How not to run a job creation program...

First off, young Dems meeting tomorrow. 7 pm, 248 E Water St. We've switched to the 2nd Thursday of every other month, in the hopes less committment to meetings will make things easier on current and future members. And now for something completely different...

The Post Standard reports that two good-government groups are lashing out against empire zones. Join the club. The PS reports that the program, which gives tax benefits with few promises of new jobs, has swelled from a $30 million project in 2000 to a projected $558 million fiasco this year. Meanwhile, the state can't say how many jobs have been created, and a 2004 audit by the comptroller found that 23 percent of Empire Zone businesses cut jobs rather than create new ones. Yeah, okay, somebody should fix that. Once again I implore people to sign my online petition. The only reason it asks for email is so that I can try and have some guarantee that it's different people signing the petition, one per email. I'm not going to give the emails out or anything.

Additionally, Sean Kirst hypothesizes on what might happen if we took down route 81, which currently forms a nice ugly dividing line through the middle of Syracuse. Part of the difficulty is that it's already there and has already been built around. If we were to do it, I'm not sure how long and complicated it would be to mend the wound if you will. However, I'm willing to consider it, but an alternative has to be built before the dismantling. 690 being under construction for the next two years is enough traffic problems for one city.

A former coworker of our county exec's has been named our new county attorney. Gordon Cuffy has moved from the District Attorney's office to the mostly civil law County Attorney's office. I'm not sure I'm completely opposed to this change of pace, but I do question how reassuring it is that both Joanie and Gordy stated that he will inherit a staff of experienced and competent lawyers. If he's going to lead them, should he also be describing himself as experienced and competent?

Finally, I get a huge kick out of the fact that google reports at least one person found my site and clicked on it after doing a search for Emerald 5 ShowTel.

(raspberry noise)