Taxes the killer—but which taxes?

Let’s give Gov. Cuomo credit for “getting it (at least partly) right” when he said in his State of the State Address that the property tax is the killer in this state. During the past two generations, the overwhelming growth in taxes and government employment has been at the local level—governments that are supported mainly by property taxes. Between 1955 and 2010, the U.S. population grew from 165 million to 309 million, an increase of 87%. Yet, during those same years employment in our nation’s local governments grew from 3.9 million to 12.2 million, an increase of 212%. Total Federal Government civilian employment grew from 2.4 million in 1955 to 2.8 million in 2010, an increase of only 17%.

Tax revenues show the same trend. In 1955, all Federal tax revenues equaled 17.3% of the nation’s Gross National Product. In 2010, they had dropped to 14.9%. In 1955, local government revenues made up 4.3% of the GNP. By 2010, local government revenues had grown to 7.4% of GNP. The myth of the bloated federal government is just that—a myth. It’s America’s local governments that have ballooned over the past two generations.

Admittedly, the figures cited here are for the entire nation. But I doubt that Sullivan County’s story is much different. The nonpartisan Tax Foundation’s data reveal just how severe our county’s taxes are. Measured by the “ability to pay,” (comparing the median county property tax bill to the median county household income), our county’s local taxes rank among the highest 1% nationwide. Ouch!

But we don’t want to let the governor totally off the hook. The Tax Foundation finds New York State taxes rank sixth highest of the 50 states in state revenue per capita, totaling $8,423 annually for each one of us.

Ken Hilton

Jeffersonville, NY

[The letter below was sent to Town of Highland Supervisor Jeff Haas and the Highland Town Board.]

The compressor station: A constitutional issue?

While I am convinced there are serious questions to be answered about the compressor station proposed for our Town by the Millennium Pipeline Company, including health outcomes that should be assessed, I am also concerned about an aspect of the issue that no one seems to be addressing. I believe the Town Board should oppose this project on constitutional grounds.

The notion that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) can dictate to local municipalities, overriding local zoning, violates both the letter and the spirit of the U.S. Constitution and exemplifies the very definition of tyranny. FERC represents the administrative bureaucracy that has been increasingly bloating the federal government for 100 years. FERC is not accountable to the electorate, and regularly short-circuits both the horizontal separation of powers—wielding executive, legislative and judicial powers in one unelected agency—and the vertical separation of powers—superseding the authority of state and local governments.

In Federalist 47, James Madison wrote that “the combination of all powers legislative, executive, and judiciary in the same hands… may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” And tyranny must be opposed. The Constitution specifically enumerates the powers entrusted to the federal government with the intent of limiting its power, and the growth of the administrative bureaucracy has severely undermined that intent.

While the federal government must have jurisdiction over interstate commerce, it was never intended that the jurisdiction be in the hands of an all-powerful non-accountable entity such as FERC. The town board should go on record as strongly opposing the placement of the compressor station in our town in clear violation of our Local Law #3 of 2012. It is time to take a stand in support of the Constitution and against the unelected administrative state.

John Conway

Barryville, NY

Puppy mills—there are smarter choices

Puppy mills are inhumane and unsanitary places where several to hundreds of dogs are bred and sold. This is a quick and easy way to make money. These puppies are provided to pet stores or to clueless and careless people who look at animals as a means to profit rather than companions.

This is a very efficient, yet cruel way of business. A dog’s litter size averages five to eight puppies. Puppies can be sold anywhere between a few hundred to a thousand dollars. Although puppies should stay with their mothers six to eight weeks, puppy mills will sell their puppies at ages too early, to make a faster profit. And the parents of the puppies are usually bred too often or too young. This increases the risk of the parents’ and the puppies’ health.

It is not mandatory to own a dog; it is optional. Once a dog is purchased, the owner has made a commitment to care for this dog. Dogs are living beings that have feelings and rights. Dogs provide us humans with love and companionship. They should not be looked at as a way of profit, as they are worth much more. If they are bred, it should be done correctly.

One alternative to buying from a puppy mill or pet store is adoption or purchasing from reliable breeders. An SPCA animal protection officer, Eileen Drever says, “It’s a fact that reputable breeders will not allow their puppies to be sold through pet stores.” (Modern Dog Magazine). Instead of buying the first puppy you lay your eyes on, do your research.

A more economical choice is to adopt pets from local shelters, likely to be cheaper. Choosing either a breeder or a shelter, puppy mills will not receive support. With smarter choices, puppy mills can shrink or shut down.

Sheila Burns

[Sheila is a student at Eldred High School.]

[Local animal rescue/adoption centers include Dessin Animal Shelter in Honesdale, PA, the Sullivan County SPCA in Rock Hill, NY, the Port Jervis Humane Society in Port Jervis, NY and the Pike County Humane Society in Shohola, PA. Check out our Pets section the second Thursday of every month.]