New NY 23rd

We care about the hardworking men and women of Chautauqua County. Unfortunately, the end result of today’s announcement will be a shuttered NRG power plant. This win for environmental extremists will leave us with a weakened economy and higher taxes. We must come together and find the commonsense solutions to meet our energy needs, use natural gas to reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern crude oil and create the quality, family-sustaining jobs our region needs. — Tom Reed

• Should NRG be allowed to walk away from their obsolete plant, or should they be required to tear it down and clean up the lake shore site?
• Are only “environmental extremists” concerned about our planet, or should we all be concerned?
• Lower local taxes for some at the expense of others? Is this fair?
• Is the only “common sense solution” to burn gas?
• Relatively few workers are needed to staff a power plant. The jobs will move elsewhere, not disappear.

Should decisions about power generation be made by experts or by politicians? For this author, the answer is clear.

He went of to Congress and served a spellFixin’ up the government and laws as well.Took over Washington, I heard tell,

And patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell.

The Ballad of Davy Crockett, words by Thomas Blackburn

Term limits for Congress require an amendment to The Constitution. Two letters in two days have come to me urging term limits for members of Congress. This is a terrible idea–we can vote bad apples out now, if we have the will. With term limits, inexperienced members would have no goal but to get rich quick. Remember John Boehner’s complaint about newly elected members? Term limits would make lunacy the new normal.

Nikki Haley, Honorary Chair of “Stand for America” writes: “You know it’s too late to stop the damage done by the decades Pelosi, Waters, Schiff, and others have spent in office. But it’s not too late to stop this new class of radicals (Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Tlaib) from inflicting several more decades of damage.”

Specifically Haley’s letter claims Rep. Ocasio-Cortez seeks to push socialist policies such as Medicare for all and a green new deal on an unwilling country. She blames Rep. Omar for statements she finds offensive. She attacks Rep. Tlaib for naming Israel as a racist state.

Haley suggests that term limits will force these representatives, elected by the voters in their districts, out of office. Of course she asks for money.

Senator Cruz, writing on behalf of “US Term Limits,” assures readers that voters want ordinary Americans, who will only serve for a short time, to take office, solve our problems, and then go home. Cruz also asks for money.

Businesses recognize that experience is valuable. Experienced workers are rewarded with higher than starting wages. The same is true for Congress–experience is valuable, members doing a good job need to be retained.

Donald Trump held a rally in Rochester on Sunday, April 10. I watched the broadcast.

His tone was classic Trump and the crowd was a bit less rowdy than some. The content  was not much different than others rallies, but I took note when I heard:

 “We are going to get it straighten out folks. TPP, now listen to this, the Trade Pact that is  a disaster. It will be worst for you,  for upstate New York, New England,  the entire country. It will be worst than NAFA. It will be the worst. Ted Cruz is totally in favor of it. Now, think about it. (The crowd starts to chant) Lyin’ Ted, Lyin’ Ted”

I was surprised to hear that Sen. Cruz supported the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

I fact-check Trump’s claim and found out:

• Sen. Ted Cruz co-authored (with Rep. Raul Ryan) an OP-Ed in the Wall Street Journal (4/21/15) supporting the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). That would give the Congress the right to “Fast Track” the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). With TPA Congress would give up the its right to amend or filibuster TPP. It also would require only a simple majority to pass TPP, instead of a two-thirds super majority vote.
• The Senate approved the fast track bill by voice vote, meaning that we  do not know how Cruz, or any senator, voted.
• After the House passed their fast tracking bill (HR2146)  the Senate and the House needed to resolve the differences between the approved bills. Sen. Cruz voted AGAINST resolving the difference, but the bill was approved , 60-38.

Trump and others, believe that supporting the Fast Track bill meant that you support the Trans Pacific Partnership.

But wait…didn’t our representative, and Trump’s Leadership Team Co-Chair, Tom Reed also supported the Fast Tracking bill?

Reed didn’t write an OP-ED about Fast Tracking, but he posted two Press Releases which supported it.

“This smart bipartisan proposal ensures New York manufacturers get fair access to international markets to continue to make it here and sell it there. Additionally, it will provide crucial new markets for New York’s farmers, allowing them higher value exportable products to new consumers. I care about the well-being of the families of the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes and know that TPA will provide jobs and opportunity to our area.”

