Herd Opinions

May 8, 2009

Dear Editor:

We all certainly can agree we are in tough fiscal times and being forced to make difficult choices. Still that’s no excuse to make bad decisions.

The MTA bailout plan, crafted in secret by the three New York City Democrats who control the state, implements a 34-cent tax for every $100 of payroll on businesses, not-for-profits, government agency and school district in the 12-county MTA region. It’s a devastating move that the taxpayers in Dutchess County will be forced to live with for an undetermined amount of time. This is on top of five taxes already imposed for mass transit while ridership is miniscule compared to that of the New York City boroughs.
 
This particular bill will damage our economic vitality, kill job growth and increase property taxes. This proposal runs counter to every effort being made to stimulate our economy, improve our business climate and create jobs. New York and the MTA are in this position because we spent more than we had and taxed more than we should. Continuing to do this will not deliver new results. I would have to agree with my colleague, Senator Steve Saland, when he stated that we in Dutchess County are “basically revenue hostages” to the MTA.

 

The Urban Elephant editors wrote a very thought provoking blog on Wednesday about the race for the comptrollers office called , "Official GOP Comptroller Candidate?"

If you haven't read it yet-- check out the laundry list of green initiatives  that  comptroller candidate Joe Mendola says he will undertake if elected.

Now let me get to my point:  All of these bullets about green initiatives make me SICK-- and i'm not saying that because of some sort of distrust of dislike for the environmental movement or green policies in general.

But you've got to ask yourself-- what kind of stupid ass politician thinks that they are going to win the comptrollers race talking about green initiatives and basing their investment strategies on their personal world views?

As those of us at UE have started the discussion about what the role of the Federal Courts are and whether or not "activism" is something to be avoided, potential nominee to the highest court in the land, Sonia Sotomayor, gave her views on the subject...

 

This year is an election year for local offices; mayor, borough president, district attorney and city council. It is also a year where liberals will attack you just for being a republican. It'll have nothing to do with issues and all about you being affiliated with the political party responsible for George Bush and Dick Cheney.

In 2005, I witnessed two of our Manhattan council candidates struggle with their identity. It becomes a tough sell to the public if you let issueless Democrats slap a label on you just to rile anger in voters when the office you're running for has nothing to do with Washington. If you're running for office this year, you have to call a spade a space and not be embarrassed to be Republican.

The article I linked deals with Democrats, so as far as how a Democrat handles being associated with Bush & Cheney, I couldn't care less. But as a Republican, you have a few approaches to being associated with George Bush. Here are some responses I suggest if your opponent feels the need to slap Bush and Cheney onto your lapel.

1. The Republican Party has produced some great leaders in our history like Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Is it fair to equate Bush with Lincoln? Probably not. So why do it with me? Obviously there is something about freedom, liberty and less government that attracted these men to the party. Even Martin Luther King, Jr was a registered Republican.
2. My opponent feels he/she lost this debate, so he/she feels the need to slap a label on me. Both parties have their share of winners and losers and in the end it is all a matter of opinion. I believe the voters will focus on issues this year, not labels, and decide the winner and loser of this office.
3. My opponent wants to scare you into believing I wear a pacemaker. Seriously, though, it is a shame my opponent thinks you are going to walk into the voting booth and see his name and Bush's name. Or Cheney's name. It's quite sad actually.

Candidates for this year will have to come up with strong responses for when their opponent slaps the Bush label on them. If you're a proud Bush supporter, then by all means, say it. However, I don't believe that will go over well in Manhattan. :)

I recommend stressing the importance of divided government. No one liked the Republicans in control of Washington from 2001 to 2007, many folks aren't too happy with the Democrats controlling Washington & Albany today. Balance is good. Divided government is the argument to make. So piece it together.

This is my first contribution to the herd, so I wanted to keep it light before we get into more heated conversations.  First, i've got to say that if you are  tuning into the NYC Mayoral race , it's not surprising that the Democratic losers from the 2005 race are now the front runners for the 2009 race (and before i get too far, this theory is based on a jokish website about Anthony Weiner, www.weinerbonfire.com).  I believe that this is a losing strategy and I want us to start thinking about it before we start talking about the race for 2010-- and then eventually 2012.  We need to break from the past, or at least the past of some politicians, and we need to start recruiting NEW candidates to run.  Now I'm not saying that we should have people that no one knows about-- but we need to be actively looking for businessmen and strong local leaders to spur into running for higher office.  It takes alot of moxy to really start that whole process, and more often than not, the best person does NOT run.  Think about it for awhile, and if you know a local official who you think has been doing a good job, contact them and see if they have been thinking about it.  And then start spreading the word for them!  Let's get some smart competent leaders to start running for office--- this reinvigoration does not need to make us stray from our ideals-- but it WILL start to make a difference in our party's makeup!

i guess i'll insert a video from that website to make this post more interesting. :)

Supreme Court Justice David Souter announced his intentions this week to the Administration of his desire to step down from the nation's highest court at the end of this term.  The NY Times believes a fight is already brewing over his replacement...

The nation’s capital geared up Friday for a battle over a Supreme Court vacancy that appeared likely to test President Obama’s success at skirting divisive social issues, with conservative groups saying they viewed the opening created by the retirement of Justice David H. Souter as an opportunity to regroup after a series of political setbacks.

“I will seek someone who understands that justice isn’t about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a casebook,” Mr. Obama said during an unscheduled appearance in the White House briefing room. “It is also about how our laws affect the daily realities of people’s lives.”

Among the candidates under consideration — a group that includes white, black and Hispanic judges and lawyers — are Sonia Sotomayor, who sits on the federal appeals court in New York, and Judge Kim M. Wardlaw, who is on the federal appeals court in California. Other leading candidates include Leah Ward Sears, who is the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court; Kathleen M. Sullivan, a professor at the Stanford Law School and former dean there, and Diane P. Wood, a judge on the appellate court based in Chicago.

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