Fracking in Sullivan County: Let's call it what it is and examine the right issues

writersworkshopofsullivancounty.blogspot.com

"Stimulating meaningful thought & debate in Sullivan County without retribution"  

Fracking in Sullivan County: Let’s call it what it is and examine the right issues

There is plenty of room for compromise enabling capitalism to flourish, yet still protect our environment 

by Ben Math

Last week, Ruby Pixman wrote an article"Fracking In Sullivan County: Governments Can, And Should Tell You It's Not Acceptable" where he argued that both our country's history and de facto status as a "socialist state" justifies the banning of fracking by local town governments. '

He's wrong. Sullivan County landowners have right to be infuriated about new, developing fracking regulations being promulgated at the town level of government. 

America is unique in the world for one simple reason. Our forefathers attempted to create a system where capitalism and democracy could coexist.

In their humility they began our constitution with the words "We the people, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity..."

These courageous men had studied the various forms of government that had existed over the previous millennia and boldly decided America would have a capitalistic economy and a democracy for governance.

They knew it would not be perfect, but it would be more perfect than anything in history. 

Socialism was certainly not what our founders envisioned for their posterity.

The words in the constitution are not put into proper context unless we first read the Declaration of Independence which we should all do at least once a year to remind us from whence we came.

It is the parallels to the conditions identified in our Declaration of Independencethat infuriate Sullivan County land owners regarding Fracking.

Yes, our governments at the town, county, state, and federal levels have many parallels to the King of England in 1776 and Sullivan County residents should be outraged.

That is not to say we should unleash fracking in our farmlands without regard to its potential impact on our neighbors.

But there is plenty of room for compromise enabling capitalism to flourish, yet still protect our environment.

In fact, if we are smart about it we could actually improve the environment and create wealth in Sullivan County at the same time.

That means the rhetoric and misinformation perpetuated by both anti-frackers and pro-frackers must to be totally dismissed and we must turn away from the lobbyists behind those positions.  

For starters perhaps those people out there with No Fracking signs posted all over the county should add a line at the bottom "Support your Foreign Terrorist".

Fracking is a relatively new process and industry is still learning more about it every time they drill another well.

I'm glad there has been as much fracking activity around the US as there has before it turned its eye on Sullivan County. There have been errors in judgment by the fracking industry and the permitting agencies.

History has already shown Fracking if done without proper constraints can seriously impact the environment and individual landowners.

So what will we do within the limits of our democracy to prepare for it so it is mutually beneficial on all fronts?

History has already shown Fracking if done without proper constraints can seriously impact the environment and individual landowners.

However, history has also shown Fracking can be accomplished with only positive impacts on the environment.

Why are some wells a disaster while others a blessing? This is the issue we should be collectively focusing on.

So what will we do within the limits of our democracy to prepare for it so it is promotes the general welfare of the citizens of Sullivan County while preserving or enhancing our environment?

People in Sullivan County are so busy fighting over it they have not spent the time needed to understand what they can gain from it and how they can reasonably regulate it. 

Rest assured, we will not stop it. It’s capitalism in one of its most powerful forms.

                                                                        ##

The McDonaldization of Sullivan County

writersworkshopofsullivancounty.blogspot.com

"Stimulating meaningful thought & debate in Sullivan County without retribution"  

The McDonaldization of Sullivan County: Being late to work for a cheaper cup of coffee: 

It’s worth the extra buck to buy your morning joe & breakfast at a local bakery or diner

by Tommie Jefferson

The other day, a friend of mine was on his way to work, and made his usual stop at McDonald’s in Monticello for a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich.  

He had about 20 minutes to spare to get to his job in Liberty in a timely manner.

After getting stuck for 15 minutes in a long line to get his food there, he landed up arriving ten minutes late to work, and got the expected tongue lashing from his pissed off boss,. And it was not the first time this happened either.

He used to go to a local diner every morning and run in for his breakfast roll and coffee, where for years I often met him, but he found a few months ago that he saved two bucks a day getting his coffee and a morning sandwich off the fast food chain’s Dollar Menu. 

Ten bucks a week buys a little more than two gallons of gas these days, and as most of us know, that helps make ends meet here in Sullivan County. And McDonald’s coffee is actually pretty good to boot. 

So despite that his food tasted better and he always got it very quickly at the diner, he made the change.

