A Complaint Tax?
After signing up to send an online form message supporting better economic growth policies for the Upstate region, I was feeling pretty good about my point and click civic action. However, about a week later I received a letter from Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s office that informed me about a number of initiatives the State was taking to support the Upstate region. While I’m not sure how necessary the mailing was in that it seemed more politically motivated than a true informative effort, it did provide some informative points.
If only it stopped there. The letters kept rolling in. Their wasteful nature seemed to escalate with each new mailing. Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples spent $.41 in mailing costs to send me a three-sentence letter telling me that she supports a “better Empire State.” Assemblyman Jack Quinn on the other hand has so much to tell us that he mails out a two-page letter. At least Speaker Sheldon Silver has the sense to send letters that use the front and back of the same page.
I know politicians love credit, but maybe they can “appreciate my concern” by sending out one letter with all of their names attached. If politicians can’t even work together on a simple unified form response as a way to cut back on spending, can they really be expected to work together on anything of substance? If they really appreciate my concern, I urge them to put to better use the $6.15 in mailing, plus the cost of printing the letters and envelopes (I’ve received 15 letters and counting). I would suggest that readers write their representatives to express their concern about this waste, but I cringe to think of the additional cost we as taxpayers will incur for our politicians to “appreciate our concern.”
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Comment Options
Sal
Politicians in Florida must have to pay for their own postage because I hardly receive any mail like that here.
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NBJOHN
This state is a f*****g mess....
Will we as everyday tax payers ever see some sustained tax relief? Honestly the state of NY is the greatest reason why Upstate is not growing.... In my opinion
I have also found out that, my one vote does not do not do much good.
venting....
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STEEL
You did not even calculate in the cost of the staffers needed to create, assemble, and mail the responses.
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al-alo
this assumes that the state paid for all of these letters. many elected officials clearly state if the correspondence was paid for out of their campaign funds.
and what politico can agree completely on with another official? would you want another individual to speak for you? i dont think so. and in the world of messege and image control, no politian would ever consider it. it would cost more time and money to assemble and coordinate every elected officials position on every issue in order to same pennies on postage.
too often we look at the small change, and not into the real waste: authorities, lack of government coordination, poor land use policies . . .
its like the grand isalnd toll thing. what s a grand islander pay? 9 cents a drive with easy pass? so going across it once a day (the toll is only one direction, correct?), 5 days a week, and 52 months a year only equals $23.40
cmon now. lets target the BIG stuff.
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RonR
Maybe the reason the mailing was only three sentences is because that is all her staff was trying to save the taxpayers money in terms of ink. After all, ink cartridges are pretty expensive these days.
/sarcasm
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Emjay
The big stuff? Let's say when all is said and done, this type of mailing ends up costing $25/person which seems reasonable when all costs are estimated. Supposedly, thousands of people have signed the online petition. If they have 4,000 people, thats $100,000 in completely wasteful spending telling us that they support a greater state, and upstate, and blah blah blah. Put that money in small business grants along Elmwood or something and see it go much much further.
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brokeleg
Tax and spend! tax and spend! yee haw!
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al-alo
Emjay,
100k is chump change in NYS. not that i throw away change, but like i says: focus on the BIG stuf.
but tell me a better more cost effective way to respond to a constituent's petition. and i still dont know that any state money was spent on these replies. the article doesnt state one way or another. and lets face it, every address a elected official gets, will get mail.
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magnum
what is with all the final comments? i.e. /sacrcasm or /venting
Are these tags lines further proof that some people just don't get it?
/rehtorical
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thinker
Talk about waste, what about the environmental waste. When I get my mailings, they go right in the garbage/recycling completely unread and unopened. I don't need any more shallow decrees and hollow promise and fake interest. I need action, I need it now and let the media pick up on your good deeds by reporting on your drafted legislation and action, not on what your BS ideals are that you never deliver on.
I'll continue to say it: We need a fiercely active group to provide voters unbioased information that allows people to make informed decisions come election time. Forget the paid advertisements, let's see voting records, pork barrel spending and other info that shows the real person.
Sorry, but anyone in office now that's been there for more than say 5 years is part of the PROBLEM, not the SOLUTION. Yeah, Sam Hoyt and you other deadbeat careeer politicians, I mean you.
Sadly, like Jon Stewart has said, most of us have shit to to do tha stops us from doing things like start a watchdog group and we end up replying on the politicians to be honest and forthright and acting in our bet interest and the fact that we make that leap in faith has given them the freewill to cheat, lie and swindle.
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AtwaterLouse
thinker - When Hoyt leaves some day, I bet that district's voters replace him with someone who favors spending growth as much as he does. Any candidate who wants spending cuts will be clobbered in the election.
A close example is the state senate district overlapping Hoyt's assembly district. The voters chose Byron Brown for it many times before he was mayor, then chose Marc Copolla, then Antione Thompson. Three different people, all similar ideology. Both Copolla and Thompson soundly defeated an opposing candidate from the private sector. I think educating voters about candidates would do the opposite of what you imply. Most NY state voters want higher spending and higher taxes. Elections and opinion polls prove it over and over.
The more NY State voters learn about candidate positions the bigger landslides would be in favor of continuing those policies. There might be a few districts in the state that elect candidates favoring spending cuts, but very few. That’s why spending keeps growing so fast here, and why anti-business laws stay in place.
Also, the pork barrel spending you criticize is favored by many. Micropark projects, the Birchfield-Penny gallery, bike paths, complete streets, canal museums, weather museums, taxpayer-subsidized retail stores and artist lofts, mural funding, etc., are all popular ideas to name a few. Many feel those kinds of pork items stimulate the economy by enhancing our sense of place. Fast-increasing public school spending is also very popular.
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Littleflick
If only there was a way to send someone a written message without printing it on paper.
If only there was a way...
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RisingDamp666
How gloomy does it get to realize that you are being horribly overtaxed just so some slimy wackjob with a greasy comb-over in Albany can enjoy free franking privileges. This trojan horse petition should qualify as harmful and illegal spam. And like that spammer in Seattle, these scumbags should get 26 years in a federal penitentiary.
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rb66
The Federal Government sent out letters to let people know they were receiving a tax rebate in May. HUH? This cost $15 Million! What a waste. Like we really needed a letter telling us we would be receiving a rebate check. OMG! Bang head on desk!
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rb66
My bad. It cost the government $42 million not 15 to send out letters to inform people about the rebate check. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23525100/
Bang head on desk, again!
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