By Joe Mahoney Daily News Albany Bureau Chief
Saturday, April 26th 2008, 4:00 AM
ALBANY - Motorists will soon have to pay more to drive the New York Thruway or cross the Tappan Zee Bridge under a toll hike plan approved Friday.
Ignoring the protests of Gov. Paterson, the Thruway Authority will raise tolls 5% in January and another 5% 12 months later.
E-ZPass customers' 18% discounts over cash payers will shrink to just 5% beginning June 29.
The cash toll to cross the Tappan Zee for passenger cars will jump from $4.50 to $5 beginning Jan. 1.
Assembly GOP Leader Jim Tedisco said such decisions should be made by lawmakers - not "a handful of unaccountable bureaucrats."
Tolls were supposed to be abolished in 1997 when they paid off their constructions bonds. Liars.
I was at a press conference with the governor yesterday. When asked what he was going to do about the toll hike his response was: “What can I do?”
I can’t wait until I can get out of this state and get away from the mamby pamby leadership. If the executives in this state government would spend less time in the sack and more doing their jobs, they wouldn’t have to shrug their shoulders when facing a challenge.
Sad really.
I bet half the tolls go to operating the government worker run collection system. Even with the E-Z government spy tags it’s an inefficient system. Unlike a gas tax there’s no extra cost for driving a gas guzzler. The cost per mile is the same.
Judge Acquits Detectives in 50-Shot Killing of Bell
The Constitution of New York : April 20, 1777
XL. And whereas it is of the utmost importance to the safety of every State that it should always be in a condition of defence; and it is the duty of every man who enjoys the protection of society to be prepared and willing to defend it; this convention therefore, in the name and by the authority of the good people of this State, doth ordain, determine, and declare that the militia of this State, at all times hereafter, as well in peace as in war, shall be armed and disciplined, and in readiness for service. That all such of the inhabitants of this State being of the people called Quakers as, from scruples of conscience, may be averse to the bearing of arms, be therefrom excused by the legislature; and do pay to the State such sums of money, in lieu of their personal service, as the same; may, in the judgment of the legislature, be worth.(12) And that a proper magazine of warlike stores, proportionate to the number of inhabitants, be, forever hereafter, at the expense of this State, and by acts of the legislature, established, maintained, and continued in every county in this State.
States Without Specific Constitutional Provisions:
Only six states fail to enumerate a Right to Keep and Bear Arms Clause. Of these states, Iowa and New Jersey have a general "defending life and liberty" clause for self-protection.
BILL OF RIGHTS OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York Insane Asylum ping list.
This is a battle I have been leading the charge on for 2 years. We are closer to eliminating my tolls than ever before. Now politicos are calling for the abolition of the Thruway Authority, which I will take advantage of for all of us.
Have you signed the petition? Sign it now at
http://nogitolls.com/
http://albanysinsanity.wnymedia.net/?cat=26
Mark
Nothing like the salaries and benefits of working for the Authority. Why bother to get a skill when you can just get a connected buddy to get you a job collecting tolls from the sheep.
http://freenewyork.org/articles/articles/thruway.pdf
Buono and Fleischer are both Republican RINO lites appointed by Pataki.
Goes to show that bureacrazis hold no allegiance except to the bureacrazy they work to maintain and expand.
Scary...