• The second Press Released ended with:

“Every day TPA is not passed is another lost opportunity for American workers and businesses. Other nations are filling the void. America should lead the way, not be left behind.”

Not only was Reed enthusiastic about how Fast Tracking would help workers, businesses and district’s families, he voted for it TWICE:

• once when the House approved it (May 17) and
• once when the House approved resolving the differences in the House and Senate’s bills (June 18)

If you attended any of Tom Reed’s Town Hall Meetings in the first 10 months of 2015 you would have heard the benefits of Fast Tracking and how the TPP would open the world markets to goods from our region.

Soon after John Plumb announced that he intended to run for congress in the NY 23rd Congressional District in July 2015,  he declared that he was opposed to the Trans Pacific Partnership. Plumb  feels that “The TPP is no substitute for a comprehensive economic strategy. It took Rep. Reed until November to finally decide that he would (or should) not approve TPP.

In Donald Trump’s mind Senator Cruz, by writing the OP-ED supporting Fast Tracking and then changing his mind and voted against it, somehow makes him “Totally in favor of it (TPP)”.  But Reed, by voting for Fast Tracking TWICE,  then changing his mind on supporting TPP, is qualified  to be a Co-Chair of Trump’s Leadership Team.

I don’t understand the logic in  Trumpland.

.

Rep. Capuano (D-MA) writes:

Insurance Industry Regulation

On Wednesday (Dec 7, 2016) the House considered H.R. 5143, the Transparent Insurance Standards Act of 2016. This legislation, like last week’s Systemic Risk Designation Improvement Act of 2016 is yet another attempt to weaken the Dodd Frank Financial Regulatory Reform Act. H.R. 5143 targets reforms implemented for the insurance industry. You may recall that during the financial crisis in 2008, the insurance company American International Group (AIG) practically fell apart. This was a key factor in the economic crisis that ensued. The Dodd Frank Act increased oversight of the insurance industry by establishing a framework to identify insurance industry risks. It created the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) to coordinate some of this activity and develop appropriate policies relative to international insurance matters. The FIO is also responsible for working with state insurance regulators so their views are taken into account, particularly when it comes to international insurance policies. H.R. 5143 weakens the Dodd Frank Act by essentially requiring that the Treasury Department have support from all state and territory insurance commissioners when entering into international insurance agreements. This is simply an impossible standard to meet, weakening the authority of the Treasury Department and the FIO.  The Administration has stated that this legislation will be vetoed.

H.R. 5143 passed 239/170. Rep. Reed voted AYE.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll613.xml

Continuing Resolution

Yesterday the House considered the Fiscal Year 2017 Continuing Resolution (CR) which funds the federal government through April 28, 2017. At that time, a third extension will be necessary for the rest of the fiscal year. This simply delays important spending decisions and makes it difficult for federal agencies to engage in long term planning.

Because the CR extends last year’s budget, it doesn’t include funding provided through the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST) which passed earlier this year. This includes money to implement Positive Train Control (PTC) on commuter railroads as well as funds for highways and transit projects. The legislation contains a waiver for General James Mattis, President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense. A waiver is necessary because Defense Secretaries must be out of the military for seven years and this is not the case with General Mattis. The waiver clears the way for the Senate to consider this nomination. A continuing resolution is not the appropriate vehicle for such a serious matter. It was done only once before in our history, when President Truman asked General George C. Marshall, who had already served as Secretary of State, to take over the Department of Defense in the early days of the Korean War. General Mattis may well be a good choice, but there should have been a debate about an issue that affects civilian control over the military.

The legislation passed 326/96. Rep. Reed voted AYE.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll620.xml

Water Infrastructure

Yesterday the House considered S. 612, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act. This is a compromise version of the reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). S. 612 supports water resources development projects under the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers. This legislation contains a provision I’ve advanced that increases the federal share of deeper dredging projects from 50 to 75%. This applies to the Boston Harbor dredging work already authorized, reducing local cost by at least $14 million.

Unfortunately the legislation contained several troubling provisions, including dozens of pages added at the last minute directing water use in Southern California. This will have an environmental as well as economic impact, placing fisheries at risk and endangering fishery jobs. S. 612 also exempts “forest management” projects from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which will allow thousands of acres of National Forest to be cut down. This bill even approves funds for a development project in Texas so that a waterfront park and sports fields can be built. The bill passed by the House ensured that funds in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund be used specifically for dredging projects. S. 612 doesn’t address this issue at all so that money can’t be accessed.

