Save money and people with Shared Work

From the 01 June 2009 Greater Niagara Newspapers

SAVE MONEY AND PEOPLE WITH SHARED WORK
By Bob Confer

Throughout this recession employers have been looking for any way possible to cut costs and stay afloat as their sales tank and their profits go with them. Typically, the first thing to go is the workforce. We’ve seen this in plenty with the unemployment rate climbing near 9 percent nationally and 11 percent locally.

Cutting a company’s employment is a double-edged sword. The business can save plenty of money by doing so, but it ends up creating a great deal of problems in that company, our economy, and our homes.

Any time that a company lets people go during a slow period – be it a recession or a slowdown specific to that business or industry – the short term savings can easily evaporate over the long term. When things pick back up the company will have to replenish its troops. If their one-time employees, unable to hold out on the unemployment rolls any longer, went on to find new jobs, which is the case more often than not, the company would be forced to replace them with new workers. That is a costly endeavor because the managers will have to weed through resumes, conduct interviews, train new hires, and, in many cases, hire and fire until they’ve found the right people. Those efforts can quickly add up to the thousands of dollars in direct and indirect costs.

Singularly, a lay-off can hurt a company in the long run. Collectively, it hurts all of us immediately. Only a few months into an economic downturn it seems that a vast majority of companies start to lay-off their workers. When you have hundreds of thousands of businesses doing this, from small mom-and-pops to gigantic corporations, the ranks of the unemployed rise dramatically. Since the start of the recession over 5.7 million people have become jobless and no longer have the income available to spend on discretionary goods, leisure, and, most unfortunately, the basic needs of food, clothing, and housing. In essence, the lay-offs may, at the micro level, help save the day, but at the macro level they remove active participants from the marketplace which in turn sets off a domino effect that only prolongs the downturn.

But, lay-offs are more than dollars and cents. There’s a human side to them as well. Every individual who is let go was a breadwinner for his or her family. He helped put a roof over their heads. She helped put food on the table. He put away for their retirement. She saved for their kids’ college educations. You take away their income, even if it’s just one out of a two-income household, and that family is hurt. Their quality of life is lessened and their plans for the future become questionable. It’s stressful and painful, something you wouldn’t want to put your worst enemy through. Many employers understand this and letting someone go remains at the top of the list of the things that affect them the most in the workings of their job.

So, how does a businessperson go about beating the recession and saving labor expenses without assuming the countless negatives that come with casting-away a valued employee?

I strongly suggest that before they pull the termination trigger they first give New York’s Shared Work Program a try. My company participated in the program for 5 months that began in the Fall. I’m glad I did so. And, so are my coworkers. We all won.


This inventive program allows a business to cut back on its employees’ hours and wages by 20 to 60 percent (typically 1 to 3 workdays). The affected worker then collects his paycheck and receives an unemployment check from the State for the days he did not work (but normally would have) during that week. The company can be in the Shared Work program for a period of 53 weeks. Normally, during the 53 week period an employee can collect up to 20 weeks (5 months) of Shared Work benefits. Thanks to the Federal Extended Benefits Plan workers are now eligible for an extra 20 weeks in that period, meaning that a cost-conscious company could stay leaner and meaner for ten months out of the year.

The primary goal of the program is that it exists in lieu of an equal percentage of full layoffs. Therefore, rather than eliminating 20 percent of the workforce the employer instead cuts back on everyone’s workweek by that same percentage. By doing so, the company saves money and everyone remains employed. With only a slight and temporary decrease in income they all remain active in our economy and their households remain relatively vibrant.

The State’s tagline for Shared Work is “the layoff alternative”. And, what a great alternative it is…it saves money and people!

New York's Green landscape

From the 25 May 2009 Greater Niagara Newspapers

NEW YORK’S GREEN LANDSCAPE
By Bob Confer

Governor David Paterson paid a visit to the National Solar Conference that was held in Buffalo two weeks ago. It was the perfect venue for him to once again tout his goal – and, by association, our goal – of 45 by 15. Paterson spoke of the vision that he shares with his cohorts in New York’s various agencies and authorities in which the Empire State would by 2015 meet 45 percent of its electrical demand with clean renewable energy.

Achieving the goal in the next 6 years is totally impossible. Truthfully, 2025 is probably more realistic because we need to see some serious advances in technological efficiencies. Nevertheless, 6 or 16 years from now, New York won’t look the same. Wind and solar farms will dominate the scenery. You need to prepare yourself for that because, by today’s standards, tomorrow’s New York will look completely foreign if not alien.

