If at First You Don't Succeed

Gamble, gamble again.

According to a report this evening, the New York State Gaming Facility Location Board (GFLB) will reopen the bidding for the 'true' Southern Tier region, the part of the region that's currently home to Tioga Downs. The part that's not the future home of Lago, a casino resort that was awarded the Southern Tier/Finger Lakes region's rights on the first roll of the dice last year.

You'll recall that the GFLB was asked to reopen the bidding process by Governor Cuomo; he made his request not long after the decision to bypass our neighbors to the south and only award three licenses - Sullivan County, Schenectady, and the Town of Tyre -- instead of four. And, right after Cuomo's experts announced the decision that fracking would not be allowed, also a blow to the Southern Tier.

While some folks, including the Sonofa Gov, believe that there could be bidders other than Tioga Downs, it seems unlikely that will happen.  Already the Binghamton area has ceded the floor to Tioga and will not complete; the thought that there would be a dark horse bidder coming out of nowhere, with a site and a plan and community buy-in and all the rest, seems like a pipe dream.

So, what happens if the re-worked bid from Tioga still doesn't pass muster?  I'm not sure that the GFLB is obligated to offer a license to the Southern Tier; after all, Cuomo has noted that he has nothing to do with the process and that it's entirely up to the Board to make their decision on the merits.  He just asked them to take another look at the merits, that's all.

Jeff Gural, developer of Tioga Downs, has said it was his 'bad job' explaining the financing that kept him from winning the bid in the first place, and moreover he seems to feel that he was used by Cuomo:

The governor asked me to spend $800,000 of my money to pass Proposition One, and then the intent was that there would be a casino in the Southern Tier. That's what he said to me, he came to Binghamton and said it, and now they put it up by Lake Ontario. I feel like a complete fool to be honest with you.

If the bid doesn't fly this time, Gural goes back to running his racino, the bad taste still in his mouth. More importantly thought, what's next for the true Southern Tier?

Tuesday's Number: $364,675

Tuesday is the day my local paper, the Syracuse Post-Standard, publishes the weekly business section. In addition to special features, tips from stock experts, budgeting advice and the like, we get the judgment and bankruptcy listings.

Since mid-2012, I’ve been tracking health care related filings. I include anything that is clearly a debt owed to a hospital, nursing home, physician or physician group, medical supplier, and so on; I do not include filings by insurance companies, many of which are so diversified it would not be a fair assumption that the filing is related to medical care or health insurance.

• This week, there were thirteen new judgments to hospitals, doctors, or other medical providers totaling $250,097. 
•  There was one satisfied judgment, for $5,211. 
• And there was one health care related bankruptcy, for $119,789.

I also track filings for each of the four Syracuse hospitals. Here’s the breakdown for this week: 

• Crouse had ten, totaling $216,190 
• St Joe’s had three, for $18,749 
• SUNY Upstate had none 
• Community General, a part of Upstate, also had none.

There were two large judgments filed by surgical practices which account for the remaining $129,736.

This year, I am subtracting the satisfied judgments from the overall totals and from the individual hospital totals; the likelihood is that they've already been incorporated into the numbers at some point now, since I've been tracking this for two and a half years.

The paper publishes only those accounts of at least $5,000.

Wondering, on Wednesday (v17)

Here we are, just a few days into the new year, and instead of being filled with hope and anticipation, we're sharing grief and anger and agony with our friends in France,we've got a new Congress in Washington, and we said goodbye to an icon here in New York.  It's been a busy few days.

Paris was devastated by an attack on their boldly satirical magazine, 'Charlie Hebdo'. The magazine, which gained notoriety for publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed was fire-bombed in an earlier incident, and today a dozen people were killed in the horrific attack; meanwhile we are still a bit indignant about the brazen technical assault last month on Sony Pictures for their somewhat ill-advised comedy about killing North Korea's Kim Jung Un.

In that attack on free speech,  Sony lost emails, data, credibility and money by not having the opportunity for a big Christmas-day premiere of The Interview. In Paris, they lost lives for publishing cartoons.  I'm left wondering, this Wednesday,  if we'll ever really understand that kind of extremism, and more importantly whether we'll ever collectively have a way to manage it and the people who bring it upon us.

The 114th Congress took over this week, with an extreme kiss from Crying John Boehner to the head of Nancy Pelosi; a more awkward kiss has not been seen in DC in who knows how long. Boehner managed to get re-elected as House Speaker, although it wasn't easy. It wasn't easy for a few of the folks were were not firmly in his corner, either - those folks lost their committee posts in a swift reaction by Boehner. He's going to have a long battle these next two years, but starting out by smacking down the opposition has to feel good, don't you think?

Meanwhile, over in the Senate, Mitch McConnell actually talked about finding agreement with his Democratic counterparts:

I always like to remind people that divided government is not unusual in this country. When the American people choose divided government I don't think it means they don't want us to do anything, I think it means they want us to look for areas of agreement. 

And then, reminded us that this first order of business is to pass the Keystone XL Pipeline bill, which according to McConnell is a key component of the 'energy revolution' in this country.  That would be the same energy revolution that has gas prices tumbling, which would be good, except that OPEC countries are not propping up their own oil, and so the price is in free fall, which is messing up the stock market and the world economy, which is scaring the bluecheeses out of us.  I'm wondering if Mitch wants to reconsider his first big vote?

And finally, we said goodbye to Mario Cuomo this week; I wonder who will be the real voice of progressive reasonableness, or reasonable progressitivity, going forward? That person, whoever he or she is, will have a huge opportunity in 2016, one that shouldn't be wasted.

Tuesday's Number: $1,133,733

Tuesday is the day my local paper, the Syracuse Post-Standard, publishes the weekly business section. In addition to special features, tips from stock experts, budgeting advice and the like, we get the judgment and bankruptcy listings.

