Whatever the situation is Addie Jenne Russell voted for the floor tax during the budget votes, now in some sort of herculean move she is circulating a petition opposing the measure.
Russell has created a website petition to gain support to repeal a tax that she voted to enact, the so-called floor tax (a form of double taxation if there ever was one) required wine and beer sellers to pay a higher levy on product already in stock and already taxed at the earlier and lower rate.
The double tax drove retailers nuts, both because it was an
administrative nightmare, and because it's blatantly unfair! And its driving
sales down!
Now Addie is feeling the heat from store owners and is trying to look like a savior. But there's no chance her proposal will pass. So what is she trying to pull? Perhaps the wool over voters' eyes.
BTW-- Darrel voted for it too, and isn't even pretending to have second thoughts.
This is lame Addie, really!
See: Gouverneur Times
32 comments:
As soon as I saw the democratic blog claiming she wanted to repeal the tax, I knew she must have voted for it first. Thank you for sorting this out.
With un-opposed democratic leadership in place in Albany why would anyone expect a democratic senator or assembly member to even bother to read or oppose a bill. It's a given that they would loose. Loose on the vote and loose in the lulu department.
Now let's really sort this out.
Addie voted for the budget as a whole package. That doesn't mean that she was in favor of each and every item in the budget, including this tax.
That's how budgets work. If Political IV is who people say he is, he has done the same thing on the county level. Nobody can support each and every item. If the budget is more good than bad, then you support it and try to correct the stuff you don't like later. Political IV knows this and this slam on Addie is just cheap political flackism.
Bruce,
Now that is true to a point but there was NOTHING good about this budget. And if she had problems with it she could have voted NO and it wouldn't have effected the outcome of the vote. She just went right along with what she was told to do just like Darrel.
Bruce you can't tell me in any way that you feel this was a good budget.
Also what are your feelings on another Good Ole Boy in Lewis County getting hand picked for a nice job???
You going to run again this year?
The point here is that legislation should be read thoroughly first. Not vote on it for the heck of it and then sort out the problems later. I assume that amendments can find their way into the budget process easily so it becomes difficult to be on top of everyone that is included, however, it is incumbent on the incumbent legislators to do thier homework and know what they are voting for. AJR is a Democrat and if she really felt passionately against this she should've voted against it in the first place. It's not as if the Assembly didn't have enough votes to pass it.
Now back to the issue at hand. It is unfair for the state to tax these products since they have already been taxed. Perhaps this law will have a stay or injunction put on it just like the bottle deposit law has now. This situation is a great example of the confusion, lack of communication, and irresponsibility that exists under the Democratic leadership in Albany.
To bruce krug (if that's your REAL name):
The budget is actually multiple bills, including one jreserved just for new revenue measures.
So AJR could have voted for all the spending (she did, btw) AND vote against the taxes (she went along with them).
It's worth noting that 16 Dems broke ranks with the downstate leaders and voted against parts or all of the bloated budget.
AJR and Darrel were not among them.
Hey, Bruce makes some sense on this one. But these folks, Addie and Darrell, have got to put up more of a fight. Someone has to have the sense to refuse to go along with 9% spending increases. Somebody has to have the nerve to fight with Shelly. Remember Bragman? You have to hope we've reached a point where if someone, or a small group, had the gonads to stand up to Crook Shelly, they would be joined by others. Is keeping ones job more important than doing what is right?
On another note. How the heck did the Watertown Times get on the Empire Zone "we don't pay taxes" list? I see they are threatended with removal. Danny would know this. How long have they been exempt from paying taxes and how did this happen in the first place?
The Constitution I learned about did not allow ex post facto laws.....But when the State is imposing a tax, who is to stop them from making it retroactive......The same thing was done with the recent cigarette tax...This state sucks, big time.
Too bad the condition to represent ones district is ruled by political parties. AJR has to be "loyal" to the party. Otherwise it's "primary time" Maybe someone from the "Tea Party" will run.
Leave AJR alone she did a great job at the parade.
What about loyalty to our kids?
Is Shawn Hennesie or Shelly Silver more important than the future of our children? So far, they have been, but that has to change. These parties have done nothing for us, nothing for NY, and nothing for the country. I have no understanding of people who worship at that altar. But there sure are a lot that see the world that way.
This is exactly what leadership is - making sure that the right thing is doen. The floor tax is not the excise tax. Addie get it. While the excise tax, a tax not increased for many years, was a necessary measure to balance the budget, the additional floor tax was a double tax and not really articulated in the budget bill. So she's doing what a legislator should and trying to get it repealed. Nothing here political, just what should be done.
Seriously, give credit where it is due and try not to politicize everything, IV. This time I think you have it wrong.
I like her boots. Did she get those from Eddie Kripke's?
