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Have you bothered to look at what incentives are available to everybody else? Some pretty sweet deals are available to businesses. Amazon was bigger than most but if you want to start a company in New York they'll be more than happy to help.

This subsidy was Governor Andrew Cuomo's baby. He was heavily invested in it.

He even offered to change his name from "Andrew" to "Amazon Cuomo".

Nobody on the planet is going to be less objective.

He has less credibility than a NYC Bowery bum to be making forecasts about it.

By quoting him, you are saying much more about your own judgement and gullibility than about the supposed benefits of the subsidy.

I guess you're much too busy being snarky to read the announcement or the attached memorandum of understanding between the parties:
https://esd.ny.gov/sites/defau...

The memorandum with attachments is very explicit in the details but you needn't read that either. You obviously know the terms better than the parties that signed it. For everyone else who lacks your keen insight here is the first paragraph:

"This memorandum of understanding (the “MOU”) sets forth certain understandings and agreements among New York State Urban Development Corporation d/b/a Empire State Development (“ESD”); The City of New York (the “City”); New York City Economic Development Corporation (“NYCEDC”; together with the City and ESD, the “Public Parties”), and Amazon.com Services, Inc. (the “Company”), with respect to a project to create, in coordination with the Company’s development partners, a new corporate headquarters for Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates in New York City, including the design, development, construction, renovation and operation of what will initially be approximately 4,000,000 square feet of commercial space and the creation of 25,000 new jobs with an average wage of over $150,000 annually within 10 years of the date hereof, with a planned expansion for a total of 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 square feet of commercial space that is expected to result in the creation of up to 40,000 new jobs within 15 years of the date hereof (the “Project”). "

Or the net benefit Amazon brings far exceeds the amount they aren't paying.

By some estimates the net benefit was $0.

By some estimates the net benefit was $27 billion.

Do you also believe in the Easter Bunny?

Robbing Peter to pay Paul sounds great if you are Paul. But the net benefit is zero. Or even negative if Peter moves away because he keeps getting robbed.

I'm sure with your deep knowledge of New York finances and your rigorous study of the project economic details your analysis is more accurate than the one from the Governor of New York's office: https://www.governor.ny.gov/ne...

"Amazon Will Create 25,000 to 40,000 New Jobs with an Average Salary of More than $150,000, Invest More Than $3.6 Billion Over 15 Years and Create $27.5 Billion In Tax Revenue Over 25 Years"

Here is a recent write up

https://www.ny.gov/programs/ta...

the law disproportionately hurts “donor states,” like New York, which already contributes $48 billion more annually to the federal government than it gets back. You're no income tax states that you say are subsidizing high tax are NOT, in fact they are sucking down from the fed gov more than they contribute.

NYC is the second biggest tech cluster in the world, bested only by the SF Bay Area.

Nope, Seattle is bigger. NY labor dept puts the number of IT personnel at 73 thousand: https://www.labor.ny.gov/stats... , Seattle and Bellevue have about 100k IT workers.

IT in the Seattle area got so big that software developers are now more numerous than retail workers: https://www.seattletimes.com/s... , NYC is nowhere close to that.

and since he wasn't accused of treason, he felt safe to try ( which he did )
now he might have opened that. fed courts title 18 ( I think it's constitutional law article 3 ) is death or another 5 years

it happened in NY and I don't think NY or NJ have treason laws. I know ( or knew )
that Illinois and Rhode Island have them but not sure of anywhere else.

NY has this as a reference but I can't find the place where you can be convicted of treason in the state
https://www.dos.ny.gov/info/co...

good luck and a valid point you presented

According to the rules, YOU are the one who doesn't know how to use a roundabout.

