Tag: Albany

Those of you who read my first posts on this blog may recall reading that from 1990 to 2005 local government employment fell in New York City while soaring in the rest of the New York State, with public school employment a particular growth sector outside the City.  You may also recall that public school employment outside the city soared after the state implemented the STAR program, diverting even more of the state taxes paid by city residents away from the city’s schools, and in particular after the first ruling in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case.  It is almost as if the school districts elsewhere were rushing to establish “facts on the ground” that could not be taken away regardless of the needs of the city’s children or the burden on its taxpayers.  Well, more recent data from the State Department of Labor shows that from June 2005 to June 2006, that process continues.

Those of you who read my first posts on this blog may recall reading that from 1990 to 2005 local government employment fell in New York City while soaring in the rest of the New York State, with public school employment a particular growth sector outside the City.  You may also recall that public school employment outside the city soared after the state implemented the STAR program, diverting even more of the state taxes paid by city residents away from the city’s schools, and in particular after the first ruling in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case.  It is almost as if the school districts elsewhere were rushing to establish “facts on the ground” that could not be taken away regardless of the needs of the city’s children or the burden on its taxpayers.  Well, more recent data from the State Department of Labor shows that from June 2005 to June 2006, that process continues.

Sorry, to those who are bored, to take my argument with Mr. Wonk to another post, but I think this is an important issue. 

I believe the "free media" given to incumbent politicians during their terms, combined with a lack of similar attention to challengers (other than those with "interesting" backgrounds like KT), is in part responsible for the lack of competitive legislative and congressional elections.  As responsible, if not more so, than imbalances in money and gerrymandering.

When I’ve had this discussion with journalists such as Ben Smith and Erik Engquist (the latter, unlike other news outlets, did write about my protest campaign for state assembly two years ago). Ben responded that it’s a dilemma since you want to be evenhanded but you also don’t want to waste the reader’s time with something that is not significant — like a challenger with no chance to win.  Erik pointed out that you have to work to get the attention of reporters rather than just send literature and letters asking for an interview, as I did, and that there are other ways (community organizing, prior successes) to draw press attention.

Sorry, to those who are bored, to take my argument with Mr. Wonk to another post, but I think this is an important issue. 

I believe the "free media" given to incumbent politicians during their terms, combined with a lack of similar attention to challengers (other than those with "interesting" backgrounds like KT), is in part responsible for the lack of competitive legislative and congressional elections.  As responsible, if not more so, than imbalances in money and gerrymandering.

When I’ve had this discussion with journalists such as Ben Smith and Erik Engquist (the latter, unlike other news outlets, did write about my protest campaign for state assembly two years ago). Ben responded that it’s a dilemma since you want to be evenhanded but you also don’t want to waste the reader’s time with something that is not significant — like a challenger with no chance to win.  Erik pointed out that you have to work to get the attention of reporters rather than just send literature and letters asking for an interview, as I did, and that there are other ways (community organizing, prior successes) to draw press attention.

Sorry, to those who are bored, to take my argument with Mr. Wonk to another post, but I think this is an important issue. 

I believe the "free media" given to incumbent politicians during their terms, combined with a lack of similar attention to challengers (other than those with "interesting" backgrounds like KT), is in part responsible for the lack of competitive legislative and congressional elections.  As responsible, if not more so, than imbalances in money and gerrymandering.

When I’ve had this discussion with journalists such as Ben Smith and Erik Engquist (the latter, unlike other news outlets, did write about my protest campaign for state assembly two years ago). Ben responded that it’s a dilemma since you want to be evenhanded but you also don’t want to waste the reader’s time with something that is not significant — like a challenger with no chance to win.  Erik pointed out that you have to work to get the attention of reporters rather than just send literature and letters asking for an interview, as I did, and that there are other ways (community organizing, prior successes) to draw press attention.

Sorry, to those who are bored, to take my argument with Mr. Wonk to another post, but I think this is an important issue. 

I believe the "free media" given to incumbent politicians during their terms, combined with a lack of similar attention to challengers (other than those with "interesting" backgrounds like KT), is in part responsible for the lack of competitive legislative and congressional elections.  As responsible, if not more so, than imbalances in money and gerrymandering.

When I’ve had this discussion with journalists such as Ben Smith and Erik Engquist (the latter, unlike other news outlets, did write about my protest campaign for state assembly two years ago). Ben responded that it’s a dilemma since you want to be evenhanded but you also don’t want to waste the reader’s time with something that is not significant — like a challenger with no chance to win.  Erik pointed out that you have to work to get the attention of reporters rather than just send literature and letters asking for an interview, as I did, and that there are other ways (community organizing, prior successes) to draw press attention.

Now that I know how to post spreadsheets here, why not go nuts?

I attached a spreadsheet on health care finance backing up my assertions on that subject in an earlier post.

I attached a spreadsheet of comparable fiscal 2004 local government finance data to my prior post on who the winners  are in New York tax and spending priorities.

And, for comparison, attached here is more detailed information for FY 2002, for New York City, the Downstate Suburbs, Upstate Metros, the rest ofr New York State, New Jersey, the United States, and Fairfield County.

In addition, for the fun of it, I also attached on spreadhseet on comparative local goverment finance in several parts of California.  I whipped this up to send out to Donna Frye, in lieu of donation, who was running for Mayor of San Diego.  I hope she found it useful, but she lost.  Would that we had a Donna and Skip Frye in New York.

Now that I know how to post spreadsheets here, why not go nuts?

I attached a spreadsheet on health care finance backing up my assertions on that subject in an earlier post.

I attached a spreadsheet of comparable fiscal 2004 local government finance data to my prior post on who the winners  are in New York tax and spending priorities.

And, for comparison, attached here is more detailed information for FY 2002, for New York City, the Downstate Suburbs, Upstate Metros, the rest ofr New York State, New Jersey, the United States, and Fairfield County.

In addition, for the fun of it, I also attached on spreadhseet on comparative local goverment finance in several parts of California.  I whipped this up to send out to Donna Frye, in lieu of donation, who was running for Mayor of San Diego.  I hope she found it useful, but she lost.  Would that we had a Donna and Skip Frye in New York.

Now that I know how to post spreadsheets here, why not go nuts?

I attached a spreadsheet on health care finance backing up my assertions on that subject in an earlier post.

I attached a spreadsheet of comparable fiscal 2004 local government finance data to my prior post on who the winners  are in New York tax and spending priorities.

And, for comparison, attached here is more detailed information for FY 2002, for New York City, the Downstate Suburbs, Upstate Metros, the rest ofr New York State, New Jersey, the United States, and Fairfield County.

In addition, for the fun of it, I also attached on spreadhseet on comparative local goverment finance in several parts of California.  I whipped this up to send out to Donna Frye, in lieu of donation, who was running for Mayor of San Diego.  I hope she found it useful, but she lost.  Would that we had a Donna and Skip Frye in New York.

Now that I know how to post spreadsheets here, why not go nuts?

I attached a spreadsheet on health care finance backing up my assertions on that subject in an earlier post.

I attached a spreadsheet of comparable fiscal 2004 local government finance data to my prior post on who the winners  are in New York tax and spending priorities.

And, for comparison, attached here is more detailed information for FY 2002, for New York City, the Downstate Suburbs, Upstate Metros, the rest ofr New York State, New Jersey, the United States, and Fairfield County.

In addition, for the fun of it, I also attached on spreadhseet on comparative local goverment finance in several parts of California.  I whipped this up to send out to Donna Frye, in lieu of donation, who was running for Mayor of San Diego.  I hope she found it useful, but she lost.  Would that we had a Donna and Skip Frye in New York.