http://www.buffalonews.com Latest stories from The Buffalo News en-us Fri, 24 May 2013 19:08:33 -0400 Fri, 24 May 2013 19:08:33 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/OPINION/130529644/1074
The concept is to leverage unused space in and around the state’s 64 SUNY campuses, 56 of which are upstate. The direct beneficiaries would be business startups, businesses from outside the state and expansions of existing businesses that create additional jobs. Qualifying businesses that locate in those zones would pay no state taxes – none – for 10 years.

In addition, employees of those business would pay no state income taxes for five years, and only on higher incomes for the following five years. While not paying income taxes, those employees would be contributing to their local economies and paying sales taxes.

Private colleges would also be able to compete for similar tax-free zones. The goal is to stem the tide of graduates who are educated in New York and then take their skills and business plans to lower-tax states such as Florida and Texas, which have no state income tax at all.

In proposing “Tax-Free New York,” Cuomo is, as he says, acknowledging both the fact and the perception of New York as a high-tax state, and working to change both. This is a bold and exciting effort in that necessary task.

Because the program targets businesses that wouldn’t otherwise have located or expanded here, the cost to the state is virtually nothing. Businesses that locate on a campus would also pay no property taxes, since that land isn’t taxable, anyway. Those locating next to a campus would likely pay some amount through a payment in lieu of taxes. Those jurisdictions would be wise to keep that amount as close to zero as possible. The point here is to expand the pie, not consume it.

This could be a game-changer for upstate. Ten years is a long time to pay what could be zero taxes to the state or localities – enough to help new businesses get up and running and put down roots. After 10 years of growth and success, those businesses will be less likely to leave when taxes do kick in. And in the meantime, of course, the state has time to continue working to dismantle the disastrous tax system that makes a program like this necessary.

Its passage will depend in good part on navigating the ancient upstate-downstate split, whose currents run through all New York initiatives. To that extent, it is important to note that some of the benefits will flow downstate and that New York City residents, whose tax payments disproportionately benefit upstate, will ultimately gain from a reinvigorated upstate economy.

Cuomo wants the Legislature to approve this measure before the end of the session on June 20. It should. Even the Buffalo Billion hasn’t produced businesses clamoring to come to Buffalo. Cuomo said he was looking for some “shock and awe” to change the state’s dynamic. This qualifies, and inexpensively. It could be just the thing. ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 06:40:17 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/OPINION/130529592/1074
A famous Democrat and champion of the people, Andrew Jackson, once said, “One man with courage makes a majority.” It is important that we should all live by this principle when the moment or circumstances call for it.

Earlier this week I left the Democratic conference in Albany; the revelations of Sheldon Silver’s conduct were too much for me to take as a representative, but more importantly, too much for a father. It is important for one person to stand alone on behalf of children or those who need support in our society, including the disabled like my brother, and I stand alone with my daughter and the women who were victimized in this situation.

The simple question is whether Silver is fit to lead the New York Assembly. The facts are helpful.

A July 14, 2008, article in the New York Times, headlined “Two Accusers of an Ex-Aide Join an Effort to Oust Silver,” by reporter Danny Hakim, points out that Silver’s conduct in covering up sexual assaults and harassment is nothing new (www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/nyregion/14silver.html?_r=4&oref=slogin&). Silver can be counted on to act in his own political interests rather than those of the victimized women.

In the 2008 article, Silver expresses his regret, only to repeat this conduct with Vito Lopez in 2012, accompanied by more regret and a mea culpa. This is not recognition of wrongdoing and a determination to make sure this will not happen again. Rather, this has the appearance of regret for having been caught, despite efforts to cover up illegal acts.

What assurances can Silver give when the initial acts of a sexual predator – after the sexual assaults of 2006 and his professed regret – were met with gag orders for the first victims of Lopez in 2012? This allowed the illegal acts of Lopez to continue and to be visited upon innocent women who had the unfortunate luck to follow the initial victims employed by a sitting assemblyman. If the acts weren’t illegal, why were there secret settlements for hundreds of thousands of dollars?

