On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 20:00:20 -0500, Nova wrote:

.... snip

The City Of Buffalo and The County of Erie (Buffalo is in Erie County) are in major
financial trouble. The Erie County executive just tried to push through a 1% increase in
county tax which would have raised the combined state/county sales tax to 9.25%, the
highest in the country. This was after blowing, IIRC, a $12 million surplus left the the
previous administration and squandering the millions received by the county from the
tobacco law suit. The attempt to raise the tax failed to pass this past Friday. The
county parks are now closed, county roads are not being plowed, county workers are supposed
to be laid off in droves and the department heads is taking the matter to the courts.


So your county officials are throwing a hissy fit and punishing the
voters? Funny how when tax increases don't pass, it's the services most
visible that get cut first, isn't it? Nobody would have noticed any
decreases in staff at the county offices such as a few less clerks or some
county officials having to share executive assistants or maybe some cuts in
landscaping staff or other "non-essential" services. Nope, when the public
refuses to go along with a tax increase, they want to show how shortsighted
the move was by cutting where people will see it.


I sure hope Lowes wasn't given a tax break. There'll be public hanging.



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The absence of accidents does not mean the presence of safety
Army General Richard Cody
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