Residents Response to Stock Transfer Fee Resolution for Dutchess County Revenue

On February 27, 2010, By James R
 

All,
 
  This resident was king enough to respond to the Resolution finally being allowed on the Dutchess County Legislative Agenda.
 
 Currently there are only 2 Parties signed on: 3 – Democratic Party members and 1 Conservative Party member. Actually the only 3rd Party Conservative member of 1, because it only consists of 1.
 
  This revenue will allow Dutchess County and ALL Counties to use this positive generated fund to offset their budgets, as well as the positive aspects for Towns, Villages and Hamlets.
  With Albany sending more and more mandates down, those Towns and other municipalities will not get the trickle down effect that Dutchess County will inevitably do to pass costs on to them.  
 
  The entire State of N.Y. will benefit immensely, and should the rest of the Country choose to adopt this, well only your Senators and Congressmen can decipher that.
 
  Dutchess County Legislature and other Counties need to put emphasis on expediting this Resolution to Albany.
 
 It is a shame it hasn’t been allowed for discussion until months later, but that’s water over the dam.
 
 The Legislators can’t do this without a County Executive supporting a revenue that will take us out of the financial hole we are in and continue to face every day. Without the Executive standing behind the Legislatures’ decision to act on this, it will fail. Is this something he is willing to do, only he can answer that. Hopefully he will look ahead keep the Publics Interest in mind when he does or doesn’t support this basically Free Money.
 
 It will not cost Dutchess County Anything to ask Albany, this is not a memorialization due to the fact it hasn’t been introduced yet.
 
 Getting Albany to enact on this in jet speed will be the other challenge.
 
  We need to get this passed first. Lets’ get some support from the media and presses, all our lively-hoods depend on this much needed Revenue. 
 
       Respectfully Submitted,
 
   Honorable James R. Doxsey  District 1
   55 Buckingham Avenue
   Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 12601
   c. 845-337-0026  
  Here is the letter of support from Shaun Chelsey:
 
To All Dutchess County Legislators
 
Subject: Resolution No. 2010062
 
Dear Dutchess County Legislator,
             My Name is Shaun Chesley, I am a Town of Poughkeepsie Resident. I have emailed you back in early January asking for your support of Resolution No. 2010062. It is good to see that it has finally made it for Legislative Consideration and has picked up a few Co-Sponsors along the way.
             Your positive unanimous endorsement would not only give Albany a clear message to consider this available revenue, to help our State in these troubled financial times, but it will also show your constituents that, everything is being considered to maintain our quality of life here in Dutchess County. 
             To help with your decision, may I take a minute to give some additional information about the Stock Transfer Tax that you may not have known.
           The Stock Transfer Tax since the early 80’s, has been rebated back to the Investors and Speculators on Wall Street, The New York Stock Exchange, in the sum of almost 16 Billion Dollars, in last year’s tallies. The Stock Transfer Tax has been around in New York State since 1905 when the then Governor Higgins, a Republican Governor, instituted it to help with State revenue. It has survived World War I, The Great Depression, World War II, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam and the War against Drugs. All the while, New York State staved off the claims that New York City would lose its famed Wall Street Corporations, multiple legal actions of being against Inter-State Commerce as well as a hindrance to free trade and the growth of our nation. Almost a century of controversy as New York used it to fund bonds and pay off debt. In fact it’s most strident defender in recent time was New York States own Governor Nelson Rockefeller, the Republicans Republican and former Vice President of the United States.
             Presently the Stock Transfer Tax is being rebated to the investors and speculators of Wall Street almost immediately, to encourage trade, and the revenue that New York State has relied on for almost a century, is lost to those who have already received National Stimulus monies, and other considerations to help better our economy, and put us, as a nation, back on track, no matter what fringe benefits they receive.
                Recent Endorsements to Repeal this Stock Transfer Tax Rebate, even if partially or for a determined amount of time, have come from the ALF-CIO, AFSCME, CSEA, PEF, NYSUT, HVAF and many State wide and Local Organizations throughout New York State and our local Communities.
                 Your positive vote on this Resolution and its resulting letter to Albany could help relieve the burden on the already stressed taxpayers, not only in Dutchess County, but across New York State, as well as protect the investments in Jobs and Services that we have already paid into.
                 If you have any questions, would like additional information or if I could help in any other way to get your positive vote on this Resolution, please feel free to contact me.
 
