The City of Troy, New York, "Where Henry Hudson Turned Around."

Monday, October 23, 2006

UNCLE JOE'S CRANKY

Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R-Brunswick) sounds panicky. At a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the College of Saint Rose, Bruno essentially tried to blackmail voters into keeping the Senate in Republican hands.*



The region, Bruno said, could lose out on the millions of dollars in pork barrel spending he has generated since he took the Republican Senate's reins in 1995.

"I was there for 18 years watching dollars flow to New York City and flow to Long Island," Bruno said of the period before that. "What did we get here? Pretzels."

Joe's animosity towards salty, baked goods is well-known. More incredible is his honesty. Not that we ever saw Joe as a particularly dishonest politician. At Saint Rose, he cut right to the chase. It's all about pork. This region has been treading water for the past two decades, surviving on state grants and gifts. We're hooked and Uncle Joe has been our main dealer. It's going to end soon, either this year or in two years. We may as well get used to the idea and go cold turkey.

Every few months we're treated to one of Harry's proclamations. Troy will get this or that (not that any of it has actually come to fruition) and "at no cost to the taxpayers." Right. Everything is bought and paid for by the taxpayers. Where the hell do they think state grants come from?

It's time to face facts: Our Sugar-Daddy will be gone, this year or in two years. Then we'll be able to judge the fiscal stability of area municipalities. It won't be pretty.

Or maybe Joe just needs more fiber in his diet.

*Bruno also took three hostages but they were later released, unharmed.

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