Why are we wasting money on sports?

During the economic crisis of 2008+ the high school sports schedules were cut back in order to save sports from being totally eliminated.
Now leaders fro  Section VI want to add games back to the schedule because the economy has supposedly turned around.

No it has not.
Workers' wages are still stagnant.
Inflation is rising faster than wages.
Plain and simple: the money is not there.

Look at schools that have consolidated.  They have grown class sizes by closing whole buildings and eliminating teaching staff.
Classes are using textbooks that needed to be replaced years ago.
I know of several schools that are sharing librarians rather than having a full time library in each building.

Addressing these problems will help with increasing student achievement.
Smaller classes - studies show that 15 students is the ideal clas size - increase attention to students & improves student - teacher relationships.

Newer textbooks keeps students up to date on recent trends in science and math, two areas that the USA lags behind the restof the developed world i .

A full time library with a budget of $20 per student fro  the state and more from the district will put materials in the students hands that they want to read.  If a student reads poorly, there goes their ability to achieve.

We don't need more time on the sports field.
We need better schools for students that address their learning needs.

This proposal for more sports is misguided and needs to be put on the shelf.
Spoets are fun, but they serve only an elite minority.

We needs schools that benefit everybody.

Cracking Criminal Catholic Corruption

Lord Acton famously stsed that "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."  We see this in so many ways.

Recently we had a whistle blower stand up and do tbe riht thing to help crack the wall of corruption. Siobhan O'Connor secured copies of confidential documents and gave them to the FBI i  order to expose the well known culture of corruption in the Catholic Church.  She needs to be both praised and protected for her actions.

Praised be cause she provided the evidence that the FBI needs to go after the Buffalo Diocese for its actions in covering up the sexual abuse of children and others by priests.  Bishop Malone needs to do the right thing and open all the files that the Church has on the priests accused of sexual abuse.   He needs to give names, numbers, documents - everything that the church has on this scandal to the FBI so that justice ca  be served.

Siobhan also needs to be protected - not because the Church has some sort of spiritual hit squad that will take her out. She needs to be protected so that other whistle blowers will come forward and give the public the information it needs to protect itself from other institutional criminals. Particularly corporate criminals. Yes,  the Church has shown itself to have few to no morals or guidance.  Corporations have even less. Remember Karen Silkwood? Do some digging on her. Brave woman. Gone.

The Church also needs open and public oversight.  This criminal behavior of moving pedophile priests around was wrong.  They needed to be put not in other churches, but behind bars.  The Church has shown that it can not be trusted with power and needs oversight beyond what it is willing to provide for itself.  What happened was the equivalent of having a fox watch the henhouse.  Epic fail.

The Church has the potential to do good.  I have been given a book on Liberation Theology and I look at what the ministers in Latin America are doing to help in the fight against exploitation.  For that they are being killed.   We need that type of leadership.

What we don't need is a criminal cover up.

And we now know why the Church fears women being in positions of power.
Siobhan is an example of what happens when a person with a conscience acts.

Heartless in the White House

After reading the latest headline to come from the white house, I was even more disheartened to hear that attempts to eradicate a significant aspect of the 14th Amendment were seriously being considered. Why does one hold so much contempt for those wishing a better life for themselves and their offspring? How can one individual truly hold that level of hatred within the confines of his heart, within his soul? That I cannot, and will never, be able to understand. They've been slandered as criminals, murderers, and rapists unjustifiably, and while a very small percentage may be from criminal street gangs that exist in the regions they are emigrating from, the vast and overwhelming majority, roughly 95% are comprised of those simply desperate for a better life, and a respite to the violence that plagues their home nations.

Even those who may have been involved in criminal activity in their home nations, have we truly examined the conditions that they endured in those nations? Have any considered the possibility that they were seeking an escape to the unfortunate lives they had become locked into? Perhaps they had grown weary of their way of life and the activity they had been involved in and truly desire redemption. Maybe, just maybe, there are those who grew tired of seeing death and suffering, and as I did sought an escape from a life of violence and pain. I'm sure many do not, but I simply refuse to believe there are absolutely none who indeed have. In regard to the conditions of their home nations, we must look closely at the horridness of them and how those conditions originated as there are very important lessons to be learned from them. We must learn exactly why individuals are forced into the conditions they must survive in.

