Oswego Democrat

Common Cause Analyzes LATFOR Maps

2012-01-28T09:04:00.001-05:00

"After further analysis, LATFOR's maps are even more atrocious than we previously realized. Both majorities went out of their way to protect their political interests to the detriment of the public interest. The maps completely undermine the essence of our democracy and must be revised to reflect the demographic reality of New York State," said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY.

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Judge Sharpe sets June 26 as primary date

2012-01-28T08:59:00.002-05:00

Declaring it “unconscionable” that the U.S. should send men and women overseas to preserve democracy and deny them the vote back home, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe has ruled in a suit brought by the Department of Justice against the state that New York’s non-presidential primary for 2012 will be held on June 26; unless the state takes action to move the date within the guidelines set by federal law, all future non-presidential federal primary will be held on the fourth Tuesday of June in even-numbered years.

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New lines draw veto threat

2012-01-27T17:30:00.000-05:00

New state legislative districts were unveiled Thursday amid a fusillade of criticism — including an unprecedented veto threat by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo's verdict came in a terse statement a few hours after the lines, which must be redrawn every 10 years to conform to the new federal Census, arrived at 2 p.m.

"At first glance, these lines are simply unacceptable and would be vetoed by the governor," said spokesman Josh Vlasto. "We need a better process and product."

New lines have been drawn by LATFOR, which is jointly controlled by Democrats who dominate the Assembly and Republicans who hold a bare 32-seat majority in the Senate. By long tradition, the majority party draws lines in its own house.

The process has long been criticized by good-government groups. In 2010, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch asked lawmakers to pledge to reform the system, and most — including Cuomo and Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos — signed on.

"Today, victory lies with the enemies of reform," Koch said in a statement.

Over the afternoon, good-government groups offered critiques of the new lines. Among their criticisms:

State law allows a 10 percent variation between districts, which ideally contain 129,089 residents per Assembly member or 307,356 per senator. An analysis by Bill Mahoney of the New York Public Interest Research Group found 50 of the 63 proposed Senate districts are more than 3 percent from the target (compared to none in 1992 and 19 in 2002); only three were within 1 percent of the target, compared to 47 in 1992 and 11 in 2002.

Senate Democrats Go On The Attack Over New District Maps

2012-01-27T16:49:00.000-05:00

Senate Democrats are already moving to score political points off the GOP’s much-criticized redistricting plan.

In an e-mail being blasted to supporters today, the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee Chair Mike Gianaris attacks the plan and urge people to call Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’ office to voice their concerns.

“Yesterday, Senate Republicans officially returned Albany to its status as the most dysfunctional capital in the nation, dealing a shameful blow to the cause of reform. In a brazen move stolen straight out of the playbook of convicted felon Tom DeLay, millions of New Yorkers were disenfranchised as part of a last ditch Republican attempt to cling to power,” the e-mail begins.

It goes on to cite criticisms from Gov. Cuomo, Ed Koch and NYPIRG’s Bill Mahoney. Cuomo has threatened to veto the maps produced yesterday.

Will Barclay's District

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

120th

The 20 Ugliest Gerrymandered Districts

2012-01-27T04:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Albany’s redistricting task force released their draft proposals for new legislative lines in New York State.

Critics of the redistricting process, including Governor Cuomo, say the mapping of new legislative boundaries, which occurs once every ten years, needs to be scrapped in favor of an independent system where a third party draws the lines.

However, as is, the process creates districts that stretch and bend to serve parochial political interests, resulting in maps that could easily double as Rorshach tests.

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Here Are The Proposed Senate And Assembly Maps

2012-01-26T17:21:00.001-05:00

State Senate and Assembly maps...Follow this link.

Romney's 15% Problem: He Pays the Same Tax Rate as a Family Making $50,000

2012-01-26T03:14:00.000-05:00

Mitt Romney's private equity problem is taking a backseat today to Mitt Romney's tax problem. The GOP frontrunner acknowledged that his effective tax rate is around 15%, thanks to the tax code's preferential treatment of income from investments and private equity firms.

As Pat Garofalo explained for The Atlantic, a considerable portion of Romney's income comes from a retirement deal with Bain Capital that continues to pay him a small share of the firm's profits. The wonky term for this cool stream of money is "carried interest" -- the share of investor gains "carried" by the private equity or hedge fund manager.*

You might expect that Mitt's millions would be treated as earned income, because it represents gains from a service rendered by a private equity manager. Normally, that sort of money would be taxed at the top 35% marginal rate. Instead, the tax code treats Romney's retirement payout as carried interest -- investment income from a private equity firm shared among its managers. As a result, Romney pays Uncle Sam only 15% of his Bain Capital income.

In 2009, 15% was the average effective tax rate for households making between $75,000 and $100,000, in the middle quintile of U.S. families. That means Mitt Romney, a mega-millionaire, pays the tax rate as if his were a firmly middle class family, which would seem to pose a considerable political problem to a candidate fighting for middle class votes. To be clear, I don't think it's a moral problem. It's not like it's his fault, or anything. It's just the natural outcome of a tax system designed to give special treatment to investors -- and private equity managers, in particular.

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The NY Senate Republicans are backing away from their promise to pass legislation that would create an Independent Redistricting Commission.

2012-01-23T18:21:00.000-05:00

The NY Senate Republicans are backing away from their promise to pass legislation that would create an Independent Redistricting Commission. Tell your Senator to keep their promise and pass the pledge.http://passthepledge.com

THE LAW AND THE NUMBER OF NEW YORK STATE SENATE DISTRICTS

2012-01-23T04:16:00.001-05:00

The Law: New York’s Constitution and the State Senate

Statement from Senate Democratic Conference Spokesman Mike Murphy,

“This confirms everyone’s worst fears and proves that legislators are incapable of drawing their own districts in a fair manner. What the Senate Republicans are doing is illegal and no reading of the State Constitution would allow a new seat to be created. We are witnessing the depths that the Republicans will go to hold onto power. They are playing a dangerous game with the state constitution and the redistricting process. Unfortunately, the Senate GOP has made it clear that they care more about protecting their partisan interests than the people of New York State.”

THE LAW AND THE NUMBER OF NEW YORK STATE SENATE DISTRICTS

· The number of Senate districts is determined by a rule, dating from 1894, in Article III, §4, of the NY State Constitution. The rule applies to counties that contain more than 6% of the total state population.

o Whenever the population of such a county rises to a larger proportion of the statewide total than in 1894 – counting by increments of 1/50th (2%) of the state total, after dropping the remainders – then a district is added to the total of 50 districts that were created in 1894.

o The Court of Appeals has ruled that some pairs of counties must be combined in making the comparison with 1894. Nassau was separated from Queens in 1899, and Bronx County was created out of parts of New York and Westchester in 1914.

o The counties that have grown enough to matter are Bronx, Nassau, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, and Westchester. (A decline in a county’s share of the state population, as compared with 1894, has no effect on the number of districts.)

· There have been two different methods of combining the counties for this comparison.

o It happens that, given the state and county population totals of the 2010 census, both formulas would produce 62 districts in 2012.[1] Any number other than 62 would mean a departure from all constitutional precedents (and also a repudiation of the legal opinion produced by Republican Counsel Mr. Carvin in 2002)

o It would obviously be a repeat of the partisan manipulation of 2002, with new political calculations for the new decade.

o One method was used in the reapportionment law of 1972, upheld by the Court of Appeals in Schneider v. Rockefeller (1972), and used again without question in 1982 and 1992. That formula produced 60 districts in 1972 (up from the previous 58), and 61 districts in 1982 and 1992. If the same formula had been applied in 2002, there would again have been 61 districts.

o The Senate Majority decided, however, that their political calculations would be best served by creating 62 districts in 2002.[2] The Senate Majority’s outside counsel, Mr. Michael Carvin, then produced an opinion justifying the new formula. It is still available (as of September 15, 2011) at the LATFOR website.[3]

This is a constitutional rule. There is no constitutional basis for choosing another number of districts because it seems convenient, for whatever reason. The ambiguity of the formula, arising from changes in county boundaries, and the past exploitation of that ambiguity to serve partisan purposes, provide no license to ignore the NYS Constitution

Maybe

2012-01-22T19:35:00.001-05:00

Report on Essex County(Info Quick Solutions Inc. (IQS) of Liverpool.) finding to be released soon

2012-01-22T15:40:00.001-05:00

Franklin County District Attorney Derek Champagne said Wednesday that within the next 10 days he will release a report of his investigation into the relationship between the Essex County Clerk’s office and Info Quick Solutions Inc. (IQS) of Liverpool.