They say the best thing in life is doing the right thing. In the final analysis, I am a father with a teenage daughter. I must ask, “Would I trust my daughter’s welfare under Sheldon Silver’s leadership or supervision?” The record is clear beyond a reasonable doubt: The answer is “no.” The world I want my daughter to grow up in does not have Silver as one of its leaders.

That is why I can no longer participate in the Democratic conference headed by Silver, and since I am a Democrat I will not join the Republican conference. This decision is not about any party or group that one belongs to, but rather it is about the difference between right and wrong.



Michael P. Kearns, D-Buffalo, represents the 142nd District in the New York State Assembly. ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 06:41:48 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/OPINION/130529643/1074 thousands of patient records in Buffalo and Batavia were misplaced or damaged.

The files at issue include cardiac records, dental records and Agent Orange registry records. Some records were randomly thrown into boxes, many Social Security numbers were not attributed to the correct veteran and mold-infested files were not handled properly.

Whenever a doctor wanted to see a patient’s records, someone had to dive into a morass of papers. More often than not, the veteran’s records were deemed unavailable.

Just a few months ago reports surfaced that the Buffalo VA hospital mistakenly reused insulin pens, possibly exposing hundreds of diabetic patients to infectious diseases.

VA patients put their lives on the line to serve their country, and they’re being treated worse than second-class citizens.

Clearly, something has to be done. Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, has joined in a growing congressional call for the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, wrote a letter asking for a meeting with the VA secretary.

The heroes in this messy situation are four whistle-blowers, medical records technicians in Western New York – Leon Davis III, Cathleen A. Manna, Tracy Harrison and Pamela G. Hess-Wellspeak. These people persevered despite bureaucratic obstacles and numerous runarounds that would have discouraged most. But not them, thankfully.

The four worked desperately to get the situation corrected. They were forced to work their way up the chain of command in what looks like a game of pass the buck. The complaints finally reached Jason Petti, associate medical center director of the VA hospitals in Western New York. Inexplicably, Petti, who was asked by his superior on Jan. 27, 2012, to look into the matter, reported back later that same day that he had completed his investigation, and found nothing to substantiate the whistle-blowers’ concerns.

A lot of people might have given up at this point, but the whistle-blowers took their concerns to the Office of Special Counsel, which contacted the VA secretary, who asked the undersecretary for health to investigate. An investigation finally substantiated most of the allegations and made seven recommendations.

The VA claims to have acted on those recommendations, and we hope that’s true. However, there was little effort to set an example that would discourage future problems. The woman in charge of record keeping received merely a “written counseling.” Petti, who spent less than a day on the complaints, was exonerated and told he responded quickly to the problems and provided appropriate oversight. Remarkable.

But for the dogged work by the four VA employees, this shameful problem would still be going on. The VA has to commit to finding problems and fixing them immediately. The standard has to be proper treatment of our veterans. ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 16:58:38 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/OPINION/130529652/1074
Quite apart from the merits of either party’s claims, any reasonable policy regarding the role of casinos in economic development must be disentangled from this dispute. State-tribe issues must be settled without the threat of an overkill of casino expansion. I hold no brief for the tribal position, but if the original agreement was reached in good faith, there must be a way to either honor or adjust it to meet all just claims.

The governor’s proposal to multiply casinos across the state is sheer nonsense. In a market in which we are surrounded by gambling venues, more casinos will not attract out-of-state revenue, but will simply suck cash from the pockets of local residents. Gambling creates other problems for host communities in the form of bankruptcies, embezzlement cases, suicides and broken homes traced to addiction. But the opportunity costs are even higher. Does the governor believe that productive enterprises essential to economic growth can be attracted to a casino playground? Will the state’s investments in higher education be well-utilized in areas saturated with gambling venues? Finally, though casinos are touted as promoting other investments, a look at Atlantic City and Niagara Falls reveals casinos surrounded by empty blocks. The costs outweigh the gains. Casinos are neither a quick nor an enduring fix. If we want to grow our economy, we have to do it with sustainable enterprises.