Are we that callous and uncaring a nation that we would turn an deaf ear and blind eye to the suffering of the masses in other regions? I don't believe we are, I will not, and will never believe we are an uncaring and uncompassionate nation who only cares about itself. Some who lead us may attempt to drive us to those standards, but we must have the character and the integrity to stand opposed to that as a people united. For one to declare an attempt will be made to alter a significant document regarding the morality of our nation on his own accord are truly troubling. It shows the true measure of his motivations and insight into his aspirations. It shows that one individual truly believes that he has the power to dictate our morality as a whole, and this must be vigorously opposed. For to say on one hand he values life, and in one swift statement declare that only the lives within the confines of our national borders matter is a striking contradiction, and even then, which lives within our national borders really matter to him?

Richard Trotsky

What Price?

This morning I heard a rather disheartening statement about the aspect of hate winning the field on a particular day when senseless tragedies motivated by it take place. It was even said that perhaps hate had won, I beg to disagree. I disagree as I refuse to give up hope that humanity will bow to the will of hate. I refuse to believe there are none amongst us who will stand together united against it, I refuse to believe all hope is lost for humanity. What I do believe is that if we do not act and speak against it, then it will in fact prevail. There is a quote which sums up the fact quite pointedly, that quote is "It has been said that for evil men to accomplish their purpose it is only necessary that good men should do nothing." There are truly evil men that dwell among us, men that harbor darkness within their hearts and evil in their souls. If we do nothing then these men will surely prevail.

What will be the alarm that truly wakes us from our lullabied slumber? There have been moments that we stir in our sleep, only to re-enter our deep sleep once more. Have we not witnessed enough injustice already? Have we not stayed blissfully ignorant long enough? How many more must perish before we declare an end to it? Will we be complacent and allow future generations to bear the burden that we refuse to resist? Will we allow our children, and our children's children to suffer even greater injustices than we have endured? I will not, I will stand in direct opposition to the aspect of hate, whether be it on my own accord, or with like minded comrades who would dare stand with me. Regardless the cost, I will not simply capitulate to the notion that we can do nothing. I will not surrender nor will I yield. I will never surrender the field to those who wield hate as their weapon.

We must ask ourselves what will be the price of inaction when faced with this prospect? Are not our children's futures and lives well worth the cost of engaging in this battle? This fight is not one primarily fought for ourselves, but for our collective futures, for the future of our children and grandchildren. This fight is fought for the betterment of all humanity, for the security of our future and for the generations to come. Is this not a noble enough cause for us to stand united? Is this not of such importance that we need to take up the cause of struggle? Is this of such little importance that the multitudes have little regard for it? I dare say not, for if they disregard it, those who will surely suffer even greater injustices will be future generations. Is this the legacy we wish to leave to our decendants? If our leaders will not speak against the growing darkness of hate that looms on the horizon, then it falls to us to take action against it.

By Richard Trotsky

A Better Debate

On November 1, 2018 the League of Women Voters will host a debate between the candidates running in the NY Governor's race.  In the debate will be:
   Marc Molinaro of the Republican Party
   Howie Hawkins of the Green Party
   Larry Sharpe of the Libertarian Party
   Stephanie Miner, running as an independent and on the Serve America Movement line.

Governor Cuomo has been invited but has not committed to the debate. I doubt that he will.  It took half of forever for him to consent to a 1 on 1 debate with Marc Molinaro for PBS. 

It is great that the LWV is sponsoring this debate, with or without Cuomo.  They are standing up to the bully in the pulpit and refusing to play his game.  I wish that they would have had more debates than just this one. It would allow the candidates to better spell out their plans for the state and address the issues that affect the different regions of NYS. 

However,  I welcome the opportunity to hear the different voices, opinions, and ideas that these candidates have to offer.