It’s all because we New Yorkers are huge consumers of energy. Last year we used an average of 16.44 gigawatts of electricity. Even though people have been leaving the state in droves, demand grows every year. As a matter of fact, by that magical 2015 date demand will be 11% higher than it is today. You can chalk that up to our ever-growing love affair with all things electronic.

Simple math shows that NY will be an 18.25 GW behemoth in six years. In order to satisfy Paterson’s goal we’ll need to produce 8.22 GW of renewable energy. 2.5 GW of that is already accounted for (over 80 percent of which is produced at hydro plants in Niagara Falls and Massena). So, we need to produce “only” 5.71 GW of new, clean energy.

That will never be achieved through hydroelectric plants. The chances of seeing any new ones are slim to none...they are the bane of environmentalists everywhere. That means that all the electricity will have to come from solar and wind farms and plenty of them.

How many, you ask?

Let’s start with solar energy. Home improvement and green-friendly cable television shows would have us believe that solar systems are affordable options for the average home or business. That’s far from the truth. Granted, they may become affordable in a few years as technologies improve, driving down costs, but right now they are cost prohibitive. As an example, I was looking into a solar system for my warehouse in Wheatfield. The cost was going to be $340,200, which quickly turned me off considering it would have met only 8 percent of our demand which, in that building, is only for lights and heat. The return on investment would have been 2 decades.

Since the average person will not or cannot buy solar panels for home or business, solar farms will spring up across the state funded by a combination of private and public dollars (the latter, ironically, is your money being spent on solar energy anyways). Solar projects quite similar to the one NYPA plans to build at the University at Buffalo will become the norm. That sprawling system will feature 5,000 panels and cover 5 acres of land yet it will produce only 1 MW at full capacity. The Power Authority’s ultimate goal is 150 MW of solar energy though a public/private partnership, equating to more than 150 of these across New York.

With solar energy essentially minimized by the State and the people, the remainder, some 5.56 GW of power, will have to come from wind energy. Windmills, like solar panels, are little too expensive for the average business or resident, but it’s nothing for investors to see benefit in them, hence the wind farms cropping up, or being applied for, all over the state. Commercial windmills can vary in theoretical output from a third of a MW to just over 3 MW. Due to a variety of factors like wind and the laws of science, most windmills will see efficiency of no better than 20 to 40 percent. Therefore, your “typical” windmill, like the 1.5 MW windmills you see in Wyoming County, can only produce an average of 500 kilowatts (half of a megawatt). In order to meet the state’s wishes, 11,000 windmills using today’s technology would need to be built across the state. There are 75 in the town of Sheldon. Just imagine another 150 wind farms of that size.

I’ve heard a mix of opinions about our changing landscape. I know people who find the windmills and their dancing blades to be soothing and attractive. I also know others who find solace in solar and wind projects and their positive impact on the environment. Yet, I know just as many who consider them to be eyesores and even detrimental to the environment. Like everything associated with the Green Movement, beauty, truth and acceptance are in the eyes of the beholder.

The UN and the Law of the Sea

From the 18 May 2009 Greater Niagara Newspapers

THE UN AND THE LAW OF THE SEA
By Bob Confer

Earlier this month one-time presidential candidate and influential senator John Kerry announced to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the very committee that he chairs, that one of his goals for 2009 is getting the United States to sign on to the United Nation’s Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST).

LOST was first introduced by the UN in 1982 and since then 157 nations have joined the pact. The treaty gives the UN oversight of the open seas which account for over 70 percent of the world’s surface. Under ratification, the affected nations are at the mercy of the UN when it comes to economic development, environmental issues and commercial, recreational and naval navigation on the oceans.

To those who live in fear of Somali pirates or melting polar ice caps there may be some comfort in that. But, LOST is more horrific than it sounds; it is a monster, one of nautical omnipotence. The treaty features some pretty powerful language and there is one little three-letter word (“all”) that makes the greatest impact. It is used throughout the document as the UN claims that it has the right to regulate all activities on all ocean space, which includes everything on, under, and above the water.

That means that were the US to sign on, we’d be giving-up our sovereignty, becoming subjects of the UN, which is not something in our best interests. No longer could our navy freely sail the oceans. It would first need authorization from an external higher power that is neither our Congress nor our Commander-In-Chief. The same would hold true for our private fleets: By ratifying the treaty we would allow ourselves to be regulated and taxed by a non-representative entity, as the UN would be able to dictate what US commercial activity is allowed on the seas, and at the same time, reap tax revenues from that activity.

