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Rachel Barnhart had a great story a couple of nights ago complete with comments on 13 WHAM’s reporters blog about the Paetec Park debacle.  She played up the campaign contribution aspect of the issue. 

Senator Mike Nozzolio was the main force behind this project.  When the stadium was built he was one of the most powerful men in Albany. Beside Nozzolio receiving the lion’s share of cash — and the fact he declined an on camera interview (a first for any elected official I know), I found it most interesting that David Koon and Susan John received $700 and $650 respectively. It speaks volumes about their clout in Albany — nice job guys!

From Rachel’s blog:

If you’re curious about who got what from the Rhinos and DuRoss (the vast majority of these funds coming from DuRoss), take a look below. The time period covers 2000 to 2007.

• State Senator Mike Nozzolio (R), $36,275
• Assemblyman Joseph Morelle (D) $4,450
• State Senator James Alesi (R), $3,600
• State Senator George Maziarz (R), $3,500
• Assemblyman David Gantt (D), $3,050 (The Rhinos hired a lobbyist with ties to Gantt, but Gantt has denied any quid pro quo.)
• State Senator Joseph Robach (R), $1,550 (Some of this money was donated when he was a Democratic assemblyman.)
• Assemblyman David Koon (D), $700
• Assemblywoman Susan John (D), $625
• Assemblyman Bill Reilich (R), $200
• Assemblyman Brian Kolb (R), $200

Tags: Articles, Cincinnatus, David Gantt, David Koon, Jim Alesi, Joe Morelle, Joe Robach, New York State by Cincinnatus
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What is the world coming to?  We actually have public officials in this community who allow community members to say a prayer at public meetings.  The “watchdog group” Americans United for the Separation of Church and State brought a lawsuit against the Town of Greece for not prohibiting people from mentioning Jesus at public meetings. The story is the  headline in today’s Democrat and Chronicle.

What’s wrong with these people?  With all the problems in the world, they decide that Greece’s policy of inviting local clergy and residents to say a brief prayer before the start of their meeting is something to go to court over.  I know local clergy have given prayers at the House of Representatives, the New York State Senate and Assembly and I’ve even been to County Legislature meetings where clergy members have prayed in Jesus’ name. Why single out Greece?

Like it or not, our country was founded on Christian principles by people who were devoted to God. That’s something that isn’t open to debate.

Founding father John Adams said:

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net.” –October 11, 1798

Sam Adams said:

“ Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, unite their endeavors to renovate the age by impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys and girls, inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity… and leading them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system.” [October 4, 1790]

I would really like to know what the real deal is with Linda Stephens and Susan Galloway — the two Greece residents filing the complaint.  What motivates them to make such a big deal over this issue?

Couldn’t they be protesting the War in Iraq? The Public Defender selection process?  The FAIR Plan? What about Maggie Brooks’ decision to not automatically pick up the tab for benefits for same sex couples? Is anyone else starting to notice a pattern here?  I bet you they were at least at one of these or some other liberal protest recently.

The liberal extremists have been very well organized over the past few months.  I don’t know if their collective hatred for George Bush has motivated these folks to become more vocal — more aggressive in their organizing tactics.

Maybe I’m a conspiracy theorists, but I can’t help but think this lawsuit against Jesus is just one piece of a multi-faceted campaign to fundamentally change our society. I think a lot of this stuff is being drummed up or at least supported by outside organizations that are committed to making New York even more Democratic than it already is.

Tags: Articles, Cincinnatus by Cincinnatus
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Rochester is a city that has something to offer for everyone.  That’s the reason Mr. Izguhde and I decided to relocate and raise our family here.  Places like the Memorial Art Gallery, Garth Fagan Dance, The George Eastman House, the Strong Museum, the Rochester Museum and Science Center, and the Brighton and Pittsford Schools Districts, just to name a few, are among the finest institutions of their kind in the world.

Oh yes, and then there is Brother Wease.  I first heard this man when I was a young college student in the late 1980’s.  I was much more of a conformist back then — many of my friends listened and I followed the crowd.  The final straw for me was when Brother Wease and his crew were laughing hysterically because Brother Wease urinated in a bottle while on the air.  After hearing him explain that he “had to tap a kidney, Bra”, I vowed to never listen to him again.

