Coaxing Carl Out: How Does He Really Feel?

What's the BPS?

I think the city needs a lot more men like Carl. Cojones the size of grapefruits, willing to callout the sheep with “no brainwaves between the ears”.

"Another comes toward the end, when Carl refers to the readers of Buffalo Rising as elitist liberals. Zowie!"

He pretty much nailed that one. It fits for the majority of readers and responders.

I love that ice bucket! Anyone know where he scored that?

I don't follow Carl Paladino's politics - But one can't help but notice, he's putting himself out there in some pretty high profile and snazzy ways, all choreographed (for better or worse) for lots of press.

Makes me wonder if he'll be announcing or accepting a nomination for candidacy of some political office.

@ Antoine Thompson: "Plant life."
best. description. ever.

he sounds like me when I get on my tirades. Someone needs to have the voice combined with the balls to say these things. Go get 'em Carl!

Thank God he did not call BRO readers elitist right-wingers!

-We elect the same do nothing incompetents-Stachowski, Masiello, Rudnick, Rumore, etc (true)
-Albany-uses, abuses and disrepects Buffalo (true)
-Buffalo is poorest and highest tax (true)
-Brown did nothing in Council or Senate (true)
-Brown is doing nothing in Buffalo (true)
-Buffalo is complacent of mediocrity while people leave (true)
-Buffalo Public Schools are dysfunctional (true)
-We have a black school board so they hire a black recruiter to find a black school superintendent, yes he has merit, but it wasnt the best possible person (true)
-We have a black mayor because he is black (same gripe as black howard at Buffalo State) (true)
-Rudnick and BNE/BNP incompetent (true-we lost 2000 jobs at Wacker Chemical and many other companies who wanted to locate here)
-Incestuous and uncompetitive and corrupt BNE/BNP (true)
-BNE/BNP bought off by Niagara Grid and stood by as downstate stole our low cost power allocation (true)
-Stachowski had an opportunity to be chairman and allowed a guy from the Bronx to take the seat for the party rather than serve his constituents in the position (true)
-Antoine Thompson cant read or write, plant life, sellout (true).
-Nobody is stearing Buffalo's economic boat (true)

Please point out where Palladino is wrong. His honesty is the exact kind of honesty that liberals crucify but its the exact kind of civic honesty and commitment that built every other major city in the US.

What was the historic building he was referring to?
Cant wait until he reveals more information on the Graystone!

Anyone who accuses Buffalorising readers/posters of being liberal elitists...send Carl in my direction. Not only do I support everything Carl said in the interview...I have waged my own campaign against Howard and others for their lack of civic commitment for the exact same reasons.

Carl as long as your sensitive to Buffalo's Historic Preservation, I think every Buffalonian should stand up and follow your politically incorrect truth. Let the poisons rise up from the muck and scum to be purified in the daylight of truth. Keep telling us the truth Mr. Palladino!

Antoine Thompson is a waste of space. He hangs with Brian Davis both scumbags!

Now hold on okcheckitout and Mariner and DGBuffalo, dont you know:

-singling out Antoine Thompson negatively is racist. Saying he got his position because of race is racist.

-singling out Brian Davis negatively is racist. Saying he got his position because of race is racist.

-singling out Mayor Brown negatively is racist. Saying he got his position because of race is racist.

-singling out former Councilman Pitts negatively is racist. Saying he got his position because of race is racist.

-singling out former Buffalo State president Howard negatively is racist. Saying he got his position because of race is racist.

and judging the performance of them as a group as representative not just of the failings and incompetence and self serving of our elected african american representatives is racist.

We must not judge or criticize them individually and we must not judge or criticize them as a group.

We must not judge them here

We must not criticize them there

We must not judge or criticize them here or there

Im thinking this should be a Dr.Seuss childrens book...LOL

Mayor Carl?

If real estate prices ever go up in Buffalo to come close to the median in the country, he will be the richest man in America. Watch out Donald Trump!

