mstella: This Niskayuna High School is not even ranked by credible school ranking organizations. It does not place within even the top 176 high schools in New York State. Most of the top high schools are in New York City. But, the writer states that 95% of their students attend college. That's a pretty meager number compared to the school taxes paid.

justapto: The thing is most people are OK with the school tax rate and willingly pay it, because if they were not OK with it, they'd do something about it. Just observe the results of the school budget votes this Tuesday. You, me and the few others of us can rant all we want about this subject, but we are a sadly represented minority. So keep your wallet open because they're coming after more of your cash (if you have much left to give them).

Fritzdawg: And who perpetuates those lies but our own FDA, whose only interest is enriching the drug manufacturers, because the FDA IS the drug industry that provides mega bucks to political campaigns. At least in India and Australia their pharma regulators are bureaucrats and not CEOs of drug companies. That's why you can buy a Novartis brand drug from an Indian pharmacy by mail for 25% of what Caremark charges you for that same drug by mail here. You can get a brand name drug off shore for less than what you pay for a generic here. If more people knew this maybe they could afford to take their pills every day.

This viewpoint and the attitude represented toward secondary education exactly demonstrates why there are 700+ school districts within 57 New York counties, costing the taxpayers tremendous amounts to cover the waste of duplication, replication and other inefficiencies, at the expense of providing quality education. The attitude represented by this opinion is the reason why New Yorkers will be school taxed to the point where educational quality will seriously suffer, accelerating NY further down the spiral of who can afford or wants to live here? Maybe he’s got the financial means to pay for this educational waste, but how many of him are there?

Surprised that only 2% get scripts off shore. We get most of my wife’s from pharmacies in Australia and India. They are delivered by mail in the original packaging from U.S. drug manufacturers like Novartis, East Hanover, NJ; Eli Lily, Indianapolis and others. Their cost is about 25% of the cost here through our health plan. Plus the Australian and Indian governments have much stricter pharma regulations than our FDA which is pretty much owned by the pharmaceutical industry.

Cost of schools: I also lived in the D.C. area in Montgomery, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties where there is one school district per county, and have my property tax receipts that are far lower for homes assessed far higher than here. Most people here willingly accept the high cost of government, and actually encourage it, by either not changing it or intentionally voting for the same people over and over again who create large local government, or are apathetic and just don’t care period. There are not enough people like these letter writers willing to make or accept change. As long as those attitudes prevail, there will be no change, and property taxes will continue to rise.

Dissolving the village would save more than $45,000 a year. That’s not the real issue – which is, the continuation of multiple municipal government political kingdoms at any cost, even in lightly populated rural areas. They’re discussing its impact on the town. But of course there’s no discussion of dissolving the town along with the village. It’s all Schoharie County anyway. That would save a lot more. But it’s probably unthinkable to have the sheriff become the chief law enforcement department for the county, as it’s probably unthinkable for the county to provide all municipal services to its only 35,000 residents.

What would be the tax levy if there was one school district per city and one for the rest of a county? We'll probably never know because most people are OK with their tax levy. As the article states, based on prior years history the school budgets are overwhelmingly approved. What more proof is there that people approve their tax levy than majority voter decision?

wmarincic: not sure what your comment has to do with motor vehicles, sport cars, drunk driving, speeding etc. compared to firearms, as the original letter writer wrote. If you have a motor vehicle, do you register it? And if you do – why do you register it? If you do have and register a motor vehicle, do you not trust your government to support and protect you in the event that your motor vehicle is used in an illegal manner that through no fault of your own, causes harm to someone, for which you had no control?

As to your comments about invasion from a foreign army or our own government, our government and our nation is protected by our military staffed by our own people (mostly our own children), who admirably protect and serve our nation at the command of their Commander-In-Chief. Are you suggesting a military takeover of our government, if democracy fails? Is that the divide you’re referring to? If that’s the case – we all better get six-shooters, machine guns, bazookas, and any other military style protection from our own military in case their commander, our President orders them to come after us.

So when do you predict our democracy will fail? Will it be sooner or later? How can you be so sure about this? When should we all get our bazookas?

Continuing John Manning's analogy of guns and cars and the irresponsible use of each. Why are there laws that require the registration of every motor vehicle and a license to drive a vehicle? Isn’t it to enable the tracing of a vehicle to its owners and its origin in the event of an illegal use of that motor vehicle.? Isn’t the purpose of driver licensing to help ensure that the person is capable of operating a motor vehicle? Why is there a requirement for the owner and operator of a motor vehicle to prove financial responsibility before registration and licensing? Isn’t it in the event that the person or vehicle causes harm to someone? None of these laws ban vehicles or the use of vehicles, and most people readily accept these laws and don’t consider them an invasion of privacy. Why is there such resistance to applying that logic to firearms? Motor vehicle registration, insurance and licensing laws do not ban vehicles, their use or drivers. Nor would equivalent laws ban any firearm or firearm use.