Respectfully,
Shaun Chesley
Town of Poughkeepsie resident 
  

 

 
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Pendell Commoms Article from Mid Hudson News

On February 23, 2010, By James R
Doxsey says Fairview District cannot accommodate any more development
POUGHKEEPSIE – Fairview Fire Department personnel are stretched to the limit now and any more large scale development could be the straw to break the camel’s back. That assessment comes from Dutchess County Legislator James Doxsey who has been fighting growth plans while the fire district staffing remains stagnant.

The latest plans, for the Pendell Commons project, would add 48 workforce family subsidized housing units and 24 senior citizen units in the district.

That, said Doxsey, would certainly overload the over-taxed fire department.

“The Town of Poughkeepsie is already currently bringing a lawsuit against the Dutchess Community College for building their dorms,” he said. “I don’t understand how the Town of Poughkeepsie Planning Board can continue to allow development to occur without addressing the life-safety factors first.”

Doxsey said Pendell Commons could add another 100 plus students to the school district, which would increase the cost of education by as much as $400,000. to Hyde Park and Town of Poughkeepsie residents.
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Effective Amanda’s Law for Carbon Monoxide Detectors Today

On February 22, 2010, By James R

Good evening –
Today, Amanda’s Law, which mandates the installation of carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in every home in New York went into effect.  The law is named for 16-year-old Amanda Hansen of West Seneca, New York, who died January 17, 2009 due to a carbon monoxide leak from a defective boiler while sleeping at a friend’s house. 

According to the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC), fire departments in New York responded to more than 42,000 calls involving carbon monoxide in 2007, the most recent year with complete data. A majority of these calls came in at night time hours and during the winter months.

In addition to installing carbon monoxide alarms, Governor Paterson and the OFPC remind homeowners to take the following actions to help reduce their risk and stay safe:

• Test and/or replace alarms according to the manufacturer’s instructions;

• Have heating systems, vents, chimneys and flues tested, inspected and cleaned by a qualified technician each year;

• Never leave a car running in an attached garage;

• Regularly examine vents and chimneys for improper connections, rust, soot or other debris;

• Never run a vehicle, generator or other fuel powered motor indoors, even if garage doors are open to the outdoors;

• Never use a gas oven to heat a home, and only use barbecue grills outdoors – never in a house or garage; and

• Remember that carbon monoxide alarms are not substitutes for smoke alarms. Smoke alarms should also be installed on every level of a home as well as in or outside all sleeping areas.

For more information on Amanda’s Law, click here.  And, as always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at allison.epstein@chamber.state.ny.us or call me at 845-334-9378. 

Sincerely,
Allison

Allison Epstein
Mid-Hudson Regional Director
Office of Governor David A. Paterson
One Albany Avenue, Suite G5
Kingston, NY 12401

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Pendall Commons Media Press Release

On February 16, 2010, By James R

Recently T/Poughkeepsie Planning Board Officials and Dutchess Co. Dept. of Planning and Development approved this project. Life Safety Issues still remain as to the Life Safety abilities from the already over burdened and understaffed Fairview Fire District.

HUD Officials are depending on these 2 agencies to determine a release of funds ( 7-10 Million ), with those Board approvals of this Project.

Having such Power over this District without repairing the Districts Life Safety Issues behooves me to no end. Fairview taxpayers are supposed to just roll over and take more of what has become the Norm from these agencies who use the words “Minimal Impact or Modest Impact”, tell me the difference. Any more negative Impact to these people is unjustifiable any way you look at it.

Having spent the last 3 years attempting to bring this Issue to the front and getting corrective measures to help those Life Safety matters has left the District as it has been for 20 plus years, on their own, unsupported from the ones who can remediate those Life Safety Concerns.

With now having to add Legal Lawyers to the mix to help fight for these people, Dutchess County will be giving HUD the go ahead without taking a Real Look to the ramifications they are about to inflict here.

With a T/Board, a County and an area Assemblyman who represents this District does nothing to address these issues, it is no wonder Seniors are in jeopardy, Life Safety not addressed and Fire Taxes the Highest in NY State.

Apparently money can be the driving force, but at what trade off? For fiscal gains from Projects without taking a real look at the over all Cumulative affects helps nobody.

