a debate between parties with axes is called a duel?

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Letters: OTBs regaining fiscal health

Published: June 4, 2012 10:14 PM

Photo credit: Ed Betz | Patrons stand in Suffolk OTB in Hauppauge (March 29, 2012)

Despite your commentary in "A better wager for OTBs" [Editorial, May 27], the Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. continues to generate money for Nassau County and New York State, at no cost to taxpayers.
Last year, Nassau OTB delivered more than $3.2 million to Nassau County and generated more than $3.8 million in revenue for New York State in pari-mutuel tax, breakage, regulatory fees and uncashed winnings. Nassau OTB also contributed more than $1.8 million to the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund and the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund.
While similar entities have been unable to sustain themselves in this difficult economic climate, since the new administration took office in May 2010, Nassau OTB has met its obligation to taxpayers by cutting our workforce salaries by about $3 million. Nonunion exempt staff has been reduced by 31 percent, and union members by 12 percent, primarily through early retirement incentives. Nassau OTB further reduced operating expenses by $1.4 million.
In addition, Nassau OTB's Internet-wager sales have increased by 34 percent since 2009, and our FastTrack franchise has been expanded to 11 locations, with several additional venues in the application process. With limited overhead, FastTrack provides a low-cost alternative to the traditional branch locations.
We understand the importance of reform and have advocated for legislative initiatives to improve the efficiency of the New York State OTB systems. The bottom line remains that Nassau OTB does not cost the taxpayer a dime and continues to meet its long-standing commitment to Nassau County by generating revenue that reduces the tax burden of local residents.
Joseph G. Cairo Jr., Hempstead
Editor's note: The writer is president of the Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.

Newsday's incendiary headlines and inaccurate narrative grab the spotlight, leaving facts in the shadows.
Suffolk OTB filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in May. The petition included a list of creditors owed money by Suffolk OTB, one of which is the state retirement fund.
Newsday falsely sounded the alarm that Suffolk OTB would saddle the county with debt. Suffolk County is not responsible for OTB's debts. New York State racing law states, "The bonds, notes or other obligations of a corporation shall not be a debt of either the state of New York or of any participating county and neither the state nor any county shall be liable thereon."
Newsday points to New York City OTB's demise -- and debt -- as a cautionary tale. Left out is the state takeover of NYC-OTB before its 2010 shutdown.
No comparable situation exists with Suffolk OTB. Although the county legislature appoints the board of directors, Suffolk OTB operates as a separate legal entity and has never received one penny of taxpayer money. In fact, since 1974, Suffolk OTB has generated more than $200 million for the county and $159 million for the state.
Threatening that public revenue are the industry's dysfunctional distribution formulas. In addition to paying commissions to purses and breeders, Suffolk OTB is legally required to send millions in commissions to privately held harness tracks that are flush from video lottery terminals. No entity can survive indefinitely when it must send out more money than it takes in. Privatization of OTBs is not the panacea Newsday suggests; dysfunctional formulas would still exist.
Newsday would have readers believe that only a private operator has the ability to focus attention on "the aspects of gambling on horses that work, like betting machines in bars, and Internet wagering." We know that works! Suffolk OTB's Qwik Bet wagers increased from $1 million in 2006 to $9 million in 2011. Internet wagering grew from $3 million in 2010 to $7 million in 2011.
We are also cutting costs. Suffolk OTB halved its branch locations, from 14 in 2008 to seven. Between 2006 and 2011, we slashed expenses from $26 million to $15 million and reduced our employees from 379 to 212.
The reality is that Suffolk OTB's new business plan has already yielded quantifiable results.
Jeffrey A. Casale, Hauppauge
Editor's note: The writer is the president of Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.

We want your opinion Gus Serafis

Dear Gus,
What do you think of Nassau OTB being closed only on Roman Catholic Easter Sunday and Roman Catholic Palm Sunday in preference to Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday and Greek Orthodox Palm Sunday? See eg NYConst Art 1, Sec. 3.
Stop 20 shares patrons with Nassau OTB's Branch on Hempstead Turnpike in Franklin Square.
It is clear that Stop 20 may open or close any day of the year that it wishes.Simple as that.
It is just as clear to many Stop 20 customers who bet at Nassau OTB that if there is a track running that they want to bet after having breakfast at Stop 20 that Nassau OTB should be open to take their bets.
What do you think Gus.
Don't forget to tell Nassau County Legislator Carrie Solage your opinion .
Isn't it absurd that you have to pay an Attorney when the Nassau County Attorney could resolve this "complicated" legal conundrum by getting a free Opinion from the New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Only in Nassau County is it a crime to obtain a free legal opinion from the Attorney for New York State, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

