Let's Make a Deal

This morning's Democrat & Chronicle had a few items regarding health care reform that I found interesting.

The big headline story was that NY may benefit from the health care reform. The story outlined Senator Schumer's "behind the scenes efforts" to get some breaks for NY seniors. I guess the Senator was stung by criticism that other Senators had gotten breaks for their states, while our Senators sat on their hands. Still, one wonders if so many Senators sought relief from the provisions of the bill, is it a good bill and who is actually paying for it?

There was a smaller story about the inquiry by a number of State Attorney's General, regarding the constitutionality of the deals that several of the states received in order to secure the votes of Senators from those states. This story dovetailed with a LTE from a former teacher who also questioned the constitutionality of the deals. He pointed out that he had always taught his students that the Constitution required [taxes] to be levied uniformly across all of the states. It does make you wonder how people in states which did not get any breaks will feel about the whole exercise.

I guess we should be happy that our Senator sought his bribe "behind the scenes" instead of openly and, apparently, shamelessly, like Senator Nelson did. Although, according to Majority Leader Reid, it does not speak well of any Senator who did not get whatever goodies they wanted added to the bill.

I am beginning to think that our current government is reminiscent of the court of Louis XVIth.

Note To Readers

I have been getting some automated "spam-like" comments on the blog posts. I believe this is done with automated software, apparently in the hope that someone will try the links that are included in the "comment".

As such, I added word verification. It is a small added step that requires you to retype a word on the screen to have your comment posted. Because this requires human intervention, it should stop the automated spam.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

Health Care Reform Question

The Senate Health Care Bill appears to be a Saturday Night Live caricature of legislation. It appears that there were goodies added on to it (or subtracted from it) to make enough sure that there were 60 votes to get it through.

As a New Yorker, I do have one question. I understand that there were "carve outs" (which will allow states to avoid the new costs of this bill) or other "sweeteners" (you and me would call them bribes) for states like Nebraska, Louisiana, Montana, Vermont, Louisiana, and Florida. So, what's up with our Senators? Why didn't they hold out for some kind of break for New York?

Maybe that's what Chuck Schumer was trying to do when that "*****" made him get off the phone!

Post Newspapers Follow D&C Lead

It appears that the Messenger-Post Newspapers are headed in the same direction as the D&C. First the D&C got smaller and cut its op-ed pages in half. Now the Messenger-Post has followed suit. Too bad, the op-ed columns were the main reason to read the paper.

From the looks of the latest edition of the Gates-Chili Post, the MP papers are also following the D&C in another way, namely as GOP bashers. Between the guest essay by Democrat County Legislators Esposito and O'Brien and Mark McIntee's partisan LTE, it seems clear that the tone of the editorial page at the MP Newspapers is headed decidedly anti-GOP.

Its OK by me though. The all-out effort by the D&C to keep "GOP scandals" in the paper and the Democrats one issue campaigning was totally ineffective. I guess they did not learn any lessons.

I'm a little surprised at the Post, however. If they took a more balanced approach, they might actually attract some of the readers fleeing from the D&C in droves. Instead they have chosen to be D&C lite. I'll keep reading....for the cuopons.

More Hot Air

The big Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen ended without any real agreement (thank goodness). The Club For Growth blog expressed satisfaction upon hearing President Obama declare the "agreement" the US reached with China, India, and Brazil as "meaningful". The CFG blogger noted that when politicians say that something is "meaningful" it means it really isn't.

But the real prize for telling it like it is goes to Mark Steyn for this article from the National Review Online. Steyn's takedown of the "climate hypocrites" is hilarious at the same time it is enraging.

Here is one excerpt:

"[The Prince of Wales] was also in Copenhagen last week, telling delegates that there were now only seven years left to save the planet. Prince Charles is so famously concerned about the environment that he’s known as the Green Prince. Just for the record, his annual carbon footprint is 2,601 tons. The carbon footprint of an average Briton (i.e., all those wasteful, consumerist, environmentally unsustainable deadbeats) is 11 tons. To get him to Copenhagen to deliver his speech, His Highness was flown in by one of the Royal Air Force’s fleet of VIP jets from the Royal Squadron. Total carbon emissions: 6.4 tons. In other words, the Green Prince used up seven months’ of an average Brit’s annual carbon footprint on one short flight to give one mediocre speech of alarmist boilerplate."

Steyn has many more examples. Read it all.

Value For Our Dollars

The three or four of you who read this blog know that I am a bit of a critic of government spending. For many years, the GOP has been hanging its hat on being the party which will cut taxes. It is the party of smaller government, less entitlements, etc.

Still, as I have written a few times before, what we need most is smart government, not small government. We need to cut taxes but we also need to remember that taxes are the price for the things we get from government. And, by the way, there are some very good things that some of our governments give us. What ought to be every politician's goal is to get government to spend money only on the things it should legitimately do and to tax and spend only those amounts which are reasonable and proper to provide those vital and/or desirable services.

One of the products/services provided by government which is of vital importance is education. Unfortunately, school spending is completely out of control. Education is vital, but the results we get do not appear to match the money we spend. My kids are students in the Gates-Chili School District. I am a fairly satisfied taxpayer and customer of the District. Yet I know that the price I pay for what my kids are getting is higher than it should be.

I attended my daughter's band concert on Wednesday. It was wonderful, as usual. The music programs at Gates-Chili are high-end, and the music directors and instructors there are first-rate, dedicated educators. I am not so convinced about all aspects of the operation, however. Every organization can stand some retrenchment. But, to hear teacher's union representatives speak, you would think that they would almost prefer exile to Siberia than to endure their daily unappreciated and allegedly, underpaid toil. Still, good teachers are worth a lot. The trick is to encourage the good ones and only get rid of the under performers.

All of us in government should strive to give value to the taxpayers for their dollars. The G-C music department should be an inspiration. I am confident that the tax dollars that go to music education at G-C are well spent. I also know that when cuts come, it will be programs like music that are often first to go, even though they are high on the value added scale.

We all as taxpayers should demand responsible spending, but we should also be willing to pay the fair price for the services we want. We need to avoid painting with too broad a brush. Its not correct to say vote against every incumbent and to vote against any spending. We need to take the time to find the good guys and reward them and to identify the bad guys and weed them out. We can't just throw up our hands and say a pox on them all.

If we want responsible spending, stable taxes and quality government services, we have to take action to get them.

Hot Air

The recent revelations about the faulty science behind global warming claims is mind boggling.

What I find amazing is that President Obama still intends to appear at the Copenhagen conference on climate change and he apparently intends to propose drastic cuts in carbon emissions by the US. I cannot believe that the President remains willing to risk our economy to prevent something that is probably not happening (i.e., human induced global warming).

At a minimum, one would think the evidence of conspiracy to "cook the books" on global warming would make everyone take a time out. The fact that President Obama seems determined to go ahead without more review is disturbing.

KSM Show Trial

I'm a little behind the curve on this story, but its been busy at work.

I am dismayed by the Administration's decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York in the Federal Court. There is no good outcome that can be had here. The ACLU lawyers who will be representing KSM and his co-conspirators should have a field day. The Bush Administration and America will be on trial. Our intelligence community and useful anti-terrorism programs may be placed at risk.

And what if a jury finds him not guilty? Well, don't worry about that. President Obama, Atty. Gen. Holder and Sen. Patrick Lahey have all indicated that the evidence of KSM's guilt is overwhelming and that there's no doubt about the verdict. Plus, if he was somehow found guilty, the government just won't release him.

Really? If so, why have the trial? I wonder if the ACLU was taking notes when those officials pronounced KSM guilty. That may be a basis for a change of venue, or a claim that he cannot get a fair trial. All this despite the fact that he has already confessed (oh, but he was water boarded; darn, can't use that confession, can we?).

He begged us to make him a martyr. We should have indulged him.

Health Care "Reform": It is a "Crime" Alright

Heath Care reform (so-called) has moved from the House to the Senate. Regular readers know I think the proposals being debated in Washington are budget-busting abominations. I am quite hopeful that somehow sanity will reign and this effort will be stopped.

I received an essay from a friend on this topic and I wanted to share it with you. The author of this guest essay is local attorney, Patrick B. Naylon.



Why do we have criminal sanctions for certain types of conduct? Is it a crime to make money? Is it a crime to buy a new house, a new car? Is it a crime to go on vacation? Is it a crime to enjoy life? Is it a crime to go to the doctor? People know those things are good for them, and they don’t have to be forced by criminal sanctions to do them! If it is good for you, if you need it, you’ll do it on your own! There is no need for a criminal sanction.

So, in the health care debate, just ask yourself this question: why would the government have to make it a crime for an individual if they fail to sign up for their new government mandated health insurance? If it is such a great improvement, why wouldn’t people be clamoring to sign up? Why would they have to make it a crime not to join? The answer lies of course in the question. Indeed, you might also ask, if that is the solution, why not just leave the present system in place and simply make it a crime to not have insurance? That won’t cost tax-payers anything!

