Buffalo Rising Online

Would love to have the Beltline Reactivated. It would do so much for the eastside and westsides.

That being said, look at the Waterfront Tower that is completed and a 2nd planned to start construction.

This is not the end of the Waterfront Towers. More will be proposed and they will most definitely be built in that slice between the Niagara Expressway and Niagara Street allowing those waterfront views to stretch all the way north to Forest Ave (the I-198 aka scajaquada). It wont happen immediately....but the demand for Towers will cross the Niagara Expressway once the final land is built up, then those towers will follow the Niagara Expressway north because it will allow them to tap into the demand for LaSalle Park gradually the area will get built up all the way to the end of Lasalle Park, then Front Park up to the Peace Bridge.

It will take years....and reactivating the Beltway will certainly make it happen faster but that is the trend as I see it.

People want the waterfront view People want access to the parks People want to be close to downtown People want to be close to Canada and the Elmwood Strip.

When something big is announced east of the Niagara Expressway, then you will know Niagara Street is the place to invest...as the next up & coming corridor

There was a push in the 80's to move the thruway inland when that highway was due to be repaved. Estimates were as high as 200 million but many felt they were purposely inflated. There was strong resistance from kenmore and tonawanda and after much study and real hope, the plan was abandoned. The waterfront area of Black Rock and riverside would become instantly desirable if the 190 was moved. The acreage that would become available for developement is much bigger than is apparent from the highway. The 190 has a severely damaged our neighborhood and we must keep pressing for its removal.

Blondie- I agree we need private developement on the waterfront but the Thruway has dramaticaly discouraged that from happening at least here in Black rock. By walling off the view and access with a noisy and polluted ribbon of concrete that dominates the best piece of riverfront in Buffalo. The land that the 190 occupies is too valuable and shoul benefit the neighborhood, not commuters.

black rock is the easiest...not the hardest...since most of the Niagara Expressway through black rock is below grade just like the Kensington.

It would be cheaper to lower its grade and deck over the Niagara Expressway than to move it.

That being said....the city has enormous transportation shortfalls so while decking might be the cheaper option we must admit that lift bridges to the outer harbor, upgrading and dredging our port facilities, extending the light rail, reactivating the beltway, rebuilding our freight and passenger rail, upgrading our rail yards, repaving or rebricking our roads (after of course upgrading our water mains and sewars)....are all higher in priority.

Though I will say that the Erie Street access to the Niagara Expressway should be closed (though HealthNow doesnt want it). Moving that expressway access to Virginia Street would help the redevelopment of the wharf district and the west village much more than having both Erie and Virginia.

buffaloweiner- The 190 is not below grade in Black Rock (Black Rock is North of the 198). As for priorities, lets undo some of the damage inflicted on our neighborhoods and give residents more voice in the projects that affect them.

Heather- Gated communities? Why don't we just build a wall around Buffalo and contain all the poor, group homes, low income housing, minorities, mentally ill, etc. Oh wait thats already been done, not with a wall but with suburban zoning laws, developement strategy and politics.

As an urban planner, I will certainly confirm that Buffalo's waterfront is broken. Most of it is a sewer for fast-moving traffic. It would indeed cost millions to reconnect the city street system to the water and create a high-capacity boulevard in place of the limited access highway, but every city having done so has reaped tremendous rewards.

Bravo to Newell for shining the spotlight on this broken transportation once again!

heather, Im not talking about relocating any buildings or highways. I just stated that the Erie Street access to I-190/Niagara Expressway and the Virginia access ramp are reduntant. Me thinks the doth protest to much.

As far as the Niagara Expressway....always thought that the at grade or above grade section was in the Kenmore Tonawanda area...not Black Rock. Funny how you see the same thing so often and its so familiar....anyway....your prbably right BlackRock...I will give it some attention next time Im using it.

getting rid of the 190 would create a traffic nightmare. as much as the 190 is a barrier to the waterfront, it is still a vital piece of Buffalo's transporation system. In addition to the thousands of commuters who use the 190 everyday, the 190 is a necessary expressway for trucks and cars entering the U.S from the peace bridge. Do you propose diverting thousands of cars and trucks onto a parkway? That sure will be a picturesque sight. If you get rid of the 190, trucks will go out of their way to avoid the Peace Bridge. Buffalo will loose out on the economic impact of millions of dollars worth of trade. Plus, the Lewiston bridge can not sustain such an increase in traffic, it will create a nightmare scenerio. This might work 20 years from now when our transportation and shipping habits have changed but not today.

