Amazing to see what a straightforward obit of Edward Kennedy looks like, after the hagiography and idolatry of the past week.
When the major American media are in the tank for the government and its dominant orthodoxies, don't we have the functional equivalent of a state-controlled press?
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Teddy Bare
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Oh, Henry!
Republican insiders are wondering how Chairman Bill Reilich, and the other three upstate Republican county chairmen who endorsed Manhattanite Ed Cox for the state chairmanship last week, will find a dignified way to get behind Niagara County GOP Chairman Henry Wojtaszek.
Eventually they'll have to. For the sake of their county organizations, and ultimately for their counties, it's better done sooner than later.
It shouldn't be difficult. Almost immediately after Reilich and the other three announced for Cox, current State Chairman Joe Mondello said he was stepping down. Mondello's giving his support to Wojtaszek. Especially with Rudy Giulani coming out publicly for the Niagara chairman, this changes things considerably. Reilich and the others now have the best of reasons to get behind the able and effective upstater Wojtaszek.
By the way, it's more than speculation: Giuliani coming out for Wojtaszek means that Rudy's running for governor. (This is why we say the upstate county chairmen who last week backed Cox will have to shift to Wojtaszek.) Cuomo will be a tough oppponent, but the incipient national Democratic meltdown could be timed just right for a Giulani candidacy.
Courtesy of the New York Daily News, here's the weighted vote by county for the state GOP chairmanship.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Correction -- Not What I Thought!
In a post today I noted an objectionable feature of a website that had the appearance of being maintained by or for a candidate for office in Monroe County.
Some astute commenters let me know that the website has no connection to Dan Greene or to anyone affiliated with his campaign. It is a site maintained by an internet squatter company that registers sites with names similar to legitimate sites, in order to get revenue from people clicking through all the search ads on the the page. The site appears to have been created in 2000.
We deleted the erroneous posting. Apologies to candidate Greene and to our readers for the error, and thanks to the commenters who let me know about the problem.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Vox Populi
The Democrat and Chronicle did its best to create sympathy for the $200 "school supply" giveaway, with a front-page whitewash on Friday and online apologias over the weekend.
Maybe the money really went for school supplies. If it did, we'll have another front page story. On the other hand, maybe there was a big spike in sales of cigarettes, booze and consumer electronics. In that case you won't see anything about it in the D&C.
Almost all the online commenters on the D&C website were against the handout. My fave? This one:
get off my lawn wrote:Let's not be cheap. How about another $200, this time for contraceptives?
Here's how you buy soap, underwear and towels for your kids - get a job and buy them with your own money. Or hey - here's an idea - stop having kids you can't afford with men you don't marry.
8/21/2009 6:32:28AM
On second thought, make it $2,000. A bargain at twice the price.
Shrewd Move in the County Legislature
County Republicans made a superficially baffling decision in their timing of County Legislator Tony LaFountain's departure from the legislature.
The rules provide that a resigned legislator must be replaced by a person of the departed legislator's political party. Usually the parties try to time it so their appointees to such vacancies have the maximum period of incumbency before they have to face an election for the seat.
Had LaFountain waited another month -- until after about September 20 -- his successor, Penfield Councilwoman Debbie Drawe, would not have had to run for the seat until November of 2010, giving her more than a year of incumbency to run on. As it is, Drawe must run in this year's election.
This defies conventional wisdom, but makes tremendous sense. Drawe will now run in an election for which Democrats must scramble to find a credible candidate, if they can. It's proven hard for them in this district in the past.
Much more significantly, though, is that this year the County Democratic organization must focus its energy and resources on the seats it thinks it can win. Just one more seat and they take the majority, thereby situating themselves to fulfill their prime directive of making Maggie Brooks's life hell for the next two years. They won't risk blowing it by wasting time in Penfield.
By contrast, if Drawe ran in 2010, hers would be the sole race for County Legislature. Joe Morelle's team could focus all of its efforts for local-level elections on that race alone. Especially if Democrats failed to seize the ring of the legislature's majority this year, the 9th district race in 2010 would have been the Armageddon of county leg. races, commanding attention, support and resources from the Democratic party, its interest groups and fellow-travellers on a statewide level, as the key to the Demos taking Monroe.
Shrewd move.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
THE GOVERNMENT THAT CAN TAKE AWAY YOUR CASH FOR CLUNKERS ...
As it has --
Can take away -- on equally short notice:
Granny's healthcare;
Your right to choose your own doctor;
the claim that there won't be "death panels;"
the fragile pretense that the government won't be rationing of healthcare;
and everything else they're claiming.
Your instincts are right. Don't capitulate!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
US Healthcare: Number 1 in the World for Health-Related Life Expectancy
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
"One big reason our life expectancy lags [behind some other advanced countries] is that Americans have an unusual tendency to perish in homicides or accidents. We are 12 times more likely than the Japanese to be murdered and nearly twice as likely to be killed in auto wrecks. In their 2006 book, 'The Business of Health,' economists Robert L. Ohsfeldt and John E. Schneider set out to determine where the U.S. would rank in life span among developed nations if homicides and accidents are factored out. Their answer? First place. That discovery indicates our health-care system is doing a poor job of preventing shootouts and drunk driving but a good job of healing the sick. All those universal-care systems in Canada and Europe may sound like Health Heaven, but they fall short of our model when it comes to combating life-threatening diseases"
-- Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 8/16/2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Massa Story Goes National
Drudge has now picked up the Congressman's daring declaration of independence from his constituents.
Massa: "I Will Vote Against the Interests of My District"
Yes, he really said that. Speaking to the like-minded at the left-wing Nutroots convention this weekend.
Transcript here.
"Single Payer" Paradise
The incoming president of the Canadian Medical Association says with enough effort, his country might be able to "make wait lists disappear."
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
An Obama Voter Opines ...
From Camille Paglia:
The ethical collapse of the left was nowhere more evident than in the near total silence of liberal media and Web sites at the Obama administration's outrageous solicitation to private citizens to report unacceptable "casual conversations" to the White House. If Republicans had done this, there would have been an angry explosion by Democrats from coast to coast.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
"I Don't Want to Be Taxed to Pay for Somebody Else's Health Care"
The silent majority is finding its voice.
Traditionally, it's the Left that turns out to protest rallies, local government meetings, etc.
Our people are working, or are home taking care of their kids, instead of going out to ask the government to do it for them.
But as government demands more tribute, ordinary citizens are speaking out more and more. It's been happening across the country for months, although meticulously ignored by the mainstream media.
Check out these recent examples of citizens holding members of Congress to account recently (and thanks to Drudge for bringing them to our attention):
Long Island
Philadelphia
Austin, Texas
