"For aid, Buffalo's first in line"

In his first state budget, Gov. Elliot L. Spitzer proposed a significant increase in financial aid to the fiscally failing City of Buffalo.

In a smart move, he chose to base state aid on poverty rates, population loss and property tax rates for municipalities.

Buffalo scored high in each category, with a 36.6 percent decrease in population since 1970, a poverty rate of 26.6 percent and a property tax rate that's through the roof.

In another admirable move, the governor also completely cut off the cash flow to wealthy cities, towns and villages across the Empire State, including that of New York City - deservedly so.

Under the previous gubernatorial administration, Buffalo was oftentimes thrown to the wolves when it came to state aid, with the Big Apple getting our much needed capital.

With a total commitment of $57 million over the next four years, this year's $12.8 million should serve the Buffalo well, but Spitzer has thrown in a catch.

Buffalo must establish a performance plan for next several years.

Mayor Byron W. Brown intends to use the funds to issue a residential property tax cut while at the same time raise city spending.

As for Buffalo's failing school system, Spitzer has thrown a whopping $40 million at this chronic ailment.

Unfortunately for the districts deprived students, up to a third of that newly-acquired funding may go toward teachers' health care premiums unless the Buffalo Teachers Federation brokers a deal with the district.

Good job governor, and thanks for remembering Buffalo.

Now if you can only hold our city and county leaders accountable, we might be on the fast track to a momentous rebirth.

Guerilla gone wrong

Boston officials go bananas over 'Aqua Teen' marketing

Attention planet Earth: the Mooninites have landed. That is, at least, in 10 major U.S. cities.

Someone should've warned Boston a little sooner.

In a botched attempt to promote their most sophisticated 15 minutes of daily programming, the Cartoon Network's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" did a bang-up job at throwing Bean Town into a frenzy on Wednesday.

A marketing campaign implemented by a firm hired by Turner Broadcasting, the Cartoon Network's parent company, placed several magnetic electronic devices sporting one of ATHF's minor characters (one of the alien "Mooninites") in strategic locations including subway stations and thruway overpasses.

For over two weeks they sat on display in New York, L.A., Chicago and other metropolises without a problem.

In Boston, they caused a city-wide bomb scare.

In a swift and firm response to the possible threat, highways, bridges and even a section of the Charles River were shut down to public traffic. Homeland Security got involved. Public officials didn't see the humor of the situation.

"It's a hoax - and it's not funny," Mass. Gov. Deval Partick told the Associated Press.

And he was right. In the heat of the moment with concerns of public safety and security reigning supreme, a hoax definitely isn't a laughing matter. But did it need to come to that?

Perhaps officials could have put a little more thought into the possibility that these devices - signs that basically look like a crude Martian drawn on a Lite-Brite - might not be bombs. Perhaps the firm that thought up the guerilla marketing plan should have given the cities involved a heads up.

Either way, it's over now, and Turner has ordered that the devices be removed. The advertising might be ending sooner than planned, but on the upside, a whole new demographic of politicians and public safety officials will probably tune in now.

Several of the signs are now available on eBay, ranging in price from $150 to several thousand dollars. Commemorative "Boston Bomb Scare" t-shirts are also on sale.