Something strange has been happening recently in Upstate NY. The Governor's airplane has been here in Oneida County at least 3 times in the last few weeks. Lo and behold, we have suddenly been blessed with the presence of the Governor lately. If he's not here telling us how to weather a snowstorm (which turned out to be a nothing-burger), or looking at creek flooding and threatening to sue a railroad that uses a bridge crossing said creek ... Well, today, the last day of January, he's looking at a water main break and patting construction crew workers on the back with the advice 'keep up the good work.'
Suddenly, Central NY is on Andrew Cuomo's radar screen. Since his airplane is not here very often, some people (even me, a FAA-certificated Commercial Pilot) mistake it for a UFO. We're not used to the Governor topping off the tanks at Griffiss International Airport. Speaking of which, I'm not sure the International part of that name is really getting heavy use.
I confess, I was confused for at least 3 seconds as to why he's suddenly showing a great interest in the Mohawk Valley and it's surrounding area. Then it hit me: There was an election last Autumn and he got his brains beat out at the polls upstate. He was beaten severely, almost as if a burly laborer pummeled him about the head and shoulders. Well, figuratively, anyway.
Many people don't pay attention to elections results unless something remarkable happens. And the local newspaper can't be trusted to tell us Democrat horror stories. So when I discovered how poorly Andrew Cuomo and his Lt. Governor candidate actually did in Oneida County last fall, then I understood why he's suddenly so interested in building up his numbers Upstate again. Out of 62 counties in NY State, Andrew Cuomo won only 15 of them. Upstate (north of West Point) he only won 6 counties. And most all of those 6 counties went to him because of a large city (larger than 100,000 population) present in the county.
But Oneida County was especially brutal to Andrew. About 81,000 votes were cast, and he only got about 28,000 votes out of that. His major-party opponent got about 45,000 votes and the rest went to small 3rd party candidates. He didn't lose by a whisker, he got the snot beat out of him. Even US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand outpolled him by more than 10,000 votes in Oneida County, and she's not real popular upstate.
2020 is a Presidential election year and Andrew says he's not running. Well, take that with a grain of salt. Maybe he isn't, maybe he is. Maybe he's waiting to see if a Democratic superstar emerges from the pack. So far, the pack looks pretty lame. Besides, there's always a Veep slot to be filled, and running for Vice-President is completely risk-free for Cuomo. If he loses, he's still the Governor.
So, the next time you think you see a fancy UFO, maybe with a contrail, don't be fooled. It's probably just Andrew Cuomo burning up some more Jet-A fuel coming in to help us poor and distraught Upstate New Yorkers. Well, those of us who haven't left yet, due to the weather.
UFOs? Yup, with at least one ET on board. Oh, thanks for your advice on how to fix water main breaks, Andrew. I'm sure they couldn't have done it without you.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Thank you, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Yes, that's right. Not a mistake; sincerely I want to really thank you. Thank you, Notorious RBG.
Oh, not for your predictable liberal left-wing views and votes; rather, thank you for not retiring during Barack Obama's 8 years. Thank you for not being able to think far enough ahead like a seasoned chess player. Thank you for not retiring and allowing Barack Obama to replace you with a younger version of yourself; one that would probably sit on the court for decades or, at least longer than Donald Trump will be President. Speaking of Trump, thank you for gambling that he would never be elected. And thank you for some really (now hilarious) quotes; to wit:
Oh, not for your predictable liberal left-wing views and votes; rather, thank you for not retiring during Barack Obama's 8 years. Thank you for not being able to think far enough ahead like a seasoned chess player. Thank you for not retiring and allowing Barack Obama to replace you with a younger version of yourself; one that would probably sit on the court for decades or, at least longer than Donald Trump will be President. Speaking of Trump, thank you for gambling that he would never be elected. And thank you for some really (now hilarious) quotes; to wit:
- 7Jul 2016, about the possibility of Trump winning: "I don't want to think about that possibility, but if it should be, then everything is up for grabs."
- 8Jul 2016: "I can't imagine what this place would be - I can't imagine what the country would be - with Donald Trump as our President." Followed by "Now it's time to move to New Zealand."
- 11Jul2016: "He is a faker. He has no consistency about him. He says whatever comes into his head at the moment. He really has an ego. How has he gotten away with not turning over his tax returns?"
Well, RBG, I'm not a lawyer. You are, and before I'd ask how somebody has "gotten away" with something that infers a crime, perhaps I'd see what the law says about it. Hint, RBG: The law is silent about it. Considering all the comments you made about Trump (nothing like jaundicing yourself) , these other quotes of yours really seem ironic:
- "Judges should refrain on commenting about a candidate for public office."