Douglas R. Bunker

Buffalo ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 15:13:20 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/OPINION/130529653/1074
I have bipolar disorder. Between the years of 1988 and 2006 (ages 26 to 44), I popped up manic in the streets of Buffalo six times. The episodes would last about six months, then I’d fall into the inevitable depression and disappear.

I wasn’t constantly “crazy.” Many people I interacted with never knew I was manic. I was able to function, albeit in a dysfunctional way. One symptom of mania is explosive irritation. I had moments of volatility. I was mean at times. I made enemies. I had some nutty ideas, and word spread. However, as it was with me during manias, most of the time I was kind and generous and appeared “normal.”

Once, I spent the night at the Erie County Holding Center for criminal mischief. Twice, little neighborly disputes escalated into harassment (on my part) and the police were called. I talked my way out of being arrested. Two of the officers knew I was bipolar. I tell practically everyone this when I’m manic, but when I’m normal it’s harder to reveal because of the stigma, ignorance and fear surrounding psychiatric disorders.

I gave the impression that I had it all under control. I really do think that. I couldn’t see that having the police called on me was a hint that all is not well. Normally, I’m a law-abiding citizen.

Once, I went to my primary care physician while manic. She recognized it and ran from the room. I never saw her again.

Once, I was working as a secretary. My boss, who is a doctor, knew I was bipolar, but when I started exhibiting symptoms she thought I was showing my “true colors.” It never occurred to her that I was sick. She fired me.

The reasons I wasn’t properly medicated or hospitalized during manias for such a long time are complicated. Ultimately, it’s my fault that I didn’t make sure proper steps were taken when I became manic. I swear I tried. Over the years, I went to multiple doctors and took copious amounts of pills. Lithium didn’t work for me, nor did other pills. Thank God, in 2007, I finally found the combination of drugs that keep me stable. Unfortunately, they weren’t invented until I was in my 40s.

The last thing I want when I’m manic is to be hospitalized. But when I’m depressed or normal, I’m horrified that I wasn’t. And I have to suffer the shame and embarrassment over things I did and said.

I’m writing a memoir because, ironically, having a mental illness made my life “interesting” enough to write about. I feel it’s important to share the lessons I couldn’t have learned any other way. One was experiencing first-hand how mentally ill people are treated by family, friends, strangers and medical and psychiatric professionals.

People didn’t know what to do, so they did nothing – except avoid me. It kind of feels like nobody cared enough to find out if there was something they could do.

There is something they could have done. They could have called Crisis Services (831-4400). The agency would have sent an ambulance to pick me up and take me to a psychiatric ward to be evaluated. It’s anonymous, so I wouldn’t even have known who called.

It’s been hard getting over my past mistakes and my regrets about the years I wasted. I don’t want to waste any more time.

Please help mentally ill people when they can’t help themselves. ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 15:13:15 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/OPINION/130529654/1074
There was one Buffalonian who stood against such practices, President Grover Cleveland. He was considered so honest in an age of unparalleled political corruption that he rose from the mayor of Buffalo to president in only five years. Upon assuming the presidency, in contrast to prior holders of the office, he did not engage in wholesale replacement of Republican office holders with those from his own Democratic Party. Rather he looked at people’s skills and capabilities, replacing only those he felt unworthy.

Kearns’ political career has been one of honesty, integrity and hard work. He has, at much political risk to himself, gone against the status quo and power brokers on numerous occasions. But he has always been able to appeal to the common sense and decency of his constituents, who I am confident will continue to support him. Kearns is picking up Cleveland’s torch. He says what he means and means what he says. We need more Grover Clevelands in elective office.

Kevin J. Christner

Buffalo ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 15:13:11 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/OPINION/130529655/1074
What a shock! The entire parking lot was filled from one end to the other with people in their cars in line trying to drop off their items at the other end of the campus. What a disappointment. These lines must have taken several hours to get through to the end. I, like many others, drove off and didn’t wait.

I am quite sure many of the people who didn’t have several hours to wait on Saturday went home and will be hiding these items in their trash on the next trash day. Most people do care about the environment and want to do the right thing, but it must be made easier to comply. How about a drop-off date at the curb every few months, with a truck that comes by and picks the items up on trash day? This would make things easy enough that more people would probably dispose of these hazardous items properly.

