HRH Joel I, aka Joel the Vindictive

The legislature met yesterday to impose its cuts before Judge Makowski's deadline. They voted 10-4; Republicans Ranzenhofer, Cusack, Marshall, & Kennedy voting against. I don't quite know or understand why. Joel, who is the sole cause of this entire mess through years of fiscal mismanagement and unbridled arrogance, continues to accept no blame and reside in cloud cuckoo land.

Joel Giambra in a news conference again blamed the whole crisis on Albany. Please note Giambra said he will release his 2006 budget early. There will be significant property tax increases to cover the 2006 deficit. No news there ... But what you do not know is he is releasing the budget early because he hopes to gain political capital & go after his fellow Repubs in November for not supporting a tax increase. Oh & by the way the number for 2006 will be circa $100,000,000.00 ... This includes the $60 million in one time revenue shots in his 2005 budget. Out of the $10s of millions in cuts in the last 48 hours ... Giambra's budget was cut $39,000.00 ... There is still $809,950.00 dollars in the Executive's budget.

So, while Giambra cuts a measly $39,000 from his own budget. (What a douche), the other departments must cut: Comptroller $700,000.00, Clerk $2,000,000.00, Cultural $1,000,000.00, DA $1,000,000.00, Sheriff $4,700,000.00, Social Services $4,700,000.00, Parks & Highways $5,000,000.00. The Department heads must come up with names & positions in 72 hours, Tuesday. And the county parks are closed for the rest of the year. What I think is really HRH King Joel's final nail in his political coffin is the fact that, rather than reap what he's sown, he is using the budget crisis as a political axe - he's going to go after the people of his own party who disagreed with him? That'll go over well. 75% of Erie County voters polled wanted no new tax increase. You think they'll change their minds because the county parks are closed? We can use town and state resources. What a good politician would be doing (well...we never would have been in this mess in the first place) is using the current situation as an impetus to work together with other politicians to fundamentally change county government and the way it does its business, so as to avoid future budget crises. Good politicians around here are few and far between.