In the meantime...look for waterfront (office/residential towers) growth to continue on 4th street, 5th street (which I like better than Lakeview/Trenton), 6th street (which I like better than Busti), 7th street (which I like better than Columbus) and Niagara....all the way up to Front Park.

Buffalo- Relocation of the 190 north of the 198 is possible. The rail corridor is mostly vacant and could easily accomodate the road. Parkways can carry the same load of traffic as interstates, just not as fast. Why should one area carry the burden of a highway to "accomodate commuters" when doing so causes great damage to the "host" community?

unless of course that rail corridor is to be used for the light rail extension to Niagara Falls...

If Black Rock were on a light rail route to the Tonawandas and Niagara Falls then Black Rock would get development projects much like the West Village is now.

I honestly dont know what uses that rail corridor might have but I do know that $4+ gas and $5+ has hastened talk of re-opening the whirlpool bridge rail tracks on the lower floor.

The most efficient means to transport goods is rail. The safest stock anyone can own is rail for that simple reason. No matter how bad the economy gets. Goods still have to get transported. The higher energy costs....the more goods will be shifted to rail

So while those tracks might have been un-used up until last year....Im not so sure they wont be used tomorow.

Also dont forget Lackawanna is now the Auxillary Port of NY/NJ at the Seneca Rail Yards. Its expanding as a transhipment facility. The Central Terminal Rail Yards are still in use and there is talk of reactivating another rail yard in Buffalo and another in Niagara Falls.

in addition to light rail to Niagara Falls there is also talk of commuter rail to Niagara Falls and on to Rochester.

The biggest thing that the Black Rock area must do for their community is to demand brownfield cleanup and the reconstruction of industrial/office parks. They stretch from Forest Ave along the river all the way to niagara falls. put jobs in the community and big picture projects will happen.

buffaloweiner- there is room for both rail and a parkway. I live 1 block from the rail corridor and have walked this area for years. there is so much land reverting to "nature" that we have a resident deer herd near the international bridge. Keep plugging away for the belt line, this would benefit Black Rock, the entire city and region.

Moving the problem from one neighborhood to another doesn't seem like much of a solution; especially when businesses and residents have built around the existing highways or away from the railroads.

This sounds awfully selfish of the communities. You are inconveniencing tens of thousands of people who travel this road, you are spending scarce tax dollars for something that amounts to pork barrel spending for a few neighborhoods. These are the same neighbors, and some of the same residents, who approved the development of the highway. If I recall, some of the most vocal supporters were the blue collar workers at Bethlehem, Ford, Dunlop, GM, and other industrial plants along the river.

I am not against moving the road, if say it collapsed in an earthquake or was rerouted to make way for a much better project, but neither of these events have happened. We are looking at spending millions or even a billion dollars to essentially extend riverside park or to free up land for well connected developers.

Decisions were made, the road is still operational and fully functional, and may be the essential highway for further development of Buffalo. I don't agree with cutting this, or any, of our arteries off until we have truly lost hope of economic development in the business district downtown.

I understand why some single-threaded and agenda oriented groups are pushing for this to reach their own selfish ends, and I understand why you have to vilify the suburbs to show how you are victims of bad planning that must be reversed, but I don't agree with it. I am willing to bet that closing this highway will further stifle development and lead to even further economic decline for WNY, and that is a huge cost to the majority just to meet the self-serving wishes of a few.