My friend is not the type to be late for work.

He was taught by his dad long ago, who employed a number of hourly workers in a business and where he first worked and then took over until it closed, that you always tried to arrive at work 15 minutes early to make sure you actually got there on time.  While he now works for someone else, he still prides himself on his individual work ethic.

When my aggravated friend told his boss what happened at McDonald's to explain his lateness, he got this curt reply: “What do you expect?  They don’t give a shit how long you wait, how bad their service is or how crappy and unhealthy their food is.  You should know that. They may say they are cheaper but they really aren’t, and it’s usually not “fast” food too.  And you should be supporting the diners anyway. Jeez, stop being cheap.”

My friend knew he was right, and was pretty upset about the whole thing. 

So he posted a comment on one of his social media sites, and found to his surprise an immediate response from McDonald’s customer service.  He was asked to click a link and fill out a complaint form.  He did so and then received an email from a manager of the Monticello’s McDonalds, about two hours later.

While surprised, and even impressed with the quick response, he asked me: “Do you really think anything will actually change there?”

I told him no.

Our county now has a number of big boxes and fast food establishments that continue to compete against our locally owned restaurants, diners, lumber yards, and other well established entities that have managed to survive.  Some of Sullivan County’s family businesses have been put out of business in the last decade or so because many of us abandoned them for the better prices the national chains charge, even if it only a dollar or two more.

My friend abandoning his egg, ham and cheese on a hard roll at the diner is an example of that. 

And yes, that low balling $1 dollar coffee that McDonald's offers has seriously affected the morning breakfast business of Sullivan County’s eateries.  Many of us have opted to go through a drive thru, even if we have to endure poorly trained employees and inconveniences. As a result, there are more empty stools and booths in local diners in the morning.

We have also lowered our standards as part of this McDonalization. In 2013, our expectations are never high when we go to these national chains. 

The other day, someone posted on the Uncensored Facebook Page about how someone provided them great service at Home Depot in Monticello. They were surprised, even shocked. Even my friend was shocked when he got a response from McDonald’s about his complaint.

That personal service and friendship we take for granted in our locally owned Sullivan County businesses is disappearing in much of our country’s suburbia and cities-and it’s changing America for the worst. 

We need to support that small town, local way of doing business - and stop taking it for granted too.

While most of us like to whine about Sullivan County, one of the best things about living here is that when we go into a locally owned diner or a restaurant, or any other business, we usually know the owner and his/her staff who, for the most part, try to make it a point to provide good service, be friendly, and provide quality items.  They may charge a little more, but they usually have to pay higher costs for goods and also pay higher living wages to experienced, loyal workers too. 

So like my friend found out, you get what pay for.

Next week, on your way to work, make it a point to stop at a local diner and get an egg and cheese on a fresh hard roll and coffee-and don’t stop there.

Make it a point to support our local family businesses, even if it costs a little more.  It will help preserve our nice, mostly unappreciated small town quality of life here in Sullivan County. 

                                                                        ##

Feedback? Click Here  This Writer's Forum was created to be a forum of free discussion of events and politics in Sullivan County. If you are interested writing in this forum, contact us at sullivancountywritersworkshop@gmail.com.   All identities of authorship will be kept confidential. Click To Sign Up for Sullivan County eNews Roundup

Fracking In Sullivan County: Governments Can, And Should Tell You It's Not Acceptable

