NY needs to reduce costs to businesses
Every day I laugh (not really) when I see the commercial that Andrew “King” Coumo has on the television regarding the $15 an hour minimum wage.
I find it especially amusing when he says people need this wage to buy food and take care of their families, and he wants the whole nation to adopt this wage.
First of all, this wage will cause many businesses to close or move out of New York. If you don’t believe me, stop and talk with a business owner in New York and see all of the state regulations and “fees” that the state charges to be in business. I talked with a small business owner who is going out of business, and he said the state required him to pay numerous fees to go out of business — in New York.
What “The King” should be doing instead of raising the wage should be eliminating the fees, taxes, requirements and whatever other name you want to call these money sucking items from businesses, and also from all New Yorkers.
If you lower these costs, it will be easier to live in New York. You would not have to raise the minimum wage so high just so people are able to live in New York. And businesses would stay and thrive. We could start by getting rid of so many legislators. According to news reports, they don’t work much anyway, and they all have large staffs. Look at government in other states that are not taxed to death (and even in death) like New York and utilize the models that are working for them.
I know that when I retire shortly, I will be moving out of New York, as many others are also. I am being told, “Oh, but other states will tax your retirement.” But in reality, even if they are taxing my retirement, I will be so far ahead with the other lower costs that it will not even matter.
Don’t fall for Coumo’s advertisements. New York needs to change or only the rich will survive here.
David W Gallup
Scotia
Take action in Baltics now or bolster Russia
Using the pretext of an ethnic German population being mistreated by the Czechoslovakian government, Adolf Hitler calculated that weak leaders in England and France had no stomach for a war in the middle of a depression. He was right. The Munich Agreement handed over the Sudetenland region over to Germany. A giddy English prime minister, the liberal Neville Chamberlain, announced “Peace In Our Time.”
One year later, Hitler used the same game plan to justify invading Poland, starting World War II. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has used the same ethnic blueprint to successfully invade both Georgia and the Ukraine.
President Obama and European leaders launched toothless economic sanctions and Russia expanded both times, annexing the lands captured. Now Putin is readying to reclaim the Baltic States — Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Recent speeches have him quoted as saying that “the Baltics are part of Greater Russia” and “Russian citizens in the Baltic States are being victimized on a daily basis.”
He has been recently holding military exercises on their borders and in the Baltic Sea. Much like the Luftwaffe’s screen test during the Spanish Civil War, Russia’s Air Force is gaining valuable experience bombing rebels in Syria the past five months. Here’s the scenario: late August/September, the sanctions end in July, the world is focused on the Summer Olympics, the United States is focused on 2016 presidential elections, Western Europe is struggling with massive Arab migration, and budget cuts have left NATO at its weakest state of readiness since 1950.
A lame duck President Obama, never one for military action, will be faced with the following choices: 1) Defend the three Baltic States, who are NATO members, meaning World War III, or 2) stand back and do nothing other than verbal condemnations and economic sanctions.
Putin is hedging his bets that Obama will pick No. 2, effectively ending NATO and leading to all of Eastern Europe soon falling back under Moscow’s control. NATO must increase its presence immediately in these states and make a clear strong statement or a nuclear fall will be a real possibility.
Sept. 28 will mark the anniversary of Joseph Stalin’s original 1939 occupation of the Baltic States. Be sure that Putin is aware of that.
Graham Higgins
Schenectady
Combine old and new in Alco street names
Regarding the casino street names. How does “River Street” sound?
The river has been here long before Alco or GE. Add “street” as part of the Rush Street Casino.
Now you have the old and the new.
Peg Lapo
Delanson
America doesn’t need more liberals in power
Re: Roger Malebranche’s letter to the editor [Consider who Jesus would pick for Supreme court Judge]:
In my humble opinion, Judge Scalia was a great judge. Mr. Malebranche does not seem to understand what a Supreme Court judge’s duty is. First of all, whether he is a liberal or a Conservative has nothing to do with it. His job is to interpret the U.S. Constitution, period, whether he agrees or disagrees. That’s what made Judge Scalia a great judge. A judge is supposed to go by the law, not his feeling, That’s why Lady Justice is blind. It should not matter if the person is rich or poor, gay or black or Hispanic or white. Mr. Malebranche talks like he would like to change the Constitution to fit his liberal ways, Maybe he would like to change the Ten Commandments to fit today’s needs also.
I was so put out with the political cartoon of showing Scalia at the gates of Heaven with an angel saying God is a female, gay, black and despises guns. I almost called and canceled my subscription to The Gazette. I can’t read the name of the so-called artist, but he is so far to the left he might fall over. I don’t see this artist doing any drawings of Muslims. Is he afraid they may come after him and chop off his head? Instead, he picks on the Christians. He knows they won’t bother him. But like the most of the liberals, he shows crooked lying Hillary Clinton getting hearts from her mailbox. Is this how sick we have become? You liberals have ruined the greatest country the world has ever known , and we can only survive if we turn back to God.
What is going on in this crazy world today? America and the world cannot stand another four or eight years of liberals like Hillary Clinton. No one cares about the country. All they care about is power and the votes. All politicians lie. If you or I did what Mrs. Clinton has done, they would lock us up and throw away the key. Why do we allow her to be above the law?
Tony Monte
Princetown
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