Put neighborhoods’ future over politics
My wife and I have lived in Duanesburg for 46 years. For 22 years, I was chairman of the town’s Parks and Recreation Commission.
My political views as a registered Democrat never outwardly affected my relationships with neighbors or town officials, despite political differences.
There seemed to be an unwritten rule to separate personal relations from political or religious differences. This past year, I’ve had some experiences that make me wonder if that rule is breaking down.
I don’t know if such a breakdown is widespread, but I think in this time of extreme rancor in our national politics it is important to consider the value of neighborliness.
We all want to live in communities where we feel safe and have cordial relations with neighbors. I, also, value having good relations with neighbors with different ideas and beliefs.
I think these relationships can be an important way of avoiding villainizing “the other side.”
If we let political differences infect our communities, it will be very difficult to build back trust and a sense of shared community in the future. For this reason, I think this is an important time for us all to go out of our way to minimize political differences with neighbors and actively find ways to strengthen our neighborhood relations.
Most of us have very limited power over which president or governor we have, but we have a lot of influence over the kind of neighborhood we live in.
Peter Watrous
Duanesburg
Winners and losers: Take down signs
To all the successful candidates in last Tuesday’s election, congratulations. Take down your signs.
To those who were defeated at the polls, sorry for your loss. Take down your signs.
Judd Staley
Niskayuna
Offer a birthday toast to the Marines
On Nov. 10, the United States Marine Corps will celebrate the 246th anniversary of its founding.
I still remember my first Marine Corps birthday celebration. I was a recruit at Parris Island, and we had a “holiday routine.” For us privates, this meant an extra hour of sleep. But the evening meal — wow — we had large portions of ham, turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn, squash and cranberries, topped off with cake and ice cream. I thought, I LIKE this outfit. My next Marine Corps birthday was in Vietnam. We had hot chow and cold beer.
God bless that C.O., wherever he is now.
Over the next 20 years of my active service, we celebrated with birthday balls while stateside. These balls gave us an opportunity to show off our lovely “eye candy” ladies, dressed in all their finery, who we were currently courting and often marrying. And our female Marines, not to be outdone, had their handsome, studly escorts, who, quite possibly, were not aware if they were the pursuers or the pursued.
While deployed overseas, we would gather and celebrate with the Marines in our unit and reminisce about past exploits.
Again this year, I will be celebrating the Marine Corps’ birthday and dining with some of the finest men and women this country has ever produced: United States Marines. Offer a toast to them all — Here’s health to you and to our Corps. Semper Fidelis.
Sgt. Maj. James P. Kirby
USMC (retired)
Schenectady
We must teach the evils of slavery
Critical Race Theory: Not teaching that slavery is evil is akin to not teaching boys that rape is wrong.
Michael Boehm
Schenectady
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Categories: Letters to the Editor
fredsmith,Of course to benefit from the Trump tax cut you had to pay income tax.
Not for everybody.
If your big business it doesn’t work that way. You get refunds with out paying
Didn’t Warren Buffet say his Secretary pays a higher tax rate then him?
Blame both parties, Democrats have been in charge and changed nothing and probably gave more breaks.
I believe the number is three lobbyists for EVERY member of Congress in DC, and we wonder why nothing gets fixed.
Joe, I am mostly the same page as you but something has to give. You cite your increased costs to do business, but is your business losing business or money? Aren’t your competitors doing the same?
How about the Feds just cut the subsidies and tax breaks they already gave and then increased in Trumps tax cuts. How about the special breaks real estate developers get on and on. How many companies pay no tax yet return billions to investors?
Healthcare? Please check what Schenectady county gives to Ellis Hospital to cover treatment for the uninsured. In 2013 or 14 it was 46% of county budget was to cover Medicaid and the uninsured. Any suggestions how to fix that? Someone has to pay for that, why don’t we have universal coverage that the sick and healthy pay for? That’s why Social Security and Medicare work isn’t it?
Florida –
I’ve tried to answer your questions but got re-set several times it’s frustrating- don’t know if others have that issue of being almost done and something happens and lose whole post??
My business makes money, competitors doing same.
Against subsidies, PILOt programs, etc – think its unfair.
Our tax code is broken but bought & paid for by lobbiest from amazon, google, microsoft, apple – international companies that harbor and don’t pay their fair share is wrong and insulting.
I don’t know how to solve schdy’s medicaid or uninsured problems – maybe copy a county that pays less.
I’d love to see universal health care work. But our gov’t bankrupts or is inefficient at everything it does or touches
Social security is running out of money and we get far less out then paid in – Ponzi schme
Post office- loses billions
VA system – horrendous care
Medicare is being funded by social security payments
Joe…. usps lost $$$$$$$$$ because under repub Congress in 2006 they past a law that the usps had to pre-fund 75 years of retirement benefits. Zero other agencies have to do that.
Repub Congress under trump also CUT benefits for VA.
Hombachs:
Which congress, senate or president hasn’t authorized going into SS and Medicare to pay for this or that?
The answer is – none.
Our gov’t is filled with inept, inefficient people – few corrupt and others just not caring – it can be done tomorrow.
