Healthcare HYPOCRITS at HARVARD....

What a bunch of hypocritical saps.... while I may be considered "liberal" ...these guys are "above-it-all liberals" -- here are the major so-called Harvard "thinkers" who so adamantly supported Obama-care and now are moaning because they have to share in their healthcare premium costs at Harvard. They are as hypocritical as the government representatives in this country  -- AT ALL LEVELS-- with their "let them eat cake" attitude toward the rest of us.  Read it and LAUGH!   Here are a couple of quotes from these HARVARD HYPOCRITS -- they need to get a REAL JOB and live in the REAL WORLD.  I SUPPORT OBAMACARE but we ALL have to SHARE in the costs.  Remember, these CADILLAC insurance policies run $30,000 per year and UP and ARE NOT TAXABLE....so these policies are TAX FREE INCOME FROM THEIR EMPLOYERS and TAXPAYERS.  Our Town SUPERVISORS and STATE LEGISLATORS get the same LUXURY treatment as these HYPOCRITS and have the balls to bellyache:

 Richard F. Thomas, a Harvard professor of classics and one of the world’s leading authorities on Virgil, called the changes “deplorable, deeply regressive, a sign of the corporatization of the university.”

Mary D. Lewis, a professor who specializes in the history of modern France and has led opposition to the benefit changes, said they were tantamount to a pay cut. “Moreover,” she said, “this pay cut will be timed to come at precisely the moment when you are sick, stressed or facing the challenges of being a new parent.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/us/health-care-fixes-backed-by-harvards-experts-now-roil-its-faculty.html?&hpw&rref=us&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0

BROOKFIELD 2015 PROPERTY TAXES = $31.43 per $1,000

Okay folks, now that all the 2015 property tax bills are out, let's
take a look at how much it cost to live here in Brookfield.
Below is a breakdown of the cost per $1,000 of assessed value
to live in Brookfield.
Based on the 2015 tax bills, property owners in Brookfield will
pay $31.43 for every ONE THOUSAND Dollars of Assessed Value.
			2015 PROPERTY TAX
TAX LEVY (2015)			ANNUAL	MONTHLY
$50,000 assessed value			$          1,572	$     131
$100,000 assessed value			$          3,143	$     262
			2015
			Rate
TAX LEVY (2015)			$/$1000	Increase
SCHOOL - BCS			$          16.11	9.50%
COUNTY - Madison			$           7.89	8.40%
TOWN - Brookfield			$           6.47	1.40%
FIRE - Brookfield			$           0.96
			$          31.43

CEO Changes Coming to Chobani

According to today’s NY Post, the founder of Chobani yogurt,Hamdi Ulukaya, is being replaced as CEO and may even be stripped of his chairman role as the company scrambles to reverse financial wreckage associated with the 2013  recall. Insiders pin most of the blame on the Idaho factory, built by Ulukaya at a cost of $450 million, was responsible for the costly recall and only operating at 20 percent of capacity in 2013.  See full story at today’s NY Post…http://nypost.com/2015/01/05/chobani-ceo-being-replaced-may-be-stripped-of-chairman-role/

Are School Superintendents worth their COST?

Good article on the money spent for School Superintendents and their attempts to justify these rich salaries… BCS Superintendent Jim Plows comes out on top at $144,000 per year and a budget of $6 million (240 Students) vs. New York Mills Superintendent who only earns $139,000 and a $13 million budget (630 Students).  The highest earning school official in the Mohawk Valley raked in nearly $200,000 last year. That's almost $20,000 more than Gov. Andrew Cuomo grosses. http://www.uticaod.com/article/20150104/NEWS/150109896/1994/NEWS

YES, there is a Santa Claus...and his name is Andrew Cuomo!!!

And a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS it will be!  Thank you Santa Cuomo! Bet the Brookfield Town Board feels  a sigh of relief! And a special THANK YOU to Larry Krauss for an OUTSTANDING ad in this week's WATERVILLE TIMES!

 

ALBANY — The Cuomo administration announced Wednesday that it would ban hydraulic fracturing in New York State, ending years of uncertainty by concluding that the controversial method of extracting gas from deep underground could contaminate the state’s air and water and pose inestimable public-health risks.