To see this morning’s D&C proclaiming that this “Rochester Icon” will be back on the air soon left me scratching my head.  This left me with one question — are there that many lower income Caucasians in Rochester/Monroe County?   If so, one would expect more gruff and rough around the edges types like Carla Palumbo to be in elective office.

There has been much written about how Rochester/Monroe County is a community of contrasts.  Most of these contrasts can be explained by where you live.  Our schools are among the best and the worst in the nation. Our health care system is among the best in the country — if you can access it. If you have any type of marketable skill you know the economy here isn’t anywhere as bad as it is made out to be.

It can also be explained by what type of politician represents you. If you are represented by David Gantt, your Rochester experience is vastly different that if Jim Alesi represents you.

But Brother Wease.  I don’t get it.  He is working on his fourth or fifth wife (once you divorce your second wife you are on dicey ground).  The latest Mrs. Wease ran for public office with her main qualification being that she is Mrs. Wease IV or V.  Mustardstreet has reported that Wease himself referred to another candidate for public office as a douche bag. 

How does a community that has world class institutions like Rochester find itself in the position of waiting for the return of this vulgar and vile man?

Tags: Prudence Izguhde by Prudence Izguhde
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Here’s some fair and accurate reality reporting that you will rarely find in New York State.  With such little effort placed on investigative and in-depth reporting these days, it was nice to come across this article in The New York Sun on Governor Eliot ‘Steamroller’ Spitzer’s odd show of support for his endorsed presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. 

Kudos to NY Sun reporter Russell Berman who actually takes some time to digest a Spitzer comment and offer suggestions as to why he’d say such a thing.  Read Berman’s interesting report on what looks like a Spitzer misspeak and his thoughts about the Steamroller’s possible easing away from what appears to be the quickly floundering presidential campaign of Mrs. Clinton.

As Spitzer informs the press that he will not be participating in an upcoming Hillary event, Berman hits on what might be the phrase that foretells of bad things to come if Clinton continues to falter:

…Mr. Spitzer is not headed to Ohio for the event, though he said he hoped to get out on the stump for Mrs. Clinton “maybe later in the week, or next week, if this continues.” He did not specify what he meant by “this,” but there is a widespread belief that Mrs. Clinton will end her campaign if she does not win Texas and Ohio on Tuesday.

Now, I’ll go one step further on this story by asking the follow up question that the reporters didn’t ask Spitzer after his now soon to be infamous “…if this continues” comment.

Are you not helping Clinton in the upcoming primaries of your own accord, or were you asked by her to stay away?

Could Hillary be upset over Spitzer’s licenses for illegal aliens mess up or is he staying put in Albany Manhattan to work on his approval numbers?

I’d love to hear the answer to that question and I’d welcome everyone’s thoughts on this.

Tags: Articles, Elliot Spitzer, Mr. Peabody by Mr. Peabody
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As we reported last night, Democrat Darrel Aubertine beat Republican Will Barclay in the 48th Senate District race.  In an earlier post, we explained why a Republican loss in that race would likely mean that the Senate will turn Democratic in the very near future.  I’ve talked to several people about the race this morning, and a common reaction seems to be “Things are kind of screwed up in Albany; ushering in some change will be good.”

In response, I stated “Change? Change? Punching you in the face would be change!  How would you like that kind of change!” (Note: in reality, I smiled politely and avoided the urge to threaten physical violence; it would have been pretty satisfying, though).

We certainly will get some change, but I would dispute that it will be good for us.  If the Democrats take the Senate, New York state will be effectively run by the following three people: 1.  Eliot Spitzer, an angry, rich Manhattan lawyer beholden to unions and powerful downstate interests; 2.  Shelly Silver, a rich Manhattan trial lawyer beholden to unions, trial lawyers, and powerful downstate interest groups; and 3.  The current minority leader of the Senate, Malcolm Smith, a Queens real estate developer who is beholden to unions, liberal special interest groups, and other powerful downstate interests.  Undoubtedly, the entire state will be controlled by downstate interests (to the extent that it wasn’t before).