Blondie - The vast majority of Black Rock Canal, Niagara River, and Lake Erie waterfront was filled with heavy industrial complexes and shipping docks. The neighborhoods surrounding the factories and plants tended to be heavily polluted and not very hospitable, just like the neighborhoods surrounding plants that are still operational today. I can vividly remember the smell of the Niagara Thruway, and especially the area right before the Grand Island bridges, I cannot imagine what that area would have smelled like 70 - 100 years ago when factories were spewing pollution into the air 24x7. It had to be a nightmare to live in the shadow of these complexes, and I am sure that this is part of the reason that they were designated as low income housing. \

The collapse of Buffalo's industrial complex has made this area more attractive. Keep in mind that the Niagara Thruway was built on old railroad and canal right of ways that were removed and filled in. There were many vacant factories, shipping and transfer docks, and rooming houses torn down to make way for the thruway.

It wasn't like this thruway cut through pristine parkland, it was built by the water because this was not an attractive area to live. I am happy that things have changed, but I do not believe that this constitutes a total rework of traffic and planning. Who knows, we may see a change in industry and shipping and this area may need to become industrial again. It could happen if we see shortages of water, or a return of low skilled jobs to the United States.

Allfit- Moving the 190 inland would not impact other communities, the rail corridor is through industrial areas. Residents and business's have not built around the existing highway, unlike the 290 or 990 they were there long before the 190 was built in 1957 and there was much opposition at that time. It is not selfish of my neighborhood, but selfish that commuters feel their "drive time" is more important than our quality of life.

Shipping is already returning...Riverwright (who owns the ethanol plant and silo) I believe actually owns most of them and is finding alot of interest in midwestern grain returning to our Buffalo silos (because there's a shortage of silos of Buffalos capacity)

The other possibility of ships returning to Buffalo are passenger ships for Great Lakes Cruises but Buffalo refuses to join the Great Lakes Coalition and the lack of a light rail extension to Niagara Falls is holding back Buffalo from being the entry point for such excursion.

My favorite idea for Black Rock Brownfields is a small business incubator shared by Buffalo State and Canisius....Medaille &D'Youville if they want to join. There is alot of entrepreneurial opportunity waiting for the right facilities to plant their seed. It would be an excellent first step.

Who knows...maybe one of those entrepreneurial startups turns into a home grown big one or maybe Canisius/Buffalo State/UB join in on another Center of Excellence.

The best place is the very beginning of Black Rock where the old Bristol Myers Factory was (I think its ContractPharmaceuticals) then expanding northward because then it can incorporate all the old Beltway track allowing all those small business access to all the other campus's.

Allfit- Black Rock and Riverside were not quite the polluted industrial wasteland you describe and most old time residents have fond memories of life here. Except for the towpath no buildings were removed for construction. In Black Rock there was a direct connection with the waterfront that almost ever resident had a part in. The thruway did cut through pristine parkland at Front Park and especially Riverside Park which was once a beautiful greenspace extending all along the riverfront. The smells you (and I) recall in the area were generally north of Vulcan St. (the city line) and were from the factories in Tonawanda.

Don't forget the 190 through Buffalo was built over the Erie Canal right of way, the state didn't have to purchase the land so that made it the lowest cost choice. I can still vividly remember the smell of the area 50 years ago--as a kid I loved to see the flames coming out of the smokestacks. On our weekend outings to Beaver Island Park in the late 1950's I recall it hitting you hard going past the refineries and big storage tanks approaching the Grand Island Bridge. We were able to keep the windows rolled down going through Black Rock, but through Tonawanda we would issue the "all windows up and hold your breath" alert.

blondie - the smell is probably worse in that part of Tona. I think the smell has a lot to do with the 3M factory and others on Saywer Rd and all the gas tanks that are located there. If the breeze is strong enough you can smell it down the youngmann; it is disgusting.

phrank- The push to move the 190 in the 80's was started before the design phase and much effort went into the fight. The thruway authority did a feasability study and cost estimate. It was not "too late" but too hard for the people of Black Rock and Riverside to influence the powers that be. Also the 190 will need to be rebuilt in less thsn 20-30 years so now is the time to get started. Blondie- the homes you refer to overlooking the water are in Riverside, the border between Black Rock and Riverside is about where Harrys and McDonalds are on Niagara St.

how about taking "baby steps"? I agree that removing the 190 is probably too hard for all the reasons stated. But, what about simply removing some of the exit/entrance ramps? for example, driving down Niagara from Hertel to Vulcan, I believe there are 4 exit/entrance ramps, none of which, in my view, are heavily used. Why not eliminate 2 of them and open up those not-so-small tracts to develoment. and, do we really need the Church Street exit cutting through downtown?

