News spinning

The News is, predictably, spinning today. The unofficial organ of King Joel and the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership takes swipes today at the County Legislature. (Even Donn Esmonde gets in on the act, inexplicably maintaining his support of HRH Joel I). Sure, the Leg should abolish "member items" that amount to over $2 million per year, and they should cut their staffs and budgets, but they did their job this time. They chose the community-at-large over the executive branch. The News is busy propping up Giambra because he's their guy, and they're the King's tools. The News had better wake up and smell the roses. King Joel ain't saving anybody but King Joel and the extended Giambra/Getz clans. The News had also better start accurately reporting the affect of medicaid versus Rath Building incompetence. How is it that none of New York's other 61 counties find themselves in Erie's predicament? Even our arguably more economically depressed neighbor counties were somehow, miraculously, able to budget for medicaid increases and avoid the idiocy we've put up with since November. Do not the other 61 counties also bear a heavy, unfunded Albany medicaid mandate? Of course they do. The difference is leadership. Erie County has none.