Reading the newspaper so you don't have to

Sunday, Sunday... The Post-standard had a few interesting news items. A non-profit group called Home HeadQuarters is buying up a lot of land around Blodgett School. The theory is that they'll make improvements and try to revamp the neighborhood. The potential problem is they've spent so much of their money on property that they can't revamp all the houses right now. Apparently they look to look for more money and also market the houses as is or with some improvements. Let's hope it works, cause at least 2.25 mill came from Rep. James Walsh's Syracuse Neighborhood Initiative.

And then from the opinion page. The paper is angry at judges for letting the lack of a pay raise interfere with their duties. Some of the judges are refusing to hear cases involving law firms that involve state legislators, citing conflict of interest since there is now a suit involving judge's pay. So the paper wants judges to get back to work and I agree with that. But the paper also declares that "Judges certainly deserve a raise," and here is where I will piss off my lawyer friends. The argument used is that the sharpest legal minds will leave because they can make so much more in private practice. This is roughly akin to saying we should start paying college basketball players because they can make so more in the pros. The fact that some lawyers make insane amounts of money is not the taxpayers' fault. Well, it probably is the fault of some of the taxpayers, but not all of them.

Additionally, the paper complains that Democrats haven't come up with a candidate to run against Defrancisco or Barclay, and again I agree with the first part. Then it says this is not to disparage the great works of either. Ok, he's got some things to work on, but I'll grant you DeFran, but Barclay? Really?

Finally, school board elections. Once again, budgets are increasing by millions, and I don't know about your district, but in Bville not one candidate said anything to the Post-Standard about trying to keep this in check. At the very least they should look at administration costs, because I know Baker High has like 82 vice principles (this is called hyperbole, do not send emails correcting me). Everyone complains about property taxes, so I urge you to start doing something more than complaining. Write to your school board urging them to keep up education while still keeping taxes in check, it can be done! And stop voting in every incumbent and voting yes on every budget without seeing what's up first.