Debbie Brown

East Amherst ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 15:13:07 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/OPINION/130529656/1074
A little background may be needed. The small Catholic Church in Colden was closed several years ago. Without missing a beat, a group of dedicated volunteers used this building to create the Bread of Life Outreach Center. The center started with a food pantry and a thrift store to serve the needs of the people in this area, but over the years it has become a thriving community center – hosting yoga lessons, Irish dance nights, scrapbooking and much more. Last year, a Farmers’ Market began in the parking lot every Saturday morning from spring to fall. The revenues from the market help support the Bread of Life programs.

We put up signs to let our neighbors know that the Farmers’ Market will be back this year. Unfortunately, whether as a prank or something else, our signs have disappeared. Please come out to Colden and support our vendors and our mission. Signs or no signs, we will be there. Eat fresh. Buy local. Have fun.

Patricia Prucnal

West Falls ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 15:13:04 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/OPINION/130529657/1074
The county’s top law enforcement official is probably sincere in his belief that the SAFE Act violates the Second Amendment. But Howard cannot refuse to do his job because he has opinions about complicated constitutional jurisprudence any more than a U.S. Supreme Court justice can write me a speeding ticket. Simply liking firearms or fetishizing gun culture does not make one a Second Amendment expert.

Mark Murphy

Orchard Park ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 15:12:59 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/OPINION/130529681/1074
It’s time to set the record straight about marijuana policy in New York. The May 5 article “Look before you leap,” by Dr. Robert Whitney, is both inaccurate and misleading. New Yorkers have had a hard and decades-long look at our marijuana policies, and they understand how much destruction they have caused – criminalizing seriously ill New Yorkers, saddling tens of thousands of young people with criminal records each year and creating reprehensible racial disparities.

Under our current policies, thousands of New Yorkers living with cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening conditions must break the law or needlessly suffer, despite the fact that there is good scientific evidence to support the health benefits of medical marijuana for a range of serious conditions. In addition to at least 110 controlled clinical studies, including randomized controlled trials meeting the “gold standard” of scientific evidence, looking at cannabis or other cannabinoids, in 1999, the congressionally chartered Institute of Medicine conducted the most extensive review of the medical literature on marijuana to date. It concluded that “[t]he accumulated data indicate a potential therapeutic value for cannabinoid drugs, particularly for symptoms such as pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation.”

And, compared to many other medications, marijuana is relatively safe. According to the IOM, the “adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range of effects tolerated for other medications.”

Sick people are not the only ones harmed by our current policies. More than 600,000 New Yorkers – predominantly young people – have been arrested for marijuana possession over the last 15 years. This is despite the fact New York decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana in 1977.

What’s worse is that our current policies are deepening racial disparities. Nearly 85 percent of those arrested for marijuana possession are black and Latino, mostly young men, even though government data shows that young whites use marijuana at higher rates.

Given the immense and needless harm caused by our current marijuana policies, it’s no wonder that communities across New York, along with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and law enforcement officials across the state have called on the Legislature to fix the law. It’s why 18 states have moved to allow sick people to use medical marijuana. It’s why the people of Colorado and Washington voted to tax and regulate marijuana. We know the societal harms of our current policies – criminalizing the sick, burdening young people with criminal records, wasting scarce public resources and deepening racial disparities. We’ve looked long enough; now we need reform.



Julie Netherland, Ph.D., is deputy state director for the Drug Policy Alliance. ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 09:25:39 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/OPINION/130529690/1074
Few of us personally know a celebrated hero. Fewer of us still will ever have the opportunity to save a life, find a cure for a horrible disease, save the world from another war or do anything that would label us a national hero.

Yet that desire for greatness lingers in all of us. We are all called to be heroes in lesser or greater ways.

I know many heroes. Their names will never make the news, yet to the people they serve their acts mean the difference between a desolate day – a need unfulfilled and the despair of loneliness – and a day filled with hope – a need recognized and met, and the blessings of a friend who cares and supports them.

