And the summer is over. So what if that was my last summer of being a “kid.” So what if after May I have a college bill to pay. So what if after May I have to go into the “real world.” That can all be put on hold for the most epic senior year ever.
As most of you know, unless you are not an avid follower of yours truly, this fall semester I am in our nation’s capitol: Washington DC. I am spending the semester interning with the American Conservative Union (ACU) who is in charge of CPAC and basically enjoying life. Needless to say, I am super pumped to start but I am also super pumped to be in one of the best cities in the world.
First off, my apartment is in an awesome location. I am less than a block from the Capitol building and when I step out onto my balcony, I see the Library of Congress. The Metro station is less than a half mile from the apartment, and there are countless bars within the vicinity. Awesome? I think so.
Since I have not started my internship I cannot say how it is going. However, I am sure I will love every minute of it. Also, I will be sure to have weekly, maybe even daily, updates of what is going on the the great city of Washington DC. Until then, keep it real.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
New York state's Republican Governor's race.
As November looms for politicians and hopefuls to take office from the incumbents, these people who seek public office are gearing up for the races. The first step is to win their primary race. Most states have already had their primaries and some states are getting ready for their own primary races. In New York there is one primary race that I am very interested in: the Republican primary for Governor.
The Republican primary is between Rick Lazio, a three-time loser running for Governor, and Carl Paladino, a successful self-made businessman. As I have never met either one of these men, I have been hearing quite a bit about them through radio ads and emails that I have signed up to receive from both candidates. The question that I have now is, who do I vote for?
Obviously there are questions that arise when a Republican is trying to win the Governor’s race in New York state. The first question is: how do you honestly think you can win? One would guess they would have to kind of be somewhat of a liberal at heart. With Democrats running Lieutenant Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Robert Duffy for Governor and Lieutenant Governor it will be hard to overcome the general view that they are a shoe-in to win this race. However, questions about how Lazio or Paladino will achieve their stated goals could give the Republican Party in New York some help instead of the same old same old from the Democratic Party in New York.
This post is more about who I will most likely end up voting for in the primary but to give some of you that are registered Republicans a look at both of the candidates to decide for yourselves!
One thing that makes this election season interesting is the angry voters. Especially in New York (upstate), many voters have had enough of the same old same old. New York has just passed the state budget, only four months overdue. Most people recognize that the entire nation is in a financial crisis that was supposed to be fixed by now. As of the end of June, New York’s unemployment rate is at 8.2% (https://ui.labor.state.ny.us/UBC/home.do) which is better that the national unemployment rate. But living in Western New York, I do not personally see any signs of a decreasing unemployment rate anytime soon.
So what do Mr. Lazio and Mr. Paladino have to say about creating jobs and reducing the unemployment rate? On Lazio’s website (http://lazio.com/), he has four key points to creating jobs: “1) We must get spending under control, 2) We must improve and expand both our public and private centers of higher learning so that they can serve as resources for job opportunities, 3) We must invest more strategically in critical infrastructure, and 4) We must create an outstanding elementary and secondary education system.” He proposes doing all of this by lowering taxes, being more flexible, and being more productive. My question to him and his points are that all sounds good, but how will you do that? Every politician says that they will “lower taxes” but why don’t any of them put out a plan with programs they will cut or save and allocate money? One person that sort of does that is Carl Paladino. His plan for creating jobs is: “Cut taxes and spending by ten percent in the first six months of his administration and cut spending by a total of twenty percent in his first year” (http://www.paladinoforthepeople.com/index.php). At least Paladino is coming out and saying what he wants to do. Paladino believes that by reducing spending and cutting taxes it will provide relief for many New Yorkers (which it will).
Lazio is running on three things: 1) getting the state’s financial situation in order, 2) create jobs and, 3) returning integrity to government. These are three very broad topics, which is good to do when one is running for public office. However, this is a time where the people want to know exactly what will be done if elected on almost every issue. Paladino on the other hand, gives his opinion on eleven issues and is running on the premise of not being an Albany insider but rather a hard working businessman. (So I might be a bit biased). But there is one thing that I am concerned about with Paladino and that is the issue of the Mosque in New York City. Paladino claims he would use the power of Eminent Domain to make sure the Mosque is not built at a “war memorial site.” And for those of you who do not know what that is: “Eminent domain refers to the power possessed by the state over all property within the state, specifically its power to appropriate property for a public use. In some jurisdictions, the state delegates eminent domain power to certain public and private companies, typically utilities, such that they can bring eminent domain actions to run telephone, power, water, or gas lines. In most countries, including the United States under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, the owner of any appropriated land is entitled to reasonable compensation, usually defined as the fair market value of the property. Proceedings to take land under eminent domain are typically referred to as "condemnation" proceedings” (http://www.expertlaw.com/library/real_estate/eminent_domain.html). As I do not agree with Eminent Domain (and neither should any Conservative, Republican, Democrat, or Liberal) the issue on the Mosque is for a different post. Mind you, Lazio does not agree with the Mosque either but he has not said he would use Eminent Domain.
