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Voting yes and for the 1st time not holding my nose. My district has done backflips to contain costs. I'm actually voting yes on the budget and for all incumbents on the board. They are doing a great job. Why would I want the turmoil of a contingency budget when it doesn't even provide savings? The increase is less than 1%. Voting no will never reduce taxes. Killing the Triborough Amendment might. Good luck to all of us trying to make that happen.
Good luck with that. I don't understand why in this day and age we can't vote online. Votes shouldn't be held during the workday when most productive members of society are at work, many in the city. Votes shouldn't be held at Union strongholds, the schools. Contingency budgets are scams. They are are put into motion by unions to scare the public and hold little Suzie's school bus hostage in order to extort money out of the public for outrageous teacher and administrator salary and benefits.
Votes shouldn't be held at Union strongholds, the schools.
Go to a high school polling place on budget vote day and you'll see all the newly minted 18 year old comrades going to vote because their teacher lets them out of class to VOTE YES. Shaping the hearts and minds of the younger generation!
When I was a newly minted voter...........I voted against the school budget because too many special interests (serving a small portion of the district) were included in the budget. We needed classroom space and the ceiling in the high school auditorium fixed first...........not an indoor swimming pool.
Go to a high school polling place on budget vote day and you'll see all the newly minted 18 year old comrades going to vote because their teacher lets them out of class to VOTE YES. Shaping the hearts and minds of the younger generation!
It is like voting for a contraceptive initiative in the waiting room of an abortion clinic. It is like holding a referendum on affirmative action at a KKK rally. Of course, the results of these votes won't represent the will of the community.
Good luck with that. I don't understand why in this day and age we can't vote online. Votes shouldn't be held during the workday when most productive members of society are at work, many in the city. Votes shouldn't be held at Union strongholds, the schools. Contingency budgets are scams. They are are put into motion by unions to scare the public and hold little Suzie's school bus hostage in order to extort money out of the public for outrageous teacher and administrator salary and benefits.
Nice expat rant...that for once I happen to be in complete agreement with. So what's the solution? The contingency budget isn't a "scam", it's what the law allows if the vote fails twice. The Triborough Amendment is what allows the automatic raises that force salary and pension budgets higher regardless of any other increases (or even decreases). If everything stays the same, the teachers are STILL guaranteed the raise so the budget goes up. I know you know all this, I'm just pointing out the connection. My district has a new admin at the bottom of the pay scale. They proposed a tiny increase this year that is basically to pay for the mandated salary and pension increases. That's it. No programs cut, no layoffs. Some modest capital (repair) work coming out of reserves. So what do I do, punish the current board and admin!? They are doing exactly what I want them to do this year. It kills me to say but I think they did a good job. How to fix the bigger picture (the Triborough agreements and the State Constitution) I have no clue, especially in this dysfunctional political dump. And the teachers unions, let's not even get started on that.
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Going to vote is easy. If it were that simple to reduce our taxes I don't think that'd be an issue.
