The IDA Reform bill, which passed in the state Senate earlier this month, was called “the worst bill I’ve ever seen,” by Erie County Executive Chris Collins.

For those of you unfamiliar with thi bill, amongst other things, it would require prevailing wages to be paid on projects financed by public industrial-development agencies (IDAs). For those who need help with the math, that would obviously increase the cost of construction significantly.

Collins cited a recent report by the state Economic Development Council that said union-wage requirements would increase labor costs for upstate construction projects by 57 percent. A study by the Rochester-based Center for Governmental Research found that prevailing-wage mandates would tack on an average of 28 percent to upstate projects, he said.

As someone in the field of architecture, this legislation directly affects me. Increases in construction costs only make this area less attractive to potential developers. Sam Hoyt and Senator Antoine Thompson, lead sponsors of the bill, ought to be thinking about the companies that will build elsewhere for less money and the jobs that will be lost because of this bill, and not so much about the unions they feel beholden to.

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Senator Schumer was in town earlier this week, salivaning over the oppurtunity to put the auto industry under the control of the federal government… though he called it “oversight,” it actually looks and smells an awful lot like socialism.

The proposition of a bailout of the auto industry isn’t really about bailing the industry as it is about bailing out the autoworkers unions. With above market wages and ridiculous benefits packages, they drive up the costs of assembling cars the same way union contractors drive up the costs up construction.

The Buffalo News looks at the options:

If the government doesn’t bail out GM, the cash-strapped company will likely be forced into bankruptcy. Many experts say that this would prompt a cascading collapse that would deeply damage parts suppliers, dealers and other automakers - adding millions to the unemployment rolls.

But others argue that a government bailout of the American auto industry would amount to throwing good money after bad and that bankruptcy is GM’s best option.

“Spending billions of additional federal tax dollars with no promises to reform the root causes crippling automakers’ competitiveness around the world is neither fair to taxpayers nor sound fiscal policy,” House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, said Thursday.

The debate over a proposed $25 billion bailout of America’s Big Three automakers is likely to culminate next week, when Congress tackles the issue in a special session.

Of all the bailouts the federal government has considered in these troubled times, this one cuts especially close to home. GM employs 1,389 at its Tonawanda Engine Plant, part of a grand total of 8,200 Western New Yorkers who work for the Big Three or their suppliers.

Add to that countless GM retirees, and it’s clear that the Buffalo-area economy would suffer deeply if GM were to fail.

And I am not interested in taxpayers bailing out the unions. Let them fail. The unions need a reality check, and bankruptcy is the best option in the long term. It might be tough in the short term, especially for WNY, but we to think of long term solvency, not a quick fix that will only empower the government and the unions… that doesn’t solve a thing.

Meanwhile, labor union officials worry that if GM or another automaker were to go bankrupt, it would give a judge freedom to nullify labor contracts, creating more doubt for workers and retirees.

“We already experienced this with Delphi,” said Kevin Donovan, assistant director of UAW Region 9. “We don’t want to experience it with GM or Ford or Chrysler.”

Yet to critics of the Big Three, the shredding of union contracts would be one of the advantages of a GM bankruptcy. “Private equity or strategic investors would buy the assets, shut down some plants, fire some union and exempt workers, and probably use the leverage of Bankruptcy Court to get a better deal from the unions,” conservative blogger Jim Manzi wrote on the National Review’s Web site Thursday.

In contrast, “a bailout of GM would be a pure exercise of political power to deliver taxpayer funds to one organized group of citizens at the expense of the country as a whole,” Manzi wrote. “It should be avoided.”

On Capitol Hill, grave doubts have been expressed about an auto bailout.

“I have automobile plants in my district. They pay $25 to $35 per employee per hour,” said Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee. “I am sure that I am going to be asked, ‘Congressman, I work at Honda or Mercedes, I make $40 an hour; why are you going to take my taxpayer dollars and pay it to a company who pays their employees $75 an hour?’

Bailing out the auto industry sends the wrong message to the unions. It tells them they can just continue doing business as usual because the taxpayers can just pull them out of the hole the unions dug themselves into.

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It is nice to know that some people are fighting for the taxpayers and not kowtowing to the unions.

Honoring a campaign pledge, Erie County Executive Chris Collins suspended the controversial, union-friendly apprenticeship law that business leaders felt unnecessarily drove up the cost of county-financed public works construction projects.

The Erie County Legislature enacted the apprenticeship law two years ago, despite concerns raised by the business community that the law favored unions, limited those who could bid on projects and, effectively, increased construction costs for the cash-starved county.

The law mandated any firm that bid on a county construction project had to have an approved apprenticeship and training program.

“It was the most anti-business, anti-taxpayer law in the county,” Collins said.

To suspend the law, Collins on July 21 submitted a new set of rules and regulations that withdrew the apprenticeship requirement to the Erie County Legislature. The Legislature’s majority had 60 days to block the new set of rules, but failed to do so.

“We did this in the open,” Collins said. “This has been in the light of the day for the past 60 days. We did not try to sneak it past anyone.”

Last summer, then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer also suspended apprenticeship requirements for all state projects.