What more do you need to know about this health care reform bill than that it is a crime not to sign up! It means that when you read what you are being given, you won’t want it. Accordingly the only way to get you to sign up, is to make you sign up for fear of criminal prosecution if you don’t. In short, it is just another tax! First the IRS, now the Medical Revenue Service! The fact that it is a crime not to join should tell you all you need to know about this inappropriate government mandate relative to your health care options.

In fact, the manner in which the government has proceeded to “cure” the ailment of our health care system, should serve to demonstrate that the government is not equipped to handle the responsibility for health care for Americans. In health care, before finding a solution, the problem must be identified. What do the Doctor’s do when a patient arrives in the ER? Do they simply start treating the patient before they diagnose the problem? Giving treatment without identifying the issue would be inappropriate, ineffective, and wasteful. When a treatment didn’t work, the physician would repeatedly have to go back to the drawing board, coming up with another treatment regimen until one is found that works. If that were the approach, the patient might very well be dead before the appropriate treatment is identified. Hence, before treating the patient, the ailment is identified.

In its approach to health care reform, the government has not bothered identifying the conditions in need of reform; instead choosing to treat the patient for everything and anything, simply because they have identified the health care “patient” as sick. The treatment is “reform”, of everything and anything, the entire system, rather than identifying the area of need. They have simply identified the patient of “health care” as sick, acknowledged it needs treatment , that is “health care reform.” They have come up with a treatment plan, via their “health care reform bill.” Unfortunately, they have not adequately or appropriately identified exactly what part of the health care system is in need of reform. The solution they propose is therefore inappropriate, ineffective and wasteful.

Is the patient “health care” in perfect condition? No. Is there a need for correction, or treatment, yes. The patient, however, is not in extremis. In fact the patient, happens to be the best health care system in the world! That is an absolutely undeniable fact. So why are the politicians calling a health care system “code blue,” placing it on a ventilator, and transplanting all of its organs? That is government malpractice that will undoubtedly kill an otherwise healthy patient, which is merely in need of a physical exam and recommendations for a better future.

Tell your congressmen and senators to stop with the “cure” until they identify the exact problems and come up with appropriate solutions for the best health care system in the world. Why don’t they identify the exact problem and take appropriate steps toward a solution? Ultimately, you must ask yourself why the government is suggesting and pushing so hard for head to toe surgery on a healthy patient. It is clearly not for the patient’s benefit.

Your senators and congressmen claim to be the physicians ready to cure the health care patient. Demand a diagnosis, consider a second opinion, before they put you under anesthesia and start cutting!



I think Pat has the question right; why are we completely overhauling (at incredible expense) a system that the vast majority of Americans say works fine for them? Clearly, we need to cut the costs associated with health care, but the current legislation will only shift the cost burden to taxpayers.

No, it seems clear that the real reason for this monster is the general left/liberal belief that government should control every aspect of our lives. Between health care reform and cap and trade, the liberals are poised for a take-over of monumental proportion. Our only hope is that the American people wake up to the threat before its too late.

How Much Is That?

Governor Paterson made an impassioned speech to NY State Legislators yesterday, as they gathered for the special session he called to deal with the State's $3.2 billion deficit.

He said he was willing to take the heat for proposing unpopular budget cuts. Paterson emphasized the point by saying that he was willing to "mortgage his political future" over the steps needed to close the deficit.

Someone should tell him that given his current re-election chances, his political future won't qualify for a mortgage.

Arrogance In Washington

The Democrat leadership in the House of Representatives rammed through the health care reform bill last night. They did so despite the fact that a substantial and growing majority of Americans opposed the bill. They just do not care what we "little people" think.

Democrat leadership rushed the vote fearing defections by Democrats who might worry that a vote for this bill could cost them re-election next year. I hope voters have a long enough memory.

It is quite clear that the current Congress and Administration are led by the most left/liberal Democrats who have been in power in America for a long time (perhaps, ever). Nancy Pelosi and her Democrat leadership team, are fearless because they operate from safe districts of like-minded liberals. They are apparently willing to sacrifice some of their less secure members re-election chances on legislation like the health care bill and cap and trade, which will fundamentally change the country, or, at least, fundamentally alter the role and power of government in our every day lives.

While it is clear that Americans are more and more coming to understand the risks, and are increasingly in opposition to these liberal efforts, much of what is being done now may prove difficult or impossible to undo, even if the Democrats are thrown out of power in 2010 and 2012.

The "hope and change" crowd included a lot of people who should have known better. They cast cavalier votes for Obama so they could show that they were post-racial, socially astute people. They jumped on the anti-Bush, anti-GOP bandwagon despite the fact that most of them were both safe and prosperous during the Bush years.

I feel sorry for my kids. The costs of the left/liberal agenda that we have empowered will erode America's prosperity and preeminence. The next few generations will look back and wonder what we were thinking.

Election Messages

A review of this morning's newspaper and the local political blogs, reveals that the D&C's Editorial Board and Joe Morelle appear to be unsure about the message sent by voters in yesterday's election. I'd like to help them understand.

Joe: The voters wanted you to know that a campaign consisting of nothing but scandal-mongering is not going to cut it. You need to at least appear to have a plan of action for governing if you want to get elected.

D&C Editorial Board: The voters wanted you to know endorsements ought to amount to more than just cheer leading for folks who share your "progressive" perspective. You really should not use the same criteria (e. g., length of time in office) as a good point for candidates you favor and a disqualifier for those you do not.

Other messages:

To Sue Swanton: Harold Stassen called. He wants you to replace him on Wikipedia as the candidate who defines "political also-ran".

To Mark McIntee: You can't fire the Town Attorney (Actually, that was a message from me, not the voters.)

To the D&C Editorial Board: Get a new Ouija Board. Your endorsements made "Dewey Beats Truman" look prescient.

To President Obama: Please don't spend another trillion dollars. We are paying attention. If you stay on the path you are currently on, Election Day 2010 will make last night look good for Dems.

The Esposito Era

Last night's election was the first in over 20 years that did not include Ralph Esposito on the ballot.

As most of you know, Ralph is stepping down at the end of the year, after a fabulous 20 years as Gates Supervisor. The Democrat & Chronicle called him "a legend" and they did not know how right they were. Ralph guided Gates through both good and bad times and he is leaving the Town in better shape than he found it.

His greatest work was during the past several years, dealing with fiscal difficulties caused by Kodak's departure from the Elmgrove facility. Ralph and the Town Board managed to right the Town's finances while preserving all of the vital services that Gates' residents are accustomed to. His critics went after him over the past eight years; Ralph and Gates were prime targets for the Democrats. They never beat him, and they never got the best of him.

In fact, Ralph's legacy of good government was so powerful, that this year's crop of Democrats had no issues to raise against the Gates GOP team. The crushing defeat inflicted on the Democrats was, to a great extent, a message from Gates' voters that we should stay the course charted by Ralph and his administration. Ralph is leaving the way a superstar should, at the top of his game.

Message to Ms. Swanton, Mr. Gillette, Mr. Landers, and Mr. Asam; you never laid a glove on him!

BREAKING: Reports of Death of Local GOP Called Premature

Despite a growing disparity in party enrollment, despite a barrage of negative ads, despite the efforts of a scandal-mongering press and a partisan DA, the GOP in Monroe County swept the board on Election Day.

The GOP held its majority in the County Legislature, scored a big win in County Court, and had easy wins for the Sheriff and for Supreme and Surrogate's Court. The Town of Irondiquoit turned back over to the Republican party and, in Gates, which had been pegged as "the next domino" to fall to the Dems, GOP candidates thrashed their opponents for every position.

The reality was that the people in Gates and Monroe County were not going to turn over the reins of power to a party which offered no plan, no program, no vision. Joe Morelle's "all scandal, all of the time" campaign fell flat. Some of the ads, such as the McCarthy DWI ad and the slanderous "Robutrad" ad attacking Frank Allkofer and Elaine Tette, were disgraceful and well beyond the normal bounds of "rough and tumble" politics. If I were a Democrat, I'd want Joe out; as a Republican, I say, please Joe, keep up the "good" work!

I'll leave most of the analysis to pundits wiser than me. I'm sure there were some anti-Obama/anti-Paterson/anti-Washington and Albany Democrat effects at work. But I think a lot has to do with the fact that people around here are basically pretty smart and they know which team was the "A-Team" who understands how to govern in tough times. Add to that the fact that the GOP candidates and their supporters worked harder than ever. It was an insurmountable task for the Dems.

There's still some life left in the GOP yet.

GOTV: All That's Left In Ugly Campaign

GOTV or "Get Out The Vote". That's the only remaining job for politico's at this point. at least we are done with the mailers!

Its been a rough campaign season. The negativity that pervades National and State political campaigns has made it, full-force, to the local scene. I won't blame the Democrats; I think both parties bear responsibility. I do, however, blame the candidates who allow political leaders to draft unfair messages and try to avoid responsibility.

All of us in politics are responsible for the content of campaigns. Unfortunately, political campaigns like we have seen in Monroe County are becoming the norm. Worse, the politicians who employ these tactics, become our elected officials. We then see the same type of mentality exhibited in government.

Ultimately, this cycle will only stop if the average voter says enough. The voters must punish the purveyors of political porn by refusing to elect them.