“I have a report that’s done,” Champagne said. “I am doing the final draft.”

A copy of the report will be submitted to Essex County officials and the New York State Attorney General, Champagne said.

Champagne was named special prosecutor in the case that began when The Valley News submitted a Freedom of Information request for the e-mail correspondence between the county clerk’s office and county officials.

Essex County Manager Daniel Palmer reviewed the requested information prior to releasing it, and based on the content, he said he referred it to Champagne.

The e-mail exchanges show IQS submitted reasons for the other bidding vendors to be denied the contract. Palmer and the Essex County purchasing director had recommended another company be awarded a contract. The Essex County Board of Supervisors subsequently awarded a contract to IQS.

IQS currently holds a contract with Oswego County on a month-to-month basis as legislators have been more than a year attempting to award a bid.

A new request for proposals is expected to be released soon following two unsuccessful attempts — both shrouded in controversy.

The county’s ethics board found Deputy County Clerk Georgiana Mansfield guilty of working for IQS and the board later released a ruling in regard to County Clerk George Williams and Deputy Clerk of Operations Matthew Bacon having drinks with IQS officials shortly after all competing vendors had made presentations to the legislature’s Community and Consumer Affairs Committee.

Last week, the St. Lawrence County Legislature voted to release a request for proposals after County Clerk Mary Lou Rupp attempted a no-bid contract with IQS, according to St. Lawrence county officials.

St. Lawrence County Legislator Fred Morrill said that Rupp’s reasoning for contracting with IQS was almost identical to the reasoning Williams gave to Oswego County legislators. Morrill said he had the minutes of the Oswego County legislature meetings to use as a comparison.

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America is Open for Business

2012-01-21T14:08:00.000-05:00

Recess

2012-01-20T04:22:00.000-05:00

Romney Reveals His Tax Rate Is ‘Probably Closer to 15 Percent

2012-01-19T17:42:00.000-05:00

Mitt Romney revealed for the first time today that his effective tax rate is “closer to 15 percent,” suggesting that he pays less in taxes than many middle income Americans despite being worth an estimated $250 million.

“What’s the effective rate I’ve been paying? It’s probably closer to the 15 percent rate than anything,” Romney said during a press conference after an early morning rally. “Because my last 10 years, I’ve…my income comes overwhelmingly from some investments made in the past, whether ordinary income or earned annually. I got a little bit of income from my book, but I gave that all away. And then I get speakers fees from time to time, but not very much.”

According to his personal financial disclosure report released in August, Romney was paid more than $370,000 for speaking appearances in the 2011-2011 filing period.

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Obama for America 2012

2012-01-19T04:35:00.000-05:00

Iowa Caucus Results 2012: Final Vote Count Could Show Rick Santorum Won, Not Mitt Romney

2012-01-17T17:28:00.001-05:00

A final count of votes from the 2012 Iowa Caucus may show that Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum actually won over rival Mitt Romney.

Romney was initially declared the winner of the Iowa Caucus, beating Santorum by a razor-thin margin of eight votes. However, certification of the caucus results -- a process that began the day after the caucus and will wrap up by the end of this week -- could show that Santorum was the official winner, theWashington Examiner reports.

Doubts about Romney's win surfaced quickly after the caucus, with one vote-counter from Appanoose County coming out less than 48 hours after the caucuses and claiming a mistake gave the former Massachusetts governor 20 extra votes.

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo will present his 2012-13 executive budge

2012-01-17T05:18:00.000-05:00

Gov. Andrew Cuomo will present his 2012-13 executive budget proposal in the Egg at 2 p.m. YNN will be carrying the budget address live.

Cuomo’s $132 billion budget is expected to cut total spending by $200 million and close the $2 billion budget gap without raising taxes or fees.

Income Inequality

2012-01-16T11:37:00.000-05:00

Income inequality refers to the extent to which income is distributed in an uneven manner among a population. In the United States, income inequality, or the gap between the rich and everyone else, has been growing markedly for some 30 years.

In 2007, the top 1 percent share of national income peaked at 23.5 percent. The only other year since 1913 that the wealthy had claimed such a large share of national income: 1928, when the top 1 percent share was 23.9 percent. The following year, the stock market crashed, and the Great Depression began. After peaking again in 2007, the U.S. stock market crashed in 2008, leading to what some are now calling the “Great Recession.”

It is clear the GOP's desire to continue to increase the wealth of the top 1% is hurting the middle class and cause another “Great Recession.”

Cuomo Still Honeymooning; Record High Job Performance

2012-01-16T10:15:00.002-05:00

SNY January 2012 Poll Release -- FINAL

Republican Legislators Hidden Perk Costs Taxpayers $$$$

2012-01-15T15:44:00.000-05:00

Republican Legislators hidden perk has cost taxpayers in the 2011 budget $30,000 in the line for the legislator’s health and welfare plan, an increase of $13,000 from the actual cost of $17,801 in 2009.

Each GOP legislator is entitled to $1,000 per year for reimbursement of uninsured medical expenses. The perk can be used by either the legislator or their qualifying dependents regardless of whether they are enrolled in the county’s health insurance plan. Unused portions of the benefit can be rolled over to the following year.

Democrats have made several proposals in recent years to eliminate the perk, however, a majority of the Republican legislators have voted against its elimination.

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Colbert Super PAC Releases Romney Attack Ad In South Carolina

2012-01-15T12:38:00.002-05:00

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Helping American Businesses Succeed

2012-01-15T12:26:00.000-05:00

President Obama discusses steps he's taking to ensure that more goods and products stamped "Made in America" are sold in the United States and around the world.

Pink Slip

2012-01-15T12:20:00.000-05:00

Owens answers questions at Oswego City Hall stop

2012-01-14T10:43:00.002-05:00

Rep. Bill Owens made a stop at Oswego City Hall Tuesday to answer questions from residents of the 23rd Congressional District.

On the minds of residents were the fate of the U.S. Postal Service, hydrofracking, and the fate of Fort Drum with the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

When asked about the postal service’s recommendations to close many locations, particularly in rural areas, Owens said the problem may not be resolved soon.

“We did get a moratorium on closures that should go on for a couple more months,” he said. “When you talk about closing post offices in a district like ours, you’re talking about real impact.”

He added that he has co-sponsored legislation to offer solutions.

Owens said an alternative to closure is to offer hubs in various public locations that may not offer full service but could provide some of the services.

“It might not be a full panorama of services,” he said.

Owens said he writes to the Postmaster General frequently in hopes of coming to a resolve. “We’re not getting a particularly warm response from the postal service,” he noted.

http://www.valleynewsonline.com/viewnews.php?newsid=88149&id=1

Democrats See Chance Of Taking Back The House

2012-01-12T03:05:00.000-05:00

Pundits don't think Democrats have much chance to take back the House of Representatives this year, but suddenly their party is finding reasons to hope they might actually pull it off.

Democratic sources said a big cause for optimism is that the 2012 recruitment class, which the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will announce later Thursday, has reached an impressive 75 candidates for open and GOP-held seats.

"Strong Democratic candidates have now stepped forward in 75 Republican and open districts -- more than we ever could have predicted or imagined," said Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the DCCC.

That number is important because Democrats need to take back 25 seats to win control of the House.

Israel thinks it's possible, because he believes he and his team have recruited a group of prospective officeholders who are more attuned to their communities than to specific party doctrine or ideology.

"These candidates not only fit their districts, but they're real problem-solvers who are committed to reigniting the American dream and rebuilding the middle class," Israel said, giving credit for the bumper crop of candidates to Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.), chairwoman of the DCCC recruiting committee. Story Link

Obama Recess Appointments: Justice Department Says They Are Constitutional

2012-01-12T02:59:00.000-05:00

The Justice Department is defending the legality of President Barack Obama's recent recess appointment of a national consumer watchdog and other officials from criticism by Republicans.

The department released a 23-page legal opinion Thursday summarizing the advice it gave the White House before the Jan. 4 appointments. Assistant Attorney General Virginia Seitz wrote that the president has authority to make such appointments during a congressional recess of the current length. Seitz argued the Senate's periodic pro forma sessions in which no business is conducted have not enabled the chamber to advise and consent to regular nominations, as it is empowered to do under the Constitution.

