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Rensselaer County Taxpayers Association

September 1997                                                                                                                                                     Volume 2, Number 5

We’re still at it folks. If you’d like to contribute a thought or send us a letter, we’d like to hear from you.

Just a reminder. The New York State Constitutional Convention issue is going to be on the November ballot. If there are enough "yes" votes a convention will then be held to bring our state constitution in line with public thinking. There are no doubt, irregularities that could stand modification and correction. Remember this is your opportunity to change things for the better. For more information please call Burr Dietz at 489-0167.

Last month an employee of the Town took it upon himself to confiscate some copies of our newsletter from display areas of the Town Hall and Library. This area is in a public building owned and maintained by the public. There is no private jurisdiction.

Our policy is to print the truth taken from public records and/or as we and the public perceive it to be.

If we have erred in any respect, we invite all those who disagree to come forward and we can examine the public records together. In truth, the first case involved in the freedom of the press was the case of John Peter Zenger, publisher of the New York Weekly Journal in 1733. Politicians at that time attempted to suppress a series of articles considered dangerous to the government. The upshot of this was, and still is considered the establishment of the freedom of the press in law as well as in fact. Later on, ratification of the Constitution by the States was contingent on a promise that the first Congress would approve amendments protecting the peoples rights. By 1791, ten amendments had been ratified by the States and added to the Constitution as The Bill of Rights. The first of these says in part: "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press."

Those who attempt to cross this line are treading in dangerous waters.


Straight Facts

At a recent meeting of the East Greenbush School Board, it is understood that a member questioned the authenticity of our July newsletter article entitled "Columbia High School Report Card" in which a comparison was made between Columbia High and Shenendehowa attendance and drop-out rates. Please be advised that the source of our information comes from the New York State Department of Education.

All those who question this source, kindly raise your hand. It would behoove school board members to inform themselves of matters on importance before they make remarks without merit or authenticity.

Excerpts from The Phyllis Schlafly Report, 4/97:

Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley presented President Clinton’s education initiatives to the House Education and Workforce Committee on March 5. Let’s analyze his statement.

"Most of today’s good jobs require more skills and training than a high school diploma affords." But that’s not because jobs are more difficult; it’s because public school curriculum content has been dumbed down so much that schools actually give high school diplomas to teenagers who can’t read them.

"Every child in America should be able to read well and independently by the end of 3^rd grade." No, every child should be able to read by the end of the first grade. If the goal is only to have children reading by the end of the third grade, then the taxpayers are paying $5,000+ per child per year for glorified baby-sitting in the first and second grades.


The Counterculture

According to a January 4, 1997 Times Union editorial by Dr. Thomas Sowell, "During a recent visit to Australia, a friend told me that he is going into debt to pay for private schooling for his children - mainly to keep them away from the countercultural brainwashing that goes on in the public schools there. Of course, the same things go on in the public schools here. Recently a lawsuit was filed by parents against the Bedford Central School district in New York, charging them with numerous examples of brainwashing, including some that have been emotionally damaging to the children.

"Unlike plaintiffs in many other lawsuits these days, these parents do not ask for money but only for an injunction against such practices.

"According to the official complaint filed in the U. S. District Court, fourth-graders on an overnight school outing were taken to a children’s cemetery at night and told to lie down on the graves to see if they fit, as well as other cemetery activities. If this seems far out to you, it does not to me, for my daughter was supposed to visit Forest Lawn cemetery in Los Angeles as part of school exercises in "death education" - a nationwide movement with its own zealots, who typically do these things behind the backs of the parents.

"The lawsuit in New York charges that there were assignments to write poems on the theme "How God Messed Up" and a whole curriculum on New Age occultism, as well as many other anti-religious, anti-patriotic, and other countercultural assignments. Then there were the inevitable writing assignments in which the student is supposed to "reveal intimate details about himself and his family."

Parents, is this something you want your children to be forced to do?

The comu-socio-libricrats are at it again. They claim that the "rich," whom-so-ever they may be, do not pay their fair share of the taxes. Let’s look at that.

The top 1% of the taxpayers in 1994 paid $546,720 million in federal taxes while the bottom 50% paid $589,597 million. To break that down a bit, the top 1% paid 28.7% of the taxes, while the top 5%, with incomes of $91,000 and over, paid 47.7% and the top 10%, with incomes over $69,000 paid 59.7% of all federal income taxes.

The bottom 50% of the people paid exactly 4.75%. Now, if you will stay with me for a moment, let’s look at the claim that the much touted "tax cuts" in the recent budget benefit the rich. Take the so-called "capital gains tax cuts" which our beneficent government "gave" us poor little "rich" people.