Last time we had this many candidates it wound up  with Cuomo and the Republican opponent arguing over corruption in Albany while the Green & Libertarian candidates offered ideas on how to address issues that affect NY.

I hope for democracy's sake, it' not a bash Cuomo event, but instead a discussion of ideas on how to fix this mess we are in.

I would like for a socialist to be in the debate. The Green Party is as close as we are going to get.

Get ready & hopefully it is on the web & radio for all to hear.

Chasing the money trail

The Buffalo News posted a story today about money in politics & how much is being poured i to the state Senate races.

And it misses the point. Much as I expected it would.

It made a bit of a squeal about NYSUT - New York State United Teachers, a working class union with questionable leadership - and the money  & SuperPAC that it has.

First: the membership of NYSUT is made of of mostly NYS citizens that can actually vote in NY elections.  I know that along the borders there are teachers that come in from Pennsylvania,  Connecticut,   Massachusetts, and Vermont. These are a minority.  The majority of the members of the union are citizens that can vote in the elections. No reason to attack them at all.  They should be praised for their political activism. 

Now I can criticize the leadership of NYSUT for always supporting the Democrats and other issues,  like selling out on contract  negotiations in a number of instances.  I will refrain from that.  These are members of the working class getting active and supporting  policies that the capitalist owner of the News does not like, such as privatization of schools and mandated tests. Two policies with little to no evidence to show that they improve instruction and learning for the students and teachers.  Those policies are about making money for the 1%.

Second: the News fails to talk about all the fundraising that the politicians do out of state. Cuomo should not be visiting California for his campaign cash. New York alone or no go. And if the ads on tv, radio, & newspapers are too expensive, use the mail. You would get the same number of people paying attention as do now. I mute the tv or change the station when an ad comes on. Cost? High. Effectiveness? 0.

More important - the News should be highlighting the out of state groups that are raising money from people that can not vote in the election.  That is the real issue.  I can go to Project Vote Smart's OnPoint App,  look up a politician and see where they are gettingtheir money from. The Koch family has no interest in NY politics & should not be donating to the campaigns of NY politicians. Same with the Walton family & others.

If the news wants to make an issue of "dark money" - it needs to make an examination first of out of state money and groups and highlight the politicians that are accepting that money.  It touches on this a bit in the last few paragraphs with a mention about a realtor association in Chicago donating money to a candidate in Long Island.

Too little. Too late.  THAT is what this article should have been about.
The Buffalo News, as usual, blows it.
Then again, look at who owns it & his political agenda.

Chris Collins' Committment

Chris Collins is determined to keep his seat in Congress in spite of the federal indictment against him.  Many Democrats have been forced out of office over the MeToo movement without so much of a trial.  Yet Collins is insisting on doing the wrong thing by staying in the race in order to try and protect the corrupt president from impeachment.

Collins was indicted on insider trading accusations.  He did not personally benefit from the knowledge,  however his tip to associates saved them money whe  the stock tanked. This is the issue at stake.

Collins needs to suspend his campaign and step down from his position until the matter is resolved in Federal Court.
This is non negotiable.

A different candidate can be put forth and voters can use the write in capacity to vote for the other candidate. That's democracy.

A person is innocent until proven guilty. I do not see how Collins can represent his district adequately and prepare for the upcoming trial.

He needs to do what is right and step down now.

Put the Northern Access Pipeline off line

The Northen Access Pipeline is back on track, sadly.  This pipleline would run fracked gas from Pennsylvania across the Allegheny River (Ohiyo), over a watershed that serves as the sole source of water for Cattaraugus County, throuh wet lands, and other disasters just wait  to happen.

Pipelines have a 100% fail rate. They all break and leak.  The question is when? And where?

And National Fuel is prepeared to use the power of government  (eminent domain) to condemn and seize property to build this pipeline. 

Over the Allegheny/Ohiyo River? Just ruined water downstream all the way to the Mississippi.
Or into the Cattaraugus Creek? Lake Erie just took a shot of poison.
Or over the Cattaraugus watershed? Just ruined water for people from down in Pennsylvania all the way up to Rochester.