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Mitt Romney - I Like Firing People

2012-01-09T16:41:00.000-05:00

McCain on Romney: Which Mitt is He Endorsing?

2012-01-09T03:47:00.000-05:00

Senate GOP makes power play to keep majority

2012-01-07T08:32:00.001-05:00

Apparently Senate GOP Leader Dean Skelos wasn’t talking out of his hat: Quiet as a little redistricting mouse, the website for LATFOR has changed its FAQ page to justify the creation of a 63rd Senate seat. The panel swapped a 2002 memo explaining how the chamber earns 62 seats for one dated Jan. 5 that says current Census data calls for the addition of a new district.

Both memos were prepared by Michael Carvin — I swear on a stack of Bibles that’s his real name — of the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Jones Day.

Update: Sen. Martin Dilan is shocked, shocked at the change to the website of a legislative panel on which he serves as a member:

“I can’t believe how brazen Senator Skelos and the Republican Conference are to suggest a 63rd Senate seat. In all my years in public service, I have never seen a conference so shamelessly renege on a promise to voters, actively impede public access, and then blatantly ignore the State Constitution they swore to uphold.
“This is nothing more than an illegal power grab by the Senate Republicans. Not once did LATFOR leadership convene a meeting to discuss the size of the Senate, at least one in public or with good intentions. Nor were members given an opportunity to discuss the prisoner reallocation data.
“What Senate Republicans proposed today is abhorrent and yet another slap in the face of the people of New York and their public servants. This dangerous game only makes Governor Cuomo’s veto threat more real and necessary. And almost guarantees any redistricting decision will end up before judges, not legislators.”

Appanoose County man claims Romney vote total is wrong

2012-01-06T17:30:00.000-05:00

CENTERVILLE — Edward L. True, of Moulton, claims in an affidavit Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's caucus vote total is wrong.

True writes Mitt Romney in his precinct of Washington and Wells township was given credit for 22 ballots when he actually only received two.

According to the Iowa GOP web site, Mitt Romney received 22 ballots for the precinct in question. Romney is credited with beating Rick Santorum by eight votes in the Iowa caucus.

"I talked to Appanoose County officials and their numbers matched mine," True said by telephone Thursday night. "It's the state's numbers that don't match."

True said he was one of three people to count the ballots Tuesday night and said with 100 percent certainty Romney's total is off by 20.

"I hope it's an honest mistake when it was typed in," True said.

True said the 20 ballot difference changes the outcome of the Iowa caucus and believes it's something the people in New Hampshire and South Carolina should know about because their primaries are coming up.

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Joseph Kennedy III Takes Steps Toward A Run For Congress

2012-01-06T04:00:00.001-05:00

Joseph Kennedy III is taking the first steps toward a run for retiring Rep. Barney Frank's seat in Massachusetts.

The 31-year-old Kennedy said Thursday he is forming an exploratory committee and is resigning his prosecutor's job in Middlesex County outside Boston. He is the son of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and a grandson of the late Robert F. Kennedy.

Ethics charge leads to feud in Oswego County Republican party

2012-01-06T04:00:00.000-05:00

An ethics charge filed against one of their own has sparked a feud in the Republican caucus of the Oswego County Legislature.

Outgoing Legislature Chairman Barry Leemann filed an ethics charge against Legislator Shawn Doyle over the use of a small office in the H. Douglas Barclay Court House in Pulaski.

Doyle serves as the historian for the Town of Richland and the town rents space in the court house from the county.

Under an agreement made between former town supervisor Jim Atkinson and former Legislature Chairman Russ Johnson, the office space in question, on the upper level of the court house, was agreed upon verbally.

The ethics complaint was leaked to the press prior to Doyle receiving it or having any knowledge of it (see related story) raising another question of ethics. Complaints are confidential until the time the ethics board makes a determination.

Although he filed the complaint, Leemann said he did so based on questions raised by several legislators, none of whom he would name.

He added that he did not file the complaint personally but as the chairman.

Doyle does not blame Leemann but rather placed the blame on Legislator Fred Beardsley.

“This action is retaliation because I led the charge to fairly bid the IQS data management contract,” Doyle alleged. “The way that contract was bid was absolutely corrupt.”

Doyle said he is also one of a half dozen legislators who signed an ethics complaint against County Clerk George Williams in regard to his testimony under oath in an unemployment hearing.

The transcripts state that Williams “purposely set up” an employee of his office.

Doyle said he signed the complaint after reading the court transcripts.

“Workplace harassment should not be a partisan issue,” he said in regard to signing the complaint that is signed by both Republican and Democrat legislators.

Doyle said he uses the court house office to store historical records and to meet with residents and students performing research projects. The town nor Doyle charges for research services, he said.

The ethics complaint has the ire of legislators who are concerned that it will fracture the Republican caucus even more than it has been.

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A Tale Of Two Mitts

2012-01-05T18:00:00.000-05:00

Productive and Popular, but Facing a Challenge in Remaining So

2012-01-05T03:00:00.000-05:00

After an unusually productive first year in office that made him one of the nation’s most popular governors, his challenge in 2012 is maintaining momentum.

Referring to his sky-high popularity — 68 percent of New York votersapproved of his job performance in a recent Quinnipiac University poll — Mr. Cuomo said in an interview Wednesday, shortly after delivering his State of the State address, “Seventy percent I don’t believe is a sustainable level of popularity in this state.”

“Given the diversity of the state, the partisanship, the party enrollment, it’s just an absurdly high level,” he said. “That’s why I’ve always taken it with a grain of salt. Forget the number, I think people feel good that the government is working, and that’s what that number reflects basically, and I hope to keep them in a place where they’re feeling good.”

Mindful of the political risks if his momentum slows, Mr. Cuomo exhorted lawmakers in his nearly hourlong speech to ignore cynics who say “what happened last year was a fluke, you can’t do that again, that was for whatever reason, the stars, the planets, it was a one-time situation.”

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Oswego’s new mayor Thomas Gillen is off and running

2012-01-04T04:00:00.000-05:00

Oswego’s new mayor Thomas Gillen is off and running as he begins the first full week running the Port City.

Gillen met with department heads Tuesday morning and today travels to Albany for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address. He also will attend a reception for Upstate mayors hosted by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Gillen said there isn’t any particular issue he is expecting Cuomo to address in his speech.

“I’m just interested in listening,” he said. “I like his vision on what he wants to do for New York state.”

Gillen and Cuomo are both Democrats.

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NYS Senate Republicans broken promise on independent redistricting

2012-01-03T04:00:00.000-05:00

When state Senate Republicans were asking voters in 2010 to restore their majority, they unanimously and unambiguously promised to support creating an independent body to draw new legislative district lines. Even the most casual observer of state government might have rightly asked, “What’s the catch?”

It turns out the catch was as obvious, not to mention cynical, as any escape clause one could imagine: They lied.

That’s not a word we like to use. But there is simply no parsing such outright deceit.

Normally, legislators’ lies are between them and their constituents. But when they’re practiced by an entire legislative conference — one that controls a chamber, no less, and thus the ability to pass bills — it stains the institution of government and affects all citizens.

Governor Cuomo still has a chance to try to repair that damage when he delivers his State of the State address on Wednesday. He should call on the Senate Republicans to honor their word, and challenge them to accept redistricting by an independent entity.

The Republicans made this promise with much fanfare in the 2010 campaign. It was no insignificant matter in a state where lawmakers have long been able to effectively choose their own constituents. They signed a pledge to support independent redistricting put forward by a group called NY Uprising, spearheaded by former New York City Mayor Ed Koch.

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Senate GOP worries tax standoff could cost them chance at upper chamber

2011-12-30T04:00:00.000-05:00

Senate Republicans are worried the standoff over extending the payroll tax holiday could hurt their chances of winning the upper chamber next year.

Senior Republican aides have made clear in private conversations that their bosses are not happy with how House Republicans have handled a bipartisan Senate compromise to extend tax relief for two months.

“It’s not helping,” a veteran Senate Republican strategist said of the House GOP fight against the Senate package. “Senate Republicans are tired of paying the price for the lack of legislative thoughtfulness in the House.”

The political operative said incumbents such as Sens. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) could pay the price.

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What is Mitt Romney Hiding?