Before you thank either the Democrats, Republicans or Der Schlickmeister for any crumbs which may have fallen from their table, call one or more of them and ask them to explain these so-called "cuts" and how you can benefit from them. Before you climb into bed for a long, winter’s nap, check out the belly of that horse in your front yard. You may find that it is full of Greeks.

We were promised a reduced government, reduced taxes, simplified tax returns, no more entitlement programs and a balanced budget.

Well, we now have free, federal health care for "12 million" children, all of whom had health care right along. Who has ever heard of a child in this country going without health care. Children come here from all over the world for advanced health care and it’s all for free. Who do you think will pay for this when cigarette revenues, which are supposed to finance it, are reduced?

Next we have the $500 per child giveaway tax break to people who don’t pay taxes. That’s reducing welfare, now isn’t it?

As for simplifying the tax code, this new budget makes it necessary for tax preparers to hire their own tax preparers to help them understand what is going on.

AIDS is no longer the worst disease we face. It is publicus officionitis. This disease infects government officials by turning them into sadists who take pleasure in tormenting taxpayers. Somehow the taxpayers, at the same time, come down with their own disease. It’s called taxpayerious massochisttoma. This is caused by a parasite which infects the taxpayer around election time. It causes them to vote their abusers back into office. Some have even been heard to say, "I don’t mind paying my fair share."

New Law Not Reported By Main Stream Media

Many people do not know about some of the new laws and regulations that were enacted in the past few years by Governor Pataki. The main stream media does not cover these less glamorous aspects of the news. One new law is that persons who do not pay child support, as directed in a court order, and who are found to have willfully failed to obey that court order two times in five years could now be charged with a felony.

For years, social attitudes (the "me" generation) and laws have not placed much stress on personal responsibility. People have tended to blame others for their actions. There are many examples, such as people blaming tobacco companies because they chose to smoke, despite warning labels. How about buying a hot cup of coffee and placing it between your legs and then driving a car? These people chose to blame someone else for their actions.

But how is this child support legislation important to you? It is important because this law will have an impact on your taxes.

When many single parent families do not receive their child support payments these families are forced to apply for rent subsidies, food stamps or other public assistance to make ends meet. Your tax dollars have to pay for this rent, food and heat.

With this new law, and prior laws enacted by the Governor, a Family Court Judge can now take away a person’s drivers license, professional license, sentence them to jail, seize tax refunds, and can now charge them with a felony.

Of course, the person who has failed to pay can resume paying child support. When the case comes before a Judge, very often he will take into consideration whether a person has resumed paying child support before rendering a decision.

These new laws are meant to encourage people to take responsibility for their actions and to support children that they brought into this world.

When the child support payments resume, less people apply for welfare and more people get off welfare. As a result, less of your tax money is spent on feeding and housing someone else’s children.

The State highway repair crews on Route 4 seem to consist of three workers and six flag waivers. What gives?
East Greenbush Resident

The 2.4 billion dollar State Bond issue for school improvements is another insult to taxpayers.
East Greenbush Resident

The new Bingo Palace in East Greenbush is apparently a hit. Let us hope it does not attract a criminal element to nullify any good it may produce.
Clinton Heights Resident

Commuters to Albany are having a tough time now trying to find parking places. What will happen when the new city construction is finished? A monorail system is the logical answer.
East Greenbush Resident

Why not a state law requiring a bumper sticker for all vehicles whose owners have been convicted of DWI?
Nassau Resident

The new Phoenix Life building is a dandy. More power to them. Best of luck.
North Greenbush Resident

Another brainstorm by overspending politicians. They are thinking about changing our license plates and removing Lady Liberty. How dumb can you get?
West Sand Lake Resident

Widening Columbia Turnpike and taking away commercial frontage from businesses is not progress. It will only encourage more speeding. Crack down on speeders.
Schodack Resident

The September School Tax Bills should be the shock that will make taxpayers demand a new method of funding.
Hampton Manor Resident

Last week we learned of a man who, using his computer and native intelligence organized thousands of private trucking firms in the U.S. to pick-up and deliver freight to scheduled airlines across the country on a scheduled basis. Thus a manufacturer in an area not serviced by a scheduled airline can ship an order with a local trucking firm, know what airline will take it and when, when it will arrive at a scheduled airline destination, which local trucking firm will pick it up and when it will be delivered to its final destination.

No one has ever thought of this before. He is making a fortune and one more idea has turned into success. So much for those who think there are no more opportunities in this country.

David Shaffer, President of the Public Policy Institute of New York, Inc., is quoted from the May 26-June 1 issue of Capital District Business Review:

Voters, the State School Bond proposal is a sham and a disgrace. Vote it down.

Coming Attractions

• November general elections are coming up.
• Public vote on the New York State Constitutional Convention.
• Next meeting, Tuesday, September 9, Town Hall, East Greenbush, 7 PM.