They are your neighbors, your friends and hopefully even yourself. They are the countless “good neighbors” who are always there in the time of need to bring a bowl of soup to a sick friend, to visit a shut-in neighbor, to offer a ride for a stranded friend, to baby sit for a harried mother, to dog sit for a needed vacation, to provide an emergency shuttle to a doctor’s appointment, to cut the lawn or remove the snow from the driveway of an elderly neighbor, to stop at the druggist for a prescription refill or to pick up an extra bag of groceries for someone without transportation.

There are unseen heroes who donate that extra winter coat to a homeless shelter, the extra dollar in the collection baskets for disease research, the extra food to food pantries and the pint of blood at the Red Cross.

We live among real heroes every day. The caregivers who tend to the needs of their parents suffering from Alzheimer’s; the caring family members who remain constantly by the side of a terminally ill relative; the dedicated teachers who give added love and support to a struggling child; the single mothers juggling job and family; and the many who daily battle racial and gender prejudice to reach their rightful goals.

We have opportunities every day to fulfill our destiny as heroes. Offering a kind word to the hassled checkout clerk at the supermarket may be the only civil word she has heard all day. Holding the door for a frazzled mother with toddlers hanging from her arms may give her renewed faith in the kindness of strangers. Visiting a sick friend may be his or her only link that day to a normal, healthy world and a reprieve from the endless doctors, nurses and medications. Calling a “long-lost friend” may rekindle fond memories and brighten a humdrum day.

The heroes who run into burning buildings or toward exploding bombs deserve all of the acclamations we can give. They represent the best of us, for they have fulfilled their inherent destiny to be a hero.

Few of us will ever match their deeds, but we can all meet our destiny to be heroes, in a great or lesser manner. ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 07:10:47 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/OPINION/130529691/1074
To prevent that problem, we registered with the New York State Donate Life Registry. By doing that, we’re registered electronically, which means that our choices to be organ donors can be quickly determined by the appropriate authorities.

The article ended with a New York State Department of Motor Vehicles website address to register for organ donations. Unfortunately, that part of the DMV’s website is a work-in-progress, which is a nice way to say that you can’t register from the website.

Instead, fill out a short form from the New York State Department of Health, which you can download, print, fill in and mail. Go to: www.health.ny.gov/forms/organ_donation_enrollment_form.pdf. If you don’t have a computer, call UNYTS at 853-6667, and a postage-paid postcard will be mailed to you for you to fill in and mail.

Joe Tobolski

East Aurora ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 07:10:00 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/OPINION/130529692/1074
Intelligent Americans are looking at these accusations and realizing that it’s more of the same counter-productive rhetoric that distracts people while the Republicans work on their agenda of limiting women’s reproductive rights, lowering the taxes on the wealthy and corporations, and repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Richard Ricupito

Lancaster ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 07:09:56 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/OPINION/130529693/1074
The SAFE Act is reminiscent of the Jim Crow laws of the last two centuries, which were repealed only when people were courageous enough to oppose them. Rosa Parks comes to mind, since she was a focal point to bring justice and get rid of unconstitutional and unfair laws. The SAFE Act is a violation of constitutional and civil rights protections and should be repealed. Howard is a leader in this effort.

There is nothing in this law that would do anything positive that would have prevented the mass murders committed by crazy people, and the violent criminals won’t obey the law, so it affects only the honest gun owner.

President Obama ordered his Justice Department to not enforce the Defense Of Marriage Law and The News had no objection to that. Here, a top law enforcement officer is actively fighting an unjust and unconstitutional law and refuses to enforce useless provisions (like having deputies count the number of rounds in a magazine) owned by an honest gun owner.

Howard will enforce domestic violence laws or any criminal actions that put people in danger. That is what we expect from a good cop. Wasting time on useless laws is also a waste of taxpayer money. That should be encouraged, not criticized.

Budd Schroeder

Board Chairman, SCOPE

Lancaster ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 07:09:51 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/OPINION/130529694/1074
When I was in eighth grade in the first middle school in Buffalo, my English teacher asked me to be the editor of the new newspaper that was just beginning. I loved writing, so I said yes. When I excitedly told my homeroom teacher, he said I should not be the editor; a boy should be and I could be a helper. It was 1953. Thankfully, my teachers and my mother stood up for me and I became the first editor of the Voice of 37.