I criticize on merit alone.

There are plenty of political figures that are lazy good for nothing slugs, but this untrustworthy posse is worthless. And they are suffocating Buffalo and New York State.

Same old, same old is just another nail in the coffin. We deserve so much better.

Down with Brown!!! And the Good ol boys network!

Great video, the man speaks the truth!

I will agree with him that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is a form of insanity!

Why can't someone in Buffalo and WNY do a study - a REAL study, not just start with a set of PREJUDICES and seek to find supporting evidence - but a REAL study whose conslusions might leed anywhere - and find out why SUCCESSFUL areas/cities/regions are SUCCESSFUL?

I would think that by now some pretty good FACTS could be gleaned...

I find it extremelly disturbing that there is absolutely NO opposition for this upcomming election season - that alone should raise a RED DANGER FLAG of warning to everyone, regardless of party affiliation.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. And that axiom so far has been extrememly correct...

Carl might have is own problems and quirks/negatives, but as one who has been in the field day in and day out for years, I'd say he is a valuable RESOURCE that should be TAPPED for a LEADERSHIP position, if he should so desire it...

With regard to Carl's indignation at voting patterns which reflect racial identification and support (Carl says this is 'very bad'):

1. African Americans comprise 42% of the city's population. The black vote alone didn't get Byron elected.

2. It shouldn't surprise anyone that black candidates carry overwhelmingly in predominantly black districts. It's human nature to support one's own heritage. To be honest, I've done the same thing. Particularly as a young voter, not knowing much about candidates for offices like judgeships, for example, I'd be a little stumped in the booth. How to pick? I had no clue as to who these candidates were or how good or bad they'd be. What did I do? Truth: if there was a Polish name among three, I pulled the lever for the Polish guy. Felt good doing it. Was that a responsible vote? No. But it's human nature. We shouldn't be shocked.

In the case of Brown, at least he's coherent. True, the black community might have coalesced around a black candidate and sent him over the top primarily because he was black, but consider the other local choices. Be thankful it wasn't Betty Jean Grant, or Antoine Thompson, Barbara Miller Williams, Crystal Peoples, Brian Davis, Demone Smith, pick a name. I think Jim Pitts is sharper and more articulate than Byron. But Brown could probably hold his own in any debate with his three immediate predecessors (Masiello, Griffin, Makowski). Could be worse. We could have Detroit's former mayor, or some white guys in New Jersey and Connecticut recently arrested by federal agents on corruption charges.

New York State's problem is taxation and business climate, pure and simple. Carl's 100% right about that. But race has little, if anything, to do with that.

Brown performs another miracle;

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/786389.html

The hole is getting bigger and bigger B.B.

Paladino is an ass but I like him a little. He is right that things need changing but other than that he is mostly full of crap. And his attacks are rather vicious for a man who is often accused of taking a building from the city for a dollar only to let it sit when no investers line up to rent it.

Mr. Paladino, charter schools are not the answer. The problem is that like many people you do not understand the problem. The failure of the schools is a failure of society. This is obvious when you look at the neighborhoods these kids come from.

First of all city schools have never been great to begin with but shipping all our jobs to China has made the problem extreme. Charter schools only move the problem around until it can be hidden again.

The board and Williams lies and cheats and plays cover their ass. Rumore is actually a pretty good guy. He knows his job and that is to serve the teachers. To expect him to become an education reformer would be a betrayal of the people he works for. Even so the BTF supports a number of good student programs.

Figure out a way to fix the city and you wont have to fix the schools.

And biniskziewicz do some research. If you think charter schools operate on a third the money then you are very misled. In all they spend as much money. And if you think they produce better results you are also incorrect. Charters produce less results. Your passionate rhetoric defies all research. Even with a creamed off bunch of kids charters still do not out perform public schools.