What is the true economic impact of removing, downgrading, or rerouting the highways?

Is there a tangible benefit from moving the Niagara Thruway, downgrading the Scajacuada Expressway, eliminating exits on the highways, downgrading Route 5, and truncating the 33?

I am not talking about emotional or hypothetical answers like, "it will increase property values" or "people will shop at neighborhood stores". I am asking about a true impact to WNY, like attracting new companies, bringing in new wealth, significantly increasing the tax base, making Buffalo an attractive destination for companies on the move.

Will we see any of this as a result of changing the highways, or does this basically come down to a 'nice to have' because we have given up on future corporate growth Downtown?

Second question:

If we want people to frequent downtown instead of just driving through, then why would we remove exits and their access to the local street grid?

Third question: What happens to the Peace Bridge traffic if this highway is moved? Is there a clear path from the Peace Bridge to the proposed path, or are we expecting international traffic to route to local streets?

We cant get rid of the Niagara Expressway but if its rebuilt then we can do alot to put it further below grade so that people atleast get their views back if not deck it over.

As far as removing access ramps...I have been saying that for along time...get rid of the Church Street ramp and the Erie Street access ramp and the Elm/Oak Arterial.

Reduce the Kensington after Jefferson/Best to a Humboldt Parkway type city entrance, then make replace the Elm/Oak with Fillmore/Smith Ave connecting the Kensington to I-190.

Blondie...as far as your memories of it being a nightmare...your forgetting that they are building a Tifft Street Connector which will connect you to I-190.

That means your options of entering the city would be Virginia Ave via Niagara Street, or a new Parkway via the Kensington or Louisiana from I-190 or if they put the lift bridges connecting the Inner/Outer Harbor then youd be able to get off route5 and enter the city via a lift bridge to downtown (at Erie/Main/Pearl or Michigan)

Thats why its so critical to get the Tifft Street Connector and the Lift Bridges Built BEFORE the Route5 decision for an elevated parkway is made or work started.

In my opinion...and its just my opinion....but if I were a blackrocklifer...and proud of my community and I had Sam Hoyt, then I would be making darn sure he used every bit of his position to pressure the NFTA to reactivate the Beltway and extend to Niagara Falls. Linking Buffalo and Niagara Falls and Buffalo State, Richs, Contract Pharmaceuticals, GM, Dupont, Dunlop, 3M, Praxair and I think there are some biggies on the route in Tonawanda like the newly opened Globe Metallurgy and St Gobains and some chemical companies....to Black Rock. For many of those workers, a light rail connection would mean that a two car home could become a one car home. It would change the dynamic just as its changing the dynamic along Main Street and just like it would change the dynamic along the airport corridor.

buffaloweiner...what is the beltway you and others are referring to?

Thanks.

Can we please stop talking about extending the light rail!!!!?? There are not enough people in this geographic region to support the light rail that we have.

There is very little traffic in Buffalo and commute times are some of the best in the county.

Every time there is a discussion of road work, demolition, or development people have to bring up extending the light rail. Get over it - not enough people, not enough money, waste of time.

Having said that. Redeveloping Niagara St. the way it is would work perfectly. High loft style buildings up on a hill over looking the river translate to enormous opportunity. Close to west side and down town. This is the next viable redevelopment zone.

Einstein- The economic impact is real- people want to live and play near the water. Cities all over the country have realized that there is a limited amount of waterfront property and using it for highways does not make sense(or dollars). This stretch of the Niagara River has some of the best views in WNY. Check out the view from Harrys patio. The land that would become available would be in demand for the simple old real estate line- LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. The tax base would certainly be increased from rising property values but more so with the huge tract of land that would be in demand for developement. The Peace Bridge traffic would not be impacted at all by moving the 190 into the rail corridor.