2011-12-30T01:00:00.000-05:00

Common Cause/NY’s Mapping Democracy Project has drawn the only statewide reform maps for both houses of the state legislature and Congress

2011-12-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

Common Cause/NY’s Mapping Democracy Project has drawn the only statewide reform maps for both houses of the state legislature and Congress. Working with a Citizens’ Advisory Committee including academics, headed by CC/NY board member Sean Coffey, we started with a blank state without reference to existing district lines or incumbents, and, relying on demographic data, applied reform criteria to draw maps that provide an example of what can and should be done to achieve fair, non-politicized districts.

If you feel that the Common Cause Reform Maps do not appropriately reflect the communities of interests and neighborhoods you are familiar with, you can access the Common Cause Reform Maps on Newsday’s U Map NY website and modify them. You can save the maps that you drawn and share them with us, with friends or with elected officials.

Common Cause Reform Map for Congress
District by District Explanation of Common Cause Reform Map for Congress
Common Cause Reform Map for State Senate
District by District Explanation of Common Cause Reform Map for State Senate
Common Cause Reform Map for State Assembly
Region by Region Explanation of Common Cause Reform Map for State Assembly
U Map NY – Common Cause Reform Maps in Interactive Format
Explanation of Procedure and Criteria Used to Draw Common Cause Reform Maps

New York State Legislative Session Calendar January — June 2012

2011-12-27T11:03:00.000-05:00

2012 New York State Legislative Session Calendar REVISED

Congressional net worth more than doubles since 1984

2011-12-27T10:05:00.002-05:00

One day after his shift at the steel mill, Gary Myers drove home in his 10-year-old Pontiac and told his wife he was going to run for Congress.

The odds were long. At 34, Myers was the shift foreman at the “hot mill” of the Armco plant here. He had no political experience and little or no money, and he was a Republican in a district that tilted Democratic.

But standing in the dining room, still in his work clothes, he said he felt voters deserved a better choice.

Three years later, he won.

When Myers entered Congress, in 1975, it wasn’t nearly so unusual for a person with few assets besides a home to win and serve in Congress. Though lawmakers on Capitol Hill have long been more prosperous than other Americans, others of that time included a barber, a pipe fitter and a house painter. A handful had even organized into what was called the “Blue Collar Caucus.”

But the financial gap between Americans and their representatives in Congress has widened considerably since then, according to an analysis of financial disclosures by The Washington Post.

Between 1984 and 2009, the median net worth of a member of the House more than doubled, according to the analysis of financial disclosures, from $280,000 to $725,000 in inflation-adjusted 2009 dollars, excluding home equity.

Over the same period, the wealth of an American family has declined slightly, with the comparable median figure sliding from $20,600 to $20,500, according to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics from the University of Michigan.

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The President and First Lady Thank our Troops for their Service as we Celebrate the Holiday Season

2011-12-26T10:10:00.000-05:00

Mitt for X-Mas

2011-12-25T10:32:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Tea Party and the GOP

2011-12-23T23:30:00.000-05:00

Paul Krugman Blasts Romney Campaign: 'Utterly Fraudulent'

2011-12-23T20:28:00.001-05:00

Suppose that President Obama were to say the following: “Mitt Romney believes that corporations are people, and he believes that only corporations and the wealthy should have any rights. He wants to reduce middle-class Americans to serfs, forced to accept whatever wages corporations choose to pay, no matter how low.”

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

How would this statement be received? I believe, and hope, that it would be almost universally condemned, by liberals as well as conservatives. Mr. Romney did once say that corporations are people, but he didn’t mean it literally; he supports policies that would be good for corporations and the wealthy and bad for the middle class, but that’s a long way from saying that he wants to introduce feudalism.

But now consider what Mr. Romney actually said on Tuesday: “President Obama believes that government should create equal outcomes. In an entitlement society, everyone receives the same or similar rewards, regardless of education, effort, and willingness to take risk. That which is earned by some is redistributed to the others.”
And in an interview the same day, Mr. Romney declared that the president “is going to put free enterprise on trial.”

Full Editorial

Harry Reid Payroll Tax Win Is Second Victory Over Tea Party

2011-12-23T20:22:00.001-05:00

You can forgive Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) if he's feeling like a Tea Party slayer. He not only led a stinging rebuke to the conservative wing of the Republican Party by pushing the House to accept the short-term payroll tax cut Friday, but he earned the chance to do so by defeating Tea Party darling Sharron Angle little more than a year ago to keep his job.

Angle rode her Tea Party support to a Nevada primary victory over more mainstream Republicans, only to lose to Reid by six points, even though his own ratings were not good.

Jon Summers, who helped Reid orchestrate that win, said it's because whatever anyone thinks about the ex-boxer, he understands people and politics in a way that true believers of the Tea Party do not.

"Harry Reid gets regular people," said Summers. "They're mostly middle of the road. And if you ask people who are already having a hard time scraping by whether it's rational to raise their [payroll] taxes $1,000, they would look at you with bewilderment."

Voters' reaction was at the heart of why Reid and his team on the Democratic side were able to trump the House GOP, even after the Tea Party-aligned members rebelled: No one wanted to explain that Republicans had rejected a Senate bill that preserved a tax cut for ordinary Americans.

Full Story

GOP CAVES

2011-12-22T19:12:00.002-05:00

WASHINGTON -- Ending a dramatic political stand-off, House Republican leaders agreed on Thursday to pass a Senate-endorsed short-term extension of the payroll tax cut in return for House-Senate negotiations on a year-long package.

The House could vote on the bill as soon as Friday at 10 a.m., a House GOP aide confirmed. The bill would come up under unanimous consent, which means it could pass on a voice vote without requiring members to be present. Under that scenario, the Senate could take up the bill and pass it as soon as Friday as well.

The agreement ensures that a 2 percent tax break for about 160 million people will not expire on Jan. 1, and that Medicare payments will not be slashed for doctors. Emergency unemployment benefits also will continue.

House GOP leaders had been adamant that they had to have a year-long extension, arguing that a two-month version would create economic uncertainty. They reaffirmed that position as recently as Tuesday morning.

But pressure to secure the break kept rising, with everyone from Senate Republicans to the Wall Street Journal editorial page warning that their holdout was damaging the party's image. On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) became the latest to try and nudge House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) into backing down, urging him to take the two-month deal in exchange for a guarantee from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that he would appoint conferees to hash out a longer package.

"I think the general mood was that this was bungled from early on," a GOP source said. "After what the Wall Street Journal and [Karl] Rove said, it became clear that Obama had the upper hand.

"When people are living from paycheck to paycheck, it's tough to take the longview talking about trillion-dollar deficits," the source added. "The leadership simply didn't understand that."

House GOP leaders called a conference call with members for around 5 p.m. Thursday to lay out the agreement, a source said.

While the final deal represents a fairly stunning defeat for House GOP leadership, on strict policy terms, the Republican Party was able to secure major concessions. Democrats had initially wanted a surtax on income above a million dollars as a means for paying for the measure. That was scrapped. The president had also insisted that he would oppose any payroll tax extension that forced his administration to build the Keystone pipeline -- which would carry crude oil from Canada through the United States. The final bill doesn't force construction but it does require that a decision be made within 60 days. Those victories ended up obscured by the fumbled effort, on the part of the House GOP leadership, to get even more concessions (which they hoped to do by holding out for a year-long bill, to which they could attach even more spending cuts).

While broad outlines of the deal were emerging, its passage was not necessarily a sure thing. Republicans in the Senate had been confident that their agreement reached last Saturday would be approved. Instead, House GOP rank and file rebelled when Boehner presented it in a conference call.

Still, with the Republican Party recovering from a week-long pummeling for rejecting the extension of the tax holiday, this agreement seemed more likely to stick -- especially after several House Republicans had already begun to publicly call on their fellow lawmakers to accept the Senate bill.

Critical for the deal was the resolution of a highly technical payroll administration matter. The final agreement will eliminate a Senate provision that had irked the National Payroll Reporting Consortium. In order to prevent high earners from taking undue advantage of a reduced rate that might last just two months, the Senate bill would have required employers to pay at the full 6.2 percent rate on income above $18,350 during that time.

Workers pay Social Security taxes only on their first $110,000 worth of annual income. If someone earned more than one-sixth of that amount in January and February and the payroll tax cut expired in March, the thinking went, high earners could fulfill their yearly obligation to Social Security at a lower rate than everybody else, and get a break worth some $2,000 in only two months.

