From the 01 October 2007 Greater Niagara Newspapers

SPITZER BRINGS SCI-FI TO NEW YORK STATE
By Bob Confer

One of the most-used tools of the science fiction and horror genres is the emphasis of the fear of the unknown, especially when it comes to knowing who or what you can trust. Using this theatrical standard like it’s going out of style, Hollywood likes to give alien invaders the ability to take over human bodies or change shape to mimic human features, allowing them to perfectly blend in with our society in their effort to take it over. By time the innocent characters of the movie find out it typically ends up being too late because what they thought was one of "us" ends up being some deviant alien who plays true to his criminal behavior.

It’s really a foolish premise. Things like that couldn’t happen in real life. For starters, no one knows if there are aliens and, secondly, if there were aliens, they couldn’t assimilate that easily into our environment.

Wait! Stop the presses!

Somehow, Albany has brought such science fiction to the real world. Like some b-grade movie director Governor Eliot Spitzer has given actual, honest-to-goodness aliens – the 20 million Hispanics who illegally call the USA "home" – the ability to become one of us. He is allowing them to apply for and receive without question a state driver’s licenses.

Sidestepping the tenets of our tri-cameral representative government the Governor did not take into consideration the thoughts of the State Legislature or, most importantly, the concerns of our LEGAL citizens when it came to this action. This was not a piece of legislation or a bill per se. Spitzer instead abused his power for the benefit of criminals (that’s what all illegal aliens are) and called upon a change to administrative policy at the Department of Motor Vehicles, demanding that the DMV drop the citizenship checks (social security numbers, birth certificates, state ID) that have always constituted sound policy.

By doing so, each and every illegal alien has been granted amnesty by the Governor. They can now get their mitts on a card that gives them citizenship by association. To highlight this reality, the countless organizations that satisfy our nation’s security functions (the TSA, Border Patrol, and police to name a few) rely one primary form of identification, the drivers license. Up until now there was no reason to question the validity of the drivers license as the ultimate proof of a person’s legitimacy in our nation. Now, that semblance of security is a thing of the past…the aliens will not only sport the card, but the computerized check of that ID will be unable to declare this very important detail of the persons background. So, were an alien to be arrested for a crime or pulled over for an infraction he can now go about his merry way rather than being detained and sent back home for being the trespasser he is.

This severely flawed administrative action is bound to open the floodgates and make the state a stomping ground of Hispanic transients. Those hiding in the shadows on New York’s farms and urban areas will come out of the woodwork to get their hands on driver’s licenses. Their fellow lawbreakers from all across the United States will feel welcome here, traveling to New York en masse as a means to procure this cheapened citizenship.

Spitzer has transformed the whole of New York State into a sanctuary state, giving these invaders special privileges, an open door and a home. Looking at the big picture of things, he has indirectly done the same for every state in the Union. These vagrants will take their licenses with them throughout the US and every government agency and business they deal with will be unable to separate "them" from "us".

Eliot Spitzer, once the champion for the reformation of Albany’s ills, has reformed our state – if not our nation - for the worse with one fell swoop. It’s almost surreal and preposterously pitiful how it was accomplished: Who would have thought in a million years that an elected official would base his decisions on what he saw on a drive-in movie screen? Spitzer has begged aliens to come here and has given them the sneaky ability to become one of us.

In this case, truth definitely is stranger than fiction.

From the 24 September 2007 Greater Niagara Newspapers

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

By Bob Confer, www.BobConfer.net

I recently participated in an outreach program at SUNY Brockport in which alumni spoke to business students about the world outside the college campus. In this career-focused program we educated the students about a variety of topics such as professional requirements, entrepreneurship, and economics.

No issue, though, was more important to them at a personal level than that of what their expectations should be of the post-college job market. This topic addressed the primary reason for their college lives: they are there solely for the creation of marketable career-worthy skills sets. That’s why I felt so bad when I, not one to mince words, really let the kids know what the Real World is like.

