New NY 23rd

“A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!–President Donald Trump

The claim of Mission Accomplished was likely premature and in any case an unfortunate choice of words.

Battle of Britain

German bombs did much damage, but also strengthened British resolve.

Germany

British and American bombs did much damage, but didn’t end the war. Russian success in the East and the Normandy landings did that.

Pearl Harbor

The attack did damage, but didn’t affect the outcome of the war. The attack did strengthen American resolve.

North Vietnam

US bombing of North Vietnam at most delayed reunification.

Laos/Cambodia

Bombing of the Ho Chi Minh trail at most delayed reunification.

Libya

Attacks on Libya during the Reagan Administration did little if anything to affect Gaddafi’s government.

Afghanistan

The Taliban continues to control much of Afghanistan in spite of dramatic bombing.

Syria

If the first American missile attack was to deter the use of chemical weapons by the Assad government, it failed.

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Proud to be a Democrat tonight.  Proud, for the first time in a minute, to be an American, too.  We’ll see how long that lasts.

As the dust clears and we all breathe in to consider what’s next, I’m seeing a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking of the whole impeachment process.  (Ugh, sports metaphor.)  People are wondering what political price we’ll pay for going through with this.  There’s fear that this will energize the Trump base more than it does ours.

I happen to be optimistic on that front.  A friend of mine said it well when she pointed out that Trump voters are Trump voters.  Trumpers gonna Trump.  There’s no turning them from the dark side at this point.  But there are a heck of a lot of Americans who might not identify as “political” but who feel like the rule of law is pretty important, when you get down to it.  This will play well with them.

Plus–can’t Democrats get energized too?  Why is it always about what energizes the Right, and only ever about what depresses and demoralizes the Left?  We don’t just lose in every situation, you know.

But I think we need to look past all that politics stuff.  This is about showing that actions have consequences.  This is about holding the line.

Regardless of whether it was “good” or “bad” politically, impeaching Donald Trump was the right thing to do.  And isn’t that what we’re always saying we want from our leaders?

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The article was written by Russell Tocqueville, a twenty-something from the NY23rd District.

 As you read this, Congressman Tom Reed is sitting in DC, with the consultants he’s paying for through Wall Street funded donations, figuring out with those consultants how to tell you he’s not voting to give away Medicare and other programs to Wall Street. He is asking his hedge fund manager funded consultants how to justify closing down more public schools, and he is trying to figure out a way to tell himself, why he thinks its ok to agree to a ban on refugees and folks from certain countries, or applying a religious test, when a large group of doctors at Guthrie, Corning Hospital, St Joseph’s in Elmira are Muslim.

The conversations our congressman is having is not just with us, but also with himself, because everything he does is calculated to give of the demeanor of a friendly elected official who heeds the words of his constituents.

With that in mind, it is time for every single person in our district who has become involved due to the recent elections, or like me you’ve been involved for a while to unite and become a militant opposition to the niceties of corporatism sold to us by Trump branded talking points meant to divide us. It is time to raise as much hell, in Allegany County, as in Ithaca, and it is time that we take our populist movement and apply it to our home by running for Town supervisor, School board, county legislature etc…..

The fact is Tom is now scared to host town halls in his own hometown, or even anywhere near his hometown.

While Reed shells out thousands in consulting fees, to sell us the people of the Southern Tier a gift wrapped box of nothing but lies. It is up to us to tell every Medicare recipient what Reed wants to do. That being about 48% of the population of the district, this is an issue that will affect our elections, and no matter what Tom says, he always does something different in DC.

So go out and be vocal.

Let us make sure that Tom has to defend every single rotten piece of legislation that Paul Ryan dreams up, and every single rotten thing Trump says and does.

Get loud and fight like we’re fighting to protect the best of America, not just for us but for our friends and family. For my senior neighbors who might have voted for Trump but didn’t expect that losing a retirement with dignity was what Trump and Reed had in mind. Do it for our brothers and sisters in labor some of which voted for Trump because he promised to bring jobs back, but didn’t expect that Reed would now have to hold Paul Ryan’s water on a national right to work bill. Do it for the thousands of young folks like me, who are struggling to find jobs in our Southern Tier, and suffer a break up of families all across our finger lakes due to Republican inaction on population loss and economic stimulus. Do it for the thousands of strong southern tier women who marched on Inauguration day in Ithaca and Seneca falls to say no to a rollback on women’s rights and healthcare choices. Do it for our way of life, get vocal, question our elected officials. Celebrate our democracy by participating in it.

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With the facts on our side, we stood up to hypocrisy and disinformation from liberal politicians like Andrew Cuomo, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi… — Tom Reed reelection campaign mailing

Will Tom Reed vote for Nancy Pelosi? It seems unlikely, but he has committed to do so.