S. 612 passed 360/61. Rep. Reed voted AYE.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll622.xml

Tom Reed seldom explains his votes. Most likely, he votes as the party whip suggests.

Susan J. Douglas, writing in The New York Times, reminds us of the Gray Panthers of the 1970s. The leader was Maggie Kuhn.

Infuriated by being forced out of her job at 65 (and even more irked that her parting gift was a sewing machine), and outraged by what gerontologists in the 1970s championed as “disengagement theory” — the notion that it was normal and natural for older people to simply withdraw from society — she took on what was then, and still is, one of the most socially acceptable biases in our country: ageism.

The idea that seniors should disengage from politics after retiring seems totally wrong to me. Working people might well avoid social media and political conflict. There is less reason for seniors to do so.

This entry was posted in Seniors, Social Security. Bookmark the permalink.

On April 19 we will have the  opportunity to have our voices effect the Presidential races in the New York State Federal Primary.  In an October article, NYS Presidential Primary Info, the NewNY23rd predicted:

“By the time our primaries are held, there is a good chance that one of the candidates in each party would have  a large enough lead in delegates that the race would realistically be over.”

It looks like this is one of those rare years that our primary will play a pivotal part in the outcome of both parties’ campaigns. Even though both parties will have their primary on the same date, there are enough differences between their processes and the politics each party will be discussed in separate articles.

Procedures:

There will be four candidates on the GOP ballot. Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, and Ben Carson. Carson has suspended his campaign, but his name remains on the ballot. Cruz and Kasich are trying to keep Trump from sewing up the nomination by receiving 1,237 delegate votes at the July 18-21 Cleveland Convention.

According to The Green Papers website: New York Primaries are “Closed”, meaning that only registered Republicans can vote it, (and only registered Democrats can vote in their primary). There are 95 GOP delegates available. Eighty-one delegates are chosen by Congressional Districts. Each of the 27 districts have will have 3 delegates for the candidates to battle over.

• If one of the candidates receive more that 50% of the poplar vote in a district he will receive all three district delegates.
• If no one receives a majority of the district’s votes the delegates will be divided among  the candidates who received at least 20% of the votes.
• If three candidates receive 20% or more often votes, each one will receive one delegate.
• If only two candidates receive more than 20% of the district’s votes, the candidate who received the most votes will receive two delegates, and the other candidate will receive one.
• If only one candidate receives more than 20% of the votes, he will receive all three delegates.

There are also 14 At-Large delegates:

• If a candidate receives more than 50% of the total vote, that candidate receives all 14 delegates
• Otherwise, the delegates are distributed proportionally to those candidates receiving 20% or more of the vote.

The main kink in this primary process is that last year the NYS Republican Committee changed the procedure on how the delegates are chosen. In previous years each presidential candidate would choose who would be their delegate(s) to the convention. Last year it was changed so the State Committee will now decide. According to  reports the delegates will be party loyalists. The delegates are bound for the 1st ballot to vote for their assigned candidate. They are not bound after the first ballot and can vote for who they choose. An article, “How New York’s new GOP delegate rules could help derail Donald Trump” from Syracuse.com explains the process well.

Politics:

Let’s get realistic. The drama in this primary swirls around the GOP’s leaders trying to stop Trump from earning the 1237 delegates needed to guarantee his nomination.

Trump will help his chances by winning 50% of the vote in as many districts possible. Cruz and Kasich will try to stop him.  There is a lot of noise about Trump, but serious conservatives quietly talk about Cruz. When I ask “moderate” republican friends, “Trump or Cruz?” I often don’t get a straight answer. Usually Benghazi and emails somehow get in the discussion, then it switches to Socialism and Communism. Others just shake their heads and say they might stay home.

That doesn’t mean that things won’t change by April 19.  We are the first primary after the Wisconsin’s  April 5 contest, and the only one being held on April 19. We will get the candidates’ undivided attention for two whole weeks. During that time we will be bombarded by political ads and robo calls up the yin-yang.