These students - as many others across the state - have been misled by their peers, professors, and some media sources about the financial rewards that are available upon graduation. Many seem to believe a college degree will bring in a $40,000 annual salary coming right out of school. That may be attainable in quite a few regions around the US but it is almost completely unrealistic in Upstate New York, the stomping ground of most of the students of this regional college. The median household income in Niagara County, for example, is just over $40,100. This is a staggering 12% below the national average. Adding to the damnation of this statistic, household income may represent two breadwinners and definitely includes the wages of workers who have been employed for decades and therefore are at the top end of their career niche. This was a downer for the students especially after the other panelists told them the Upstate economy would serve up $30,000, at best, for a raw, fresh-faced college kid.       

As if that wasn’t depressing enough, I let them know that not only are jobs far from the highest paying in NY, but they are few and far between as well. Once again using Niagara County as the upstate snapshot, the number of employers decreased by 5% from 2000 to 2005 while some of the larger employers - like Delphi - shrunk considerably. It was from this analysis the kids were told they may have to tear up their roots, follow their migratory peers and seek opportunity elsewhere. This is what people are pretty much forced to do nowadays: According to the Brookings Institute the total exodus from Upstate New York from 1990 to 2002 amounted to 1.7 million people. In 2005 alone 9,200 people left the eight-county WNY region.

One student must have put two and two together about the economic depression and asked the question, “do politics and government influence business and the economy?” This, of course, led into my stating the insipid Upstate economy is the direct result of heavy-handed governance and bloated bureaucracy, amounting to the tune of a 4% to 5% disadvantage for NY businesses versus their competition from the rest of the US. The size of New York’s government and its economy (and availability of quality careers) share an inverse relationship. 

My cohorts and I pretty much burst the students’ bubbles, denouncing mistruths and telling them the cold, hard facts about their futures. Even so, we were quite hopeful that the reality of which we spoke has reinvigorated their approach to schooling. Many of them became quite attentive and began to ask many questions during our visit, showing true concern.

Regardless of such impact, during the ride home I reflected at length about what I told the students. My emotions and thoughts alternated between saddened (for the predicament of these kids and their families who might have to bid them adieu) and enraged (towards the deviant political climate which has brought about this situation), for as much effort as these kids may put into making themselves better New York’s “leadership” hasn’t and won’t. It seems that our “leadership” is almost indifferent to the economic disaster that is Upstate New York. And, because of that, more and more of our youth will continue to leave the state when they come of age because, quite frankly, there’s nothing here for them.

Welcome to the real world, kids.

From the 17 September 2007 Greater Niagara Newspapers

DEPLORE BUFFALO NIAGARA 2007

By Bob Confer

I wish I were as optimistic as Warren Buffett.

The brilliant and amazingly-successful businessman behind Berkshire Hathaway’s vast fortunes believes so much in Western New York that he lent his services to Explore Buffalo Niagara 2007, an economic development summit held last week in Buffalo with the ultimate goal of attracting new business to the area. Prominently featured in a pro-WNY video sent to more than 1,500 CEOs the world over, Buffet’s iconic figure helped launch the program and was intended to facilitate serious interest.

It didn’t help. Only thirty CEO’s showed up for this intensely-promoted $750,000 undertaking.

Considering Buffett was twice listed on Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world one would think his undying support for the region would have brought in many, many more business leaders. But, alas, as powerful and genuine as Buffett may be, the political-economic scene in New York State is so disastrous that not even he could bring them in.

The turnout was sparse because we have a stigma that we can’t get rid of, one that is well-deserved and worsening. Any out-of-state CEO worth his salt probably did his homework and discovered that the cost of doing business in the Empire State is so vast that it would make no sense whatsoever to move or start-up operations here. Out-of-control taxes, high utility rates, and vast insurances all contribute to a cost structure that places NY at a 4% to 5% disadvantage versus the rest of the United States. Add to that hang-up the burden created by oppressive regulations and an entrenched political system that is ignorant to the world around it and we have an economy that is more conducive to contraction than it is to expansion. 