• When approaching the roundabout, you should be in the left-hand lane to make a left-hand turn:
• As you approach the roundabout, look ahead to see any pedestrians and bicyclists that might be entering the intersection and yield to them.
  Yield to oncoming traffic at the yield line.
• When sufficient space and time to enter traffic occur, enter the roundabout. You should enter to the inside path (left side) of the circulatory roadway.
• Use your right turn signal to let other drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians know that you are exiting the roundabout at the next exit as soon as you pass the exit prior to the desired exit.
• Stay to the left, the inside path, until you come to the desired exit. You will now proceed from the inside path (left side) of the circulatory roadway, across the outside path (right side), and exit the roundabout in the inside (left) exit lane. When exiting from the inside path, watch for vehicles on the outside path that may continue to circulate around the roundabout. As you exit the roundabout, look ahead to see any pedestrians and bicyclists that might be entering the intersection and yield to them.

That 'move from the outside to the apex and back to the outside' crap you list? Not supposed to do it.

Oh sorry, Strat, but the New York Attorney General has already received complaints from people who stated their identities were stolen to promote the actions of Ajit Pai, and the robo-writing has even been released.

Unlike say, Benghazi, where after tens of millions of dollars, the GOP produced nothing actionable. Or their recent memo which is already being laughed at for its Russian Twitter bots demanding it be exposed, then suddenly, hey wait, it's as authentic as your average diatribe.

I wouldn't be surprised. In NY you can't get any sort of lab test(I assume an eye test would qualify here) with out a doctor's order.

New York’s prohibition of “direct access testing” rests upon the premise that licensed medical practitioners are uniquely qualified to identify:
(a) which tests will be clinically useful based on the entirety of a patient’s medical condition and symptoms,
(b) how and when such tests can lead to clinically meaningful results (e.g., when testing should be performed to get a valid result and whether other tests should be ordered to put the results in further context), and
(c) whether the results of the testing combined with the complete medical assessment of the patient are likely to reflect a false-positive or false-negative (i.e., the patient is likely to have the condition tested despite testing negative, or the patient is unlikely to have the condition tested despite testing positive). In other words, physician oversight and involvement protect patients against unnecessary testing and ensure that the test results are properly understood and utilized.

Want to know what your glucose levels are? Not without permission you won't. Gotta protect people from knowledge about themselves.

NYS did exactly this with the Quad-C in Utica, NY and other projects in Albany. Nobody was surprised when bid-rigging was exposed a few years later.

My point was, any and all government employees — be they policemen, firefighters, teachers, or indeed Planned Parenthood officials . . .

As usual, mi, you are full of shit. For someone who rails against government so much, you'd think you would have a basic grasp of what government is.

Planned Parenthood is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that is incorporated in the state of New York (session-based, search for"Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc."). You see, a corporation is "a legal entity, other than a natural person which often has similar rights in law as a person."

The employees of a corporation are not magically transformed into "government officials" under any legal or logical standard, not even when that corporation receives money from the government. Your absurd, post-hoc rationalizing argument means that you also think Catholic Charities, Jewish Federation, Lutheran Services of America, and Habitat for Humanity are government entities and their employees are government officials.

Being a government official has wide ranging legal effects from defamation standards to bribery laws to special criminal penalties for threatening one. Words have meanings, and if you want to talk in a grownup conversation, you should use the real definitions, not the special ones mi made up in his head.

You're neglecting the fact that New York has a law against price gouging which means Uber charging "surge pricing" during a disaster was illegal to begin with.

You can't violate parole if you aren't on parole. The actual statement is explicit and clear too: https://www.governor.ny.gov/ne...

I mean available on the open internet.

Anonymized hospital and health care data are widely available to researchers inside the U.S. as well

Neither the writeup nor TFA mention "anonymized". Could you explain, where you got the information from?

Um, you know, by doing research. By reading other things. By using teh interwebs.

https://theconversation.com/your-nhs-data-is-completely-anonymous-until-it-isnt-22924

The data are scrubbed of direct personal identifiers, which are replaced by an ID code. The database does include things times, diagnoses, and prescriptions, which could be used to de-anonymize the data with enough ancillary information, but without which the data would be mostly useless for any kind of analysis. My point is that there are already publicly available databases in the U.S., such as SPARCS which contain similar information for hospital visits, and are similarly de-anonymizable. If you know what hospital you went to on what date, it's pretty easy to find yourself in the SPARCS dataset.

