Well, here’s a consequence to Hurricane Ike I never dreamed possible, all the way across the continent in Upstate New York: the bureaucracy. My medical insurance company is unreachable and cannot approve my scheduled MRI (an MRI is like an x-ray). Why? Because the insurance center is in Texas; and because of the hurricane, the power is out there. Therefore, everyone in New York State who needs approval for our tests, scans, and appointments cannot get approval for anything. My MRI has been delayed for over a week and counting.

I’m shocked by it, really. I have New York State health insurance coverage. It’s NEW YORK STATE. I assumed everything would be through New York State offices? No, says my doctors’ offices. New York State has outsourced its own health insurance policies! I asked the office– no one can schedule an appointment or a test- no one in New York State who has this coverage– because of the hurricane in Texas?! They said that is correct.

Well, blow me over with chinese air tools and call me Ike! For one, NYS can’t even support it’s own health insurance company?! Not only are New Yorkers leaving NY for Texas, NYS business is, too, apparently! And two, they KNEW the hurricane was a-coming! Why did they leave all that information in one location, so vulnerable?!

I wouldn’t care so much, but my health insurance coverage ends October 1st. I’m contesting the termination, but knowing how slow the bureaucratic slug moves, it may not be reinstated for half a year. And the funny thing is, the company needs an MRI to determine my eligibility. [insert crazy, maniacal screaming]

Somedays ya just gotta throw yer hands up in the air and give a good laugh. Holy cow, the things that go on around here!

New York Chica has an interesting post about the Top Ten Recession-Proof Cities. The list is interesting and not surprising (Texas, Utah, and North Carolina made the list). She summed up the sentiments of New Yorkers when she said she didn’t expect any NY city to make the list. The only Top Ten lists New York is making are the ones with highest taxation, lowest wages, and most poor. Worst education is coming onto the list, as well. Those recession-proof cities in TX, UT, and NC are because NYers are fleeing the state in droves and migrating to those states.

I live in Upstate New York– right smack-dab in the middle of the state. The rest of the country has been reeling with recession-style tremors, but here in NYS, we’ve been living this way for about 30 years now. Our troubles all started when the state changed some language in the state constitution to favor Downstate (New York City area). New York City has seen a huge boom in the last 20-25 years. However, it has been Upstate’s natural resources and jobs pool that has fueled the economy down there. So essentially, the NYS government has slit its own throat. The “good times” can only last so long because sooner or later, the leech runs dry. And that’s Upstate right now… pretty dry.

New York State loves to tout itself as the “Empire State,” claiming that this state is the trend-setter for the rest of the states. Well, maybe 200 years ago that was something we could brag about, but since the 1880s, the state is leading the nation as an example of how NOT to govern. Let’s hope the other states learn from NY’s idiotic mistakes. Don’t let labor unions and politicians micro-manage the affairs of the people; don’t accept high taxation as a way to become prosperous and assume political “clout”; don’t add taxes upon taxes upon taxes and call them “fees” and “surcharges,” hoping no one will notice; don’t brag about how unsinkable you are when everyone knows it’s just a matter of rearranging the deck chairs.

Unfortunately, however, for those southern and midwestern states is that they lack the natural resources to support large populations. Drought conditions and the home foreclosure crisis brought this to the forefront. Northeasterners who have migrated south and west complain of the lack of green grass, trees, and abundant water. Duh.

It’s like I always say, here in NY, we don’t have calamitous natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, floods. Our natural disasters come in the form of politicians. I sometimes wonder that politicians are worse than weather disasters…. but no matter where you live, there will always be some price to pay. We’ll see how the nation fares, because we are seeing a monumental change in our American way of life.

The big news here in New York State is the lawsuit by Amazon against the state. YAY AMAZON! I am an Amazon affiliate. Well, I WON’T BE if New York wins this suit.

Amazon.com is fighting back with a lawsuit trying to strike down New York state’s new law forcing the online retailer to collect sales taxes on the state’s behalf.

The dispute, which is before a state court in Manhattan, is heading toward a constitutional showdown that will center on whether New York State is hindering interstate commerce by imposing on out-of-state companies, such as Amazon.com, the burden of serving as a tax collector for New York.

The so-called Amazon tax has been a touchy political issue as Albany has looked for novel ways to fund the state government’s soaring spending amid a predicted drop-off in state tax revenue as the economy slows. The state’s tax department first set its sights on Amazon.com last year when it quietly changed its policy to require some online retailers to begin collecting state and city sales taxes — a combined 8.375% on purchases in New York City — on all orders from residents of New York State.

You know, this is SO typically New York State. It’s not my fault, really. I NEVER vote for these guys, but they always win the elections! And what;’s weird is that ever since the beginning, even before the American Revolution, New York State has been like this. I mean, there are lots of court cases where NYS tried to, essentially, steal other people’s money and call it collecting taxes. It almost started a Civil War right after the American Revolution! Back then, NYS tried to “collect taxes” on produce going from New Jersey to Connecticut, just because shipping boats passed through New York City’s harbor. I mean, WOW! It’s still going on, after all these centuries! We’ve got people suffering in this state, from high taxation, high energy prices, low wages, and the threat of foreclosure! And still, NY taxes away and the politicians spend, spend, spend.

So that’s why I hate NY. We all keep hoping for the state to change, but ya know what? If they’ve been doing this again and again for centuries, it’s not going to change!

I hope Amazon wins.