For residents, businesses, it's Elmont-Belmont

June 4, 2012 10:32 PM By JOYE BROWN joye.brown@newsday.com

Photo credit: Steve Pfost | Gus Serafis, part owner of the Stop 20 Diner, in Elmont, talks about the business that the Belmont Steaks brings. (June 4, 2012)

Joye Brown

Joye Brown Joye Brown has been a columnist for Newsday since 2006.
bio | email

Stop 20 Diner

16 reviews Rating Details

Category: Diners  [Edit]

1336 Hempstead Tpke
Elmont, NY 11003

(516) 358-7142

 

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The breakfast and lunch business was jumping at the Stop 20 Diner in Elmont Monday. And dinner business was expected to be heavy, too.
No wonder. It's Belmont Stakes Week, when, come Saturday, history could be made at the track nearby on Hempstead Turnpike.
"What would Elmont look like if we had this kind of business year-round ?" said Gus Serafis, who, with his partner, are Stop 20's third owners. The diner -- so named because it's located at the 20th stop of a trolley that once ran east from Queens -- opened in the 1940s. Belmont Park opened in 1905, at a time when East End-bound city residents would first stay a few weeks of the season in tiny, brightly colored cottages in Elmont.
Most of those original cottages are gone. But the sense of excitement for thoroughbred racing's third, and most grueling, leg of the Triple Crown remains.
Alicia Munian, 27, lives one block from Belmont Park. She's lived in Elmont -- a community of 30,000 that will swell with more than 100,000 visitors come race day -- all of her life.
"You can feel that sense of something special; it's in the air," she said. The street outside her home fills with cars. "People park here and walk to the track," she said, "They're moving fast, everybody's talking and they're happy to be in my hometown."
But what about Elmont, which for years has struggled to revive its downtown business strip, which also happens to be located near Belmont's front gate?
"We'd love to see something happen in that south parking lot at Belmont," said Paul Sapienza, head of Elmont's Chamber of Commerce, who now runs his parents' business, Sapienza Bake Shop.
"Why not put a convention center there or a hotel or a sports complex that would attract visitors all year-round?" he said. "That would help Belmont, Elmont and Nassau County, too."
For many Elmont residents, the south parking lot at Belmont -- the entire park covers 600 acres that straddlesNassau County and Queens -- represents a chance to bottle this week's excitement and also bring needed jobs and long-stalled economic development.
"We have heard so much from so many politicians about doing something for Elmont and nothing gets done," he said. His sentiment was shared by other local business owners, who said they wanted action, rather than words.
Does that dampen Elmont's enthusiasm about the Belmont Stakes? Especially this year, when I'll Have Another fights to take the Triple Crown? Hardly.
Frantz Sylvain, who turned a vacant bank building on Hempstead Turnpike into a Haitian restaurant that opened earlier this year -- The Vault, natch -- will be looking for new customers among the Belmont crowd.
At Stop 20, Serafis is expecting to once again -- just as when Big Brown made his unsuccessful run for the Triple Crown last year -- send lost cellphones back to customers visiting from across the country and around the world.
Already, the community's had a parade and craft fair to celebrate the big race. On Wednesday, there's a film festival at the local library, where the high school or college winner of a make-a-business-plan-to-revitalize-Elmont will be announced.
And, come Saturday, some Elmont residents will be among the grandstand crowd, including Michaelle Solages, who will attend with family members, including her county legislator brother, Carrié. "Belmont is in my heart," she said.

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Thanks for the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing address.

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Long Island Business News

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Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012

Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.

just like the dead nyc otb clerks who were paid double time on Sunday

if NYRA were open for racing and/or simulcasting every dayof the year  that tracks are running in the US or beyond that bettors want to bet, these guys would have had the opportunity if desired to put in an honest day's work for an honest day's pay (there may not be such a thing) you would think that among the betting betting clerks there might be a Greek or someone simply offended by the violation of their rights secured by NY Const. ARt. 1, Sec. 3. To put it another way, you can't close Nassau OTB on Roman CAtholic Easter Sunday and not Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday. FAir is fair? Except in New York.

NY PML Sec 105 and Sec 109 are not constitutionally defensible.

