Tag Archives: In My Opinion

Bazzo at Work
By Anthony J. Bazzo

Naked Ambition

Who will be the first to say the king has no clothes? If you read or listen to the common wisdom , New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is the best thing to come along since sliced bread. On-time budgets. Gay marriage. Trying to de-criminalize pot. The “students lobbyist.” No new taxes. Property tax caps. The list goes on and on. Like past Governor George Pataki’s first two years, this head of state is swinging hard left, but will try to get more four-year terms on the back of the first two years.

We are led to believe our government is getting smaller. Where? How? The budget still is $132 billion. Taxes were raised on high-income earners during the 2011 Christmas holiday. The two most powerful special interests, schools and health care, got more money.

The “Triborough Amendment” still stands. It allows public sector unions all benefits of expired contracts, including built-in raises, while stonewalling talks to negotiate new contracts. Not one unfunded mandate has bit the dust. The

The Court of Appeals, highest court in the state, ruled that teachers have no right to privacy in regards to evaluations when it ruled that those evaluations be made public. Yet, the Governor, against the ruling of the court, decided that teachers have a right to privacy as he, along with the legislature, sided with the teachers’ unions and thereby limited the public’s right to know how well or how badly teachers we pay are performing.

Governor Cuomo supports an increase in the minimum wage to $8.50 an hour from its current $7.50 an hour. He is in a box; by standing in the way of good-paying private sector union and non-union jobs, he must raise salaries of low-paying jobs. He stands in the way of good paying jobsby standing in the way of hydrofracking in the southern tier of New York that is desperate for jobs.

By keeping out good jobs, he increases dependence on government with low-paying jobs. Think food stamps. Rent payment assistance. Medicaid. They all keep people dependent on government for their daily existence and ensure votes to keep in power those giving assistance.

Marketing hype aside, New York is not open for business. Oh, but it still is giving the people the business.

If you disagree, wait till after the November elections, when a special session of the legislature will be called to give themselves a raise from to over $100,000.00, from the current $79,500.00.

You read it here first: the king has no clothes.

This is my opinion, you may beg to differ.

The opinions expressed by freelance contributors to PennySaver Community do not necessarily reflect those of PennySaver Community or its parent Chase Media Group.

To read more Bazzo, go to PennySaverCommunity.com, where you can submit responses to his opinions and post your own comments

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Dear Readers:

Governor Scott Walker won his re-call vote in Wisconsin. He not only won, but he cleaned the clock of his opponents. Yes, I said his opponents because he not only ran against and beat Democratic challenger, Tom Barrett, he beat unions, municipal, private, in state and across the country who sent money and people.
He did this despite a greater voter turnout than 2010 and also by a greater margin of victory. He not only won by more than the margin of polling error, he won by more than the margin of fraud. If you do not think same day registration and voting, which Wisconsin allows, lends itself to fraud,you are nuts.

You are being told that Walker won by out spending his opponents. Not quite true. He did spend more money, but if you count the man power shipped into Wisconsin by the union’s, the spending is the same. Time is money. What won was ideas. His idea that municipal unions should shoulder a slightly higher bourdon of health care and benefits cost then at present won. His idea that government should not shoulder the responsibility of collecting union dues, won. The fact that union membership has seen a sharp drop since that law was passed and the Walker got 38% of union votes shows these ideas won the day.

The fact that the sky did not fall should mean something to the states across the country. The re-call election should have ramifications across the country. It should, but it won’t. This was a state election with state issues at stake. Yes, these issues are common in other states, but not the political will. Can you name two governor’s with the same backbone to stand up to the daily beatings since 2011 from the Democrats, unions and stenographers in the media and stay the course? Remember the opening of the poem “If” by Rudyard Kippling, “If you can hold your head when all about you are losing their and blaming it on you. If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowances for their doubting too.”

This election will mean nothing in New York. We have not one, one! elected official with the political will to stand up to the public sector special interests. Not one with the political courage to propose actual meaningful reform. We get the word reform in legislation, but not the meat of reform. Follow the money. See how much the special interests contribute to our representatives. They put in caps, but do not reform mandates to make those caps meaningful. Whatever tier reforms they enact, the legislature just goes back when you are not looking and nullify them with new legislation. How do you think we got to Tier VI?

