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Grateful to our kind neighbor with a plow
Recently my husband was out snow-blowing our long driveway to clean up the heavy snowfall.
A young man with a construction truck with a plow on it stopped and asked if my husband would like him to take a few passes down the driveway for us. He wouldn’t take any money for his kindness.
What he didn’t know was that my husband was recovering from a broken back and was hurting as he was snow-blowing. And I was in the house recovering from surgery. Why a 67-year-old man with a sore back was out snow-blowing is a topic for another time.
We want to thank that kind man. He defines what it means to be a good neighbor.
Deborah Kozlowski
Porter Corners
St. Clare’s retirees continue to suffer
The St. Clare’s Hospital retirees are all hurting and afraid of losing their pensions due to the bishops at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, along with the board members at St. Clare’s Hospital.
The St. Clare’s Hospital retirees are feeling the pressure every day.
They can’t eat, can’t sleep, cry a lot and they are a bundle of nerves. They pray a lot, and nothing happens, and they all wait years and still no pensions.
This has to be so hard on the retirees and all their families. The retirees are far from living the dream, and they have all been trapped in the clutches of the diocese and the St. Clare’s Hospital.
They have all been struggling due to the horrible life that they have all been forced to live. This is the worst case of abuse in St. Clare’s Hospital’s history.
Nobody should have to suffer like this; it is more like torture.
It is unlike the bishops and the board members, who are living a far better life after this awful pension collapse. We must not forget to thank Sen. Jim Tedisco and Mary Hartshorne, the face of all the retirees, for their meeting with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s staff in an amazingly productive 30 minutes. It is very upsetting what is happening to all our beloved retirees, but it looks like all we can do is leave it all in God’s hands.
Walter “Neal” Brazell
Schenectady
Doulas provide care at birth, also death
I enjoyed Andrew Waite’s March 9 column (“Doulas deserve New York’s support”) on birthing doulas, but it was missing its other half. They also provide a big role regarding end-of-life care. It’s really the same element — bookending life.
The Albany Guardian Society hosted a program on it a couple of years ago. Enhancing awareness of both may benefit the legislative efforts to help include Medicaid coverage. These are wonderful people.
John Hargraves
Schenectady
Via Port settlement was fair to both sides
For several months, now a concerned citizen in Rotterdam has been questioning the negotiated settlement with Via Port.
Keep in mind it was the previous administration that signed the contract with Via Port for $1 million under the assumption they had a rent-versus-buy option. They were wrong!
Unfortunately, the current town board was tasked with getting a negotiated settlement with Via Port. After several months of negotiations, the current town board agreed to pay Via Port $250,000 to settle the contract. Keep in mind there was no clause in the contract with Via Port to return the $1 million or to even negotiate to get out of the contract.
Both parties came together in good faith and in the end did what was fair for all the parties concerned. How they got there is not the issue. In the end the town of Rotterdam got back $750,000. Enough is enough.
Robert Godlewski
Schenectady
Grateful to McCarthy for healing efforts
Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy’s role in the healing of a community since Nov. 25 cannot be overstated. Thanks.
Thomas Favata
Scotia
Town doesn’t have authority over waters
I want to bring a matter to your attention. The town of Clifton Park has, I believe, set invalid limitations on the use of the Navigable Waters of New York state.
Currently, the town limits the use of the Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve for consumptive recreationists to a one-week “duck hunt.” I do not believe the town has the authority to govern recreational uses of the Navigable Waters of New York, as they are owned by the people. Due to preemption, the town does not have the authority to limit hunting seasons, as the state Department of Environmental Conservation is the only agency to set hunting season dates.
The additional regulatory issue as it pertains to the Town Code in Chapter 152 is the town has layered an invalid firearms discharge regulation to further dissuade participation in legal hunting activities.
Through Municipal Home Rule, 20 towns in the state are given the authority to govern firearms discharge more restrictively than the state, and Clifton Park was not given this authority. Ref. N.Y. TOWN LAW § 130(27).
I addressed the Town Board on Feb. 13 and 27 requesting the abolishment of the invalid restraints, in hopes of regaining our rights.
We have had discussions with Ducks Unlimited, the leader of wetlands and wildlife restoration, and advised the Town Board that this group is interested in this property. Funding is available to perform a restoration effort, but it will require the town’s support to perform a formal site assessment this spring.
Dylan Mirarchi
Malta
Alert state leaders to your dissatisfaction
We need more women in political offices to “clean house” and put the “house” into responsible working order.
I had hopes for Gov. Kathy Hochul, but apparently, she is not one of those women.
