Comment Archives: stories: News & Opinion
Re: “[UPDATED] Mayoral challenger Lovely Warren changes course on marriage equality”
Good news ylem !!!! In 1878 the Supreme Court ruled that the 1862 congressional prohibition of polygamy was constitutional (Reynolds v. United States, 98 US 145). So you’re needlessly worrying about those "10 people all married to each other with kids, some in that group married to others in other groups". Perhaps your time would be better spent pondering the moral, legal and religious implications of humans marrying mermaids or space aliens.
Re: “Choosing a mayor in a challenging time”
"this development would have happened due to market demands regardless" !?!?!?!? This is the essence of the Green Party fantasy. What market conditions are you citing? The worst economy since the great depression? Declining population and further concentration of poverty? The green party loves to compare the tax impact of actual development that has happened to the possible tax impact of magical fantasy projects that don't exist (rather than to the non-revenue producing decay that they replace) without factoring in any of the other benefits of of these projects. If Apple computer moved its corparate headquarters to downtown rochester, built an architectural wonder on what was an abondoned parking lot , but was given tax breaks to do so, Alex White would be decrying the move. You don't compare the deal to a pefect non-existent one - you compare it to the abandoned parking lot. White seems almost completely unaware of the almost generations of divestment from the city. Pretending that private equity is fighting to spend money on urban development and that tax incentives are needless give aways is frighteningly divorced from reality. It's cheap and it attempts to turn complex economics into bumper sticker politics. If you loved how this group ran a campout in the park, you'll love how they run a city.
Re: “[UPDATED] Mayoral challenger Lovely Warren changes course on marriage equality”
I wonderif the "young man" she spoked to was also her pollster. What an embarrassingly obvious political flipflop. Richards supported gay marriage BEFORE it was law not after it became politically convenient (like after Warren got called out for her lack of support). Phony as a 3 dollar bill.
Re: “[UPDATED] Mayoral challenger Lovely Warren changes course on marriage equality”
You're proposing a free-for-all. Virtually every law on the books would have to be redone to accomodate the possibility of extremely complicated relations (10 people all married to each other with kids, some in that group married to others in other groups...) We're talking about infeasible on a mathematical level here. Too complicated to justify, especially considering that most of the West just doesn't want it.
Re: “[UPDATED] Mayoral challenger Lovely Warren changes course on marriage equality”
There is no good reason to deny that we must keep evolving until an adult, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, monogamy or polyamory, race, or religion is free to marry any and all consenting adults. The limited same-gender freedom to marry is a great and historic step, but is NOT full marriage equality, because equality "just for some" is not equality. Let's stand up for EVERY ADULT'S right to marry the person(s) they love. Get on the right side of history!
Re: “Choosing a mayor in a challenging time”
Howard, your vision of the issue of race is completely one dimensional.
Who exactly are the "people of color" you have pitted against whites? The behavioral - not racist - division in Rochester is primarily between a significant subset of young African Americans and everyone else. That division is defined by the disruptive behaviors of the former.
I was recently at a meeting for a Rochester branch library facing a serious teen problem (almost all of whom were African American). That problem included assaults on the premises. In walked a tardy city official who commented 'sorry I was at meeting discussing the problem of assaults on refugees'. No one had to ask who was perpetrating those assaults. Of course none of this was news - unlike your march in Greece - given the enormous barriers to honesty on the subject of race.
Re: “Choosing a mayor in a challenging time”
I think that a recent statement made by Mr. Aaron Wicks regarding this article is critically important, and in fact classic, i.e.,
“Serious damage.”
"It would be refreshing to have some discussion about precisely what kind of serious damage to our community would be done by talking about race during a campaign. We already know the damage from not talking about: clear disparities between whites and people of color in virtually ever measure of social well-being. THAT is serious damage. If one is concerned that feelings might get hurt or old wounds might be reopened -- or, heaven for fend, some yelling and naughty words get uttered -- perhaps that might be the type of damage we can endure to prevent the damage we have been perpetrating on ourselves for generations. Alas, the dark editorial supplies no indications of the serious damage that such a campaign would cause. It simply takes it as a given."
Re: “Choosing a mayor in a challenging time”
Primaries are healthy, as long as they're restricted to a single match up between candidates (and with a run off if necessary). They are however disasterous when utilized in the manner we see every four years with our presidemtial primaries. As a result of far too much media hype and far too little intelligent weighing of the candidates by the voters in subsequent primaries, we now have a system where a few thousand individuals in Iowa and New Hampshire are for-all- intents-and-purposes, selecting the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates for the remaining 313,900,000 of us.
Re: “Choosing a mayor in a challenging time”
Alex White probably is the best candidate for the job, unfortunately he doesn't seem to have much of a base. Additionally, Richards (the seasoned lawyer/businessman) will make it difficult for him to make any charges stick. Like it or not, this probably will come down to race... If Warren gets the vote out, she wins - possibly by landslide. And I truly hope she does as Richards' blustering, arrogant style of governing (much like "Big Brother" Bloomberg's or King Andy's) quite literally infuriates me.
Re: “Secondhand dealer legislation advances in the Monroe County Legislature”
Great idea. Punish business owners because the police are incapable of dealing with the actual problem: theft.
Re: “Choosing a mayor in a challenging time”
I am always commenting on the need for bold leadership, however bold leadership must be focused on the important issues. Unfortunately, this has not been the case in Rochester.
