ROCHESTER - Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks has shown herself to be a political hack. Sometimes that is what it takes to reach such lofty positions in politics. Now, however, she has shown herself to be worse: a hypocrite.
She is using tax payer money to appeal a court decision to 'protect tax payers'. What? That makes no sense. Let the decision be, because, if nothing else, it is inevitable. She will not win her appeal. Will she repay us tax payers for her frivolous law suit? Of course not.
This little article does not even get into the fact that giving benefits to ALL married couples is the RIGHT thing to do. That defending, strengthening and promoting marriage means allowing ALL consenting adults to do so.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Random Thoughts of the Week
ROCHESTER - Sometimes my genius insight doesn't lend itself to an entire blog. Rather than stretch out a few worthwhile remarks into a longwinded tangent, I shall cheat and introduce a segment I shall call, Random Thoughts of the Week.
--Glad to see the US Navy has the ability to play missile command and shoot things out of space.
--I still believe Clinton will win the nomination. Machines (and credible promises) win conventions. If Obama can't wrap it up before then, he may be out of luck this time.
--Roger Clemens is a douchebag. Oh, he's under investigation for steroid use? Okay, he is a royal douchebag.
--Democrat and Chronicle editor James Lawrence thinks gangsta rap is bad and coarsens our culture, but the D and C puts a bloodstained sidewalk photo on the front page above the fold (meaning passersby, ie children, can see it without buying a paper). Hmmm......
--Republicans in the County Legislature are racist. I have attended meetings that are overflowing/standing room only and have never been through a metal detector. One time the crowd contained disgruntled county employees who carry weapons on the job, but they were overwhelmingly white, so I guess they weren't a threat. But in police terms, they had motive and opportunity. Again, they were mostly white.
--Rick Dollinger will be my next State Senator. Run, Rick, run!
--Glad to see the US Navy has the ability to play missile command and shoot things out of space.
--I still believe Clinton will win the nomination. Machines (and credible promises) win conventions. If Obama can't wrap it up before then, he may be out of luck this time.
--Roger Clemens is a douchebag. Oh, he's under investigation for steroid use? Okay, he is a royal douchebag.
--Democrat and Chronicle editor James Lawrence thinks gangsta rap is bad and coarsens our culture, but the D and C puts a bloodstained sidewalk photo on the front page above the fold (meaning passersby, ie children, can see it without buying a paper). Hmmm......
--Republicans in the County Legislature are racist. I have attended meetings that are overflowing/standing room only and have never been through a metal detector. One time the crowd contained disgruntled county employees who carry weapons on the job, but they were overwhelmingly white, so I guess they weren't a threat. But in police terms, they had motive and opportunity. Again, they were mostly white.
--Rick Dollinger will be my next State Senator. Run, Rick, run!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Polar Plunge Day
ROCHESTER - For the seventh year in a row, I risked my own well being to raise some money. The Special Olympics Polar Plunge at Charlotte has become one of my traditions. Even better, it has become a yearly tradition for my fiancee Melissa as well. We are crazy for sure, but we raised a good amount of money and made some bride and groom costumes to add to the fun.
I woke up at 9AM and to my surprise it was sunny. By 10AM, the weather was quickly changing to blizzardy conditions. By the time Melissa and I made past Kodak Park heading up Lake Ave, it was sunny again, as if the heavens had given a reprieve to the folks going into Lake Ontario as well as to those folks who would be the large crowd.
The top floor of the Roger Robach Beach House was packed with people getting ready to freeze themselves. Some were nervously chatting, some were putting final touches on costumes, but all were excited to show their donors that, yes, it can be done. The torch was lit, the bagpipes started, and we started to funnel out down to the beach. The wind was whipping, but the crowd was roaring, so there was no turning back. It all seems ok until the moment you hit that water. They say the lake was 37 degrees. Not sure what that feels like because my limbs went numb as I dunked myself under water. With red legs and a strong sense of bravado we waved to our friends and family and headed back into the beach house to get dry as fast as possible.
The Polar Plunge is a great event for many reasons. The Special Olympics is a wonderful organization, the event gets folks out in the winter, and proves that we Rochesterians are both tough and generous. I can't wait to warm up, but I really can't wait until next year. Thank you to all who donated to me and to all who showed up to cheer us on. See you next year!
I woke up at 9AM and to my surprise it was sunny. By 10AM, the weather was quickly changing to blizzardy conditions. By the time Melissa and I made past Kodak Park heading up Lake Ave, it was sunny again, as if the heavens had given a reprieve to the folks going into Lake Ontario as well as to those folks who would be the large crowd.
The top floor of the Roger Robach Beach House was packed with people getting ready to freeze themselves. Some were nervously chatting, some were putting final touches on costumes, but all were excited to show their donors that, yes, it can be done. The torch was lit, the bagpipes started, and we started to funnel out down to the beach. The wind was whipping, but the crowd was roaring, so there was no turning back. It all seems ok until the moment you hit that water. They say the lake was 37 degrees. Not sure what that feels like because my limbs went numb as I dunked myself under water. With red legs and a strong sense of bravado we waved to our friends and family and headed back into the beach house to get dry as fast as possible.
The Polar Plunge is a great event for many reasons. The Special Olympics is a wonderful organization, the event gets folks out in the winter, and proves that we Rochesterians are both tough and generous. I can't wait to warm up, but I really can't wait until next year. Thank you to all who donated to me and to all who showed up to cheer us on. See you next year!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Urban Small Ball
ROCHESTER - My favorite metaphor for our city's renaissance is baseball. Some may say this is because I am into sports too much. I prefer to believe it is just too apt to pass up. Rebuilding a city is better done by playing 'small ball' than swinging for the fences. What exactly does this mean? In small ball, you hit singles, lay down bunts, steal bases, etc. This tends to lead to runs in bunches. Swinging for the fences can offer big rewards, but percentage-wise, more often leaves you empty. Investing in housing stock, cleaning up trash and public art is urban small ball. Fast ferries, stadiums and large scale projects are swings for the fences. Downtown amenities, like a refurbished Manhattan Square Park, are also urban small ball.
