34 Responses to:
POLS READY TO TRUCK UP N.Y. ECONOMY

# 1. 5/31/12 1:38 AM by cj
hopefully the bill doesn't pass and if enough people complain about it - maybe some truckers will show up at your legislature

# 2. 5/31/12 4:19 AM by Biker Bob - Keep on Truckin
Who are the two NY legislators out of NY City? What can we as Western NYers do to make their lives as miserable as hell er I mean put a stop to their madness? Got their phone numbers? If it is just 2 Legislators, I'm sure we can squash these little pests under the feet of real NYers.

# 3. 5/31/12 6:21 AM by Abner D

New York is a failed liberal experiment, much like California, Detroit, wind farms, busing, solar panels in the northeast, high-speed rail, to name just a few.

As with most liberal experiments, libs didn't give this plan much thought, either.

# 4. 5/31/12 6:26 AM by Liberty Tom - Rochester, NY
Ah yes...New York. It's California without the beautiful weather.

Editor's Note: or the hot chicks.

# 5. 5/31/12 6:31 AM by Poplar Beach
Politicians used to come from main street USA, doctors, lawyer, storekeepers, farmers; politics was their service, they kept their jobs, they served their neighbors, then they went home and others took their place.

The only way we will ever get back to this is term limits.

I know you don't agree Bob, something about throwing the baby out with the bath water, don't punish the good to get rid of the bad, etc. etc.

But what we are doing now is not working. We have a president who is far more interested in running for office and preserving his power than taking care of the country, and he is just one of many who are more interested in covering their a$$ than they are in serving We The People.

I am sure these bills you talk about are pay back, or prepay for big money union support, and what the heck if union member only make up 20% of the We The People these politicians were elected to serve. Reelection and preservation of personal power come first, We The People come in dead last.

Most politicians shudder at the idea of term limits, I know they will do everything in their power to stop them, and that is an excellent reason to consider the idea!

# 6. 5/31/12 6:33 AM by Leigh - Rochester, NY
I have completely lost all faith that the residents of New York will ever stand up to the unions and say "ENOUGH". Unions and corrupt politicians are out of control, and nothing is ever going to change it.

# 7. 5/31/12 6:47 AM by OldVietVet - Rochester, NY
Yea, unless the new hires are "undocumented workers",Mexicans that is.Then look for the freight companies labor costs to go down, union or no union. Those guys (citizens) now operating independantly will simply leave NY State. Some have already done so,the cost of being an independant trucker having been very high for many years. And despite the N.Y. State DMV regulation/laws, most of which over charge and over regulate autos and legally licensed auto drivers and truckers,the freight companies will lobby for a "degregualtion" bill in the N.Y.State assembly.They will win too-another example of the "practical" and "common sense" approach of our governing class in Albany.

# 8. 5/31/12 7:25 AM by Larry - Virginiia
Reminds me of one of the reasons I left New York!

# 9. 5/31/12 7:30 AM by John - Penfield, NY
Owner-operators are some of the greatest Americans,, putting in long hours on the road to give our corporations the flexibility to adjust to demand.

# 10. 5/31/12 7:36 AM by hc
It's SO maddening to me how our NY legislators constantly think up new ways to mess with us. Even more so this time around, because now I'm gonna have that old "CONVOY" song stuck in my head for the rest of the week!!!

~xp

# 11. 5/31/12 7:57 AM by GEORGE (THE OTHER ONE) - GANANOQUE ONTARIO CANADA
*

How much longer are you guys south of the border going to put up with this crap? And even as your government is killing off independent truckers, they are allowing drivers from Mexico to flood the market with potentially unsafe and almost certainly illegal alien packed trucks.

Even up here in Canukistan we haven't stooped to these lows.

# 12. 5/31/12 7:58 AM by Marty - Tax-me-very-much, NY
Bob, your timing is so right on for this story, with the news today that "they" want to raise the toll on the TWY by some 45% for large vehicles 3 axels or more. This to replace Tappanzee bridge in NYC. These folks just don't get it at all.

# 13. 5/31/12 8:02 AM
We know all about it, but thanks for reiterating.

# 14. 5/31/12 8:11 AM
This started when Schumer & Gillibrand introduced the Clean Ports Act of 2011 which would not allow IC's to service US ports - its all about pollution, congestion and safety Bob.