We the people are very busy working and taking care of our family and neighbors. We do not have the time to run the government – that is why we have “hired” a governor and legislators.
We the people do not understand, if New York state does not have more and better services than other states, why are we paying so much more than they do?
The budget is not truly balanced. For all that we pay, the state progresses down the financial black hole.
Please everyone: Send a message by any means to your governor and legislators and let them know how we feel. If you don’t, they will assume we are OK with their job performance, or worse yet, that we don’t care.
Marilyn Guidarelli
Schenectady
Consider readers who prefer print version
I realize this is a digital age but what about your faithful paper readers. It seems like our “papers” are getting smaller every day. But the price has stayed the same.
I used to get my paper delivered every day by my faithful delivery person (he retired and since has passed away) for a very reasonable price by the year.
Since I now have to drive to get my paper three miles down and back from town, it’s almost triple the cost. And I feel cheated on the fact that you are trying to get everyone to go digital. I do not have a computer – so no way can I do that. But I do enjoy my paper the way it is and has been. So take into consideration the thousands of us that are not in the computer age.
Anne Fringo
Middleburgh
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Categories: Letters to the Editor, Opinion, Opinion, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Scotia Glenville
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The banks collapse is just the start. Ironically the WEF war gamed this scenario last year. Why does this matter? The WEF is hell bent on a one world government and how do they do this? America is the last hold out for now.
Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act hide all of the green energy deals inside this bill. Thousands of pages that were pushed through. I know conspiracy theory.
Well ESG is a big part of the I.R.A. and knows it will destroy businesses and green energy cannot produce energy needed to maintain status quo energy use.
WEF and the central bank wants to bring in their cryptocurrency a government controlled electronic currency. This is where the tires hit the road. Collapse the banking introduce government controlled cryptocurrency the central bank can turn on and off your ability to buy freely. They control how much food, fuel, soda , beer, toothpaste anything through the electronic currency system.
Thus moving the country closer to loosing their freedoms.
Just a conspiracy so lets see if this one comes true.
It took some time but finally moving forward with the Biden crime family investigation.
Hunter Biden, Burisma, and Corruption:
The Impact on U.S. Government Policy and Related Concerns
U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Majority Staff Report.
Biden continues his push to WW3
NEWS • US.
Australia to buy up to five US nuclear-powered submarines: US
& AFP O March 13, 2023 2:34 pm
This man wants nothing more than to destroy America. HE is without a doubt Traitor In Chief.
Straight from the horses mouth. Lily Tang Williams wrote this.
Look familiar?
Lily Tang Williams
@Lily4Liberty
I am a survivor of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Here are some of his revolution features and tactics. You can judge yourself if these look similar with today’s American woke cultural revolution.
1. Mao started Cultural Revolution to purge his political enemies and become a “Supreme Leader” to control entire China.
2. His campaign slogan: Destroy the “Four Olds”
— Traditional Ideas, Culture, Habits, and Customs
3. Arbitrary Division of society by using “Critical Class Theory” and identity politics by dividing people into:
Oppressors – The Five “Black Classes”
Oppressed – The Five “Red Classes”
4. Quasi-religious indoctrination of urban youth “Red Guards”, shut down schools for years for them to do class struggles full time, promote division, hatred, envy and equity.
5. Toppling down statues, putting big posters and spray paintings on the walls, riots, looting, violence, law enforcement told to stand-down.
6. Change school or street names, change words & definitions, censor words, burn relics, temples and churches, demonize all the religions as cults, promote communism as the sole ideology, Mao as a God-like leader.
7. Struggle sessions, public shaming and denouncing, self-criticizing, apologizing, thought reform re-education camps for the “Black Classes”.
8. Guilty at birth, by relationship, by association, past words/deeds, lose jobs if you don’t comply, silence is violence.
9. Family and neighbors turn on each other, children were told parents are not dearer than Mao, urge teens to change last names to cut ties with their Black Class families to show loyalty to the “revolution”.
10. Redefine social norms, promote unisex gender-less society, girls dress like boys & soldiers, create confusion & social chaos, banned dating in schools.
11. Press & media were controlled by CCP & used for propaganda daily, cancel individual merits, silence dissident voices from all professions, ban books, songs, music, art and comedies that are not PC.
12. Using mob tactics of fear, intimidation, torture and violence, no rule of law, 20M died, many committed suicide including intellectuals and party officials who supported the regime.
Hope you understand why immigrants like me, and many others are very concerned today about America. We want to give our warnings until we stop the destruction of the country we love.
Article from TU today – New York fourth-graders’ test scores twice as bad as national average – from our NYS Comptroller.
Why?
