Monday, March 28, 2011

Gibson's rookie flubs on talk radio

NY-20 Congressman Chris Gibson was on Al Roney's WGDJ-AM show Monday afternoon, and continued to make rookie mistakes.

For example, Gibson said that he agreed with the radical House Republicans who wanted to slash into the EPA budget because it had doubled under Obama.

The EPA did get some stimulus money, mostly for water and sewer infrastructure grants, but its budget rose from $7.8 billion in the last Bush budget to $10.3 billion in fiscal year 2010, and Obama has proposed a 2012 EPA budget of just under $9 billion.

Not even close to Gibson's fictional doubling.

Also, Gibson again promoted nuclear power, claiming that it would be safe and cheap. Ask the Japanese about that, or nuclear power executives who say they will not build a new plant without billions in federal loan guarantees.

Gibson also discussed the federal budget, and was in la-la land there, too.

He said the 2012 House budget will deal with the next 10 to 20 years, which is pure BS. Whatever the radical House Republicans come up with for 2012 will be modified by the Senate and will ONLY affect FY 2012.

Gibson's idea that one house of Congress' proposed budget for one year will affect budgets in the 2030s is absurd beyond words.

And patently unconstitutional.

Gibson's fictions and fantasies appeal to his far-right Tea Party base, and may help him politically.

But that does not change the fact that they are fictions and fantasies.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Guest Post from Nassau Democratic Town Chairman Mark Berger

            March 10, 2011 was an historic day for Nassau. On that day, two separate, but very important and portentous decisions were rendered. We experienced a loss and a win, but the real victory will be a long time coming.
            Let’s start with the loss that is unquestionably a loss. On March 10, a unanimous ruling by the Appellate Court upheld Judge Lynch’s decision which declared the 2008 Comprehensive Plan and its supporting legislation null and void. Nassau has another appeal pending, but our record so far is 0 for 3.
            The terse ruling is available at this link: http://townofnassau.org/content/News/View/27:field=documents;/content/Documents/File/979.PDF.
            Practically speaking, the Appellate Court’s decision means that no recently passed zoning laws apply to the TS&G mining application. If the Town adopts a new Plan and new laws this year or in the future, Troy Sand and Gravel will not be bound by the terms. To underscore this point, in June of 2010, the Town entered into a Stipulation Agreement which said, in part, that if the nullification of the 2008 laws were upheld TS&G “shall be exempt from any subsequent land use regulation that may or will be adopted by the Town Board of Nassau from this date forward.”
            Also on March 10, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, added Dewey Loeffel Landfill to the Federal Superfund List. At an information meeting last spring, EPA officials explained the process and heard from the public. According to their news release, which I have attached, adding the toxic waste site to the Superfund List “enables the EPA to initiate and oversee the cleanup of the site.”
            The EPA was “unable to reach agreement on a settlement with General Electric, Bendix Corporation and Schenectady Chemicals” (the so-called Potentially Responsible Parties) and so it will proceed on its own to investigate the landfill and the resultant contamination.
            This coming Thursday, March 24, from 7pm – 9 pm at St. Mary’s Church Parish Hall, another EPA public information meeting will be held to explain and answer questions about what happens next.
            Although I am relieved that the EPA is looking to move forward where the DEC has treaded water for so many years, I am cautiously optimistic about what the EPA will be able to accomplish. Now, Nassau is officially the home of one of the 1200 most toxic waste sites in all the United States and Puerto Rico. For those who still believe that “people should be able to do what they want with their land” and for those who put up signs about “property rights,” I say “Pitch a tent on Dewey Loeffel’s former land and drink a glass or two of the water there as a toast to that outdated idea.”
            I hope we have a good turnout on Thursday with residents of Nassau and Schodack joining together again to hear what is being said and to say what is on their minds. Good government begins with us.
Thanks for listening,
Mark
Town of Nassau Democratic Committee, PO Box 237, East Nassau, 12062: Where your donations lead to good government.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Rensselaer County is growing

According to the latest census data, our county's population is on the upswing. It isn't surprising - those of us who live here know what a great place Rensselaer County is. It is a wonderful place to live and raise a family in. Let's take a look at the winners and losers are in the Capital Region:

 




*As corrected following the 2000 Census.
Prepared by the Capital District Regional Planning Commission 2011-03-24 PL Data.xls : CDR

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Guest Post from Daily Kos - Town Halls, then and now

The following post was grabbed from Daily Kos, with the permission of the author, devtob.

 Back in the summer of 2009, tea partiers, egged on by the Republican cable "news" channel and Republican astroturf groups, turned out en masse to disrupt town hall meetings, shout down Democratic Members of Congress, and denounce the pending health care reform bill.

Paul Tonko, a solid progressive who was then a freshman representing NY-21, got the treatment at Elm Avenue Park in Bethlehem, just south of Albany -- lots of delusional Constitution questions and the sign at right.

Tonko more than held his own, explaining the obvious need for HCR and liberally citing the general welfare clause, to the frustration of the tea partiers.

About 600 people attended that town hall, about equally divided between tea partiers and HCR supporters.

