THIS IS NOT A GAME! WHAT YOU SAY AND DO MEANS SOMETHING

Today, Representative Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, and 17 others, were shot, including a 9 year old child who was killed, when a gunman opened fire outside a supermarket in Tucson, where Ms. Giffords was meeting with constituents for a “Congress on Your Corner” event.

“I saw the congresswoman talking to two people, and then this man suddenly came up and shot her in the head and then shot other people,” said Dr. Steven Rayle, a witness.

During the fall campaign, Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate, posted a map on her Facebook page depicting spots where Democrats were running for re-election; those Democrats were targeted with crosshairs like those seen through the scope of a gun. Supporters were told "it's time to reload". Ms. Giffords was among those on Ms. Palin’s map. At the time, Democrats and people with a conscience who warned that such actions would invite violence were dismissed as hand wringers.

What a surprise, the level of rhetoric and the fomenting of anger for cynical political purposes from the right and the far right through right wing media in the form of Beck & Rush & Hannity and well the list goes on, actually has consequences. What people do and say actually means something. People, often the most unstable among us, are actually listening and being influenced.

Those people who would seek to garner power by manipulating the public through the fomentation of anger and violence are irresponsible and have no place in the leadership of our nation or in our society. Rather, all decent people should come out and say that this is wrong and it is something they will never support.

While I am sure Beck, Rush, Sarah Palin & Co. will come out with statements repudiating the violence, it is beyond dispute that their ongoing rhetoric set the stage for this kind of violence against those elected officials who do not believe in their brand of America. It is as unamerican as they are.

All decent people should come out and say so!

DIVIDED GOVERNMENT AND ACID COMPROMISE

If the pending tax deal is any indication of things to come and there is every reason to think that it is, the good old but battered USA is in for some more battering. Mind you, this is self inflicted damage. No foreign agents at work here. No, what we have here is a group of the very wealthiest people and corporations, Americans all, fronted by the republican party and fixed news, some of whom are American, who will do or say anything to make themselves even wealthier very wealthy people, the country, it's working men and women, real people with real families all, it's great middle class which is after all what made America the powerhouse that it is, as well as a beacon to all, be damned!

In the words of Representative Thaddeus G. McCotter, Republican of Michigan, spoken on the House floor today, “This bill will not end the suffering of the unemployed and economically anxious Americans, it will prolong it.” We know nothing of Rep. McCotter but in this instance at least you have to admire his honesty and his patriotism. He knows this is bad policy for the country and he is not afraid to say it and seemingly buck his own party.

We agree and as we have been known to in various venues, cite Winston Churchill's wisdom;

"Never give in! Never give in! Never, never, never. Never -- in anything great or small, large or petty -- never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense."

We submit that this tax bill meets neither of those tests. And as such, as Representative James P. McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts, said on the floor of the House today “We must do better than this.”

We can, and as patriots, we must. Our country needs us.

Over the next two years there will be many opportunities for acid compromise that will present themselves. We can only hope that President Obama has studied the wisdom in Mr. Churchill words.

People are depending on it.

At every turn over the next two years, when it comes to convictions of honor and good sense, the President should refuse to compromise. He should force the republicans to vote against the interests of working and middle class Americans in favor of the wealthiest among us and he should point it out loudly on television every night and day. Let's see how long that plays in Peoria?

Wake up Mr President, people are depending upon you.

A CONFIDENCE GAME

Has anyone noticed that the last time Nassau County faced a financial crises of the magnitude that is currently staring us all in the face it was under Republican leadership?

Let's review. Nassau’s last fiscal meltdown came in 1999, after decades of unchecked spending and out of control patronage at the hands of a series of Republican county executives and supervisors, paid for with mounting debt and one-time revenues like desperation sales of county land at fire sale prices.

This led to a $200 million deficit and a credit rating barely above junk. It triggered a Democratic takeover of what had long been a Republican bastion. And it ended with a $100 million state bailout in 2000 and the creation of a watchdog agency, the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, to oversee the county’s fiscal practices.

Under pressure from that authority, Mr. Mangano’s Democratic predecessor, Thomas R. Suozzi, raised property taxes, shrank the county work force and reduced the county’s reliance on borrowing to pay for operating costs.

