Downsizing: County Leaders Follow Town Examples

Just a couple days after voters in West Seneca and Evans voted to downsize their town governments, now the Erie County Legislature is talking about cutting the amount of members in the county legislature.  The proposal is to shrink the legislature from 15 to 11 and extend terms from two years to four years.  Legislator Robert Reynolds is one of the leaders who are taking the cue from voters for smaller government.  "The public wants downsizing."

What do you think, should they downsize the Erie County Legislature?

Why is smaller government really the better option?

What about those who say there is nothing wrong with town or county government as it is now?

 

Posted on June 05, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Zapped! To Taser or Not To Taser?

Last Fall, Ryan Smith was handcuffed and sitting on the floor of Niagara Falls Police Headquarters, when he was zapped with a 50,000 volt of electricity - a taser stun gun.  He was tasered because he refused to give a DNA sample to police.  Now, a Niagara County judge has ruled that the sample is legally valid, and can be used at his trial.  Judge Sara Sheldon Sperazza ruled that it is legally permissible to taser a suspect in order to get a DNA sample.  It's the first case of its kind in the state and possibly the nation.

So our question to you is, when do police have the right to taser a suspect if they refuse to give a DNA sample?

If you were Judge Sperazza, what would you have ruled in this case?

Smith's defense attorney says this ruling gives police permission to taser anybody anytime, do you agree?

Post your comments on Buffalo.com.

Posted on June 04, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Terrorism charges for an 11 year old???

Child gone wild or terrorist?  You decide.  A Tonawanda Middle School student was recently created a "hit list", naming nine others at her middle school and two teachers.  She was suspended for 10 weeks, but Tonawanda police also charged her with "making a terrorist threat".  The Buffalo News' columnist Donn Esmonde thinks officials overreacted.

Does this young girl deserve to be lumped into the same category as the Lackawanna Six?

Is she a threat to society or just a girl with emotional issues?

Police say they didn't do this to punish her but has the "caution smothered common sense"?

What do you think?

Posted on June 03, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (8)

Travel Tales

Debris of the Paris-bound flight that vanished this weekend has been found in the Atlantic Ocean.  The Air France jet disappeared while flying over the Atlantic Ocean after flying into thunderstorms and sending an automated message that the electrical system had failed.  If there are no survivors, this would be the world's largest aviation disaster since 2001.  This latest incident makes many of us a little more uneasy about flying, as if we weren't already, following the Colgan crash in Clarence in February. 

Why is air travel still the safest way to travel?

What's happened to you on board a commercial airliner that makes you wonder whether air travel is safe?

Have you had any close calls while flying?

Share your travel tales with Buffalo.com.

Posted on June 02, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

We the people...now own GM

It's official - General Motors, the age-old automaker that's struggled with economic problems for years - has filed for bankruptcy.  For us taxpayers, that means we now own stock in the auto industry.  The government will end up with a 60 percent ownership stake and for the first time, a role in reshaping the auto industry.  It's the largest industrial bankruptcy in U.S. history.

What does this decision mean to people in WNY who rely on GM to keep food on the table? 

How do you, as a taxpayer, feel about the government bailing out GM?

Will this mean the GM plant in Tonawanda is in jeopardy of layoffs or closing?

Is this another reason to buy American? 

Tell us what you think about this bankruptcy filing.  Post your thoughts here on Buffalo.com.

Posted on June 01, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (6)

The love lives of celebrity teens - legitimate entertainment fodder?

 There's some controversy on the last frontier - Levi Johnston is talking about the family of his former fiancee and the mother of child, recent high school graduate Bristol Palin, and he's not necessarily saying very nice things.  Miss Palin, of course, is the daughter of Sarah Palin, the controversial governor of Alaska and 2008 GOP vice-presidential candidate.

Gov. Palin is fair game, of course - she's a public figure - but should we be salivating over news about her daughter?  Or do the Bristol Palins of the world (or Jonas Brothers, or Miley Cyruses, etc.) relinquish the right to reasonable teenage privacy?  Is there something wrong with us when we are obsessing so much over the romantic lives of people who aren't old enough to legally drive after dark?  Let us know what you think!

Posted on May 29, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Archie's getting married! Did you know? Do you care?

Holy cow, Riverdale's number one stud, Archie Andrews, is off the market - he's going to marry his longtime crush, Veronica Lodge.  And so ends one of the comics world's great battles, the (seemingly) never-ending battle between Betty and Veronica for the heart of ol' Carrot-Top.

So what do you think - do Archie's nuptials ruin an important part of the comic?  Or is it interesting to see these characters grow and change (even if it did take 68 years)?  Do you even care at all about Archie Comics anymore?  You have to read something in the line at the grocery store, right?  Let us know what you think!

Posted on May 28, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Leaving New York behind?

The Carolinas.  Arizona.  Florida.  We all have friends who have left town for greener (and warmer) pastures.  Apparently, it's not a trend that's going to change - Tom Precious of The Buffalo News reported Wednesday that "...a poll by the Siena College Research Institute released Tuesday showed 11 percent of New Yorkers say they are going to move unless conditions in the state improve, while another 10 percent say they would like to move out 'as quickly as I can.'"

Where do you stand - are you a New Yorker for life?  Are you considering a move?  Or are you getting out of here as fast as you can?  Let us know what you're thinking!

Posted on May 27, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (7)

Bad news from the other side of the globe - do you listen?

It seems as though North Korea is rattling its saber once again.  CNN reports that the secretive dictatorship "... fired two short-range missiles from its east coast Tuesday -- a day after conducting a nuclear test," and one US scholar notes that the North Koreans are  "angry enough and hungry enough to sell anything they can put their hands on" - including dangerous weapon technology.

So what do you think - does news like this worry you?  Or is it too far removed from your daily life to care?  Does the thought of a nuclear North Korea influence your voting patterns - or are you more concerned about issues closer to home?  Let us know what you think!

Posted on May 26, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Congress to study pilot training: Will it mean safer flights?

Three months ago, Colgan Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence, killing 50 people.  In the wake of that crash, just a week after safety board hearings in Washington, the House of Representatives has voted to authorize a study of pilot training.  Federal lawmakers and officials say the February crash could result in major changes for how the FAA regulates regional airlines. 

How much safer would stiffer regulations make you feel when you fly regional aircraft?

Was pilot training the main reason for the crash of Flight 3407 or do other factors need to be examined?

Was ice a factor in the crash or was it simply human error?

How long do you think it will take for any significant changes to go into effect?

Post your comments on Buffalo.com.

Posted on May 22, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2)