbers to imply that they are doing a great job; just look at all of the money we are saving. It didn’t occur to them that somebody may actually know something about finance and have the audacity to call them on their charade. No sleight-of-hand or bald-faced lie is beneath them when it comes to pushing their agenda.
Do we really want to let people who will go to these extremes to get their way get their way? As I said at the start, cui bono?
Jim Mulcahy
Posted March 11, 2010
Customer Appreciates Schopp's Customer Service - 2010
Reg,Thank you so much for helping me this past Columbus Day weekend. I first found your website when looking for Celtic style wedding bands back in 2005. I was so excited to see that you had a store just outside of Buffalo. My fiancé and I went to your store and you drew up a custom design for us incorporating Celtic knots and our initials. I was so surprised how quickly the rings were made and shipped to me. I couldn't believe you could get such good quality work at such an affordable price. I absolutely loved our rings!
A couple years later, my husband lost his ring in a river and I contacted you again. You still had our design on file and re-made his wedding band within a week or two. After having our 1st child my knuckles had swelled so much that my rings would not fit me. I knew that I would need you to resize or remake my wedding ring, I only wished that I had waited to let you resize my engagement ring too. I made the mistake of taking my engagement ring to a local jeweler and after leaving it with them several times, they not only resized it wrong, but they loosened the diamonds and made a total wreck of the band. I was very upset.
Luckily, my husband and I were up in Buffalo the next week, and you were nice enough to see me that Saturday, even though you were very busy. You not only resized my wedding band, but you fixed the mess that the other jeweler made to my engagement ring, all in under an hour. I couldn't believe that you were able to resize my wedding band a whole size and a half without having to alter the custom pattern. As I was paying, I made a small comment about contacting you in the future for a pendant design, and without hesitation you whipped out a piece of paper and designed one on the spot.
I have never had such great customer service from any company before. I will never go anywhere else for jewelry repairs or custom jewelry. You are an angel. Thank you again for all that you did that day and for making time for me on a busy day.
--Laurie Zalitach
Editor's Note: Reg Schopp is owner of deSignet International, a custom jewelry business on Grand Island, NY.
Posted February 18, 2010
School Forum Feb. 23rd - 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 the Grand Island School Board is hosting a forum at 7:00 pm at the High School. Postcards with the information were sent to all Island residences. This is the opportunity for people to give feedback to our School Board about what is important to us.School board members are volunteers who put in countless hours to oversee our school district. They are our neighbors, and they need to hear from us. People are quick to complain about cuts after they are made, but they don’t care to put in the time or effort to be part of the process. This board must decide how to cut the budget gap for next year. They don’t know what we value – is it academics or extra curricular? If we don’t give them guidance, they will be forced to prioritize expenses without community input and our students will have to live with the consequences.
If the decision is made to cut AP classes or sports, and your child isn’t allowed the opportunity to participate in something, you have to be honest about whether you advocated for them and their interests. Budgets are complicated. The headlines are often misleading. The neighbor who is giving you information may not be accurate. The only way you can really know what is going on is to attend yourself and hear the information first hand. Let your voice be heard. This is not a regular school board meeting where the public is only heard during voice of the people. This is a forum where everyone can speak.
I have talked to so many people who didn’t really understand the capital project; but didn’t bother to find out. Many of these same people check their email several times a day and do lots of research on the activity or school they are interested in putting their child in, but when it comes to our school district, they leave it to the school board. When we complain about the system, but fail to participate in the process, we are getting what we deserve. These people are doing the best they can for us and deserve our support and gratitude for doing a job we don’t care to do. They are asking for our input.
We have all heard the teachers want a fair contract. We may not all agree on what “fair” is. The website Seethroughny.org lists teacher salaries for the district. Look for yourself and see whether you think this district is paying a fair wage. Look at the contract (also available on the same site) and see if you think it is reasonable. Let the board know what you think is fair. It is your tax dollars supporting this contract.
The time has come for all of us to quit speculating and actually get out and get answers for ourselves. When we hear people passing along misinformation, we need to call them out and find out if they actually attended a forum or let their voice be heard. Be part of the process. Show our students we care about their education. Attend the forum and participate in the process. Otherwise, don’t complain.
Mary Kulak
Regency Drive
Posted February 18, 2010
School Budget/School Forum Addressed - 2010
Recently, Grand Island property owners and taxpayers received an invitation to attend a School Budget Forum to "provide input" concerning the..."direction the residents wish to go: whether to make cuts (and what to cut) and/or raise taxes to preserve programs and staff."At its most basic level the decision that the School Board... elected by the folks on Grand Island to make these difficult decisions must make... is simply this: what positions and programs within the school district are we compelled to eliminate...in order to still be in compliance with the law imposed by a runaway State Legislature regarding mandates imposed on us; and given the requirement of compliance with these mandates... what positions and programs do we cut so that school taxes....which are already too high....are not raised again? It's that simple.