In high school, I had the most incredible, creative English teacher. Each day when we came into class, she would have a word or phrase on the blackboard. It was our daily assignment, for the first 10 minutes, to write whatever came into our minds or imagination without concern about grammar or spelling. I looked forward every day to that assignment.

I have continued writing. I have written many articles, published two books and for the past nine years have been a monthly columnist for the After 50 newspaper. I am so grateful to all of the English teachers who open their students’ minds to creativity and possibilities.

Carol Wolf

Williamsville ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 07:09:43 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/OPINION/130529695/1074
But instead of its revival by aggressive forward leadership, Patrick Reddy wants to sell off our natural resources, e.g. natural gas. Energy self-sufficiency is a laudable achievement helping foreign relations. But selling into a market of similar conservation goal customers? It would be better to focus industry, academia and forward-looking government on superior innovative products to pay off our global marketplace debt.

For example, billions of dollars are wasted and congestion is worsened trying to force travelers back into obsolete light rail and buses. Automation is beginning to demonstrate more efficient, very light personal vehicles. Using little land, they can become public transportation all can use worldwide, providing computer-controlled, direct-to-destination technology.

Reddy would probably agree we don’t “have it made” and it’s time to get back to work. But activists and politicians promote wasteful mass transit enclaves. They waste the capital to underwrite innovative products we need to sell.

Walt Brewer

Lockport ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 07:09:37 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/OPINION/130529747/1074
If the Pentagon goes ahead with an East Coast missile defense system, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., wants it to be based in New York State. In a recent letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Schumer cited the “thousands of jobs” the project would allegedly create, helping upstate communities “take off.”

Schumer’s plea is off the mark. The Pentagon budget shouldn’t be a jobs program. And at a time of tightening budgets, we can’t afford to waste money on unnecessary, unworkable and unaffordable projects like the East Coast missile defense scheme.

The system is unnecessary because Iran is far from developing a nuclear warhead that can be mated to a long-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States, and it may never do so. In the extremely unlikely event that it does, Iran’s leaders would be deterred from launching a nuclear strike against the United States because they know that their country would be completely destroyed in return.

An East Coast missile defense is unworkable because after spending nearly three decades and well over $100 billion trying to develop an interceptor that can reliably block a long-range nuclear-armed missile, the Pentagon has yet to succeed.

No one knows how much an East Coast system might cost, but it will surely run in the billions – if not tens of billions – of dollars. And it will come at the expense of much more urgent priorities.

Today’s security challenges include domestic terrorism, climate change, natural disasters and the spread of nuclear weapons. Bombs and missiles are of little use in addressing these challenges, nor is the multibillion-dollar illusion of missile defense.

We can’t afford to waste money on pipe dreams like a new missile defense project. And at such an early stage in the project, it is irresponsible to dangle the prospect of “thousands of jobs” before the residents of hard-hit upstate communities, especially when the Pentagon has said that the project would create only 400 to 500 jobs.

The time wasted chasing a phantom project would be better spent seeking a mix of domestic investments that create more economic opportunities. A recent study demonstrated that spending on infrastructure and health care creates 1.5 times as many jobs as Pentagon spending, and education spending creates more than twice as many.

Schumer noted that he would press for a New York site “should the Pentagon determine that such a system is cost-effective and necessary for national security.” Experience tells us that it will be neither workable nor cost-effective, and current reality indicates that it is not needed. We should move on and advocate for projects that have a better chance of helping New York, even as they serve real national needs.



William D. Hartung is director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy. ]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 22:12:21 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/OPINION/130529770/1074
Twice in recent weeks the administration has acknowledged spying on reporters. In the most recent case, Fox News reporter James Rosen was accused of being a co-conspirator in an effort to disclose confidential government information.

Obama’s spokesmen like to claim the president is merely seeking to balance the legitimate needs of national security with those of a free press, but when the government paints a reporter as a potential criminal for routinely doing his job, balance is nowhere to be found. This is an attack on the free press that no president should endorse.