1. I just disagree I guess. I have seen different. Go Sub in the city schools and I bet your perspective will change greatly. I do not really have time right now to advocate for the research but I know I have seen as much research saying that charters do not produce better results at a better price and I know that they are hurting the public schools. There is a reason why it is called the American model. I am not sure the old model is dead or the new model is better.

2. No one is banning private schools. If you love capitalism so much why are you against it too?

3. We need a secular society. Religious schooling is fine only if it is done right.

4. Now we are on to how the schools are maintained. That is city halls fight, not Rumore or the teachers. I probably agree with you. I have encountered some real jerk janitors but most are good guys who work hard.

5. The problem is overwhelming. Instead of fixing it we complain about the results. That mess is what passes for results when the system has failed. Charters do more to make the system fail and nothing to help it. It makes public school the hellholes in order to save the slightly better off students but what about the good students left behind in the hellhole? How is this fair to them. They should suffer because they come from a split home, moved around a lot and maybe have serious domestic problems at home?

I witnessed personally three bad kids takeover a classroom on a good sub leading most the decent kids in the hall ten minutes before the bell with the good kids thinking about crossing over maybe only out of fear of being called out. Even though the boys were written up I would challenge anyone to control many of the situations that erupt in a public school. It takes a special type of person to even survive as a teacher in some schools. Getting good takes years of hard work and practice. Your concerns about teachers not teaching is mostly off base even though not all teachers are great at what they do. Neither are all doctors.

6. I am sure there are more reasons than one why teachers would disapprove of the program. I love educational computing and the social studies but even I can tell you that computers alone are not the answer. You are right that we should be willing to try new approaches in education. I am just not sure the approach should be destroying public schools.

7. I am an agnostic. I am a nationalist. I believe in God but I do not think of him much when I think of kids educations. I think more of America and where it is heading. I do not care for the direction some people are taking it. It seems neo-fascist to me.

School is not an agent of change. It has remained much the same since the Roman Empire. It is a basic service. Politics is what screws up education. Teachers and aids do not make too much money. Now whether some other people do that is another story but going toe to toe with the teachers isnt really looking for where the money leaks out.

Killing public education is killing something great about this country because most the quality education is in the rural areas. You will kill a rural system that taught me to read and write and provided me with books and quality teachers so that you can claim to save urban kids who have always been behind the 8-ball. It just doesnt make sense to kill public education. In my opinion it is un-American, dangerous and stupid and to be very frank it cuts me to the core.

NYCRR

NYCRR:

1. With regard to the assertion that charter schools don't do better than public schools:

Your information is outdated. There has been very clear evidence that charters are indeed outperforming the public schools. The union would like to spin it differently, but the more time elapses, the more inevitable the conclusion: charters are succeeding with the same kids that public schools failed with. The unions are fighting charters like the plague because they witness that charters are winning the battle for students. The traditional public schools are losing that battle because parents can see better results in charter environments.

2. Re: "no one is banning private schools . . . Why are you against them?"

I'm not in any way against private schools. Pray tell, what in my posts above gave you that misapprehension? If you read what I wrote, it is that the government should agree to pay 'x' amount of tuition, whether that tuition is spent on public school (traditional or charter) OR private school. My position is that it shouldn't make one iota of difference to the payer (gov't) where the money is spent, provided the education paid for is attained. I am very much in favor of private enterprise options with regard to education. How could you not perceive that?

3. Re: "We need a secular society. Religious schooling is fine only if done right."

Says who? Who are you to decide to what religious environment any other parents expose their children? What gives you any right whatsoever to say, one way or another, what is or is not appropriate education for anyone else's children?