The Problem Solvers Caucus, with Rep. Tom Reed of Corning leading its Republican contingent, compromised on its demands and won enough concessions to agree to support Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker.–Mark Mulville/Buffalo News

Reportedly:

When the Problem Solvers Caucus gets to 75 percent agreement on a bipartisan proposal, including 51 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of Republicans, the Caucus agrees to take the position as one group. —Will Reinert, PR NewsWire

Reed’s vote doesn’t matter; Nancy Pelosi doesn’t expect, seek or need his support. It is very unlikely that Reed or any Republican will vote for Nancy Pelosi, but it will be interesting to see how Reed explains his vote if he disregards his commitment.

Of course every Republican could vote for Nancy Pelosi in a show of bipartisanship. Their votes wouldn’t matter, but no Republican would then stand out as a rebel.

Note: According to the Buf News editorial, the rules agreed to are these:

• Any bill with at least 290 co-sponsors can come to a floor vote.
• Amendments with at least 20 co-sponsors from each party would be prioritized as the Rules Committee prepares legislation to move to the House floor.
• The discharge petition process, which allows lawmakers to force bills to the floor for a vote, would be modernized so that such measures could come to the floor more quickly and on any day the House is in session.
• The procedure called “the motion to vacate the chair” would be reformed so that organized groups on the far sides of the political spectrum – right or left – could not so easily threaten a coup to oust the speaker.

https://buffalonews.com/2018/12/09/editorial-reeds-problem-solvers-forges-compromise-backs-pelosi/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reed-hosts-democrat-colleague-problem-solvers-co-chair-in-elmira-300698894.html

During the Vietnam war, we were often urged to love it or leave it. If you didn’t have a flag pin in your lapel, if you had long hair, were a university student or graduate, or were suspected of voting for Democrats, you might be called a communist and told to move to the Soviet Union. I had hoped those days were gone.

I remember my boss at the time saying, while looking at me, that if any antiwar protester lay down in front of his car, he wouldn’t stop. I remember two women in the Northern Plains who were not long ago harassed for speaking Spanish at an interstate rest area.

I remember that my Grandparents were immigrants, that my spouse is a naturalized citizen. Few of us are native Americans.

Now President Trump has resurrected “love it or leave it;” shame on him.

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Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other, and scarce in that.― Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack

In Travels with Herodotus, Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński tells the story of a Mogul Ruler, Hulagu Kahn (1216-1265) as I remember, who was asked to kill all the file makers. Before acting, he wanted to know how many file makers his army needed.

Before revoking a rule, Republican politicians ought to ask why it is there and when they might need it. Before embracing extremists or foolish ideas, they ought to consider the possible consequences.

Promoting radical ideas may create a backlash. Unworkable House rules, empowering extremists, divisive theatrics, culture war, Congressional term limits, balanced budget, low taxes for the rich, defunding the IRS, demonizing China, ignoring climate change, promoting fracking, excusing insurrection, threatening default on debt, government shutdown, cutting Social Security and Medicare, and the like might come back to bite, if there is a groundswell of support among Republicans and others for such foolish ideas.

“There is a crisis here but it has nothing to do with immigration.”--Gilbert Rebollar, a board member of the Brawley Elementary School District who is also an analyst at the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District.

Jose A. Del Real, in an article published in the NY Times on Feb. 10, 2019, “A California border town swept up in Mexico’s waste,” explains that pollution from Mexico affects communities in California. He writes:

Noxious sewage filled with feces, industrial chemicals and other raw waste regularly comes in through the New River, and through Calexico, leaving neighborhoods along the waterway engulfed in pungent fumes.

In 2017 I wrote an article titled “Bad bills have smelly consequences,”which noted Tom Reed’s indifference to the problem of cross-border pollution.

In 2011, Tom Reed opposed funding needed sewers because the work was on the Mexican side of the border. The consequences affect the California side–now sewage in the Tijuana River is a problem in Southern California.

Not all border problems can be solved by a wall. Violence and poverty in Central America and demand for illegal drugs North of the border are examples. Communities on both sides of the border have interests that need to be addressed with cooperative action. Del Real writes:

As Washington debates spending billions to shore up barriers along the 2,000-mile southwest border, many residents in California’s Imperial Valley feel at least some of that money could be spent to address the region’s public health threats.

When we spend, we ought to spend wisely.

Notes:

1. Calexico is 100 miles East of Tijuana.
2. Some links in the 2017 New NY 23rd article are no longer valid. Tom’s 2011 press release can no longer be found on his web site.

https://newny23rd.com/2017/02/28/bad-bills-have-smelly-consequences/

Republican priorities when we regain the majority next year: 1 – Hold the Biden Administration accountable 2 – Secure the Border 3 – Make our cities safe again 4 – Rein in the out-of-control inflation 5 – Stop the overreach of government mandates. — misleader Kevin McCarthy

McCarthy would blame Biden for anything he doesn’t like. There was crime when Richard Nixon was President. He was responsible mostly when he was the criminal. It was the same with Tweety.