In an attempt to stabilize the county's revenue stream by establishing a recurring revenue source Mr. Suozzi instituted a 2.5 percent tax on home heating bills. As effective as it was unpopular, the tax was a necessary component of maintaining the county's fiscal health.
 
In the election for county executive that followed, Mr. Mangano and the Nassau Republican machine pounded away at the unpopular tax vowing to repeal it and restore confidence in county government.

As most of us know, there is no free lunch. If you campaign against a tax you either have to find a way to replace the revenue it generated or you need to cut spending to align with the reality of reduced resources.

Mr. Mangano and the Republicans in the county legislature got rid of the energy tax all right but never came up with the spending cuts or a way to replace the lost revenue. It is a pattern straight out of the Republican playbook of the last 40 years. The truth, as we have all witnessed first hand, is that when it comes to fiscal responsibility, Republicans talk a good game but the only time during the past 40 years that Nassau's finances have been under sound footing is the 8 year period of time when the county was under Democratic leadership.

Once again, reckless Republican fiscal policies have put Nassau County on the Brink of financial disaster and a take over of its finances by state watchdogs.

Is this what Mr. Mangano and the Republicans meant by restoring confidence in county government? Sounds more like a confidence game to me.

To the voters of Nassau County, how is voting Republican working out for you so far?

Oh c'mon, that's an easy one for anyone who is paying attention.

EAT UP AMERICA

* Republicans Block U.S. Health Aid for 9/11 Workers
* Republicans Block Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell
* Republicans Block Extension of Benefits For The Unemployed
* Republicans Block Tax Cuts for 98% of Americans
* Republicans Block Food Safety Bill

As a matter of fact the only thing that Republicans will not block are tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. Everything, they say, must wait for that, everything. Nothing is more important to them.

And this is only since November 2nd and they are not even in power yet, though you would not know it.

These are despicable people who leave a putrid taste in your mouth.

Eat up America because this is what you ordered a heaping helping of in November.

The question is how long until America gets sick to its stomach.

THE PARTY OF THE DARK AGES

We are a society that depends 100% upon science. We need to constantly strive to understand and harness science by investing in scientific research for the betterment of all mankind.

Even that left wing loony, the Pope, has finally recognized the validity of scientific wisdom in altering his stance on condom use.

With this in mind it is interesting to note that the republicans and the tea partiers pride themselves in the denial of science, preferring to be the party of the dark ages. They are either fools or snake oil salesmen.
 
No matter, it seems the American people have a soft spot for both.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

Americans wanted heaping portion of divided government and come January that is what they shall have.

The republican victory was fueled by the voter anger that has engulfed this country and made possible by white, male, non college educated, blue collar, everyday working class Americans. If I was among those who were not highly educated and saw the only kinds of jobs that I was suited for vanish, I would be angry too.

I suppose just that fact, that this group is not highly educated and therefore unable to filter out the distortions and outright lies told to them by the republicans and tea partiers and decipher the facts on the important issues that face them and the nation is what causes this group of hard working Americans to consistently vote against their own interests.

Seemingly, they vote based upon their emotions rather than with their heads and the republicans know just how to manipulate those emotions for their cynical purposes. When the republicans scream tax cuts, tax cuts these working class people believe that they are talking about tax cuts for them. The reality is that these people will never even sniff the tax cuts that the republicans have in mind for the wealthiest among us. The reality is that Barack Obama is the one who provided 98% of Americans with the tax cut he promised for middle and working class Americans and withheld one from only the top 2% among us as he also promised.

Just today I spoke with a self employed individual, who lives in California who over the course of the past 15 years has had two battles with cancer. I asked her what she thought of Health Care Reform. She complained about the rising cost of her health insurance which now costs her $1,500. a month and thought the President was to blame. When I explained to her that health insurance premiums have been rising at the rate of about 20% per year for at least the past 15 years she was still not sure what to make of it.

When I went on to explain to her that the new health care law was actually good for her in that it untethers her from her current carrier who she would never be able to leave under the old law because any new carrier would have excluded her preexisting conditions she did not quite get that either. To this minute I am not sure she understands what a benefit health care reform will be to her. The sad part is there are millions like her.