New YOrk is the land of wealth redistribution governed by the concepts that those at the top steal more and stick it to those at the bottom who might steal less. Working is simply an aspirational goal for doing as little as possible and being paid as much as possible.  There is a culture in New York that will serve us all not too much?

06/05/2012 5:59PM

Belmont Stakes 2012: Cuomo encourages NYRA, union to settle dispute

By David Grening

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on the New York Racing Association and the union which represents the track’s maintenance and starting gate crew to settle their differences before Saturday’s Belmont Stakes in which I’ll Have Another will attempt to become the sport’s 12th Triple Crown winner.
“This year's Belmont Stakes has the potential to be a truly remarkable event, attracting worldwide attention and millions of dollars of economic activity for the New York metropolitan area and the entire region,” Cuomo said. “The event has been planned for months with excitement continuing to build. It is simply unacceptable that a two-year-long labor dispute would imperil this special event.
“My administration has been in touch with NYRA and the unions, and we have urged both to resolve this dispute amicably,” Cuomo said. “Both sides should put aside their differences and do what is best for the people of the State of New York: ensure a smooth and successful Belmont Stakes.”
Cuomo released a statement Tuesday afternoon after it was reported that the International Brotherhood of International Workers Local 3 authorized its 130 members to strike, an event that could impact this Saturday’s Belmont Stakes.
Members of Local 3 were scheduled to hold a rally outside Belmont’s main gate Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
NYRA and Local 3, which represents electricians, maintenance crew workers and the starting gate crew, have been working without a contract since Feb. 2010.
Local 3 claims NYRA is seeking a 30-percent reduction in wages and benefits. NYRA claims that its medical benefit liability has nearly doubled over the past three years - from $61 million in 2008 to $121 million in 2011.
Representatives of NYRA and Local 3 were expected to meet with a mediator on Tuesday.

Andrew Cuomo is a thief . He is free to go to church anytime but

Nassau OTB can't pick and chose one religion's holidays eg Andrew Cuomo's over another's to close
Cuomo should have a drink as he reads NY Const. Art, 1. Sec. 3.
Better yet he should make a bet with those of us who want to bet at Nassau OTB every day of the year that NY PML Sec 105/109 does not apply to Nassau OTB and  violates the rights of betting union members secured by NY Const. Art. 1, Sec. 3.

Mediator brought in to settle NYRA-union dispute at Belmont as final leg of Triple Crown nears

Labor woes at Belmont as Triple Crown bid nears

Associated Press | 1 hour, 56 minutes ago in

             

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is urging both sides to resolve a labor dispute that's threatening to scratch I'll Have Another's chance of winning thoroughbred racing's first Triple Crown in more than 30 years.

Article continues below

Trainer Doug O'Neill, lower right, kneels to tape the leg of I'll Have Another after a workout, Monday, June 4, 2012 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner goes for horse...   (Associated Press)

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His intervention comes as a mediator meets Tuesday with the New York Racing Association and union leaders. Some track workers have gone two years without a new contract.
Cuomo says it's unacceptable that the dispute could get in the way of Saturday's Belmont Stakes.
An official with the union representing maintenance and starting gate workers at the racetrack says he hasn't heard of any progress in the talks as of Tuesday afternoon.
About 150 union members at NYRA's Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga tracks have authorized a strike over overtime and scheduling.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
A mediator was trying to settle a labor dispute at Belmont Park that threatens to scratch I'll Have Another's chance of winning thoroughbred racing's first Triple Crown in more than 30 years.
An official with the union representing maintenance and starting gate workers at the New York racetrack said the mediator was meeting Tuesday morning with the New York Racing Association and union leaders.
About 150 union members at NYRA's Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga tracks have been working without a contract since February 2011, a year after the previous contract was given a one-year extension. The workers last month authorized a strike to begin Friday, a day before the running of the Belmont Stakes, the final jewel in the Triple Crown. I'll Have Another is trying become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.
Vincent McElroen, financial secretary for Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, denied that the union waited until the week before the Belmont Stakes to threaten a labor action.
"We've been trying to get a deal for two years now," he said from the union local's headquarters in Queens. "The workers are just completely frustrated. No one's looking to disrupt the Belmont Stakes."
The racing organization _ recently touched by scandals, government investigations and last month's firing of its president and the state's takeover of its board _ called the union's strike threat "very troubling" because it could disrupt a race expected to draw about 100,000 to the track, plus a worldwide television audience in the millions.
"It is extremely self-serving for Local 3 to use the attention and excitement of a Triple Crown attempt to further its own agenda," NYRA said in a statement issued Monday night.
Of the 150 workers IBEW represents, about 80 work at Belmont, including pari-mutuel clerks not involved in the dispute, McElroen said. Those who are involved include the starting gate workers, who get the horses into their assigned positions just prior to post time.
The major sticking points have been overtime and the structure of the tracks' work week. NYRA runs races Wednesday through Sunday, but the contract covers a Monday-through-Friday week, which means union workers earn built-in overtime on weekends. NYRA is seeking to immediately take away overtime for working Saturdays and Sundays, a move the union says will cut some workers' pay by 30 percent.
McElroen says the union is willing to agree to some changes but wants them implemented over a period of time to lessen the impact on workers' finances.
"They want what they want and they want it now," he said of NYRA.
Last month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo took power away from NYRA, creating a temporary board to run racing for the next three years. The move came 18 days after NYRA fired its top executive, Charles Hayward, and its chief counsel as the state investigates why $8.5 million in winnings wasn't paid to bettors.
A message left at Cuomo's office wasn't immediately returned.

