People who spout off on the internet about what a piece of legislation does should first read the actual text of legislation, not a press release put out by the Republicans who seek merely to score political points.
Also take in consideration what the constitution says, along with all legal prescendence and laws relating to the proposed law. When you do that, you will see the measure is both completely reasonable, prudent and consistent with existing public policy.
I am not saying the Democrat who sponsors the measure is not guilty in playing into the Republican fears, the press release implies the measure is a lot more extensive then it is in reality. In many ways, if the sponsor had chosen a different title for the bill, not put out a press release, and it had remainined a simple departmental bill put out by a state agency, few people would have ever taken notice, as the measure is consistent with existing public policy, but probably still necessary due to existing constraints in the law.
But yeah, the politicians had to ruin it for the rest of us.
I won’t say which measure I am referring to, but I think I’ve seen a lot of alarming posts about it lately on social media, most of which claim things that are far from true.
It’s a strange feeling when you know your brand new truck has a discontinued engine already. Not because the engine was bad, but because it was seen duplicative in mind of the accountants. Hearing that Ford is pulling the plug on the 6.8L “Minizilla” in 2027 makes my 2026 Super Duty feel like a bit of a relic before its time, though I’d argue for many thrifty customers like myself, the Minizilla makes more sense.
The Minizilla was sold as the budget-friendly alternative to the 7.3L Godzilla for base trim trucks, but had many benefits beyond a $1,500 cheaper price. By simply shortening the stroke of its big brother, Ford created a snappier, higher-revving engine with fewer pumping losses. For those of us not trying to move a mountain every day, it was the “Goldilocks” option—fuel savings enough to keep the gas bill sane during these high-price spikes, but punchy enough to make a base-trim truck feel light on its feet.
I’m not losing sleep over maintenance; the fact that it shares a DNA pool with the Godzilla means parts will be sitting on shelves for decades. But from a perspective of many fleet operators who wanted something less expensive it feels like a missed step. In a world where every cent per mile counts, having a less thirsty, lighter-duty option for the everyday grind just makes sense.
I suppose I can’t blame Ford for wanting to streamline the assembly line—producing two engines that are nearly identical is a hard sell for the accountants. But sometimes, in my mind the “smaller” option is actually the better one.
Probably if I were to go there I’d poke around the Mark Twain National Forest, mostly on dirt roads and the alike. I’m guessing it’s a mixture of upland timberlands and leased pasture and significant inholdings but I’ve don’t know for sure yet, I’d have to do more research. I’m envisioning something like the Finger Lakes National Forest but I could be wrong.
I’ve heard the state is hot and muggy in the summer but also in the salt belt in the winter. I’ve heard drugs, crime and poverty can be quite bad parts of the state. But so is the case with many rural areas with ample access to farm fertilizer anhydrous ammonium and long hard work days leading to opiod addiction and meth. Pollution and hazardous waste sites dot the countryside and outskirts of city but that’s not uncommon in New York either. Buffalo and Niagara Falls alone have hundreds of brownfields but you get a few miles out and your in pretty wild country that’s largely unspoiled.
I’m just so fascinated by other regions of the nation and other ways of living. New York has its own cultures, customs, folkways and laws – some good, some bad. Some of the laws and regulations in Upstate NY are just asinine.
I like the idea of living somewhere that land is affordable and taxes are low. Where your not fighting codes or zoning with everything you do. Where you can have livestock and privacy, where you don’t have to worry about neighbors complaining about your pigs or goats or trash burning barrel or making too much noise shooting off guns or fireworks.
Where you don’t have to get a pistol permit, where you can open carry if want, where you can buy an AR-15 for fun or shooting coyotes. Build a gun range out back from a sand pit with your tractor. Get together with some buddies burn that nasty old mattress or sofa bed in a bonfire and scrap the metal. Get muddy with your four wheeler.
There are plenty of small hick towns in New York that are fun to live in, where good ol boys have a lot of fun. I know I’ve been through many of them, the hills and hollars, the dairy country and hill high above them that provide timber and recreation.
But people pay a lot of taxes and everything is just so darn expensive in New York. Even taxes you don’t pay directly trickle down. You can get a pistol permit but it’s an unnecessary and costly process when other states you walk in, pass a background check and walk out with your gun. And if you own enough land, nobody has to know what your doing on it but still all it takes is one snitch.
Now I consider myself to be a liberal and a progressive. I’m a registered Democrat and I work for the party. But that doesn’t mean I’m happy with the direction of our state nor do I think it’s a good state to live in as a rural resident. Urban justice and helping people in need is good for the city folk but those of us who crave the wilderness of Rural America should seek elsewhere.