It is all a crock and they all play the game. We have Republican and Democrat parties with not a spit of difference between them. Not when it comes to the special interests. You must be the difference. You must show, like the Wisconsin voter that you will support with your vote those who will stand up to the special interests. You will oppose, no matter the party those who side with the special interests. Follow the money, follow their votes, ignore the words. This is my opinion, you may beg to differ.

Anthony. J. Bazzo

The opinions expressed by freelance contributors to PennySaver Community do not necessarily reflect those of PennySaver Community or its parent Chase Media Group.

To read more Bazzo, go to PennySaverCommunity.com, where you can submit responses to his opinions and post your own comments

Bazzo at Work
By Anthony J. Bazzo

Which Way for the Highway?

What is one of the three greatest lies? Answer: I am from the government and I am here to help you. There is a corollary falsehood in Yorktown being spread by some: and that is Ccreating a Department of Public Works has nothing to do with DPW advocates’ feelings about Highway Superintendent Eric DiBartolo. You know an idea is a bad one when it starts with a lie. Of course, it ISis about Eric. Yes, it probably would save money, but so did Yorktown save money when Eric helad the title Head of Labor Relations. Still, in one of its first actions of 2010, the Town Board, with then- Supervisor Siegel leading the charge, in one of their first actions in 2010 was to abolished that position due to because they had disagreements with Eric;, saving the town money had nothing to do with itmattered not.

Now these same people want to create a civil service position of Department of Public Works, headed by some one not accountable to the voters (aka taxpayers). Now that this is their idea, cThe DPWers claim that consolidation with someone not named Eric DibBartolo, who is would be ineligible because he does not have the required engineering degree, would save the town money. Eric has proved through his many years of service that an engineering degree is not needed when someone competent is in charge.

This is about power;, power of elected officials, not of voters. The “let’s get rid of Eric” crowd want some one beholden to them in that positionfor their job. Under the old way, Eric was beholden to the voters. That is the way it should be. That is one reason Eric put in the time and effort to transform to town services under his supervision into a more efficient machine. He had to answer to taxpayersyou.

Now one might say, “If Eric is so good, why are our roads in such bad shape?” The answer is simple. The previous Town Board allotted him no money for paving. To get the job done on the roads he did do required grants from the state and Federal governments. However, not using town money under the guise that it saved taxpayers money was not the reason. The reason was to make Eric look bad to the voters. The monkey wrench was underestimating Eric’s talent in getting necessary money from other sources.

Now, tTo create a Department of Public Works, the town would have to have have to put a referendum on November’s ballot eliminating as an elected position the Head of the Highway Department Superintendent as an elected office. As any one who drives around town in inclement weather knows, our Yorktown’s Highway Department puts others to shame. As anyone who has tried to get help by phoning the Highway Department knows, Eric is always available. This is because he is accountable to you and he knows it.

Eric’s talent for getting from point A to point B may sometimes get him in trouble, but it does get results and the Yorktown is better for it. You can thank Eric for the job he and those under him do by not supporting a switch from elected to appointed making this position through the creation of a Department of Public Worksappointed. Urge your town officials not to put this referendum on November’s ballot.

This is my opinion, you may beg to differ.

Anthony. J. Bazzo
The opinions expressed by freelance contributors to PennySaver Community do not necessarily reflect those of PennySaver Community or its parent Chase Media Group.

To read more Bazzo, go to PennySaverCommunity.com, where you can submit responses to his opinions and post your own comments

Power Play
Thursday, 24 May 2012 19:24
BY ANTHONY J. BAZZO

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) Safety Report gives a passing grade to Entergy Nuclear’s Indian Point plant in the Westchester County village of Buchanan. The NRC report evaluates nuclear plants across the U.S.

Nuclear is the cleanest energy; it produces no greenhouse gases. Unsurprisingly, it once again has been issued a clean bill of health. Not to worry, though, for that will not stop those whose mission it is to shut Indian Point. Facts never get in their way, not when fear is easier to exploit.

The NRC study cites 25 issues needing attention at Indian Point. What is sure to be ignored by the “shut it down” crowd is that all 25 are deemed “very low risk” or “very low safety significance.”

Also likely to be overlooked by fear mongers is that Indian Point provides 2,062 megawatts of power. That is 12% of New York State’s power, or 30% of the power for New York City and Westchester. It also provides $800 million for the local economy and 1,300 jobs. Who cares, shut it down because there are potential dangers, as if there are not potential and proven dangers in other energy producing activities. Oh yeah, they are trying to shut them down also.

