An Indian group that has battled for its rights to avoid paying state and local taxes on the items it sells now wants local authorities to shut down an operation by another Indian group.
The Cayuga Indian Nation is calling on Seneca County officials to enforce state tax laws against an out-of-state tribe.
 |
| SUV runs on pixie dust? |
People vote with their feet and flee to low tax states. It's not the climate. It's the taxes.
While the population of New York City grew from 7.3 million in 1990 to 8.0 million in 2000 to 8.4 million in 2010, the population of upstate New York shrank dramatically.
In the past decade, 1.7 million people left New York State, the largest exodus any state experienced. Upstate New York is dying, killed by high taxes.
The New York City metropolitan area can grow despite high taxes. It is the historical center for new immigration, a glittering attraction for national migration within the United States and the foremost global city. But with no such attractions to offset its high taxes, upstate New York is experiencing catastrophic declines.
Consider the plight of Buffalo. In 1960, it had half a million people. Now it has a quarter of a million! It has lost half its population in 50 years. Yet the politicians in New York state and the other high-tax states, like farmers beating a dying horse to get it to plow one more furlough, raise taxes to squeeze one last bit of revenue from upstate before it dies.
 |
| Afghanistan: Working for you on Christmas morning. |
SENECA FALLS — A second Indian tribe-owned gas station and convenience store has opened in Seneca Falls, a move that has the leader of the Cayuga Indian Nation questioning its legality and comparing it to a foreign invasion.
Named Sky Dancer, the store at East Bayard and Stevenson streets, is owned by the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma and opened Wednesday.
The Cayuga Indian Nation purchased and opened the Lake Side Trading gas station and convenience store at Route 89 and Garden Street Extension in 2004.
Neither store charges sales tax on cigarettes or gasoline purchases, the source of ongoing federal court litigation.
The Oklahoma-based tribe is selling several brands of cigarettes it makes at its reservation cigarette-making facilities in the Miami, Okla. area, plus several name brands. The gasoline it sells is also from Oklahoma, provided by Eagle Fuels.
Clint Halftown, head of the Cayuga Nation, now based in Seneca Falls, is not thrilled by the new business.Emphasis added. The New York Cayugas also operate a tax free store in King Ferry. This development adds a new level of complexity to New York's long unresolved Indian tax issue.
“It’s wrong. They are not from here and have been in Oklahoma for a long time,“ Halftown said. “It’s like a foreign tribe invading our land. They are trespassing and I don’t think they are allowed by state tax law to sell tax-free cigarettes or gasoline.”
Dr. Sowell.One of the biggest obstacles to economic recovery is that politicians and the media are both focused on how government can MAKE the economy recover, rather than on how it can LET the economy recover. One of the biggest deterrents to investments, and the jobs they could create, is uncertainty as to what new bright idea will come out of Washington to change the rules in midstream.
| Lauren Bacall, Harry S Truman |
 |
| Pioneers again? |
 |
| Patrick Henry |
After months of threats, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has sued McDonald’s Corp., alleging that its practice of giving away toys with children’s meals is deceptive advertising.
The consumer-advocacy organization generated a slew of media attention last summer when it threatened to sue McDonald’s, claiming that the toys constitute a method of circumventing parental control and teaching children unhealthy eating at an early age.
According to the complaint, filed Wednesday in the Superior Court of California for San Francisco County, "McDonald’s exploits very young California children and harms their health by advertising unhealthy Happy Meals with toys directly to them."
Additionally, "Children 8 years old and younger do not have the cognitive skills to understand the persuasive intent of marketing and advertising."
Co-plaintiff Monet Parham, a Sacramento, Calif., mother of two, said she was bringing the case because of the constant requests for McDonald’s Happy Meals.
"I don’t think it’s OK to entice children with Happy Meals with the promise of a toy," she said, adding that she tries to limit her daughters, 6 and 2, to monthly visits. But Parham said the requests increased this summer, thanks to the popularity of "Shrek Forever After" and the idea of collecting all the toys, which would require weekly visits.
One shudders to consider that when Patrick Henry stood up in St. John's Church and declared "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!", he was offering to exchange his life for a freedom that would then be passed down people like this . . . people who would gleefully toss that freedom away with both hands if, by so doing, they might protect themselves from the harrowing predations of . . . a cheap plastic toy. Presumably, had he known this was coming, he would have sat his ass back down and shut up.Bold added. Read McCardle's piece to learn more about Monet Parham and the CSPI.
AP Top 25 | |||
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | |
| 1 | Duke | 10-0 | |
| 2 | Ohio State | 8-0 | |
| 3 | Kansas | 9-0 | |
| 4 | Connecticut | 8-0 | |
| 5 | Syracuse | 10-0 | |
“Traffic is crazy here in the mornings,” Sanchez said. “I’ve seen a lot of welders and a lot of guys in suits. Business is up 30 percent to 40 percent from the first half of the year.”
 |
| Busy Beeville restaurant |
 | |
| Vacant Finger Lakes restaurant |
And when the oil and gas industry employees come to town, they need places to eat and places to sleep. By noon on weekdays, people wait in line for the buffet at The Lodge at Shorty’s Place.