One more thing to remember  - this gas is destined for Canada, not us. Our land, water, and air is being threatened so that National Fuel can satisfy the dema ds of wall street for higher profits.  We get nothing out of this.

And it is fracked gas.  The most polluting and dangerous form of gas production. 

Trump's FERC approved this disaster waiting to happen. 
We can still fight.

WECAP is having a meeting in Salamanca, NY on November 5 at the Allegheny Community Center (3677 Administrative Drive.) at 6 PM.
Bring food, plates, and a friend and help fight to save our water from capitalist's deadly poisons.

Media fail on Violence

Rich wrote, as always, an eloquent response to the violence that we have witnessed in the last week.
Pipe bombs. A mass shooting at a Synagogue.

As I read a wide variety of criticism and comme ts on this topic I see a ton of false balance and misguided analysis.

False Balance: both sides do it.
The neo-nazis and the antifa movement both engage in violence.
Wrong. The neo-nazis, kkk, and other alt-right (wing & wrong) groups engage in far more violence than the antifa movement does.
The reactionary & conservative groups have an unchallenged monopoly on the violence that has occurred since the election of President Obama back in 2008.
Talk about that. In  bold depth and detail.
This is not a left/right,  liberal/conservative balance.  There is an imbalance of violence and hate speech from the conservative side.
We won't get that because most media in America is owned by conservatives & capitalists.
Conservatives rarely criticize their own and capitalists refuse to bite the hands that feed them.

Second: Misguided Analysis.
Comments on the violence refuse to focus onnthe hate and vitriol that comes out of the conservative media & talk shows.
Face the facts - the conservative movement has a monopoly on talk radio (because conservatives bought up the AM radio stations) and the content that is covered, etc.  The continuous racism and red baiting can only lead to violence.
They also fail to bring up the calls for violence that President Trump makes from the bully pulpit that the occupies and the he made during his campaign.
The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree and without addressing these issues, we will never see change.

Third: Let us remember that when trump was elected, the neo-nazis, kkk, and other racist groups celebrated.
Republicans said nothing about this.
Since trump's election these groups have seen and increase in membership & in violent activity according to the Southern Poverty Law Center and other organizations that track violence across America.
And the Republican Party has been silent on this.

The attacks that we have seen against African Americans, Jews, LGBTQI, and Women will not decrease or cease untilmthe media call out the culprits that are fanning the flames of hate in this country.

But as Les Moonves, former CEO of CBS, said - trump will be great for ratings (read profits) and terrible for America.
He called it. And did nothing to stop it.
Had the media done its job in the 2016 election, we would probably not be having this conversation right now or in this manner.
Well they failed us.
And the blood of how many is already on thier hands?
And how many more?

Words Matter

In light of the recent developments regarding the explosive devices found in mailboxes of members of the political establishment and at least one supporter, we see a valuable lesson to learn, the true power of words. 

The wording we use can be a very powerful tool to educate, it can on the contrary also be a powerful tool used to deceive. Words can bring unity, comradery, comfort and consolation, and they can also be used for more nefarious purposes. They can be used to divide, sew hate and misunderstanding, and bring forth division. Not all will have the same views and opinions, but how they're presented is the key to them being perceived with an open mind. Words can bring a sense of hope to the masses, or they can bring a resounding desperation. I was taught to never make decisions or speak while my emotions were in control and I was upset, and on more than one occasion I made that mistake much to my regret. I have yet to fully be able to utilize that skill, however I'm striving to perfect it.

Today we saw even further the dangers of what words can drive individuals to, innocent people were massacred in a Pittsburgh synagogue simply because they were Jewish. The murderer yelled "all Jews must die" as he indiscriminately opened fire on the worshipers in attendance. Now we'll see the media downplay any connection to his actions and the divisive rhetoric that has consistently flowed from the president.
Make no mistake, this is a display of the extreme negative that can come from the power of words. The words and wording used by individuals in positions of leadership must be carefully crafted, and used with the utmost caution and discipline as they bear tremendous weight to their staunchest supporters. They have a tremendous responsibility to carefully guard the wording they use as to prevent injustices from taking place behind the wording used. Clearly there are those in leadership positions who have no regard for the consequences of their careless wording, and innocent blood is being spilled on account of it.