It is important to the “shut it down” crowd to hinder all types of energy production via regulation, fees and taxes so they can drive up the costs. You see this right now in the costs of natural gas. It has gone down significantly, where Con Edision would be able to lower the cost of electricity to this region. It can not because the State imposed regulations requiring Con Edison to use 20% renewable sources of energy which are significantly more expensive and thereby negates the lower cost of natural gas.

If the “shut it down” crowd were to succeed, we would be like California with rolling summer blackouts. They would like this then they could regulate how much and when we could use electricity. Control, it is always about control with this crowd. It is no different then their attempts to tighten supplies of fossil fuel to control our movements the methods we use to travel.

Do not let them fool you about alternatives. They have already passed laws to make alternatives more costly or impossible to deliver. What this all boils down to is that Indian Point is still safe and the “shut it down” crowd is still wrong. This is my opinion, you may beg to differ.

The opinions expressed by freelance contributors to PennySaver Community do not necessarily reflect those of PennySaver Community or its parent Chase Media Group.

To read more Bazzo, go to PennySaverCommunity.com, where you can submit responses to his opinions and post your own comments

Bazzo 05/25/12

Dear Readers:

Here is the problem. There is no actual “Tea Party” in the sense there is a Republican or Democrat Party. There is no hierarchy, party leaders, fund raising apparatus or even ballot line in the majority of states. So it is easy for the establishment media to try over the course of months since the 2010 election to convince you it was “one and done”. That the real “grass root” movement was “Occupy Wall Street” and the 99%. There were no actual elections to point to that showed they were wrong. That was until May 8 2012.

It made no difference that even here in New York in a couple of special elections where Republicans picked up formerly Democrat Senate seats that were considered safe. That was seen as Democrat campaign mistakes. Come November things will go back to “normal”. Wrong! On May 8 the “Tea Party” showed they were alive and kicking. In Indiana, 35 year Senator Richard Lugar got his clocked cleaned by a “Tea Party” backed candidate Richard Mourdock. Over in Wisconsin, the recall special election of Governor Scott Walker took a bad turn for those trying to recall the Governor. With no one opposing Walker’s re-election, he still got more votes then his Democrat counter parts running to see who will oppose him combined in the May 8 primary.

The results in both races have been described by the establishment talking heads as anything but what they really are. What they really are is what scares the heck out of the establishment of both parties. You see, the “Tea Party” while not an actual party is in reality a party of ideals and ideas. Though people subscribing to those ideals and ideas may not take to the streets, they do, when the opportunity presents itself, to the voting booth. They may not get headlines but they do get results.

One result is that the “Tea Party” believe that the era of Republican compromise as practiced by Lugar, where the Republican concedes their position to the Democrats is over. The “Tea Party” prefers confrontation over capitulation. This is called radical. What is radical about standing up for what you believe in? Why is it radical to want those whom you vote for to actually adhere to the platform they rode on and promises they made? It seems it is only radical when the “Tea party” does it. When the Democrats do it, they call it principal.

Here in the blue state of New York, those in the establishment take heed. The recent special elections were but a warning shot. Those Republicans that run as conservative but vote Democrat, that propose and endorse legislation at odds with “Tea Party” ideas and ideals are in jeopardy. The voters of principal are watching your votes not listening to your words. Believe it or not the “Tea party” is the real 99% and it is alive and well right here in New York. This is my opinion, you may beg to differ.

Anthony. J. Bazzo

The opinions expressed by freelance contributors to PennySaver Community do not necessarily reflect those of PennySaver Community or its parent Chase Media Group.

To read more Bazzo, go to PennySaverCommunity.com, where you can submit responses to his opinions and post your own comments

Dear Readers:

Recently I had a chance to speak at a public hearing before the Peekksill City Council where the topics up for consideration were 1) should Peekskill lift the ban on tattoo parlors? 2) If the ban is lifted, where should they be allowed to locate? With respect to #2, the choices are industrial only, commercial (ie:shopping centers) , the artist district (it has been argued that tattoos are an art form) or all of the above. At no time would they be zoned for a residential,only area.

In full disclosure, I know Pat Conlon, the artist trying to open the tattoo parlor, he is a customer of mine. I spoke 1) in favor of lifting the ban and 2) that it should be located in the artist district. You can find this hearing on the City of Peekskill web site, click to videos, April 23 7:30 P.M. I speak 1 hour 17 minutes in to the video.