Owner Ralph McMullen knows most of his customers. But lately, as his business picked up 25 percent, the customers aren’t as recognizable.
"This is a small community, and when you see tables with guys you don’t know wearing Halliburton shirts, well, you just know,” McMullen said. “Most people in the service or hospitality industries have seen their business gone up across the board. They’re saying it could go on like this for the next three years. Who knows? But I’ll take what I can get.”
After a long day, home for most oil and gas workers has become places like the El Camino Motel, where oil and gas companies book rooms for months at a time. Owner Raj Gandhi said he’s doubled his staff to four to keep up
“Some of the guys will come in for four days, then they’re relieved by a new set of guys for four days,” Gandhi said. “The cycle continues until the job is done, which I haven’t seen happen.”Should New York at least consider the economic benefits of shale gas production, or is the case closed? Your comments are welcome:
 |
| Soros: “The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.” |
 |
| DinoSoros Bar-B-Que's new Troy location |
Is it possible to lay the global financial meltdown, the radicalizing of the Democratic Party, and America’s moral decline, at the feet of one man?
It is indeed possible.
If George Soros isn’t the world’s preeminent “malignant messianic narcissist,” he’ll do until the real thing comes along. Move over, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot. There’s a new kid on the block
Stage rues the day the news became public. Whenever the Soros name comes up, Stage says, he receives negative comments from customers and critical e-mails.
 |
| Patterson and Southampton swells dig, you pay |
...chess tournaments in New York City, foreign trade offices in Chile and Australia, and to promote a New Jersey Super Bowl in four years with the National Football League...
The money was approved the day after Paterson demanded the Legislature return to pare spending and assist in reducing a $315 million budget gap so this year's shortfall won't roll into next year's $9 billion deficit. The governor said he wants the Legislature to work with him to make cuts "to clear my conscience" that he had done whatever he could to spare the next administration a bigger budget mess.
The Soros investment in the Dinosaur was never announced. In June 2009, at least a year after the sale, a reporter for the Albany Times Union discovered it in documents the Dino submitted to the Troy Industrial Development Authority.
 |
| "Al-ba-ny to Buff-a-lo?" |
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) reported to the State Council recently, urging the large-scale high-speed railway construction projects in China to be re-evaluated. The CAS worries that China may not be able to afford such a large-scale construction of high-speed rail, and such a large scale high-speed rail network may not be practical.If you don't trust the Chinese Academy of Sciences, New York's own Megan McArdle has further analysis.
| Carol Ash, advocate of failed policies |
Ash says with so many people unemployed, perhaps a jobs project similar to the Conservation Corps in the 1930’s could be created to fix up the parks and create jobs for carpenters, electricians and building contractors. She and the others recommend investing $1 billion dollars over the next decade, and would like to establish a new, dedicated funding stream for parks, similar to existing ones for transportation and environmental projects.
Governor elect Andrew Cuomo has said he’ll try his best to keep the parks open, even as he faces an up to $10 billion dollar budget crisis in the new year.
Leon Cook has been playing Ely Park Golf Course since the 1960s, and he likes what's happening at the course these days. "Over the last year, I've seen more work done and more improvements than I've seen in the last 15 years," the 70-year-old Conklin resident said.
This past season marked a change for the venerable course, as the City of Binghamton, which owns the 77-year-old facility, turned management over to a private group, Ely Park LLC.
We took a chance. We didn't know what to expect," said City Council President Martin J. Gerchman, D-2nd District, about the agreement the council authorized in January.
Now, by all accounts, the move has been a success -- rating a birdie, not a bogey, from golfers and city officials.
 |
| Syracuse 78, Cornell 58 |
We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Update: 1 1/2 year-old boy dies after being shot in Syracuse
Police say Midland Ave. shooting under investigation
Police: Two Syracuse brothers argue, stab each other
Two Syracuse teens accused of robbing four people at gunpoint
 |
| Buerkle in downtown Syracuse |
 |
| Sowell |
Another deficit reduction commission has now made its recommendations. My own recommendation for dealing with deficits would include stopping the appointment of deficit reduction commissions.Economist and philosopher Dr. Thomas Sowell explains how politicians will use the "Deficit Reduction Commission" to increase government spending and raise your taxes: Deficit Reduction.
Once again, modern technology saves money and is better for the earth. By stuffing the feedlot animals with corn, farmers get them to grow faster. Therefore they can slaughter them sooner, which is better for the earth than letting them live longer and do all the environmentally damaging things natural cows do while they are alive.
"Absolutely right," Capper said. "Every single day, they need feed, they need water, and they give off methane nitrous oxide -- very potent greenhouse gases that do damage."
But what about damage to people? Some advocates of grass-fed beef claim that the more naturally raised animals are healthier to eat.
"There is absolutely no scientific evidence based on that. Absolutely none," she replied. "There is some very slight difference in fatty acids, for example, but they are so minor that they don't make any significant human health impact."
But what about those hormones the cows are given? Surely that cannot be good for us.