Citing the consortium's letter, Republicans had called the bill totally unworkable, though consortium president Pete Isberg told HuffPost it would have been difficult but not impossible for employers to implement the new wage cap.

"It's not impossible, it's just it would be very disruptive and costly for lots and lots of businesses," Isberg said.

Senate GOP to GOP in Congress..Pass the Bill!!

2011-12-22T15:30:00.000-05:00

Moments after House Republican leaders dug in their heels on blocking a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell offered his colleagues a path out of the politically damaging position.

Last week the Senate overwhelmingly passed a two-month extension of the 2 percent break, which expires New Year's Day. But House GOP leaders rejected that deal, saying they would only accept a yearlong extension, even though many in their own party have been highly critical of the opposition.

So McConnell (R-Ky.), who negotiated the Senate deal, offered a new idea Thursday, suggesting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) appoint members to a conference committee to work out a longer deal between the two chambers in return for the House passing the two-month stopgap now.

"House Republicans sensibly want greater certainty about the duration of these provisions, while Senate Democrats want more time to negotiate the terms," McConnell said in a statement. "These goals are not mutually exclusive. We can and should do both."

"Leader Reid should appoint conferees on the long-term bill and the House should pass an extension that locks in the thousands of Keystone XL pipeline jobs, prevents any disruption in the payroll tax holiday or other expiring provisions, and allows Congress to work on a solution for the longer extensions," McConnell continued.

Full Story

How the Speaker Stole Christmas

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

GOP Literally Walk Out On Payroll Tax Cut

2011-12-21T17:30:00.000-05:00

While Republican leaders gathered in Speaker John Boehner’s Capitol office Wednesday morning for a photo op with reporters — hectoring Democrats and making the case that they’re on the right side of the payroll tax fight — an unusual scene played out on the House floor.

In an attempt to illustrate just who’s at fault for the payroll tax stalemate Minority Whip Steny Hoyer showed up to ask for a vote on the Senate’s compromise bill. Republicans could have simply objected and given Hoyer his talking point. Instead they gave him so much more.

Republicans just ignored Hoyer and refused to hear his unanimous consent request. The fill-in Speaker simply walked away.

“Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask for unanimous consent that we bring up the bill to extend the tax cut to 160 million Americans, as you walk off the floor Mr. Speaker, you’re walking away, just as so many Republicans have walked away from middle-class tax payers, the unemployed, and very frankly as well from those who will be seeking medical assistance from their doctors — 48 million senior citizens.”

The Speaker Pro Temp, Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA), was just following orders. But the optics for Republicans — who were, again, just down the hall for a media spray — were terrible.

2011-12-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

Wall Street Journal' Editorial Rips Boehner, McConnell

2011-12-21T04:30:00.000-05:00

GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell famously said a year ago that his main task in the 112th Congress was to make sure that President Obama would not be re-elected. Given how he and House Speaker John Boehner have handled the payroll tax debate, we wonder if they might end up re-electing the President before the 2012 campaign even begins in earnest.

The GOP leaders have somehow managed the remarkable feat of being blamed for opposing a one-year extension of a tax holiday that they are surely going to pass. This is no easy double play.

Republicans have also achieved the small miracle of letting Mr. Obama position himself as an election-year tax cutter, although he's spent most of his Presidency promoting tax increases and he would hit the economy with one of the largest tax increases ever in 2013. This should be impossible.

House Republicans yesterday voted down the Senate's two-month extension of the two-percentage-point payroll tax holiday to 4.2% from 6.2%. They say the short extension makes no economic sense, but then neither does a one-year extension. No employer is going to hire a worker based on such a small and temporary decrease in employment costs, as this year's tax holiday has demonstrated. The entire exercise is political, but Republicans have thoroughly botched the politics.

Senate Republicans say Mr. Boehner had signed off on the two-month extension, but House Members revolted over the weekend and so the Speaker flipped within 24 hours. Mr. Boehner is now demanding that Mr. Reid name conferees for a House-Senate conference on the payroll tax bills. But Mr. Reid and the White House are having too much fun blaming Republicans for "raising taxes on the middle class" as of January 1. Don't be surprised if they stretch this out to the State of the Union, when Mr. Obama will have a national audience to capture the tax issue.

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'Fox News Viewers Are The Most Uninformed' (VIDEO)

2011-12-21T04:00:00.000-05:00

Ed Schultz broke out a new weapon to counter Rush Limbaugh's charges against Democratic voters: a recent study from Fairleigh Dickinson University that found people who watch Fox News are less informed than people who don't watch any news at all.

On Monday, Limbaugh alleged that "ignorant and uninformed voters" put President Obama into office, and that Democrats were trying to dumb down students in school.

In his Psychotalk segment on Monday, Schultz hammered Limbaugh with the study. He appeared to relish the results, which showed that Fox News viewers did worse on questions about world events than people who don't watch news.

"Misinformation is the cornerstone of the Republican election strategy," Schultz alleged. He replayed clips of Megyn Kelly calling pepper spray "a food product," Sean Hannity referring to "death panels" as part of health care reform, and Gretchen Carlson discussing a theory that aliens could attack the earth to stop global warming.

"So Fox News viewers are the most uninformed and most Fox News viewers are Republicans," Schultz concluded, citing another poll. Watch the segment in the clip above.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Owens Blasts Partisanship, Urges Immediate Action on Payroll Tax Cut

2011-12-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

Washington, Dec 20 - Congressman Owens urged Republican House Leadership today to provide immediate tax relief for the American middle-class by passing an extension of the payroll tax cut, which recently passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, 89-10. The two-month extension provides the House and Senate enough time to work on a year-long deal.

“If Republican House leadership is serious about solving this problem, we will pass the Senate bill today and immediately begin work on a long-term extension,” said Owens.“Senate Republicans have joined House Democrats in the call to pass this bipartisan agreement and extend the payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans.

“If the House fails to act on the Senate bill, taxes will go up – bottom line. The Senate negotiated a bipartisan deal that House Republican leadership expressed support for over the weekend before their extreme right flank began to revolt. It was clear last night the Senate bill would likely pass the House with support of Democrats and moderate Republicans. The fact that House Republican leadership is bending to the will of an extreme minority and refusing to allow an up or down vote on this bill showcases Washington at its worst.

“I would have preferred the Democratic proposal I voted in favor of last week that would have offset a year-long extension of the payroll tax cut with a small surcharge on the wealthy. But that was not the bipartisan agreement reached over the weekend. I am fully prepared to join Senate Republicans and approve this deal if House Republicans will allow it to the floor for a vote.

“Later today I plan to vote against the Motion to go to Conference because it is a motion to ‘disagree with’ the Senate bill and reopen negations on an issue that has already been settled by a majority in both parties. The only reasonable path forward at this moment is a straightforward vote on the two-month extension the Senate passed Saturday.

“It’s time for the House to stop acting like children on the playground asking for a ‘do-over.’ Everyone must make concessions in a compromise, just as Republicans and Democrats in Albany did recently to cut taxes for the middle class. There is no reason why Washington can’t follow that example.”

# # #

Tempers grow short as hard-line conservatives remain opposed to a two-month extension that easily passed the Senate.

2011-12-20T04:00:00.000-05:00

Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) called the House rejection of the Senate bill "irresponsible and wrong." Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) said the Senate compromise was "best for the country." Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) said there was no reason to hold up the short-term extension. "What is playing out in Washington, D.C., this week is about political leverage, not about what's good for the American people," he said.

Full Story

2011-12-20T03:00:00.000-05:00

STOP THE MIDDLE CLASS TAX INCREASE

Something remarkable happened this weekend -- Democrats and Senate Republicans worked together to stop a $1,000 payroll tax hike on 160 million middle class families.

Sounds too good to be true? It is, if House Tea Party Republicans don’t do the right thing and support it.

Thirty-nine Republicans in the Senate voted for a middle class tax cut compromise, but Tea Party Republicans are ready to scrap the bill and sock the middle class with a $1,000 tax hike on January 1st. That will cost Americans money when they can least afford it.

The Tea Party is mugging the middle class with a tax increase because they don't think millionaires and corporations should pay their fair share.

Sign our petition today and tell House Republicans to stand with the middle class, not the Tea Party, and support the $1,000 payroll tax cut compromise before it’s too late.