- "I would not look to the U.S. Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in 2012."
Well, those comments take the guesswork out of how you got nicknamed Notorious RBG, although it's better than your other nickname floating around the internet, Darth Bader Ginsburg. With such progressive thinking like that, I wondered how your conscience justified taking an oath to uphold the Constitution, seeing as it is clearly not one you like very well. Oh, I still wonder, by the way.
We're flesh and blood mortal human beings and our days are numbered. Sooner or later, we all shuffle the mortal coil. I hear your health is not very good lately, and for the record I don't wish sickness or death on people, even those I don't respect or personally like. We hear rumors that you might not make it to see Trump re-elected. Lately we notice you're not sitting on the bench with the other justices, and further rumor has it some of the more morbid White House visitors are already casting lots for your ... robe.
I'll miss you, RBG. Oh, for about a tenth of a millisecond, at least. Then I will fall back on those famous words to everything there is a season and consider that, for whatever reason you chose, you didn't think you'd have to worry about your replacement ... that Trump would never be President ... that the thing you accused Trump of having (an ego) is also one of your weaknesses.
So, for not resigning, I thank you. It looks like you intend to go out feet first, as is your privilege as written in that old, musty document called the constitution. You know, the one you'd never draft if you were the writer.
Which, thank god, you're not able to do. Although you did try to put your fingerprints on the Bill of Rights a few times ... you remember, Heller v District of Columbia (Amendment 2)? The legality of displaying the 10 commandments in a public park (Amendment 1)? No, Ruth. Thank god your attempts to rewrite the Bill of Rights fell short.
I'll close by commenting on Chief Justice Robert's comments when he stated that there are no 'Obama judges or Trump Judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges' when he tried to defend the the judiciary as independent. Yeah, right. (Do you really think Americans are that stupid, John?). After watching the Kavanaugh circus, where the Democrats lowered the bar to the bottom of the ocean floor trying to derail his confirmation, it is patently obvious that conservative Presidents nominate conservative judges, and liberal Presidents nominate liberal judges. Otherwise, the Senate Republicans and Democrats would not squabble about it in such a partisan way. Oh yeah, Obamacare is a tax too, even when it was specifically titled as anything but a tax. Thanks, John Roberts. You were the only one out of nine that came up with that reasoning.
Gee, I wonder how your successor will be, Ruth. No, I'm kidding. We can probably safely bet ... he or she will not follow your legacy.
Live long and prosper.
PS: I considered going to watch the syrupy homily Hollywood produced about you, you know, the RBG movie. But I was busy that night re-primering the Jeep.
PPS: I hear the weather in New Zealand is awesome this time of year.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Dear Anthony Brindisi
Hello, Congressman Brindisi.
Yes, I wince when those words are assembled together, but you won NY's 22nd Congressional District race and as such, you are entitled to them for the next 2 years. Or more, maybe. We'll see. As you can probably deduce, I'm not a big fan of yours. I also know how fast 2 years ticks by, and we'll revisit you then. In the meanwhile, here's a reality check for you.
If you don't already know it, you're in a tough position. You reside in the proverbial location known as somewhere between a rock and a hard place. Out of over 248,000 votes cast, you won by less than 4,000. 3968, if the final numbers are right. It was a close race, 50.9% to 49.1%. It's hardly a mandate, especially considering over $14 million dollars were poured into your campaign, much of it from outside New York State. With the help of a clearly biased local newspaper, you eked out a win.
As you finish out your first week in Congress, I note you've made a few bad choices already.
The big mistake you have already made was throwing away your vote for Speaker of the House. Joe Biden isn't a Congressman and wasn't even in the running. If this wasn't a political stunt, then nothing ever is, or has been. Yes, you told us you were not going to support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker. But you didn't tell us you were going to throw away your vote for Bozo Biden either. You could have at least joined with some other Democrats and actually used your 22nd District vote for good. You chose to throw it away and that's just plain goofy. We're not fooled, and we're certainly not amused either.
Besides, we kind of already know how your relationship with Nancy is, and if I were a betting man, I'd put money that you are going to dance the Nancy Pelosi tango practically right away. After all, she did pump ... $14,000 into your campaign, didn't she? We'll be watching, Anthony.
New York State is a blue state, but Upstate New York isn't very blue. Nobody knows that better than Andrew Cuomo, who skated into the Governor's mansion for the 3rd time ... winning only 15 out of 62 NY Counties. Upstate, he won 6. That's pretty shabby and if there were an electoral college in NYS, he'd be out of a job right now.