"What we have to remember is every food we eat -- whether it's tofu, whether it's beef, whether it's apples -- they all contain hormones. There's nothing, apart from salts, that doesn't have some kind of hormone in them."
How about pushing for a some quick small victories?
Repeal the ban on the incandescent bulb.
Repeal the limit on the size of toilet tanks in our homes.
Those are the first two that come to mind for me. I am sure there are many others.
 |
| Jake and Ellwood |
5. Blues cars: Chevys and Cadillacs and broken down trucks. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or SUV's. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running. Walkin' plays a
major part in the blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.
10. Good places for the Blues: a. highway b. jailhouse c. empty
bed d. bottom of a whiskey glass Bad places: a. ashrams
b. gallery openings c. Ivy League institutions d. golf courses
The governor wants legislators to return to Albany and balance the budget before the end of his term. Some of the $315 million budget gap come from lower-than-anticipated cigarette sales tax revenue, despite a tax increase last July.
Many smokers have quit, and many are taking advantage of the tax free status of cigarettes enjoy on reservations.
"I just go to the reservation now and get them instead of buying them downtown where it's maybe a little more inconvenient," said smoker Leanne Harper.
Lawmakers increased the tax in order to quickly raise more revenue for the cash-strapped state, but it seems to have backfired.
In June, 48 million packs of cigarettes were sold. The month after the tax hike, the total dropped to almost 29 million.
That number remained level through October. The drop parallels a previous decrease in 2008, when the state hiked the tax by $1.25.
 |
| Town of Veteran, NY |
 |
| RIP 2004 -20007 |
According to Representative Louise Slaughter, the project will create jobs and boost the economy.
"Economically, I think we can only begin to count the blessings we're going to get from this train," Slaughter told reporters during a press conference before the meeting.
Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) is weighing a bid for president in 2012, he said in an interview on ABC's "Top Line" on Monday.
Exactly how much damage have Pataki's deals with Rivera done to the state's health-care system? A recent study by the Data Advantage consulting group found that New York's hospitals collectively ring up the second-highest average bills of any state in the nation—$6,204 per hospitalization, or 30 percent above the national mean, even after adjusting for the severity of cases New York hospitals treat
Meanwhile, the state spent $7.4 billion in 1999 on hospitalized Medicaid patients, or $4,180 per patient, compared with $9.2 billion, or just $2,377 per patient, in Texas and California combined.
As costs have soared, the ranks of the uninsured have swelled from 13.5 percent of the state's population in 1990 to 18.5 percent by decade's end.
New York State's health-care-cost explosion has left many individuals unable to afford insurance, and it has made businesses, especially small ones, unable to offer it. The typical family policy offered by small businesses in New York these days costs between $5,000 and $6,000 per year, depending on deductibles.
No wonder that the state's small businesses listed health-care costs as the No. 1 impediment to economic growth in a poll by Rochester's Center for Governmental Research.This from Steve Malanga back in 2001. That family policy now costs New Yorkers $13,164.
"High-speed rail could be the 21st Century Erie Canal for New York State," with bullet trains zipping from New York City to Buffalo, Toronto and Montreal in the future, Cuomo said.
 |
| Fish Pier, Boston |
 |
| One billion dollars |
The company said Wednesday that it is shuttering one of its factories to save $60 million in capital expenditures, laying off 40 employees and letting the contracts for more than 100 temporary workers expire.
All this despite a $535-million federal loan guarantee, more than $1 billion in private equity funds and supportive visits from luminaries such as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and President Barack Obama.
One of the biggest investors in the company was Oklahoma billionaire George Kaiser - a big bundler for the Obama-Biden campaign. Not to worry for Mr. Kaiser. The administration is looking to extend hundreds of millions of dollars in additional loans (our money) to the venture.
 |
| Richard Hanna and supporter |
Calling it the “Erie Canal of our time” he has been a loud, vocal proponent of high speed rail.
Let's suppose that the Obama administration gets its wish to build high-speed rail systems in 13 urban corridors. The administration has already committed $10.5 billion, and that's just a token down payment. California wants about $19 billion for an 800-mile track from Anaheim to San Francisco. Constructing all 13 corridors could easily approach $200 billion. Most (or all) of that would have to come from government at some level. What would we get for this huge investment?
Not much. Here's what we wouldn't get: any meaningful reduction in traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, air travel, oil consumption or imports. Nada, zip. If you can do fourth-grade math, you can understand why.
 |
| A fine looking craft |
 |
| Teresa Ghilarducci wants your 401K |
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee heard from hand-picked witnesses advocating the infamous "Guaranteed Retirement Account" (GRA) authored by Theresa Guilarducci....
In a nutshell, under the GRA system government would seize private 401(k) accounts, setting up an additional 5% mandatory payroll tax to dole out a "fair" pension to everyone using that confiscated money coupled with the mandated contributions. This would, of course, be a sister government ponzi scheme working in tandem with Social Security, the primary purpose being to give big government politicians additional taxpayer funds to raid to pay for their out-of-control spending.