Trump is a bozo, a narcissist, and someone that was never told no in his life. Possibly the worst President ever, certainly the most childish and incompetent. As for that Republican led congress, the Democrats now can’t get out of their own way – it’s embarrassing.
Chuck: Under the Trump tax cut the standard deduction for a married couple went from $12,700 to $24,000. That certainly made it easier for me to do my taxes. Didn’t need to spend all that effort trying to itemize deductions. Also, the tax changes increased the child tax credit to $2,000 per child under age 17. Of course to benefit from the Trump tax cut you had to pay income tax.
You of course knew those would expire in 2025, right? Not the corporate tax change though. That would be permanent. Party while you can.
But in truth, no supporter or defender of Donald Trump should be trusted to be honest.
Ray
I wrote a piece of demand pull inflation – too much money chasing too few goods vs cost-push inflation – where materials to make goods are rising so C-suite executives have a few options to maintain profit – raise prices or cut costs.
So while we did push trillions into the economy to buy stuff I don’t believe that to be the main driver in this inflation.
Our business – we have heard this administrations drum beat that businesses need to pay more. They are hell bent on raising taxes on businesses. So what we are doing is charging more for our services now to put some equity reserve in for the next four years. We aren’t the only ones – my trucking to move equipment are charging more, my job trailers, port o poties, my workers uniforms, paying more for our coffee service, our company lunches.
So as all these policies that effect pricing of raw materials increases so does the end product.
The administrations position on closing pipe lines is effecting natural gas prices, if its about climate? We are wanting opec to increase production to meet our demands? Will that make climate better? The same carbon will go into their air, travel into atmosphere and same effects correct? Whether its russian oil or our oil – that argument holds zero water.
Further businesses know that if Healthcare or other benefits are forced on them – their costs of business increase prices increase.
So the president and the administration do cause inflation
Joe, sorry to cut in, I don’t know a tenth of what you do about the cost of doing business.
But, did you benefit from the tax cuts for business Trump enacted?
Do you think it was fair to the average American to do that?
Chuck
Personally hurt me owed $8000 more roughly per year on Federal side. Business wise – we paid less, invested in new purchases for excavators and bought new excavator training simulator. Gave all the workers Bonuses ranging from $750 to $15,000 based on longevity, safety, etc.
Mr Watrous, You are absolutely right in your letter. It was actually asked by some here why being from liberal NY would you move to a Republican dominated county. That was in 2016, and they based the question on you came from NY therefore must be liberal. They had no idea what my politics were. I had no answer, as had never been asked such a question. before. Now registered as NPA , about 30% of Florida voters are.
RE signs. It’s been said by some that’s another reason they don’t believe FG lost, because there were a lot more signs for him and boat parades to.
Liz Joy had 10 times the number of signs than Tonko in 2020 and still lost 2 to 1. Signs are irrelevant and a waste of free speech.
As for Campaign signs, I fail to understand why there were so many posted in my town where nearly all the candidates were running unopposed. Seemed like an extreme waste of money and now these signs are just filling up landfills with plastic boards.
Right. Just unnecessary lawn litter.
Someone should tell Mike the except for the government’s ability to draft males slavery, in this country, was abolished generations ago. If we are going to since in judgement of those long dead it should be pointed out that the decedents of those who were exported as commodities have higher life expectance than the decedents of their abusers.
Joe, I think what Fred is trying to say is that since slavery was in the past he’s ok with sweeping it under the rug. – Black people are better off than they were when they were slaves so they should basically be happy they live longer than their ancestors and not considered their oppression. – By referring to Blacks as “commodities” he still considers them inferior to Whites and is fine with racism and white supremacy.
That just my guess to his “bowl of spaghetti” way of conveying his thoughts.
Are liquor stores already open?
Please translate since as sit.
Sensible, positive letters today, thank you all!
The Administration needs to act on inflation & home heating costs.
I don’t need Pete Buttigieg saying its the port of CA backlog. That isn’t where my bread, milk, beef, pork, eggs and many fruits/veggies are coming from and those costs are up 12-20% from just a year ago.
There were announcements from National Grid, Duke, Southern, Xcel, etc that expect Natural gas & propane that will be up to 50% higher for winter heating.
I read in the WSJ today that 11 Democratic US Senators broke ranks with the majority in penning a letter to the President to ease heating & gas increases (by either releasing US reserves or not closing northern pipelines).
There was a 5% COLA increase for Social Security which won’t cover increases in food, car fuel, & heat costs.
Joe, you know that the president has no real control over supply and demand. When presidents monkey with markets, the GOP will call it socialism (because they don’t know any other reference). When the supply change improves, costs and inflation will come down. Always does, always will.
Really? Then how did Trump make us energy independent in just a couple of years? This all started on Biden’s first day by undoing everything that Trump did by EO, his puppetmasters found the perfect puppet.
William, guess you forgot we were wondering what to wipe our butts with scrambling for toilet paper, lol!
How can you take faux entertainment seriously as they’re bashing Big Bird?
Yeah I got it Ray, but I miss that $1.89 gas low inflation, stocked store shelves, closed border and mean tweets, All stuff Trump did.