I strongly suggest that you registered Republicans in New York check out both Lazio and Paladino’s websites before the primary. I also strongly suggest that everyone that is registered to vote in New York, regardless of party to check out both of their websites (and Cuomo’s) so you can be better informed come November.
The Republican primary is between Rick Lazio, a three-time loser running for Governor, and Carl Paladino, a successful self-made businessman. As I have never met either one of these men, I have been hearing quite a bit about them through radio ads and emails that I have signed up to receive from both candidates. The question that I have now is, who do I vote for?
Obviously there are questions that arise when a Republican is trying to win the Governor’s race in New York state. The first question is: how do you honestly think you can win? One would guess they would have to kind of be somewhat of a liberal at heart. With Democrats running Lieutenant Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Robert Duffy for Governor and Lieutenant Governor it will be hard to overcome the general view that they are a shoe-in to win this race. However, questions about how Lazio or Paladino will achieve their stated goals could give the Republican Party in New York some help instead of the same old same old from the Democratic Party in New York.
This post is more about who I will most likely end up voting for in the primary but to give some of you that are registered Republicans a look at both of the candidates to decide for yourselves!
One thing that makes this election season interesting is the angry voters. Especially in New York (upstate), many voters have had enough of the same old same old. New York has just passed the state budget, only four months overdue. Most people recognize that the entire nation is in a financial crisis that was supposed to be fixed by now. As of the end of June, New York’s unemployment rate is at 8.2% (https://ui.labor.state.ny.us/UBC/home.do) which is better that the national unemployment rate. But living in Western New York, I do not personally see any signs of a decreasing unemployment rate anytime soon.
So what do Mr. Lazio and Mr. Paladino have to say about creating jobs and reducing the unemployment rate? On Lazio’s website (http://lazio.com/), he has four key points to creating jobs: “1) We must get spending under control, 2) We must improve and expand both our public and private centers of higher learning so that they can serve as resources for job opportunities, 3) We must invest more strategically in critical infrastructure, and 4) We must create an outstanding elementary and secondary education system.” He proposes doing all of this by lowering taxes, being more flexible, and being more productive. My question to him and his points are that all sounds good, but how will you do that? Every politician says that they will “lower taxes” but why don’t any of them put out a plan with programs they will cut or save and allocate money? One person that sort of does that is Carl Paladino. His plan for creating jobs is: “Cut taxes and spending by ten percent in the first six months of his administration and cut spending by a total of twenty percent in his first year” (http://www.paladinoforthepeople.com/index.php). At least Paladino is coming out and saying what he wants to do. Paladino believes that by reducing spending and cutting taxes it will provide relief for many New Yorkers (which it will).
Lazio is running on three things: 1) getting the state’s financial situation in order, 2) create jobs and, 3) returning integrity to government. These are three very broad topics, which is good to do when one is running for public office. However, this is a time where the people want to know exactly what will be done if elected on almost every issue. Paladino on the other hand, gives his opinion on eleven issues and is running on the premise of not being an Albany insider but rather a hard working businessman. (So I might be a bit biased). But there is one thing that I am concerned about with Paladino and that is the issue of the Mosque in New York City. Paladino claims he would use the power of Eminent Domain to make sure the Mosque is not built at a “war memorial site.” And for those of you who do not know what that is: “Eminent domain refers to the power possessed by the state over all property within the state, specifically its power to appropriate property for a public use. In some jurisdictions, the state delegates eminent domain power to certain public and private companies, typically utilities, such that they can bring eminent domain actions to run telephone, power, water, or gas lines. In most countries, including the United States under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, the owner of any appropriated land is entitled to reasonable compensation, usually defined as the fair market value of the property. Proceedings to take land under eminent domain are typically referred to as "condemnation" proceedings” (http://www.expertlaw.com/library/real_estate/eminent_domain.html). As I do not agree with Eminent Domain (and neither should any Conservative, Republican, Democrat, or Liberal) the issue on the Mosque is for a different post. Mind you, Lazio does not agree with the Mosque either but he has not said he would use Eminent Domain.
I strongly suggest that you registered Republicans in New York check out both Lazio and Paladino’s websites before the primary. I also strongly suggest that everyone that is registered to vote in New York, regardless of party to check out both of their websites (and Cuomo’s) so you can be better informed come November.
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