Respectfully Submitted:

Mr. James R. Doxsey

55 Buckingham Avenue

Poughkeepsie, New York 12601

c. 845-337-0026  anytime

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Revenue from Each Stock Transfer on Wall Street nets Billions of Dollars

On February 13, 2010, By James R

” It’s Time to Fix the Financial Speculators who are driving the current Markets, and have them contribute for their liabilities to us- the people of the World, at just  a cost of pennies for each Transfer of Stock, makes common sense “. Quoted by Jim Doxsey

For those of us who want the financial industry to serve people and the planet rather than dominate them, this is the most exciting reform under serious consideration on the world stage.

Article below by Sarah Anderson

For decades, international activists have been pushing the idea of a tax on financial transactions. Such a tax would give us a twofer: a drop in short-term speculation that serves no productive purpose and leads to dangerous bubbles, and 2) loads of money that could be used for good things, like health, climate, and jobs programs.

Today, we’re closer to achieving this two-for-one deal than we’ll probably ever be in our lifetimes. Reeling from the worst financial crisis in 80 years, policymakers are not only desperate for new sources of revenue, they’re more open to rethinking the role of Wall Street and making sure it serves real economic needs.

To take advantage of these new opportunities, a wide range of activists, including trade unionists, international health advocates, and climate justice groups, have come together to move this decades-old proposition into practice. Their efforts are gaining traction-and even some celebrity support.

The specific proposal is to tax trades of all types of financial assets, including stock, derivatives, and currencies. The tax rate would be so low that ordinary investors wouldn’t even notice it. Some U.S. legislative proposals would even exempt retirement funds and mutual funds, the primary middle class investment vehicles. The real target would be the hedge fund investors and other high fliers in the global casino, who make most of their money through high-frequency betting on short-term market movements that often have nothing to do with what’s going on in the real economy. Since the tax would apply to each of these transactions, it would make this type of speculative gambling much less profitable and encourage more long-term, patient investment.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research has analyzed the likely impact of a set of taxes, ranging from 0.01 percent on currency transactions to 0.25 percent on stock trades. Assuming that trading volumes dropped by 50 percent, these taxes could raise more than $175 billion per year in the United States alone.

The call for such taxes has been particularly loud in Europe, where activists have managed to win promises of support from leaders of the three largest economies-the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. But more pressure is needed to make speculation taxes a reality.

In the UK, activists have teamed up with filmmaker Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’ Diary) to put some star power behind the cause. Through a creative media campaign being launched today, they aim to secure commitments from candidates vying for votes in the upcoming general election.

One of the campaign tools Curtis has produced is this video, starring British actor Bill Nighy (who you’ll recognize from his roles as Davy Jones in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies or as the ribald aging pop singer in Love Actually) as a haughty banking executive whose arguments against the tax completely unravel in the course of three minutes. The UK groups kicked off their campaign by projecting a giant image of ordinary people wearing Robin Hood masks and the slogan “Be Part of the World’s Greatest Bank Job” on the side of the Bank of England.

In the United States, we may not yet have Hollywood spokespeople, but we do have prominent business leaders on our side, including John Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Mutual Fund. We also have bills to create financial speculation taxes in both the House and the Senate, introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA).

President Obama is not yet on board. Recently, he did call for a new fee on the top 50 banks. This is a positive, but far more modest, approach-it wouldn’t directly affect speculation, would leave hedge funds off the hook, and would generate far less revenue.

U.S. activists are hoping to see a shift in the administration’s position by the time Obama travels to Toronto in June for a summit with the leaders of the other G20 big economies. Americans for Financial Reform (AFR), a coalition of more than 200 labor unions, consumer groups, and other activist organizations, has been working to raise the profile of the issue in the media and on Capitol Hill and recently sent this letter to the president, urging his support. AFR is also working with other U.S. and international activists to coordinate pressure on key governments and the International Monetary Fund, which is carrying out a feasibility study of the issue at the G20’s request.  
 
 
 

 

Taxing financial speculation won’t single-handedly prevent another crisis or solve the world’s climate and jobs crises. But for those of us who want the financial industry to serve people and the planet rather than dominate them, this is the most exciting reform under serious consideration on the world stage. And it is an idea whose time has come.
” Let’s not allow this to remain a “Rebate back to the Speculators” who are Driving our Wall Street Market continue to be Buisness as Normal “.  Quote by Jim Doxsey
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Stock Transfer Revenue for Dutchess County and NYS Friday Feb. 12, @ 12:30

On February 10, 2010, By James R
To all Dutchess County Taxpayers,

Presently there is a proposal in front of the Dutchess County Legislators, submitted by Legislator Joel Tyner and co-sponsored by Legislator James Doxsey and Legislator Dan Kuffner, to write to Governor Paterson and the New York State Legislators asking for “Repeal of the Rebates of the New York State Stock Transfer Tax.” This could literally mean an immediate revenue of Billions of dollars per year, to our State, helping to bring New York through these troubled financial times.