McCarthy is dreaming if he thinks he can stop human migration. He doesn’t say how he thinks this could be done. Perhaps he envisions thousands in squalid camps in Mexico as in Belarus.

Crime statistics may show cites to have been sometimes safer, sometimes not. It is unlikely that partisan politics affects crime directly, but economic ups and downs might.

It is the Fed’s job to combat inflation which it does by raising or lowering interest rates. Congress can do little about it, and there is no consensus for what little it might do. Some say cut spending, some say raise taxes; the result is nothing is done.

As with President Obama, Republicans claim everything the Biden Administration does is overreach. Even investment in infrastructure is panned, although Republicans favor it when they are in power.

People who claim to revere the flag are often wont to desecrate it; those who claim to value The Constitution often misinterpret it; those who call loudly for fair elections often support voter suppression, some calling for “one person, one vote” don’t recognize some of us as persons. Heaven forbid we return these people to power.

I am committed to making sure those with diabetes have easier access to care.–Rep. Tom Reed, facebook, July 31

Reportedly, Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL)  have introduced The Diabetic Vision Loss and Blindness Prevention Act of 2018, which would allow people on Medicare to go to their family doctors for diabetic eye disease testing. The bill has been renamed as H.R.6639 – To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage under the Medicare program of digital retinal imaging with remote interpretation. Rep. Sewell is a Democrat, so this bill is said to be bipartisan. Nether the text of the bill nor a CRS summary is yet available. This bill is said to be needed because currently Medicare will only reimburse specialists for diabetic eye care. An article in The Corning Leader explains:

There is no fair reason for diabetics on Medicare to wait to see a specialist for a simple test their family doctor has the ability to conduct.–Rep. Tom Reed

In my case, I needn’t wait–I make the next appointment at the end of the current one, six months or a year in advance.

Today’s bill is a commonsense fix that will give more constituents living with diabetes access to the eye screenings they need close to home. —Rep. Terri Sewell

If one lives where there are no Ophthalmologists, and a family doctor can do the exam, this would be good. I don’t think my family doctor has the time, experience, or equipment needed to do eye exams, even though she may be capable of it. Tom’s bill envisions the use of remote interpretation, presumably by a specialist. I have no idea what equipment and arrangements would be needed to make that work.

Tom has previously suggested use of remote interpretation. A patient would see a provider, not necessarily a doctor, who would consult with an expert via a video link if necessary. This could be a convenience for the patient, but also would be a shift away from a direct connection between patient and doctor to a model of cut-rate medical care. Is this what Tom means by “patient centered?”

The Diabetic Vision Loss and Blindness Prevention Act of 2018 reform the reimbursement requirements for Medicare and allow primary care doctor testing reimbursements.

If a primary care doctor did an eye exam during a routine visit Medicare wouldn’t pay for the visit? That does seem strange if true.

Dr. Robert Berke of Chautauqua Family Health Services has seen first-hand how diabetic retinal eye exams in the primary care setting improve access to critical, vision-saving tests.

Would one have to drive far in Chautauqua County to see an Ophthalmologist, or is this an attempt to entice patients who might need a specialist to accept lower cost care?

The similarity between the article printed by The Corning Leader and Tom Reed’s press release is remarkable. No wonder no author is listed by The Corning Leader. Is this journalism?

https://reed.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1501

http://www.the-leader.com/news/20180729/strongreed-backs-easier-diabetes-testingstrong

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6639

Is it time to talk gun safety yet? If so, here is a list of doable things: 1. Universal background checks (90% public support) 2. Ban assault weapons (57% public support) 3. Ban bump stocks (82% public support) 4. Close gun show loopholes (90% public support) 5. Stricter gun laws (64% public support)

Every American that cares more about life than guns, should NOT vote for any candidate that does not publicly support these positions.

I receive the above message on my Facebook page. I wished the writer would have given me the sources for those facts and when those polls were taken.  Without that information, and that other polls may show different results and that we keep hearing about “Fake News”, this information is almost worthless. I am not suggesting these figures are false, but I would not re-post it until I checked out all of the data.

Before I received te above  post, I found the following information from Politicfact.com It was posted on October 3, 2017–just after the Las Vegas shooting.  Notice the chart has listed polls from 2016 and 2017, the question that was asked, and the results. The actual article has links for five of the six polls listed. Clink here to see the article, and be able to use the links. I believe this is usable data.

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