Comment Archives: stories: News & Opinion
Re: “[UPDATED] Democrats endorse Tom Richards”
MJN, I should've been clearer. What I meant is that Richards is clearly the choice of the party machine, and the narrative Warren's campaign is using is that of someone who will represent people who feel disenfranchised: like they don't have a voice in city government.
Chris Fien
City news editor
Re: “From our cold, dead minds”
While there are some important things that the government should be doing in the name of science (I'm still upset at the shrinking of NASA), if the political will isn't there because of high-powered lobbying by a special interest group, the best way to fight back isn't to complain to little effect. While I (probably, based on the name) don't agree with "Gun Reform Advocate" about his/her solutions, I certainly agree that talking about it can be useful. But if you want to DO something about it, you've got options, and the government isn't the only one.
Several weeks ago on NPR's "Morning Edition," a segment of "Joe's Big Idea" discussed some scientists who were crowd-sourcing their research funding: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/02/13… . I don't see why people seeking to do gun control research cannot do the same thing. There certainly are enough people who would/could help fund the work.
While I don't agree with gun control on a purely libertarian standpoint, I also feel that if you can't get the government to do what you want, then quit complaining and do it yourself (while I mourn the shrinkage of NASA, the void has left room for private enterprise to do at least some of the utilitarian work in space). If your findings are compelling enough, you can make a difference.
Re: “GEH has plan for University Ave.”
Love this area - used to live close by - but 102 units is awfully large. A somewhat scaled back version might just be the ticket. Then it would be a terrific addition to a really nice area.
@j.a.m., this is hardly the "inner city." Drive by it sometime. It looks a lot like the safe confines of your suburban apartment.
Re: “GEH has plan for University Ave.”
I dont see how a parking lot with a garden next to it is a better alternative to Morgans plan. Morgan would bring additional tax revenue, density, and people to a neighborhood where new housing is in demand. Not to mention a dense development will encourage walking over driving in an already walkable area. Nearby Businesses would no doubt prefer Morgans plan also. In my opinion more parking and green space owned by Eastman is not what is needed for this site.
Re: “[UPDATED] Democrats endorse Tom Richards”
"The loss might even work to Warren’s advantage by reinforcing her “outsider” status: the candidate of the people versus the candidate of the city’s business interests."
Will somebody please explain how Warren, who has been city council president for three years, and a council member prior to that , can run as an "outsider"?
Re: “[UPDATED] Democrats endorse Tom Richards”
@YeashuaAD :Thanks for the enlightenment. I always though Gary Walkers stage name was "Good Gov".....so obviously he has more than one. The point is he is now accusing others of playing the "race card" when in fact his boss and Joe Morelle in particular did so with their premature announcement that all but suggested the 3 committees not counted were a non factor since they represent the majority of minorities in the City of Rochester. The gloves will definitely be OFF from here on out. I hope smart voters are paying attention.
Re: “[UPDATED] Democrats endorse Tom Richards”
Morelle is getting pretty big for his britches. Just another example of how he serves his own interests and not those of the public—especially not the public in the 22nd, 25th and 27th LDs. Really disappointing that Richards went along with this. I used to think he was an honorable man, even if he was more than a bit out of touch with his constituents.
I second Yeshua’s point about Gary Walker—aka RaChaCha. Maybe CityNews should FOIL his computer logs. I’m sure I’m not the only taxpayer unhappy about him spending public dollars trashing city council president.
Re: “[UPDATED] Democrats endorse Tom Richards”
When Lovely Warren and a majority of African American leaders supported Tom Richards for Mayor in 2011, it was with the understanding that Richards would finish out Bob Duffy's term and step aside.
When Lovely Warren and a majority of African American leaders supported Tom Richards for Mayor in 2011, Bill Johnson had not yet entered the race. After Johnson entered the race, they KEPT THEIR WORD and continued to support Richards.
Richards and Joe Morelle have not kept their word. It is they who are holding the knives. Morelle has been playing the race card from the beginning.
The idiotic and unnecessary press release they issued today illustrates the incompetence of Joe Morelle as Monroe County Democratic Chair. It also demonstrates that Tom Richards is unfit to serve all of the residents of Rochester. That the two of them would get together and issue a press release giving the false impression that Richards is backed by 75% of the City when they know that to be untrue reveals this to be both a blatant attempt to dismiss the wishes of a large portion of the City's population and a desperate attempt to energize a campaign and a candidate who have no vision for the future of the City of Rochester.
BTW, everyone knows that RaChaCha is Gary Walker, the Communications Director for the City of Rochester. I hope he wasn't on City time when he posted here on behalf of his boss.