Not only would our sovereignty be cast aside abroad, it would also take a serious hit right here on the home front. Under LOST, the United States would have to give up the rights to our territorial waters, a border so very important to our national defense and well-being. What we can and cannot do in that region would be dictated solely by the UN. On top of that, the treaty’s power over everything that affects the oceans would allow the UN to manage all the waters that flow into seas, be it the St. Lawrence, the Mississippi or the run-off from a coastal home or farm. Yes, we would give up our rights not just on the water, but on land as well!

Despite the significant flaws with LOST it’s foreseeable that Senator Kerry will make his agenda come to fruition this year because he has an alliance of like-minded, globalism-loving individuals on his side. In past attempts to force the United States into the agreement the lone hurdle has always been the small-government, anti-UN conservatives who were able to force a procedural impasse. But, now that the Democrats control the Senate it’s a different story. It would take only 67 votes to ratify the treaty and, if partisanship held true, Kerry would need to bring only 8 Republicans over to his side. Looking at all the various supporters of LOST that will be an easy task: Joining Kerry in his cause are President Barack Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, seven coastal governors and that bastion of Republican cronyism, the US Chamber of Commerce.

It’s disheartening to see such a list of influential people and organizations behind LOST, knowing full well that the treaty will eliminate plenty of our rights and a good amount of American power. It makes you wonder what they’re thinking. Why would they want our naval superiority to become a thing of the past? Why would they want our border waters to be under the control of a multinational organization? Why would they want to stifle commercial trade and fishing? Whose side are they on, that of the US or the UN?

With questions like that, it’s important that you call and write your US senator and even those senators who don’t count you as a constituent. Let them know that you won’t stand for the reckless giveaway of our rights, rights that millions of men and women have fought and died for. Remember, active public uproar worked with the border issue a couple years ago. So, there’s no reason why it couldn’t help prevent our involvement in LOST.

The significance of Scouting

From the 11 May 2009 Greater Niagara Newspapers

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SCOUTING
By Bob Confer

What do Gerald Ford, Neil Armstrong, Walter Cronkite, and William DeVries have in common?

All of them were members of the Boy Scouts of America who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and went on to do great things.

That begs the question: Would they have contributed to society as much as they did were they not scouts? Would they have led our nation, walked on the moon, spoke to a people, or transplanted hearts? Maybe. Maybe not.

What can be said with some certainty, though, is that the BSA had a significant impact on their lives and is partially responsible for what drove them to greatness. It taught them the values of community, work ethic and leadership which cannot be found in our schools or in many homes. It has done the same for millions of young men since its inception in 1910, inspiring, if not creating, yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s leaders.

The Scouting program is just as important now as it was nearly a century ago. It could even be argued that it might have greater significance today. It’s the perfect outlet for today’s youth and it can help them overcome some of the obstacles in their paths. There’s a lot missing in their lives: Their outdoor pursuits have taken a back seat to new-fangled electronics, they don’t share the same bond with their real-world communities that they do with their trivial Internet communities, their schools have totally lost sight of civic education, and they struggle to find continuity in broken homes which, sadly, have become the norm.

The BSA addresses all those issues and then some. Camping and other outdoor activities are the cornerstone of the Scouting program, using the struggles and successes of pastoral adventure as a source of experiential learning, teaching the boys a wide variety of skills accompanied by a powerful mix of leadership, teamwork, self-reliance and self-confidence. Scouting also gets them out and about in their towns and villages, fostering a sense of community pride and a desire to help make better the world around them. It is all of this - in combination with the guidance provided by peers and scoutmasters - that can give today’s youth the support needed to survive a broken home or beat a broken community.

Not only does this help the boy, it also helps the parent. Many mothers and fathers struggle to help their son find his voice, his calling, in any number of activities, be they sports, bands or other extracurricular activities. Quite often these families find themselves with a void, unable to satisfy their desire to better their sons. Scouting is the one-stop source that can alleviate that stress. It combines the best of everything else into an all-encompassing program, one guaranteed to keep a boy’s attention and interest and one destined to make him a better man. For today’s busy parents, it’s a convenient option for those who feel spread thin: It’s one meeting a week, one campout a month, and one week-long trip a year. That small investment of time can create a lifetime of memories and, more importantly, a lifetime of success. Scouting accounts for better students, better citizens, and a better America by instilling timeless values and character into young men.