Since mid-2012, I've been tracking health care related filings. I include anything that is clearly a debt owed to a hospital, nursing home, physician or physician group, medical supplier, and so on; I do not include filings by insurance companies, many of which are so diversified it would not be a fair assumption that the filing is related to medical care or health insurance.

• This week, there were 26 new judgments to hospitals, doctors, or other medical providers totaling $1,069,733. 
• There were no satisfied judgments. 
• And there was one health care related bankruptcy, for $64,000.

Here are the filings for each of the four Syracuse hospitals this week, which totaled $875,943:

• Crouse had three, totaling $142,926 
• St Joe’s had one, for $30,854 
• SUNY Upstate had 21, totaling $702,163 
• Community General, a part of Upstate, had none.

There were two large judgments filed by local nursing homes which account for the remaining $257,790.

This year, I am counting the satisfied judgments as negatives, given that they have already likely been incorporated into the totals as some point now, since I've been tracking these numbers for two and a half years.

The paper publishes only those accounts of at least $5,000; while the majority of the filings are from facilities in Onondaga County, on occasion there will be some listings for hospitals and medical providers located in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison and Oneida counties.

Mario Cuomo's Words Still Ring True

Tomorrow, former NY Governor Mario Cuomo will be laid to rest.

His classic 1984 Democratic Convention address will live on, stored as it is among the Top 100 speeches at American Rhetoric. There will always be people who will talk about the tale of two cities vs the shining city on the hill, the comparison between the middle class reality as Cuomo saw it, and what Ronald Reagan saw when he looked out the window at his world.

One of those people talking about Cuomo mentioned that there wasn't a lot of detail in the speech, that it would have been better if he had included more 'meat' beyond the quotable parts with which we're all so familiar.  I disagree with that assessment; there was a lot in the speech that doesn't make the highlight reel, and that still rings true today.   Here are a few examples:

On how to win an election:

We must get the American public to look past the glitter, beyond the showmanship to the reality, the hard substance of things. And we'll do it not so much with speeches that sound good as with speeches that are good and sound; not so much with speeches that will bring people to their feet, but with speeches that will bring people to their senses. 

On creating a party platform:

To succeed we will have to surrender some small parts of our individual interests, to build a platform that we can all stand on, at once, and comfortably...

On the middle class::

And in between (the rich and the poor) is the heart of our constituency - the middle class, the people not rich enough to be worry-free but not poor enough to be on welfare; the middle class, those people who work for a living because they have to...White collar and blue collar. Young professionals. Men and women in small business desperate for the capital and contracts that they need to prove their worth.

On key themes:

We speak for young people demanding an education and a future.  We speak for senior citizens, for senior citizens who are terrorized by the idea that their only security, their Social Security, is being threatened.  We speak for millions of reasoning people fighting to preserve our environment from greed and stupidity.

And on the credo of the Democrats:

• We believe in only the government we need, but we insist on all the government we need.
• We believe in a government that is characterized by fairness and reasonableness, a reasonableness that goes beyond labels, that doesn't distort or promise to do things that we know we can't do.
• We believe in a government strong enough to use works like 'love' and 'compassion' and smart enough to convert our noblest aspirations into practical realities.
• Our government should be able to rise to the level where it can fill the gaps that are left by chance or by a wisdom we don't fully understand. 
• We believe as Democrats that a society as blessed as ours the most affluent democracy in the world's history, one that can spend trillions on instruments of destruction, ought to be able to help the middle class in its struggle, ought to be able to find work for all who can do it, room at the table, shelter for the homeless, care for the elderly and infirm, and hope for the destitute.
• We believe in firm - firm but fair law and order.
• We believe proudly in the union movement.
• We believe - we believe in privacy for people, openness by government.
• We believe in civil rights, and we believe in human rights.

On the night before Mario Cuomo is laid to rest, and as the 114th Congress gets to work, it might do us all well to think about Cuomo's words from 30 years ago.  Because, with the exception of the part about the union movement, most of what he talks about are goals that just about all politicians profess to support, even if the path to getting there is very different as expressed by the Democrats and Republicans today.

The one piece that missing from today's picture, however, is the shared sacrifice part. If everyone "surrenders some small parts of (our) individual interests" everyone "gets to stand." Wouldn't it be nice if our new Congress in Washington was willing to give a little, on both sides, so that all Americans are able to stand? And if they all could drop the glitter and showmanship and focus on the realities, which is where real Americans live?

That would be an outstanding addition to the legacy of Mario Cuomo.

The Hotel Syracuse: Looking Back, Looking Forward

There are times that it pays to pay attention.

Lobby ceiling detail

Back in December I got an email from the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) letting me know there were still tickets available for a 'Ghostwalk' at the Hotel Syracuse. As many of you know, the Hotel Syracuse was a gem in Syracuse, dating back to the 1920s. Built by the firm that went on to do the Waldorf, she's getting ready to be restored to as much of her former glory as can be saved, and she should reopen, we learned today, on March 16, 2016.

The opportunity to get inside before the renovations kick in was too much to pass by, and I managed to get our tickets just in the nick of time.

The OHA doesn't look for ghosts on tours like this - it's not a seance or anything like that. Instead, they have actors portraying people who would have been around back in the day. Today it was folks who would have worked at the Hotel, including the concierge, the hotel detective, a bell captain, and a maid.  We also were thoroughly entertained by a singer who did a pretty good Al Jolson, Ole Blue Eyes and John Lennon.

Hotel Syracuse Lobby

Back in the 1980's I worked the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce; at the time, the offices were on the street level of the Hotel on the Onondaga Street side. There were several Chamber events held in the Hotel itself.  Between those meetings, and holidays parties, and the piano bar, 'prom-watching' from the MONY Plaza, I have lots of fond memories of the hotel, but my personal history of her pales in comparison to what we learned on yesterday's trip.