We must come together as a united people, every hue of color, every race, religion, and creed and stand united in opposition to this hateful rhetoric and confront it head on. We must be united in our struggle to free ourselves of those who would oppress us and divide us based on ethnicity, religious belief, country of origin, and any other way utilized to keep us divided. We must unite in a mass of humanity of those seeking a better future for themselves and their children. I fear for what may be the result if we remain complacent, how many more will end up massacred?  We must abandon hope that any saviors will come from either party of the establishment, they've only served to pacify the anger of the masses when it reaches a fever pitch, there is no salvation nor freedom to be found with them. The only hope for genuine, legitimate change rests with those who stand in the firmest opposition to the system itself, those whom the system shuns from participating, as the establishment sees their end approaching, they dare not let them in. Those who function within the labor unions, as they hold within their hands the very power to paralyze the very economy itself if enough stand together in struggle.

It is with these brave individuals that the hope for a better tomorrow rests, and with those who stand in solidarity for the oppressed of any and all nations, with them is the glimmer of hope in an ever darkening world. This is the moment we need to stand together united and declare enough is enough, that we will not stand idly by and allow words of division and hate to dictate the course of our nation, our society, our world. Now we must utilize the power of words, to bring an end to the geyser of hate that has spewed forth from the bowels of the earth, we must use our words to drown out the words of intolerance and hate that we routinely hear. Words have tremendous power, and when enough utilize that power, it is virtually unstoppable.

Words have the power to cut like a knife, and they also have the power to mend wounds. Some may believe power is found in great wealth, but true power is found in words as they can instill significant influence over others. Words can be used to placate and appease the masses, and they can also be used to stir them to the brink of revolution. Let us use ours to change the world for the better.

Richard Trotsky

Trumpcare doesn't

Trump has made his worthless bid to try to control drug prices in the US.  He claims that we pay more for drugs because other countries pay less.

In reality, the 2 countries in the world that pay the most for drugs,  the USA and New Zealand, have one thing in common: Direct to Consumer Advertising.  If you go to Europe, you will not see or hear drug commercials or advertising because they won't allow it.  In the US we do.  That is 60% of the cost of the drugs. Development of the drug is less tha 10% according to some sources. And given that many drugs are based on research done at public universities,  I believe it.  R&D costs can be expensive. Nothing like adverstising costs on radio, tv, the internet, & print though.

And why is he bringi bringing this up now? Elections.  He & the Republicans are afraid of the threatened "Blue Wave" of Democrats that could seize power and (laugh) hold him accountable. As if they will impeach him with Pence as Vice President. We'd go from incompetent businessman to religious zealot. Neither one is good for leading this country.  And the fear of Kavanaugh being investigated & removed from the Supreme Court? I doubt that too.

This is all a sham and a scam.  The only true solution to this crisis is a Medicare for all system for insurance and public ownership of all medical research and production.  Capitalism is only about making money.  Any way they can & scam,  they will.

Until then,  we are at the mercy of talking heads and empty promises.
And the capitalists pay a ton of money for those talking heads.
It's another reason we suffer with high prices.

Bannon's blather.

Steve Bannon visited Elma yesterday to try and drum up support for the trump administration and agenda.   His goal was to get voters to vote for politicians that would support trump and his misguided & mistaken agenda.

Do trade wars that raise prices on the working class work for you?

Does giving tax breaks to multi- millionaires and billionaires that close US factories and send jobs overseas benefit you?

Does cutting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Secuirty, and other social programs benefit you?

Does increasing the military budget to buy weapons systems that don' t work and support wars that we don't need to be involved in work for you?

Does supporting racist policing policies work for you?

Does spouting off hate speech about LGBTQI people work for you?

Does attacking migrants work for you?  Especially when the policies of the US government is what creates the migrants innthe firtst place?