See The World Through Other Eyes

I was in New York City on Thursday to make an appearance at the US Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.

The Court is located in what was once the US Customs House for New York. The building sits on the location of Fort Amsterdam, the original Dutch settlement in New York. It is on the southern tip of Manhattan island next to Battery Park at Bowling Green. This is also the beginning of Broadway and is near Wall Street and the financial district.

The Customs House has an important history. Until the onset of the Federal Income Tax, import duties were the largest source of Federal income and the NY Customs House was the biggest collection point. Also, Custom House employees were political appointees. The President appointed the four principal officers and these appointees had high prestige, great power and local authority, large incomes and enhanced social status. As Collector of Customs, Grover Cleveland developed political IOU's he later used to become President.

Despite all of this, I was there only to go to Court and I was oblivious to much of the history around me. I arrived early on Thursday and I did not want to go in (because you must surrender your cell phone/BlackBerry). As I waited outside, I began to notice how many tourists were in the area. More than 50% were foreigners, but there were also a lot of students and regular folks, too. They were taking pictures, oohing and aahing at the buildings and historical markers, and generally soaking in all of the fascinating sights that those of us who have become jaded take for granted.

I was happy that I had a little extra time that day. It gave me the chance to look around and appreciate my surroundings. Despite everything, New York is a great city in a great country. Its good to be reminded now and then.

The Power Of Prayer....The Power Of Faith

I am a Roman Catholic and, while I would not call myself "devout", I'm a regular "church-goer" and I'm fairly serious about my faith. For one thing, I do pray a lot.

Last week, I had a "revelation" of sorts about the power of prayer, and yesterday, one regarding the impact that one person's faith can have on another, and I feel the need to share these things. I hope you vast legions (lol) of readers won't mind, but, it is my blog.

I was saying a prayer seeking help regarding a couple of particularly thorny legal problems. As I did so, I wondered to myself why God would answer my prayers when it appeared that he did not answer those of others who apparently suffered from problems which were bigger than mine. I also thought that my prayers were rather selfish and that God probably had better things to do than deal with my petty issues.

Later, it occurred to me that maybe my prayers were being answered because I did, in fact, pray. Perhaps those others I mused about did not believe in God, or, if they believed, simply did not pray. I also thought that perhaps prayer is not selfish, but rather an acknowledgement that I need help and that God's power is greater than anything I could muster on my own.

In any event, I intend to keep on praying. My prayers to our Heavenly Father, Jesus, Mary and the Saints, helped me overcome the worst of my issues. Some may doubt that there was a connection, or even that God really exists. Some people say that truly intelligent people don't believe in God; that such faith is no different than the Greek's worship of the Olympians. I go with the philosopher who said you should believe in what you hope for. I cannot think of a more hopeless world than one without God. I choose to believe and I choose to pray.

My faith was further rewarded on Saturday when my family and I went to St. Helen's Church for the 4:00 mass, instead of our usual 5:00 mass at Holy Ghost Church. Because it was Halloween, we wanted to get home before the trick or treaters started to arrive.

The celebrant, Father Alou, is a foreign born priest. For whatever reason, he exuded faith to a degree exhibited by only one other priest in my experience. I must say that I have not been so moved in church since Fr. Alex Bradshaw left Holy Ghost.

Its difficult to explain, but Fr. Alou spoke about his faith (my faith) in a way that made me believe it was the most precious thing in the world. His spirituality was of a kind you do not normally see. My regular priest, Fr. Tom Nellis is a fine man and, he too, is spiritual. But his spirituality is contemplative rather than dynamic.

Fr. Bradshaw's passion and faith brought me back to the church. Fr. Alou had the same kind of effect. I even noticed that my 12 year old son paid attention during the entire mass. I left St. Helen's feeling like I was part of a community of which being a member was something very special. This man truly found his calling.

In the end, I find it hard to believe that someone could be so moved, and moving, by a premise (faith in God) that is nothing but superstition. As I said above, I choose to believe.

Bills Inching Forward?

I guess so. But its a slow crawl.

I'm not convinced yet. I am thinking, like D&C Sports columnist Sal Mariorana, that the Bills drag their opponents down to their level. If so, that may give them a shot against mediocre teams. But, playoffs? Out of the question. A .500 record? Maybe, but don't hold your breath.

When I watch the Bills and Dick Jauron, I can't help but thinking that the franchise, like its owner, is over the hill. In my heart, I fear that we are watching the last days of the Bills in Western New York.

I hope I'm wrong.

Desperate Again

Well, the Gates Democrats have gone all in on bogus "guilt by association" politics.

They know they are behind so they have sent out a shameful "robutrad" mail piece, hoping to get Gates residents to conclude that the GOP in town is corrupt, because its former committee chairman has been accused of crimes.

The Democrats are insulting the intelligence of Gates residents and they are unfairly smearing two fine public officials, who their own DA has said did nothing wrong.

I guess this is always the way it is. You can't win the battle of ideas, so you opt for a mud-slinging strategy. Problem is, when you throw mud, some of it gets on you.

Bad luck for you Democrats. The people in town are too smart for this. You will lose the election anyway and you had to give up your self-respect in this pitiful, losing effort.

A Battle For Hearts And Minds

That's what the special election in New York's 23rd Congressional District is.

The race to replace John McHugh in this conservative leaning district is the first (of many more to come) referendum on the direction of the country since the "tea party awakening" that has been sweeping the nation. This election pits liberal Democrat Bill Owens against the GOP choice, Dede Scozzafava and upstart conservative, Doug Hoffman.

The split between Scozzafava and Hoffman threatens to hand the race to the Democrat. Newt Gingrich has weighed in on behalf of Scozzafava, despite her liberal viewpoints. Newt apparently believes its better to have a RINO in office than a Democrat.

Well, Newt, you're wrong. This is the song the RNC has been singing for years and all its gotten us are Arlen Spectors, Olympia Snowes, and Lincoln Chaffees. Mark Steyn pointed this out better than I can in this NRO post where he noted that "[t]he tea parties and town halls were a response not just to Obama but to the 2006/2008 GOP".

Steyn goes on to label Scozzava not a RINO but a DIABLO (Democrat In All But Label Only). Read his whole piece. He's right on the mark.

The more I've read about this race, the more I realize that conservatives have to take control of the GOP. Liberals like Scozzafava cannot get our endorsement. If they do, we will, at best, go back to the days of permanent "go-along-get-along" minority status. Our economy and our nation's future cannot afford that. We have to stop allowing career politicians to place their interests over ours.

Lock-Out in Washington

Apparently, Democrats in Washington were paying attention to the NY State Senate debacle that we experienced this summer. You will recall that the Democrats locked the Senate meeting room and took the keys away so that the GOP could not operate as the majority party after two dissident Democrat Senators switched parties.

Now we have this report from The Hill, which details the shenanigans undertaken by Democrats on the House Government Oversight Committee who did not want to vote on an investigation into the Countrywide Mortgage sweetheart loan scandal.

The Dems claimed they had a conflict with another committee meeting, but a GOP committee staffer videotaped the Democrats leaving a separate meeting in private chambers after the OGR Committee meeting was supposed to have begun. He spliced the video to footage of the Democrats’ empty chairs in the hearing room and set it to the tune of “Hit the Road, Jack”.

The Democrats were quite upset at being caught at this deception. Committee Chairman, Rep. Edolphus Towns (Democrat from....you guessed it....New York) locked Republicans out of the Committee room to keep them from meeting when Democrats aren't present.

These guys are little better than clowns. They have contempt for their constituents, for the American people, and for their constitutional oaths and duties. As stories like these keep coming out, we can only hope Americans are paying attention. We will find out in November, 2010.

Emphasizing The "D"

The Democrat & Chronicle revealed its true colors once again, with its endorsement of Mark McIntee over Mark Assini for Gates Town Supervisor. The only Republicans endorsed by the D&C are those they are sure will win. That way, they can claim non-partisanship.

The line that said it all was "Assini clearly is capable, but after decades of Republicans being in charge, it's time for new leadership". Mark is new, but I guess new only counts if you are a Democrat.

The best part of the endorsement speaks of all of McIntee's great ideas for reducing taxes in Gates. One item is a plan to get $1.5 million from Monroe County to pay for police services. It's hard to believe the D&C repeated that one, since it barely qualifies as fantasy. I didn't know that the County had $1.5 million to spare or that McIntee could get the County to agree to such a deal.

Better still, is the reference to voting against raises for certain workers, which he did last January after having voted for the budget that included the salaries in November. Last night, McIntee voted for the preliminary budget which included raises for almost all Town employees. He did not raise any objections; he made no motions for any changes in the budget drated by Supervisor Esposito. This is SOP for McIntee, who has voted with the GOP majority close to 95% of the time he has been a Town Board member.

Where was his "creativity and enthusiastic energy" last night, when it could have had an impact on Gates taxpayers? Nowhere in sight! Apparently, McIntee only takes stands "for the people" in public forums where the cameras are rolling and dupes like the D&C Editorial Board can be impressed.

Bill Win......But

Yes, the Bills beat the Jets in the Meadowlands yesterday.

