For Immediate Release 2-20-07
Rus Thompson
http://www.nogitolls.com
The Bell tolls for the Tolls~Thruway Authority Exposed
http://albanysinsanity.com/?p=1091
Bell tolls for the Tolls~Thruway Authority Exposed
Read the whole FOIL Report
http://www.nogitolls.com/Foil.html
For years and years the people of Western New York have been asking and demanding the tolls be removed from the thruway, the 190 and the Grand Island Bridges. For years the politicians in Albany have told us that the Thruway Authority needs the toll money for the upkeep and maintenance of the roads and bridges.
Truth be told, much more of the toll dollars goes to the employment of the staffing, senior executive compensation ranging from $115,000.00 to $164,000.00. Tollbooth managers receive about $68,000.00 a year and toll takers receive approximately $20.00 per hour. Fringe benefits total 36.75% of their salary. Benefits include a very liberal health insurance plan, vision care, dental insurance, free EZ Pass for life, 401k, long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts,a tuition assistance program that pays 90% of the tuition, life insurance and more.
Even when Governor Pataki proposed legislation to establish the New York State Canal Corporation as a separate and independent entity from the Thruway Authority, saving the toll payers of Western New York $110 Million, still nothing changes.
Last year when the tolls came down in Buffalo we all praised the Albany politicians as the Republicans stepped up to take 14 Million from their pork accounts to pay the Thruway Authority for revenuse lost. Assemblyman Hoyt made a deal giving back a section of downstate thruway back to the NYSDOT, which would save the thruway Authority the 14 Million in lost revenue.
All this only came from pressure applied to our legislators from a lawsuit filed by Joel Giambra, Carl Paladino and Mike Powers. Then and only then were the tolls taken down. I do not even think the lawsuit was necessary, but they had that on their side. I think that when this information got out about this FOIL, which would have been an embarrassment enough to remove the tolls from New York State, not just Western New York.
A job that should only be worth 8 to 10 dollars an hour we now find out pays double that with benefits the regular working man and woman in this state will never see. This should be an outrage to every working person in this state. For an unelected Authority to be able to bury this state in debt while paying for the lavish life time of yet more government workers is appalling. Par for the course, but appalling by rational standards.
How many millions of dollars do we already receive from the Federal Government in Highway funds that are sent into the general fund in Albany, or how many millions have we forfeited because this state chooses to have taxpayers and commuters pay the tolls in this state.
I formerly request the Governor to remove the tolls at the Grand Island Bridges to relieve the commuters and residents of Grand Island of this commuter tax. I also ask the Attorney General and the Comptroller to investigate this critical issue.
Rus Thompson
Applause!