Deborah kozlowski what a positive uplifting story as we near the start of spring thanks for sharing. Good luck to you and your husband as you recover Stay positive we are fortunate to live in this great Democracy and the Empire State!
Joe, it is a matter we should be concerned about but put more accurately it doesn’t sound as bad:
ALBANY, N.Y. — Test scores for New York State fourth graders have declined by 10% in math and 6% in reading since the pandemic. That’s double the loss compared to the national average, according to a report from the New York State Comptroller. News Ten 3/13
In NYS test scores declined in math by 10% while the national average was 5%. In reading it was 6% compared to 3%.
Obviously the cause of this decline needs to be studied and remedied. Clearly, it was linked to the shut down of schools resulting from the COVID pandemic. Why it affected NYS scores more tham other states is an open question.
Also, at the 8th grade level NYS did better than national averages. The math scores in NYS dropped 6% and 8% nationally. In NYS reading scores remained the same while dropping 3% nationally.
I agree we need to do something about 4th grade test scores. We certainly don’t want another generation of MAGAs let loose on our Country.
Mr Santo thank you for accurately explaining this issue.
Chris & Anthony – you guys are teachers or retired teachers – my question is why? Why was NY higher?
It says it right in the article the possible explanation, that New York got hit hardest first and was forced to shutdown earlier than other states, and was also slower to reopen.
Joe, I was a teacher but I do not have the answer to your question. I can only guess. It may have something to do with the high percentage of immigrants, some with English language problems, and the greater impact COVID had in NYS than most others. The fact that scores improved at the 8th grade level would support this possibility. As I stated it is linked to the pandemic and is being looked into.
Meanwhile, there is nothing to see here, right MAGAite’s?
The Guardian reports:
Federal prosecutors in New York involved in the criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s social media company last year started examining whether it violated money laundering statutes in connection with the acceptance of $8m with suspected Russian ties.
Towards the end of last year, federal prosecutors started examining two loans totaling $8 million wired to Trump Media, through the Caribbean, from two obscure entities that both appear to be controlled in part by the relation of an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, the sources said.
The Russian connection, as being examined by prosecutors in the US attorney’s office for the southern district of New York, centers on a part-owner of Paxum Bank – an individual named Anton Postolnikov, who appears to be a relation of Putin ally Aleksandr Smirnov.
Raw Story reports:
“Just want to keep you in the loop — no guaranty that these will get signed and funded, but we remain hopeful,” wrote John Haley, outside counsel for Trump Media, in a Dec. 24, 2021, email reviewed by the newspaper.
“Thanks john much appreciated. d,” Trump Jr. replied. Trump Jr. had joined the board of the company along with the former president’s ally Kash Patel and former Rep. Devin Nunes, who served as the tech company’s chief executive.
Anthony – my belief because former President Trump is such a narcissist that he loves press negative or positive.
Anthony J. Santo
March 15th, 2023
Joe, it is a matter we should be concerned about but put more accurately it doesn’t sound as bad:
NY has a cost of $26,731 per student, that’s double of California and also double of Florida, and almost three times of Tennessee which has no school tax. You would think that since we spend so much money we would have the best education the 2nd highest in the country outside DC we would be at least in the top 10 but we are 16th.
Mr. Bill 🤡 can you please cite where you got your information that Tennessee has no school taxes please,
And this is why we have to suffer the flaccid accusations of Liberals and Democrats as “groomers”; so hopefully no one pays too much attention to the real problem:
(note the reference to St. Claire’s abused pensioners at the end. How convenient)
~~~~~~~
ALBANY — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany on Wednesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it grapples with the financial impact of the hundreds of civil claims resulting from decades of child sexual abuse and cover-up, both admitted and alleged.
The action was revealed in a statement from Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, and follows months of grinding negotiations between attorneys for the diocese and plaintiffs’ attorneys.
“We maintain global mediation would have provided the most equitable distribution of the Diocese’s limited financial resources,” Scharfenberger said in his statement, “but as more Child Victims Act cases reached large settlements, our limited self-insurance funds which have been paying those settlements, have been depleted. The Chapter 11 filing is the best way, at this point, to ensure that all Victim/Survivors with pending CVA litigation will receive some compensation. The decision to file was not arrived at easily and I know it may cause pain and suffering, but we, as a Church, can get through this and grow stronger together.”
…
In addition to putting a pause on the abuse claims, the diocese said its filing also impacts lawsuits brought by pensioners of the former St. Clare’s Hospital who have for years been pushing church officials and elected leaders to make them whole. “That was not the Diocese’s purpose for filing,” the diocese said in its statement. “While questions remain regarding the St. Clare’s pension fund, the plight of the pensioners is of great concern to Bishop Scharfenberger.”