writersworkshopofsullivancounty.blogspot.com "Stimulating meaningful thought & debate in Sullivan County without retribution"   Fracking In The Catskills & Our Socialist American State:  The Government Can't Tell Me What I Can Do with My Land, Or Can They? by Ruby Pixman So, if you think that land ownership automatically allows you to lease to gas companies to conduct fracking on the lawn, YOU'RE WRONG! Awhile back a newspaper reported on a public meeting in a Sullivan County town to discuss whether or not to allow natural gas excavating known as fracking.   Fracking is a very controversial issue here, and in other regions of upstate New York and the US. Upset with an upcoming decision to forbid fracking in the township, one pro-fracking woman defiantly arose stating, "The government has no right to tell me what to do with my land!" The applause was deafening. Sorry to inform you ma'am, but you're wrong-the government tells you what you can and can't do on with your property any day in most anyway.  You can't run a prostitution ring on your land.  You can't grow marijuana.  You can't burn garbage.  You can't build a structure without the government's permission in the form of a permit. If your land is zoned for residential use you can't build a factory.  In fact, you can't even keep your land if you don't pay property taxes to the government. And as recent court rulings confirm, they can also tell you not to frack on your land. So, if you think that land ownership automatically allows you to lease to gas companies to conduct fracking on the lawn, YOU'RE WRONG! That indignant lady, as others, may disparagingly consider this government intrusion in a socialistic sense - and in some instances, they may be correct. Contrary to popular belief, since the founding of the United States, our country has been a largely and lawfully a socialistic society.  For further proof, just refer to the U.S. Constitution. That sacred document starts off with the words, "We the People," probably the shortest, most poignant outline of socialistic ideology.  The Preamble goes on to define the duties of the government, most broadly empowering it to "promote the general welfare,"  a term that has led to the creation of public schools, hospitals, interstate highways, libraries, disease control centers, even baseball stadiums. All of these enterprises are achieved via the consent of the governed, who ultimately pay for them with their payment of taxes. Further evidence of our socialistic state: A sacred national oath recited daily by millions, the Pledge of Allegiance was composed by a socialist, Frances Bellamy- which was purely socialistic in form until the words "Under God" were wrongfully inserted by an act of Congress. Socialism is not anti-American. When someone "accuses" me of being a socialist,  I smile, nod my head, and say, "Yup!"  So, the next time you drive to a public school, use a municipal hospital, buy uncontaminated meats, drink clean reservoir waters, and vote for a town board that prohibits fracking, you're a practicing American socialist too.                                                                         ## Join Our Mailing List! Feedback? Click Here  This Writer's Forum was created to be a forum of free discussion of events and politics in Sullivan County. If you are interested writing in this forum, contact us at sullivancountywritersworkshop@gmail.com.   All identities of authorship will be kept confidential. Click To Sign Up for Sullivan County eNews Roundup

High Taxes & Inferior Education: Vote No On School Budgets Tomorrow

Protest High Taxes: Vote NO on Sullivan County School Budgets on Tuesday

Too many schools, too many administrators, too high salaries, too many games

by Tommie Jefferson

Vote No tomorrow on school budgets tomorrow and send the message that you are tired of paying too much in taxes, that you are tired of the waste and inefficiency, and that you are tired of not getting the educational value that is necessary to truly give our children a brighter future.

The last post in this Writer's Workshop of Sullivan County by Ruby Pixman entitled"School Budget Vote: Better education opportunities for children translate into better lives for all" urged readers to vote yes for school budgets that are being considered in an election on Tuesday. 

Mr./Ms. Pixman gave an admirable, but misguided argument that voting for the bloated budgets and the various new construction projects being proposed was necessary to improve our future as a community.  He acknowledged that taxes obviously will go up, but we had to keep the big picture in mind when funding our children's education.

While his or her argument was righteous, it was also misleading. The big picture is that our educational system in Sullivan County is broken.  There are several valid reasons to vote NO on Tuesday.

Tomorrow's vote is our only way of protesting an extremely antiquated and very expensive system of funding our children's education in Sullivan County.  It's the only real means for overtaxed voters to protest bad budgets, bad administrators, and bad educational products. Sullivan County taxes are too high and much of the blame lies with the school districts.

Many of the school districts have presented budgets where the 2% tax cap is being met.  But what they don't tell you is that they are depleting their reserves, some very significantly, that are meant to cover contingency costs in case of emergencies and to help prop bond ratings. 

Remember when our county government gave us zero budget increases year after year, then ran out of money?  Now every year is a crisis when budgeting there, and voters are facing double digit increases year after year.  We will be facing that soon in our school districts

Unlike the old days, teachers and administrators are paid very, very well.  The older teachers get health benefits for life after they retire, and the rest of them are given extremely good benefits that cost taxpayers a fortune.  On our dime, they have become the true, upper class citizens of our county.  

It's cynical and terribly misleading to tell voters that costs in school districts can be kept under 2% a year while the cost of these salaries and benefits continue to explode. 

What these administrators are doing are kicking the tax increase can down the road.  So those small increases should not be voted for now because we will pay dearly for it in two, three years.  It's plainly bad governance.