Again. Yawn.

For example, SPARCS in New York.

Let "The Invisible Hand" slap them up alongside the head when it comes time to collect sales taxes. B-)

They'll want use tax for that. Doesn't mean they'll get it or have a good way to enforce it, but it doesn't strictly exempt you from tax: https://www.tax.ny.gov/pubs_an...

On the other hand, you get to credit any sales tax paid in the other state against your use tax owed. So they won't get much anyway.

"It is clear that DraftKings and FanDuel are the leaders of a massive, multibillion-dollar scheme intended to evade the law and fleece sports fans across the country," says NY attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, "Today we have sent a clear message: not in New York, and not on my watch."

That statement might have some credibility if the State of New York didn't run their own gambling operation.

F'ing hypocrites...

There is a New York state law banning male daycare teachers from changing diapers.

[Citation needed.]

Here are the New York State requirements for staff qualifications in child care facilities. I don't see anything in there that places restrictions on what male caregivers can do, let alone specific details about diapering.

I agree with you that there is a BIAS among some parents and among staff at many childcare centers that causes daycares to restrict what male staff do. That's horrible and ridiculous. But it is NOT enshrined in law as you claim.

There is a strong preference in custody cases that the child will end up with the mother, even if she isn't nearly as fit to parent.

You're referring of course to the tender years doctrine. That policy is no longer in force in most states, and in fact has been specifically repudiated in many states, in favor of new policies that try to treat both parents equally.

That doesn't mean that there aren't still judges and some policies (in some states) that favor mothers. But there has been a rather strong push in the past couple decades to weaken the assumption that children should always go with the mother.

Prejudice exists in the system and among lots of the public. I'll be the first one to stand up with you and complain about bias -- but more-and-more it's bias among the PUBLIC and specific people, rather than laws that create discrimination... both for men and for women.

There is actually more of a written inequality against men then woman.

[Citation needed.] There were written inequalities against both sexes in different places decades ago. There have been efforts to overturn these written inequalities for both sexes, though.

You don't legally own the car until the title is transferred.

Transferred to whom? I guess it depends on where you live, but I get the title, and it's in my name. The bank never sees the Title. The title is issued to me directly from the state, usually in a couple weeks from when I get the car from the dealership.

Umm, I think you are confusing the vehicle Registration with the vehicle Title. If you buy a car and have car payments, whatever institution you're paying that money to holds the Title for the vehicle until the loan is paid off. That means the institution actually OWNS the vehicle as they hold the Title. The Title is then transferred to you once the vehicle is paid off and you then own the vehicle. I don't know a single country, let alone state, that issues a Title to the person that is making payments on a vehicle. Doesn't work that way. You don't own the car until it's completely paid for. You do receive vehicle registration in your name, but that's not the same as the Title. In order to sell the vehicle and prove ownership you have to have a Title (like a property Deed), and that Title is signed over to the new owner and that owner takes the Title to the DMV to have a new Title issued in their name to show that they now own the vehicle. You cannot sell a vehicle with just the registration. To tell the difference, a Title usually looks like a fancy certificate with anti-forgery mechanisms in the paper and printing just like money, while a vehicle registration is usually printed on simple card stock or plain paper and may be just black and white or include some colors.

Actually, many states issue you the title, but with a Lien attached. Such as NY.

Until the lien is released, you cannot do anything without the lienholder's permission, but you do have the title in your possession.

If there's that much difference in stopping distance then the truck is criminally poorly maintained.

No, the fact a truck going the same speed as a car can take three times the distance to stop is physics. See this chart.. The car weighs around 3000 lbs, and the truck is 40,000-80,000 lbs. The car has a lot more rubber per pound on the road so stops faster. And no matter which driver caused it, when a 40 ton truck hits a 1 to 2 ton car, the car loses. It is the same problem with many motorcycles being able to stop faster than a car.