According to the concierge, the Edward Joy Company (the same one you drive by on I-690 heading east out of the city) did all of the electrical work, including the sprinkler system, and there was some Stickley furniture too. All of the furnishings, including the Stickley pieces, were supplied by the E. W. Edwards department store on Salina Street. Bedding and other linens, miles of carpeting, all of the china (locally sourced from the Iroquois and Onondaga pottery companies, which eventually became our beloved Syracuse China), silverware and furniture and chandeliers and sconces (like the one in the Persian Terrace pictured here), and pretty much everything else you could see or touch in a grand hotel was delivered from just up the block.

If you're interested, there's a store directory from Edwards on the Department Store Museum blog, as well as some additional history from folks who remember it. It notes that 'our' Edwards dated to 1889, with expansion into other upstate cities (Rochester, Buffalo, Camillus and Dewitt!) happening later.

We learned from the entertainer ghost that the hotel was wired so that music played anywhere - in the ballrooms or the clubs - could be heard everywhere: the 1920's version of whole-house audio. The room he performed in eventually became the Library disco (one of only four in the country), the home for Wise Guys comedy club (recently closed in its third or fourth location) and then Viva Debris (comedy and magic).

Persian Terrace

I think the most fascinating part of the trip for me was the time we spent in the Persian Ballroom. I had no idea that there were fashion shows broadcast live from that beautiful room, while the fashionable ladies of Syracuse lunched. We learned this from two delightful performers, one the host of the show, and one the fashion director who fabulously ad-libbed as tour members modeled hats of the day.

The drapes and paint (a peach/pink/salmon color scheme), the crystal chandeliers and sconces, beautiful stone columns and white-veined black marble under the giant windows, the soaring ceiling, and the faded carpet, are as they were when the hotel closed for good back in 2004. So too is the obligatory parquet floor on which thousands of couples danced.

And now, it's the hint of what's to come for the Hotel Syracuse that has me excited.  We've previously been made aware that the original entrance, on Onondaga Street, will become the primary entrance once again.

Original lobby ceiling

And today, we learned that some of the giant arched windows that have long been covered up or painted over will become functional windows once again; that the lobby will be returned to her original glory, including the gorgeous mural that was recently uncovered, and removing a wall to give us back a balcony. We were told that the ceiling will be restored to its darker, more luxurious hue.

We learned that, underneath the paint in the Persian Terrace, there's a mural that hopefully can be restored. A small section of it is visible, including what someone said was part of an elephant's trunk.

There's so much to look back at, and so much to look forward to, as our grand Hotel Syracuse is restored. She may have a new name then and fewer rooms then she did in the 1920's, but we'll still have her history, thanks to the OHA, and hopefully there will be decades more history to be made there.  I know that I'm not the only one who will be following the progress of her restoration/renovation - and that we're not the only ones already planning on spending the night there come 2016 when she opens once again.

The Inspirational Mario Cuomo

1984 was the third presidential election I voted in.

I didn't have a lot of hope that Walter Mondale would win. He could not match Ronald Reagan's Hollywood appeal and charisma, his easy charm. Mondale also had made the decision to choose a woman, Geraldine Ferraro, as his running mate. I admit to being excited about the possibilities of that choice, but was not surprised with how it played out: the investigation into her finances, her husband's business, her brashness, the whole 'Italian thing' and the potential ties to organized crime, and so on.

The main reason I didn't have a lot of hope for Mondale, honestly, was that he wasn't Mario Cuomo.

Like many twenty-something Democrats (and many older ones as well), I was very moved by Cuomo's convention keynote address, and his vision of America. I loved his passion, and his energy, and his ability to grab and hold people's attention, as he did mine. Cuomo could have tackled Reagan, I thought back then -- I remember talking with my Dad about how we had picked the wrong guy.

I watched the highlight reel from that speech again yesterday, after hearing the news that Mario Cuomo had died on the very day that his son Andrew began his second term as New York's Governor.  The most famous parts, good libs can at least paraphrase without much prompting. Here's a look at some of them. Later, I'll look at some of the things that didn't make the video.

On Reagan's "this country is a shining city on a hill" analogy:

The hard truth is that not everyone is sharing in this city's splendor and glory. A shining city is perhaps all the President sees...But there's another city; there's another part to the shining, the city; the part where some people can't pay their mortgages, and most young people can't afford one; where students can't afford the education they need, and middle-class parents watch the dreams they hold for their children evaporate. 

 In this part of the city there are more poor than ever, more families in trouble, more and more people who need help but can't find it... There is despair, Mr. President, in the faces that you don't see, in the places that you don't visit in your shining city. In fact Mr President -- this is a nation -- Mr President you ought to know that this nation is more a "Tale of Two Cities" than it is just a "Shining City on a Hill."

On 'trickle down' economics:

President Reagan told us from the very beginning that he believed in a kind of social Darwinism. Survival of the fittest. "Government can't do everything," we were told, so it should settle for taking care of the strong and hope that economic ambition and charity will do the rest.  Make the rich richer, and what falls from the table will be enough for the middle class and those are trying desperately to work their way into the middle class.

You know, the Republicans' called it "trickle-down" when Hoover tried it. Now they call it "supply side."  But it's the same shining city for those relative few who are lucky enough to live in its good neighborhoods. But for the people who are excluded for the people who are locked out, all they can do is stare from a distance at that city's glimmering towers.

On the difference between Ds and Rs:

It's an old story. It's as old as our history. The difference between Democrats and Republicans has always been measured in courage and confidence. The Republicans -- the Republicans believe that the wagon train will not make it to the frontier unless some of the old, some of the young, some of the weak are left behind by the side of the trail.  "The strong" -- "the strong," they tell us, "will inherit the land."

We Democrats believe in something else. We Democrats believe that we can make it all the way with the whole family intact, and we have more than once.  Ever since Franklin Roosevelt lifted himself from his wheelchair to lift this nation from its knees -- wagon train after wagon train -- to new frontiers of education, housing, peace; the whole family aboard, constantly reaching out to extend and enlarge that family, lifting them up into the wagon on the way; blacks and Hispanics and people of every ethnic group, and native Americans -- all those struggling to build their families and claim some small share of America. And remember this, some of us in this room today are here only because this nation had that kind of confidence. And it would be wrong to forget that. 