No, I don't think its a sign of good things to come. Dick Jauron still almost blew the game by being too conservative at the end of regulation. It took one of the worst QB performances ever seen (from Jets rookie Mark Sanchez) to keep the largely hapless Bills from their fifth loss. The announcer kept asking, "Do either of these teams want to win"?

If Jauron remains as head coach, this team is going nowhere. We need a high profile guy, right away, to lay the groundwork for next year, while this season still plays out. It appears, however, that Ralph Wilson isn't going to let Jauron go. I guess that means he is too old or too broken down to care.

I wish someone with the bucks could save the Bills for Western New York. I doubt its going to happen, though. When Ralph is gone, I figure the Bills will be history.

D&C Chooses "None of the Above"

The Democrat and Chronicle began its endorsements for the 2009 local election cycle on Sunday, with an endorsement of the unopposed Bob Duffy for Rochester Mayor.

This morning the D&C turned to the suburbs. It used its whole page on the Town of Greece, which, I guess is fitting since Greece is the largest town and has been so much in the news lately. The most notable endorsement was a non-endorsement. The D&C refused to endorse a candidate for Supervisor.

I can only assume that the Democrat running for Supervisor does not have a heart-beat. Jack Auberger has gotten so much negative publicity through the Merrit Rahn, Nick Joseph, Gary Pignato scandal, that you would have thought the D&C would have given the nod to almost any credible Democrat. I guess Mr. Maloney is not any credible Democrat.

Obviously, as Gates Town Attorney I'm most interested in the D&C's choice for Gates Supervisor. Being involved in Gates GOP politics, I've always pulled for the Republican to get the nod. My personal interest is even more keen this year, however, since one of the candidates, Mr. McIntee, has twice publicly indicated that I will be the first to go if he is elected.

(Full Disclosure: Mark indicated that he thinks I should go because he believes my involvement in the Gates GOP is inconsistent with being Town Attorney, not because he doesn't like me.)

Personal interest aside, I do think the endorsement should go to Mark Assini over Mark McIntee. Assini's financial and budget experiences in County government and the private sector give him the advantage in a race for Supervisor at a time when many budget challenges are looming due to New York's fiscal problems.

It will be interesting to see what the D&C has to say.

Bills Hit Rock Bottom (We Hope)

Anyone who watched the Buffalo Bills lose 6-3 to the Cleveland Browns knows that the Bills have reached one of the lowest points in the history of the franchise. I won't say this is the worst Bills team ever, or Dick Jauron the worst coach, but it, and he, have to be nominated for those "honors".

If Wilson wants to see the Bills begin a turn-around, he needs to bite the bullet and bring in a real pro (like Bill Cowher, Bill Parcells, Mike Shanahan, e.g.) to take charge of the entire football operation. If Dick Jauron survives the week as coach of the Bills, we fans should face the reality that until Mr. Wilson no longer owns the team, the Bills dreams of play-offs are pipe-dreams, not valid hopes.

Election Season-2009

Election Day is less than a month away, but it can't get here soon enough to suit me.

This has clearly been the least pleasant campaign season I have ever been associated with. I am actually quite glad that my involvement in politics is winding down because politics has changed dramatically since I was first involved in the 70's.

The degree and stridency of partisanship has really begun to take the joy out of political activism for me. This year, the nastiness has made it to the local level, which, in my mind, had generally avoided the worst aspects of partisan politics.

As I look at the campaign ads and rhetoric, I am struck by how little the Democrats are talking about their records or about what they propose for the community. So far, the Democratic campaigns in Monroe County have focused on "scandal and corruption" in the GOP. Saturday's Democrat & Chronicle had a story by Jill Tereri which included Democrat County Chairman, Joe Morelle basically acknowledging that fact.

The Democrats talk about openness and transparency in government and an end to "corruption". Well, no one wants corrupt leadership and I assume everyone generally wants open, transparent government. The Democrats have not bothered to say what they will do about taxes, spending, issues, etc., that will be different from the GOP administrations they want to replace.

I guess its easier to try to attach your opponent to someone who may have broken the law and hope that guilt by association will take hold. That seems to sum up the Democrat's campaign - guilt by association. Bob Morone is a thief and he's a Gates Republican, therefore all Gates Republicans are thieves. Merrit Rahn was corrupt. He worked for Jack Auberger, so Auberger and the Greece GOP must be corrupt.

I hope that voters will see through these tactics and vote for candidates who try to win their votes with positive, not negative messages.

The Ash-Heap of History?

The direction of the country is the topic of this article by Charles Krauthammer which appeared in the Weekly Standard.

Its a bit long, but it is a good and valuable read. Mr. Krauthammer is a brilliant commentator. He sets out, in stark terms, the choices facing America in the current liberal ascendant world.

He points out that America has, in fact, been a force for good, but that our place in the world is subject to choices we, as a people, must make. He also offers a view of how that choice will affect America and the world.

It is really worth the time to read.

Obama Gets Nobel Peace Prize (Really!)

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to President Barak Obama. No, its not April 1st, they really gave him the award. The Committee's announcement of the award was as follows:

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that 'Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges'."

I guess they were serious. After all, Obama's diplomacy has really garnered some great results, so far. Do you think Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are laughing it it up today?

You would assume that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded for a substantial body of work, would you not? Interestingly, a look at the Nobel Committee's website indicates that nominations for this year's prize had to be submitted by no later than February 1, 2009. As such, Mr. Obama had been President for less than two weeks when he was nominated.

Now, I don't want to say that the Peace Prize Committee have made the prize award into a joke, but this award certainly has to diminish the respect people give to it. After all, this has to be the first Nobel Prize awarded for election campaign rhetoric rather than actual accomplishments.

I have felt that President Obama is a bit "full of himself". I thought the smack-down by the IOC over Chicago's Olympic bid might have lead to a little humility. But with this award, "the One" is probably back in business!

Not Much Bang For A Lot Of Bucks

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), scored the health care reform legislation which is coming out of the Senate Finance Committee, headed by Sen. Max Baucus. According to the CBO, this bill will cost approximately $829 billion over 10 years. Also according to the analysis, the Federal budget deficit will be reduced by $81 billion during that time.

The budget analysis cautions that the total cost projection and the concomitant savings "assume that the proposals are enacted and remain unchanged throughout the next two decades, which is often not the case for major legislation". Really? A Federal Government program might have overruns?

A really interesting part of the analysis indicates it relies on cost cutting that really is not that likely to occur. From the CBO analysis:

"The projected savings for the proposal reflect the cumulative impact of a number of specifications that would constrain payment rates for providers of Medicare services. In particular, the proposal would increase payment rates for physicians’ services for 2010, but those rates would be reduced by about 25 percent for 2011 and then remain at current-law levels (that is, as specified under the SGR) for subsequent years. Under the proposal, increases in payment rates for many other providers would be held below the rate of inflation (in expectation of ongoing productivity improvements in the delivery of health care). The projected longer-term savings for the proposal also assume that the Medicare Commission is relatively effective in reducing costs—beyond the reductions that would be achieved by other aspects of the proposal—to meet the targets specified in the legislation. The long-term budgetary impact could be quite different if those provisions were ultimately changed or not fully implemented."

Let's not kid ourselves that all of the assumptions, legislative changes and productivity gains upon which this analysis lays are likely to occur. If these things happen, it will be the first government program in my lifetime (and the lifetimes of most living Americans) that stayed within its proposed limits.

More importantly, this $800+ billion conversion of our private health care system into a government run and/or regulated behemoth won't have that great an impact on reducing the number of uninsured. According to the CBO, the percentage of Americans covered by health insurance will rise from the current 83% to 94% over the next decade.

Wasn't the reason for all of this to get all Americans covered? We're going to spend $829 billion to insure an additional 1% of the population per year ? Is that the real problem? How does any of this bureaucratic nightmare cause health care costs to go down? It appears that, at best, we are just shifting the costs from employers and individuals to the taxpayers.

Is this really worth the cost and the risk that our current system will be wrecked beyond repair?

UPDATE: Check out this report from the Cato Institute (via Instapundit) analyzing the full cost of the Baucus bill. Cato pegs the number at closer to $2 trillion than $829 billion. If Cato is right, the country will have a very hard time getting out of the financial hole being dug for us by Pres. Obama and the Democrat Congress.

A Little More Hypocrisy

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the US commander in Afghanistan, has been chastised lately by liberal pundits for his public lobbying for more troops. His views seem to be somewhat at odds with those of the Obama administration.

Those pundits are correct in their views that military officers should respect the chain of command. The President is the Commander-in Chief. As such, the military must defer to his authority.

The irony and hypocrisy of these commentators is amazing, however. I seem to remember many of these same critics applauding generals who disagreed with the Bush Administration's policies in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are the same hypocrites who, when the GOP ran the country said that dissent was the highest form of patriotism, but who now call the tea party protesters and health care reform critics traitors and racists.

If only the media did its job and pointed out these obvious double-standards. But then, the media is no longer a neutral observer reporting facts. Actually, many in the media are among the worst of the hypocrites.

Thank God for Talk Radio and the Internet. Without them, most of us would never learn about the other side of most stories.

