Cuomo's latest scam

 
Don't say I didn't warn you. Governor Cuomo and the New York State Thruway Authority are carrying on the family tradition of fleecing the taxpayers. They are raising the tolls for large trucks using the NY State Thruway from $88 to $128 per truck. Guess who this cost will be passed onto by the trucking industry when their costs skyrocket?


For Jonathan Price, the proposed increase would cost his 35 truck business tens of thousands of dollars, something he would have to pass along to his customers. Unless he avoids toll roads altogether, which comes with its own set of problems.


Remember, Tim "Hortons" Kennedy said he was going to "change Albany". Here's the perfect chance for him to speak out against Cuomo. But don't hold your breath. Kennedy is one of Cuomo's and Brian Higgins' dumbest tools. When you're as simple as he is, the last thing you want to do is draw attention to yourself. Kennedy will continue doing what he's been doing: drawing a fat paycheck for doing absolutely nothing.

 Cuomo says Thruway toll hike possible | WIVB.com

Letter to the editor-Political castoffs at Thruway Authority

This letter writer in today's Buffalo News raises some serious questions about the political hacks at the New York State Thruway Authority...

More Questions remain on Thruway Authority

Now that the Thruway Authority spokesmen have answered many of the questions about the recent storm, perhaps we should ask them to answer some additional questions. How many members are there?Who are they? What qualifications are required?Who appointed them?How much do they get paid?How often do they meet?How long is their term of service?

Perhaps in this difficult economy, we should ask these questions of every board, commission and agency at the local, county and state level. I suspect that many of these appointees are simply part of the “business as usual, payoffs and good-ole boy network.”

Peter J. Plumpis

Tonawanda

More questions remain on Thruway Authority - Letters to the Editor - The Buffalo News

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Changes promised at Thruway Authority

The Thruway Authority has promised some changes for the next big snowstorm. I'd like to see Donna Luh's resume. I'd like to know what experience she had in transportation before she was named Vice Chairman. Is she qualified for this job or just another in a long line of political hacks that seem to find their way to such posts? Please give us any information on Luh or others in the Authority...

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Change Albany?

From respected Albany reporter Liz Benjamin in her Capital Tonight blog...

- Tim Kennedy, of Buffalo, was also in Albany. He arrived late to the closed-door conference meeting, I’m told, and wasn’t allowed in because the man he defeated in the September primary, Sen. Bill Stachowski, was already inside .

Why didn't someone warn Little Antoine that they have Mighty Taco stores in Albany? Those damn drive-thru lines will get you every time.

Benjamin goes on to point out that after the meeting, Kennedy met with the entrenched Albany insider, Senator John Sampson...

Kennedy met later with Sampson for over an hour and pledged his support to the Brooklyn Democrat, according to one Senate source.

So much for Kennedy's Change Albany slogan. Sampson is the Democratic leader most responsible for the AEG casino scandal as well as Albany's perennially late budgets. Over an hour? That must be how long it took for Kennedy to read the number of Keanes looking for state jobs, now that one of their own is doing their bidding.

Let's see. They control the Thruway Authority and we recently saw how efficiently it is run. So that's what happens when you stock jobs with people with no experience or expertise in a specific field. The end result is motorists being stranded on the Thruway for days. Thanks Jimmy Keane!
Sen. Valesky To Explain His (Non)Vote

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Thruway Authority dropped the ball

Stevie Johnson wasn't the only one who dropped the ball this week. The New York state Thruway Authority had no plan in place for what happened yesterday. The whole backup started after a minor traffic accident at the 90/400 interchange. These authorities(Thruway, Peace Bridge, Water) have no oversight. They are stocked full of political appointees with little or no expertise. You wouldn't believe the salaries these people are generous enough to give themselves. Senator George Maziarz has promised a public hearing on the matter-once the snow melts, which should be sometime in late May.


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Patronage alert: NY State Thruway Authority

Remember when Paul Clark ran the commercial with dozens of Keanes walking around waiting for their patronage jobs? Jim Keane was the candidate that year for County Executive. The voters overwhelmingly chose an unknown opponent over Keane because they wanted change. They knew Keane was all about the Keanes at the expense of the rest of us.

Now, I'm hearing through an anonymous source that Richard Keane, Jr. has just been given an $86,000/yr job with the Thruway Authority. Was this job posted for the rest of us to apply for or was it simply "owed" to one of the the Keanes? I know Richard Keane, Jr. He's a great guy. But how do you hand someone an $86,000/yr job during a recession when the rest of us are struggling to pay our bills? Jobs like this are par for the course for guys like Brian Higgins and Florida resident Jim Keane. They take care of their own at the expense of you and I. Remember, when you pay those outrageous thruway tolls to drive on our crappy roads, you are supporting jobs like this for the Keanes and the pensions that come with them. 1,200 people read this blog every week. I am very grateful to have so many interested neighbors.With friends like this, I have no problem being an "outsider".

Please help spread the word about jobs like this and start holding people like Florida resident Jim Keane and Brian Higgins responsible for them. Remember, when Higgins tells you how much our area needs Tim Kennedy, he really means that he, Jim Keane, and Steve Pigeon need guys Kennedy to continue their bidding. South Buffalo politics is one big charity and the Keanes are the biggest benefactors. Your kids will be forced to leave Western NY soon. Do you think there's an $86,000/yr job at the Thruway Authority waiting for them? I doubt it.

Abuse of Power #214: NY State Thruway Authority

In reading the paper today, I have to wonder in all seriousness if criminals have actually taken over New York state. Disgruntled New York state Thruway Authority/political hack Brian Rusk is now ready to spill the beans on corruption going on at the authority. He claims that William Eagan, a former town of Boston supervisor, is being paid twice the amount he should be. Eagan makes $92,000/year for a job that is described as a "right of way specialist". What does this job title even mean? He specializes in giving people the right of way?

The inspector general recently accused Rusk of making 1079 phone calls for his private PR business while on state time. If he had enough time to do that, what was he actually doing for the state? Most of us in the real world would never have the time to make that many phone calls during work time. I barely have enough time to eat a slice of pizza during my 45 minute lunch break. Rusk was making a paltry $86,000/year from the state to do nothing.

In related news today, governor Paterson proposed the closing of 41 state parks due to the state's budget problems. How can we afford to have parks when guys like Brian Rusk and William Eagan need no-show jobs? I blame you. Voters continue to inexplicably support the machine-backed incumbents while things like this go on on a daily basis.

Rusk fights back, says firing was retaliation : City & Region : The Buffalo News

Thruway Tolls Increase Again

What's the best way to get citizens and businesses to leave New York State? Increase taxes. The Thruway Authority has imposed it's fourth toll increase in five years. Since, 2005, thruway tolls are up 45%. Add this to higher than average gasoline taxes and state fees for drivers and it borders on being criminal.

Who runs this Thruway Authority? Why aren't they being audited? Or eliminated? I'd love to see how many no-show jobs they provide and the salaries of the people at the top. Where have our state leaders been the last 30 years while this group was accumulating so much influence? How about The Buffalo News? They write these articles now, but they're the ones that kept endorsing the same state representatives year after year(the guys who continue to allow this stuff to go on). To his credit, Assemblyman Mark Schroeder has called for a complete overhaul and an audit of the Thruway Authority, as well as the elimination of all unnecessary Authorities. I hope this is an idea that catches on. I, for one, will be taking alternate routes until something is done about these ridiculous increases.
Thruway toll increase of 5% is 4th in 5 years : Home: The Buffalo News