On a 'proper government':

We believe in a single -- we believe in a single fundamental idea that describes better than most textbooks and any speech I could write what a proper government should be: the idea of family, mutuality, the sharing of benefits and burdens for the good of all, feeling one another's pain, sharing one another's blessings -- reasonably, honestly, fairly, without respect to race, or sex, or geography, or political affiliation.

We believe we must be the family of America, recognizing that at the heart of the matter we are bound to one another, that the problems of a retired schoolteacher in Duluth are our problems; that the future of the child - -that the future of the child in Buffalo is our future; that the struggle of a disabled man in Boston to survive and live decently is our future; that the hunger of a woman in Little Rock is our hunger; that the failure anywhere to provide what reasonably we might, to avoid pain, is our failure. 

Back in 1984, these words moved me.  They moved me again today.  Rest in peace, Mario.

Wondering, on Wednesday (v16)

So, it's New Year's Eve, and you all know what that means: champagne, confetti, noisemakers, and stuff like that. And resolutions.

Ah, resolutions.  Those 'commitments' we make to ourselves,and  post on social media, asking family and friends to PROMISE to help us stick with them.

Or, if you're the introverted type, maybe you scribble yours down on small pieces of paper, commit them to memory, and eat the evidence.

Or, boldly put them in a jar, in plain sight, your words encouraging (taunting?) you each time you walk by.


We're all familiar with the old standbys: quitting smoking; saving money; losing weight; being kind to old people and strangers; cutting out the swearing; going to church.

Joining a gym is another big one, although many fewer people actually go to a gym than join one. According to a report on NPR the average Planet Fitness has about 6,500 members, but can hold only abut 300 at a time, fortunately. The report also noted that these places count on the inactive members to subsidize the active ones. (Hey -wait a minute - that sounds just like the health insurance scam that Gruber guy got in trouble for!)

Another modern thing to do is to sign up for one of those websites where you publish your commitment and then have to pay others if you don't uphold your end of the bargain, or otherwise be publicly shamed. And while I'm wondering, on this last Wednesday of 2014, why anyone would do that and whether people who do actually stick with it any longer than people stick with the gyms they resolve to join, I know that it's not for me.

I don't consistently make New Year's resolutions; I don't always tell  people when I do, and I don't always keep them.  How's that for honesty?

Instead, I try to focus on things, or maybe try something, rather than resolving to do something. To me, the latter seems too much like performance management, and less like personal development.

Here's my working list for 2015, which is apt to fluctuate over time, or on a whim:

• I'll likely attempt some kind of 30-day fitness challenge to work on my abs, butt, and arms, but I'm going in with the full realization that I'll still have abs, a butt, and arms when I'm done. 
• I'll try and lift my face with more smiles than frowns.
• I'll try to eat less, but not less well.
• I'll try to be more engaged in my physical community, not just my online community. There are times when the sword (or rake, or shovel, or going to a meeting or a protest) is actually mightier than the pen - I'm sure of it.
• I will try and read more books, if for no other reason than our house is full of them. And I will try and listen to more music (see reason above). 
• I will try and breathe more deeply, and take in more of that which surrounds me. 

The point of being resolute at the beginning of a year is to try and make things better somehow, as if we cannot possibly be accepting of ourselves as we are. As I look at my list, I think the things that I've written down are reasonably accepting, reasonably moderate, with no concrete deadlines or anything. And I'm OK with that. 

The only one I'm going to be really firm on is this: 

• I'm going to figure out exactly how to put my coffee mug in the microwave so that the handle is accessible when the turntable stops.

Wishing you all a safe, healthy, accepting, moderate, and happy New Year!

Two Scoops, Please!

It's a wrong thing to do with a cracker or veggie and some dip.

And it's the wrong thing for John DeFrancisco, Tom Libous and the rest of  the dozen or so of our illustrious State Legislators who filed papers to do.

And they all know it. How do we know that?

Because they ran for re-election and never mentioned it to us during the campaign. See, that's how this works.  Run for reelection (in many cases unopposed or under-opposed) and never mention your intent to collect both your pension and your salary, which (without lulus), is $20,000 or so above the median income in New York.  Throw in the lulus, and the per diem, and all of the campaign cash that these folks spend so freely, and the self-promoting mail we pay for, and all the rest, and it's a nice little deal these folks have, isn't it?

It was the wrong thing for outgoing Onondaga County Sheriff/St Patrick impersonator Kevin Walsh to do, too -- but, as Walsh explained it was our fault that we didn't know his intentions, because we never asked him. Duh.

As with much of what our politicians do, it's perfectly legal and perfectly abusive and tone-deaf.

And perfectly justified, even for folks like DeFrancisco who has, as recently as 2013, said he wouldn't do this, but now maintains that he's not simply retiring and collecting just his pension because we need him:

Granted, I could simply retire and not serve any longer, However, now that Republicans have regained control of the State Senate, Central New York would be better served by my returning to my Senate seat, as a majority member and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee (emphasis added).

Libous is also not simply retiring, even while facing cancer and a federal indictment, but is going to stick around, take a couple of token pension payments and then freeze them, so that his wife will be eligible for any 'popup' benefits. Others are not simply retiring because they've been married for decades to wonderful women who would be forced to accept a 'modest' lump sum payment should their husbands die while in office. Apparently for them, having a wonderful wife is fine for the money, but not more important than serving us.

Selfless bastards, all of them. What would we do without them?

The Sonofa Gov Strikes Again

Andrew Cuomo has been a very busy man these past few weeks. He was pretty quiet after winning reelection in November, but he's been making some noise of late.

Photo credit: Cuomo's bio

First, he got himself engaged in the 'negotiations' over a possible pay raise for the state Legislature, trying to obtain additional concessions on ethics.  That effort failed, probably for the best; I don't know about you, but I don't believe that the Gov should be the decider on whether our elected officials in Albany deserve a raise.