The biggest farce is those who say: 'I don't want my tax dollars paying for religious education'. Flip that argument and you will see the flaw in that thinking: The conservative Christian resents, just as strongly, his or her taxpayer dollars from funding the secular society you desire. Why is your preference for a secular society superior to their desire for a religious society? Who are you to decide for them? They shouldn't be able to decide for you. Why should you decide for them? Why should gov't prejudicially fund your non religious environment while refusing to fund the education for your neighbor's kid (education which teaches the same core cirriculum, but presents it in some more religiously sensitive context)? The state must have no interest one way or another. It must be neutral. Many people misapprehend the separation of church and state. The object of church/state separation is not, as you assert, the creation of a 'secular society'. Rather, the intent of church/state separation is to foster freedom of individual conscience without prejudice, one way or another, from government. The State is precluded, as it should be, from favoring one religion over any other. But that has been twisted and corrupted to be anti-religious and pro-secular. In order to fulfill the intent of Jefferson's legislation, church/state separation requires the government to be religiously neutral. That implies paying the same fees for the same product (in this case, education of a core cirriculum consisting of science, mathematics, social studies and so forth) whether the institution providing the service is secular, satanic, christian, buddhist, muslim, janist, whatever. The state should not be allowed to ask: what else do you teach here, besides what we are paying you for? It's none of the government's business. The gov't must be neutral. But it's not at all neutral. Instead of being neutral on the subject of religion, the state has instead neutered religion. This is an advance over the '50s and earlier, when prayers and the religious touchstones of the majority (Christians) were foisted upon all students. Better neutered than prejudicial. But hardly is the current scheme 'neutral'. It is very much favoring secularization of society. This is fine if that's what you choose for your family. But you should have no right to foist that upon everyone.

4. Re: how schools are maintained: you are wrong yet again. Maintenance of the school buildings is NOT the city's ball of wax. It is the school system's. And it is their crazy union contracts which sometimes pay janitors in Buffalo schools six figure salaries (janitorial staffs in Buffalo are contracted at a set price; whatever is left over at the end of the year is legally kept by the staff. No documentation of costs is provided the schools. It's a system dating to the civil war and it's appalling).

I might address some more of your post later, but suffice it to say that what you value in American culture is not identical to what I value. What I say is that government should not play favorites between you and me. Government should fund your children's education and you should be able to find an environment which makes you comfortable, religiously and philosophically. Government should do the exact same thing for me. It shouldn't play favorites by funding your point of view but not the view of those who want to kneel down and pray to Mecca five times a day. The government is prevented constitutionally from asserting that one is preferable to the other. Our practice is out of touch with our principles.

-1. I would like to see a charter school set up where the students are picked randomly from the kids who got into no other charter or magnet school and where the charter has no ability to remove a trouble student back to public school. Then I would like to see you educate these students better in an old strip mall than in a public school no matter how old the building. The teachers in Buffalo are performing some miracles getting through to some of these kids and for that they are villians because they expect a decent job to pay back their Masters degrees with?

2. People act like these voucher ideas and charter schools will help get urban kids into schools with ivy on the walls but in reality most of these charters do not not even have a seperate gym and auditorium. You move some chairs out of the way to play. They have art carts and book carts instead of shops and libraries. When all is said and done if the charter schools had to take the public school students the charters would look exactly like the public schools or worse.

3. Says who? If you start enforcing the sharia or any other religious law we may have a blood fued. Good sense should rule in regard to religious schools. The Catholics did it all over the world for centuries right so it can not be all bad but I wouldnt want fundamentalists of any religion brainwashing American nationals, children or not. I do not want to see little Yemenese girls shipped back home for marriage. And there are religions in America that have sickening practices too. Schools serve a secular function for good or bad. If they have a good building and a good curriculum then they should have a run at it I guess but I do not want to hear of kids who have never heard of evolution.

4. I agree. I am not sure but I probably mostly agree with you on the later stuff.

Also I want to say that compulsary education laws are no longer enforced. Do not send your kids to school and it is wrong but nothing will be said or done about it legally. Truancy is a serious issue in public schools because you can not teach kids who are not there. I am sure charter schools do not share the same experience. If their students were truant they would just be shipped out.