On November 7, voters in NY State should "flip it over". That's when you choose your candidates on the front side of your ballot and the three Amendments on the back,
Getting the two minor ones off my back are Prop #2 - - A proposal to allow courts to reduce or revoke the NY State pension of a public official convicted of a felony, when related to the performance of that person's duties at the time he/she was employed. Sorry, it does not go far enough because a retired firefighter convicted of bank robbery and murder can still keep their pension because banks are not related to saving lives. I say YES with reservations
#3 involves the modification of the State Constitution in forest preserve by setting aside 250 acres for towns and municipalities to encroach (translation: destroy) onto these forest preserves for a public health or safety purpose...when there is no other viable alternative. Sure, watch these towns gobble up the 250 acres for their pet projects - - I say NO.
Now onto Amendment #1, and this has far reaching effects for current and former NY State residents - - but also non-residents who work in NY State - - the Constitutional Convention or Con Con.
The Con Con comes up on the State ballot every 20 years and involves a three year process where, if passed, will have an election of delegates who represent it, in the November, 2018. They are paid $87,000 a year, can work as little as one day for the year (and still get that 87K), hire whoever they want as their staff, give everyone parking placards (great, more Placard Abuse), and make recommendations which will be put up in the 2019 ballot for voters to approve or reject. The last time voters approved the Con Con formation was in 1967. . . . and that didn't get far anyway as voters rejected the 1969 proposals recommended by the 1968 Con Con.
Now you might ask about the Con Con, why are unions against it? Sure, they want to protect their pensions (I am one, a proud union member). But I am also looking at from other perspectives....the Con Con on paper might sound good when it comes to making government work for New Yorkers. But the Con Con is also ripe for exorbitant abuse, a drain in the State's risky finances, and takes 2 years and 3 ballots to make them work. If passed, they will work on making changes to our State Constitution in 2019, how State government operates, including playing with our right to free education in the State's public school system - - or even the funding formula. Remember when the City University of New York system was free until tuition was imposed in 1976 in response to the 1975 NYC Fiscal Crisis? Do you want the Con Con delegates to play with your property taxes, your right to hold property in NY State and to be reimbursed under the State' Eminent Domain Law? Do you want them to abolish the Board of Regents? Do you want them to eliminate the right to free access to public health care?
Here is the .pdf document of the NY State Constitution and look closely what can be changed with the Con Con and what they can modify or eliminate:
1. Religious Liberty
2. writ of habeas corpus
3. Eminent Domain (the State has a right to take YOUR property only if you are fairly compensated). The Con Con can suggest eliminating the compensation part.
4. Divorce
5. Lottery and casinos
6. Absentee voting
7. Redistricting and changing the 3 branches (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial)
8. The courts, including Landlord/Tenant, Criminal, Civil and Family Courts
9. State debts - - including payments to State Universities
10. Water supply, sewage, and related taxes
11. Schools and school transportation
12. Housing and Hospice care
13. And a lot more to list
Do you really want the delegates of the Con Con to play with some of these tenets of the State Constitution? Want to pay a fee for taking your children to public school? Want to pay higher property and utility taxes? Want to be denied access to health care because the Con Con suggested to do away with requiring hospitals to care for the indigent? Want to find out why your property was taken without the state government paying you a reasonably appraised amount? Want to find out that you might have to serve on jury duty more often? Want to find out that your child's school bus has a farebox and you child must pay his/her "fare" in order to be transported to school? Want to find out the divorce and no-fault auto accident laws have changed? Want to find out that your utility bills have increased because of additional levies to pay for so-called "NYS Programs"? Want to find out that the Property Tax cap was eliminated? Want to find out that NY State will no longer provide any nursing home assistance? Geez, you might have to be forced to take your parents out of that nursing home and have them move into your residence.
Flip that page over and VOTE NO on Proposition #1. The other two propositions you can decide. But Prop #1 will affect your future, whether you are a NY State active or retired civil servant, a uniformed member or one who works in the private sector.