Take it from someone who was a Boy Scout and who himself achieved the rank of Eagle. I know I would not be the man I am now had it not been for Scouting. I never would have been a columnist or activist without its inspiring ways. Secondary schools and colleges spend so little time on civic and community responsibility that to most folks it’s an afterthought. Scouting’s lessons more than made up for that and created the drive behind these columns, not to mention the values that I apply in my day-to-day decisions. The BSA was so important to me that I place its importance on my upbringing second behind my family and far ahead of schooling at a distant third. It’s that significant.

It can have that same effect on your son, too. I strongly suggest that he give it a try. Visit www.scouting.org to find a local scout council near you that can assist in finding a troop in your hometown. Joining the Boy Scouts of America is a decision you – and your son - won’t regret.

Coyotes, pirates and the Constitution

From the 04 May 2009: Greater Niagara Newspapers

COYOTES, PIRATES AND THE CONSTITUTION
By Bob Confer

The Walt Disney Effect has been out in full force lately.

Thanks to the plethora of movies that show animals having anthropomorphic tendencies – that is, they talk and act like humans – people tend to think even the wildest of beasts are cute and cuddly and just dying to be friendly with Mankind. The thing is, they’re not. As we’ve seen with the recent close encounters with foxes and coyotes (some of which were purposeful thanks to the Effect), wild animals are, well, wild and they’ll attack. They really don’t like us at all.

That same dangerous Walt Disney Effect can be seen on the Seven Seas. Over the past decade or so piracy has become extremely popular in the waters off the Somali and Nigerian coasts. This increase in nautical crime has been reported in the press throughout the world but indifference has been cast its way (especially in the United States) because our society is guilty of giving these animals some anthropomorphic traits of their own. Hollywood has always granted pirates a respectable air and many of the on-screen scoundrels – like Walt Disney’s Jack Sparrow, for one – are downright likeable. Reality is anything but. Much like the aforementioned wild canines, they are bloodthirsty curs who you would not want to count as your friends. They are carnivores of the open seas and they should be treated as such.

But, they haven’t been. Very few Americans raised an eyebrow about piracy until one of their own, Captain Richard Phillips, was captured by and subsequently rescued from a band of Somali water thugs. Because of the crisis finally hitting home, we’ve all come to the conclusion that pirates are a real threat.

So, what do we do about it? How do we prevent future attacks? How do we ensure that we never see a hostage situation again? How do we guarantee that no innocent mariners die?

We could follow the same tactic that was used on the troublesome urban coyote and its friends. It was killed by the police and efforts are in place to institute a nuisance control plan that will rid the area of others.

Yes, I’ve just called for the spilling of pirate blood…if not the capture of the animals.

It doesn’t make sense, though, to put naval fleets into waters the world over. We didn’t put a policeman or game control officer at every corner to catch the coyote. It’s impractical, it’s costly and, above all, it’s not the best thing for community relations. Just as a good many citizens feel threatened by a heightened police presence in their neighborhood, so do other countries when they see increased military activity in their neighboring waters. The US and Russia have both contributed naval craft to policing the seas, much to the chagrin of others.

It makes the most sense to empower the private craft to protect themselves. Not only is it the most cost-effective and diplomatically-friendly method, but it’s the one most befitting the situation. These craft are the ones coming into contact with the pirates and they are the ones who must fight for survival. Survival is a natural right and, believe it or not, having armed sailors is our Constitutional right.

It’s a little-known fact that the US Constitution allows Congress to essentially deputize private individuals to protect American interests on international waters. Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution says, “The Congress shall have power… To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water…” It is those letters, contracts of sort, which would authorize a seafarer to take the law into his own hands and engage the pirates in gun play when threatened. Without such legal authorization, the mariner – who was trying to protect the safety of crew and cargo – could theoretically be looked at as a pirate under international law.

Letters of marque and reprisal are long overdue. They have been used only once since the War of 1812 (by the submarine hunter the Resolute during World War II). It’s a little dumbfounding that shippers haven’t been granted their right sooner. Most of these boats have navigated into pirate-laden waters without the weaponry necessary to protect themselves. That means that every minute of every day is a gamble for them. If Congress signed-off on their ability to act in a defensive/offensive manner the gamble would be gone. The first cargo ship that stops a potential takeover by blasting at pirate craft with 7.62 mm machine guns and short range explosives will make a statement that will resonate throughout the African shores: Private boats will no longer be easy prey of those animals.