He had his year-end press conference, where it was announced that fracking was a no-go for New York. That decision crushed the hopes of many in the Southern Tier, they of course being the folks under which the majority of the frackable gas resides, and the ones who can see Pennsylvania's fracking growth from their porches.

And there was the announcement by the Gaming Facilities Location Board (GFLB) letting us know who the winners were in the contest to build new casinos.  Three were authorized: one in the Catskills, one in Schenectady, and the third in the town of Tyre, near Waterloo, in Seneca County. The casino decision was another blow to our neighbors down south; the winner for "Southern Tier - Finger Lakes" region ended up not being in the Southern Tier.

Cuomo, who deflected credit (and blame) for the fracking and casino decisions, tried to say that neither had anything to do with politics and that he wasn't involved. The fracking decision was made based on science, and the casino location decision was entirely up to the GFLB; his hands were clean on both. Not surprisingly, a lot of people didn't believe him, given his record of similar statements on the 'independent'  Moreland Commission.

Now, Cuomo has stepped up with a letter to his, I mean 'the' Gaming Commission, looking to have a reopened bidding process for a casino in the 'true Southern Tier.'  At this point, the only bidder from the 'true' region is Tioga Downs, as a rival in Broome County will support the Tioga package if bidding is reopened. Cuomo suggests there might be national interest as well, although with a saturated market and casinos closing in Atlantic City, that may be as likely as the odds of winning the jackpot on a single pull on a slot machine.

However, since the Sonofa Governor has decided that we need a casino in the Southern Tier, it merely remains to be seen how he will make that happen. Maybe as part of the budget negotiations next spring? Say, a pay raise for the legislators if they pass some special bill for Tioga? Maybe he'll promise to stay away from any more ethics legislation if they go along with a win for the Downs?  It would probably serve us well to remember that the house always wins - and in this case, the 'house' is the Governor's Mansion.

And yesterday, Cuomo vetoed his own legislation delaying the implementation of teacher evaluations which included Common Core scores.  Cuomo says it was because there's no need for this particular legislation, given that just about every teacher in New York was rated as effective or higher.  He's now promising 'comprehensive reforms' in teacher evaluations next year. And we can trust that these reforms are because we need them, and not at all tied to the failure of NYSUT, the teacher's union, to support Cuomo's re-election bid.

We can trust him on all of these decisions, right?  Right?

Another Year of Tuesday's Numbers

Tuesday is the day my local paper, the Syracuse Post-Standard, publishes the weekly business section. Regular readers know that, in addition to special features, tips from stock experts, budgeting advice and the like, we get the judgment and bankruptcy listings. Those include filings related to health care.

The total damage for 2014: $27,988,462.  That's a 'savings' of $1,477,797 compared to 2013’s total of $29,466,259. 

Below are this year’s totals for debts owed to a hospital, nursing home, physician or physician group, medical supplier, etc. The paper publishes only those accounts of at least $5,000:

• Judgments totaled $25,660,775, which is $18,963 less than last year
• Satisfied judgments totaled $841,480, significantly down ($1,605,683) from last year
• Bankruptcies totaled $1,486,207, which is up $110,849 over last year’s total.

And here are the totals for each of the four Syracuse hospitals in 2014 (I did not track the data this way in 2013):

• Crouse had 440 filings, totaling $5,583,435
• St Joe’s had 136 filings, totaling $2,821,469
• SUNY Upstate had 760 filings, totaling $17,936,563
• Community General (part of Upstate) had twelve, for $117,873.

Even though the total is a bit better than last year, it seems like we have a lot of work to do. Since I started keeping track of this, the total is a staggering $69,114,070, in just shy of two and a half years.  And who knows how much more is out there that doesn’t hit the $5,000 publication threshold? 

Last year, in my recap, I put these thoughts on the table:
   

And I continue to wonder what it will take for us to get out of the kind of mess that causes or allows this to happen. What’s broken here, the actual cost of health care? How people make health care choices? Our overall economy?  Will the Affordable Care Act, with millions more having some kind of insurance (through private carriers or government programs) make a difference?

I don’t know any more this year what’s broken than I did last year, and I can’t say with any confidence that anything has been fixed, either.  I am going to try and see if I can get an expert interested in this, though, in the hopes that at the very least we can better understand what’s behind the numbers, if not actually see some significant improvement.

Tuesday's Number: $218,138

Tuesday is the day my local paper, the Syracuse Post-Standard, publishes the weekly business section. In addition to special features, tips from stock experts, budgeting advice and the like, we get the judgment and bankruptcy listings.

Each week, I track health care related filings. I include anything that is clearly a debt owed to a hospital, nursing home, physician or physician group, medical supplier, and so on; I do not include filings by insurance companies, many of which are so diversified it would not be a fair assumption that the filing is related to medical care or health insurance.

·         This week, there were 14 new judgments to hospitals, doctors, or other medical providers totaling $177,722.

·         There were two satisfied judgments, for $40,416.

·         And there were no health care related bankruptcies.

New this year, I’m tracking filings for each of the four Syracuse hospitals. Here’s the breakdown for this week:

·         Crouse had four, totaling $35,652

·         St Joe’s had four, for $90,701

·         SUNY Upstate had seven, totaling $64,262

·         Community General, a part of Upstate, had none.

The paper publishes only those accounts of at least $5,000.

College Football: Bowls to Spare

In the year that the NCAA proved once and for all that they're not in this for the money but are in fact are only concerned for the welfare and education of their student athletes, we're finally going to have a college football playoff. 

When I was a kid, the college football season ended on New Year's Day, when the big bowl games were played - Orange, Cotton, Sugar, and the 'granddaddy of them all,' the Rose Bowl. For the most part, if you were still playing football on mid-December or on New Year's Day, you were generally accepted as a good team and you had a pretty good record.  