By the way, did you hear or read about anyone in these school districts freezing, or taking a cut in pay recently, like most in the private sector have done over the years?  That would be a reason to vote for a school budget. 

Has there been any real discussion in reformulating how our school districts are formed?  Some are too big and some are too small.  I give credit to Roscoe, which is experimenting with Downsville next year in sharing a Superintendent.  But why isn't Livingston Manor, and even Liberty too, looking to join that effort?  In terms of administration, shouldn't there be one county district employing one superintendent, one school attorney, one school accountant, etc.?

For the amount of students in Sullivan County, we have too many school districts paying ridiculous salaries to both administrators and teachers.  Why should an administrator of a school district with hundreds of children receive the same, if not more, salary than others who oversee school districts with thousands more children and personnel in other parts of the state?

The state education department released a report last week indicating how many administrators in school district are paid over a threshold of $126,000, a standard salary established for NYS education administrators. Here's a table that shows what some of the administrators over that $126,000 are getting paid in the nine Sullivan County school districts. 

Seriously, considering that all the Sullivan County school districts are minuscule compared to those in major cities, should administrators get paid over $200,000 in salary and benefits, particularly in these hard times?  Sullivan County is not Scarsdale.

Let's look at the stupid way we locally govern our educational system. Basically, our school boards are overseeing the administration of school districts without getting paid, who for the most part are led by the nose by administrators in formulating what policy remains to be formulated that is not dictated by the state education department, which is nil, and who sit on these boards without term limits and run basically unopposed term after term because no one wants these thankless, powerless jobs.  There's always a few ex teachers on these boards looking out for their fellow teachers interests too.

And finally, why are budget votes and school board elections held in May in the first place?  Why aren't they held in November with regular votes, when the majority of voters come out to vote on a number of races and issues?  Is it because they don't want many people voting in these elections and it allows administrators and teacher to drive their voters to the polls unchallenged?

The budgets you will be voting on tomorrow have been formulated by bureaucrats following hundreds, if not thousands of idiotic rules, laws, and mandates from Albany that give them little if no discretion to cut costly, inefficient programs and personnel that don't deliver a fine educational product to our children.

I'm not a tea bagger, but the basic premise that our government, and educational system too, is broken is truly reflected in all of the school budgets being presented for a vote Tuesday in Sullivan County.

Vote No tomorrow on school budgets tomorrow and send the message that you are tired of paying too much in taxes, that you are tired of the waste and inefficiency, and that you are tired of not getting the educational value that is necessary to truly give our children a brighter future.

                                                                        ##

School Budget Vote: Better education opportunities for children translate into better lives for all

writersworkshopofsullivancounty.blogspot.com "Stimulating meaningful thought & debate in Sullivan County without retribution"   School Budget Vote: Better education opportunities for children translate into better lives for all Public School Budgets-Do the Voters Have the Future in Mind When They Vote? by Ruby Pixman Ultimately voting for school budgets is not about how we as individuals will benefit.  It's about whether we as a society will advance when someone else's child receives a good education. We've all heard the statement, "The children are our future," which is undeniably true. It would seem, therefore that we would want to equip our youngsters with the best tools possible to help insure that their futures are fruitful. No doubt the surest way that society can achieve such a goal is through public education, but usually obtaining the best results requires money-lots of it. All eight Sullivan County school districts will hold referendums on May 21, and each will seek voter approval of increased spending, while some will also provide slates of school board candidates. As can be expected, many voters are wary of upped school budgets, mainly because they will probably result in higher taxes. Others will vote "no" because they have no children in their respective school districts, reasoning that these children have no positive direct stake in the outcome of the vote. Why, therefore should they be forced to kick-in more for school taxes? There are lots of both emotionally-charged as well as logical excuses to vote against school budgets.   But are the naysayers correct when they say that better education opportunities for children does not translate into better lives for all?  The answer is simple: No! Several years ago I was treated for colon cancer at the Catskill Regional Medical Center.  After the operation I underwent chemotherapy as a precaution against the possible recurrence of the disease. Over the months-long rounds of treatments I got to know some of the oncology nurses, some who received  their educational degrees in Sullivan County. One of those life-long resident nurses resided within a few miles of my home.  Her local education ultimately led to advanced training in the medical field.  That training eventually proved its value for me.   I'm certified cancer-free and my continued survival may be the direct result of the taxes I may have paid to educate the nurse when she was a local elementary and high school student! Of course those same paid taxes may have been instrumental in saving or improving the life or lives of other Sullivan County residents, many of whom I never met.  Under such circumstances it makes me feel warm and secure in knowing that even in an indirect way, others may have benefited much in the same way that I did!  I'm certain that there are many others who can relate to the way that their school taxes either directly or indirectly helped to improve the lives of others. Ultimately voting for school budgets is not about how we as individuals will benefit.  It's about whether we as a society will advance when someone else's child receives a good education. So the answer to the question of whether to vote for the school budgets on Tuesday is simply, yes!                                                                         ##