Considering the kakistocracy (yes, it's a real word, google it) in place in our state, it's no wonder we're suffering a population exodus of epic proportion in the last few decades. In Oneida County alone, the numbers show we've lost about 7% of our population since 2000. In real numbers, that's more than 2 people a day, every day of every year leaving Oneida County (and NY State) for good. This doesn't bode well for you, Anthony. You're the new kid on the block and you barely squeaked into office. NY State has 27 Congressional Districts at the moment, but this is 2019 and next year there is going to be another federal census. At the moment we're projected to lose 2 seats cutting it to 25 districts. Number 1, this means the footprint of the districts are going to get larger and number 2, it means some of the current incumbents are going to be in the Congressional bread line in a short few years. Do you think you're going to survive? You barely won, Anthony. Upstate may be fickle, but it comes back to its senses sooner or later.
Besides, some of your Assembly positions didn't really set well with some people. Sponsoring the late-term abortion bill didn't earn you bonus points with many undecided voters. Abortion is probably the last thing a Roman Catholic Assemblyman should have taken a hard stance on, but you did. Why you chose to support the wholesale slaughter of developed viable human beings in utero is something only your conscience can come to terms with. Abortion is an unpopular political topic in any event, and this country is divided over it. Roe v Wade didn't legalize it; it only decided that it was a state decision, not a federal decision. And, as legal matters go, it got warped the more and more it was handled by different courts. Until the Supreme Court revisits this (if they ever do), expanding it to making the murder of human beings during birth legal ... is probably not a political position you want to brag about to your constituents.
Let's talk about money in politics. I'm not entirely sure how much was spent on your campaign, but something over $14 million is the number floated around internet sources. The 22nd Congressional District has a little over 720,000 (about 1/3 of them actually balloted) residents. You could have sent every person in the district $20 with money like that. I'm sure some people would have appreciated it more than those awful PAC ads in slow-motion black and white contorting the views and faces of the opposition ... and yes, in this case, both sides are guilty. Those ads turn stomachs, Anthony, and if there's anything that I will support you on, it'd be changing the PAC system via McCain-Feingold (what a joke) to kill that vile character assassination the general populace is subjected to every 2 years.
Besides, are you going to try to tell us you're independent ... that you can work with both sides, when you have a $14mil political debt to repay? Do you think these donors gave it to you out of the goodness of their own hearts? No, Anthony. To the big donors, you're nothing more than a loaf of Wonder Bread on the shelf. They bought you, you took the money and now they're going to come calling every now and then asking you for something, a vote on this, funding for that ... No, Anthony. You sold your soul for the campaign cash and some of these people are going to bare their fangs and let you know it. If you don't curtsy to them nicely, they'll find somebody else to take their money sooner or later. Probably sooner, in your case.
So, Congressman Brindisi, how do you like the job? You're up for re-election almost already, and remember: The President is up for re-election the same year, and he won NY 22 by almost 16 points in his first run. You're facing being on the short list when 2 seats are shaved out of the NY Congressional delegation. I'm not sure the local RINOs like Griffo and Picente will be able to help you next time. Griffo has his own problems, the main one being for the first time ever he's in a minority seat and the shock value of that is probably going to assist him in losing what hair he has left. Picente's choir is not sounding all that enthusiastic lately either, and his seat is up for grabs soon also.
Well, enough for now. You're a freshman, and I guess I should take that into account. But do note NY-22 is paying attention. And we're taking notes, too. See you in less than 2 years.
PS: I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but you probably cost Dave Gordon the county clerks seat with the high Democrat voter turnout in Utica and Rome. So indirectly, every time I wait in an inefficient Oneida County DMV line, I'll think of you when I consider how badly it needed to be fixed and ... wasn't because Sandy DePerno rode your coattails to re-election.
Yes, I wince when those words are assembled together, but you won NY's 22nd Congressional District race and as such, you are entitled to them for the next 2 years. Or more, maybe. We'll see. As you can probably deduce, I'm not a big fan of yours. I also know how fast 2 years ticks by, and we'll revisit you then. In the meanwhile, here's a reality check for you.
If you don't already know it, you're in a tough position. You reside in the proverbial location known as somewhere between a rock and a hard place. Out of over 248,000 votes cast, you won by less than 4,000. 3968, if the final numbers are right. It was a close race, 50.9% to 49.1%. It's hardly a mandate, especially considering over $14 million dollars were poured into your campaign, much of it from outside New York State. With the help of a clearly biased local newspaper, you eked out a win.
As you finish out your first week in Congress, I note you've made a few bad choices already.