2) They realize that the absurdly high taxes in New York are driving businesses away,

New York's job count is at an all-time high.

http://labor.ny.gov/stats/pres...

http://www.governor.ny.gov/new... Startup-NY was launched in October 2013. Not sure where you get 1/4 of a year from.

I can only speak for New York State; in NYS when charges are dropped/dismissed or the defendant acquitted you receive a canned "Order of Dismissal" from the court. This order provides that:

1. Records of the arrest held at the State level are sealed in almost all instances, with specified exemptions, one of which is pistol license applications. Apply for a NYS pistol license and they can and will obtain the sealed records.
2. All copies of fingerprints taken by the State are ordered to be destroyed or returned to the defendant.
3. The State Court asks the Feds to destroy any copies of records transmitted to them by the State of New York after your arrest.

The astute observer will note the bolded part of #3; virtually all local/state arrests in the United States are reported to the FBI by your State's clearinghouse. In New York State it's the Division of Criminal Justice Services. They usually transmit your fingerprints to the Feds too. If you think the Feds are deleting these records because some State Court asks (not orders) them to I've got a bridge to sell you.....

For what it's worth, the FBI won't disclose records in most instances, except to the applicable parties (i.e., you, via a FOIA request), so it's not something that will show up on a private background check. It will show up as part of any Federal background investigation (i.e., for a security clearance) and is almost certainly made available to State and Local law enforcement authorities.

Another thing to keep in mind: If you're asked whether or not you've ever been arrested and choose to lie about it you may well have committed a crime, depending on the circumstances. A verbal lie to a private citizen or employer? Most likely not a crime. A written lie, i.e., an employment application? In New York State it could be considered a forged instrument.

The other hole that exists is the public record. If you make the police blotter in the local paper it's almost certainly going to go online and get captured by Google. At that point there isn't a court in the world that's powerful enough to make it go away. The United States has no right to be forgotten, so that shit is going to be out there for your entire life, available to anyone who is smart enough to look for it.

In my particular case I was lucky, the police had it in their heads that I had information on co-conspirators, and they very deliberately kept it out of the blotter hoping that I would roll on them. The only records that exist of my arrest are held in Albany and Washington, available only under select circumstances, and I've yet to come across an employment application that asks about arrests. Most only care about convictions, and I answer "No" to that question in good faith.

Some state governments will provide free tax preparation if you are making below a certain amount. New York's program.

NY law requiring all dwellings (regardless of when they were built) to have CO detectors.

NYC law requiring all office buildings higher than 100 feet (regardless of when they were built) to have sprinkler systems installed.

Will you be writing a check Payable to NYC Housing dept ? Will you be writing a check Payable for DemCare Obamacare ? Will you be writing a check Payable for ObamaPhone BidenPhones ?

Not exactly. But close. If you don't want to do the same, revoke your American citizenship and GTFO, friend.

Hopefully better then when 3000 some people died in NY a decade ago.

But not quite like that time when almost 150,000 died in NY every year since then.

Yes, I am American. Here is the New York DOT information.

Besides being a carbon sink, trees also scrub pollution and hold groundwater, working to prevent landslides.

"Although forests do release some CO2 from natural processes such as decay and respiration, a healthy forest typically stores carbon at a greater rate than it releases carbon."

http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/47...

It was politics, now it's economics.

Carter killed reprocessing with an executive order. Reagan lifted the order.

But, as you say, there wasn't enough financial incentive to restart reprocessing in the US, so we've just stuck with new fuel ever since.

Gerald Ford "killed reprocessing" with a Presidential directive to shut down reprocessing in October 1976. But there was no plant to shut down at that point. (It is true that Carter also issued an Executive Order, but shutting down something that was already shut down, and forbidding something already forbidden means no change in the status quo).

The U.S. only ever had one reprocessing plant (as opposed to a weapons plutonium extraction plant) which was at West Valley, New York which was shut down in 1972 due to contamination problems, then abandoned by its operator Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. in 1975 rather than clean it up. So private industry had already screwed up and washed its hand of a commercial and environmental disaster, ending U.S. reprocessing, before Ford ever issued his Directive.