I don’t know why NYS spends so much more than most other states on education. My guess is we have too many administrators. By the time I left Shenendehowa department chairmen taught no classes. There were deans for discipline who also taught no classes. There was a principal and two assistant principals who taught no classes. Guidance counselors taught no classes. I don’t believe all these administrators are necessary. If administrators taught 1 to 3 classes a day, I believe they would have plenty of time to fulfill their other responsibilities. I suggest that the superintendent and assistant superintendent could also teach a class. This would save a great deal of money.
I know this is something that will upset many in the field of education but I have always felt this way. Administrators would be better at their jobs if they had classroom contact with students. I know department chairmen could teach 3 classes a day. That is how many they taught when I started my career.
Any other ideas on how to save money on education?
Without a state income tax, Tennessee predominantly funds public schools through sales and property taxes.
tennessean.com/
A.S. I agree with you I also believe that Superintendents get paid way too much money.
Also, we look for those Superintendents out of the local districts when we should be looking to promote from within. There are many administrators that know the district and need much better than an outsider, and would also cost less money to do a better job.
Mr. Bill 🤡but you said it had no school tax…..If sales tax and property taxes fun schools isn’t that a tax?…..So are you saying you “misspoke again?
He posted that quote like he was defending his point but actually ended up owning himself 😂
No varoma, NY has SCHOOL TAX, SALES TAX, and PROPERTY TAX. There is no school tax in Tennessee, even someone as stupid as you should be able to figure that out. That’s just like you lefty clowns, they pay for schools with sales and property tax and you say that’s school tax, do you think the schools and teachers work free? What an idiot. BTW their property tax is between $300 and $600 a year for the assessed value.
How’s that whoville? There is no School Tax in the state of Tennessee so it looks like you are as stupid as varoma.
$300 to $600 per 100K of assessed value. Before you, lefty losers twist that too.
Mr. Bill 🤡 so you are saying that money taken from property taxes to pay for schools isn’t a tax?
I know in Florida they have School and property taxes on the same bill , They don’t send you 2 different bills. Is that what you are saying?
By the way the question I asked wasn’t how much their assessment was …It was about how they pay for schools…..You said they had no tax
Great article in WSJ how mike pence is first to throw jabs at Donald Trump to get him out of the Republican Party.
Joe….. Mike Pence is a coward …..
I said they have no School Tax, most of their schools are funded by sales tax
So again, it’s a semantic game for you.
varoma you can try to twist it however you want but you and I both know that I’m correct and you are wrong.
BEP PRIMER: TENNESSEE SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDING FORMULA
Tennessee’s school funding formula, the Basic Education Program (BEP), delivers most of the funding provided by the state to Tennessee school districts each year. The formula divides funding into three categories: instructional staff (salaries and benefits) and classroom and non-classroom components. The state funds 70 percent of the instructional category, 75 percent of the classroom category and 50 percent of the non-classroom category; the remaining funding is from local district contributions.
Actual state and local funding percentages vary by district based on “fiscal capacity,” a calculation of the district’s ability to fund education with local resources. This ranges from 40 percent of BEP funding costs covered by the state in the Sevier school district to 90 percent of funding covered by the state in Union.
For the 2018-19 school year, as seen in the righthand chart below, $4.7 billion of the total $7.1 billion in the BEP formula was covered by state funds and the rest by local funds. Local and federal funds can increase district budgets; in 2018-19, about $2 billion and $1 billion, respectively, were added. A small amount of additional funding from the state is available to school districts as well.
The lefthand chart below demonstrates what 2018-19 funding looks like in per pupil amounts by various funding categories. Further details about each category can be found below and in the BEP Blue Book and the BEP Handbook for Computation.
Total teacher salaries (for about 55,600 teachers) represent approximately $2,700 per pupil. Other staff salaries add another $630 per pupil, with benefits adding about $1,400 per pupil. The county cost differential factor (CDF) adjusts funding for districts where cost of living is higher, but only adds $36 per pupil, while at-risk funding for students in poverty adds $311 per pupil to costs statewide. Other class components add just under $500 more per pupil, while non-class components add $2,090 per pupil. The chart below can be changed to view per pupil and total funding amounts for each district as provided by the BEP formula.
No Dumb Chuck, it’s a semantics game for you clowns. There is no school tax or state income tax.
‘No I’m not! You are!’