Call House Republicans: (202) 224-3121

Flowers

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-05:00

Occupy D.C.

2011-12-19T03:30:00.000-05:00

2011-12-19T01:00:00.000-05:00

Blasting Boehner

12/18/11 4:13 PM

White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer blasted House Speaker John Boehner for his statements today on the payroll-tax cut deal that passed the Senate on Saturday.

"The bipartisan compromise passed in the Senate yesterday received 89 votes, including 39 Republican votes, and Speaker Boehner himself just yesterday called it a “good deal” and a “victory.” The near 90 percent approval by the Senate reflected the view by the overwhelming number of Senate Republicans – as well as Democrats – that the best way to achieve the President’s goal of ensuring that taxes were not increased on 160 million Americans as we enter the New Year was to support this bipartisan compromise. If House Republicans refuse to pass this bipartisan bill to extend the payroll tax cut, there will be a significant tax increase on 160 million hardworking Americans in 13 days that would damage the economy and job growth. After months of opposition, we are glad that Republicans were finally showing a willingness to not raise taxes on middle class families. As the President said yesterday, it is inexcusable to do anything less than extend this tax cut for the entire year, and Congress must work on a one year deal. But they should pass the two month extension now to avoid a devastating tax hike from hitting the middle class in just 13 days. It’s time House Republicans stop playing politics and get the job done for the American people."

Horton Hears a Mitt ???

2011-12-18T17:31:00.003-05:00

2011-12-18T10:26:00.001-05:00

UPDATE - House Republicans are threatening to reject the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance extension deal approved by the Senate, according to GOP sources. The House GOP convened a conference call Saturday afternoon, where rank-and-file members expressed open hostility to the bargain. Neither House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) or Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) is interested in fighting for a deal cut by Senate Leaders Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) with little of their input. GOP sources said that passage of the Senate bill was highly unlikely, and that House Republicans are more likely either to amend it and return it next week, or appoint conferees to find a compromise.

Full Story

Hearing impaired legislator-elect hopes to be an inspiration

2011-12-18T10:20:00.000-05:00

Oswego County legislator-elect Dan Farfaglia is ready to take office at the first of the year. He overcame what he thought would be a tough battle to win the District 24 seat from incumbent Republican legislator Mark Fruce.

Just nine votes shy of winning by 200 votes, Farfaglia, a Democrat, said he was surprised.

“I was expecting those numbers but I thought they would be the other way around,” he said.

After celebrating his victory, Farfaglia began the task of overcoming his next challenge — to be able to hear in the legislature chambers.

Farfaglia is 80-percent deaf in his left ear and 60-percent deaf in his right ear.

He utilizes hearing aids and lip reading. “I can read lips but I can’t do it without sound,” he noted.

Farfaglia said he has met with County Administrator Phil Church to discuss accommodations so he does not miss any part of the meetings. He said he will turn to those speaking behind him to allow him to lip read and better listen.

Full Story

Weekly Address: Honoring Those Who Served in Iraq

2011-12-18T10:08:00.001-05:00

President Obama expresses gratitude for the historic achievements of the brave men and women who have served in the war in Iraq -- and welcomes our troops home as we mark the official end to the war.

GOP lawsuit on prison gerrymandering is tossed

2011-12-16T04:30:00.000-05:00

State Supreme Court Judge Eugene Devine has dismissed the lawsuit brought by several GOP senators — including Queensbury’s Betty Little — against the state law requiring that state prisoners must be counted for purposes of reapportionment in their pre-incarceration addresses, and not in the prisons where they currently lay their heads. Democrats and Republicans have argued for years over the fairness of the old system, which tended to boost rural, upstate, Republican districts with convicts from largely urban and Democratic regions.

The suit had complicated the work of LATFOR, the legislative panel charged with drawing new legislative lines. GOP sources say the plaintiffs plan to appeal.

Full Post

Legislator-elect from Parish owes county thousands in back taxes

2011-12-15T04:55:00.000-05:00

Oswego County Legislator-elect David Holst owes $8,127 in delinquent property taxes, according to county property tax records.

Holst, according to the Oswego County Treasurer’s office, is in arrears $7,344.55 and $782.52, going back to 2008.

The records also show that the county had twice foreclosed on Holst’s property and he redeemed it prior to the property tax auction dates.

According to documents filed with the Oswego County Clerk’s office, Holst’s property was taken by the county March 15, 2000 and he bought it back Oct. 2, 2000.

While there appears to be no state law to prevent Holst from taking office, he will have to disclose his arrears to the county’s ethics board when he submits a mandatory financial disclosure statement should his delinquent taxes not be paid.

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MITT ROMNEY: Simply out of touch - Ten Thousand Times Over

2011-12-14T16:51:00.000-05:00

Super Committee GOP 'Put America Second and the Politics First'

2011-12-13T02:05:00.000-05:00

In a National Journal/United Technologies live policy briefing on Tuesday morning, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said that Republican members of the super committee refused every step of the way to meet Democrats halfway on a deficit-reduction deal.

Kerry said that Democrats unanimously pushed for a near-$4 trillion deal at the expense of many "sacred cows" of Democratic entitlement policies, but Republicans would not compromise.

Cuomo, Skelos and Silver: We Have A Deal

2011-12-06T19:06:00.000-05:00

Legislative leaders and Gov. Andrew Cuomo this afternoon announced they had tentatively forged a massive deal on restructuring the state’s tax code, reduce the MTA payroll tax and provide $50 million in storm aid.

Under the new code, the top tax rate is set at $2 million and cuts nearly $700 million in taxes, but also is able to close nearly half of a $3.5 billion deficit.

The agreement, aimed at reviving the state’s stagnate economy, is unusual in both its broad scope and end-of-the-year timing.

The $690 million tax cut affects about 4.4 million and expires in December 2014, the end of Cuomo’s first term.

As we reported earlier, the reshaping of the tax structure will generate $1.9 billion in new revenue for the state — reflecting that the move is not “revenue neutral” as some fiscal conservatives had hoped for.

The proposal also includes a $50 million flood reovery program, a $25 million tax credit program for inner-city youth hiring and a reduced manufacturing tax rate.

Officials also agreed to a $1 billion infrastructure fund which will leverage $10 billion in direct capital investment.

The statement notes that the proposal is within the state’s bond cap. Leaders added they had verbal agreements on design-build legislation (aimed, it seems, at reconstructing the Tappan Zee Bridge downstate as quickly as possible), as well as an agreement to push for an expansion of casino-stlye gaming in New York.

It’s important to note that everyone seemingly gets everything in this deal. Taxes are being cut at nearly every level, but the super wealthy who make above $2 million aren’t getting as big a cut as they were in line to receive at the end of the year if the PIT surcharge of 2009 was allowed to expire.

The package also takes some pressure off of Cuomo next year as all 212 seats are up for re-election in what is expected to be an especially contentious redistricting year. Post

Extending and Expanding the Payroll Tax Cut

2011-12-04T22:29:00.000-05:00

President Obama calls on Congress to extend and expand the payroll tax cut -- to protect middle class families and ensure that the economy continues to grow.

Unemployment Fell in November, Hitting Lowest Level in Two and a Half Years

2011-12-02T16:38:00.000-05:00

The unemployment rate dropped to 8.6 percent in November, the lowest level since March 2009, the Labor Department reported on Friday.

The economy added 120,000 new jobs in November, in line with economists’ expectations of an increase of 122,000, according to Reuters. That’s just shy of the 125,000 most economists say the labor market needs to gain to keep the unemployment rate steady. Bringing the rate down a percentage point over a year would take closer to 200,000 new jobs each month.

The Labor Department revised upward the number of jobs added in September and October to 210,000 and 100,000, respectively. The October unemployment rate was 9.0 percent.

Futures were up after the jobs number was released.

Minority leader to meet with DA on Oswego County Clerk Issue

2011-11-30T17:36:00.001-05:00

Oswego County Legislator Mike Kunzwiler, who serves as the minority leader, said Tuesday he will meet with District Attorney-elect Gregory Oakes soon after the first of the year to discuss the controversy in the county clerk’s office.

“Our caucus wants the district attorney to look at everything,” Kunzwiler said, adding that Oakes has agreed to the meeting. Oakes said he would meet with any legislator who wanted to speak with him on any issue.

An Oct. 2010 decision rendered by the Oswego County Ethics Board against Deputy County Clerk Georgiana Mansfield was turned over to the district attorney’s office for an investigation.