I agree with blackrocklifer. We will see major social and economic benefits from the removal of this highway. We could return the land to the people and build low income housing along the waterfront for the less fortunate citizens. We must look at need over greed. Too many low income residents suffer serious medical issues because we relegate them to live on toxic landfills and adjacent to filth spilling factories.

Let the less fortunate enjoy the benefits of the waterfront. The common practice is to sell the land to the highest bidder who then block all access and views to make them more expensive.

We must not give in to economic and political pressure. We must uphold the moral imperative and take the socially responsible path. We have to look out for the least fortunate among us, we have to take care of the neediest of our citizens. We must focus on what is socially important, and at this moment that is removing the highway and opening waterfront access to all citizens.

It won't be too long before driving becomes a privilege of the greedy rich, so why should we squander the best views of the city just to make their driving experience a little more pleasurable while children are shut off from the water.

I would like to see the houses in black rock given to the poor as we prepare for the future. Let the communities along the Niagara River open their neighborhoods to the neediest among us. We should apply a special tax to anyone who owns a house over 1500 square feet or over $200,000 to pay for the housing needs of the less fortunate. We could offer an exemption for city residents to ensure that the greedy suburbanites have to pay their fair share to meet the needs of the neediest. This is only fair.

al-alo...thanks for the info!

Quijibo, my gosh yet another socialist/communist in favor of wealth redistribution.

I agree that there should be a social safety net but I also believe that there needs to be some social responsibilities with it which arent there, such as if your infavor of wealth redistribution then:

1) do you support closing the borders to all forms of immigration. There are alot of immigrants milking our social programs.

2) do you support denying welfare, food stamps, medicare, HEAP and all social programs if children are truant, drop out, misbehaving and/or failing.

2a) do you think that a truant, drop out, misbehaving and/or failing child should be removed from their parents and put in a juvenile facility under a social worker and judge's supervision before they wind up in jail/prison.

3) do you think that unmarried single mothers should have their babies forcibly removed and put up for adoption and both men and women sterilized. There are alot of serial fathers and serial mothers milking the welfare system.

4) and those school taxes that are the highest of any state in the US and therefore the highet in the world that still turn out only a 50% graduation rate....should the public schools and teachers unions be dismantled.

I mean if you want to take away money via the taxpayer and give it to the poor, then there does need to be some self discipline and responsibility upon the poor who receive it.

Also, I agree that Niagara Street is the next urban corridor and have been saying that since HealthNow made their decision to move from Main Street (Canisius) to Niagara Street.

Lastly, Buffalo does have enough of a population to support light rail expansion particularly along its 3 primary routes Airport, UB and Niagara Falls.

UB Amherst can nearly guarranty 30,000-60,000 riders daily who would use light rail to get in between campus (thats roughly 11 million people a year) and in not for that reason then simply because there is no parking at any campus. A $3 round trip ticket a $50 parking ticket or having a car towed.

The airport line....6 million air travelers...an airport with no room to expand...airport parking facilities that are at max with little room to expand parking.....with the same story repeated at the Galleria (not to mention commuters in Lancaster and Larkin District). There are enough to make that line running.

The Niagara Falls line....2006/2007 had 6 million visitors and their project continued increases to 10 million people a year. Your going to piss an opportunity to bring all that money to Buffalo!

Lastly...the Federal Government pays 80% or more of all capital costs and residential/commercial projects can be bundled in with that funding. Your going to toss off your willie refusing to bring all that federal money into our local economy.

Buffalo may not have the best economy...or the lowest taxes but we can have some of the lowest cost of living and cost of transportation in the nation because we already have most of the rail infrastructure.

So in a nation that is facing two crisis: energy and water. You tell me why we cant play the two greatest assets at our disposal!

Lastly.....remember the transportation bond act...which basically forced all of NYS including Buffalo to pay for bonds...for NYC subways. Better that we have our own than pay for NYC!

Buffaloweiner - I hope for your own sake that you are able to open your mind to more progressive ideals. The issue is not "redistribution of wealth" but equality based on need and ability. To answer your questions, and hopefully open your eyes:

1) do you support closing the borders to all forms of immigration. There are alot of immigrants milking our social programs. you are stuck on the notion of arbitrary political boundaries. We are all men and women of the world, the chance happening of where we are born is arbitrary and capricious. We need to look beyond the ingrained American greed and work to support our brothers and sisters. You sound too interested in your particular loss of money instead of your contribution to the good of all. To answer you, no, I do not support using force to protect American greed. I do not support closing off the borders just so you can have a few extra dollars to put towards your material greed.