The last bold move by a Rochester mayor was rolling the dice on the fast ferry. About the only other bold announcements , which are actually somewhat common, are construction projects. ...the still born Renaissance Square and PaeTec Tower, which now is not going to cast much of a shadow.
But how do things like ferries and office towers help with the true issues plaguing the city? They don't. When all of our time, energy and money are poured into big dream projects, they isn't any time, energy , money or interest in focusing on poverty and crime.
All local leaders are guilty of ignoring the important issues, but they can't seem to ignore a building project. The short term creation of jobs gets hyped...then what?
Alex White is the only candidate for mayor who ever talks about the important issues. Alex White is the only candidate not being swayed off course by the distractions the other candidates fall prey to--money and powerful people.
Rochester need a truly good progressive mayor who knows what the real issues are. Rochester needs Alex White.
Re: “Warren sets tone for her campaign”
We have many serious problems, both in Rochester and nationally. Statistics suggest we’re becoming a third-world nation.
This didn’t happen by accident. It happened because public policy is now controlled by big-money special interests, corporations treated as people. It’s absurd and would be funny if the resulting pain and suffering weren’t so sad.
This is class warfare, instigated and promoted by a small subset of the rich against society at large, using elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, as tools. Ordinary people are sold out and preyed upon.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We, as a people, can make a different choice. And make no mistake, it is a choice. We can choose to reclaim control of our public policy. We can choose to have public policy serve our needs, the needs of ordinary people, rather than the needs of big-money special interests at our expense.
Will voting for establishment candidates, Democrats and Republicans, change this? No. They are constitutionally unable to forge public policy to benefit people at the expense of big-money special interests.
If you agree, then we must stop wasting our votes on Democrats or Republicans that come pre-bought and paid for by big-money special interests. Our past voting behavior has brought us here. By voting for candidates from other parties, like Alex White, the green party mayoral candidate, we can reclaim public policy for ordinary people.
Our posterity will thank us.
Re: “Is the Rochester mayor's race lacking 'real' Democrats?”
The race for mayor is lacking Democrats brave enough to talk about real issues. To find out what the true issues are, voters will need to listen to Green Party candidate Alex White.
Re: “Secondhand dealer legislation advances in the Monroe County Legislature”
Several years ago NY State legislative houses tried almost the same law proposal and it failed. Why? It was an impossible law that was
1) not enforceable by police agencies
2) a burden to police agencies - in this case it would be the Sheriff's department
3) poorly defined the people to be covered under the law
4) poorly defined the merchandise to be covered under the law
5) created undue financial burden on small business owners - in the current proposal that's $250 per year
6) created impossible reporting requirements that would in effect make criminals out of the business owners who must report
Nothing has been resolved in the Monroe County proposal to fix any of these problems. It will not solve crime nor help in the recovery of stolen goods. It will cause businesses to close thereby affecting a net loss to retail sales tax coming into the county.
Anyone who sells "some old jewelry" will be affected by this proposal. It is imperative to speak to your county representative about the failings of the proposed law. And plan to attend the hearing on April 9 @ 6.
Re: “Is the Rochester mayor's race lacking 'real' Democrats?”
In my opinion, Rochester should thank God for Tom Richards. Not for nothing but look at any northeast city run by 'real' Democrats. Cesspits starting from city hall down to the street level. Rochester has its problems but at least our mayor is frank, thoughtful, & putting forward some sensible ideas.
Re: “Is Fuccillo ad offensive?”
He is a huge as-s whole. His commercials should be shut down by the FCC. There is also a big problem with his recording equipment, as he comes through all my televisions sounding muffled and distorted to a point where I think he is ruining my TV speakers. He is blowing them, not good. There is no reason to yell and scream like that. He is pathetic and a disgrace. He should be shut down immediately, or at least be forced to record a commercial without screaming. Get your equipment fixed already, it sucks. You're redundant too. Did I leave anything out?
Re: “Is the Rochester mayor's race lacking 'real' Democrats?”
You should have mentioned that Richards' mentor, our current Jr. Assistant Gov., Bob Duffy, was a life-long Republican who turned his coat to run for mayor, proving once again the old adage, "All it takes to be mayor of Rochester is a pulse and a Democratic party card....and the pulse is optional".
But more important is the point being overlooked here. Namely that it's the quality of the candidate that's important, not the quality of the candidate's party membership. And since the day Tom Ryan left office the quality of Rochester's mayors has dropped percipitously.
Re: “Facing our gun culture”
The latest numbers thrown around are about 11,000 gun RELATED deaths per year in the US. These include death by COPS and JUSTIFIABLE homicides...where the good guy wins so criminals don't get to live doing more crime and causing more deaths. It is unfortunate but necessary.
Why don't you look at the actual statistics?
Here are the victims:
-Young
-Male
-Black
-Urban
And the perpatrators? The same! There, I said it. Now refute it if you are able!
Re: “Our guns and our fear”
A must read no matter what your position. History is very telling of what disarming citizens will do. Number one killer of all time...democide...death by your own or another government (war, genocide, etc).
Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. -James Madison
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/item/…
Re: “[UPDATED] Mayoral challenger Lovely Warren changes course on marriage equality”
Thanks for the wikipedia research and report. I'm aware of the legality. I was pointing out that group marriage is significantly more complicated to legislate than gay marriage, and can't really be pushed under the same banner. My example was deliberately extreme but possible.