Today, Tonko held a town hall in East Greenbush (just east of Albany), and the scene was very different -- about 100 people in a firehouse, only a handful of them tea partiers.

Tonko was at the Clinton Heights firehouse to announce an $87,000 federal grant for portable radios, a thermal imaging camera, and other emergency services equipment, and to present a flag that flew over the Capitol.

But mostly he discussed what's happening in the new Republican-dominated House.
Tonko noted that he's on a new committee -- Budget -- so he's on the front line of the current Continuing Resolution battles. 
There is a proposal in the House to cut spending by $100 billion that has raised concerns for many. The original package presented by Speaker Boehner was for about $32 billion. There is a group, primarily newer elected officials if not the newest, that suggested it should be deeper than $32 billion, it should rise to $100 billion.And if you ask a number of people, why $100 billion, many will suggest it's a number they tossed out in their campaigns.

My problem with that is this was done in a whimsical fashion, there was no calculus, they had not served in Congress, but a three-digit number like 100, billion sounded good. But we have to be careful, because those cuts can be rocking the comeback of the economy.

Since March of last year, we have added 1.5 million private sector jobs. The think tanks around this country are suggesting that the $100 billion cut in domestic programs could cause unemployment of 700,000 to 800,000. So that would wipe out half of the progress made. Setting us back 700,000 to 800,00 jobs is a frightening thought.
Tonko added that the cuts would come entirely from domestic discretionary spending (a small percentage of the overall budget) -- cuts to all forms of education aid, cuts to technological innovation, cuts to public safety, cuts to clean air/clean water regulations, etc.
He noted that the Ryan Roadmap, named after the new Budget Committee chairman who proposed it, is the still GOP's budget blueprint, and that it would privatize Social Security and turn Medicare into an inadequate voucher program (at $11,000 annually, growing by just 2 percent a year, and impoverishing sick seniors).

Tonko said that his top priority is job creation, since he believes that our lingering high unemployment "drives our deficit" and the only effective way to reduce the deficit is to create jobs.

He noted that House Republicans have not introduced even one jobs bill in any committee.
Tonko also explained that the Republicans have not proposed any cuts to the tens of billions spent on military contractors, and have proposed nothing to limit the $100 billion (that number again) in special tax treatment for oil companies, or the tax policies that encourage outsourcing of American jobs.

In the Q&A, most questions reflected concerns over what the radical House Republicans are up to, but there was one bona fide tea party question, asked, naturally, by a guy who obviously receives Social Security and Medicare benefits.

It was long and rambling, deficit/debt/grandchildren blah blah, but here's the essence: 

I find it incredible that out of a $3 trillion budget, we can't find $100 billion to cut.
Tonko replied:
We need to make certain we look at waste, inefficiency, outmoded programs. We need to look at the handouts to oil companies, we need to look at corporate loopholes, we need to look at the Defense Department. I agree with you there are ways to reduce the budget, but in significantly less painful ways. When we start cutting some of these programs they announced, ... 700,000 to 800,000 jobs lost is not what we need right now.

We need to do it in a way that doesn't take an ax to the budget, but a scalpel.
As to our children, the greatest burden we're placing on them is unemployment. Because without a job, there is no hope.
Tea party types tried, albeit half-heartedly, to turn out people to today's town hall.
It's probably natural, after winning the House majority and six (almost seven) seats in New York alone, that tea partiers are just less white-hot angry now than they were in the summer of 2009.

They still don't like Tonko at all, but realize that their candidate against him got trounced in 2010, and that berating Tonko in public would do little to change that result next year.

After all, they don't expect Tonko to ever vote the way they want, but they expect Gibson to be with them on every vote.

And when he's not, he's accused of having: 
a fast and loose a la carte interpretation of the Constitution as evidenced by yesterday’s bizarre support for unconstitutional NPR funding and previous support for continued arts funding.
There really is no pleasing hard-core tea partiers until Ron Paul is President, with Paulite supermajorities in both Houses of Congress, and they all drown the federal government in Grover Norquist's bathtub.

Which will never happen.     

Friday, March 18, 2011

TONKO TO HOST TOWN HALL MEETING IN EAST GREENBUSH SATURDAY 3/17




ALBANY – Congressman Paul Tonko will hold a town hall meeting on Saturday, March 19, from 1pm to 3pm, at the Clinton Heights Fire Department on Sherwood Ave. in East Greenbush.

Congressman Tonko will give brief remarks, including an announcement regarding a federal grant for the fire department, and then take questions from constituents on federal issues.

What:  Congressman Tonko holds Town Hall Meeting

When: Saturday, March 19, 1pm-3pm

Where: Clinton Heights Fire Department, Community Hose Fire Company, 65 Sherwood Avenue, East Greenbush

Friday, March 11, 2011

Gibson votes against vets and seniors

New Congressman Chris Gibson has been a reliable supporter of anti-government tea party extremism in his first few months in office.

For example, Gibson voted with the tea party extremists to make it harder for veterans and seniors to contest denials of their claims for benefits.

According to Politico, a budget amendment supported by Gibson would enact a seven-month moratorium on paying legal fees "under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), a Reagan-era law designed to help the little guy battle Washington by making it easier for him to afford an attorney." 