Hilarious Hypocrisy

I could hardly believe my ears as I listened to all of the liberals complaining about the "unfair", "unfunny" and "inaccurate" Saturday Night Live skit criticising President Obama.

Good grief! I seem to remember liberals telling disgruntled conservatives to get a sense of humor when SNL skewered George W. Bush and Sarah Palin.

The most amazing thing I heard was that a "non-partisan" (please!) media/news watchdog group actually fact-checked the SNL skit. They apparently found it wanting. It was satire guys, not a news program.

Let's look for the fact checkers the next time Tina Fey gets an Emmy for portraying Sarah Palin. Let's not hold our breath!

A Rose Is A Rose

And a tax rate is a tax rate, except when it isn't.

If you read the story about the Gates Supervisor race in the Monday Democrat & Chronicle, you might think that Mark Assini stated that Gates' property tax rate is the highest in Monroe County. Actually, Mark McIntee said it, but that's beside the point.

It appears that the Gates Democrats want to focus on the tax rate in Gates rather than average or total taxes paid by Gates taxpayers. The implication is, of course, that we are over taxed in Gates.

The problem is that the taxes raised in a town are a function of tax rate and property values. A town with higher property values can raise the same total taxes as a town with lower values even though the first town has a lower tax rate. The lower tax rate does not mean that the town government is more efficient or thrifty; it means they have a bigger pool of tax money to swim in.

A good comparison can be made between Brighton and Gates. They are similar sized towns with police forces. Brighton raises more tax revenue than Gates does, yet it has a lower tax rate. The average taxpayer in Gates pays less taxes than the average taxpayer in Brighton. How can that be? It is because there are some very high property values in Brighton. As a result, higher value property owners subsidize lower value property owners. Total taxes and average taxes along with government spending are all higher in Brighton than in Gates.

The point is that statistics can often be warped to make a point. The truth is that Gates taxpayers have been getting a very good deal for a very long time. The quality of life in Gates is quite good, the government services are first rate and the tax bills are reasonable. Hopefully, Gates residents won't be fooled by misleading statistics.

Schizophrenia At The D&C

Today's editorial in the D&C admonishes citizens to "Tone It Down" at Town Hall meetings. While reading the piece, I had a number of thoughts.

First, note that the editorial was located directly above the "Fed Up With Albany" campaign coupon that the paper has been pushing for months. So I guess we're supposed to be "fed up" with but "respectful" of politicians. I wonder if anyone asked the participants in the Boston Tea Party to "tone it down"?

Next, the editorial noted Eric Massa's belief that Americans are angry at their government. Is it any wonder that we're angry when we have representatives like Mr. Massa, who vow to "vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I'm doing is going to help them" and who claim that they represent "one of the most right-wing, Republican districts in the State"? Sorry, I think we are all entitled to loudly criticize such "representation".

Frankly, its well past time our representatives have heard from us. The long-running circuses in Washington and many State Capitols are evidence that our so-called leaders need to get a tongue-lashing from the people they are supposed to represent and protect. The one and only way in which politicians have been bi-partisan has been in their substituting personal and special interests for the will and welfare of their constituents.

Finally, the editorial speaks of "Jerry Springeresque" behavior by participants at Town Halls. Just what is the behavior the editorial speaks of? Raised voices? Shouting at politicians who spout platitudes and half-truths (if not out-and-out lies)? Perhaps if the media did its job of challenging politicians and calling them on their BS, citizens would not need to take extreme measures? Instead the media acts as apologist for Obama, Massa, and the rest. The D&C shows it is little more than a left-wing house organ by writing the editorial and perpetuating the myth that the protesters have been violent and threatening.

So, no, don't "tone it down". Ratchet up your voices and let the politicians know that we have reached the tipping point. If they don't listen, we have to follow up the protests with votes throwing the bums out.

Perspective

I realize that this is an old complaint, but I really cannot believe the difference in the media's treatment of Barack Obama versus the way they reported on George W. Bush.

This morning's paper had some stories that really made the point. The headline in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle states "Signs Point To Recovery". The basis for the story was improvement in consumer confidence and a 2% increase in housing prices. No mention was made of the fact that the economy is still shedding hundreds of thousands of jobs each month. Neither does the rosy headline correlate to the reports that the Federal budget deficit will reach between 7 and 9 trillion dollars over the next ten years.

My recollection was that when Bush was President, dark clouds hovered over all economic news. If we had a recovery, it was a jobless recovery. Bush's deficits, in the hundreds of billions, were criticised in apocalyptic terms. Today, though, we have the story of how the President lauded Ben Bernacke for leading us out of the economic crisis which "existed". I guess its over now.

Similarly, there was a story yesterday about the potential for 90,000 swine flu deaths. Last week, there was another regarding difficulties in pharmaceutical factories leading to possible shortages in vaccines. I distinctly recall similar shortages in flu vaccines two years ago. At that time though, the media reported the problem as the Bush Administration's failure to prepare in time. Today its those darn factories.

Finally, what happened to the anti-war movement? When Bush was President, the war in Iraq was the worst thing ever and Afghanistan was barely tolerated. President Obama has taken the exact steps in Iraq that Bush proposed and he has expanded the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. It appears that only Cindy Sheehan cares. Do the big news outlets still put the names of our dead soldiers on the air anymore?

Just Wondering...

Where are the late night comedians?

At his recent "Town Hall" meeting designed to bolster support for health care reform, President Obama used the Postal Service in an analogy of a government run entity that co-exists with similar private entities.

Can you imagine the fun Leno, Letterman, and O'Brien would have had if George Bush had used the Postal Service as an example in support of transferring health care to a government run enterprise? I guess I missed their jokes.

Or, maybe, they realize the prospect that health care will be run as efficiently and cost-effectively as the Postal Service really isn't funny.

Sounds A Little Like "Read My Lips"

President Obama made a well-documented campaign promise that under his economic plan, no American family making less than $250,000/year would see any tax increases.

I'm not sure why politicians make such statements. George H.W. Bush had to eat his famous words about "No New Taxes", now, based upon the statements made by Treasury Secretary Geither today on ABC with George Stephanopoulos, reported here at PowerLine and here at Instapundit (with video), the President may need to get out some condiments to improve the taste while eating his.

What's The Rush?

The President spoke angrily yesterday while criticising Congress for delaying his health care reform proposals. Why, however, do we need an artificial deadline when we are dealing with a proposed reform of 1/6th of our economy?

The attached post from Hugh Hewitt clearly describes the problem. Here's a key piece of the post:

"There are certain facts that are incontrovertible in today's health care discussion. The United States Senate has not made a proposal, the President of the United States is admittedly unfamiliar with key provisions of the House of Representatives proposal and the President and his advisors have had extensive meetings with various elements of the health care community, yet no one knows with precision whether any of these discussions are reflected in anything.

The President has declared that anyone against these plans is playing politics and/or 'trying to put off decisions on legislation until special interests can kill it.' Wow."

Haven't we already had enough legislation which went unread by our legislators? As Obama's poll numbers continue to slip, it is clear that his goal is to ram through as much system-changing legislation as he can before the public turns decisively against him and his left-wing agenda.

UPDATE: Check out this PowerLine post for another take on the error of rushing health care legislation.

More Random Thoughts

Sotomayor Confirmation:

Judge Sotomayor is a shoo-in to be confirmed, but a lot of liberals are a little bummed by the confirmation hearings. Much of Judge Sotomayor's time was spent giving a barely credible spin on her "Wise Latina" remarks. If you believe her testimony, she will rule from the bench based only on the law, not due to empathy.

The bottom line is that liberals always have to hide the fact that they are liberal, because the majority of the American people don't agree with the precepts of the current "progressive movement".

Obama's Popularity Drop:

Recent polls have shown that the luster may be wearing off the President. His 55% approval ranking is only 10th out of the 12 post WWII presidents at the same time in their presidencies. As I noted above, the majority of Americans do not support the massive government programs that Obama and the Democrats in Congress are trying to pass. Had Obama campaigned on a platform claiming he would take over GM and Chrysler, effectively nationalize the banking industry, and give us massive programs which can only be funded by taxes on people he claimed would be exempt, John McCain would be President.

Mr. Obama's popularity will rebound as the US emerges from recession, but I think Americans realize that the change they got was not exactly the change they voted for.

Tom Watson's Open Run:

Tom Watson thrilled all of us old guys with his great run at the British Open title. For 71 1/2 holes, he was amazing. Just about everybody in the world was rooting for him to pull it off. Unfortunately, his par put on the last hole had to be one of the worst chokes ever at a big moment. The putt never had a chance. Watson never contended in the playoff.

Meanwhile, I have to give credit to the winner, Stewart Cink. The only people rooting for Cink were his wife and kids. Talk about being the skunk at the picnic! He handled it with grace, though.

So did Watson. The disappointment had to be monumental, but he acted the gentleman at all times. It just goes to show, the sports gods are cruel.

Apollo 11:

Last, but far from least, yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.

Like so many others my age, I vividly remember being with my family around the TV watching as Armstrong said "Houston, Tranquillity Base, the Eagle has landed". Walter Cronkite and Wally Schirra wiped away tears of excitement, as did we all.

