New NY 23rd

“As I have read more and learned more about it, it’s clear that this (replacement theory) is just a vile and disgusting conspiracy theory rooted in racism and antisemitism. In my mind, it has no place in this country.”— Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-NY)

Rep. Chris Jacobs works to reestablish his “conservative credentials” after saying he would support a ban on “assault weapons.”

I’m at the Southern border this am in the Rio Grande Valley Sector in McAllen, Texas. The first stop was a processing facility where agents stressed the policy decisions of the Biden administration are incentivizing illegal immigration and causing this crisis.

Next on our tour was a briefing on the status of current border infrastructure in this sector. The decision by the Biden administration to halt border wall construction has allowed cartels to take advantage of security vulnerabilities.

At a section of the wall built by President Trump to secure our nation. We’ve heard today many times his policies were highly effective at stopping illegal immigration. In contrast, Biden’s plan to end Title 42 would accelerate his already record-setting border crisis.

Just finished a briefing with Texas Department of Public Safety on Operation Lone Star – the state’s operation to counter illegal immigration and the illicit drug trade. Texas DPS alone is spending $2.5M a week on this operation because the admin has failed to secure the border.

Just now: House Budget Committee GOP went on a boat tour with state police to survey marine border security operations.

We visited a storage site where materials to build miles of border wall sit unused because Biden stopped construction. These materials are paid for and ready to be used but the President refuses to act to secure the border. Also here’s an aerial shot of this site. Millions of taxpayer dollars meant to support our national security being wasted by President Biden.

Rep. Jacobs currently represents NY-24. In a display of “musical chairs,” the GOP plans for him to run in NY-23 this year.

Reports are due May 15 of the following year. The House has 30 days more to post them. It isn’t clear why Tom waits till the last minute. Tom requested a 90 day extension in 2019 and 2020; it isn’t clear why.

Tom’s 2020 report is very different from previous years. There is no mention of Tom’s previous business interests.

Tom and family visited Tokyo at the expense of “The Former Members of Congress”  in February 2020.

All Things Considered co-host Mary Louise Kelly interviews Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about U.S. policy in Iran and about the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch.

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/24/798579754/transcript-nprs-full-interview-with-secretary-of-state-mike-pompeo

We’d all be richer if the ideal NAFTA reform would happen: elimination of tariffs — no government involvement in trade at all.--John Stossel

I don’t often agree with John Stossel, but on tariffs he had me saying yes until his last thought.

Stossel writes:

Yes, trade hurts some Americans who’ll struggle without new skills or the right training. But many, many more are much better off because of trade.

Stossel correctly says that tariffs are generally a bad idea, and I agree. Until the very end of his piece, I was in agreement, but then he slipped in a more general attack on government, and I disagree with that.

It is a small matter, but due to NAFTA I was able to work in Canada as an engineer. I think that was good for me, for Canada, and for the USA. I’m glad NAFTA made that possible.

http://triblive.com/opinion/featuredcommentary/13388567-74/john-stossel-no-trade-barriers-at-all-would-be-ideal-reform

This entry was posted in Congress, Political, Reed’s Views, trade, Treaties, Trump and tagged Tariffs. Bookmark the permalink.

Trump on Being President: “I Thought It Would Be Easier”–New York Times

“The man’s tongue is fit to frighten the French.”-―Robert Louis Stevenson

Politics is hard and hard to understand; here are some things to consider:

• Election to office makes one expert in everything.
• Donald Trump says he wasn’t ready to be President. Most agree, yet we elected him.
• Small government is seen as good; Republicans are presumed to favor that.
• Rescinding regulation and cutting business taxes creates jobs, some think.
• Republicans are thought to oppose tax loopholes.
• When a Republican is President, deficits don’t matter.
• Fake news, fake websites, fake petitions, oh my!
• Long, costly wars are unpopular, but warlike talk isn’t.
• Attacking Syria over chemical weapons would be wrong for a Democrat but right for a Republican.
• Trump didn’t serve in the military, yet he dared criticize John McCain’s service.
• It didn’t hurt Trump to disparage NATO.
• It didn’t hurt Trump to buddy-up with V. Putin.
• Flip-flops may have hurt Mitt, but not Donald.
• Trump and the Clintons both had foundations; Trump’s actually was crooked.
• NYS Governor Cuomo actually capped hated property taxes; Republicans are unimpressed.
• Nepotism is fine for a President.
• Tom Reed didn’t serve in the military; his father’s service was enough.
• Reed’s shady real estate dealings didn’t hurt him.
• Paying his taxes late didn’t hurt Tom, nor did using the wrong checkbook.
• Reed’s disreputable midnight swim in Israel didn’t hurt him.
• Continuing to operate his law office didn’t hurt him.
• Conflict of interest with his bill collecting business hasn’t hurt him.
• Reed has long advocated reduction in SS and Medicare benefits, yet voters act like they don’t believe he means it?
• Reed sought zero funding for food stamps, which are important to many constituents.
• Shutting down the government was a fine idea once.
• Disruption is seen as good.
• Disdain for “women’s issues” hasn’t hurt Tom.
• Access to health insurance is enough.
• Members of Congress seek to retain ACA benefits for themselves.
• Reed poses as a militant on sexual exploitation, yet excuses Donald Trump.
• Whatever a Democrat might say, Tom will be seen as stronger on gun rights.
• If Tom attends a meeting, a picture is all Tom owes us; we need not know who attended or what was said.
• Lack of financial support from NY-23, his disdain for the needs of many constituents, and his ties to special interests, don’t keep Tom from selling himself as a hometown boy.