That's right -- Gibson and his fellow tea party extremists are standing up for big government against the claims (most of them valid) of impoverished veterans and seniors.

And on Monday, Gibson and rookie Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin defied the countywide state of emergency to hold a meet-and-greet with a few constituents in Brunswick.

Monday's snow/ice storm was the worst this winter, at least in the professional opinion of county public safety officials. But Gibson and McLaughlin decided they knew better, and held their meeting anyway.

The Record story showed how Gibson is either ignorant, and/or a hypocrite, about government spending.

Gibson evidently repeated the tea party line that it was most important to cut federal spending, yet he continued to promote his fantasy of a nuclear power plant in his district, which could only happen with billions in federal subsidies.

It seems that Gibson believes that wasteful federal spending is OK, as long as it happens in his district.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Serendipity in Schodack

Several  Schodack Democrats attended the Castleton Fire Company’s fund-raising breakfast on Sunday, as they usually do.  The early-risers found themselves in a sea of Republicans. But a couple who decided to sleep in and make it a “brunch” got a wonderful treat – Congressman Paul Tonko showed up to support the fire company. 

After saying hello to everyone in the room, Congressman Tonko sat with Schodack Democratic Chair Elizabeth Gable, committee member Linda Underwood and lifelong Castleton Democrats Florence and Martin Ray.  Joining them a bit later was fire company member and staunch Democrat Kelly Travers-Main who, along with her daughter, flipped pancakes and French toast.

Congressman Tonko participated in a lively discussion with his supporters. 

Later, even the most ardent Republicans wanted their picture taken with the Congressman.

Congressman Tonko is a great supporter of local Democratic committees. He rarely misses a fund-raiser or get-together. And he is one of the hardest working progressives in Congress.  Those of us who are represented by him are very lucky, indeed.  

Not so lucky are those in Rensselaer County who are represented by Tea Party Congressman Chris Gibson …
Congressman Paul Tonko with Elizabeth Gable, Kelly Travers-Main and Linda Underwood.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Bagels and politics go well together

In Southern Rensselaer County, the Nassau and Schodack Town Democratic Committees have forged an alliance that is working to inform and motivate Democrats in both towns.

Their second co-sponsored event (the first being a victory celebration a couple of years ago) was a Bagel Breakfast held Saturday, March 5, in Nassau.

About 60 people showed up to chat and discuss local politics as well as hear Rensselaer County Legislator Peter Grimm and Linda Underwood, former Schodack school board member and two-time political candidate, speak about community and grassroots activism. 

The uplifting message was: being active in the community will lead to wins at the polls. Peter Grimm arrived at running for office after years of helping in numerous community projects in Troy.  Linda Underwood arrived at the same conclusion after years of grassroots activism and community involvement in Schodack.  

“We can’t just come out from under a rock before elections and expect to win,” Underwood said. “We have to be out in the community, supporting the fund-raising breakfasts and pizza nights. We have to pick up trash on the side of the road and collect food for the local food pantries. We have to be visible all year if we want to be taken seriously.”

Several others spoke about community projects that Democrats are involved in - Rain Worthington explained how the Nassau Sunshine Fund works (mini-loans to Nassau residents in need), Sam Whaley told the group about the Nassau Food Compact (devoted to providing a local market for food from local farms), and Tony Kirby from Schodack spoke about commercial design standards, not only for the Town of Schodack, but also the entire area.

Besides Grimm, elected officials in attendance included Nassau Town Board Members Sue Hains and Ray Seney and Castleton Mayor Joe Keegan. Former county legislator Brian Zweig was also there.
 
Town chairs Mark Berger and Elizabeth Gable were pleased with the turnout and the enthusiasm of the group. 

“I like the simpatico our committees are developing,” Berger said. 

We like it, too. And hope it spreads throughout the county.
Mark Berger and Rain Worthington welcome the group and discuss current events in Nassau.





Peter Grimm and Linda Underwood listen to other speakers at the Bagel Breakfast.

Tony  Kirby speaks about commercial design standards for Schodack and the Southern Rensselaer County area.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Rensselaer County activists rally for unions

More than 500 people, some of them with ties to Rensselaer County, turned out Saturday for a Solidarity with Wisconsin rally in West Capitol Park in Albany.

Seth Cohen of the Troy Teachers Association spoke, as did Rep. Paul Tonko, who represents the southwestern part of the county in Congress.

We spotted and chatted with Nassau Town Councilwoman Sue Hains and Nassau Democratic Chairman Mark Berger and his wife Rain. Steve Green, CEO of the ATU Local 1321 (representing CDTA) was there raising his voice and sign showing Wisconsin workers that they have the support of New Yorkers.

As right-wing Republicans in Wisconsin, several other states, and in Washington vastly over-reach on their minor 2010 mandate, it is refreshing to see solid, positive, public reactions all across the country, and right here in the Capital District.

The rally got good coverage on the 6 p.m. news, and <a href="http://sukumarfineartphoto.com/MoveOn/SaveAmericanDream/">here are a few dozen photos of this empowering event</a>.