It’s that jumbled mess that far overrode the positives spun by the well-intentioned groups behind Explore Buffalo Niagara. The program made note of eight key factors that make WNY special, touting our limitless fresh water, strategic location, technologies, skilled workforce, affordable housing, educational opportunities, and quality of life. The eighth factor they used - available and affordable electricity - is a lie, a recycled mistruth commonly promoted by our politicos. Regardless, the rest of the list is a solid offering that does show why our area is quite unique and at least worth a look, a look we couldn’t get.

It’s almost ironic that the number eight is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture (it’s synonymous with prosperity and wealth), because even these eight special items could not pique the curiosity of the wealthy. They had the financial wherewithal to see “prosperity” and “Western New York economic climate” do not go hand-in-hand.

Sadly, Explore Buffalo Niagara 2007 could be deemed a failure. It could not approach even the most conservative of its original intentions. And it wasn’t from a lack of trying. The fact that a team of ardent, mostly-private sector WNY supporters working with our most visible businessman could sell only 30 CEOs on the wonders of our home speaks volumes of our regional, if not statewide, decline. It’s quite obvious that those in the know – from all around the globe no less - look at the area as a joke, a tired, rundown, expensive place in which to make (lose) a profit. 

One would hope this debacle proves to be a wake-up call to all of the elected officials and bureaucrats who are behind the scenes engineering our demise. But, my aforementioned lack of optimism tells me they won’t, and the exploration of the Niagara Frontier will continue to be a thing of the past.    

From the 10 September 2007 Greater Niagara Newspapers

HOW THE TERRORISTS CAN CLAIM VICTORY

By Bob Confer, www.BobConfer.net

If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the half-dozen years since the fateful events of September 11, 2001 it’s that the war on terror is a conundrum. Whether at home or abroad, the efforts to protect ourselves – which should be more appropriately labeled “the war on Islamic Fascism” - are fraught with contrasts, an endless series of truth and lies and action and inaction. Because of this it has become increasingly difficult to readily identify what has, is, and will occur from the onslaught on Western Society.

For as much as we average people might be confused, our government is much more so. There are extensive limiting factors placed upon effectiveness of this war. Time, money, personnel, reason and philosophy all intertwine to create a veritable can of worms and countless unanswered questions for the government. Do we carry out this war on our soil or overseas? How do we determine who’s most apt to conduct a terror attack? How do we strengthen our borders? What is the best way to protect targets, both hard and soft? How do we approach security in a politically-manner? How do we quell citizens’ concerns? Is terror a reality for the future or are we just living in fear?

It’s this cornucopia of questions that has caused our society to grant some semblance of victory to the terrorists. Terror acts are an atypical method of warfare; rather than outright demolishing a nation and its people, terrorists instead use the psychology of fear and the unknown to bring the enemy to its knees by creating internal strife and interpersonal conflict while initiating vast defensive expenditures.

The September 11^th attacks have done just that.

In the big picture of things the people of America did surprisingly well in rising from the ashes, commendably pushing forward and showing that our people are something special. But, in contrast, the sociopolitical foundation of our great nation took a huge hit. By having to paint with a wide brushstroke to address the mass confusion alluded to above, the government has eroded our liberties and Constitutional rights in the name of security. Because of the disaster we – average, everyday people - have seen our mail opened, our phone lines tapped, our travels watched, our financial records canvassed, our belongings searched, our privacy invaded and, in many urban areas, our very goings-on observed by a seen and unseen police state. Much to the opposition of our founding principles and the very definition of America, the terror of Islamic fascism has caused our nation to adopt fascism of its own, a strong, centralized style government creating and forcing upon its people its own brand of overly-intrusive social order.

This overbearing style of security has also stretched our dollars thin, just as the terrorists had intended. By having to macro- and micro-manage our security, our government has operated beyond its means. The real war (our overseas military action) has cost the US more than $440 billion. The expenditures on our soil are just as vast. The federal homeland security budget is now in excess of $46 billion per year. Local and state taxing jurisdictions invest untold billions every year in an effort to shore up their defenses and preparedness. Looking out for their security and governmental edicts, the private sector has followed suit, with businesses, too, dedicating huge sums to terror prevention.