I can go on about the failures of the trump agenda.  It's all to easy.

And as much as I dislike the Republican party & it's agenda,  it really isn't much different than the Democratic party and it's agenda.
Remember that great promise of health care reform? The Affordable Care Act? Reminds me of Mitt Romney's Massachusetts health care plan  force people to buy private health insurance.  Solved nothing.
A real solution was single payer or Medicare for all.

The Yemen war was started by Obama and Trump is continuing it.  Will the Democrats reign in the disastrous capitalist foreign policy that we follow?
Doubt it.
I know there is so much more to add to this criticism.
Switching from republicans to democrats won't change much, if anything because the capitalists controls the halls of power.

We need a socialist revolution or actual socialists running for government to make the changes that we need in order to change the path that this country is on.
Fred Linck is running, or trying to, in Connecticut and the guardians of the gateway are doing every3they can to keep him off the ballot.

Other socialists are running but on the Democratic line & are selling out to the Democrats and the DNC in order to get on the line.
Unacceptable.

We need to change the way the elections work so that we have real democracy in this country.

 

WNY is no place for hate

Elma had the misfortune to be the host of alt-right (and always wrong) fearmonger Loose Cannon Steve Bannon.

For the record: alt-right is politically correct speak for neo-nazi, racist, and any other fear living epithet that you can think of.  There is no love in these people.  They live in a fantastic, fictional, and romanticized past that never was and never will be.  They are on the wrong side of history with their lies and distorted views.

He spoke at the Elma Fire Hall, as per his First Amendment Rignts.  Even if what he says is factually challenged and has no basis in reality.

Please don't get me started about how Wall Street is not the economy, how the 1% can not save us, and how caucasians are equal to every other race on this planet.  And for what it is worth, and no one can seem to answer this question, when did America stop being great? 
Alone we are nothing. When we work as a team of equals, we succeed beyond our wildest dreams.

Smart Republican politicians were wise to stay away from the event. Carl PaladiNo was there. (Someone should remind him of all the tax breaks his company has been given over the years. He is far from a self made man. By the way - we're still waiting for the promised jobs. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for him to deliver. Jesus will return first. Or Mohammed. Or the Messiah will come. Or...)

Bannon has his roots in the post Vietnam Era where the USA lost a war it never should have fought. 58,000 died in theatre & many more  died from Agent Orange poisoning, drug addiction, alcoholism, suicide, & other unnatural causes.  Then there are the 1+ million Vietnamese people that died and still suffer to this day from their War of Independence.  He saw the disaster of the attempt to rescue the American Embassy personnel.  If The United States  government would have respected democracy in Iran & Vietnam, these disasters would never have take  place.  (Sad to say,  America speaks about democracy, it does not support any ones' right to it.)  He is not wise enough to see this and holds the anger of a misguided foreign policy in his head and the fear of losing in his heart.  He also fails to see how corporate capitalism  is destroying this country.  This drives him to live the fear in his life every day.

We do not need this fear in WNY.

We are a proud multi- cultural society that is learning  (or trying to) from the past and moving on to a bigger,  better, and brighter future.  We recognize that immigrants bring new life to this  country. We recognize differences in people as strengths. We value the lives of all and see that when one is denied their rights,  it hurts all of us.

He can spout what he wants. We need to see it for what it is: Fear.

And fear can  ever give life.
It only takes it away.

Bannon isn't here to save our country.  He is here to destroy it from  within.
As a history major in college,  I know that the end of a country always begins from within.
And we had the poison that will destroy US in in WNY.

Familiar slam. No dunk.

True to form, Republican candidates are using the Solar City / Tesla factory as a whipping boy for Democratic candidates.
Predictable and boring.

Comptroller candidate Jonathan Trichter went after Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli over the Buffalo Billion.  And we all know that the Buffalo Billion is nothing but a capitalist scam.  It's an example of a public - private partnership.   The public pays all the bills and private companies reap and keep all the profits.  It could be built by the public and run as a cooperative, but that never enters the discussion.  Coops don't donate money to political campaigns. 