In politics, ignorance may be an asset; contradictions and absurdities don’t matter.

This entry was posted in Constituents, Political, Reed’s Views, Trump. Bookmark the permalink.

Isabelle Leyva and Simon McCormack, authors of an article for The New York Civil Liberties Union, ask “Does adding more police deliver results?” They write: In our shows, movies, and novels, they are our heroes in blue. To elected officials, they … Continue reading

Posted in Health Care, NYS Government Tagged Crime, Health Care, Jobs, Law enforcement, NYCLU, police, Schools

Andrew McCarthy: Big pharma’s predatory practices have left our nation sicker and poorer than ever before. Costs are going up, life expectancy is going down, enough is enough. Solutions like price transparency, disruptive innovation, cheaper and more readily available generic … Continue reading

Posted in Campaigning, Congress, Political Tagged 2022, Health Care

We all know about that the American Health Care Act was passed by House of Representatives yesterday. The AHCA was basically he same bill that Speaker Paul Ryan couldn’t get approval for in March. The sticking point there was the … Continue reading

Posted in Health Care, Uncategorized Tagged ACA, AHCA, Drug Treatment, Health Care, Medicaid, Mental health, Tax breaks

April 18, 2017  “Our tax reform and our tax plan is coming along very well. It will out very soon. We are working on Health Care. We are getting that done, too,” reported President Trump at the Snap-On Tools factory … Continue reading

Posted in Health Care, Legislation Tagged Health Care, Tax reform

That’s what the cat said, then he fell on his head.–Dr. Suess Tom Reed seldom explains his views on specific legislation; H.R 6, “21st Century Cures Act,” is an exception. Reed writes: Tom Reed fought for patients by supporting the bi-partisan … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, Health Care, Political, Reed’s Views Tagged CURES Act, H.R. 6, Health Care, Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Concerned Citizens to Alert Neighbors to Congressman Tom Reed’s Greedy Community Debt Collection Business Residents to distribute apples, warning notices outside Congressman Tom Reed’s Corning District Office “An Apple a Day Keeps Tom Reed Away” (Corning, NY) – Concerned citizens … Continue reading

Posted in 2014, Constituents, Protests Tagged Health Care, Reed’s Law Firm, Tom Reed

It’s only January, but Congressman Tom Reed is already hard at work. He has stepped up as the only New York Congressman to co-sponsor the 2013 edition of a bill to axe family planning funding from Planned Parenthood.  How does … Continue reading

Posted in Constituents, Economics, Health Care, Reed’s Views Tagged Abortion, adolescents, birth control, Family Planning, Health Care, Planned Parenthood, Pregnancy, reduce unintended pregency, Sex education, Tom Reed

Probably the most talked about bill that passed during President Obama’s first term was the Affordable Care Act ( ACA for short, but commonly known as Obamacare.) There was a hugh push against it, and long discussions while the Supreme … Continue reading

Posted in Health Care, Media Tagged AARP, ACA, Affordable Care Act, Canadian Health Care, CNN, Fox News, Health Care, hip replacment, Hitler, lies, Medicare, Obamacare, Single Payer, Todd Akins, Universal Health Care

The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of … Continue reading

Posted in Constitution, Supreme Court Tagged Eleventh Amendment, Le Roy Torres, Supreme Court, Texas

Some time the month te Supreme Court will announce their ruling on an Obamacare technicality that could outlaw the health insurance policies of over  6 million Americans. The technicality revolves around tax credit subsidies. The law states that subsidies can be given … Continue reading