To be sure, these are complex issues that require some level of education to understand. I suppose that is why you hear so many republicans advocating for the abolishment of the department of education, or for the teaching of creationism in our schools, or why the public education systems in the southern states where the republican party is the strongest are so lacking. It is to their advantage to keep people from being educated. It grows their base of mostly uneducated white working class males. It is the reason they have been able to convince these very people to continuously vote against their own interests.

This in turn allows people like republican senate minority leader Mitch McConnell to vote against the interests of America. When asked today, the day after the mid term elections what his priorities for the country were, he said to ensure that Barack Obama was a one term president. The reporter was stunned and asked him but what about the problems facing the country, how would you address those? McConnell did not offer a position on those.

You see, the party of NO has no real solutions to the issues that face us. They are primarily concerned with maintaining or regaining power and not the common good. For two years, in the face of the worst economic crisis this country has faced since the great depression, the republicans have focused solely on how to regain power and not on the many pressing issues facing the country, the American people be damned.

The ignorant and the uneducated and the educated who care only for themselves and their own pockets eat it up.

To those who gorged themselves at the republican trough yesterday, be careful what you wish for because you are now going to get it.

bon appetit!

THIS SPEAKS FOR ITSELF

News12 Long Island aired the debate it sponsored between Francesca Carlow and Kemp Hannon today. Shortly after it was aired Ms. Carlow received the following unsolicited email which she was kind enough to forward to us:

"Ms. Francesca Carlow,

I watched you today on Channel 12 debating Senator Hannon. Although you were nervous, you made more sense and held him accountable for inaction in Albany. You're right, he has been in Albany all this time when the State suffered a meltdown and he did nothing. He listed all the things that needed to be done and yet he didn't address them when he could and now he wants to go back. Time for him to get a job.

Good luck on election day.

You have my vote (as a life long Conservative/Republican) and anyone else I can convince.
JG"
N. Massapequa, New York

Editor's note: In the interest of protecting the privacy of the person who wrote the email we have only posted the writer's initials.

KEMP HANNON ONE OF THE 11%

A recent poll indicated that only 11% of the people of the state of New York have a favorable view of Carl Paladino the republican candidate for governor. We applaud the good sense and basic decency of New Yorkers.

Apparently Mr. Hannon does not possess the same good sense. Judging from his failure to repudiate Mr. Paladino when given the opportunity in several public forums, and his agreement with Mr. Paladino on certain issues involving basic civil rights, we put Kemp Hannon squarely in the middle of that rather small minority who would bring our state back to the 19 century.

We find Mr Paladino's positions and Mr. Hannon's failure to publicly disavow them repugnant. Shame on you Mr. Hannon.

We ask that the 89% of you who abhor and are disgusted by Mr. Paladino and the positions he espouses vote for Francesca Carlow for State Senate on November 2nd.

After all, it only makes good sense.

ASK KEMP HANNON WHY HE IS SUPPORTING A CONVICTED FELON?

Kemp Hannon recently wrote a letter to a New York State Supreme Court Judge in support of a convicted fellon, who has strong ties to the republican party in the Town of Hempstead, that helped lead to a questionable plea bargain that exchanged a potential sentence of 9 to 20 years for a more managable one of 6 months.

You won't believe what this guy did. To read more about the story click here -> Career Criminal Brought To Justice

It must be nice to have friends in high places.

I would suggest that anyone interested in learning more about why Mr. Hannon would support a politically connected, convicted felon who committed despicable crimes, to call his office at 516-739-1700 or his Albany office at 518-455-2200 and ask him for an explanation.

It is time, at long last, for Mr. Hannon to go!

HANNON VOTED IN FAVOR OF GUN VIOLENCE

In the face of ever rising gun violence across Long Island particularly in the communities of Hempstead and Uniondale which comprise the heart of his district, Mr Hannon, as he has done for years, once again turned his back on his constituents when he voted NO on a law aimed directly at reducing gun violence.

The law would have enabled law enforcement to track ammunition by requiring gun makers to to equip semiautomatics sold in New York with firing pins that leave serial numbers on shells. The bill was favored by law enforcement throughout New York State.