Bruce, that's how budgets work in the corrupt Albany budget process. either you are loyal to the leaders or you are out on your A**. No extra perks in your pay. It is currently impossible to disagree with Silver, Smith or Patterson - they have their downstate constituents to take care and don't care about anyone else.
Lets say by some off chance she does get the tax repealed?? Will you eat your words, apologize and praise her for it? Also, doesn't this show that she is sticking up to Shelly Silver? I doubt he likes her bashing the tax regardless of the politics involved.
If she didn't want the tax she should have voted NO on it. It was a seperate bill then the budget. She voted yes. Now she wants to make out like the hero.
Actually it was in the budget....
It was not in a separate budget. Jeez, let's get our fact right before talking about this.
Vote to pass a bill with tiny pieces all through it - hold your nose and support or it or not!
Then go back and work for reelection by showing resolve to get pieces taken out of the same bill.
It's call politics and incumbent reelection strategy - how can anyone be surprised about that now?
[or the GOP doesn't do that, right]? LOL LOL
~ dmf
There is store on Ft. Drum where you can buy spirits without the tax.
There is more then one bill in the 2009 budget. She could have voted no on the bill that included the floor tax. Then he could have voted yes on the remained of the budget bills.
So if it was in the budget, and it was voted on and passed, why go back and repeal it??? I mean will there have to be another tax to take it's place?? If not will there be a cut in state spending?? I remember when Gov. Pataki vetoed several items in one budget, the senate and assembly overroad his veto, (and appeared like heroes) But then all sorts of new fees took their place.
Actually 9:11AM, that's how the budget process works in Albany, Lowville, and Watertown. There are parts you like and parts you don't, but in the end you vote on the budget as a whole. Just the same as when two of the three players were named Pataki and Bruno.
To those who are unhappy with this budget, well, yeah there's plenty to dislike but remember the Republican's alternative? It was one ammendment after the other to increase spending which means they would have had to increase taxes even more. But wait, we know they really wouldn't because their spending ammendments were just grandstanding for their favorite constituencies. This budget year was a year that could make no one particularly happy. We are in the greatest economic meltdown since the Great Depression and no way was this year's budget going to be popular. Back to the point. I believe Addie is sincere and doing her best to represent her district and PIV's comments were just partisan attacks when he knows as well as I do how budget votes go.
Bruce, that's why we HAD to make a move towards fiscal responsibility THIS year. That's why your leader, Thug Silver, had to confronted THIS year. We didn't have the time to waste. Instead, your boy Silver placated every special interest out there, and yes, the Republicans did little but stand there and point, lap dogs that they are. As far as that economic meltdown you correctly describe, we are LEADING that meltdown. Only a couple other states have been as irresponsible as we have been. We have to freeze spending. Now. We have to quit the partisanship, now. Chances of that happening. Zero. Screw the kids.
Sheldon rules.
9:55PM-So stop attacking Addie on this partisan blog if you're against partisanship...or is it only partisan when you say so?
Yes no more attacking AJR on this thread, You can't post on the other Democrat based thread, So it has to be somewhere. She's in way over her head.
Look, bottom line: incumbents, new or old will do, say, pay, try, lie, or imply anything to stay in office and/or convince you of their sincerity in their efforts to "... create jobs, reduce government, cut taxes, keep us safe, and do it for the children and grandchildren."
It's their nature - they can't help themselves - that should not shock anyone at this stage of the game.
Addie the Queen of self-promotion.
If she is going to be the queen of self promotion that YouTube video produced by Ted Ford is a joke.
She double talks about an issue she should have never voted for, it is not like this floor tax was a smaller portion of a better bill. It was part of the horrendous state budget bills. Then she claims it appears later, like it was not included in the bill she read.
If she is the queen of self promotion then her and Ted Ford are making a mockery of self promotion. Did you see their YouTube on the issue, what a joke.
She claims this tax came about later, like it was not included in the legislation she read. Bottom line - she should have voted no, it is not like this piece was included as a small part of legislation that was for the greater good. It was part of several horrendous budget bills.
Did you like the puppets behind Ass. Russell - Karen Delmonico, Mayor Graham, etc.
No Bruce, you gots me confused. I didn't attack Addie. I attack Silver and the forces that allow a crook like that to continue to ruin NY. Otherwise, I kind of half defended you.
But Silver is our problem. And if Addie has no nerve to fight him, then she has to go too. I don't think much of her selling us out on this budget, then making a move toward changing it. But she's new. I'll give her a chance. I feel the same way about Darrell. Give these people a chance.
But Sheldon Silver belongs in jail more than most of the inmates at Watertown Correctional Facility. He has done more harm to the state than any drug dealer. This is the guy we have to get out of office. I really don't care what political party he is in.
You forgot the other Puppet, King John. the labor union connection.
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