That’s how you stop piracy. Sometimes, a bullet is the only way to handle a pest.

Tax Freedom Day

From the 27 April 2009 Greater Niagara Newspapers

TAX FREEDOM DAY
By Bob Confer

Last Saturday, April 25, was a big day for the workingperson. A holiday of sorts, it was Tax Freedom Day in New York. That was the day in 2009 that you could finally go about working for your own interests like feeding your family, saving for your retirement, or helping to put your kid get through college. Prior to that, every day that you worked this year was dedicated only to the government.

Tax Freedom Day is the brainchild of the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan educational organization that focuses on tax policy and the burdens they impose on Americans. It is an annual study that determines when personal financial freedom is achieved. The Foundation analyzes the entire federal and state tax load fronted by a state’s residents, looking at all of them, big and small, from income to property to sales to excise taxes. That bundle is then applied to the average wage for that state and from there the number of workdays required to meet that burden is calculated.

The study is a good gauge for the competitiveness and quality of life for each state. New Yorkers, long known as some of the highest-taxed in the US, have the third-latest Tax Freedom Day in the US. The only two that fall later are New Jersey (April 29) and Connecticut (April 30). The average American spends less time working for the government than we do and, not surprisingly, some states have nearly a month on us. Alaska is the best-performer, seeing freedom on March 23. Three other states (Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Dakota) have the chains removed prior to April. This perfectly exemplifies what we’ve been saying for years, that New York’s status as “the Empire State” is long gone.

To some (specifically government officials) the Tax Foundation’s study may be a gimmick. It’s not. It’s a rather unique way of demonstrating just how much effort goes into making one’s annual payments to the government. With payroll deductions, escrow, and the brainwashing gimmick know as tax returns, very few people really know how much they pay into the system. There’s a lot of numbers for them to contend with and track. This helpful study makes it easy for the layman to understand his contribution.

Think about its findings. For the past four months, every hour that you’ve spent at work, sweating or stressing while dealing with customers, coworkers, or machines - not to mention the economy – has not been for to the money that you need to pay the bills or set aside as discretionary income. Every one of those hours, 640 of them if you work a 40 hour week, 800 of them if you work 50 hours, has been dedicated to the bureaucracies that manage your town, your school, your state, and your nation, and who, more often than not, recklessly spend your hard-earned dollars on social and corporate welfare, bloated public-sector payrolls, low-return infrastructure, and wasteful pork. Nearly four months of your life were toiled away, just to make sure you paid the price of being a “good citizen” in 2009, four months spent working not for you and your family but for everybody else, whether they deserved it or not.

Four months is bad enough, but if it weren’t for the recession Tax Freedom Day would be even later in the year for us. Back in 2007, when the economy was still relatively strong, it fell on May 16. With incomes shrinking, homes foreclosing, and purchases decreasing, the tax burden on a per capita basis has become significantly less, because we have failed to pull the trigger on things that create tax obligations. But, there’s a very good chance that 2010’s study will show a return to mid-May for New Yorkers, even with a deepening recession, because the state legislature has introduced countless new taxes and user fees – while strengthening existing ones – at the same time municipalities and schools have been spending like it’s 2007. And, there’s the issue of the growing national debt and higher federal spending that we’ll have to contend with.

For now, with a third of the year behind us, you can find what comfort you can in knowing that you’re finally done working for the government this year. Your next 8 months on the job can be dedicated to you and your family. But then, the vicious cycle starts all over again. It kind of make you hunger for real tax freedom, doesn’t it?

Charity is no easy task

From the 20 April 2009 Greater Niagara Newspapers

CHARITY IS NO EASY TASK
By Bob Confer

We’ve heard time and time again that giving back to the community is such an easy task. It may be for some folks somewhere. But, it’s definitely not that easy in New York State. My friend Todd Sheridan knows that too well.

Todd is a junior at the College at Brockport where he is the starting goaltender on the hockey team. For the third season in a row, Todd has set the school’s record for goals-against-average. That’s quite the amazing achievement because Todd was never supposed to be one of the best goalies in Division III. As a matter of fact, he was never supposed to play college hockey at all.