Gives Obama credit for increasing oil production, and uses experts to defend his point. Are you feeling okay Bill?
Crude oil production did grow significantly during Obama’s presidency — up 77 percent — but experts, including the federal government’s Energy Information Administration, have said the growth is largely due to technological advances, such as fracking and horizontal drilling.
Ray you still don’t get it, America has more oil than the Middle East, stopping production and shutting down pipelines in America are the problems, not OPEC.
Bill, you still don’t get it. First, Obama made us energy independent, not Trump. Regardless, world oil prices are driven by other large producers like OPEC and Russia. If they hold back production as they are doing and demand is high like now as we slowly coming out of the pandemic, prices rise and they make more money. Biden has called on OPEC to produce more to bring the prices down while we gradually switch to renewables. Understand now?
You are correct – well done!
FRED, this was posted late yesterday, so you probably didn’t see it:
The CEO of jet blue, Robin Hayes, gave an interview today (now yesterday) on airlines becoming more efficient.
Michael Boehm I’m pretty sure everyone knows slavery is wrong. But telling a Black child that they will never succeed because of White people is also wrong. Telling a White child that they are an oppressor is also wrong. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
William, in regard to your view that “liberal” stations are imbalanced… How about Joe Scarborough, Susan Del Percio, Steve Schmidt, Steve Rattner, Michael Steele, or Elise Jordan to name a few? They were Republicans who got disgusted with their party yanking so far Right, and refusing to hold 45 accountable, that they left the party. But they still are Conservatives.
I have to admit one thing William….you are consistent! Do you even know or have worked with any African Americans? Nobody is telling them what you are saying and I truly wonder where you get your information from. As usual bizarre!
Doug, I’m 12% African American. My daughter’s fiance has a daughter by his ex-wife who happens to be Black, I love her just as much as my White grandkids. I have Black nieces and nephews but you know what? I don’t look at their color, they are kids like any other kid. I don’t look at people’s color, they are just people. Racism is big business and it’s always promoted by Democrats, as long as we continue to use color as an issue, color will always be an issue. It’s time to just let racism die. Finally. in America there is what’s called “The One Drop Rule” which means that if a person has even a drop of Black blood they are Black. So to answer your question, I can be considered Black.
What I don’t get William is how so many racists actually believe that the White race is superior to any other and therefore act accordingly. What I don’t get William is how any American, including and most importantly congressional representatives, can stand behind a lying, cheating, ignorant, criminal, self serving buffoon that has been somewhat successfully in undermining everything America was built on, specifically democracy. – That along with people like you is what I don’t get William.
People like you Lou will never get it, according to you I’m not Black enough, where have I heard that before. I remember a play and in that play she said, “Doth protest too much”. You might want to look up the meaning of that.
So then it is purely political for you. You are obviously a big FOX viewer based on previous comments and are buying into the rights view on Democrats keeping Blacks down as a means of power. At least I know where you are coming from. I wish that we could “just let racism die”. Think really hard…..Do you really believe that it is Democrats that promote racism or Do you think it might just be all the many groups that their main tenet and goal in life is hating and suppressing Blacks and Jews. Come on now!
“I have seen 100 times more racism aimed at me and other Whites than I ever did the other way around.” Really? Give me a break.
William, what happened to your 12% Black?
Why would I have to deny anything to you or anyone else?
You’ve never denied it.
So now I was in DC on January 6? OK Chucky, if you say so.
oops, that’s “under at least 18 criminal investigations…”
You’re also an outspoken supporter of a movement to overthrow the will of the American people by claiming the elections weren’t fair. You’ve continued to overlook the past President is under at least criminal investigations presently and defend him at every turn.
You’ve also openly demonstrated that you knew what was going to happen on January 6th. At least twice in these forums you alluded to major actions on January 6th, in defiance of the fair and Constitutional elections which didn’t go your way. You’re likely, though won’t deny, that you were there and participated. The insurrection was clearly driven by a White Christian male supremacist sense of entitlement.
Your words should all be taken with ample doses of salt. Your credibility is very low. I for one don’t believe a word you say about race.
Doug, I lived in the Vale neighborhood for more than 20 years, I have seen 100 times more racism aimed at me and other Whites than I ever did the other way around. I don’t let other people’s small-minded ideas define me or what I believe in. BTW I was a rabid Democrat until 2000 then I saw what the democrat party was and switched. So you see, I know both sides of the coin.
Since the Democrats promote government diversity mandates their commitment to racism is clear!
Just teach historical facts and don’t whitewash it, worts, racism and all.
William, who is telling black children that they will never succeed, or that white children are all oppressors? That is extreme, ridiculous, and misses the point…which is that race has and continues to play a PART in our society. We’ve continually pushed to get past this, but we’re not there yet. A silver lining of 45s presidency for me is that his rhetoric helped to bring this out into the open. White supremacists and other groups claimed him as their leader and proudly displayed their racism, so at least now we know where we stand as a nation. We have a ways to go!
William Marincic, telling a Black child that his race always was and currently is equal to White people is right. Telling a White child that he is not superior to a Black child is also right. Two rights should be exposed to eliminate a wrong.