As you know, Dutchess County residents from Tivoli to Pawling; Beacon to North East and every City, Town and Village in between are over burdened by constantly rising taxes as we sit and watch our State, County and Local services get slashed and burned year after year. Dutchess County residents and New Yorkers across the State need help now and Repealing the Rebates of the New York State Stock Transfer Tax can and will bring some relief.

History of this revenue measure in our State goes back as far as 1905 and has been enforce, raising funds until 1979 when New York State Began rebating the tax monies back to investors. It has been considered and advised by Economists, Historians and Politicians of present time and is in fact in place in Markets throughout the world. Just Googling ‘stock transfer tax’ or ‘New York State stock transfer tax’ returns a plethora of history, recommendations and endorsements. In fact the AFL-CIO; the CSEA (New York State’s Largest Civil Service Union); Ron Deutsch, Executive Director, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness  have endorsed the repeal of the rebating process to help New York taxpayers in the present financial crisis we are in. Surely the time has come for investors and speculators to give back to the Working Class.

Unfortunately this proposal has been stalled and not presented to the full body of the County Legislature for consideration. Our Legislators do have a busy agenda, and approval of this Resolution and its resulting letter to the Governor and State Legislators may take all of a days work, but it’s message to Albany, on behalf of the Residents of Dutchess County, may make a difference. We will never know unless we do it.

As  a fellow Taxpayer I ask for your help with this important step, and to show the Dutchess County Legislators that Dutchess County Democratic Party members are alive and concerned about our future.  As Democratic Leaders we ask you to do two things that should only take a moment of your time.

If you have a website addressing Democratic friends here in Dutchess County please DOWNLOAD the WORD file attached to this email and post on your Website and the other is to send an email to any listing of Dutchess County Democratic members you may have, as well as friends, and appeal to your Dutchess County Democratic contacts to take action and send an email to countylegislature@co.dutchess.ny.us to take positive action on the Stock Transfer Tax Resolution.
The poster tells of an upcoming Press Conference in front of the County Office Building THIS FRIDAY that all are invited to attend. Any help in this grassroots effort to get the word out about Repealing the Rebates of the New York State Stock Transfer Tax would be helpful, and don’t forget send an email yourself … ok that’s three things, please help.

Meanwhile, as your are doing that, we will be expanding our grassroots appeal out of Dutchess County to every Democratic email we can get our keyboards on, not only here in the Hudson Valley but across our State. Please join us in this grassroots efforts to Repeal the Rebates of the Stock Transfer Tax.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,
Shaun Chesley
Town of Poughkeepsie Resident

 
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Town of Poughkeepsie Councilmen Pull Wool Over Everybody’s Eyes

On February 9, 2010, By James R

Republicans Bust 2010 Budget

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The 2010 Town of Poughkeepsie Republican council members already broke their campaign promises and busted their own 2010 budget. Last November Republican Councilmen fell all over themselves with self-congratulatory praise because they made it seem as if they cut the budget, in part by outsourcing the legal department for less money and no benefits, and in part through accounting techniques. In their first meeting of this year Republicans voted to hire an attorney as a town employee with a salary of $169,000 per year and all benefits restored, negating the costs savings. The Republican councilmen made no apology for their shameful manipulation of the budget because it appears they had no intention to abide by it. It was merely political posturing.Supervisor Myers admonished the councilmen and cautioned that the town may not be able to cover the additional legal expenses. The Republicans who control the Board 6-1 ignored her, much the way they ignored her on the purchase of the Casperkill Country Club and almost every other good governance issue which comes before the board.These are still difficult times for many in the Town of Poughkeepsie but the Republican councilmen once again chose political patronage and cronyism over their fiscal responsibility. It is therefore no surprise that Supervisor Myers selected Rick Keller-Coffey as Town Deputy Supervisor. Keller-Coffey is a well respected and well qualified former County Legislator who understands today’s economic realities.  We are lucky to have him in the position.

 
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