Mr. Bill 🤡 you said there are no school tax….I asked you If money from property taxes is used to fund schools is that not a school tax. If local sales taxes are used to fund schools is that not a school tax.? There is no twist …The only twist is you screwing on your MAGA hat to tightly that makes information in your brain twisted,
By the way Tennessee has one of the worst school systems in the Country….They are looking to charge how they fund schools….They have some of the most uneducated children in the nation
This is the man Republican wackos are backing
Putin purge…… 39 top Russians dead by ‘suicide,’ COVID and ‘shaman rites’
Semantics varoma, there is no school tax and I put the formula above, the state puts the schools in their budget. NYS has to pay for State Police, do we have a State Police tax? What an idiot.
We have no State Police tax but we pay taxes that go to providing us with State Police. Even if you don’t call them school taxes, the money that goes to support schools is collected from the tax payer. Whether it is collected as a local tax on property, a state income tax, or sales taxes and fees is irrelevant. Regardless of the state you live in, if you pay taxes you are paying taxes to support public education. The difference is semantical.
For the reputation of wild and wacky Florida has, not counting the most arrested for 1/6 and Proud Boys helping get school board members elected. they have the administration of the school systems right. One administration, one superintendent per COUNTY. That super makes just a little more or the same as say the super in Shenandoah District in CP. One transportation mgr, one maintenance mgr and on and on. Hillsborough County (Tampa) school district is one of the biggest districts in the country. One super and several asst supervisors but one administration and usually one physical building for everyone, and all the positions Anthony mentions, but only one per county.Florida spends about $9000. per year per student. Low paid teachers, staff, food workers, maintenance workers causing turnover.
Just add up the 5 or 6 Schenectady County school district superintendent salaries and benefits and you will see the problem. Years ago I lived in Scotia-Glenville District and they held a vote to combine with Burnt Hills. You all know the results. Then they tried merging transportation and maintenance. You all know the results. I believe by law they have to have a Superintendent even for the districts up north that have barley 1000 students and even less taxpayers in Hamilton or Essex Counties.
FFS, tax dollars are going to TN schools. Call them whatever you want, but the fact remains, tax dollars are going to fund schools.
And since funding for the state police comes from the government, tax dollars are going to fund the NYS troopers.
Talk about idiotic.
And the word “semantics” is my word you probably have never heard of. You don’t have my permission to use it. Is parroting all you know?
Mr. Bill 🤡 you provide a daily dose of your stupidity on here ….If you didn’t say no school tax and said Tennessee has low school taxes that are funded differently you wouldn’t be looking like such an idiot now. Think before you hit enter is my advice to you
Guy – who said anything about what Pence is or isn’t – I said great article by the WSJ about taking the Republican party back.
Joe…..There is no taking back the republican party. Pence was involved in destroying it. Now he wants to be president and he starts to speak up barely. What he said the other day about Trump was closed to cameras and recordings. The day he should have spoken up about Trump was Jan 6th. He has refused to answer a subpoena from special counsel Smith…..He is a coward and has no spine. He is not the answer to taking the republican party back. The republican party won’t get taken back until they totally disavow themselves from Trump. It will cost them an election cycle bigly. But it’s the only way back. Right now the only thing the republican party stands for is Trump.
Try reading the article – its not about Pence.
Some will argue that not using ones real name on forums is cowardly.
I would argue it doesn’t much matter. I don’t care who anyone here really is. That seems like, at best, idle curiosity and at worst, an opportunity for (a very real opportunity) some kind of demented revenge. I’m just here for the ideas and words.
Even the non-gender-specific F___JoeBiden. He presents himself as a freakin’ poorly educated loon so that’s all I need to know.
Joe….Do you want me to produce an ID …I haven’t been carded in years. ….Like I told you before ….What ever you want to call me go with it. But this is who I am.
It is cowardly, and these people abuse it. Their excuse is that conservatives will harm them or their families. I’m pretty sure that the rioting and all of the people that were harmed were being harmed by Democrats not by conservatives or Republicans. That’s just a flimsy excuse to be a keyboard warrior.
Mr. Bill 🤡stop vaguebooking it’s makes you look more moronic
Guy, I agree with your assessment of Mike Pence; he had to think long and hard, consulting Dan Quayle of all people, before he decided to play his part in Trump’s illegal plan to stay in office.
Joe, you really don’t need to know peoples’ names. Anyone can use whatever name or form of I.D. they want. Who cares what the real name of anyone is? As Chuck already pointed out, this is a forum for the exchange and examination of views and opinions. Judge the people posting on what they have to say. Are telling the truth? Do they support their opinions with objective facts? Do you agree or disagree and why?
“A rose by any other name would smell the same.” (Shakespeare) A liar and conspiracy dupe always makes a fool of himself in the end. (me)
I forgot the “not” in ..decided NOT to play…”