Critically, it will become even more difficult to do business in New York.  The unions will ensure that significant union-friendly legislation will pass (i.e., any project tangentially related to the public sector  - like IDA projects or projects that receive grant money from the state - will be forced to pay union wages).  And you can forget about reform to the Wicks Law, the scaffold law, or any of the other antiquated rules that exponentially increase the cost of construction in this state.

As for property taxes, they will increase drastically.  One of the principal reasons for the high cost of property taxes is that the state forces counties to pay for half of the cost of Medicare.  Medicare costs will continue to rise, and if you think this cabal of downstate Democrats is going to cut benefits, you drank too much cough medicine as a teenager.

Do you have qualms about abortion on demand?  Last year, Eliot Spitzer introduced the Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act, which makes it the “public policy of the state of New York” that every woman has a “fundamental right” to terminate her pregnancy.  Something tells me that it will be difficult to pass any kind of common-sense restrictions on abortion after that bill gets passed.

Do you care about the definition of marriage?  I predict that within a year of the Senate going Democratic, gay marriage will be legalized in this state (and I do not mean some kind of civil union legislation either).

Do you care about your Second Amendment rights?  Let’s put it this way, Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith sponsored legislation (S. 1860) that would require any person purchasing ammunition for any kind of firearm to fill out an application that “shall include, but not be limited to, the applicant’s full name, date of birth and address, and the calibre, make, model,  manufacturer’s name and serial number of the firearm for which the applicant is purchasing the bullets.  Copies of the application shall be forwarded to all law enforcement agencies of the state.” 

And by the way, the state legislature is going to redraw all the Assembly, Senate, and Congressional districts in 2010.  Without a doubt, the democrats will gerrymander the districts to give themselves an even greater majority.  Moreover, the redistricting is based on census figures.  Because of downstate policies and inaction, upstate has been losing population at an alarming rate, while downstate has been gaining population.  Accordingly, several upstate seats will be eradicated, and several new downstate seats will be created.  Am I the only one to see the irony in this?

Obviously, the world is not going to end if Democrats take control.  However, people need to consider the implications of one party rule in a state that faces the challenges of New York.

Tags: Articles, New York State, Occam by Occam
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Boy, this is really bad.  Democratic Assemblyman Darrel Aubertine defeated Republican Assemblyman Will Barclay in the special election yesterday.  This shrinks the Republican majority to 32-30.  Occam had a great post last week. So did Prudence.

Barclay’s lost is bad for anyone living in Upstate.  We’ve gone over it all in previous posts. It is still almost 8 months until this November’s election — an eternity in politics.  Let’s hope Elliott “the Steamroller” Spitzer hasn’t learned anything in his first 14 months in office.

Is it too much to ask for another license for illegal immigrants plan? Another Troopergate? Can Hillary’s self destruction and desperate attacks on Barack Obama backfire on the people who were her strongest supporters?

I know this is a lot to ask for, but let’s keep the faith.  Don’t forget that over half of the voters in this state would have someone else as Governor.  The message has to get out — the Republicans in the State Senate are the only ones standing between us and higher taxes, more resources for New York City and making sure we get our fair share.

We don’t usually quote Democrats here at Monroerising.com, but at this time the words of the Reverend Jesse Jackson seem most appropriate, “Keep Hope Alive! ”

Tags: Articles by Cincinnatus
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Things aren’t looking good for keeping a Republican majority in the Senate.  We’ll provide more analysis tomorrow, but for you night owls, the Albany Times-Union has called the 48th Senate District for Democrat Darrel Aubertine.

Tags: Articles by Occam
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If you can’t beat ‘em, … make something up.

Or so it seems that is the way of life for Sandra Frankel, supervisor of the Town of Brighton. As Democrat and Chronicle records indicate, Brighton has the highest property taxes in the entire State of New York, including Westchester County. Make no mistake, Sandra Frankel is on a mission. A one-woman mission. She wants to change the safety of Monroe County residents by changing the speed zone on side streets. Such an act requires changing speed zone legislation already on the books. And that might not be such an impossible task, given they have access to a Steamroller [Spitzer]. It appears there is an underground movement taking place. It’s best to get up to speed of the economy, rapidly, to create and retain jobs, not reduce speed limits by 5 mph. We are unsure as to who in Brighton has suggested this to the town, if they even care, or why it is allowed to happen. But, we do know that times are changing. They are changing fast. And as Rochester and the entire nation found on Oscar night is that we live in a democracy. An undeniable “No Country for Old Men”.