2) do you support denying welfare, food stamps, medicare, HEAP and all social programs if children are truant, drop out, misbehaving and/or failing. of course not, we need to increase our programs and help the less fortunate. Do you resent support for those with less ability?

2a) do you think that a truant, drop out, misbehaving and/or failing child should be removed from their parents and put in a juvenile facility under a social worker and judge's supervision before they wind up in jail/prison. We are failing our youth at every turn. We have created a culture that vilifies our youth. We try our best to create a one size fits all solution for education instead of basing our expectations on ability and need.

3) do you think that unmarried single mothers should have their babies forcibly removed and put up for adoption and both men and women sterilized. There are alot of serial fathers and serial mothers milking the welfare system. what a horrible thought! I cannot even respond to the savage and inhumane thought of separating babies from their mothers and neutering adults like dogs, what kind of person would imagine such an idea?

4) and those school taxes that are the highest of any state in the US and therefore the highet in the world that still turn out only a 50% graduation rate....should the public schools and teachers unions be dismantled. It is not the fault of the teachers or students that we are aiming for the wrong goals. We should assess and identify the ability of our students and align their education with expectations based on ability, not on a standard test at the end of a grueling race. This is why too many of our students choose to drop out of a system that is poorly suited for their needs. It seems easy for you to judge based on your abilities and for you to cast your judgment and sentence on those who you know little about.

I mean if you want to take away money via the taxpayer and give it to the poor, then there does need to be some self discipline and responsibility upon the poor who receive it. To each based on need, from each based on ability. Where is the discipline and social responsibility of the greedy rich? Where is the rich's concern for their brother man? It seems to me like the rich are more concerned about maintaining an unnatural separation based on greed and materialism and they will do whatever they can to preserve it.

I agree with many of your opinions on removing highways, rewatering canals, building logistics centers, and relying on mass transit. I don't see how you can be enlightened on one point but so reactionary on others.

men and women of the world...so your loyalty isnt as a US citizen but as a citizen of the world. If you feel that way then please trade in your US citizenship for a United Nations citizenship....and see which countries a citizen of the world is actually considered a citizen. LOL, I dont support you being an american citizen. I think it should be revoked because you admit your sole loyalty is not to this nation.

I resent support for those who take and act irresponsibly placing their burdens upon others. The people I know in need deserve it because they have been responsible.

People cannot be allowed to have children without the ability to care for them. If they are going to reproduce and place their irresponsibility on the state, then they are inviting the state to take custody of their kids.

The failure of schools is not about the ability of students. 60-80% of every dollar spent on public education does not go to teachers or students but unions and buracracy. Students are truant, misbehave, fail, drop out because they are not being parented or policed. Time to hold the parents and teachers to a higher standard of responsibility than the taxpayer.

Toeach based on ability and need is from Karl Marx, a communist. So your a communist...the same kind of communist that would kill millions under starvation to collectivize the farms under stalin or kill millions to purify the culture under Moa and Pol Pot.

But even your philisophy of ability and need ...I ask everyone to notice how your entire mantra is about want and need....and its very short about the responsibilities to the community...ie the ability part.

Your a communist and basically as a communist, you need to be sent to a communist country.

Im only being fair....I dont believe in dual citizenship or dual allegances to nations. As it is I think 99% of jews have more loyalty to Israel than to the US. Why? because all jews have dual citizenship automatically because of their religion and because they are constantly lobbying for neocon initiatives for war in the middle east and with russia while controlling our media, exploiting our morality for money, promoting some form of federal communist/socialist social engineering program and dictating our governments decisions from AIPAC or Israel.

So if your loyalty isnt with the US....you can be darn sure...Im going to call you what you are!

Buffaloweiner - You are very naive. You asked me my opinion and I stated it, where is yours?