After speaking about this with the Mayor Of Pennysaver Community Bruce Apar, I had an epiphany. Whether a law should be changed is a proper topic for public opinions is fine with me. I do not believe where a business, especially a legally regulated business should be located should be decided on what the public thinks. The governments role in this should be 1) is it zoned properly? 2) Will it fall down? 3) Will it catch fire? 3) Will it flood out the neighbors? That’s it. As far as the public is concerned, their only voice should be with their pocket books and wallets. Either they will patronize the establishment or they won’t.

The business person risking their investment should be the decider of where they have the best chance to make a success. What has happened and it is a troubling trend, is that the municipalities and residents now think of themselves as partners, putting in their two cents without putting in a cent of investment. They are not and this trend must stop!

In the Town of Yorktown where I live, there are a number of buildings that exist that would not under today’s rules. These building would have been stopped in their tracks by boards, councils and people afraid of what might happen. The history of these building have shown that none of those fears would have panned out.

In spite of this, the property owners and business investors would not have been allowed to maximize the value of their property. It is an insidious run around the “takings clause”. All out of fear of what might be and if someone has an axe to grind about the type of business of the person trying to open it, or even the property owner. Yes, people have a right to their opinion, and they have a right to speak. However no where is it written that they have a right to be heard. Mine or anyone else’s opinions about whether one likes or dislikes tattoos, wineries, big box stores etc. should dictate where those business should be allowed to operate. This is my opinion, you may beg to differ.

Anthony. J. Bazzo

The opinions expressed by freelance contributors to PennySaver Community do not necessarily reflect those of PennySaver Community or its parent Chase Media Group.

To read more Bazzo, go to PennySaverCommunity.com, where you can submit responses to his opinions and post your own comments
Bazzo 05/06/12

Dear Readers:

As we await the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the “individual mandate”, that which forces citizens to engage in commerce, whether they like it or not, under penalty of fine and/or imprisonment, in “Obama Care” here is what is being reported recently in the Hill.com (http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/220475-white-house-has-diverted-500m-to-irs-to-implement-health-law) : “The Obama administration is quietly diverting roughly $500 million to the IRS to help implement the president’s healthcare law. The money is only part of the IRS’s total implementation spending, and it is being provided outside the normal appropriations process.”

During the debate leading up to the Christmas Eve 2009 Senate vote on “Obama Care” the funding of the IRS to hire 6000 auditors whose sole job is to make sure people and businesses are in compliance with this new law was part of the public debate. However when the new Congress took over in 2011 they did not provide funding for this. This is one of the pieces of legislation that the Democrat controlled Senate has yet to take up.

However this executive branch, in keeping with their continuing disregard for the other co-equal branches of government is using funds directed for other spending to fund this part of the law. So no matter how the Supreme Court rules, the IRS will have hired 6,000 new auditors. This is another example of this administrations increasing the size of government on the backs of taxpayers during this recession.

This is how socialists work. In this case the IRS is there to ensure that people comply. It will be part of your tax return. If you don’t get health insurance, they’re will fine you, and you will be audited. When did the premise of our constitution change where everything happens as a result of being forced by the government to do it? When did we become the servant public?

This is why Justice Kennedy was right when he opined that if the court fines the individual mandate constitutional, it will forever alter the relationship between the government and the people. This is why polls show between 60% and 70% of the people want this law repealed. The majority of the people do not want this relationship altered. They certainly do not want 6,000 new auditors snooping into their lives.

Most importantly this is why this is a seminal election. To preserve our way of life the way we have lived under and to insure our children and their children have the same freedom from government intrusion, we must elect to Congress and the Senate those who will repeal this law regardless of what the Supreme Court rules. For over 230 years, our constitution has theoretically been a limiting document insuring government serves at the consent of the governed. Left unchallenged, if you the voter stays home and do not do with your vote what must be done, come 2013, you will forever be the servant of the government. It is up to you to make sure this experiment in self-government does not die. This is my opinion, you may beg to differ.

Anthony. J. Bazzo

The opinions expressed by freelance contributors to PennySaver Community do not necessarily reflect those of PennySaver Community or its parent Chase Media Group.

To read more Bazzo, go to PennySaverCommunity.com, where you can submit responses to his opinions and post your own comments
Bazzo 04//20/12