What is this really? A failure of capitalism.  Cost over runs that opponents always bring up?  Can we talk about over runs in the military budget?  Yes,  I know it's a state issue vs a federal issue.  However,  when bringing up fiscal responsibility the Republican party doesn't have a leg to stand upon with how they have run up the deficit & want to put the costs on tbe back of the working class. 

And Elon Musk is known for big talk, small walk.  His electric cars are ... I'm still waiting to see one here in WNY. I doubt it could handle the snow.  (Frozen battery anyone?)  We have an how many regional colleges with Engineering Departments that could do the R&D.  Many more that have Business Departments that could handle the management. Much of our solar technology is coming out of colleges, so why not let them handle it?

The big problem that Republicans have with the project is that they were not in power when the project was announced and they did not propose the funding scheme that freely gave tax dollars to private corporations without accountability or oversight.  There are a plethora of examples from other states where Republicans gave tax dollars to private companies and the projects went bust.  And they defend it by talking about the failures of the private companies and not Republican leadership.

Instead of wasting our tax dollars on these capitalist get rich quick schemes,  we need to help workers develop their own companies that can compete and grow.  We do not need capitalist saviors that take our tax dollars out of town and state.  We need to develop our own talent that keeps the profits in our own communities.

No sunshine here Trichter.
Just another Republican trick.

End the game on the Compact

NY has a double standard when it comes to dealing with the First Nations peoples and honoring treaties.
It likes to read the treaty in question in a way that benefits NY government and screws over everyone else.

Case and point: The Casino Compact which has vefy specific language on how long the Seneca Nation is to pay a percentage of proceeds to NY. Next to none of the money that was paid to NY came back to Niagara Falls, Buffalo Creek, or Salamanca.  To NY that is not the issue.  The Upsate casinos are a cash cow for buying NYC loyalty at election time.

And the language of the Compact spelled out how long the Seneca Nation would have to pay a dividend. It also prohibited NY from opening up private casinos in this region.

NY, specifically Governor Cuomo, sees the situation different from the language of the Compact and, true to form, found ways to violate the Compact and punish areas with casinos if they accepted money from the Seneca Nation.

The violation was the opening of the private casinos. (From what I hear they  are not doing well. The Nation Casinos are better run and more established. Plus the entertainment line ups. Not that I advocate gambling, but the concert lines are amazing &  my friends tell me that the seating  is nice.  One of these years I will go to the Native American Music Awards.)

The punishment is that NY will reduce state aid by however much money the Seneca Nation gives to the various communities.

This is an insult to the Seneca Nation, which has been lied to and cheated out of land, benefits, and rights whenever government gets a chance.
It is also an insult to the communities that are struggling without the money that the Seneca Nation is holding for them until arbitration is decided. This is money that is needed for schools, roads, and other public services.

NY needs to back down and honor the Casino Compact. Instead of twisting treaty interpretation to suit the needs of Albany politicians,  it needs to honor the Compact, close the illegal Upstate casinos, or turn them over to the Seneca and Cayuga Nations, and allow the money that being held for the various communities to be released without penalty to the communities of Salamanca, Niagara Falls, and Buffalo Creek.

Chris Collins needs to go

Congressman Chris Collins is unfit to serve in government. Period.
If he were a Democrat, he would have been drummed right out of office.
Look at the Democrats in  Congress that left because of the MeToo movement.
Other politicians have left office because of insider trading issues.

However, he is a Republican and that means a different  standard must be put up. 
Rare is it that Republicans leave office quietly after being indicted.
And I know that an indictment does not mean guilty, but look at the evidence that his associated benefited from knowledge that he had.

However,  the capitalist class needs its pawns, & Chris Collins is all too willing to throw his constituents under the bus for the 1%.

When he did drop out of the race, it was very telling that the replacement candidate was going to  be chosen behind closed doors by the regional party elite rather than holding a special election to determine the interests of the voters.  I do not write that as supporting the Republican Party but more in supporting the principles of democracy.  The people need to decide, not party elites. It is i teresting to see that the smoke filled room extends far beyond the hallls of power in Albany. They infect the gerrymandered districts all around us.