These days, the good record is not quite so necessary. As a sort-of-at-least-a-little-bit-interested SU fan, I grow tired of hearing (starting with the first game) how important it is to win six games to secure 'bowl-eligibility' each year.  And every time they say it, I think to myself, "Six games is all it takes to be bowl-eligible?" "Six wins gets you into the money round?"  

Well, yes it does. SU didn't make it this year, having battled though a gazillion key injuries, some coaching changes, and what some will argue was a bad offensive plan from the start, but there actually are several teams with only six wins that made it into the post-season, including five with losing records:

• South Alabama (6-7), lost the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
• Fresno State (6-8), lost the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
• Illinois (6-7), lost the Zaxby's Heart of Texas Bowl
• North Carolina (6-7) lost the Quick Lane Bowl
• Miami (6-7), lost the Duck Commander Independence Bowl
• Arkansas and Texas (both 6-6) will play tomorrow in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl
• Pitt (6-6) will play on January 2nd in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
• Tennessee (6-6) will play January 2nd in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
• Oklahoma State (6-6) will play January 2nd in the TicketCity Cactus Bowl
• Florida (6-5) will play January 3rd in the Birmingham Bowl

There are also fifteen teams with only seven wins playing in bowl games.

Now, I know that 'true fans', the ones that bleed their school colors, will be confident in making the case that their team should be in a bowl game, even with a less than stellar record of six-and-something or seven-and-something. There's that whole strength of schedule/quality win thing, and perhaps more than that, there are those teams that travel well and will send people and money to the different bowl venues, which is an important consideration when it comes to picking teams.  A 6-6 team that'll send 10,000 people is better than an 8-4 team that will send 2,000 fans.  

And when you have 39 bowl games to fill (including the two semi-final games), I guess you  need a whole lot of teams and you can go deep to find them.  For context, here's how the bowl picture has expanded over the years:

• 2014: 39 games, plus the national championship
• 2004: 28 games
• 1994: 19 games
• 1984: 18 games
• 1974: 11 games
• 1964: 9 games

This year the season started on August 27, 2014 with a game between Georgia State (who finished 1-11) and Abilene Christian (6-6), and will likely end with the crowning of the national champion sometime on Tuesday January 13, 2015 (given the late start of final game on the 12th).

At least, in the end, we'll have a winner with no more than one loss on the year, which is as it should be. But sending Fresno State to Hawaii for Christmas?  Not so much. 

Hope Springs Anew

12/31/14 Update: This morning, at least four vans full of guys and their tools arrived at the house next door. The sweet sounds of progress will soon be filling my years!
===============================================================
Back in May, I posted about a sturdy yellow tulip growing in the yard of the empty house next door to me, which is currently owned by the Greater Syracuse Land Bank.

At that time, I had been mowing the front lawn next door, but the back was too much for my mower. I got connected with the property manager, Ray, who immediately responded to my concerns about the lawn. Since then I've had a handful of conversations with him, all of which have been equally positive.

Several weeks back, folks were at the house doing some work, which included removing some of the windows upstairs and covering the openings with a heavy plastic covering.  While I wasn't completely sure what the intent was, I was happy that some work had started, as my last conversation with the Land Bank was that grant money had been secured and that work would be starting in the spring.

I did talk to Ray around Thanksgiving to let him know that some of the sheeting on the windows had come loose, and at that time he let me know that work would "be starting soon." We wished each other happy holidays, and I figured (especially with the update about the grant in the back of my mind) we'd see some action on the house sometime after the first of the year.

But what to my wondering eyes did appear this morning?  A dumpster!

Yet again, hope springs - and if the work that was done on another Land Bank house up the block is any indication, we're in for a nice transition in my neck of the woods.

I can't wait for them to get started!

Tuesday's Number: $377,350

Tuesday is the day my local paper, the Syracuse Post-Standard, publishes the weekly business section. In addition to special features, tips from stock experts, budgeting advice and the like, we get the judgment and bankruptcy listings.

Each week, I track health care related filings. I include anything that is clearly a debt owed to a hospital, nursing home, physician or physician group, medical supplier, and so on; I do not include filings by insurance companies, many of which are so diversified it would not be a fair assumption that the filing is related to medical care or health insurance.

·         This week, there were 33 new judgments to hospitals, doctors, or other medical providers totaling $371,021.

·         There was one satisfied judgment, for $6,329.

·         And there were no health care related bankruptcies.

New this year, I’m tracking filings for each of the four Syracuse hospitals. Here’s the breakdown for this week:

·         Crouse had eleven, totaling $128,545

·         St Joe’s had one, for $5,691

·         SUNY Upstate had 21, totaling $234,289

·         Community General, a part of Upstate, had one, for $8,825.

The paper publishes only those accounts of at least $5,000.

O Little Town in Tioga

Santa Cuomo's Coming to Town. Andy We Have Heard on High. Obamacare, Obamacare.  And now, this morning's offering:  O Little Town in Tioga.  

O little town in Tioga,

How still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by.

Yet in your dark hearts shineth

The everlasting light

The hopes and fears of Cuomo's years

Are met in thee tonight. 

O Wednesday's stars together,

did cut you to the core

No praises sing to Andrew, king

No gas will come. There's more:

The fracking ban was issued, 

While gathered all around,

Mere mortals weep: the angels keep

Casinos out of town. 

How silently, how silently

the wondrous gift is giv'n

As Nature imparts to PA hearts

The blessings of her heaven.

Vast fields of shale below us

Mohegan 'cross the line --

No hope for us to rise from dust

King Cuomo thinks we're fine.

O, little town in Tioga

Arise ye must, and vote

Cast out the king and enter in

One, your burdens'll tote

You'll hear Albany's angels

With great glad tidings say

Frack your land and deal your cards --

You'll rise again, some day. 

Obamacare, Obamacare

We've got your Cuomo Carols, one released on Wednesday and one earlier today; now we've got your first Obama Carol (or should I say, Obamacare-ol?)