Posted in 2016, Congress, Constituents, Constitution, Health Care, President, Reed’s Views, Rights, Seniors, Supreme Court, Veterans Tagged King v. Burwell, Marketplace, Obamacare, Supreme Court, Tax Credit Subsidies

Does the Bill of Rights apply to the states? Probably, but only when the Supreme Court says it does. Before 1920, mostly it didn’t. It all depends on the Fourteenth Amendment which reads in part: “… nor shall any state deprive any … Continue reading

Posted in Constitution, Gun Violence, Supreme Court Tagged Bill of Rights, First Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, Incorporation Doctrine, Justice Thomas, SAFE Act, Second Amendment, Supreme Court

This week the Supreme Court heard arguments on the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law that denies federal benefits to legally married same sex couples. The conflict is that  DOMA defines that marriage has to be between a … Continue reading

Posted in Rights, Uncategorized Tagged Defense of Marriage Act, George W. Bush, John Boehner, Karl Rove, Republicans, Rove, Same-sex marriage, Supreme Court

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) became law in 1996. It says that no state is required to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state. By not recognizing an out of state same-sex marriage, DOMA eliminates basic federal benefits which … Continue reading

Posted in Constitution, Supreme Court Tagged Defense of Marriage Act, Supreme Court

Last Saturday, our Congressman, Rep. Tom Reed went to four Town Hall meeting in the district (Corning, Watkins Glen, Penn Yan and Phelps) and told those who attended that he did not support federal changes to gun laws. To him, … Continue reading

Posted in Constituents, Uncategorized Tagged CNN Poll, Freedom of speech, Gun Control, Supreme Court, Tom Reed

Don’t think like an elephant.–George Lakoff

Tom Reed has announced a town hall at the American Legion Hall on Ithaca Rd. in Horseheads on Monday November 20 from 6-7 PM.

After corporate tax cuts, “the workers have more disposable income, the workers spend more. And we see the whole trickle-down through the economy, and that’s good for the economy.”–Gary Cohn, Director of the National Economic Council at the White House

• ALEC
• Corporate welfare
• Federal minimum wage
• Firearm violence
• Gender wage gap
• His conflicts of interest
• His tax returns
• Koch Brothers
• Misfeasance in Trump Administration
• Poverty
• Puerto Rico
• Single payer health insurance
• Trickle down
• Trump campaign collusion with Russia
• Wealth gap

Tom won’t discuss these issues because they distract from his message. They aren’t key to his popularity–his image, rather than his performance in office, is important to his continued success.

Tom poses as a benign patriarch, listening patiently to his children’s concerns while standing above them. Rather than react to issues Tom raises in his monologues, one might try to raise matters that Tom is loath to discuss.

At Tom’s meetings one might ask:

• What were Tom’s objectives? Did he achieve them?
• What were the peoples objectives? Did they achieve them?

If some of the peoples objectives were achieved, how did that come about?

This entry was posted in Congress, Political, Reed’s Views. Bookmark the permalink.

Rep. Tenney responds to mass murder with a fundraising message. She writes:

According to the president, the MAGA crowd is the most extreme group in history. More extreme than Nazis. Worse than the KKK, even!

Those groups (MAGA, Nazis, KKK) have much in common with Rep. Tenney. Claudia Tenney pointedly omits what happened in Buffalo from her list of examples of extremism. In her facebook posts, as in her fundraising email, she omits any mention of far-right extremism. She invites you to pitch in $20 to join her fight against far-left extremists in Washington.

Chris Hughes, Mark Zuckerberg’s one-time Harvard roommate, facebook co-founder, and multi-millionaire, suggests addressing income inequality with a $6,000 annual subsidy for workers making less than $50,000 annually. He would pay for this with income taxes on the wealthy. It is an interesting idea, but why should it be necessary, and would it solve the problem?  I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I would suggest some alternatives for debate:

• Increasing the minimum wage.
• Negative income tax for low income workers.
• Increasing wages for government workers and the large number of workers paid indirectly by government.
• Increasing worker benefits such as medical insurance and child care subsidies.

Perhaps Chris Hughes explains in his book why his idea is necessary and superior to alternative ways to address income inequality; I haven’t read the book. Government policy is greatly responsible for low wages and growing inequality–the recent tax law is an example. A subsidy would carry stigma of “welfare benefit.” Reversing government policy that keeps many workers poor is a better idea, I think.

This entry was posted in Economics, Health Care, Taxes and tagged Chris Hughes. Bookmark the permalink.