Kunzwiler said he has heard nothing of the investigation and does not know if one was ever initiated.

It is one of the issues he said he will be discussing with Oakes. Mansfield was found guilty by the ethics board for also working for a vendor of the clerk’s office. She was reprimanded and fined prior to the referral to the district attorney.

Kunzwiler said he will also ask Oakes to review the transcripts of a recent unemployment hearing in which County Clerk George Williams and Mansfield both testified under oath that they “set up” an employee of the clerk’s office to determine if she was a spy.

The employee filed for unemployment benefits and the county made an unsuccessful attempt to deny the benefits. Williams did not respond to a request to comment on his testimony.

The testimony also includes the statement of another employee who described the working conditions in the clerk’s office as “psychological bullying.”

Kunzwiler said he his not pleased with the apathy of the Republican legislators as to the alleged treatment of the employees by management in the clerk’s office.

Full Story

The story of two men trapped in one body

2011-11-30T17:34:00.000-05:00

Romney: Deceive America

2011-11-27T05:34:00.001-05:00

Mitt Romney took his “by any means necessary” approach to running for president to an all-new low in his first ad of the 2012 campaign cycle, an intentionally false attack ad that takes words President Obama used in 2008 out of context. Romney’s dishonest and purposely deceptive ad was universally panned across cable and print news yesterday, but you’d never know that if you only listened to Romney’s press shop, which sent out a missive titled “What They’re Saying,” quoting only news stories that posted Monday night before the ad’s blatant dishonesty was picked up.

What they’re ACTUALLY saying is that Mitt Romney and his campaign sought to intentionally deceive the American people. Watch and share our new web video holding Mitt Romney accountable for his deceit and dishonesty—and take a close look at the campaign's new logo at the end of the video.

Dual Triggers

2011-11-26T13:50:00.000-05:00

Creating an Economy Built to Last

2011-11-26T13:11:00.000-05:00

Rep. William Owens, D-Plattsburgh, will conduct a telephone town hall meeting

2011-11-25T09:54:00.001-05:00

Oswego and Madison Counties -- Rep. William Owens, D-Plattsburgh, will conduct a telephone town hall meeting from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29.

Owens said a random sample of consitutents in the 23rd Congressional District -- which includes all of Oswego and Madison counties -- will participate. To request a phone call invitation, e-mail your name and phone number to this email address or call Owens's Washington office at (202) 225-4611.

Owens said he will answer questions on all topics and especially job-related questions. He will update callers about the effort to create jobs in New York state.

Those unable to participate in Thursday’s telephone town hall can contact Owens by calling any of his offices in New York or Washington, by visiting his website at this link , going to his Facebook page at Facebook.com/repbillowens or following him on Twitter by clicking on this link.

Williams Doesn't Have His Story Straight

2011-11-25T09:47:00.002-05:00

The testimony continued with Williams stating that he has over 40 employees and he was confident that the claimant was the one who was speaking to other county employees in regard to the comings and goings of his office.

The testimony describes an incident involving Mansfield. According to the transcripts, Mansfield complained about a certain employee in the presence of the claimant and another employee, Loretta Ukelya. The employee complained to Deputy County Clerk of Operations Matthew Bacon about Mainsfield’s statements the following day.

The judge then asked how Williams could be sure it was the claimant who shared the information and Williams had no proof, according to the documents.

Williams was asked what he meant when, in another document provided as an exhibit, he used the words “set up.”

Williams responded, “It means we had our suspicions and this proves what we thought and we purposely set it up.”

When asked what Williams’ suspicions were, he said that the claimant was going to another employee with information as to who was coming and leaving his office.

“Your personal office or your publicly held office?” Williams was asked.

“My personal office,” he responded.

Full Story

Millionaires, district by district

2011-11-23T17:14:00.000-05:00

The Center for Working Families, a labor-backed think tank affiliated with the Working Families Party, issued a report showing the number of New Yorkers affected by a true millionaires tax would be largely concentrated downstate.

Using data from the Department of Taxation and Finance, the CWF argued that millionaires are clustered there and, as such, lawmakers upstate should have little reason to oppose modifying a tax on New Yorkers reporting more than $200,000 in income, which expires this year. Senate Republicans want to let the tax expire, as does Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. They argue raising the marginal tax rate on the wealthy will result in their migration out of state, along with business. Assembly Democrats support continuing the tax,

See map and link here.

Kennedy Assassination: The 48th Anniversary Of John F. Kennedy's Tragic Death

2011-11-22T18:50:00.002-05:00

Tuesday marks the 48th anniversary of one of the most tragic events to take place on American soil -- the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was gunned down while riding his presidential motorcade through downtown Dallas. He suffered a head wound at the hands of a shooter suspected to be Lee Harvey Oswald. But before any conclusion was reached, Oswald was shot and killed while he was being transferred from a city jail to a county jail.

Nearly five decades later, Americans are still learning about a president whose time was viciously cut short. Back in September, a new book was released detailing how Kennedy objected to the idea of Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson taking over once his presidency was complete. The interviews were compiled in "Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy" -- a book that features conversations on topics ranging from JFK's reading habits to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Full Post

Romney Ad Exposes Media's Chronic Inability To Use The Word 'Lie'

2011-11-22T18:40:00.002-05:00

GOP 2012 contender Mitt Romney's recent ad has gotten a ton of attention from the press because it contains a brief clip of President Barack Obama saying these words, consecutively, in order: "If we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose." BOOM! What a clip, right? Why did Barack Obama say such a thing in public? Oh, that's right, he said those words consecutively and in order because back in 2008, an aide to John McCain said those words consecutively and in order, and Obama quoted that aide to use the words against McCain -- whose campaign, if you recall, did not exactly handle the 2008 economic collapse all that well.

As everyone points out, Romney's use of the words out of context is misleading. But it seems that what very few people are willing to say, as Too Much Joy once sang, is: "That's a lie. You're a liar."

Full Post

Weekly Address: Creating an Economy Built to Last

2011-11-20T16:31:00.001-05:00

Millionaires On Capitol Hill: Tax Us More

2011-11-17T11:01:00.002-05:00

Lobbyists for a day, a band of millionaires stormed Capitol Hill on Wednesday to urge Congress to tax them more.

They had a little trouble getting in. It turns out there are procedures, even for the really rich.

But once inside, their message was embraced by liberals and tolerated by some conservatives – including the ideological leader of anti-tax lawmakers, who had some advice for them, too.

"If you think the federal government can spend your money better than you can, then by all means" pay more in taxes than you owe, said Grover Norquist, of Americans for Tax Reform, a group that has gotten almost all congressional Republicans to pledge to vote against tax hikes. The IRS should have a little line on the form where people can donate money to the government, he suggested, "just like the tip line on a restaurant receipt."

One of the millionaires suggested that if Norquist wanted low taxes and less government, "Renounce your American citizenship and move to Somalia where they don't collect any tax."

In the silence left by the private efforts of the "supercommittee" to find $1.2 trillion or more in deficit cuts by Thanksgiving, free advice flowed in public.

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Bruno trials continue

2011-11-17T10:21:00.000-05:00

The Justice Department will seek a new indictment of former state Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno after a federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected Bruno's request that he not face a second trial.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling made last year, vacated Bruno's conviction on two counts of theft of honest services. But the panel of judges, pointing to the strength of the evidence, said the government may prosecute Bruno on allegations he received kickbacks from people who had an interest in his legislative influence.

Good News for Senator Gillibrand

2011-11-16T16:41:00.000-05:00

Buzz has been building over the possibility that former Republican comptroller candidate Harry Wilson will run against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for the U.S. Senate.

A new poll today out from Siena throws some cold-water on the possibility.

According to the survey Senator Gillibrand now has a two-to-one favorability rating (49-25 percent), and 53 percent of voters saying they are prepared to re-elect her. Plus, she now leads Mr. Wilson 63-21 percent.

Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, who has been running against Sen. Gillibrand almost since the day he won his seat, fares even worse, getting trounced by Ms. Gillibrand 65-17. The poll points out that both Mr. Wilson and Mr. Maragos are unknown to more than three-quarters of voters and both are viewed unfavorably by more than twice as many as view them favorably.