In 2005 Todd noticed a painful lump in his neck. It was diagnosed as cancer and the doctors thought the prognosis was grim. But they engineered a successful surgery in which they cut him from ear to shoulder, removing 72 lymph nodes in the process. After the surgery the doctors upped his chance of survival to 70 percent. Because of his loss of weight and the damage that the surgery unleashed on the muscles of his upper body, he was given a 100 percent chance of never playing hockey again.

Todd beat cancer then he beat the odds, proving that he could remain successful on the ice. That story is remarkable in itself, but it’s what Todd is doing off the ice that matters most.

While in hospital, Todd grew attached to the young children at the clinic, all of whom were battling cancer. He found sadness in their plight. Some of his young friends passed away and were never able to experience the teen years and adulthood that many of us take for granted. But, Todd also found strength for his own recovery by watching other children beat their cancer. He often relates stories of how these little troopers maintained their composure and lived life with as much vigor as they could, never giving in and always looking forward, doing what they could to comfort their heartbroken moms and dads.

It is to those children and all those like them that Todd has dedicated his second chance at life. Using his hockey success as the backdrop, he devised a charity called “Saves For A Cure” (SFAC) that would collect from businesses and other donors $1 for every save that Brockport goalies make over the course of a season. Proceeds would be used to buy TV’s, toys, and other comforts for the children’s cancer clinic in Rochester, helping the youngsters weather the most difficult days of their lives. It is a brilliant concept and, more importantly, one that is worthwhile and touching.

Sadly, the path to making this a reality has been strewn with obstacles.

In March of 2008 Todd signed the Certificate of Incorporation for SFAC. Over a year has passed and SFAC is no further along. The application process is still ongoing. That may sound unbelievable to some, but remember, this is NY we’re talking about.

The original application said, among other things, that SFAC would educate the public about cancer and promote research in beating the disease. Last May the Department of State announced that the Department of Education would not give consent for the organization to have those as corporate purposes, believing SFAC was unfit to educate the masses. Yes, the State actually thought that someone who had and beat cancer, and experienced its harsh reality, was ill-prepared to speak of it and advance its study!

That language was struck from the application and months went on with no word from the State. So, in September I wrote the Governor’s office which then awakened the slumbering process. The document was forwarded to the Department of Health whose legal department found fault with SFAC donating money and equipment to hospitals. Yes, the State actually thinks it wrong that someone would be charitable to cancer patients!

Here it is, April of 2009, and Todd is still waiting for NY to incorporate SFAC. The hockey season has come and gone and Todd’s junior year is nearly over. Because of the bureaucracy, he was unable to proceed with fundraising as he hoped. His senior year - his final season - starts this Fall, which really isn’t as far away as it sounds. He’s hoping to get the okay from NY soon, so, in his last year, he can lay the groundwork for SFAC so when his college career is over and he has moved away it can thrive and make a significant difference on the lives of Upstate’s youngest cancer patients. But, alas, NY’s continued silence speaks volumes about what it thinks of his dream.

Who said being charitable was easy?

The Tenth Amendment Movement

From the 13 April 2009 Greater Niagara Newspapers

THE TENTH AMENDMENT MOVEMENT
By Bob Confer

I always keep a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in my pocket. You could say that it’s my Bible.

It never ceases to amaze me that these documents, which clearly define what our federal government is supposed to be, can so neatly fit into a small, unobtrusive booklet. Our Founding Fathers knew full well that an oversized government would do us in. They were fearful that a federal entity of any real size would bring to American soil the very ills they tried to escape from. Before freedom was declared, Great Britain’s oppressive governance stripped them of their liberty, stifled their prosperity and robbed from them their hard-earned money. So, they carefully outlined a federal system quite small in scope, yet, at once, vast and restricted in its importance.

The founders believed that proper rule begins locally as that is the only way that power can truly be vested in the people. In their plan the state was supposed to be the most powerful ruling force, each state being, in theory, its own nation. The purpose of the federal system was limited to only three tasks: managing the unity of those states, overseeing the trade between them, and providing for their collective defense.

Much has changed since the 1700’s. My Bible has become but an afterthought. Local rule is near-powerless and the states – and therefore, we - are subjects of our federal government. Thousands of agencies and departments have sprung up over the years, each assuming ultimate power and dictating to the states and citizens what we can and cannot do. Related to that, laws and regulations created and enforced by a federal system that has become non-representative are virtually without limit, and a million documents the size of the Constitution could not contain them. It can be said that the Founding Fathers’ greatest nightmares have been realized…the USA is the Great Britain of old, and then some.