NY's Bill is virtually a copycat of one introduced in NJ that modifies Chucky's and Kirsten's bill to include all commerce. Since the 9th circuit ruled that states cannot keep IC's out of the ports, the states are required to pass legislation that overrides that decision and makes it legal.

In NY, the bill is sponsored by Assemblyman Keith Wright (D and Senator Martin Golden (R). This probably means that it is a done deal.

This is all about the 'Fair Play' bill passed 2 years ago in NY and states that if an independent person is doing the same job as the person or company hiring him is capable of doing then that person should be an employee.

This is just another Democrat/Socialist building block to require every employee in NY and America to join a union if they want to work.

Your column a few days ago about almost 50% of Americans voting (D) to make sure the bennies keep rolling in. When you add union jobs to that number, particularly in the construction trades and teachers in city school systems - both are totally dependent on federal & state funds, there's a good possibility that the US will be in the same situation as Greece, Spain, Ireland & Italy. That leads to the media's build-up of Andy Cuomo as the savior of NY - only he will be able to save the nation.

This state is in deep weeds but it is so well hidden that we won't know about it until some pensioner in FL fails to get a check in the mail.

# 15. 5/31/12 8:14 AM by Little Guy
They always crap all over the little guys. The pols are striving for more inefficiency in the system. They profit from mayhem. People like the independents are who made America great.

# 16. 5/31/12 8:25 AM by Jimmy H
How many teamsters does it take to screw a state?

# 17. 5/31/12 8:30 AM by Thomas M. - Arkport, NY
Virginia... West Virginia

New York... West New York

# 18. 5/31/12 8:31 AM by Ann - Avon, NY
.....and the "giant sucking" sound you are hearing are more citizens fleeing the state.

# 19. 5/31/12 8:41 AM by Matt - Rochester NY
All of a sudden, you’ve got a fulltime employee and you have to pay his insurance, 401k, workers comp, vacation, sick days and any number of other wildly expensive things.

Yeah, isn't that crazy? BTW, Bob, don't you have all of these things? Why not give them all up so that WHAM can be more competitive in the marketplace?

Editor's Note: actually, i spent last year as a independent contractor.

# 20. 5/31/12 8:48 AM by Jon - Geneseo NY
Just how will they enforce this law? Maybe we need less laws as well as less politicians.

# 21. 5/31/12 8:50 AM
Why do people with no pension or medical benefits have to pay Federal, State, Local & School workers a defined benefit & health insurance from retirement(often as young as 50) till death?

# 22. 5/31/12 8:51 AM by tom - penfield, ny
I was laid off after working over 35 years at a local company that decided to hire much lower wage people. I will collect my unemployment (which is very generous in NYS). I will sign up for food stamps next year if I don't find work that pays enough to get out of bed for. I will avoid paying any taxes I can (I am glad that I no longer pay pay-roll tax and that my income tax will fall). I will be just what the NYS state government wants. I will be on the dole getting all I can and giving back as little as possible. I will be retired and loving it, because it doesn't pay to be productive any longer. In fact productive people get the shaft in good ole NYS.

# 23. 5/31/12 8:55 AM by Fly
The SpaceX Dragon is returning to Earth today. Hope all goes well. It is a shining example of how private enterprise and initiative outdoes government. It was created at a fraction of what it would have cost the government. The Russians thought they had us over a barrel depending on Soyuz to transport astronauts at $60 million a pop - with outdated technology. Shows what the path of America should be to maintain world leadership. India and China trying to leapfrog us using our own technology will someday prove to be disastrous when they try to go to the Moon and BACK - safely. Space is different than power tools, appliances, and junk gadgets. China gonna get "Rost in Space" with their space junk. Also - thank God that Kodak is finally waking up with the intro of their "Picture Keeper". There are other secure applications for the same technology besides pictures. They made a fortune on $20 cameras and the resultant sales of their "razor blades" - film. Hope that moron Perez pulls it off - literally!