If commercial re-processors require a subsidy to build a plant, what does that say about the commercial viability of the whole idea?

I am surprised no one has told him motorized bicycles are illegal in NY state:

See here: http://dmv.ny.gov/node/1984

What vehicles cannot be registered or operated on New York State sidewalks, streets or highways?
You can't register or operate any of the motorized devices from the list below on any street, highway, parking lot, sidewalk or other area in New York State that allows public motor vehicle traffic. You may be arrested if you do.

Motor-assisted Bicycle - a bicycle to which a small motor is attached. A motor-assisted bicycle doesn't qualify for a registration as a motorcycle, moped or ATV and doesn't have the same equipment.

Reading the kickstarter page reveals more legal information:

Recently passed legislation in NYC (Local Law 40) outlaws "motorized scooters", defined as:
"motorized scooter" shall mean any wheeled device that has handlebars that is designed to be stood or sat upon by the operator, is powered by an electric motor or by a gasoline motor that is capable of propelling the device without human power and is not capable of being registered with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles."

So since the ShareRoller requires one to be going 1-2mph before the motor will kick in (~one pedal stroke), it's not technically capable of propelling the device without human power, and is therefore designed to be exempt from Local Law 40.

And then this:

ShareRoller will technically require 'type approval' due to application of motor power without use of pedals, however there are no known cases of enforcement of the requirement for type approval.

The information from the DMV website is pretty cut and dry. This device turns a regular bike into a motor assisted bicycle. So its still illegal. NYC defines its own laws so while the system might technically be legal in NYC, its still illegal outside of NYC.

Bottom line is this: buyer beware, it is not clear whether this is legal or not. It would be a shame if the device gets people into trouble. The inventor should consult with the city and get a clear explanation as to whether this device is in fact legal for street use.

it's not a complete ban

Exceptions to the Laws

        When the driver uses a hands-free mobile telephone, which allows the user to communicate without the use of either hand.
        Using a handheld electronic device that is affixed to a vehicle surface.
        Using a GPS device that is attached to the vehicle.
        When the purpose of the phone call is to communicate an emergency to a police or fire department, a hospital or physician's office, or an ambulance corps.
        When operating an authorized emergency vehicle in the performance of official duties.

http://www.safeny.ny.gov/phon-...

Looks like MPHJ has settled in New York:

• "The settlement requires MPHJ to reveal its true identity to targets, describe with "reasonable specificity" its claims, and have a good faith basis for claiming infringements."

The settlement also appears to provide a mechanism for parties who paid MPHJ to "void their license" with MPHJ and get their money back

NY AG's press release here.

Full text of settlement (Assurance of Discontinuance) here.

Looks like MPHJ has settled in New York:

• "The settlement requires MPHJ to reveal its true identity to targets, describe with "reasonable specificity" its claims, and have a good faith basis for claiming infringements."

The settlement also appears to provide a mechanism for parties who paid MPHJ to "void their license" with MPHJ and get their money back

NY AG's press release here.

Full text of settlement (Assurance of Discontinuance) here.

tried the Sherpa link...got nothing for my state. But then, NY doesn't need to be shown how to steer folks to health insurance options. Newyorkstateofhealth has been delivering the questionable ACA goods for a while now.

Why would a guy with no insurance call it "questionable"? It used to offer 170$/mo plans with 1200$ deductibles to guys in my category but now that any strung out hooker or dipsomaniac can be assured medical care, the cost is 300/month and the deductible is 3000$.

Where is the incentive to be personally responsible for your own health and its costs in a scheme like this?

The actual New York state law: http://www.dos.ny.gov/coog/foil2.html#s87

The form to submit with its requirements for the NYPD: http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/legal_matters/dclm_doc_production_foil.shtml

If anyone is wondering, he's not making a joke about foiling transparent government. It stands for Freedom of Information Law

Doesn't work for New York. You get told you have to https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/ and cannot get any good estimates without completing the form. There is a downloadable Excel spreadsheet (wtf?) that has tries to give an estimate but it doesn't let you see plans platinum, gold, silver etc. The valuepenguin site works, ty but why do I have to learn about some obscure website just to find information?