This is not an issue concerning whether to increase taxes, or eliminate school staff.... many of whom live on Grand Island; that is only corollary to the bigger problem.
The School Board and the Superintendent might not have been placed in the hot seat of having to make this decision....had the process of levying taxes on property owners not been subjected to the léger de main of "consistently overestimated expenses and underestimated revenues " in the past which resulted from the fact that "district officials did not prepare reasonable budgets for 2004 -2005 through 2007 - 2008."
Anyone who is reading this on his computer can Google: Grand Island New York School District Audit and click on Grand Island CCD.indd. The State Comptroller's audit of the Grand Island School System is right there for every taxpayer and property owner to see. It contains damning information about the mishandling of our money resulting in a grossly bloated reserve fund which should have been refunded to the taxpayers....and now the Board and Superintendent come skipping up to us to ask if they should raise taxes again . It gets better. The same report raises disturbing questions about the employment of the school board president by the architectural firm, Cannon Design...the outfit which stood to benefit greatly had the taxpayers allowed the 47 million dollar capital budget to pass.
At the Budget Forum on Monday....there will be any number of people with a vested interest, who will try to make the case that fellow Grand Islanders will lose their jobs if taxes aren't increased.....and all manner of blame will be heaped on Governor Patterson for proposing cuts in State Education funding. The Board hopes this covering fire will allow them to run and hide behind another tax increase.
In fact, the real issue... is that Grand Island property owners and taxpayers, whose children attend Grand Island schools, have been fleeced already, with taxes inappropriately assessed in response to budgets inappropriately prepared by people elected to watch over these things for us. Now.....these people should be required to make the uncomfortable decision which they face: Cut positions and programs to the bare minimum required by mandates imposed by the State Legislature...and do it without raising another penny of tax levy. You've got plenty of our money in your squirreled-away reserve fund already.
Kevin J. Rung
Dolphin Drive
Posted February 18, 2010
Relay For Life Team Extends Appreciation - 2010
The Grand Island Relay for Life team, "Racing Toward a Cure", would like to thank Friends, Family and the Public for helping us support the American Cancer Society through our fundraising Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, Feb 7th at the Knights of Columbus. We had a lot of fun raising approximately $1000.00! Special thanks to McMahon's Family Restaurant, Tops Grand Island and Senator Antoine Thompson for their generous donations! Hope to see you all next year!Lisa Hodge
Team Captain
Racing Toward a Cure
Posted February 11, 2010
Kudos to Dick & Jenny’s - 2010
Kudos to Dick & Jenny's for a wonderful "Fine Dining Experience" on New Year's Eve. The food, ambiance, and excellent service deserve note in this paper. It was especially nice to see the place was full of good friends and neighbors. I have already let my mainland friends know that the next time we dine out, it will be at Dick & Jenny's.Diane Dinsmore
Posted January 14, 2010
Inaccurate Information Reported by the G.I. Dispatch Regarding State Building Aid Reimbursement Rates - 2010
The January 8, 2010 Island Dispatch article reporting on a recent Grand Island Board of Education discussion contained very inaccurate information which I hope to clarify in this letter. In particular, the headline “State Drops Project Reimbursement Rate” is a totally false statement.What was stated was that the State Education Department is considering proposing a reduction in building aid to the New York State Legislature. A bill would then have to be created and sponsored in both the Assembly and Senate which, if passed, would then have to be signed by the Governor. This possible outcome affecting all schools in New York State is not even at step one yet which is a proposal by the Governor to make the reduction in his 2010-11 budget recommendations. His budget will not be revealed until Tuesday, January 19, 2010.
If a reduction is included, the NYS legislators would have to approve the cut. On Monday, January 11th I was in Albany and met with a number of legislators. Their collective response (I am not portraying this as good or bad but rather how it is) was that currently many legislators are not listening to the Governor and certainly then not following his leadership.
In summary, the state has not done anything to change the building aid formula. We remain at 80% and will remain at this rate unless and until the legislature acts; and the legislature may very well choose not to make a change. Should the change be made there would be a period of time between the adoption date and the effective date with any project approved by the community locked in to the applicable rate at the time of the vote.
Finally the total amount of building aid in the state budget is nearly $2.3 billion. These dollars are being used to reimburse school districts for past community approved projects. Based on projects approved or possibly approved in the 2009-10 school year, the building aid figure is tentatively planned to increase by $222 million or a 9.8% increase to over $2.5 billion.
As always, should any community member have any questions or comments I would encourage him or her to contact me by phone at 773-8801 or by email (see District Web site at www.k12.ginet.org).
