Ulster County Legislative resolution no. 392

ULSTER COUNTY LEGISLATURE
MEMORANDUM
TO: ALL LEGISLATORS
ALL TOWN SUPERVISORS
ALL NEWS MEDIA
FROM: KATHLEEN C. MIHM, CLERK
DATE: NOVEMBER 30, 2007
RE: IMPORTANT – WAYS & MEANS* (Please note time change) – 4:30 PM
CAUCUS – 5:30 PM
PUBLIC HEARINGS – 6:00 PM
NOTICE OF SPECIAL SESSION – 7:00 PM

At the direction of Chairman David B. Donaldson, Special Session of the Ulster County Legislature will be held on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 at 7:00 PM in the Legislative Chambers, Sixth Floor, County Office Building, 244 Fair Street, Kingston, New York.

The purpose of the Special Session will be to consider the following resolutions:
Resolution No. 388 – Adopting Ulster County Budget For The Fiscal Year Commencing January 1, 2008 And Making Appropriations For The Conduct Of County Government
Resolution No. 389 – Adopting The Ulster County Capital Program For 2008 – 2013
Resolution No. 390 – Authorizing County Treasurer To Make Transfer Of Funds And Budgetary Amendments
Resolution No. 391 – Amending The Funding For Resolution No. 374 Dated November 14, 2007 – Establishing Capital Project No. 304 For The Reconstruction Of And Upgrade To The Municipal Separate Stormwater Sewer System (MS4) At The Public Works Site At 317 Shamrock Lane (Quarry), In The City Of Kingston And Amending The 2007 Ulster County Budget And The Capital Program 2007 – 2012 – Public Works (Highways and Bridges)



Resolution No. 392 – Urging The United States Congress To Create A Select Committee To Investigate The Presidential Administration And To Make Recommendations Regarding Grounds For Possible Impeachment
Resolution No. 393 – Authorizing The Creation Of One Full-Time Assistant Public Defender – Amending The 2007 Ulster County Budget – Public Defender
The schedule for the day will be as follows:
4:30 PM – Ways & Means Committee, Library
5:15 PM – Special Meeting of the Criminal Justice & Safety Committee, CRA
5:30 PM – Caucus
Democrats in Chambers
Republicans in Library
6:00 PM – Public Hearings, Legislative Chambers
7:00 PM – Special Session, Legislative Chambers

Resorting to Madness

Dear Friends, RE: Movie tonight!
AND The public DEC Scoping Session for the proposed BELLEAYRE RESORT is set for Tues. December 11, 6 PM at Belleayre Ski Center. Everyone come to lay the issues and questions on the table . Read about the TWO resorts now proposed for the Western side of Belleayre Mountain at www.SavetheMountain.net

Please come tonight, see the 49 minute documentary about the ski resort industry, aerial photographs of the site, the developer's plans for the TWO Belleayre Resort(s) on Belleayre Mountain and Highmount, and how they will affect YOU . Get answers to your questions! (Info about the documentary below.)

We hope to see you at the Rosendale Theatre tonight at 7:00 PM. Tickets are only $5!
OR, come to Woodstock Community Center this Saturday at 7:30 for the same presentation.
Please help us spread the word!

Julie McQuain, John Carney
Hardenburgh
Save the Mountain!

Save the Mountain will present screenings of the documentary RESORTING TO MADNESS: Taking Back our Mountain Communities on Tuesday, November 27 at the Rosendale Theatre ($5) and Saturday, December 1 at the Woodstock Community Center (Free). Both screenings will be followed by a discussion about Crossroads Ventures' proposed Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park, including the brand new Highmount development, all subject of a recent Agreement in Principle announced by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, with maps and plans of the actual development and update on the Review process.
The full AIP, all exhibits and information are available at www.SavetheMountain.net


DOCUMENTARY FILM “RESORTING TO MADNESS:
Taking Back our Mountain Communities"
Screening in ROSENDALE and WOODSTOCK


(Highmount, NY – November 12, 2007) T he documentary film Resorting to Madness: Taking Back Our Mountain Communities will be presented Tuesday, November 27 at the Rosendale Theater and Saturday, December 1 at Woodstock Community Center. Each screening will be followed by a discussion about how the proposed Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park may affect our community. Maps and plans of the real estate development, including the new Highmount Spa development, will be available.