The time has come to take back our rights. We should have done that many decades ago, but now, more so than ever, it has become evident to the layman that the US has turned into a rabid beast, uncoordinated but deadly. We see the economy falling apart around us, a collapse that was based on excesses. Yet, in some perverted fashion, the government in its effort to “save” us finds it necessary to unleash unprecedented excesses in the form of trillions of dollars in loans, giveaways, spending, corporate and social welfare, and things misnamed as stimulus packages, all such tasks weakening our dollar, our economy, and our prosperity. If anything, the USA is only driving another nail into our coffin.

Before the next nail can be set, we must weaken the beast. To do so, power must be returned to us. And, there is a movement afoot to do just that. The grassroots effort called the Tenth Amendment Movement focuses on getting back to the basics of the Constitution which so succinctly and effectively says: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

When you read that amendment you become aware that over the years our entire system has become unconstitutional – illegal – because of a flip in power: Rule was supposed to go from the bottom up, and, now, it goes from the top down. The Movement hopes to flip it once again.

Quite a few elected officials have seen the well-founded logic behind the Movement’s efforts to return a semblance of legality to our nation and they have introduced bills reclaiming their state’s sovereignty. Such legislation has been brought to the Capitol floor in nearly two-dozen states (New York is not one of them). In two of them victory has been achieved: Just last month, sovereignty resolutions were signed by both houses in Oklahoma and South Dakota.

It would behoove every state to follow suit and take back that which was once theirs. It is in the best interest of the people. Trillions of dollars are wasted annually on the redundancy and bloat that is the federal government and if that money were in our hands, the economy would be on the fast track to recovery. But, more important than the financial rewards of the Tenth Amendment are the rewards of Liberty that it grants us: If power was wrested from the government and put back into our hands, we’d be able to live the life we want, the life we deserve and the life our Founding Fathers had intended for us. Then, maybe, just maybe, my “Bible” might once again mean something.

Erin's Law would hurt families

From the 06 April 2009 Greater Niagara Newspapers

ERIN’S LAW WOULD HURT FAMILIES
By Bob Confer

Fear is one of the government’s greatest weapons. Those in power use it to manipulate the masses, scaring them into finding value in the unjust expansion of government’s powers. Look at the moxie with which this tool has been used in just the past seven years alone. Using the fear of terrorism to its advantage, the Bush Administration easily persuaded Congress to pass legislation like the Patriot Act, stripping us of our rights to privacy and due process of law. Their successors in the Obama Administration have used our fear of depression to sully the wonders of capitalism and institute the greatest federal controls ever exerted on the free market.

Similarly, it’s fear that drives many pieces of odious legislation at the state level. One such bill is currently a topic of discussion in the Assembly, feeding on concerns for children’s safety. Erin’s Law was introduced by Assemblywoman Joan Christensen and has over three dozen cosponsors and multi-sponsors (among them Niagara Falls’ Francine DelMonte). It is in memory of 11-year-old Erin Maxwell who was found dead in her Oswego County home last August, the victim of sexual assault and strangulation, her stepbrother the suspect. The law was proposed in hopes of guaranteeing that the needless death of a child would never occur again. It would make up for supposed inefficiencies in child protection that appeared during the investigation of Erin’s death. Social Services visited the home a few times in the years prior to her murder and never found just cause to remove her from the home.

To the naïve, there’s nothing wrong with this bill. In their mind, who wouldn’t want to protect our children and ensure that they live in a healthy home? But, like most fear-mongering bills, the end result of what the legislation will impose far outweighs what is the actual risk of recurrence under current practices. In reality, Erin’s Law will probably do nothing to prevent the abuse or murder of a child and will do plenty to tear apart some pretty good families.

It all comes down to interpretation.

The bill sponsors want to change the definition of what constitutes a “neglected child” under the Family Court Act. Currently, neglect occurs when a child’s physical, mental or emotional condition is impaired or in danger of becoming so. That language is more than sufficient. But, even so, they would like to alter it to be more specific and, interestingly, more nebulous. Under guidelines proposed in Erin’s Law, a parent or guardian would be required to, among other things, provide the child with a warm living environment while ensuring that he is kept free of disease and given the psychological and psychiatric care he needs.

Let’s look at how the government could – and will - abuse that law.

First of all, what are the parameters for a warm environment? Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are unemployed right now and those of us who still have a job are saddled with high taxes and worry for the economy. In such times, all of us are looking to save money any way we can. In most homes, that means turning down the thermostat to 65 degrees or below. Does that mean that any parent who does this in order to put food on the table is guilty of neglect for failure to keep a child warm?

