The Comedy Continues

In a twist straight out of a Saturday Night Live skit the NY State legislative saga continues in Albany. Senate Secretary Angelo Aponte, has reportedly locked the Senate chamber doors and is refusing to turn the keys over to Senator Pedro Espada. Espada has called for Aponte's resignation saying he is acting like a child. Undeterred Aponte says, he'll hold the session in a hearing room at the Capitol or even in a park.

Meanwhile, as if on queue, at a roundtable in Western New York Wednesday Business leaders complained to the Governor David Paterson that bureaucracy, competition and lack of communication in Albany hinders their efforts to grow business in the state.

Afterwards when asked by a reporter about the goings on in Albany the Guv, with a look that can best be described as befuddled mumbled something about “getting there act together”
Former Governor Spitzer had this to say, "After playing the role of sheep for years, legislators are now recognizing they have the power to be coyotes.” .

Oh ya, not to be out done and always willing to be part of the circus Al Sharpton is threatening to lead a protest march next week if state government leaders don't sort things out.

Yeesh, every get the urge to tell your out of state friends you actually live some where else?

Cash For Clunkers, A Clunker

By a 298-119 vote the U.S. House of Representatives approved the "cash for clunkers" bill, a plan under which consumers would be paid up to $4,500 in vouchers for trading in their current vehicles for more fuel-efficient models.

Unfortunately the Bill as passed leaves a lot to be desired. Of the 25 million vehicles estimated to qualify for the voucher, most will be trucks (Even 15 years ago, only five models of midsize sedans managed less than 18 m.p.g. combined city/highway in government tests).




How many people are going to be trading in Trucks for energy efficient cars?

Further blunting the effectiveness of the bill is the provision that the vehicle being traded in will be crushed or recycled, meaning it will have no trade-in value beyond the voucher. In other words, the owner of a gas-guzzling SUV worth $5,000 would be better off trading it in.

I am taking a wait and see approach on this one but, in the end I think the concept was good but the delivery has been so watered down by special interest groups that this bill will not see the economic returns heralded by our cousins across the sea.