What we did not know was that America probably peaked that day. Forty years later, the US is still a powerful country, but the American Century appears to be over. We are facing the "Europeanization" of America. To me, that equals emasculation.

The America that went to the moon was the "can do" America that knew no limits. It was an America that understood that there were winners and losers. Somehow in the last forty years we have become decadent. We no longer value achievement; we strive for equality. But the equality of result that is the modern American's goal, bears no resemblance to the equality of opportunity that led to striving to better oneself.

I hope it is not too late for Americans to recapture the spirit that lead us to the moon.

Will He Play Himself On SNL?

Al Franken was sworn in today as Minnesota's junior Senator.

I am not aware of any person during my adult life who I believe was less qualified to be a US Senator (with the possible exception of Illinois Sen. Burris) than Franken.

Minnesotans are an odd bunch. They elected a wrestler as their Governor and now a comedian as a Senator. At least when they elected Jesse Ventura as Governor, only they had to deal with him. Their election of Franken as Senator affects us all.

He wasn't that funny on Saturday Night Live. He is, however, one of the biggest jokes to hit the Senate in US history. I can only assume that Hubert Humphrey is turning over in his grave.

Random Thoughts

I've been out of the loop for a while. In the meantime, a lot has been happening in the world. As always, I have a few thoughts.

Michael Jackson:

Five or more major networks covering the Jackson funeral; CNN is going with 12 straight hours of Jacko. I'm sorry, but I just don't get it.

I'm afraid I agree with Congressman Peter King. Jackson was a deeply troubled person. The physical changes he had wrought on himself are barely short of mutilation. His "relationships" with children may not have been found criminal but they were highly suspect. The revelations regarding his children's "lineage" were also weird.

The fact that the country is going crazy over his death is itself crazy. We are facing incredibly daunting national issues and millions of people were engaged in trying to win the lottery to be at his funeral. Yikes!

Sarah Palin:

I have seen scores of blog posts and op/eds. regarding Palin's resignation. I don't know if Palin will remain as a force in national politics, but I do know that she has been the number one victim of the "politics of personal destruction".

I always believed that Palin's biggest flaw was inexperience. I never cared that she was less polished and articulate than the usual "inside the beltway" types. But I do agree with the pundits who think that if she wants to have a real shot at the big prize (obviously, I mean the White House) she will have to bring herself up to speed on a broad range of issues.

When she dealt with topics she was experienced in and comfortable with, Gov. Palin was able to speak persuasively. But when she was asked about unfamiliar foreign policy issues or domestic programs, it was clear that she was winging it.

I hope that she does spend some time educating herself on the major issues of the day and travelling the country and meeting and speaking with as many people as she can. She has the everyman credentials to keep her base of support. She needs to develop thoughtful positions on major issues that will not be easily ripped in a Tina Fey caricature.

Robutrad:

Yes, one more bite at the Robutrad apple.

It is a difficult issue to discuss because I am so close to it. I simply want to say that I hope people will see the partisan political basis for much of the investigation.

Bob Morone and his crew appear to have committed crimes. They will have to deal with the consequences of their actions. I truly resent, however, the efforts of so many Democrats to use Morone's misdeeds as a basis for bringing down a number of good people.

Ralph Esposito, Frank Allkoffer, and Elaine Tette are guilty only of knowing Bob Morone. They did what virtually every person would do in similar circumstances. They called a friend in the trades for a reference to get painting and remodelling done. They paid for the work (some believe too much for what they had done). There has been no accusation made against them that they were aware that the workers doing the work were being paid by the County.

Despite that, the Democrats continue to seek to impose "guilt by association". Bob Morone was a Gates Republican, so the GOP in Gates is corrupt. I'm counting on Gates voters seeing those claims for what they are; an insult to their intelligence.

Vacation Time

I'm in the middle of a brief return to civilization. Our annual Christie Lake vacation is on. We had to return for Evvy to take a test and Joe's "graduation" from elementary school.

I generally don't like to be away from my office for a week, but I've been so busy lately that I welcome the rest.

There seemed to be less traffic at the border this year. I don't know if I just got there at a slack time or if the economy has caused people to cut back. The price of gas is nearing $3.00/gallon again. That could be a factor.

Actually, the price of gas has been increasing pretty steadily for weeks now. Funny how there has been virtually no news coverage of the increases this time around. The last round of increases led to constant news coverage and Congressional inquiries. I wonder what's different now?

Sports Lessons And Thrills

I, like most Americans, really enjoy sports. This past week in sports was really a good one for me.

First, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup. I'm from Pittsburgh and I have followed the Pens since they were established in the 60's. The young Pittsburgh stars overcame the talent and experience of the Detroit Red Wings in a great seven game series.

The Pittsburgh win reinforced one of the great lessons of sport for life; namely: that hard work and a will to succeed can carry you past long odds. On paper, Detroit should have handled Pittsburgh, but the Pittsburgh players did not throw in the towel.

The best thing about the series, though, was the great time I had watching the games with my son, Joe. We rooted for the Penguins, complained about the "home-town" calls that went against them, and jeered the traitorous Marian Hossa (the Arlen Spector of the NHL). We waived the "Lets Go Pens" towels our crazy aunt sent us from Pittsburgh and we tried to stay in the same seats we had when the Pens scored so as not to jinx them. It was great fun.

There was a second sports lesson for Joe and his little league team-mates from major league sports. The Yankees trailed the Mets 8-7 with two out and two on in the bottom of the ninth. A-Rod popped up to the Mets second baseman. Inexplicably, he dropped it. Jeter and Teixeira scored and the Yankees won.

The lessons? Teixeria was on first. The pop-up was "certain" to be a routine last out. Many ballplayers would have just jogged around the bases and called it a night, but Teixeira followed the rules of coaches everywhere and ran hard. Because he did, he was able to score the winning run.

There were a couple of other lessons, too. A-Rod, angry at his pop-up, did not run, instead, he smashed his bat on the plate. When the second baseman dropped the ball Alex looked foolish. And the second baseman? Well, he forgot a basic baseball rule. Use two hands to catch the ball. You never know who is watching.

GOP "Re-Takes" Control of NY Senate

In a surprise move, two Democrat State Senators (Hiram Monseratte and Pedro Espada) gave control of the State Senate back to the GOP by voting to organize with the Republicans and elect Dean Skelos as majority leader.

"Deposed" Democrat majority leader, Malcolm Smith declared the move illegal and he vowed to fight to give New Yorkers the government they voted for. Speaker Silver also indicated that he would work to get the Democrats back into control of the State Senate so that the agenda the people of New York voted for could move forward.

I'm glad that the GOP is back in control. The "agenda" that Smith and Silver were promoting was not what the people had in mind. Still, I'm a little disheartened by the fact that that at least one of the defectors (Sen. Monseratte) has been indicted for campaign finance violations and charged with assaulting his former girlfriend.

I understand the value of GOP control of the Senate. I just wish our new allies were better people. I'd prefer to get control of the Senate back by running good people who have good ideas. These guys are opportunists at best. I would not be surprised that they go back to the Democrats if they get a better offer.

Will Dick Cheney Be "Outed" From GOP?

Former VP Dick Cheney made news when he expressed support of gay marriage stating that gay couples should have "any kind of arrangement they wish." This position is at odds with that of most conservative Republicans, whose causes Cheney usually champions.

I wonder how long it will take for liberal pundits to ask if Cheney will be "thrown out of the GOP"? Obviously, he won't, and its because no one in the GOP expects absolute ideological purity from every single Republican on every issue of the day.

In fact, in the same remarks, Cheney noted his respect for Federalism regarding the issue saying:

"I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish," he said, adding that regulations on marriage have traditionally been handled at the state level rather than the federal level, and should remain in states' jurisdictions. "Different states will make different decisions and I don't have problem with that."

I bet some liberals may want to change their views on the issue just so they don't have to admit they agree with Cheney on something!

More On Sotomayor

My good (albeit, liberal) friend Paula Rubin chastised me for my remarks on Judge Sotomayor made in the post below. She suggested that I took the Judge's statement about the difference between a white male judge and a Latina judge, out of context. Here's a little context:

"Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences, a possibility I abhor less or discount less than my colleague Judge [Miriam] Cedarbaum, our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging. Justice O'Connor has often been cited as saying that a wise old man and wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases. I am not so sure Justice O'Connor is the author of that line since Professor Resnik attributes that line to Supreme Court Justice Coyle. I am also not so sure that I agree with the statement. First, as Professor Martha Minnow has noted, there can never be a universal definition of wise. Second, I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

The portion in italics was what I initially quoted. Judge Sotomayor made that statement in a 2001 speech that was published in the Berkeley La Raza Journal.

Now, I want to be clear. I think that elections have consequences and one of those consequences is that the President nominates Federal judges. We elected a liberal Democrat President. He is not going to nominate Robert Bork. It has always been my view that unless a nominee is clearly unqualified, the President should get his choice.