I just re-read that post. I said "here" enough times to make it clear.

Laws vary by jurisdiction. That's why you won't get a New York attorney defending you in Florida. Or a US attorney defending you in China.

In my state, you *must* do it. I was wrong on the days. I thought it was 15. It's currently 10. That may have changed since last time I read the laws.

http://www.dmv.org/fl-florida/change-address.php

In Florida, by law you must notify the Driver License Division of a change of address within 10 days of moving.

If you have a driver license issued before July 1, 1997, you will receive a change of address sticker to place on the back of your license. If you have a digitized license (issued after July 1, 1997), you will receive a new license instead of a sticker.

Florida law requires that you destroy your old license as soon as you receive a new one.

Florida drivers have 20 days to notify their local tax collector's office about a change of address for tag renewal notices. You'll be required to provide the license plate number of the registered vehicle, as well as updated address information.

http://www.dmvflorida.org/drivers-license-identification.shtml
When I renewed my Florida license last year, I had to provide multiple pieces of identification. Check the above linked page for the options.

I provided ... birth certificate, social security card, car insurance with my new address, and copy of my bank statement for the new address. You need 4 pieces of identification now, if you're a naturally born citizen. More is required if you're an immigrant.

I was technically in violation for about a week, while I waited for stuff to come in the mail. The bank hadn't sent me a new statement yet. When I went back, there were plenty of people being turned away because they didn't have "enough" proof.

And for New York...
http://www.dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv232.pdf

f you have a New York State driver license, learner permit or non-driver ID card, or a registration for a vehicle, boat or snowmobile, you are required by law to notify DMV within 10 days of any PERMANENT address change.

Write your new address on your current state or enhanced license, permit, or non-driver ID card and/or registration document.

Motor Vehicles does not require you to get a new license, permit, non-driver ID card or registration document, but many people
prefer to do so. To purchase a replacement document(s) complete Parts 1 and 2 on Page 2.

And for Washington...
http://www.dol.wa.gov/forms/520039.html

You must report your new address to us within 10 days after moving. If you already have a Washington State driver license or ID card, you may change your address:

        Online:
                The address on your driving record will be updated at no charge.
                If you want a new license or ID card with your updated address, you can order one for an additional fee and pay with a Visa, MasterCard, or American Express debit or credit card.

From the original government media release, "By producing fake reviews, these companies violated multiple state laws against false advertising and engaged in illegal and deceptive business practices."

http://www.ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-announces-agreement-19-companies-stop-writing-fake-online-reviews-and

In Georgia, apparently. In New York, you get the same 5 points on your license regardless of whether it is a phone or a dedicated GPS -- so long as it is not mounted. If it is mounted on the dash, then you can fiddle with it. (see http://www.safeny.ny.gov/phon-ndx.htm)

Of course, that doesn't make sense either.

But efforts to stop texting while driving make boatloads of sense in general.

When there's still more than three job seekers for every opening (in the northeast, anyway. Haven't seen anyone else turn JOLTS into a nice graph), chances are better than 50:50 that any given petitioner isn't able to obtain employment. Bring back your snobbery when we get to two job seekers for every opening, then you might be on par with a coin toss.

Thousands of scientists: "Wildlife is dying due to poisoning from lead ammunition being accidentally ingested. Here is the evidence."

Yea, so, I checked out the links in TFS, and no where did I find any actual evidence that so much as indicated an environmental or health issue; heck, according to one of them:

To date, there are no reported human illnesses related to the consumption of wild game shot with lead ammunition.

So where is this evidence you claim they have, but didn't bother linking to?

I don't even see why this is something worth fighting for. I guess non-lead ammunition costs a bit more? Come on, suck it up guys.

Yea, sure, why not? Next, they'll tell us that our old mechanical guns are dangerous and mandate that all future guns have to have one of those stupid bio-locks. But it only costs a little more, so suck it up.