Rather than vote to protect the children of his district and of New York, Mr Hannon instead chose to toe the republican party line and vote with the gun manufacturers. This because gunmakers said the law would make their instruments of death  more expensive by, oh, maybe, a few dollars. Well worth the price to catch a murderer. And the bill contained a provision that would drop the mandate if costs rose above $12 per weapon. Mr. Hannon how much is a life worth?

Mr. Hannon's vote was disgusting but is anyone really surprised?
 
Time after time over the course of his 34 years in office Mr. Hannon has voted with big business and against the interests of the people he allegedly represents.
 
Read the papers. Watch News 12. Every day there are more shootings here on Long Island.
 
It is time for someone who will vote for the people. It is time for someone who will actually take an interest in the issues that affect us here on the ground.
 
After 34 years, it is time for someone who cares, someone who actually gives a damn.
 
Year after year Mr. Hannon has shown that he is not that person.

Francesca Carlow is.

DOES KEMP HANNON THINK WE ARE STUPID?

In the face of yet another MTA fare hike, Kemp Hannon feigns outrage over the wasteful spending in Albany.

Does he think we are stupid?

After 34 years in Albany, the waste that Mr. Hannon decries did not just happen all of a sudden. It has been going on for years and years. While in Albany he has presided over unprecedented waste that has left us taxed to death and unable to provide for the basic needs of our state.

And what has he done about it?

Zippo...Nada...Zilch...Not a thing.

Can we afford Mr. Hannon any longer? Can we afford to send back the same guy year after year who created the problem in the first place and only talks a good game at election time?

The answer is no we can't. I know I am being taxed to death...how about you?

Francesca Carlow, on the other hand wants to bring a fresh approach to Albany. Rather than the same old politics of tax and spend and waste as practiced by Mr. Hannon for all these years, Ms. Carlow recognizes that we have a big problem and has been very vocal about it. She has called for a forensic audit of every state agency and authority to identify and cut the waste and fat that drains our resources and swells our tax bills.

On November 2nd, vote for Francesca Carlow and tell Mr. Hannon enough is enough. We can not afford any more of his wasteful spending and his never ending tax increases.

It is indeed time for a fresh new voice!

WE WANT TO BE CLEAR

While we have been keeping an eye on the events surrounding the race for NY SD 6 and of Francesca Carlow's candidacy, IF I Ruled The World is independent of any other point of view but our own. The thoughts and views that appear here are 100% our own and are not subject to any outside control.

We appreciate your continued support and interest.

THE COAT HANGER PARTY

Huff Po says a growing number of GOP candidates oppose abortion in cases of rape, incest.

There was nowhere else for them to go but up...to move further to the right by escalating their stance so as to cut through the din and attract attention by distancing themselves from the run of the mill republicans. They might as well be running on the coat hanger party line.

FRANCESCA CARLOW THE NEXT NEW YORK STATE SENATOR FROM THE 6TH DISTRICT

She is a real person, who does not owe anyone anything.

…if Carlow wins on November 2nd, the senate would have a new member beholden to neither party.   Source – Newsday 09/02/10

New York State Senator 6th District
(WITH 253 OF 253 PRECINCTS COUNTED 100%)

FRANCESCA CARLOW . . . . . . . . 5,603 71%
David L. MEJIAS . . . . . . . . . . . .. .  . . . . . 2,338     29%

VOTE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY SEPTEMBER 14TH 2010

Ya Gotta Love This Lady. She Is The Real Deal.

To the people of the 6th district I say, if you will be my voice in the primary on Tuesday and again in November, I will be your voice in Albany. Together we can change the face of politics here in Nassau County, in Albany and beyond.

I am an independent Democrat, the people’s candidate.

My only goal is to improve the quality of life for the people and families in our district, on Long Island and in NY State.
 
Albany is broken, let's fix it!

FRANCESCA CARLOW

Francesca Carlow Endorsed by New York State Democratic Campaign Committee

The New York State Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has endorsed Francesca Carlow in her run for State Senate.

On Wednesday, in a statement on the steps of the New York State Supreme Court in Mineola, Francesca Carlow said;

"I am very pleased that the DSCC has embraced my vision for a better Long Island and for honest, responsive, representation in government.

Unlike my Republican opponent, I am not a career politician. As someone who has never run for office before, I began this race because I was tired of the dysfunction and waste in Albany. I think we all are.