Siena has been something of a cruel pollster for both Ms. Gillibrand and Mr. Wilson. In September, one their surveys showed her at below the 50 percent favorability threshold, leading Republicans to search for a more viable contender than Mr. Maragos. Enter Mr. Wilson. But when he ran for comptroller, one of their surveys gave his opponent, Tom DiNapoli, a huge lead, leading the Wilson campaign to file a formal complaint with the American Association of Public Opinion Researchers.

Mr. DiNapoli went on to win by four points.

Judge seeks more information in county clerk case

2011-11-16T04:30:00.000-05:00

he judge hearing the case against the office of the Oswego County Clerk is seeking more information before a ruling is made, according to Scott Chatfield, the attorney for the plaintiff.

The office of Oswego County Clerk George Williams is facing an Article 78 proceeding from APS Informational Services.

The lawsuit alleges APS Informational Services has been inappropriately charged for criminal record searches. In court documents, the plaintiff claims that state law allows a county clerk, who holds the felony criminal files for the court, to charge $5 for each certified criminal search.

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Zuccotti Park Eviction: Court Order Against City Says Protesters Can Return With Tents In Tow

2011-11-15T17:17:00.001-05:00

The National Lawyers Guild says it has obtained a court order that allows Occupy Wall St. protesters to return with tents to a New York City park.

The guild says the injunction prevents the city from enforcing park rules on Occupy Wall Street protesters.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the city knew about the court order but has not seen it. He says the city plans to go court immediately.

Zuccotti Park was cleared overnight so that crews could clean it. Bloomberg says that was done "to reduce the risk of confrontation."

He says the city had planned to allow the protesters back in the park after it was cleaned. Under the city's plans, protesters would not be allowed to use tents, sleeping bags, or tarps and would have to follow all park rules.

The city says that the property removed from the park is being kept in storage, and that protesters can retrieve their belongings with a photo ID.

On Tuesday the National Lawyers' Guild New York Chapter released this statement on the judge's order:

The GOP's 'Uncertainty' Talking Point, Debunked

2011-11-13T10:26:00.002-05:00

With the economy in a slump for nearly four years, corporate executives and conservative politicians have repeatedly invoked "uncertainty" as a major barrier to American job-creation. The "uncertainty" jab is a go-to talking point for any congressional Republican looking to tag President Barack Obama as a tax-raising, regulation-obsessed foe of American businesses.

But according to banking data compiled by economic research firm Moebs Services, the uncertainty plaguing the American economy has nothing to do with government regulations or taxes on millionaires. It's an uncertainty driven squarely by consumers and small-businesses who are worried about their short-term financial prospects. And it's been going on since well before Obama took up residence in the White House.

Since the end of 2007, bank customers have pulled over $900 billion out of certificates of deposits at major U.S. banks, parking their money in checking accounts and money market deposit accounts. Banks pay customers interest to park their money in CDs, but pay out next-to-nothing for money market accounts, and still less -- usually nothing -- for checking accounts.

"These are enormous shifts," Moebs Services founder and Chairman Mike Moebs told HuffPost. "We haven't seen stuff like this since the 1930s."

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Herman Cain Lawyer's Comment 'Shocked'

2011-11-13T05:41:00.000-05:00

Rachel Maddow proclaimed herself to be "shocked" by a recent, threatening comment made by Herman Cain's lawyer to any potential victims of sexual harassment -- so shocked that she devoted the first part of her Thursday show to the remark.

In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Lin Wood, Cain's defense attorney, said that any new women who are thinking of coming forward with allegations against the candidate should "think twice" before they do.

Maddow said that, while little in politics actually makes her pause, Wood's comment did. Before she tackled the statement, though, she engaged in a rather chilling, darkly funny bit of Rachel Maddow Theater, employing a car wheel, a man playing a police officer, and a woman playing a woman who Maddow had just run over with her car in a brief skit.

"The vast majority of the people in the street who I drove by have not been hit by my car," Maddow said to the officer by way of an excuse. She compared this to a recent statement by Cain that, "for every one person" accusing him of sexual harassment, there were thousands of people not accusing him of sexual harassment. It was, she noted, "not a great defense." Full Post

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

2011-11-12T14:54:00.000-05:00

Weekly Address: Honoring Our Veterans for Their Service and Sacrifice

2011-11-12T14:12:00.001-05:00

President Obama speaks from the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego during Veterans Day, and calls on all Americans to rededication themselves to serving our brave men and women in uniform as well as they have served us.

2011-11-10T06:46:00.000-05:00

Herman Cainâs Campaign Promises with Mike Tyson from Mike Tyson

Progressives Win Big In Ballot Measures Nationwide

2011-11-10T06:29:00.000-05:00

Tuesday's elections saw big wins for progressives around the country, who blocked right-wing measures on issues of voting, labor, immigrant and women's rights.

"I think all around, heading into 2012, it's the strongest message we could possibly have that the other side has gone too far," said Justine Sarver, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, of Tuesday's results. She added that it was one of the best elections in recent years for progressive wins on ballot measures, which have traditionally been dominated by conservatives.

The most high-profile fight was in Ohio, where labor unions sought to repeal SB 5, a measure that restricted collective bargaining rights for more than 360,000 public employees, among other provisions.

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Oswego County clerk lawsuit to be heard

2011-11-10T04:55:00.002-05:00

Unless a settlement agreement is reached, the Oneida County Courthouse will provide the backdrop tomorrow for attorneys to argue a case against the office of the Oswego County Clerk.

The office of Oswego County Clerk George Williams is facing an Article 78 proceeding from APS Informational Services.

The lawsuit alleges APS Informational Services has been inappropriately charged for criminal records searches.

The lawsuit claims that state law allows a county clerk, who holds the felony criminal files for the court, to charge $5 for each certified criminal search.

The plaintiffs allege that Williams has been charging for every criminal name search and does not certify those searches. As an example, a 10-year search for one name would cost $25 and the plaintiffs allege that Williams has been improperly charging a fee for the uncertified search fees.

Most counties have the records available for public inspection, including Onondaga and Jefferson counties.

Williams does not have the records available for public inspection, allegedly in violation of the state’s Open Government laws, according to the lawsuit.

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Malone Holds 20th Legislative Seat

2011-11-09T18:10:00.002-05:00

Douglas E. Malone	(D-C)	343
Joseph Susino	(R)	265

Democrats WIN Supreme Court in Oswego County

2011-11-09T17:18:00.000-05:00

Countywide

State Supreme Court Justice (pick four)
Charles Merrell	(D-C)	68,667
Patrick Macrae	(D-C)	63,034
David Magnarelli	(D-WF)	59,649
Thomas Buckel	(D-WF)	51,108
Erin P. Gall	(R)	71,124
Prescott E. Klosner	(R)	49,873
James P. McClusky	(R-C)	78,012
Michael F. Young	(R)	60,375
John Stone	(C)	25,006

Democrats Sweep to Victory In Fulton City Council Races

2011-11-09T16:56:00.001-05:00

Alderman Ward 1
Alan M. Emrich	(R-C)	280
Ryan M. Woodward	(I)	186

Alderman Ward 2
Daniel Knopp Jr.	(D)	171

Alderman Ward 3
Peter S. Franco	(D-CS)	420
Timothy Crandell	(R-I)	141

Alderman Ward 4
Carmella C. Cavallaro	(D-P)	233
Dana V. Smith	(R)	116

Alderman Ward 5
Audrey L. Avery	(D-BT-FH)	103
Norman J. Foster	(R-CV)	280

Alderman Ward 6
Lawrence E. Macner	(D-I)	144
Johnathan D. Weldin	(R)	109

Democrat Thomas Gillen won election as mayor of the city of Oswego

2011-11-09T05:31:00.001-05:00

Democrat Thomas Gillen won election as mayor of the city of Oswego, beating Republican William “Dave” White by about 2 to 1.

Gillen, 62, of 60 Varick St., said he was extremely happy with the results.

“It’s very empowering to see that the residents of Oswego agree on this and we can move forward,” Gillen said. “I think the people decided between two different leadership styles and two different directions and I’m happy they agreed with me.”

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Democrats pick up seat on the Oswego County Legislature

2011-11-09T04:59:00.002-05:00

Democrats picked up seat on the Oswego County Legislature in Tuesday's election.

The new seat is in District 24, which covers part of Fulton and Granby. Incumbent Republican legislator Mark Fruce lost his seat to Democratic challenger Daniel Farfaglia by a vote of 526 to 350.