You are a brainwashed lemming who is unable to understand the larger picture. You cannot see outside of the artificial boundaries as you pledge allegiance to the symbols that you have been told to worship. One of those symbols is greed in the form of money, another is selfishness in the form of materialism.

I do not follow Karl Marx, but do feel that he is as influential and crucial in understanding the inter workings of the world as Thomas Jefferson and Aristotle. I am happy to know that you can cite the source of the reference, but I am not impressed with your inability to see beyond the brainwashing that your education has given you. You have been taught that material and money are the only things that are "good" in this world. You have been taught that Capitalism and Democracy is the only way for a country, I am offering that this is naive. How can one system, a failing system, be the only way? I contend that a blended system the preserves respect and dignity of all is the best course to follow.

Shutting our doors and our eyes to the problems of the country and the world is ignorant. You need to open up your eyes, mind, and heart to see that there is a better way. From what I have read you are confused and talk out of both sides of your mouth. Who the hell are you to tell people that they cannot have children, that they cannot have sex, that the state should take custody of their children? Who are you to decide that children are failing the schools instead of the schools failing the children? Do you know the parents of these children, do you know the children, do you know the system well enough to judge? I don't believe you do, and my assessment is based on your previous comments. I spend time with the homeless. I spend time with the refugees. I spend time with the neediest among us. I know the children who are abandoned by a failed system and I am saying that your views are based on ignorance.

I am not a capitalist, a communist, or a socialist. I am a realist and a pragmatist and most of all I am a person who is concerned about the welfare of others over my own selfish needs.

What is it, Self and Nation over everyone else? You have such a naive and antiquated viewpoint. It is quaint, but outdated. Are you still living in the cold war era?

I hope you re-read your comments with an open mind and maybe you will see how paranoid and delusional you sound. It sounds something like this:

The Jewish-Americans are conspiring against America because they have dual citizenship with Israel. Somehow, the common Jewish person in America is conspiring to start wars in the Middle East and Asia. Israel has control of the American media is using it to control our minds with the end result of corrupting moral values and promoting communist ideals in America, for some undefined ulterior motive.

Is that how it all works? I had no idea that it was so simple.

I love the final line in your email.... If you aren't American, then I am going to call you on that! HOOAHH!

I guess you can spot someone who is anti-American because they don't agree with you; however you cannot spot the bigoted racism and anti-semitism in yourself. Sounds like America has chosen one hell of a spokesman to champion their cause for freedom! It is no wonder that Bush was elected to 4 more years!

It will take a lifetime to turn things around in Buffalo.

Do you want to spend your life waiting!?

I was very, very young when my family moved to Buffalo. We temporarily took a flat overlooking Riverside Park which was then a hub of activity both day and night. Buffalo was at its apex and you could still access the river. Down towards the GM stamping plant were a lot of shanties and always lots of fishermen. My favorite toddler activity was to see the organ grinder and his nasty little monkey. That came to an abrupt end.

Like so many families in Buffalo, we had left the city for the suburbs and by the mid sixties we had left the Northeast for greener climes. One my first trip back in 1989, my high school friends took me on the tour to show me all things past and future. There was an air of hope everywhere we went. Pilot Stadium was freshly built awaiting a franchise to bring a team for a sports starved city of rabid fans.

Then there was the Waterfront. The ship had come in and was docked for prosperity and perpetuity. The first townhouses had been built. Not to ne a wet blanket and most certainly not to be the slightest bit critical, I joined in on the crest of this wave. But I thought of Riverside and Black Rock and the West Side. I even thought of Tonawanda! All this priceless waterfront and this is what they do with it? Everywhere else i go, they clear out the remnants of the industrial past and create spaces for public and private use. Value added for everyone.

Every time I see the watefront downtown, I just see more townhouses and condos. A sea of suburbia and privilege spreading inward. All that sterility that is close to nothing but more of the same.

One of the greatest opportunities to access the waterfront one more time gets bogged down in these types of fights. Urban/suburban. Commuters. That is the one that forever changed the westernmost city neighborhoods. The outcome on this one has more importance that some people realize.