This thoughtful documentary, produced by Hunter Sykes of Coldstream Creative, addresses the impacts of the modern ski resort industry on mountain communities and environments. Resorting to Madness includes footage and interviews from dozens of ski areas, experts, stakeholders, industry leaders, organizations and concerned community members throughout North America. www.ColdstreamCreative.com

The 49 minute film explores mountain communities and what makes these places so special, and the environmental and social effects of the ski industry, using two examples to illustrate how the industry operates, Vail resorts and The Village at Wolf Creek. It then briefly focuses on the town of Mammoth Lakes, Ca, which is grappling with decisions that will define its future. The issues affecting Mammoth are indicative of those that mountain communities are dealing with across North America.

Screening Schedule:

TONIGHT Tuesday, November 27, 7:00 PM at the Rosendale Theater , 408 Main Street, Rosendale NY, 12472, 845-658-8989. Admission $5.00.

Saturday, December 1, 7:30 PM, at Woodstock Community Center , 56 Rock City Road, Woodstock NY, 12498. Admission free.

For more information visit www.SavetheMountain.net .

On the Hospital Merger

Here is the web address for today's Daily Freeman's editorial on the agreement between Benedictine and Kingston Hospitals to keep providing abortions :http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19051438&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=82701&rfi=6

But the crux is that this merger/alliance is supposed to be one that will save money and be fiscally sound as it provides services to the community...the editorial asks for the fiscal information so that we will be able to judge this.

The Right to Choose is under attack, still

Antiabortion activists in several states are starting campaigns to grant "personhood" to embryos, thus, giving them the same legal protections as all citizens. They are pushing state constitutional amendments that would define the start of life upon conception, this re-definition (Roe V Wade did not touch this, we have granted citizenship to babies once they are born) would effectively outlaw abortions and some birth control methods.

January is the 35th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion. Abortion foes have tried various restrictions --waiting periods,parental notification, bans against late term abortions-- to limit abortions, but not access to birth control which might actually lower the number of abortions performed. There are 1.3 million abortions are performed in the US each year. Abstinence education has lead to epidemic proportions of sexually transmitted diseases.

Redefining when life begins is a way to circumvent waiting for the Supreme Court to reverse Roe v Wade.

Note that Rudy Giuliani has changed position from being pro-choice as Mayor to being anti-abortion as a presidential candidate. He is currently using coded language such as wanting to appoint "strict constructionist judges' to the Supreme Court.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

Paper Ballots

Susan Zimet proposes paper ballots (and voting machines with a paper trial) and election officials retort that paper ballots are too cumbersome, may allow for voter fraud and hard to count. Tell that to the millions of people world wide who mark their paper ballots and slip them into boxes!

Voting machines without paper trials, with propriety programs with no oversight, are the ones that allow for potential voter fraud, and are very hard to re-count!

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19025120&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=6

Breastfeeding is NOT indecent exposure!

Today's Daily Freeman has an article that clarifies a woman's right to breastfeed.

It seems men's shorts get in a knot when mammary glands are used for their natural purpose rather than as a sexual object.



http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19025116&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=6

Sexism--on the campaign trail & in real life

Geraldine Ferraro in a letter to the editor in today's NYT writes "as I said before, in this country it's still o.k. to be sexist, but not to be racist." Across the paper from her letter on the Op-Ed is Maureen Dowd writing (in a column entitled: Should Hillary Pretend to be a Flight Attendant?)about all the studies that show men do not want to date smarter women; that smart slightly zaftig women are more attractive--hips=smarter kids; accomplished women hide their accomplishments; women who fuflfill female gender expectations are seen as less competent in the workplace, women who are too macho are "unfeminine" (code for lesbians--can we say homophobia?), angry men are strong, angry women are out of control..
Dowd writes about are stereotypes that MALES have. . .