Joe "Greatest Coach Ever" Paterno often says, take care of the little things and the big picture will take care of itself. Mayor Bob Duffy must believe this because he has focused quite a bit of energy on quality of life issues. Starting with Clean Sweep, Duffy signaled that if we each take care of our own neighborhoods, collectively the city will improve. This increases the morale of the city, and tends to do so at a fraction of the cost. The good news of the city's revival has come in a trickle. A tidbit here and a tidbit there. This trickle, however, is steady. If it continues, we are in great shape.
The latest tidbit is Manhattan Square Park re-opening its ice rink. This is welcome news for those of us that skate (or try) in the city. It adds a nice little amenity to our lives, especially important in winter when our recreational options are limited. But wait, there's more! Not only has the rink re-opened, the facility has been refurbished. The heating shelter has been expanded to include heated floors and a fire place. I would be sold right there. Yet, the city found that by changing the shape from an oval to a kidney shape, they could increase the size of the rink itself by 30 percent. If all that wasn't enough, the city even bought new skates to replace the garage sale looking stock they currently had. I can't wait to take my first fall, uh, skate around the new rink.
I think we forget, sometimes, how effective smaller quality of life improvements can be to a city and to its overall morale. The news is filled with the large projects, just as ESPN is filled with big home runs and big strikeouts. We should remember that although those things fill the highlight reels, in the end, you win with fundamentals. On the baseball diamond it is advancing runners and scoring runs whereas on the urban diamond it is investing in neighborhoods and small scale projects. It seems our city has finally embraced small ball, and that is why we will win.
Joe "Greatest Coach Ever" Paterno often says, take care of the little things and the big picture will take care of itself. Mayor Bob Duffy must believe this because he has focused quite a bit of energy on quality of life issues. Starting with Clean Sweep, Duffy signaled that if we each take care of our own neighborhoods, collectively the city will improve. This increases the morale of the city, and tends to do so at a fraction of the cost. The good news of the city's revival has come in a trickle. A tidbit here and a tidbit there. This trickle, however, is steady. If it continues, we are in great shape.
The latest tidbit is Manhattan Square Park re-opening its ice rink. This is welcome news for those of us that skate (or try) in the city. It adds a nice little amenity to our lives, especially important in winter when our recreational options are limited. But wait, there's more! Not only has the rink re-opened, the facility has been refurbished. The heating shelter has been expanded to include heated floors and a fire place. I would be sold right there. Yet, the city found that by changing the shape from an oval to a kidney shape, they could increase the size of the rink itself by 30 percent. If all that wasn't enough, the city even bought new skates to replace the garage sale looking stock they currently had. I can't wait to take my first fall, uh, skate around the new rink.
I think we forget, sometimes, how effective smaller quality of life improvements can be to a city and to its overall morale. The news is filled with the large projects, just as ESPN is filled with big home runs and big strikeouts. We should remember that although those things fill the highlight reels, in the end, you win with fundamentals. On the baseball diamond it is advancing runners and scoring runs whereas on the urban diamond it is investing in neighborhoods and small scale projects. It seems our city has finally embraced small ball, and that is why we will win.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
It's Not Me, It's You
ROCHESTER - A colleague of mine in a mixed marriage (she is correct and he is a Republican) recently mentioned how her husband is laughing at us Democrats for 'screwing up' our cake walk to the White House. Excuse me?! Is that serious or wishful thinking? We are down to two wonderful candidates who represent a new and brighter future for our country. Sure they argue. So what? Don't laugh at us Republicans, because it is you guys who are screwed up. You have three men trying desperately to be as conservative as possible, and the one succeeding most doesn't believe in evolution. One guy looks like he owns a car dealership and waffles on every issue. The other used to be rather moderate and is now a Bush stooge. They have essentially nominated Huckabee in the south, McCain on the coasts (liberal, lefty coasts!), and Romney picking up the random leftovers. Oh, yeah, we Dems are a mess alright.
This made me realize we are still living in a Republican spin zone. No matter what happens, the media allows the Republicans to frame the issues. This is natural considering how conservative the media really is. But it frightens me that this still trickles down to the low level folks, the same ones that should be calling for change. This leaves us with work to do. People are pissed off at the economy, at the war, and are afraid of threats from terrorists and immigrants. That doesn't mean we win easy. Far from it. The media still puts economy and national defense issues in the Republican corner. People want to change, but they are also afraid of change. It is our mission to extend our hand to show them change is okay, possible, and exciting. Fortunately, we have two candidates who can do that. So no, we are not a mess, thank you very much. In fact, we are hitting our stride.
This made me realize we are still living in a Republican spin zone. No matter what happens, the media allows the Republicans to frame the issues. This is natural considering how conservative the media really is. But it frightens me that this still trickles down to the low level folks, the same ones that should be calling for change. This leaves us with work to do. People are pissed off at the economy, at the war, and are afraid of threats from terrorists and immigrants. That doesn't mean we win easy. Far from it. The media still puts economy and national defense issues in the Republican corner. People want to change, but they are also afraid of change. It is our mission to extend our hand to show them change is okay, possible, and exciting. Fortunately, we have two candidates who can do that. So no, we are not a mess, thank you very much. In fact, we are hitting our stride.
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