Re: “[UPDATED] Democrats endorse Tom Richards”
Lovely Warren strongly supported Tom Richards, even posing for a photo with him for campaign literature, in his first attempt at the office of Mayor. So when it benefited her to support Tom Richards and Joe Morelle's decision to support Tom Richards it was fine, but now it is some sort of knife in the back to city blacks for Joe Morelle to support Tom Richards this time? Tom Richards had a black opponent last time with Bill Johnson as he does this time with Lovely Warren. Seems as though Lovely will say anything to get elected. How unfortunate for this city to have this type of dialogue starting and not a focus on what really matters.
Re: “[UPDATED] Democrats endorse Tom Richards”
So the Warren camp is playing the race card early. Will it also be often? I'd say so, with Chris Christopher on board.
Whether intentional or not, Morelle's statement has elicited just what kind of campaign the Gantt/Christopher/Warren camp intends to run.
Re: “GEH has plan for University Ave.”
Wait — somebody's willing to put their own money at risk to bring more than a hundred new households to the inner city, and the bureaucrats are giving them a hard time? Excuse me, but that's insane.
Re: “GEH has plan for University Ave.”
So a parking lot is more appropriate for the East Ave Preservation District? The Morgan design acutally appears to have more trees and green stuff, they didn't even have to throw in a vegetable garden.
Re: “Self-serving Senate's failed gun control legislation”
"And senators, most Republicans and some Democrats, saw the 2014 election in front of them and voted for job preservation."
If you want to be a newspaper pundit when you grow up, here's a can't-miss rule of thumb: Half the time, attack elected representatives for IGNORING their constituents' wishes. Then the half of the time, attack them for FOLLOWING their constituents' wishes. Heads I win, tails you lose!
Oh, and complain about "partisanship" even when nearly a third of the majority caucus votes against its leadership (as with the semiautomatic ban).
Re: “From our cold, dead minds”
Chuck Heston died in 2008. Did anyone get his rifle yet?
Re: “Lovely Warren says city schools would be her first priority as mayor”
.Ms. Warren has had three years as city council president to focus her attention on the city school situation and to convince her colleagues on the council that this area should be their first priority. But for some reason she neglected to do this. Nor, when one reads her biography and personal "mission statement” on the city council’s web site, does she give the condition of Rochester’s schools even a passing mention.
Such overnight conversions may be genuine if one is St. Paul on the road to Damascus. But when claimed by politicians running for higher office they tend to appear cynical and disingenuous.
Re: “A surge of charters to Rochester?”
Indeed Joe Klein helped bring former RCSD Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard to Rochester. Joe had a plan then. He has one now (although in my humble, but informed view, it's a very, very bad plan, and even dangerous in some ways), at least he has a one, which raises the critically important question: WHAT IS THE ROCHESTER BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE CURRENT SUPERINTENDENT'S PLAN? They don't appear to have one, which is a big part of the reason why people like Joe Klein can so easily implement theirs. Bold, courageous, unbought, unbossed, committed leadership is clearly a big part of what's missing in the Rochester City School District.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/change1…
Re: “Lovely Warren says city schools would be her first priority as mayor”
This is going to be an awesome campaign season. Cover it all, City! Cover it all.
Re: “Self-serving Senate's failed gun control legislation”
MJN - My sarcasm meter jumped into the red zone with your post.
Your point is understood, well-made even.
However, even with the element of common-sense you bring, I can't get worked up in favor of any additional restriction - no matter how practical, reasonable or common-sensical - to any of our freedoms.
We have lost too many in the last few decades. Freedoms of communication (Patriot Act), against unreasonable search and seizure (TSA), loss of property to eminent domain (Kelo), federal minimum sentences and others... all these and more have led America away from being the beacon of liberty she used to be, and into the "modern" world of limited freedoms (in a macro sense) we live in today.
We may have plenty of day-to-day freedoms left (thank God for the 1st Amendment), but in a full understanding of where we've been and what we've done, we're less free today than we've been in a long, long time.
Until we regain some freedoms for Americans who aren't bankers, politicians or lobbyists, giving up ANY freedoms is a sacrifice no one should be willing to make.
Re: “Self-serving Senate's failed gun control legislation”
Even commentators sympathetic to Prof. Obama are pointing out his incompetence on this one. A smarter politician would have focused on getting background checks done before the Newtown hysteria dissipated, rather than getting wrapped around the axle over bans that would never pass. Instead, thanks to his ivory tower cluelessness, the professor loses juice with nothing to show for it.
Of course, that analysis assumes he actually wanted to get something done. The fact is Obama said nothing about gun control either time he ran for president. His histrionics on the subject now is nothing but theater. And it is a particularly execrable example of victim porn, cynically calculated to agitate his lunatic fringe base for the midterms while shaking down his Hollywood sugar daddies.
Re: “[UPDATED] Democrats endorse Tom Richards”
Interesting change of messaging. From Morelle's original press statement:
"The OVERWHELMING support for Mayor Richards expressed by the City Democratic Committee is an indication that the people of Rochester STRONGLY APPROVE of his leadership these past two years," (emphasis added)