Wow, if you believe we get the leadership we deserve, we must really stink. There is an old political axiom about how decisions are made by those who show up. There is no disclaimer about how that is a physical or a spiritual appearance. The state budget process has been broke for as long as I can remember. When my kids were younger, angry letters to the editor used to be a rite of Spring when the Pataki administration regularly waffled on funding pre-kindergarden classes that were not mandated.

They have never been on time, never spent within their means and despite the overall economy being seriously broken, our heroes are still spending like drunken state senators. The fact that the budget was decided by 3 guys who, if pushed couldn't spell reform, was bad enough. But they seem oblivious to the big picture.

We are all doing with less. In our jobs, we do more with less, stretching dollars and abilities to get more done. Our fearless leaders apparently don't subscribe to that. Instead of even pretending to watch spending and not buy what they can't afford, they are searching for more revenue. New York State is becoming the General Motors of the US. Our business model is busted and the guys at the top are looking for more money to fuel their private jets. Tje squeezing of blood from the proverbial stone doesn't apply when it comes to pet projects, committee work stipends and a slew of double dippers. Although I do applaud Raymond Gallagher for getting a conscious and quitting his state post of part time work when a potential raise got revealed. The idea of the state applying download fees is ridiculous. The state is threatening to layoff 8900 union employees if concessions cannot be reached. The less mentioned portion of that is that 8000 people have been hired around the state since our economic picture "got dire." Got news, it's been dire.

I suppose in one respect they do have something. Not only does all this bad news keep people out, it makes it difficult to leave to, so things should stablize. Our representatives have to get away from screwing the constituents at every turn. The latest sin is that there will be no Woodlawn or Bennett Beach available this summer. It's a revolting state of affairs when pork barrelled crap makes a disaster day budget, but things that might actually improve quality of life do not. I know Woodlawn is not exactly paradise, but in a region where the state senators get five figure stipends for going to a small handful of extra meetings but neither has the kahones to speak up for their region? What the hell. Positively gutless.

When the budget here was in a state of flux, the whole department participated in an exchange of ideas, not just 3 shifty guys and a highlighter.

The beach thing especially blows. Since apparently some chucklehead decided that Fort Erie is on the other side of the Rio Grande, casual trips to the Canadian beaches are almost a thing of the past. Seasonal customs help apparently believes they are Dirty Harry, you have to look inward. We used to go to the Holiday Inn on Delaware to partake of their pool club. Since the hotel decided they didn't want money (?), they in a fit of Albany-like pique, did away with that program.

Any wonder Patterson got booed at the Ballpark yesterday. I know I'm oversimplifying, but holy crap, the state priorities are so unbelivably fubar (and let's face it, have been).

Yep, we're getting screwed, and Albany will not respect us in the morning.

Gentle readers, this is testament to folks who have too much time on their hands to make films like this and dorks like myself who have too much time to look for them.

I'm sitting here trying in inject myself with a little enthusiasm for a press release another litter of capybara babies, but I'm thinking about my older sister.

She has been in the printing/graphics industry in Manhattan for 25 years. With all the evolution in computers and such, the desktop side of things has really changed and the printing scene in NYC is shrinking and getting more specialized. The firm she was with was tied up in a number of the trading card companies, until they were sold last year. New owners promptly canned a good chunk of the staff including my sister. She hooked on with another place for awhile who wanted somebody for all hours, etc and I think it would have been a great gig for somebody in their early twenties, but not so much when you are 47, 48 years old.

I hate to call and suggest this or that, because she knows all that. The intervening time frame while she applies for this and that has taxed my folks' abilities to offer financial support, and she had to pry into her 401K, and has come to the realization that unemployment insurance doesn't really cut it when living in Manhattan. She told my mom Monday night that she thinks the security deposit could cover May if it comes to that and after that, she wasn't so sure. Can you imagine having to let go of a rent controlled apartment in Chelsea? and head home to Buffalo and bunk with Mom and Dad for a bit?

My younger sister lives near Harlem. She had to deal with an apartment fire three years ago. She said something about how she had to start over, too. I understand the sentiment but it isn't really the same. The younger one still had her profession and had to replace things. The older has the things, but not the profession. Our work does define us to a degree (whether we want it to or not) and older sis has done a good job with coping, but I know the limitations are driving her nuts. She is typically one of the great over spenders in generosity and for almost 18 months has had to shut that instinct down.

I remember chuckling a little when that GM's first mistake last year was giving me a car loan. Ironic still that I might finally be in the position to help if she does have to come home.

To have to reinvent yourself when you think you are finally settling into what you want to be when you grow up...nothing about it doesn't stink.

Sad reflection on the way of the world

Nobody seems to want to give anything a chance to develop anymore. From romances to rebuilds, there is an ugly false sense of urgency that ultimately going to leave us all permanently messed up. I'm sitting here with the morning paper and coffee and there is an article that caught my fancy.

Nothing and I mean nothing has happened in that area of Buffalo for a long time, which makes me wonder about their representation at city hall since he's been over there for more than a little bit. For the city to stiff arm that family's noble idea makes me crazy. Land gets put back to use by somebody who is willing to buy it, work and make something from in a part of town where there is not a whole lot of that going on. The city says no, because they MIGHT be able to resell to places like Habitat for Humanity. They might want to look at the lack of a demand now and be glad somebody has an interest.

It frustrates me because anything that has proven to be a draw around here has happened largely in spite of the "leadership." While our fearless leaders whore themselves out to the perennial cocktease that is a Bass Pro store, Elmwood, now Hertel and pockets of Grant are moving along because small groups of people put their minds & backs to work to make something happen. Small things, sure, but they add up to big things.

I guess I'm ranting a little, but hardly anything is instantaneous. Instant gratification is pretty rare, unless you have a cupcake from Delish handy.

The experiences of the week, watching Sens. Thompson and Stachowski hand out staff raises and pocket stipends, while screwing the electorate further roused my thinking. These are two of dumbest men alive or evil geniuses. I'm not sure which. It reminds me of that actual political sentiment that I think I heard on the West Wing. "Never underestimate the power of a small group of dedicated people to change things, because they are the only ones who ever have."

Makes you crazy.

One of the women who has the dubious distinction of working for me was at a personal milestone. She is turning 30 tomorrow and spent Friday in a pre-birthday funk. Having breezed through 30 only to a full-sized MrMike hole in the the wall that is 40, I tried to tell her it was no big deal. The world throws enough obstacles at you so to bring on others seems a little silly. She was concerned that turning 30 meant the death of something. Can you imagine a world where we all acted our ages according to the stereotypes they demand? I'd be smoking a pipe and drinking high balls on a regular basis and I hate both. Don't want to live in a Mad Men world, just like watching it once a week.

She thought about that then her husband showed up to reveal the secret we've been keeping for almost four months. He called me to ask to turn her loose for a vacation week for this week. He showed up to take her home and pack as they were leaving for Costa Rica at 9:30. I was impressed. She had been missing the folks, so he arranged their travel to meet them in Costa Rica for breakfast saturday morning. I wish I had the means to do that, let alone the wherewithal. She was nearly hyperventalating trying to remember what needed done.

I just smiled and kept repeating don't worry about it.

I guess my point be is that the positive karma is there, you just can't be in such a damn fool hurry to find it.

Going to the b-movie series at the New Phoenix tonight.