The facts of this case would be comical if they weren’t aimed at the heart of the First Amendment. During an investigation of leaks regarding North Korea, law enforcement officials targeted State Department adviser Stephen Kim, and then obtained search warrants for some private emails of Rosen, the chief Washington correspondent for Fox News.

They also tracked his comings and goings from the State Department. In seeking its warrants, investigators labeled the reporter a co-conspirator and claimed there is probably cause to believe the reporter violated the law.

For doing his job.

An affidavit filed with the judge accused Rosen of “employing flattery and playing to Mr. Kim’s vanity and ego” in seeking the information. You don’t say? And who knew that flattery was a crime?

That tension exists between government and the news media is no surprise. It’s inherent in a relationship in which one tries to keep secrets – often for no better reason than to avoid embarrassment – while the other, empowered by the Constitution, seeks to ferret them out.

When reporters come upon information that could jeopardize national security, government officials usually make editors aware and may ask for a story to be dropped or at least delayed. Indeed, in the previous case, in which the government spied on the Associated Press, managers had agreed to delay a story about a failed al-Qaida plot.

There are ways for government and the media to resolve this issue, sometimes with the involvement of the courts. Those approaches have worked well for decades. But by targeting reporters, the Obama administration is taking a giant step outside the Constitution, in a blatant attempt to chill not just sources, but the news media, itself.

Yes, reporters are a pain in the neck to government officials. That is their job. Obama needs to back off and let them do it. ]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 17:39:57 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130522/OPINION/130529737/1074
In Clarence, where the proposed tax rate increase was a whopping 9.8 percent, a record turnout of voters rejected the budget in a lopsided vote of 4,801 against to 3,431 in favor. Lewiston-Porter voters turned down a proposed 5.5 percent tax hike, with 939 votes for and 1,153 against.

What that means is this: The tax cap, pushed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in his first year in office, is working. As important as public education is, school taxes are also the most onerous of property taxes and, even in wealthy communities like Clarence, there are limits to what residents are willing to pay.

That is true today and that truth will only become more solidified as the population of Western New York ages and an increasing share of voters will be relying on incomes that are fixed or otherwise pinched. And that means that the tax cap, alone, isn’t enough.

Most New Yorkers, we suspect, don’t want to see music, languages, sports and other valuable courses and extracurricular activities curtailed or abandoned. Yet that is the clear threat as budgets come increasingly under pressure from a field of taxpayers who can’t afford their costs. If nothing is done to ease the cost curve, teacher layoffs are inevitable. That threatens core instruction and, ultimately, the ability of students to learn and, hence, to succeed in an ever-more-competitive world.

Those economic threats come mainly from the growing burden of pension costs and a state labor law that tilts too far toward unions and away from the taxpayers who foot the bills. In Tuesday’s elections, voters were faced with higher taxes even though cuts were made to programs, partly because of state aid that remains lower than three years ago together with steep increases in the costs of teacher pensions.

That paints a grim future for education funding in New York, and it requires short- and long-term responses. In the immediate future, the state needs to help districts cope with the costs of pensions. It would be wrong and likely impossible to change the terms of the pensions, but this is a runaway train that will flatten education in New York.

Over the longer term, the state needs to reform the Taylor Law, which governs labor in the public sector. The point shouldn’t be to stick it to unions or workers, but to level the playing field in a way that encourages honest bargaining over contracts. As the law is written, unions are often incentivized not to bargain. The unions will fight any change in the Taylor Law, given its benefits to them, but ultimately, the change will have to be made.

In addition, the state needs to continue working on its economic environment. For as long as younger workers believe their opportunities for success lie elsewhere, the remaining, aging base of taxpayers will be left to bear a cost they will reject in ever-greater numbers. New York needs to be adding to its tax base, not driving it away.

For today, it is fair to say that the tax cap is doing its job and, for that, Cuomo and the Legislature deserve credit. Plainly, though, education funding remains on a troubled path. ]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 23:02:12 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130522/OPINION/130529793/1074
Health care has been, for too long, fragmented and uncoordinated. Many would agree that it is duplicative, uneven and wasteful and has paid little attention to the patient experience.

