QOTD

Wyckoff Heights, New York State, the PPACA, and the Supreme Court: What’s the Connection?

March 26, 2012 Economics

Yesterday in Once Again, Why Universal Coverge, I re-wrote what I written in 2005 and in other terms, even earlier: Because we take the half-step of expecting the healthcare system to provide care to all, but don’t go all the way, we have instead a hidden and half-baked system. The lack of universal coverage provides […]

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An Old Quote Recalled

March 23, 2012 Politics

In today’s New York Times, we find State Senate Race Spotlights a Feeble Democratic Party by Michael Powell. Powell recalls Meade Esposito, former Chair of the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club in Southern Brooklyn which, in its good times, gave us two recent NYS Assembly Speakers. Powell’s own words are pretty good when he describes Esposito […]

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We Have a New Candidate for Humpty Dumpty

March 21, 2012 Budget

We said here that it seemed that the leadership of the Albany County Legislature was trying to cover their tracks by confusing everyone. Are they succeeding? Here’s the latest story from the Times Union. We’ll get to the substance later, but at least the State Health Department isn’t buying what Shawn Morse is selling: What’s […]

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Orwell on Political Language

March 19, 2012 Politics

Something tells me that this will be a good week to start with a reminder from Orwell: Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. George Orwell, Why I Write, 1946

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Dancing Along the Edge – In the Dark

February 9, 2012 Accounting

Dance too close to the edge … Well you know what happens. When things are tight is when to be most careful, but wanting to avoid public acknowledgement of trouble, some public officials get closer to the edge and then topple over. It’s even worse, when public officials avoid the bad news and operate in […]

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Best Way to Herd Cats

December 6, 2011 Control

From Keith W. Boone on Twitter (@motorcycle_guy): “Best way to herd cats? Move the food bowl.”

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“We’re on a Roll”

December 2, 2011 Budget

How could, “we’re on a roll,” not be the quote of the day for budget geeks, especially in New York? Last night, New York Citizen One (formerly Albany Citizen One, but now renamed in honor of her expanding empire) attended the Audit & Finance Committee of the Albany County Legislature as they finalized their budget […]

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Down is Up; Up is Down

November 29, 2011 Budget

A year ago, the Albany County Legislature’s Chairman of the Audit & Finance Committee, charged the Commissioner of Management & Budget (me) of artificially suppressing revenue estimates in order to create an argument supporting drastic cuts – that is the revenue numbers were too low. And so with that as backdrop, he and his co-conspirators […]

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Left Hand/Right Hand Continued #2. Perspective From Another Nursing Home

November 16, 2011 Budget

Heard from the Administrator of another nursing home (by reputation, a good facility) who pointed out that she runs a nursing home of about the same size as Albany County and … The projected deficit for a new Albany County Nursing Home is about the same size as their entire annual budget. It must be […]

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Left Hand/Right Hand Continued. Tying Several Issues Together

November 16, 2011 County Government

Am hearing from officials in other New York counties regarding the Albany County Nursing Home. Here’s a quote that ties together several important issues: The nursing home issue goes to the heart of the issue about mandate relief/bailouts for counties. Why should Albany County get the same relief that other counties are getting when they […]

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