Quijibo, and as a communist/socialist you have been taught to worship the dictates of government, its mantra of social engineering for a utopian society. Well let me teach you something about the beliefs of real americans by their state mottos: Alabama=we dare defend our rights Delaware=Liberty and independence Massachusettes=by the sword we seek peace, but only under liberty Oklahoma=labor conquers all things New Hampshire=live free or die Nevada=all for our country We are not a nation of people to be pacified by a nanny state, fed in cages for a communist social engineering experiment as is the case of so many schools.

I am not greedy nor materialistic or a cold war relic because I prize US sovereignty, border integrity, loyalty to my country with but a single allegiance.

We are a nation of people built upon morality, love of a christian god, liberty, independence, freedom etc.

We built this nation into a beacon that shines upon the world because of self sacrifice, chastity, morality, responsibility and community (community but not in the sense of a communist commune)

FDR was a great president because he expanded the social safety net but even FDR created work based programs because it would take away the dignity and self respect to take without giving.

Johnson and his so called Great Society destroyed the under-pinnings of the poor by giving without any responsibility. Welfare rewarded single mothers to the point where women refused to marry men and teenagers saw welfare as a means to independence. African American society and the poor, where once out of wedlock births were rare, became common place...and today neither for many parents only want the welfare check and leave the children with grandparents. Why? Because of social programs that reward irresponsible and anti-social behavior.

Why do public schools receive more $$$ per student in NYS than any other state other than California yet still only graduate less than 50%. Not coincidentally because NY and CA have the highest education buracracy and the most powerful unions. Poor children are no more troubled or stupid in NY & CA than they are in states with successful private, parochial, charter and public schools.

Im not shutting the door to a christian responsibility in caring for the poor, the sick or the disenfranchised. Just not the poor, sick, disenfranchised of the entire world and of those who are US citizens...receipt of a social safety net requires both dignity and responsibility.

It is not to much to ask that if you are receiving assistance that you behave responsibly in order to receive it. Its that simple.

To quote you: I know children who are abandoned by a failed system. Yet you are a globalist citizen of the world, a communist/socialist and infavor of wealth distribution. Isnt it ironic how you want to increase taxes for more failed government in an attempt to help those abandoned by the system.

They need to be helped but the way you help them is starting in life by making sure children are raised in a married household (heck I'll even give you straight marriage and same sex marriage), then keep them in school, then help them find work. The way you help them is by keeping the borders closed to immigration and stop offshoring and outsourcing our jobs to foreign countries, to build up our infrastructure so the average person has access to transportation, etc. The way you help people is by empowering them with dignity, independence, self reliance, confidence...not taxpayer largess for a failed government or by classifying people by race, ethnicity, religion, gender, etc...and then using statistics to social engineer fairness and equality and social justice and equality wealth.....I mean...I forget the exact statistic but almost 75% of jews make over $100,000 in income.....now...as a communist / socialist...shouldnt you be jews declare their religion so they can be held back on employment applications they way affirmative action promotes other disadvantaged minorities. Its just an example.

Lastly....jews conspiring for wars in the middle east...its not conspiring...its public knowledge to quote the lobby of the American Israeli Political Action Committe (AIPAC aka the jewish american lobby for Israel). There is no escaping AIPAC & Israel from Iraq and Afghanistan. I suggest you read Mearsheimer and Walt, the Israel Lobby.

Lastly...jews and the media...from 60 minutes TV show...atleast 60% of just hollywood key media executives is jewish...thats an awful lot of influence in one industry for 1% of the population....and its no secret that hollywood media is exploitative of sex, immoral, violent, proIsrael, practically turned the holocaust into its own industry, and its stories have a strong anti-US, anti-father, anti-male, anti-boy, pro-feminist, pro-gay, anti-US, liberal, socialist, communist bias.

nuff said....Im a patriotic american and your a liberal commie

is he fighting himself?

"shifting" highways will only be good for Blackrock residents and bad for commuters? huh? commuters can take the 198 and deal with (maybe) 5 minutes more of traffic. Allowing the Niagara River section of the City to develop (by develop I mean small things like restaurants, more houses, and, god forbid, more and better parks) will benefit all. Why do so many of you care if suburbanites have a "longer" commute?