The big mistake you have already made was throwing away your vote for Speaker of the House. Joe Biden isn't a Congressman and wasn't even in the running. If this wasn't a political stunt, then nothing ever is, or has been. Yes, you told us you were not going to support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker. But you didn't tell us you were going to throw away your vote for Bozo Biden either. You could have at least joined with some other Democrats and actually used your 22nd District vote for good. You chose to throw it away and that's just plain goofy. We're not fooled, and we're certainly not amused either.
Besides, we kind of already know how your relationship with Nancy is, and if I were a betting man, I'd put money that you are going to dance the Nancy Pelosi tango practically right away. After all, she did pump ... $14,000 into your campaign, didn't she? We'll be watching, Anthony.
New York State is a blue state, but Upstate New York isn't very blue. Nobody knows that better than Andrew Cuomo, who skated into the Governor's mansion for the 3rd time ... winning only 15 out of 62 NY Counties. Upstate, he won 6. That's pretty shabby and if there were an electoral college in NYS, he'd be out of a job right now.
Considering the kakistocracy (yes, it's a real word, google it) in place in our state, it's no wonder we're suffering a population exodus of epic proportion in the last few decades. In Oneida County alone, the numbers show we've lost about 7% of our population since 2000. In real numbers, that's more than 2 people a day, every day of every year leaving Oneida County (and NY State) for good. This doesn't bode well for you, Anthony. You're the new kid on the block and you barely squeaked into office. NY State has 27 Congressional Districts at the moment, but this is 2019 and next year there is going to be another federal census. At the moment we're projected to lose 2 seats cutting it to 25 districts. Number 1, this means the footprint of the districts are going to get larger and number 2, it means some of the current incumbents are going to be in the Congressional bread line in a short few years. Do you think you're going to survive? You barely won, Anthony. Upstate may be fickle, but it comes back to its senses sooner or later.
Besides, some of your Assembly positions didn't really set well with some people. Sponsoring the late-term abortion bill didn't earn you bonus points with many undecided voters. Abortion is probably the last thing a Roman Catholic Assemblyman should have taken a hard stance on, but you did. Why you chose to support the wholesale slaughter of developed viable human beings in utero is something only your conscience can come to terms with. Abortion is an unpopular political topic in any event, and this country is divided over it. Roe v Wade didn't legalize it; it only decided that it was a state decision, not a federal decision. And, as legal matters go, it got warped the more and more it was handled by different courts. Until the Supreme Court revisits this (if they ever do), expanding it to making the murder of human beings during birth legal ... is probably not a political position you want to brag about to your constituents.
Let's talk about money in politics. I'm not entirely sure how much was spent on your campaign, but something over $14 million is the number floated around internet sources. The 22nd Congressional District has a little over 720,000 (about 1/3 of them actually balloted) residents. You could have sent every person in the district $20 with money like that. I'm sure some people would have appreciated it more than those awful PAC ads in slow-motion black and white contorting the views and faces of the opposition ... and yes, in this case, both sides are guilty. Those ads turn stomachs, Anthony, and if there's anything that I will support you on, it'd be changing the PAC system via McCain-Feingold (what a joke) to kill that vile character assassination the general populace is subjected to every 2 years.
Besides, are you going to try to tell us you're independent ... that you can work with both sides, when you have a $14mil political debt to repay? Do you think these donors gave it to you out of the goodness of their own hearts? No, Anthony. To the big donors, you're nothing more than a loaf of Wonder Bread on the shelf. They bought you, you took the money and now they're going to come calling every now and then asking you for something, a vote on this, funding for that ... No, Anthony. You sold your soul for the campaign cash and some of these people are going to bare their fangs and let you know it. If you don't curtsy to them nicely, they'll find somebody else to take their money sooner or later. Probably sooner, in your case.
So, Congressman Brindisi, how do you like the job? You're up for re-election almost already, and remember: The President is up for re-election the same year, and he won NY 22 by almost 16 points in his first run. You're facing being on the short list when 2 seats are shaved out of the NY Congressional delegation. I'm not sure the local RINOs like Griffo and Picente will be able to help you next time. Griffo has his own problems, the main one being for the first time ever he's in a minority seat and the shock value of that is probably going to assist him in losing what hair he has left. Picente's choir is not sounding all that enthusiastic lately either, and his seat is up for grabs soon also.
Well, enough for now. You're a freshman, and I guess I should take that into account. But do note NY-22 is paying attention. And we're taking notes, too. See you in less than 2 years.
PS: I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but you probably cost Dave Gordon the county clerks seat with the high Democrat voter turnout in Utica and Rome. So indirectly, every time I wait in an inefficient Oneida County DMV line, I'll think of you when I consider how badly it needed to be fixed and ... wasn't because Sandy DePerno rode your coattails to re-election.
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