TUCKER: No joke: Get out to vote

If you’re not ready for Election Day by today, you probably will never be.

We hope you’ve read the endorsements in the News, taken advantage of the candidate debates hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and the News, attended council meetings, met the candidates and, in all, are ready to pull the lever. Go for it!

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Megan Vergo e-mailed to say she agreed with the suggestions for state government in last week’s column.

“You’re on the mark,” she wrote.

Too bad those who are part of Albany’s mess can’t read.

Here’s two more insane ideas that will cost us all money:

• Albany is revving up to pass a bill requiring every motorist to replace vehicle license plates starting next spring. The mandate covers cars, trucks, trailers and motorcycles — even ATVs — at an outrageous cost of $25. If you are enraged over this, fire up your computer and go online to www.nonewplates.com, sign the online form and then forward the message to everyone you know. St. Lawrence County clerk Patricia Ritchie said it’s an outrage to ask families and businesses to pay more for new license plates they don’t need, so she started the Web site. What a poor excuse for raising taxes. By the way, have any state legislators curtailed their staff, taken a cut in wages, given up even one perk? And do they pay for their own license plates?

• State Sen. Antoine Thompson somehow, over many objections, was able to get the “bottle bill” on the books. But just to show how much heart state officials have, they are allowing retailers to wait until Nov. 8 before starting to collect the nickel deposits on water bottles. The governor said the bigger, better bottle bill will provide much needed revenue for the state because it gets to keep 80 percent of the unclaimed deposits, money given up when people don’t bring the empty containers back. Environmentalists are also happy, saying it will result in higher recycling rates.

Another win-win for the state, a loss-loss for taxpayers.

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Don Reid e-mailed that his dream is to reinstate Erie County Medicaid processing that detected Medicaid abuse in the mid-’70s. The case he noted was that of a physician barred from Medicaid for three years for abuse.

“This processing (if reinstated) would find the billions mentioned in a segment of ‘60 minutes’ about Medicare,” he said. “I am 85 and was not going to bother trying (to reinstate the program) again until that segment.”

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Let’s turn to other news (and there is some.)

Chuck Pastor brought over two clippings from the News in 1949.

The first was a large ad for Midget Auto Races at the “new Sheridan Speedway at Old Bemo Park, 1/2 mile east of the Grand Island Bridge on Sheridan Drive Extension.” Admission was $1.20, including tax, with children’s admission at half-price.

The second was an article that the Sheridan Speedway, “a 1.5 mile dirt track for midget automobile racers” was opening with an all-Ford show Aug. 31. The speedway was affiliated with International Racing Association and had bleacher seats accommodating 3,500.

Now, Chuck’s question: He is an avid auto race junkie and has never heard of this speedway. If anyone has any information or remembrances of it, let me know and I’ll forward the information to him.

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For a number of years as night editor of the Saturday morning News (when the daily paper was an evening paper), one of my favorite people to work with was Pat Murray, former sports editor and writer at the News, who was one of the best headline writers I’d ever known and an encyclopedia of sports trivia.

Thanks to Doug Smith for calling to say Pat has a new job on the sports information staff at Lamar University, a Division 1 school in Texas. Pat and family have moved to Beaumont, Texas, where his talents will certainly be put to good use. Congratulations, Pat.

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A note of farewell to the Rev. Bob Lawson, long-time pastor of St. Peter’s Lutheran Brethren Church in North Tonawanda, who has resigned his post after a six-year stay.

In his letter of resignation, he said he had done his best and feels it’s time for a change, “for someone with different gifts and abilities to take the church to the next step.”

Best wishes to Pastor Bob and his family as he moves to his next call.

Contact community editor Barbara Tucker at 693-1000, ext. 110, or e-mail barbara.tucker@tonawanda-news.com.