Obamacare, Obamacare,

It’s time for re-enrollment

Obamacare, Obamacare

It’s time for re-enrollment

To the Exchange, oh you should go

Healthcare.gov’s the one, you know

Obamacare, Obamacare,

It’s time for re-enrollment.

You pick a plan: bronze, silver, gold

To see a doc when you've a cold

Obamacare, Obamacare,

It’s time for re-enrollment.

Deductibles, they might be high

But some care’s free, I cannot lie

Obamacare, Obamacare,

It’s time for re-enrollment.

You must hurry, you can't delay

You'll throw another month away

Obamacare, Obamacare,

It’s time for re-enrollment.

Obamacare, Obamacare,

It’s time for re-enrollment

Obamacare, Obamacare

It’s time for re-enrollment

Andy We Have Heard on High

In my Wondering, on Wednesday (v15) post the other day, I did my first 'Cuomo Carol', Here Comes Andy Claus.

Here's another one, Andy We Have Heard On High:

Andy we have heard on high, 

Sweetly pumping up our State

We, the people, in reply

Echoing our hoped update:

Ethics, in Albany next year;

Ethics in Albany next year!

Shelly, won't you go along?

Give me what I want - reform!

Public financing's sweet song

I'll make $120K the norm.

Ethics, in Albany next year;

Ethics, in Albany next year!

Go to Andy, make your plea

He's the one who rules these days;

Come, adore on bended knee,

Maybe then you'll get your raise.

Ethics, in Albany next year;

Ethics, in Albany next year!

See him on the Second Floor

Andrew, Lord of the Empire

SAFE Act, gambling, so much more

Higher office? He does aspire!

Ethics, in Albany next year; 

Ethics, in Albany next year!

Ethics, in Albany next year;

Ethics, in Albany next year!

Nontraditional Holiday Decorating

This year, we have nine Christmas trees, ranging from about 18 inches tall (in the kitchen) to 7 feet tall (in the living room). I know that seems like a lot, and like a lot of work, but I'll be honest: most of them get put away decorated, and I just have to unwrap them the following year, straighten things out, and I'm all set.

I keep saying one of these days I'm going to decorate a tree with stuff I get from the Christmas Tree Shops, and this might be the year to do it.  I know of someone goes there every week, so it's gotta be a great place to get holiday decorations, right? And while we already have a lot of them, I'm not sure you can ever really have too many.

I checked out the chain's website, and look at all the cool stuff I found!

• Sheets, pillows, pajamas and curtains
• portable air compressors, electric heater/fans, and a humidifier
• electric fireplaces, fire starters, and hearth brooms
• lampshades, picture frames, and decorative alarm clocks
• shelf liners, dust mops, and vacuum cleaners
• chocolate fountains, popcorn makers, and a wine-cork lazy Susan
• bake ware, glassware, and silverware
• oven mitts, towels, and pot holders
• dog bones, puppy training pads, and poop bags

If I get the right size tree, I'll be able to put it on my new air hockey table (special event on 12/21), and take it all in sitting on my new bar stool (special event on 12/20).  

For the finishing touches, I'll make garland out of extension cords, and use a shower curtain for a tree skirt. And finally, for the tree topper, I'll use one of their cute metal bird houses. 

I better hurry before all of the good stuff is gone...

Wondering, on Wednesday (v15)

All these Christmas carols on the radio, and well, it gets a girl to thinking, and wondering on Wednesday, what would happen if the lyrics were changed up just a bit, to be more reflective of our situation here in New York.

For example:

You better watch out, you better not cry, 

I hope that you vote, I'm telling you why, 

Santa Cuomo's coming to town. 

He's making a list, and checking it twice, 

Gonna tell us who's naughty or nice, 

Santa Cuomo's coming to town.

He knows if you've been gambling, 

And he sure hopes that you will --

He's building three more places

For you to lose your fill... 

O You better watch out, you better not cry, 

I hope that you vote, I'm telling you why, 

Santa Cuomo's coming to town. 

He won't let you go fracking,

He knows that it's no good.

But he says that you'll get backing

if you bring jobs to the hood...

O you better watch out, you better not cry, 

I hope that you vote, I'm telling you why, 

Santa Cuomo's coming to town....

Santa Cuomo's coming to town!

That's right. We finally have our decision on fracking (that's a big negative) and on the new gambling meccas, which will be built in Schenectady, Sullivan County, and in the Seneca County town of Tyre, more commonly known as the place where you get off the Thruway to go to the Magee Diner, the outlet mall, or to Waterloo. 

Wilmorite, the developer chosen for the Eastern Southern Tier/Fingerlakes area, now has to get a license (a cool $35 million for that process), has promised to start work within the week, and hopes to open by the end of next year. 

That, my friends, has me wondering on a whole nother set of questions, but that's a post for a different Wednesday. 

Tuesday's Number: $257,866

Tuesday is the day my local paper, the Syracuse Post-Standard, publishes the weekly business section. In addition to special features, tips from stock experts, budgeting advice and the like, we get the judgment and bankruptcy listings.

Each week, I track health care related filings. I include anything that is clearly a debt owed to a hospital, nursing home, physician or physician group, medical supplier, and so on; I do not include filings by insurance companies, many of which are so diversified it would not be a fair assumption that the filing is related to medical care or health insurance.

·         This week, there were eight new judgments to hospitals, doctors, or other medical providers totaling $205,684.

·         There was one satisfied judgment, for $45,629.

·         And there was one health care related bankruptcy, for $6,553.

New this year, I’m tracking filings for each of the four Syracuse hospitals. Here’s the breakdown for this week:

·         Crouse had three, totaling $104,295

·         St Joe’s had one, for $6,553

·         SUNY Upstate had six, totaling $147,018

·         Community General, a part of Upstate, had none.

The paper publishes only those accounts of at least $5,000.

Cromnibus Authorization: The Spies Have It

About a year ago, Congress was outraged when it found out that the NSA was likely spying on them, or at best, was treating our elected officials the same as all other Americans. One can infer from that statement that they are 'monitored' just as you and I are.