Robert Christmann
School Superintendent
Grand Island Central School District
Posted January 14, 2010
School District Capitol Project - 2010
At the January 4 School Board it was apparent that Superintendent Christmann thinks that the $47M Capitol Project was rejected because of a communication problem. Of course it's not as simple as that. I have my personal preferred changes, as other surely have theirs. There is also widespread concern over the state's fiscal condition. but whatever proposal is forthcoming from the School Board, the taxpayers have the right to expect, or at the very least, that critical infrastructure issues are addressed, along with any agreed on "extras," with NO added tax levy. Kenmore passed an even larger capitol project without added taxes.As an entertaining and enlightening exercise, I encourage everyone to Google "Grand Island NY School District audit," to get to the official audit by the New York State Comptroller. Well into it you will see that over the past five years the Grand Island District has amassed over $12M in various reserve funds, an amount the Comptroller deemed excessive. This was due to consistently "overestimating expenditures and underestimating reserves," and it was suggested that the taxpayers should be compensated for being overtaxed.
Some might say that with the upcoming cuts in state aid, we should just keep on adding $2M a year to District reserve funds even if it means also paying out another $2M for the capitol project. But note that the state government points to some districts' large reserves as justification for reducing state aid." So we should tap some of that reserve money now. Our $2M tax contribution to the capitol project has already been paid.
Patricia Akinbami
Posted January 14, 2010
Veteran Appreciates Isledegrande.com, Promotes Donations - 2009
Dear Editor,As we welcome in the New Year, I thought about the Grand Island News as presented by IsledeGrande.com. I thought about the articles and pictures sent in by the many folks and organizations and those who read the latest news of the happenings on Grand Island. Then I think of what it would be like if we no longer would be able to receive this great means of communication. I am hoping it does not come to an end.
The thought of not getting the Town Hall News, the many notices of coming events, the Fire Reports, the Veterans notices, Chamber of Commerce notices, news of our Parks Dept., events, school news, reunions, and just about every thing that happens on the Island. Is covered on a timely basis. There is no other means of getting this kind of service.
Although it is “ FREE” on the WEB it is done at considerable cost to the sponsor Giecom.Net. The costs are partially covered by Ads placed by the local businesses but are not enough to cover the entire cost. Isledegrande.com has requested donations to help keep this service to the people of Grand Island, former residents who have left the Island ,the Servicemen and Women in far places. The donors and organizations who have stepped forward to help, are thanked and we would appreciate help from the many other users of this great service. The call for help is posted on the weekly NEWS PAGE. Give it your consideration !!!! Tell Your Friends !!! KEEP IT GOING !!!!!!!!!
Joe Synakowski
Member
Disabled American Veterans Grand Island Chapter # 168
Grand Island American Legion Post #1346
Charles N. DeGlopper Memorial Post # 9249 Veterans Of Foreign Wars
Toll Hike Takes Effect Sunday - 2009
This was a controversial issue last year at this time. Last year the Thruway Authority announced the increase and people came unglued as did the politicians. Well, they played it up to be anyway. Even Paterson came out against it. Of course it happened and now this year it will happen again most likely without any fanfare except by us.
The Thruway Authority continues to do what they want to do as they are held unaccountable to anyone. The politicians who supposedly represent Western New York are powerless to do anything, or they choose NOT to do anything. They don’t want to upset the applecart, after all although they refuse to acknowledge it, downstate dominates the legislature, our WNY delegation refuses to unite and stand up for US, so what ever NY City wants, NY City gets. Major problem is we have NO ONE standing up to FIGHT for us. How can we when we are represented by a majority of cowards, neither Party will work with the other and most importantly…… they have been bought off by the powerful downstate unions that want more influence up here and the proof was in the Hoyt/Thompson IDA reform Bill that will bury us in union demanded wages, benefits and costs that will make it further unaffordable to do anything here in WNY, but I digress.
We are surrounded by roads we have to pay double for. The commuter tax is charged at the Grand Island tolls, Lackawana and the Williamsville toll booths. These roads are our only thoroughfare and we pay dearly for the use of them. We are taxed on each and every gallon of gasoline we buy 18.4 cents per-gallon, we pay more gas taxes at the pump than any other state. We pay taxes that are focused on roads and bridges yet our politicians use these funds for everything but roads. Our infrastructure is falling apart yet the costs have grown out of control.
I just returned from a trip to Massachusetts. It cost me $28.70 both ways so I paid $57.40 for the privilege of driving across this state on what has been labeled the most expensive thruway in the Northeast.
In Mass? I paid $4.20 on the Mass Pike. Sure there is a difference in mileage but broken down by the mile the difference is astounding. New york is close to .10 cents a mile. Massachusetts is less than .02 cents a mile. To top it off the Mass Pike is in much better condition than the New York State Thruway. What an insult.
Come Sunday, drivers across New York State will be paying more to use the state Thruway system. A five percent toll hike takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Sunday morning. As our Giselle Phelps reports it’s hard to find any Western New Yorkers who agree with the increase.
Rus Thompson
http://NoGItolls.com
Posted January 7, 2010
