TRIPLE HEADER: TAXES, PARKING, AND PARIS PULLOUT
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JUNE 5, 2017) — During the time that we took THE PLANET down for recalibration, we wrote and finished two full-length plays, saw a new book to publication (Chasing Willie Mays), and began work on another. It’s been a productive period.
We make no prognostications about the future, for tomorrow and tomorrow will contain enough worries of their own. Sufficient unto the day are the issues and matters of the day. That out of the way, let us comment on three topics:
TAXES — As our literary mentor H.L. Menckin once declared, “All government is corrupt.” This sentence provides a rare example where the absolute term “all” satisfies all rhetorical demands (lovers of irony, enjoy!). Sure enough, though you have heard and will hear of the “sacrifices” local government will make for the FY17 spending plan in Pittsfield, be sure that you — citizens, voters, and taxpayers — will be screwed again. While the mayor works on her French in Montreal and laps down $18 lattes, you will find, when the council finishes its show-trial “deliberations” and feels your pain, that the municipal budget will rise from roughly $151 million to $156 million. They will try to portray the $5 million hosing as a “decrease.” Don’t fall for it.
PARK YOUR CARCASS — Despite the glowing coverage of The Boring Broadsheet, the first five months of data from the parking kiosks in “bustling” downtown Pittsfield tell another story. In five months, our inside sources say, the kiosks have lost $32,880, or $6,576 per. This includes revenue coming in from those foolish enough to surrender their privacy for the privilege of getting mugged, shot, stabbed, or hit up from the typical Denizons of the Downtown, but it doesn’t include the $8,000 the city pays for the phone app. That projects to an $80,000 yearly loss for taxpayers. The figure also does not include business lost by downtown merchants. Don’t tell anyone that you know this information, for city employees have been sworn to Triple Top Secrecy. There’s only one solution to the eternal problem of parking in the erstwhile city: Make all parking free and bet on increase traffic to begin circulating currency into the local economy.
PARIS PULLOUT — Those who weep and gnash teeth over President Donald Trump‘s actions to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accords can dry their eyes and pop in the Dentyne. Trump promised that he would do so during the campaign. THE PLANET realizes the shock that people experience from a politician keeping a campaign pledge, but given that, we appreciate any type of political integrity. As for the action itself, that’s a separate discussion.
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“What win I if I gain the thing I seek?” — William Shakespeare
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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You really had to see th last Budget hearing,incredible. Hopefully Dan and Terry will bring this fiasco up on the next Planet T V .The Mayor was frowning, another forgot to dot and cross. And why even show spread sheets if you can’t see the numbers with a magnifying glass? The teachers took a cut.
That’s the problem, the C C will tell you they a
made the hard cuts. The end was near when the taxpayer didn’t have a say on the school, trust was lost for ever.
Really outdid themselves by simply ignoring the auditor’s warning about spending down free cash to finance their racket. Tyer spinning it as an endorsement would amount to fraud if accountability was even a concept in government
What did you think when the lovely Linda Tyer said it will take 5 years to get out of the municipal government’s fiscal constraints under Proposition 2.5’s levy ceiling?
That means fiscal years of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, & 2022!
What will Pittsfield politics’ municipal finances look like in fiscal year 2023?
Will Pittsfield politics become financially insolvent? Will the municipality declare bankruptcy in the 2020’s?
– Jonathan Melle
Pittsfield will be bankrupt long before 2023 rolls around. I believe people are bailing out while they can. Lots of homes for sale right now.
Jon Reid
Re: Open letter to Patrick Fennell
I appreciate your response to my email concerning Trump’s budget proposal that hurts elderly, disabled Veterans by ending the IU program once a recipient is eligible for the minimum age to collect Social Security benefits.
I read your email, and I agree with you that Berkshire County’s economy is shrinking due to losses in population and jobs, compounded by the one political party rule by top down Democrats lead by Congressman Richie Neal. The politicians in Western Massachusetts have raised taxes, while the working people have fallen way behind financially.
Richard Neal is a career politician who has spent decades in political office, and during he lengthy tenure, Western Massachusetts has endured many painful economic losses. However, the politically connected have voted themselves pay raises, and they will retire with lucrative public pensions, while working families can “eat cake”.
The only disagreement I have with you is the predictable blame game! Republicans blamed everything on Obama. Democrats are blaming everything on Trump. In the end, no one is held accountable.
I respect that you support Donald Trump. Many working families voted for the billionaire populist. Even Richie Neal said that Democrats have to reach people outside of the East and West coasts on our country.
– Jonathan Melle
The parking kiosks downtown are not fair to all businesses. During the day until 5pm you have to pay. So to shop or do business downtown during the day you pay. After 5pm its free, That means restaurants, bars and theaters get free parking for their businesses since most of their clientele visit at night.
I became more of a Trump fan after his decision to end the Paris agreement. I think he may have saved the wretched of the earth.
The basic critique of this agreement was by James Hansen who was one of the original climate alarmists. See https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/climate/2015-paris-climate-talks/hansen
The cost of this agreement while difficult to measure is variously estimated to be around $1 Trillion per year, primarily spent by the U.S. and a few other countries which drive global prosperity. As usual, the poor will be the hardest hit. That money could have been spent on clean water and providing electricity to the 1+ billion humans who still don’t have electricity. MIT found that this agreement will lower CO2 by .2 degrees. See Matt Ridley for some other numbers and the miss-selling of this agreement.http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/the-mis-selling-of-the-paris-climate-treaty/
It took real courage to go against large companies and his closest advisors, especially Ivanka. But the numbers and logic do not add up. I realize this wasn’t his purpose, but Trump did more to help the wretched of the earth than all the charities combined– and did very little to hurt the environment.
Hey C…ANY lowering of CO2 or temperature would be better than continued increase. Bailing on those accords assures that. And at this point, the US did the vast majority of the polluting over the past century, we should certainly be the ones to pay to clean it up.
In the winter after a storm,you couldn’t brave a Kiosk because of the snow piles, what a joke?
The Dan Valenti television show has been very interesting. I will be watching tomorrow night at 6:30 pm
So glad to have Planet Valenti back!!! The city needs your wisdom more than ever.
Clearly the Best Show on PCTV.
We love the Planet blog and tv,great to see u back!!!!!
Hey Hey Hey, welcome back.
Welcome back!
Hats off to President Trump for getting us out of the Paris accord, a very courageous move. The accord was nothing more than a giant transfer of wealth from the US to third world countries per the globalist agenda.
The downtown kiosks I avoid like the plague. If it weren’t for Carr Hardware and their free parking lot – I would never go downtown at all. Carr’s is amazing. If you need a replacement bolt – they will have it – and you won’t have to buy 50 in a pack like at Home Depot. Need lawn stuff – they have it. And there are always plenty of knowledgeable & friendly clerks to provide customer service. Long live Carr Hardware!
And long live Planet Valenti!
Budget? What a joke! The city doesn’t budget, it just taxes and spends like those lions Dan named that guard the politicans in city hall. Tyere gave so many extra millions last year it was unbelieveable, and so to brag about level funding this year, which means departments get to keep their extra millions, is insulting to The Kapanzis.