Since the time of the Bork nomination, the Democrats have not concurred with that theory. It has been deemed perfectly reasonable to vote against a nominee because he was "too conservative". That was the basis on which the majority of Democratic Senators voted against the Alito and Roberts nominations. Republicans have generally adhered to the former theory, as evidenced by their support of the Breyer and Ginsburg nominations during the Clinton Administration.

I think it is fair to question a nominee to our highest Court about her judicial philosophy. It is quite clear that if a white, male judicial nominee expressed the view that his experiences as a white male better suited him to be a judge than those of a Latina, he would be pilloried. Thus, it seems that Judge Sotomayor ought to be asked to elaborate on those remarks.

Some questions in this regard come to mind. Did the fact that she is a Latina influence her thinking in reaching her decision in Ricci v. DeStefano? Does she think a white male judge would have reached a different decision? This was an affirmative action case that is now before the Supreme Court.

While I expect Judge Sotomayor to be confirmed, no conservative should be happy about it. Souter was a reliable liberal vote but Judge Sotomayor is likely to be a more vociferous advocate of left-wing causes. And, at age 55, she will likely be there for a long time.

Sotomayor's Views Should Be Explored

As you know, the President has nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace David Souter.

It is almost a certainty that she will be confirmed. I think, however, that it is amazing how many people have warned the GOP to be very cautious in criticising her. I guess I missed all those warnings to Democrats who have adamantly opposed virtually every Republican nominee from Robert Bork to Samuel Alito.

Moreover, any person being reviewed for such an important office ought to be given reasonable scrutiny. There are certainly a few legitimate issues that should be explored. For example, Judge Sotomayor is quoted as having made the following statement:

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

If a white male made the opposite observation, he would be immediately rejected by almost everyone. I will be quite interested to hear what the Judge says she meant by this. It seems to be a sentiment that is at odds with the notion that color of skin and ethnic background are not supposed to be factors in public life.

Battle For GOP Continues

I'm sure you have all been watching the battle brewing between conservatives like Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney on one side and Colin Powell and Tom Ridge on the other.

Each side is claiming to represent the real GOP.

I'm no longer sure what the real GOP is. I am, however, pretty sure that Colin Powell does not represent a set of policy prerogatives of a party I'd want to be a member of. I hear that Powell and his supporters think the GOP should simply take a pass on the Sotomayor nomination. Their thinking goes "she's going to be confirmed, so opposition will just alienate women and Hispanics from the GOP".

David Broder wrote that "most intelligent Republican strategists" were alarmed by the loss of Hispanic support over the GOP's tough stance against immigration reform. He suggested that the GOP cannot afford to further alienate this group.

Well, I'm not a Republican strategist and I'm probably not that intelligent either, but, I cannot understand why supporting a law (immigration reform) which would increase the numbers of Hispanic voters, is considered intelligent. G.W. Bush did the best any Republican ever did with that group and he only got 40% of their vote.

More importantly, what kind of government leader casts votes solely on the basis of political impact?

Why could a majority of Democrats vote against Justices Roberts and Alito, solely on the grounds that their political views were too conservative, without any criticism, but a vote against Judge Sotomayor because she is too liberal is deemed partisan and wrong? President Obama voted against both Roberts and Alito despite acknowledging that both were first rate and well qualified. His no votes were based purely on political philosophy.

This brings me back to my main point. If the GOP is going to remain a serious, viable party, it has to have a discernible body of ideas and principles. The members of the party ought not be expected to subscribe to every single ideological position, but, they ought to agree to most of, if not all, of the core principles.

Colin Powell has indicated that we need a more "moderate" GOP. What does that mean? I want to know what principles and policies he thinks the GOP should advocate. Everything I've heard him say indicates that he agrees down the line with President Obama. If so, how can he deem himself a Republican. Obama's agenda is the most liberal we have ever seen.

From 1932 through 1994 the GOP rarely held a majority in either House or Senate. Everyone was cordial and they all got along. Bob Michel was a fine gentleman, Everett Dirksen a great guy. But, in the end, they were almost always in the minority. They got invited to dinner parties and played golf with the Democrats, but it was the Democrats that ran the country.

If the GOP is simply going to be a faint shadow of the Democrat party, its really not needed. I'll have to find a new party to call home. But there is a place in American politics for an active opposition party. I surely hope that the GOP does not become the Obama lapdog party that Gen. Powell seems to be advocating for.

Pelosi: Politics Over Responsibility

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused the CIA of lying to her and other House Intelligence Committee members regarding the use of water boarding.

Pelosi got herself into this mess because she hoped to get political mileage out of a possible "truth commission" regarding Bush Administration interrogation policies. Her efforts to embarrass Bush and the GOP backfired on her as it came out that she was briefed on the techniques she now criticises but about which she had no complaint in 2002.

She upped the ante in her so-far feeble attempts to extricate herself from the mess she created by claiming that the CIA intentionally misled Congress regarding the use of water boarding. GOP members of the Committee who were also briefed were quick to dispute her views.

The most amazing part of her press conference (at least in my mind) was Pelosi's answer to the question of why she did not act to stop water boarding in 2003 when (she now admits) she did learn of its use (and, if we believe her claims about the 2002 briefing, that the CIA lied to the Committee). She said that instead of registering a protest to the Administration, she wanted to help Democrats win control of Congress and elect a Democrat President.

Isn't that great? Well, at least we know she isn't lying about her priorities!

Can You Spare A Dime, Continued.

As I wrote last week, the recent Treasury bond auction did not go well.

Megan McArdle discussed some of the consequenses of growing difficulty for Federal borrowing in this article, linked to by Instapundit.

McArdle notes:

"For a while now, I've been asking people at conferences, on and off the record, what America's sovereign debt risk is? That is, how long until people stop treating treasuries as the "risk free" securities, and start demanding a premium for the risk that we might default.The answer from the right has been a nervous (perhaps hopeful) 2-3 years. The answer from the left, and professional Democratic wonks, is some unspecified time in the future. Probably, there will be a Republican in charge. Markets hate Republicans.

But last Thursday (5/7), the Treasury auction was . . . well, descriptions vary from "weak" to "horrible". This raises the unpleasant possibility that markets are, as my business school professors insisted, "forward looking". Voters may believe that getting a bunch of special interests to agree in principal that costs should be cut is the same thing as actually cutting costs. Bond markets don't."

McArdle goes on to point out that as the Obama Administration continues to borrow, with no apparent end in sight, a big day of reckoning may be upon us.

Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?

What if you held an auction of Treasury securities and nobody came to buy?

Well, it hasn't reached that point yet, but we may be headed in that direction. There was a weak response to the most recent auction, as noted in this AP report. The government was forced to pay higher interest than it planned.

By the way, Wall Street noticed, and stocks tumbled.

So, do you still think Obama's plans to spend us out of all of our problems are good ideas? We can only pay for government spending in three ways. First, we can raise taxes. Of course, we are already doing that and there aren't enough "rich" people to pay for everything. Second, we can borrow. Unfortunately, the massive growth of our debt and the administration's underhanded dealing with banks and Chrysler's creditors, may be putting a dent in our ability to borrow. Finally, the Treasury can just print more money. That will, of course, lead to inflation.

Oh well, maybe I'll go out and buy a wheel-barrow.

More Torture

As a follow-up to my torture post below, take a look at this article by Andrew McCarthy from the National Review OnLine.

McCarthy points out that the Obama Justice Department is planning to refer the Bush era Justice Dept. officials to their respective State Bars for discliplinary proceedings for their memos regarding torture while simultaneously arguing that the standard those lawyers enumerated should be adopted by an appeals court in the Demjanjuk deportation case.

Here is one excerpt:

"On April 23 of this year, only a day after Holder — taking his lead from the president — promised to investigate Bybee, Yoo, and other government lawyers, the Justice Department filed a brief in a case called Demjanjuk v. Holder in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Ohio. The brief urges the federal courts to consider the same torture analysis over which Holder is targeting the Bush lawyers with such fanfare."

Read the whole thing; the hypocrisy is staggering!

My Two-Cents On Torture

I think this whole torture debate is bunk.

First, I do not think water-boarding is torture. It certainly doesn't rank up there with cattle prods and decapitation.

Moreover, I think its crazy that our government has openly stated that it would not use certain "enhanced interrogation techniques". Is the President saying that if we had 3100 Americans in mortal danger and we had a person in captivity who had information that could save them, we would not use whatever methods were needed to extract that information? If so, I'd like him to say that openly to the American people. I doubt they would applaud.

This is so much about politics. Check out this PowerLine post on the topic. The bad news is that the president's political gain was purchased by weakening our defenses against terrorists.

Even more pathetic is Nancy Pelosi's claim that she didn't object to the CIA's plans to use water-boarding when she was briefed after 9/11, because she did not realize they were going to use the technique. Now, after year's of being kept safe from terrorists, she's all for Bush bashing on torture.

Souter's Last Shot

My reaction to Justice David Souter's announcement that he was retiring was "what does this guy have against the Bush family"?

First, Souter makes George the Elder look like a dupe by going far left in his judicial career. Then, he quits just a bit more than 3 months after George the Younger leaves office. He just couldn't wait to give President Obama a shot to pick a flaming liberal for the Supreme Court.