Yesterday, the House approved (and the Senate is ready to approve) the 'Cromnibus' funding package of appropriations bills, including the bill authorizing intelligence spending.

That bill includes rules under which 'incidentally acquired communications' are to be handled; here's some of the language that has raised the attention and ire of several House members under Section 309. Procedures for the retention of incidentally acquired communications (all underlining added):

Under the 'Definitions' section:

Covered communication. The term covered communication means any nonpublic telephone or electronic communication acquired without the consent of a person who is a party to the communication, including communications in electronic storage.

Under the 'Requirement to Adopt' section:

Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act each head of an element of the intelligence community shall adopt procedures approved by the Attorney General for such element that ensure compliance with the requirements of paragraph (3).

And, here's the gist of Paragraph 3:

(A) The procedures...shall apply to any intelligence collection activity not otherwise authorized by court order (including an order or certification issued by a court established issued by a court established under..the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (this is the FISA Court we hear about), subpoena, or similar legal process that is reasonably anticipated to result in the acquisition of a covered communication to or from a Unites States person and shall permit the acquisition, retention, and dissemination of covered communications subject to the limitations in subparagraph (B).

Subparagraph (B) says that:

...A covered communication shall not be retained in excess of 5 years unless

(i) the communication has been affirmatively determined, in whole or in part, to constitute foreign intelligence or counterintelligence or is necessary to understand or assess foreign intelligence or counterintelligence;

(ii) the communication is reasonably believed to constitute evidence of a crime and is retained by a law enforcement agency;

(iii) the communication is enciphered or reasonably believed to have a secret meaning;

(iv) all parties to the communication are reasonably believed to be non-United States persons;

(v) retention is necessary to protect against an imminent threat to human life, in which case both the nature of the threat and the information to be retained shall be reported to the congressional intelligence committees not later than 30 days after the date such retention is extended under this clause;

(vi) retention is necessary for technical assurance or compliance purposes, including a court order or discovery obligation, in which case access to information retained for technical assurance or compliance purposes shall be reported to the congressional intelligence committees on an annual basis; or

(vii) retention for a period in excess of 5 years is approved by the head of the element of the intelligence community responsible for such retention, based on a determination that retention is necessary to protect the national security of the United States...(in which case several reporting requirements apply)

So: right now, stuff they accidentally trip over when spying on us can already be held and disseminated for five years, and starting in 2016, stuff they trip over accidentally when spying on us can be kept longer than five years, and shared for reasons other than national security?

And when there's a need to protect against, or prevent from happening, an imminent threat to human life - that's one that is likely to occur at any moment mind you, the info can be retained and handed off to law enforcement for more than five years, but Congress doesn't need to know about it for 30 days or so after the fact. Hopefully the information would be passed off before the imminent threat became a reality, but if it takes two years to implement changes in document retention procedures, I'm not confident on that one.

If you accept that spying on Americans is necessary, must you also accept that 'incidentally acquired' information, gathered without warrant or approval, from a person who is not a subject of an authorized search is necessary?  And must you also accept that this information can just sit around in some basement somewhere?

About a year ago, Congress was outraged when it found out that the NSA was likely spying on them...

Wondering, on Wednesday (v14)

Yeah, so we got a little weather today in the Syracuse area.  We cannot complain, of course - that right is reserved for those who survived the 7-foot snowpocalypse that hit many of the towns near Buffalo last month.  It does, however, leave me wondering, on Wednesday about a few things. For example:

Yesterday in my news feed on Facebook there was a map of the CNY area, and you could drill down into it and find the quadrant that included your neighborhood and see your personalized projected snowfall.  Ours was 11.7 inches. Not 11.5 inches; 11.7.  A little square or two away in any direction and it was as much as a couple of inches different.  I'm wondering how the heck they do that? Or, maybe the question should be why the heck they do that?

My Sweet Baboo and I have a stone driveway, which means that we shovel, we don't snow blow or have it plowed -- we shovel. This morning we didn't have a chance to do that before work, so I knew coming home that the driveway would be a challenge if they were close on that 11.7 inch expectation. I anticipated we'd park in the street until we could get inside, change our clothes and then get the shoveling underway. My Sweet Baboo, however, had a different idea. One that got us good and stuck about 80% in the driveway, at what I'll call a jaunty angle.  I'm wondering when he's going to admit that a car that has as low clearance as our HHR really stands very little chance of plowing through snow that's three inches deeper than that low clearance?

As I was changing into shoveling clothes, I heard a snow blower outside, and lo and behold, someone was out there, clearing out the area around the car. I had no idea who it was, but was thanking my lucky stars for the help. Turns out it was our neighbor across the street, who had just spent $200 on the snow blower; he bought it from someone who was moving south.  He also noted that his wife is still yelling at him for spending the money. I would have paid ten times that much for the help he gave us tonight, but I'm wondering how long it'll take me to get the stones cleaned up next spring...

While we were out in the driveway getting things cleaned up, there were a couple of nice gusts of wind, which made the visibility about as poor as that in the transparent city of Washington DC. Seems that there was some wheeling and dealing in a booth in the corner in the dark in the back of some closet or something, and there's a budget deal that will get us off the precipice of another fiscal cliff and fund the government for the next year or something.  Except that it includes things like giving a piddly 1% raise to most of those serving in the military, and cuts the Environmental Protection Agency and the IRS. And, oh yeah -- it increased the amount an individual can contribute during an election cycle to as much as $1.5 million or so, depending on who's reading the bill.

John McCain had suggested that the bill would be jammed full of shit, and he was right.

Not for nothing, but I'm wondering if this Congress in particular is so hellbent on showing how much they support our military, why don't they give our soldiers all $1.5 million, instead of effectively giving themselves that extra money?

Or, maybe, like Jonathan Gruber said, they're relying on their own lack of transparency and the stupidity of the American voter to get their budget bill passed.