Secondly, what is disease-free living? Many parents, through no fault of their own, have raised kids who were chronically sick in their younger years. They may have been battling asthma and allergies or were susceptible to the cornucopia of disease present in elementary schools. At what time does their regular absence from school - or struggle with ailments – signal neglect? Is it really the parents’ fault?

The last point (psychiatrics) is just as tricky, if not more so. We have heard countless reports of how school administrators and teachers have over-stepped their bounds and, despite not being doctors, have demanded that a parent medicate her child for hyperactivity or lack of attentiveness. In most cases this is unwarranted - for it’s kids being kids - and, in all cases, it is completely wrong for schools to force the parent’s hand in this matter. Were Erin’s Law to pass, a school could turn-in unwilling parents to Social Services who would then be required – by law – to exert medicinal mind control on their children. Failure to do so would be classified as neglect.

Flaws like these are often overlooked by those intent on passing laws of fear. In many cases, though, they are known to exist, but the government sees them as being fit, a means to an end. In the case of Erin’s Law, it might mean an end to a good family.

Bob Confer: Terrorist

From the 30 March 2009 Greater Niagara Newspapers

BOB CONFER: TERRORIST
By Bob Confer

Long-time readers of this column probably have a good idea about who I am. You’ve been subjected to my rants about and against illegal immigration, gun control, abortion, the North American Union, the Federal Reserve, taxes, and the economic irresponsibility of the government. You’ve read of my support for the Libertarian Party and third-party candidates. Chances are you’ve also heard me on Scott Leffler’s talk show denouncing ballistics tracking, Constitutional Conventions, and government in general. You might also know that I travel with a CB radio in my vehicle and I use social networking sites like Facebook to share my views and rally support for them. And, you can probably judge by my mugshot that I keep my hair closely-cropped – some might even say I’m a “skinhead”.

I’ll bet, though, that you didn’t know that I’m a terrorist.

Yes sir, I’m an honest-to-goodness right-wing domestic terrorist. You know, one of those “militants”.

I didn’t know I was one, either. There have been times when I wondered if the feds might think I was a terrorist, an enemy of the state thanks to my pithy columns. But, now, I am totally confident that I’ve been lumped together with guys as despised as Tim McVeigh, David Koresh and the Unabomber.

At least that’s what the Missouri Information Analysis Center would like people to believe. The MIAC is one of 58 fusion centers across the United States, created by the Department of Homeland Security to study the habits of, and create a unified plan against, terrorists. A few weeks ago, the MIAC issued an 8-page briefing entitled “The Modern Militia Movement” in which they have identified the mentality and distinguishing characteristics of domestic terrorists. It’s a field guide of sorts to aid law enforcement in determining if you or I might be someone to keep an eye on.

There just might be an intelligence agent watching me right now because I’m the perfect example of what a militiaman is supposed to be. Based on the criteria they’ve laid out in the report, I’m 0-for-15 in the model citizen department just because of the things I’ve mentioned in the opening paragraph alone. Every one of those items is listed as a tell-tale sign of a militant, so, I am, in their eyes, a danger. Consider that from the get-go, there are 15 strikes against me. In total, that’s impressive, perhaps frightening by MIAC standards. Many are quite damning if you consider how hard some of my stances have been regarding the issues.

Think about the stupidity of Homeland Security’s logic: believing in the American Way supposedly predisposes people like me to be wishful of its destruction. And I thought I was being a good citizen. Never have I initiated my so-called terrorist ways in any sort of violent intent towards our nation and our people. My written assaults on bad government are always looking out for the best interests of the people, peacefully, logically and with respect for our Constitution. God forbid that I think that important document should mean something. Reports like the MIAC’s show that maybe it doesn’t anymore.

And that, folks, shows how depraved our federal government has become. Hard-earned taxpayer money went into this foolish study, one clearly indicating that those with an outspoken belief in what government should be - and not what it has become - deserve to be looked at with disdain.

Well, at least I can take some comfort in knowing I’m not alone. You’re probably just as guilty as I. All of you who complain about taxes, are disgusted with Congress and read this subversive newspaper deserve to be saddled with this ill-begotten stereotype and can count yourselves as a member of a militia movement.

I trust, though, that you, like me, won’t be deterred by this name-calling. If what I do and what I am makes me a threat, then so be it: I’m a terrorist and proud of it!