# 24. 5/31/12 9:22 AM by Diane - Utah
Here we go again. I just read also New York is getting rid of Big Gulps 24 oz. drinks to curb obesity. Why don't these people focus on things that really matter? Leave independent truckers alone and soda drinkers alone. Go after the drug dealers, corrupt unions and other roots of crime and evil. I hope the New Yorkers I know will stand up to this lunacy.

# 25. 5/31/12 9:31 AM by Angela - Geneva, NY
I am a trucker's wife and can honestly say family obligations are all that are keeping us in NY. Many of my husbands co-workers have said the same thing if it weren't for kin who can't/won't leave they would be long gone. You think that tolls are high when you take the thruway, try multiplying that toll by 5 or 10. You think a traffic tickett is hard on you. If a trucker gets a tickett both the trucker and the company have to pay the same fine. An independent trucker just has to pay double. If a trucker is involved in an accident with a car the trucker will be presumed to be at fault even if it is clearly the fault of the car driver because the trucker is a professional with more experiance and should have been able to avoid it. Next time you see a trucker just remember he or she has probably missed at least 4/5 of his/her kids games, recitals and concerts. Their spouse feels like a single parent half the time. The divorce rate for truck drivers is thru the roof because of the time spent apart. And the whip cream on this sundae, they get to have random government spot checks of their business records and personal lives. Have you ever seen those signs that say All comercial traffic must stop when lights flashing. That is a DOT stop where a state cop gets to pick thru your records, what are you hauling, do you have, the right paperwork. Have you taken all of your legally required rest breaks even if you weren't tired. Uh-oh you covered 75 miles in less than an hour obviously you were speeding. Now you might be asking yourself why would anyone put up with this kind of life? Because if you work hard save some money you can by a used rig and be your own boss. After a few years you pick up another rig and hire somebody. Eventually you build a company that your kids can take over. At least that was the story we were told when we were kids.

# 26. 5/31/12 9:37 AM by Tony - Gates
The problem is that companies treat independent contractors the same as payroll employees, who perform many of the same functions. Both types of workers are frequently given similar instructions and duties and have access to the same equipment and facilities. Many companies that pass off employees as independent contractors do so to avoid paying Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance taxes.

Such a practice is one step away from hiring illegals to increase the bottom line.

# 27. 5/31/12 10:12 AM by Christopher - Newport News, VA
And the migration out of NY will continue. The only thing that brings me back to NY is remaining family and the Finger Lakes. With leadership like this, the state will continue to wither.

Come on down to VA. The weather is great and the state is business friendly. Oh, did I mention, property taxes are about 1/3 that of NY.

# 28. 5/31/12 10:43 AM by Steve
My one son graduates this year and my other is still younger but once he is done with school I'm gone from this awfull state. Let the welfare people have it.

My plan is to start my own business down south. Most of my friends I grew up with are already gone.

# 29. 5/31/12 10:44 AM by Jamie - Palmyra, NY
So what can we do about this? Vote? Yes but what else can be done to stop this?

# 30. 5/31/12 11:00 AM by Poplar Beach
# 19 Matt, as an independent business man, I pay for my own 401K, insurance, sick days, and vacation.

I also pay for a drug testing program, 6 different permits, user fees, liability insurance, and much more.

If I pay an independent contractor well, what is wrong with that contractor deciding how much of that wage to put in their own 401K, vacation account, insurance, Health Savings account, just like I do?

# 31. 5/31/12 11:23 AM by NascarDad - Richmond, VA
The Empire has altered the deal. Pray they don't alter it any further.

Funny, growing up, I never put 2 and 2 together about the EMPIRE state. It really is an increasingly apt moniker for a liberty killing leviathan.

Perhaps they should change the name of the Governor's plane to Death Star I ?

# 32. 5/31/12 5:49 PM by Al - Hornell,
Time for the State of Western New York a reality.

# 33. 5/31/12 6:39 PM by Joe Geswaldo - Syracuse NY
This State needs to work to better it's economy ...or there will be bigger problems. NY has an elitist leftist attitude about solutions and has for... way too long. Just my 2 cents.

# 34. 5/31/12 11:42 PM by R. Thomas - Clarks Summit,Pa.
Small business makes this country a success. Independent truckers are small businessman!

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