And the running scared mentality of the party by bringing in the extremist agitator "Loose cannon" Steve Bannon to rally the party faithful & true believers was a poor choice & a disaster in  the making.  We do not need racist agitators in WNY.  Wherever he shows,  democratic minded individuals  (note the small "d") need to protest his presence. 

I do not endorse his opponent  at all. I am not i  the district and will not do so. We all know that the Democrats & Republicans are the two faces of the capitalist class.

In any event,  he needs to drop out & let the voters decide who shall represent the district.

Disrespecting democracy

Tonight the 2 representatives of the capitalist political system will engage in the 1 and only debate of the entire election season.

The Democratic  Governor, Andrew "Status" Cuomo will engage with the Republican candidate Marc Molinaro over who is best suited to represent the capitalist class in the halls of power in Albany. 

I have several problems with this.

1. Only  1 debate?  There are 5 different regions in NY: NY City, the Capitol  Region, Northern NY, Syracuse, & WNY.  I'm sure others could break it down even more. One could argue for Rochester & Binghamton to be regions as well.  I am targeting major media markets.  However the two listed are fair suggestions.  In any event,  these different regions have differences in their needs based on their economic drivers & social make up.  Lenin recognized this in 1917 whe n he called for "Land, bread, & peace."  One debate will not address all the differences that this state has. Not in economics. Not in race. Not in gender. Nothing.

2. Noted by their absence are the 2 minor party candidates that were present in the last 2 debates.  The Green Party candidate of Howie Hawkins & the Libertarian Party candidate of Larry Sharpe.  They were included in previous debates but, for some reason, are not needed this time.  While I can criticize the Green Party for its defence of green/environmental capitalism and the Libertarian Party for its defence of unregulared capitalism, the  greater issue that that they are being excluded from the debate for whatever reason.  The electorate is being denied access to information about who is running for the offfice of governor.  And if you check the corporate owned media,  neither one will be mentioned. This is despite the fact that in the last gubernatorial election that the Green Party netted 175,000 votes.  That is 3 times what Presidential Candidate Dr Jill Stein won in 2012 or 2016, if memory serves me correctly.

And what will they discuss? Molinaro will attack the capitalist corruption in Albany & the failures of the Buffalo Billion, etc. Ad nauseum. Yes, we are sick of it all.
And Status Cuomo will make this about President (sic & sick) Donald Trump, Molainaro's inexperience,  and other Republican failures in Albany.

Neither candidate will discuss the failure of capitalism and the capitalist class in meeting the needs of the working class in this state.

Neither will discuss racism, sexism, climate change, the failure of the education system, or anything that really matters to the working class.

I will watch the discussion between the two faces of capitalism.
I'm not expecting anything great to be said.

The only thing that gives me hope is that people will wake up to the lies of capitalism & throw off the chains one day.

Celebrating Socialism

On November 5th the Eugene V Debs Initiative will be hosting a celebration of socialism at the Adam Mikiewicz Library & Dramatic Circle.  It is located at 612 Fillmore Avenue in Buffalo.    It starts at 6 PM & goes until 10 PM.  It will include a showing of a film about Debs created by Bernie Sanders. Hopefully there will be food & drinks. I know they have a bar there.

Attemding will be many groups that share one thing in common - the end goal of creating a socialist society.

America has a strong history of socialism going back before the Civil War, if one includes the unknown & unread writings of Thomas Paine.  People do not know about this history because of the way textbooks are written.  See James W Loewen Lies My Teacher Told Me for how textbooks are written.  Let us remember that the capitalist class owns the press & media.  And that great aphorism is true: Freedom of the press is guaranteed to those that own a press.  The internet should be the great equalizer, but the capitalists own the major search engines & social media constructs.

So, take the time to come down to the Library and meet with like minded individuals & organizations.  We may disagree on methods, but our goals are the same: a just society for all.

I hope to see & meet you there.

Solidarity.