There are no Greek Bettors in NY State and Andrew Cuomo says that

 they cannot bet at Nassau OTB on Roman Catholic Easter and Roman Catholic Palm Sunday.

Andrew Cuomo, the next Governor of Wisconsin and a religious scholar and man who does not believe in freedom of religion and NY Const. Art. 1, Sec. 3.  

As to the press release below, details are unknown to us. what sort of silly release is this?

 

State of New York | Executive Chamber
Andrew M. Cuomo | Governor
For Immediate Release: June 5, 2012

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO

"This year's Belmont Stakes has the potential to be a truly remarkable event, attracting worldwide attention and millions of dollars of economic activity for the New York metropolitan area and the entire region. The event has been planned for months with excitement continuing to build. It is simply unacceptable that a two-year-long labor dispute would imperil this special event. My administration has been in touch with NYRA and the unions, and we have urged both to resolve this dispute amicably. Both sides should put aside their differences and do what is best for the people of the State of New York: ensure a smooth and successful Belmont Stakes."

###




Additional news available at www.governor.ny.gov
New York State | Executive Chamber | press.office@exec.ny.gov | 518.474.8418

HI-

Thanks for the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing address.

Claude Solnik

(631) 913-4244

Long Island Business News

2150 Smithtown Ave.

Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348 

Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012

Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.

please help see that Nassau OTB is open 365 days of the year

Welcome Attorney Search Resources Attorney Registration E-Courts Contact Us	Attorney Detail as of 06/02/2012   Registration Number: 1876242     LAUREEN CRONIN HARRIS CRONIN CRONIN & HARRIS PC 200 OLD COUNTRY RD STE 570 MINEOLA, NY 11501-4292 United States (518) 741-8144     Year Admitted in NY: 1983 Appellate Division Department of Admission: 2 Law School: 1UINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY Registration Status: Currently registered Next Registration: Aug 2013 The Detail Report above contains information that has been provided by the attorney listed, with the exception of REGISTRATION STATUS, which is generated from the OCA database. Every effort is made to insure the information in the database is accurate and up-to-date. The good standing of an attorney and/or any information regarding disciplinary actions must be confirmed with the appropriate Appellate Division Department. Information on how to contact the Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court in New York is available at www.nycourts.gov/courts. If the name of the attorney you are searching for does not appear, please try again with a different spelling. In addition, please be advised that attorneys listed in this database are listed by the name that corresponds to their name in the Appellate Division Admissions file. There are attorneys who currently use a name that differs from the name under which they were admitted. If you need additional information, please contact the NYS Office of Court Administration, Attorney Registration Unit at 212-428-2800.
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Even Cardinal Dolan believes in religious freedom for some but

NY Const. Art. 1, Sec. 3 even applies to the citizens of the State of New York.

NY PML Sec 105 and Sec 109 belongs on the New York Bar Examination Essay Section so that we can see what aspiring lawyers might do with it whether they bet horses or not and whether that follow the Gregorian or Julian Calendar.

 

NY Const. Art. 1, Sec 3 is worth reading? It is not very long or numerous in words.

 

The concept of freedom to do as one pleases would appear to simply elude libn.com. If you are a subscriber please post the text of the article.

 

 

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