As medicine has increased its ability to manage chronic diseases, the doctor-patient relationship has become a partnership spanning years. Diabetes, for example, requires monitoring and adjustments best accomplished in the context of a team that includes the patient, physician, diabetic teaching nurse, dietician, trainer and family, executed over the patient’s life.

Many Western New York health care providers, including Kaleida Health and the new Optimum Physician Alliance, are implementing programs that put the patient at the center of a supportive care system.

The February 2013 issue of Health Affairs described several initiatives that have successfully adjusted the behaviors of physicians, patients, hospitals and health plans based on the best scientific evidence, physician opinion and patient values, beliefs and preferences.

When faced with a new medical problem, some patients quickly and fully engage in the adjustments required to regain health. However, some patients get stuck in denial. They may not understand alternatives or they may not see value in changing behaviors. Patients are unlikely to change if they feel their preferences and perspectives are not respected. Support, education and encouragement need to be added to the technology of health care.

On the physician side, concerns about frightening patients can result in patients receiving incomplete information. Time pressure can falsely suggest that an immediate decision is required or that the physician’s treatment preference is the only option.

The next model of health care must be a dynamic collaboration between a proactive, integrated health care team working in an effective system with activate and engaged patients. Quality health care requires an intense focus on the patient, an informed and active participant in the care.

The Optimum Physician Alliance and other evolving models embrace the inclusion of a nurse case manager with time and resources to address the barriers unique to each patient. Certified nurse case managers provide personalized coaching, address psychosocial and medical barriers and assure open channels of communication.

As science has increased the availability of treatments, we physicians have allowed the personal “hand holding” side of medicine to diminish. Health reform in our region is proactively re-creating hands, in fact a team of hands, to engage the patient as an active and informed health care recipient. We welcome this type of reform and encourage patients to embrace this new model.



Thomas Rosenthal, M.D., is chief medical executive of the Optimum Physician Alliance. ]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 13:33:55 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130522/OPINION/130529810/1074
In the past, priority was given to projects that would improve deep-water ports, ignoring the smaller ports on the Great Lakes that together make up a sizable share of the nation’s shipping commerce. The new proposal would dedicate 20 percent of any new revenues coming in to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to “projects that are a priority for navigation in the Great Lakes navigation system.”

The money would allow dredging at Great Lakes ports that are hurting because of low water levels on the lakes.

The legislation has passed the Senate. The House should follow suit, though both houses should take care that the need to boost economic activity does not trump the environment.

Emergency authorizations have been made in the last year or so to deal with the low water levels. The new legislation would make that work routine.

Low water is a particular problem in the upper Great Lakes, where Lakes Michigan and Huron are at all-time lows. The low water reduces the amount of cargo that ships can carry into port. Reducing a harbor’s depth by one or two feet can translate into millions of dollars in commerce lost.

Locally, the money could assist in future dredging efforts in the Black Rock Canal and parts of the Niagara River.

A massive dredging project by the Corps of Engineers that is under way in the Buffalo River is not an effort to improve navigation. That dredging will transform the Buffalo River from an industrial dumping ground to a working waterway where people can swim and fish.

However, the environmental controls in place show that dredging can be done in an environmentally friendly way. The Corps of Engineers, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Honeywell Corp. and Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper are partners in that effort.

Besides finding the money needed to improve navigation, the legislation will also bring some much-needed attention to the very real challenge of Great Lakes water levels. As the global climate changes, the lakes will likely continue to drop, and the real impacts on the economy will have to be dealt with.

Oftentimes, Great Lakes communities don’t think about water conservation, sitting as they are next to more than one-fifth of the world’s fresh surface water. It becomes a concern when millions of dollars have to be shelled out to maintain shipping channels or deal with algae blooms and invasive species. ]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 06:43:35 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130522/OPINION/130529862/1074
Given that Congress just voted for the 37th time to overturn the Affordable Care Act, I can appreciate Einstein’s thinking on the matter. I suggest we try voting in some other representatives who might actually make some real progress.

Gary Kuechle

Williamsville ]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 15:38:47 -0400