Erie County Legislator Michael Ranzenhofer, R-Clarence, said the apprenticeship law drove up construction costs between 20 percent and 30 percent.

“It was so un-American and so unfair,” he said. “There will be no more special treatments.”

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There’s certainly a lot to talk about following the results of Tuesday night’s primary. I’m only going to talk about two things.

First, Sam Hoyt. Are you freaking kidding me!?!? Really, are you freaking kidding me?

Okay, now, I’ve got to talk about NY-26.

Alice Kryzan won. Jon Powers lost.

Rochester Turning asks what happened? I’m gonna give my thoughts and answer the question.

Anyone would agree this campaign was Jon Powers’ to lose, and he lost it big time. He had the support of local party leaders. He had the support of the unions. He had the support of the netroots and the Democrat establishment in Washington. He should have won easily.

But, instead, Jon Powers got sucked into a brutal battle with Jack Davis. They hit each other constantly with negatives ads, leaving Alice Kryzan on the sidelines. Powers and Davis thought the race was between the two them. To a degree that is still true.

I don’t think Alice Kryzan won as much as Jon Powers (and I suppose Jack Davis) lost.

Alice Kryzan did run an incredibly effective ad. Personally, I thought she ran it too late in the campaign to move the race enough in her favor to win. One cannot ignore the significance of the Democrats of NY-26 rejecting the candidate their party leaders chose for them. They not only rejected the recommendation of their party leaders, but they rejected the netroots candidate. Powers touted his so-called grassroots campaign… but clearly it helps to have a grassroots campaign in your own district and not in Washington D.C. and everyone else but your own district.

Politico notes that the Democrat establishment had banked on Powers winning, and Kryzan’s upset victory certainly casts more doubt on the Democrats being able to win the seat.

But, there’s a potential wrench to be thrown in this race by Jon Powers. He did receive the endorsement of the Working Families Party, and is guaranteed a spot on the ballot in November on the Working Families Party line.

The question is, will he continue his campaign until November or not?

According to Monroe Rising, Jon Powers refused to concede, even when the outcome of the race was pretty much settled. What does that mean? We’ll have to wait and see. As of this post, Chris Lee has issued a congratulatory statement to Alice Kryzan. Lee said, “I want to congratulate Alice Kryzan on succeeding in the Democratic primary and invite Alice to join me in discussing the real issues that are important to Western New York.”

Alice Kryzan has emailed her supporters with her declaration of victory. “I am honored that the Democrats of this District have chosen me to represent them in the upcoming general election to be their next representative in Congress.”

I didn’t expect to hear from Davis, but the silence from Jon Powers is deafening. I suspect he is, at this very moment, deciding whether to pack it in, or to fight on as the Working Families Party candidate.

The news of Kryzan’s upset victory has caught some national attention from Politico:

Without their favored candidate, Democrats are a little more circumspect of their chances of picking up this Rochester and Buffalo-area district in November. Even though New York has become a reliable Democratic stronghold, this is one of the most solid GOP districts in the Empire State, giving President Bush 55 percent of the vote in 2004. 

Well, it’s past 1:00 AM and I have to go to work in the morning, so I’ll post this now and give more thoughts on the results of this race and a number of others…I assume I’ll also get to react to Powers’ decision to either continue his campaign  on the WFP line or to start looking for a new job.

In any case, congrats to Alice Kryzan. She’s going to lose in November, but I can’t help appreciating the upset victory she achieved tonight.

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…according to left-wing blog, Rochester Turning.

Something unfortunate has happened: the two Democratic frontrunners to be the candidate for the 26th congressional district (Jon Powers and Jack Davis) have succeeded in beating up each other rather than beating up the Republican candidate, Chris Lee. I am afraid- and this is my own personal opinion, so take it for what it’s worth- that the primary campaign has gotten so negative, that neither of them will be able to win the district this November.

You know, Democrats like to say they’re the ones who want to talk about issues. Well, the Democrats of this race have dominated this election, not with issues, but with attacks.  It doesn’t matter who started it. They both continued it.  And now, i’ve heard, Alice Kryzan has decided to jump into the fray and attack her opponents, quite directly, with a new ad.

When a member of the liberal netroots is willing to concede that the Democrats chances to take the 26th district are lost, then I think that says a lot.

So, while the Democrats in the race put personal attacks before the issues, I call on my liberal blogger friends to put party loyalty aside and give a serious look at Chris Lee. Look at his experience. Look at his vision. If you can put the country and the 26th district before your party, you will see that Chris Lee is the right person to send to Congress.

The race for the 26th district doesn’t have to be about party loyalty. It should be about sending the right person to Congress. I’m new to Western New York. I came from a state that is being crippled by loyalty to a party that has driven out the population and businesses. I left a state of increased taxes, not increased opportunity. I’ve come to a state being crippled by overregulation, high taxes, a corrupt political establishment. and ridiculously powerful unions.

Jon Powers isn’t going to put the district before party loyalty. He’s got the endorsement of local Democrat party leaders and the unions that have been a part of the problem. He’s already got the support of the Democrats in Washington, salivating over the idea of a new yes-man to join their ranks.