The question is why are (American) males still sexist? I would have thought that after being raised by a generation of competent single working mother and sisters who played sports that young men would have a better handle on equality.
The second more important question is: How do we rid America of sexism?

Geraldine Ferraro's letter:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/opinion/l14ferraro.html?n=Top/Opinion/Editorials%20and%20Op-Ed/Letters
Dowd's column:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/opinion/14dowd.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

FGM and Asylum in the US, NOT

Being subjected to female genital mutilation and a forced marriage to your cousin is not reason to grant asylum according to the US Board of Immigration Appeals.
Having bodily integrity and autonomy and the freedom to choice your spouse

Full story : http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/us/05bar.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=us&adxnnlx=1194804090-afcj4BIS7sGiRs0yz54HZQ&oref=slogin

Gender & Politics

Women's votes are poised to make quite the difference--if we vote. Bob Herbert's column in today's NYT reported out the results of a Lifetime poll.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/opinion/06herbert.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

VOTE

Polls are open in NY from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
so get out and

VOTE !!!!!

Voting Rights in the Bush Era

In today's NYT's there is an on point editorial on the fate of voting rights in the Bush era Justice department (the one which is supposed to PROTECT minority voting rights). The editorial accuses the department head of bigotry and the department taken over by idealogues who are denying voting rights to minorities, the poor and other democratic voters.

There is a bill in front of Congress sponsored by Obama: Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act. This bill was introduced in January...(S453) (HR 1281) http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-1281

More on "The Gender Card"

Adam Nagourney and Patrick Healy's article in today's NYT "Different Rules When a Rival is a Woman" http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/us/politics/05memo.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Reminds me that the primaries are about getting on the ballot, so its bash the top runner.

I would love to hear candidates actually discuss their own policies, and how nominating them/electing them would make a difference.


p.s. Have you noticed that it is other women who are accusing Clinton of playing the gender card? What does that say and mean?

The Politics of Pile-on Hillary

What do you all think of the "pile-on" Hillary--from the Republicans to the Democrats?
I posted about the debate Tuesday night on my blog (blogging-for-america.blogspot.com).

The boys are playing the gender card against her.

Lisa Belkin wrote about the double standard and mixed messages that women get in the workplace in "The Feminine Critique" this past Thursday in the NYT. Here is the website for that article : http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/fashion/01WORK.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1194096081-U9RjHhUDw0B2xmri2yuTQA

Hillary, though, is maximizing this--her statement yesterday says that her rivals : "aren't piling on because I'm a woman. I think they're piling on because I'm winning."
followed by "I anticipate it's going to get even hotter, and if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen - and I'm very much at home in the kitchen."

Her statement was perfect--she framed the pile-on to her advantage. Remember in her race against Lazio for the NY Senate seat, she won votes when Lazio tried to undermine her and acted 'ungentlemenly.' He drove votes to Hillary! She won not only because of her campaign but because not only did he run an unorganized campaign, most of the money he raised was from out-of-state, and those people do not vote in state. He forgot the most basic rule of any campaign: votes matter!

Kenya's maternity wards

"Kenya's maternal death rates are among the highest in the world, despite its relative prosperity, health care reforms and U.S. funding. Beatings of women in labor in hospital maternity wards are common, as are rejections of women without funds. . ."

For more info:
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=3363

Students Action on Global Warming

This Saturday, November 3rd, from 1-3 p.m. in Forsyth Park (Kingston) Kingston High School science students will be holding an informative rally about global warming. Maurice Hinchey will be there to speak, local businesses are supplying food and fluorescent light bulbs for the first-comers.
If you want to encourage young people to be involved in a positive way, Come support this positive action!

Full Disclosure: Our Alix is one of Mr. Prizzi's science students involved in organizing this event :)