BROOKFIELD TOWN BOARD MEETING - Dec 8 Regular Meeting....

The DECEMBER 8, 2014 REGULAR MEETING of the BROOKFIELD TOWN BOARD covered a number of issues.  Below are some of the "selected highlights" ....please refer to Waterville Times for more coverage and details....

BROOKFIELD TOWN BOARD – December 8 2014 – REGULAR MEETING (Town Hall) - Attendance:  John Salka (Supervisor); Jeff Mayne, Dewitt Head, Joe Walker, Clint Abrams (Council Persons); Sherri Perretta (Clerk); Bob Piersma (Highway Superintendent).  Approximately 15 members of the public attended.

PART 1: “THE BAN” & "RULES OF CONDUCT"– DEMOCRACY IN BROOKFIELD – DOA

BOARD STOPS COMMUNITY EFFORT TO BAN HYDROFRACKING IN THE TOWN OF BROOKFIELD:  A Ban against Hydrofracking in the Town of Brookfield has been a topic of heated discussions among the Board and the Community. Finally, after YEARS of discussions, moratoriums and promises,  a Town wide straw poll was taken during this past November’s general elections.  By an overwhelming margin of 3:1, TOWN residents voted AGAINST HYDROFRACKING in the Town of Brookfield.

YET, Three BOARD MEMBERS VOTED AGAINST moving forward to institute a BAN ON HYDROFRACKING:  Jeff Mayne, Joe Walker  & Dewitt Head.   While clear that Walker & Head will never vote to support a ban (Walker has a lease; Head says neither he nor his family has a lease); perhaps most disappointing was Mayne’s  “NO” vote because  “he didn’t know enough” about the topic. 

Opponents of the Ban claim it is a form of “land use regulations”  and therefore violates their private rights to do anything they want with their property;  the welfare of neighbors and the Community are not their responsibility.  They see zoning and land use regulations as a form of control by the liberal “mobs” to bring creeping communism to Brookfield.  Ironically, many of these PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS advocates are among the largest benefactors of land use in the form of AGRICULTURE DISTRICTS.

Despite Salka’s efforts to rush past the subject (allowing less than TWO MINUTES of Board time to the subject) the “Public Comment” period re-opened THAT CAN OF WORMS -- requesting a poll of the Board --- something the Supervisor was UNWILLING to do.  

After the results and excuses given, the Board received from the audience an overwhelming message of disappointment , frustration and disgust with the outcome.  No wonder Salka had the new RULES OF DECORUM for the Public to conduct itself during Board meetings.  

RESPECT is EARNED --  a four page list of rules for the public isn’t going to do it.  Several requests for copies of the NEW RULES & POSTING ON TOWN WEBSITE were DENIED BY SALKA until AFTER they are APPROVED !  If we want to see them, he has directed the TOWN CLERK to send us to the TOWN OF DERUYTER WEBSITE.... so here you go.....talk about political cowardice.  !  Go to  DERUYTER WEBSITE to see them:  http://www.deruyternygov.us/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/rulesfordecorum.pdf     

SUGGESTION: we have  started a list of RULES OF DECORUM for THE BOARD!!!  and already received NUMEROUS SUGGESTIONS!!!

TOWN BOARD - Outrageous Contempt for Public

The December 8 board meeting was another display of a Town Board with no leadership or direction and rife with contempt for the Public.   Rather than addressing issues most important to this community they clearly demonstrated that they are a Board “deaf” to the community and its needs.  To add insult to injury the Town Board not only REFUSED to consider a Ban on Hydrofracking , Supervisor  Salka had the unmitigated gall to present a four page list of rules for conducting future meetings.  The objective is to clearly point out that the PUBLIC  is there only to “OBSERVE” – if you have something to say, that is what a PUBLIC MEETING is for.  So, basically, Salka and his Board advocates a “SIT DOWN & SHUT UP” attitude toward the public. 

I will follow up with notes on the meeting, but this display of contempt for the public is an outrageous act against the community. Respect is EARNED.