Year after year, for 34 years, Kemp Hannon has been sent to Albany. Year after year, our taxes have skyrocketed while our business environment has eroded. Our children can no longer afford to stay on Long Island and raise their own families here.

It is time for a new approach. It is time to use our resources to attract new business and high paying jobs to Long Island. Doing so will broaden our tax base and help stem the rise in our property taxes.

I want to stress, that I am the people’s candidate. My only allegiance is to the people of Long Island. In all that I do, they will always be uppermost in my mind."

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP

'Women For Mejias' Event Cancelled After Mejias Arrested For Stalking Ex-Girlfriend.

Mejias is charged with Menancing 2nd Degree, Stalking 3rd Degree and Reckless Endangerment 2nd Degree.

The Mejias campaign canceled the event yesterday, without explanation. Neither group says it has plans to reschedule.

No explanation needed but if you like toast, Dave's your guy.

ARE WE THE TALIBAN?

The answer of course is NO we are not. We don't plan terrorist attacks every time we don't agree with someone. The Taliban do. Their latest bombing in Pakistan took the lives of 53 and wounded another 100. The Taliban fear freedom and the ideas it spawns, so they sow fear. Do we?

We say we don't but do we?

In response to the bombing in Pakistan by Taliban extremists against Shiite minorities, The United States Embassy in Islamabad said, in part, in a statement “....attacks on minority communities are an attack on the foundation of democracy itself.”

If only we could live up to our own ideals.

A recent poll reveals that over all, 50 percent of those surveyed oppose building a planned Muslim community center two blocks north of the World Trade Center site, even though a majority believe that the developers have the right to do so. Thirty-five percent favor it.

Do we believe in the bedrock of our founding principles, freedom of religion and speech or don't we? Our founding fathers did because they knew that attacks on minority communities are an attack on the foundation of democracy itself.” It is the reason they came here.


We always need to be vigilant in our defense of that foundation.

DETAILS EMERGE ON MEJIAS ARREST

A handcuffed Dave Mejias emerges from the 2nd
pct. in Woodbury, NY after spending the night in jail.

As a new day came to light today so did additional details surrounding the arrest of former Nassau County Legislator Dave Mejias.

According to published accounts, it is alleged that Mr. Mejias stalked,        menaced and recklessly endangered an ex girlfriend and her male passenger, believed to be her new boyfriend, after she rebuffed his attempts to continue their relationship.

It is alleged that Mr Mejias tracked them in his car, followed them, often cutting them off and chasing them "through the streets into oncoming traffic"

At one point he exited his car and pulled on the door of his ex girlfriend but she was able to pull away. Still Mr. Mejias followed.

In his official statement to police the boyfriend said that "Throughout this whole ordeal, I was afraid that we would be run off the road".

The ex girlfriend told police "I am afraid of him and his vindictive nature."

Mejias, who stated he was innocent, was arraigned today and released on bail. His next court appearance is Sept. 16th.

In view of these allegations the feeling here and one that is rapidly growing throughout the 6th district, is that for the good of the Democratic party Mr Mejias should withdraw his candidacy for state senate. Doing so will allow the party to devote it's resources to current democratic frontrunner, Plainview businesswoman Francesca Carlow, someone who can actually win the upcoming election while allowing Mr. Mejias to devote his full time and energy to his defense and perhaps, counseling.

EX-NASSAU POL, DAVE MEJIAS ARRESTED

Dave Mejias's hopes of becoming a state senator dimmed on Wednesday evening when he was arrested by Nassau County Police. Nassau police said Mejias is in custody at the Woodbury-based Second Precinct where he will be detained overnight, in a case in which domestic abuse is alleged.

Mejias was arrested following an incident involving an ex-girlfriend at noon on Wednesday. Mejias was charged with Menancing 2nd Degree, Stalking 3rd Degree and Reckless Endangerment 2nd Degree, police said. He was arraigned today in First District Court, Hempstead.

Nassau County and state Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs declined to comment on the arrest, as did a spokesperson for Mejias.

A spokesman for Francesca Carlow, the leading democratic candidate for state senate in the 6th district, expressed concern for the victim and her family and confidence in our criminal justice system.