Join Our Mailing List!

Feedback? Click Here  This Writer's Forum was created to be a forum of free discussion of events and politics in Sullivan County. If you are interested writing in this forum, contact us at sullivancountywritersworkshop@gmail.com.   All identities of authorship will be kept confidential. Click To Sign Up for Sullivan County eNews Roundup

Discussing Sullivan County's Future, It's Only About Economic Development

writersworkshopofsullivancounty.blogspot.com

"Stimulating meaningful thought & debate in Sullivan County without retribution"  

It's Only About Economic Development: We Need To Move Sullivan County Forward!

Let's focus on attracting industrial & manufacturing companies to provide full-time employment with benefits.

by Abbie Addams

The way for Sullivan County to dig itself out of the recession and despair facing the residents - and which is preventing our young people from finding gainful, meaningful employment in Sullivan County - can be solved in two words:   "Economic Development."

I enjoyed the recent dialogue in Writer's Workshop of Sullivan County, particularly when it comes to a discussion of our local economy- and how the breath of social services, particularly welfare fraud, affects our citizens.

The answer to improving Sullivan County's economy does not lie in catching those who perpetrate fraud on the welfare system.

Despite being a "feel good" sound bite designed to play well in the media, it's a small drop in the proverbial $200 million dollar bucket.

Nor does the answer lie in the Sullivan County Legislature rehashing decisions, from public safety funding to re-opening the County landfill. 

Instead, we need leaders to innovate, to move Sullivan County forward, not create endless task forces to waste time and resources to "Monday morning quarterback" other elected officials, or decisions on which the current Legislature is unlikely to affect meaningful change.

The way for Sullivan County to dig itself out of the recession and despair facing the residents - and which is preventing our young people from finding gainful, meaningful employment in Sullivan County - can be solved in two words:" Economic Development."

Right now, the two loudest groups of residents in Sullivan County are those who believe their taxes are too high for the services they receive and those who believe we must do everything to protect our "rural charm."

For the taxation advocates, two quick facts: (1) Your taxes are never going to go down by any meaningful amount. It just doesn't happen. (2) If you would like to see your taxes remain at the current level into the future, then Sullivan County needs to bring in new or expanded tax rate-ables (for profit businesses) to increase the property tax revenue received by the towns and county, and also the ancillary revenues compounded by the business or its employees.

For those interested in our communities rural and green, two quick facts: (1) As much as we would like to have green everywhere, Sullivan County residents cannot afford the taxes on that green land with the jobs they have now, or with the unemployment they have now. (2) If we want to have meaningful employment for our young people, and jobs that pay a living wage, we need to recognize it's not going to come from small businesses, nor a tourism industry that largely shuts down for four months each year.

Bottom line: We need industrial and manufacturing companies to provide full-time employment with benefits.

Years ago, local residents opposed Kohl's Distribution in Wurtsboro because it would impact the "rural charm."

In reality, Kohl's provides employment and health benefits for dozens of local residents, and regularly contributes volunteers and funding to local non-profits and community events.

The Monticello Motor Club receives hostility from local residents, yet again, the Motor Club provides gainful employment for local residents, buys supplies from local vendors and regularly contributes significant funding to area non-profits and community groups.

We should be seeking economic development that's done in an environmentally-sound way that will not detrimentally impact Sullivan County's natural resources or harm the health of the residents.

But we need to stop impeding the mushrooms, the Concords and other large-scale development and facilities because these impediments are having a negative impact on our communities and our residents' livelihoods.

And we need this advocacy to begin with our county legislators, who need to step up and be advocates, not adversaries, of the for-profit industries in Sullivan County.

                                                                        ##