When the chips are down, you see the desperation in the eyes of Democrats. They have no plan. No alternative. They can’t believe what is happening. The tides are indeed turning for the worse and nobody is holding them accountable. They continue to shoot themselves in the foot. Lest we ask, Where’s the outrage? Was there outrage when there was a veto to a veto? The Monroe County Democratic Committee is in disarray. All they know is to attack leaders, movers and shakers, you know the men who make things happen. Their goal is to gain as much attention and be as disruptive as possible. Such unruly, offensive acts would be punishable not only to in-school suspension, but a meeting with the principle and the cops. It is apparent they are in need and asking for help.

Assemblyman David Gantt is an example. As pathetic as the situation looked, it is evident, the man needed professional help. But, they continue to ask for trouble. We all know starting trouble and needing help are not a good combination, especially when they involve police. So why? All they know is they got “backup”, they got people.

It only makes you wonder what flip flopper’s at MCDC will do now given the “Arkansas Army” needs help of their own. It’s true, the Hillary campaign is starting to show it’s true rainbow colors. Americans are blind no more. If this gives you any idea as to the last 20 years of leadership, it is vote for something different. One thing we all agree on is that the area could do without grandstanding. It can do without rhetoric. All rhetoric got us are broken promises, higher taxes and higher unemployment from empty suits and talking heads. Four years is a long time to wait for a job. In four years, a kid goes from being a kid to an adult. 17 years old to 21 years. A kid graduated high school, enters college and is then ready to take off to find a job of his choice. And what this Governor has not mentioned is he may not even be around and deferred such an investment till after he would be potentially removed from office. I don’t know about you, but going without in this economy hurts. It hurts deep. It hurts more than meets the eye. That’s the scenario we face. Unfortunately, there is no such urgency toward creating jobs for young people and will contine to be ignored until massive and immediate action from a real leader. It is as if young people don’t have a voice and don’t matter to Democrats. All we hear are mid-life crisis from frustrated feminists who “wear the pants and the diapers” instead of concentrating on the building a strong family foundation. And leave the diapers for the babies. 

The best way to overcome these falsifications are to be the best informed Rochesterian you can be by gaining the knowledge and in-depth analysis into the economy by visiting monroerising.com, upstatedown.com and other non-political, information based sites. And one last thing we can all do to improve the outlook on the economy, lower taxes and have hope for the future.

Vote out Sandra Frankel.

Tags: Articles, Sandy Frankel by Upstate Down Committee
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Great news for all of you who believe in truth and justice, someone has contacted Monroerising.com and said they have filed a complaint with the NYS Board of Elections regarding Monroe County Legislator Richard Beebe’s failure to file legaly required disclosure forms in his campaign.

We will disclose the person’s name if sheI mean he or she, wants us to.  They promise to send us the results of the investigation.  We will keep you posted on the story Monroerising.com broke and remains the source of record for.

Have a nice weekend.

Tags: Cincinnatus, Dick Beebe by Cincinnatus
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Gentle Reader:

I certainly understand the feelings that a significant number of New Yorkers have about our president, George W. Bush.  Mr. Izguhde and I have vowed to never vote for a candidate, Republican or Democrat, who hails from the Old Confederacy. 

I found this interesting clip on Niagaratimes.blogspot.com.  It is a clip of Senator Kevin Parker showing his lack of knowledge about anything north of Westchester County.

He asks “what is in St. Lawrence County that terrorists would want to attack?”  Former Senator Jim Wright stands and shows Senator Parker’s ignorance.  The hydro plant that provides power for most of New York is there and probably one of the largest targets in New York.

Back to the point of President Bush.  The most recent public poll show the Democrat, Darrel Aubertine, with a slight lead in the special election.  That seat has about 30,000 more Republicans than Democrats.  Bush fatigue is the only explaination for that — unless people up there think that Governor Elliott “The Steamroller” Spitzer should have more power.

If Aubertine wins, the Democrats will be one seat away from the majority.  Guys like Senator Parker will be calling the shots in that house.  Does anone really think that is in the best interest for anyone living outside of the City? 

Tags: Articles, New York State, Prudence Izguhde by Prudence Izguhde
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