The sad reality is that he'll be remembered only for being a closet liberal, not for any important legal precedent. He never penned a significant opinion. He was just a reliable vote for the left-wing.

Thanks for nothing, Dave.

More Specter

The other day I noted that Winston Churchill once said "anyone can rat (switch parties) but it takes real style to re-rat".

There are some commenters who noting that the Democrats are treating Arlen badly are suggesting that he should come back to the GOP. What would Winston say about a "double re-rat"?

Obama's 100 Days

Don't worry, this isn't another fawning report about how great the President has done during his first 100 days in office. Instead, its me figuratively "shaking my head" in disbelief at how many over-blown puff pieces have been written on the topic. Most incredible of all is the fact that Obama actually held a press conference and rally to commemorate and analyze his 100 day performance.

The Democrat & Chronicle issued yet another flattering editorial about Mr. Obama today. There is nothing about the President that Jim Lawrence doesn't like. He is even amazed at Obama's ability to handle "softball questions".

Even more amazing was the AP report which exclaimed that Obama remains popular despite the many problems he is facing. The report cites the fact that 48% of Americans think the country is on the right track. If George Bush was still President, that would be proof that a majority of Americans can't stand our government.

Obama can keep campaigning and the media can keep on spinning. Soon however, the bill for the left-wing policies Obama is foisting on the country will come due. When that happens, Jim Lawrence and the rest of Obama's media cheer-leaders, will have a really hard time explaining that bill away.

Specter's Switch

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter's party switch led me to a number of thoughts.

First, given that Specter was first a Democrat who switched to the GOP, I was reminded of Winston Churchill's comments about party switching. He said something to the effect that "anyone can rat (switch parties) but it takes real style to re-rat".

It is rather sad that Specter, 79 years old and a cancer survivor, wants so badly to cling to his job that he would switch parties after 29 years in the Senate. Does he really think he's indispensable? Like most career politicians, it appears the answer is yes.

It also really irks me that the Bush White House and the GOP National Committee supported him in 2004 against Pat Toomey's primary challenge. When will the national GOP figure out that RINO's are not the answer?

Finally, I hope that the voters in PA send the Senator the same message another Englishman, Oliver Cromwell, sent to the "Long Parliament":

"It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, .....Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd, are yourselves gone!

So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.

In the name of God, go!"

It's a message the GOP should give to all of its RINO's

Hanson's Latest On Obama

Victor Davis Hanson puts President Obama in historical perspective as he describes the President's performance on his recent world tour in this article from the National Review OnLine.

Hanson is on the mark, as usual. I particularly like his description of Obama as "President of the World". Also fascinating is Hanson's take on European leader's reactions to the President.

Its a bit long but a worthwhile read.

Steve Minarik

As most everyone knows, former County GOP Chairman Steve Minarik died suddenly on Easter Sunday. The news was stunning and it has taken me a while to write anything about Steve's passing.

Steve was the County GOP Chairman during my entire tenure as Gates GOP leader. Along with Ralph Esposito, he was one of the greatest political minds I ever knew. He had a lot of critics; that's because he was a leader. He made decisions and he did not care what people thought except that they believed he did what he felt was best for the party he led.

It was an honor to work with him. He will be sorely missed.

My condolences to his wife and children.

Give Them What They Want

It appears that Somali pirates went on a hijacking rampage in "retaliation" for American and French actions in killing pirates who were holding hostages. Their revenge included taking 4 boats with 60 hostages on board.

One pirate was quoted as follows: "Our latest hijackings were meant to show that no one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land".

I recently saw a bumper sticker regarding Islamic terrorists which sums up how I feel about the pirate's statement. In sum it said "[They] want to meet Allah; we should arrange the meeting." Well, if these pirates "believe in dying for their land", we should give them what they want.

Hopefully, President Obama will realize he made the correct decision in authorizing the use of deadly force to rescue the transport captain. That was only round one. Its time to send the message that piracy will not be tolerated.

The Sum Of All My Fears

I am fast becoming a big fan of Mark Steyn.

Mark is a naturalized citizen, who immigrated to the U.S. from England. He is witty and satirical and his articles always leave me laughing while realizing that, if he's right, we are in big trouble. Unfortunately, I think he's right about the direction the U.S. is taking under the new Democrat majority in Washington.

In this article, Steyn describes the plans of the Obama Administration and Congressional Democrats as "Europeanization" of America. I don't think he's far off base. Clearly, Obama's plans are the biggest expansion of government power over our lives in the history of America.

Read the article, but the part that worries me most is the point that Europe paid the costs of its "safety net" by eviscerating military budgets. They could do so because the U.S. was always there to back them up. But what happens when Obama decides to pay for his massive over-spending by cutting down our military?

Who will restrain Russia, China and Iran then?

Those of us who are in our 50's or older need not worry. We will be taken care of by the nanny state. And, the worst ramifications of these plans aren't likely to hit in our lifetimes.

But, God save our kids.

Better Than I Think?

As you know, I'm a pretty big critic of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. But lately, I've been beginning to think I may be a little harsh.

After all, there are some pretty big and well-regarded newspapers which have folded or are on the ropes. The Rocky Mountain News and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer are gone and the Philadelphia Inquirer, San Francisco Chronicle, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and Boston Globe are among the walking wounded.

So far, Gannett is not talking bankruptcy or closure for the D&C. At this point, employee furloughs are the worst case. The D&C has made a real effort at capturing internet readership, too. Plus, Rochester turns out to be a city where a big percentage of the population read newspapers.

Well, I'm not going to stop criticising the editorial perspective, but I guess I have to give Gannett some credit for (so far) staying ahead of the curve on the demise of newspapers.

Turn Out The Lights, The Party's Over

The Democrat & Chronicle is good for laughs if not for news. And I'm not talking about the comics section.

Today's chuckle came on (you guessed it!) the editorial page, in the Thumbs Up, Down section. They gave a thumbs up to "Earth Hour". This is happening tonight when concerned citizens from across the country and the world are supposed to show their support for anti-global warming initiatives. The idea is that you should shut off all of your lights from 8:30-9:30 PM and conserve energy.

This "sacrifice" will show world leaders how serious we are about global warming. Of course, we wouldn't want too much sacrifice; you are not being asked to turn off your TV or computer for that hour. I guess environmentalists across the globe want to be able to IM each other about what a great thing they are doing.

Obviously, protecting our environment is a paramount concern. But the idea of taking dramatic steps which will severely reduce our standard of living on the claim that such steps will prevent man-made global warming is crazy. If you take a look at the temperature chart contained in this PowerLine post, it is clear that the Earth goes through cycles of warming and cooling. Something other than man-made pollution has to have been the cause, at least in the millenia before the Industrial Age. The related charts also show that CO2 emissions do not appear to be the cause of warming.

It seems to me that before embark on costly changes to our economy, like a multi-billion dollar carbon tax, we should have a real scientific debate on whether or not human efforts are responsible for the condition and/or can change the result. Like so many other things we "know", the case is not closed. We have been told it is closed by advocates, zealots and partisans like Al Gore and the UN's IPCC. There are many reputable scientists and climate experts who disagree; the zealots don't want them heard.

As the PowerLine article notes, we can only hope that Congressmen read the cap and trade carbon tax bill that Obama is pushing before they vote on it. Here's another idea: why don't we hear from scientists on both sides of the issue before we take irretrievable steps?

They Really Like Him

I don't know if you saw the lead editorials in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle on Monday and Tuesday, but if Jim Lawrence and Tom Tobin aren't getting paid by the Obama team, they should be.

Monday's editorial told us that Obama was being like FDR and going over the heads of the regular media by doing appearances on Leno and 60 Minutes. Actually, Obama was just going back to campaigning, which he's good at to get away from governing which hasn't worked out so well so far.

On Tuesday, the editors were effusive in their praise of Obama's performance at his press conference. We were told that he showed a mastery of issues and gave thoughtful responses. The AP wasn't so sure. On page 2 of the paper, the AP story ran asking if Obama was trying to have it both ways on the economy. Meanwhile, John Hinderaker and Scott Johnson at Power Line were not impressed. They both described Obama's remarks as "disingenuous". That's a nice way of saying they think he's lying.

I happen to think that Obama prefers campaign mode because he can make statements that cannot be verified. His problem is that the campaign is over and the facts of governing can't be glossed over. He can no longer be all things to all people, but he sure keeps trying to convince us that he can.

Steyn: Making Us Laugh So We Won't Cry

I was torn between laughing and crying when I read this article by Mark Steyn from the National Review.

Steyn points out that the massive spending undertaken and or proposed by the Obama administration is threatening to leave a huge tab for our kids and grand kids. But Steyn says, what the heck, the youngsters who are going to get the bill deserve their fate since they supported Obama. As Steyn suggests, today's youth didn't specifically ask for debt but "...they did stand around behind Barack Obama at all those campaign rallies helping him look dynamic and telegenic and earnestly chanting hopey-hopey-changey-changey. And 'Yes, we can!'".

You should read it all. As I noted, its funny but the ultimate reality underlying the article is dead serious.