Although most of the state’s votes come from the NYC/Long Island area, the candidates will have plenty of time to visit upstate districts for rallies, local interviews and photo-ops. That brings up some questions:

• Will Trump, Cruz and Kasich make it to every congressional district? (I would think they would want to and it really wouldn’t be too difficult to do in two weeks.)

• How many Trump rallies will Tom Reed attend? Will he speak at the rallies? How will this affect his June 28 primary against conservative Gary Perry and his race against John Plumb in November?

• Will there be protesters at the rallies?

• Will there be a debate during the two weeks before the primary?

• The important question will be how many republican voters will turn out to vote against the front-running Trump? How many districts will he get more than 50% of the vote? Will Cruz get 50% of the vote in any district? Will Kasich receive 20% of the vote in any district?

The closeness of each party’s race shows that each vote is critical. Cast it wisely.

This entry was posted in Congress, Constituents, Economics, Education, Ethics, President and tagged Ben Carson, Donald Trump, GOP Primary. Delegates, John Kasich, NYS Primary, Rep. Tom Reed, Ted Cruz. Bookmark the permalink.

What they’re really interested in is chaos.… They want to throw sand in the gears of the hated federal government until it fails and they’ve finally proved that it’s beyond saving.” And they are tied tightly to right-wing media: “Every time they vote down a bill, they get another invitation to go on Fox News or talk radio,” he said. “Its a narcissistic—and dangerous—feedback loop.–Former Speaker John Boehner

• Conservative Policies
• Federalism
• Originalism
• Regular Order
• Term Limits
• Balanced Budgets
• Laissez-faire
• Trickle Down
• Supply Side

Pro-growth tax reform will establish the U.S. as a 21st century magnet for new business investment and job creation.

Tax reform will increase U.S. competitiveness and prevent American jobs from moving overseas.

Pro-growth tax reform will provide a healthier economy for the long run, strengthening our communities, encouraging Main Street job creation and investment, and improving the lives of all Americans.

Pro-growth tax reform will result in bigger paychecks to bring home to your family.

Pro-growth tax reform will bring more job opportunities to your community.

Tax reform will grow our economy and create jobs across America.

This entry was posted in Reed’s Views, Taxes and tagged Tax reform, Ways and Means. Bookmark the permalink.

The Trump Administration reports: “It’s the Right Time to Pass Criminal Justice Reform”

“With President Trump leading the way, the push is on to get serious criminal justice reform done by Christmas. Resisters on the left and right would be fools to stand in the way,” the New York Post editorial board writes.
 
Earlier this week, President Trump called on Congress to pass the FIRST STEP Act, which would fund educational and vocational training programs in U.S. prisons while easing certain mandatory-minimum sentencing rules. “Trump has it right: “We’re all better off when former inmates can receive [a second chance] and re-enter society as law-abiding, productive citizens,” the Post’s editors write.

Interestingly, when NY Gov. Cuomo proposed to expand a successful educational program for prisoners, he was met with a chorus of outrage. Will Trump’s proposal fly?

https://nypost.com/2018/11/15/its-the-right-time-to-pass-criminal-justice-reform/

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/5682

This entry was posted in Trump and tagged Criminal justice reform, First Step Act. Bookmark the permalink.

Andrew McCarthy: Our founders knew our First Amendment right to freedom of speech could not be protected without our Second Amendment right to bear arms. Our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms is non-negotiable. Period. I won’t budge on the Left’s communist agenda to leave our families and communities defenseless and reliant on government protection. I oppose efforts to create a national gun registry and any other anti-gun legislation aimed at disarming the populace.

Rich Moon: Rich Moon is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. He will work to protect you and your family’s right to bear arms and defend against tyranny. The left wants to take away our guns and control our lives. It’s time for leaders who stand up to protect all of our freedoms before it’s too late. 

Joe Sempolinski: Joe is pro-2nd amendment. Joe is a SCOPE and NRA member and a gun owner. The right to bear arms is a fundamental, individual, human and Constitutional right. Joe supports interstate reciprocity for gun permits. At the state level, the NY SAFE ACT should never have become law.

I can’t recall a time when guns were needed to protect free speech; I can’t foresee a time when guns would be used to protect against tyranny; I can think of no reason that the NYS Safe Act should not have become law.

This entry was posted in Campaigning, Congress, Political and tagged 2022, guns. Bookmark the permalink.