Archive for October 26th, 2008
The Economy And Potholes
Remember former U.S. Sen. Al D’Amato (R-NY)? He was known as Senator Pothole because his staff was so adept at responding to constituent needs, even if they were calling about local issues such as potholes in the road.
A conversation I had last night with a friend who works for a local municipality’s highways crew brought D’Amato to mind. He was telling me about how some people are impatient with the time it takes for the crews to get out and repair, with their limited resources, the potholes they report to the township.
I commented that they better get used to it. It’s only going to get worse.
The New York Times reports today that the downturn in the economy is causing people to tighten their belts. They are buying fewer goods and services. So businesses that supply them are laying employees off.
As businesses close and homes foreclose, more and more real estate will be producing less and less property tax revenues. Laid off workers translates into reduced income taxs revenues. Meaning that local services, like pothole repairs, will suffer.
It’s a new economy and a new reality that still hasn’t fully evolved. Remember that the next time you’re at the Goodyear store replacing a blown tire or getting them to fix a bent rim.
Jews Warned Vote For Obama Could Lead To Another Holocaust
HARRISBURG, PA – I’m back in Pennsylvania, a swing state in this election, and I’m learning about an e-mail that went out to some Jewish voters from a Republican organization here warning them to not vote for Barack Obama. The e-mail says that would be making the same mistake that led to the Holocaust.
The Republican Party of Pennsylvania is repudiating the mailing, which it says it did not authorize. The e-mail was signed by the Republican Federal Committee of PA – Victory 2008. CampaignMoney.com, a non-partisan site that tracks contributions to federal political campaigns, lists the group as a political action committee based in Harrisburg at 717 N. 2nd Street, the same address as the state Republican Party.
According to the Associated Press which received a copy from the Democratic Party, the e-mail reads, in part, “Many of our ancestors ignored the warning signs in the 1930s and 1940s and made a tragic mistake. Let’s not make a similar one this year!”
These are politics of fear, designed to scare Jewish voters who might be inclined to cast their ballots for Obama into voting for John McCain. It, like many of the negative campaign tactics employed by members of both parties, is distasteful and reprehensible.
It’s a real shame that, with heightened interest in this presidential campaign, opportunities to address the issues have been squandered in favor of campaign slogans and character assassinations. The number of encounters I’ve had with voters who don’t even know where Obama and McCain stand on key issues is disturbing. Sadly, many people are basing their decisions on who to vote for for president on appearances and impressions rather than on facts.
Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania state GOP deserves credit for quickly disavowing the e-mail and firing the person who wrote it.