Jack Davis is as bad a Democrat as he was a Republican. He sees this race as being about him. He truly is his own special interest.  But, the attacks he’s engaged in with Jon Powers, and now Alice Kryzan, have shown that personal ambition trumps the issues and concerns of the voters.

I may be new to the area, but I see there is hope for Western New York. Just as Chris Collins has been able deliver real reform as Eric Country Executive, Chris Lee can deliver real reform in Congress. 

If all is lost for the Democrats in NY-26, it’s time to get on board with Chris Lee.

UPDATE: Here’s Alice Kryzan’s latest ad.

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I’ve listened to the debate between Jon Powers and Alice Kryzan on The Hardline with Kevin Hardwick on WBEN. Jack Davis, of course, was not present.

i didn’t get to listen to the original broadcast, but i listen to the entire audio of the debate. Buffalo Pundit posted his quick impressions Sunday, which were full of gushing praise for Powers and how he handled the questions he was asked. 

Well, I don’t know what interview he was listening to, but after I listened to it, I heard a much different Jon Powers than Buffalo Pundit did.

For starters, Jon Powers absolutely fumbled on War Kids Relief. He kept sticking to the same old script and talking points he’s used over an over, but when he was forced to answer a direct question he couldn’t make a clear answer. Buffalo Pundit, to his credit, did acknowledge this.

Powers kept claiming that the only money he received from War Kids Relief was the $!5,000 noted on the Form 990, but he made no mention of the money he recieved for his work with War Kids Relief when it was it was a project of Veterans for America. By failing to acknowledge that money he received he was being deliberately disingenuous.

Alice Kryzan, who has largely stayed out of the fighting between Powers and Davis, said she “still has questions” about the War Kids Relief issue, and said many in the district she’s spoken with still do.

What really got me about Powers performance was his hesitation to take any specific stance on an issue he was asked a direct question about. The long pauses and mumbling really stuck out. Powers hesitated on whether or not he supported federal funds to pay for abortions… but ultimately decided he did support it after being pressed to give an answer.

Kryzan said she opposesd a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage.. Powers ducked the question by saying it was a state issue.

Both oppose free trade, just like Jack Davis.

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Bowing to pressure from the unions, the New York State Assembly approved a tax hike on millionaires in lieu of a property tax cap. New York’s teacher union has been relentless in fighting the proposed tax cap.

Robert Harding over at  The Albany Project noted liberal groups were pretty psyched by the news. Unfortunately, a tax hike on millionaires doesn’t “address the issue of high property taxes” as Harding suggests. Instead of addressing high property taxes, it shifts the burden of paying those taxes to the wealthy. If such a bill were to be signed by the governor, it would certainly dissuade wealthy people (business owners who employ people) from coming to the state, and encourage those that are here to leave.

Instead of raising taxes, the state needs to be more efficient and responsible with our money. High taxes drive people out and hurt businesses. Union bullying can’t blind people to the truth.

UPDATE, 8/20/08, 4:01 PM: The left-wing pro-union “Working Families” Party sent out an email moments ago, declaring victory in the Assembly, 

Over the last few months, the WFP and its allies have pushed for a new approach to the property tax crisis. With the help of over 15,000 calls and emails from supporters like you, we got the message to Albany that New York needs real tax solutions.

It worked. In a rare bi-partisan vote, the State Assembly rejected the ‘tax cap’ gimmick and instead passed a groundbreaking bill that would give immediate property tax relief to working families without threatening our schools.

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You know the governor must be doing something right when the unions aren’t happy.

Gov. David Paterson, warning of deteriorating state tax revenues, ordered a “soft freeze” on hiring yesterday and directed state commissioners to come up with “serious, achievable and recurring” budget savings by May 16.

Paterson issued the order just hours after he declared that he’s likely to run for a full term as governor in 2010.

“Only job openings absolutely essential to your agency’s operations and protecting the health and safety of New Yorkers are to be filled,” Paterson told the heads of all state agencies.

Paterson warned of a “hard hiring freeze” - blocking all new hires - if commissioners fail to cut spending.

The limited hiring freeze will likely affect only a few hundred jobs, officials said.

Paterson required a detailed savings plan from each agency by May 16.

Paterson’s call shocked the state’s largest public employees union, which had planned on increases in hiring as part of the state budget approved earlier this month.

“We did not have any forewarning of this,” said Civil Service Employees Association union spokesman Stephen Madarasz. “We’re extremely disappointed there was no discussion of this direction.”

He warned that Paterson’s plan could be counterproductive, saying that adding enforcement jobs could bring in more revenue from fines than the cost of the positions.

So, this so-called “hiring freeze” would only halt the hiring of non-essential positions… considering the fact that our taxes are paying the salaries of these hires, I would hope that all the positions that are filled all the time are essential, and not redundant.

Madarasz can’t claim that this was totally unexpected either.. Talk of a hiring freeze of state workers has been discussed for quite some time. Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, proposed a hiring freeze last month. Paterson may not have been on board at the time, but that doesn’t mean the idea wasn’t on the table.

Madarasz has to stop thinking about the best interests of the unions and think about the best interests of the taxpayers. If we’re paying the salaries of these new hires they damn well better be essential.

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