All is not bad amidst this trauma. We can look at it as a mixed bag of success. We are a proud and vigilant people and can claim a huge victory against terror, just look at how our lives, economy, and travels have progressed since that day. We persevered and grew, and that’s something to be proud of.  But, the mass confusion, the trade-off of liberty for security, and the overuse of public and private funds still constitute victories for the terrorists. Out of just one utterly venomous day six years ago, the deviant Islamic Fascists set off a domino effect that has chipped away at America in ways that most people don’t see, realize or care about. Unfortunately, by time they finally do realize what they’ve given away it will be too late. It probably already is.

From the 03 September 2007 Greater Niagara Newspapers

PUTTING A CAP ON TAX GROWTH

By Bob Confer, www.BobConfer.net

During last year’s gubernatorial debates Republican candidate John Faso called for a cap to be placed on the annual growth in property taxes. Then candidate and now governor Eliot Spitzer decried such a practice, noting, in a rather admirable old-school way, that it would force the State’s power on municipalities and school districts, eliminating local control and squashing the concept of “all politics are local.”

Last week we heard that Spitzer changed his tune. In what should have been a run-of-the-mill speech to organized labor the Governor meandered a bit and went on at length about the absurdity of taxation in the New York. While doing so he did not outright call for a cap but he hinted at its importance and said state leaders need to discuss the concept in earnest. 

This was the first time since the debates that the cap issue has been raised by the governor. No doubt this sudden importance was precipitated by the stark truth of reality. During a campaign it’s easy to talk about how things should be done, but when the Real World comes a calling one finds we don’t live in bubble and sound philosophy sometimes needs to be cast aside and decisions made to adjust policy to the socioeconomic environment provided.

And, what a sad environment it is that Spitzer stumbled into.

Our property taxes are fourth worst in the US and quickly reaching the worst spot. This has come about from yearly tax growth that has far outstripped – sometimes tripling and quadrupling - the rate of inflation (which is well under 3% per year). In just the six-year period of 2000 through 2005 alone property taxes grew by an almost surreal 42%. Over that same period the income of New York residents grew only by 11%. Basically, New Yorkers are living beyond their means just by the act of paying their taxes. 

This continued and completely disheartening expansion of taxation has occurred despite the utilization of the School Tax Relief (STAR) program which was originally intended to be a “savior”. This program was launched in 1997 to offer relief to homeowners. At first, it offered a respite to some individuals but as the years went on it seems schools and municipalities used it both as a crutch and as a means to expand their power. With STAR initially helping those who could least afford the higher taxes, the stigma of hurting the “poor” was gone and the money hungry taxing-entities trained their sights on those they believed could afford it. With the guilt gone they taxed with reckless abandon and now the financial suffering is universal in scope, showing STAR was not a tax cut as originally advertised but instead became a tax-shifter for some and a tax-multiplier for all. Spitzer’s welcomed tirade touched on this, noting that out-of-control local taxes have essentially negated any worth that STAR at one time had.

The maddened Governor is not alone in his quest to make good on past administrations’ broken promises, making STAR work and quelling the fiscal waste at all level of government. The Republican sect of the Assembly has been begging for an annual cap that would be the lesser of two evils: either 4% or that year’s inflationary rate. By having to operate in such constraints – just like the private sector has to in order to survive – government will theoretically become more efficient.

In the end, the cap would truly protect the taxpayers’ financial interests. Being that the economy has been tight now for a half-dozen years most private sector raises are now equal to the cost of living index, so the growth in public sector demands would at most reflect the very same under such a law, creating a zero-balance effect on the taxpayers’ wallets from year-to-year.

Eliot Spitzer’s sudden change of heart towards the cap needs to become a realistic task, for he does not want to become a governor leading a charge for State-level frugality while watching the local-level politicos do otherwise. We need it. He needs it. And, that’s why he’s suddenly a fan of the cap: The majority of people who put him in power depend on such an endeavor…and so does his legacy.