Next year, they'll find some other reason to modify gun laws, but it only costs a little more, so you'll say "suck it up."

This practice will continue, until one day it turns out that the only people who can afford guns are the wealthy elite and their private armies, and we will have no means of defending ourselves against their tyranny.

Suck it up indeed.

Under New York State law you cannot use a hand-held mobile telephone or send a text or an email while you drive. If you use a hand-held mobile telephone while you drive, except to call 911 or to contact medical, fire or police personnel about an emergency, or use a device to text or send email, you can receive a traffic ticket and pay a maximum fine of $100 and mandatory surcharges and fees of up to $85.

In 2013, several changes are being made to the penalties for these violations as described below.

Increased Driver Violation Points

• For offenses committed between October 5, 2011 and May 31, 2013, this violation carries driver violation points.
• For offenses committed on or after June 1, 2013, this violation carries five driver violation points.

- -
By my reading, this says you can't even use your cell phone to play music through bluetooth or use google maps navigation. Or does "use a hand-held mobile telephone" mean "make a phone call". I suppose it may depend on the mood of the cop who pulls you over?

What do you think?

He wears special glasses in order to drive safely and legally

And if he actually needs them for a medical reason, he no doubt has a special exemption / restriction on his license specifying the nature of his issue & the gear required to let him operate a vehicle safely.

As an example: NY state's page about driver's license restrictions - http://www.dmv.ny.gov/olderdriver/restriction.htm

Likewise, your friend's father probably also has a restriction on his license stating that he can only safely operate vehicles equipped with hand controls. Likewise you probably have a restriction on your license specifying that you need hearing aids or a full-view mirror for your hearing issue.

If you have an unusual condition that requires you to have an assistive device to operate a vehicle safely, then you will have a restriction stating that put on your license, and if you're pulled over, you simply point out that the glasses you're wearing are special medical devices that allow you to operate your vehicle safely, and the cop won't be able to do a damn thing about the fact that you're "wearing glasses."

Natural gas furnaces are 25% more efficient than fuel oil furnaces, so natural gas costs 30% more per BTU input than fuel oil.

I have to disagree. I did the math on this years ago when deciding whether to replace my gas furnace with another gas furnace or get an oil furnace. The data point very clearly in the opposite direction of what you are saying.

This may vary geographically, but the most recent data I could find for where I live (upstate New York) is this: Gas costs $11.49 for 1000 cu.ft. as of last November ; #2 home heating oil costs $3.934 per gallon as of the same point in time. Natural gas has an energy density of 950-1150 BTU per cu.ft.; heating oil is 139,600 BTU per gallon. That works out to a price of $9.991-$12.095 for 1,000,000 BTU worth of natural gas, or $28.181 for 1,000,000 worth of heating oil. In sort, because of the lower efficiency of oil heaters (25% is exaggerated, BTW), you get shafted twice for using oil.

The only real difference is with oil, you get to choose who does the shafting.

And as I pointed out, the term "free" is being misused here. It is especially relevant since you were complaining that free libraries and such were less "free" than they used to be.

Plus, you claimed that someone shrunk government services. That didn't happen in total, though obviously the libraries didn't fare so well. Instead, the funding has become distributed in a different way. Consider that in 1997, New York State and its local governments spent roughly $150 billion on state gross product (SDP) of $660 billion. That's roughly a quarter. By 2009, they had spent $280 billion on SDP of somewhere around $1,100 billion. Still roughly a quarter. More of it is probably spent on interest payments (in other words, government service from past years) and pension liabilities, but it's still being spent.

Perhaps, these budgets have dropped substantial since 2009, but at least for twelve years, they held pretty steady.

...it's not as if Google, HelloFax, and Expensify stand to gain from a paperless office or anything like that. Oh look, there's this little thing called sustainable forestry that ensures a renewable resource like trees is managed properly to (gasp!) provide paper to the masses and a natural resource for visitors.

You will not use Facebook if you are a convicted sex offender.

If someone doesn't like that, they need to sue Facebook; this particular law did not require Facebook to add it.