Tuesday, October 12, 2010

7,220 Days

What can you do in 7,220 days?

You could possibly pay off a mortgage.

You could complete K-12 and a year (maybe two) of college.

You could witness 4 (or 5) U.S. Presidents hold office.

You could grow up and get married and have a child by now.

You could build a reputation.

You could make a career out of being a member of the NYS Assembly. (Or Senate)


7,220 days ago:

East and West Germany finally became one nation.

The Gulf War/Operation Desert Storm began.

The I.R.A. was committing terrorist attacks in Ireland and the U.K.

Rodney King was severely and savagely beaten by the L.A.P.D.

Boris Yeltsin became President of Russia.

Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested.

Sonic the Hedgehog!

The Dead Sea Scrolls are released for public viewing.

Magic Johnson announces he has H.I.V.

Journalist Terry Anderson is released after being held as a hostage in Beirut for 7 years.

Miles Davis, Freddie Mercury, Sylvia Porter, Michael Landon, Redd Foxx, Dr. Seuss, Harry Reasoner, and Frank Capra all died.

Joe Morelle was elected to the NYS Assembly.

Yes, historic and epic things happened in 1991. Unfortunately, Joe Morelle's election and ensuing representation of the citizens of the 132nd district isn't one of them.

I've recently seen the television ads from Morelle - how he's working hard in Albany creating jobs and lowering taxes - how he's voted against the budget the last two years......never mentioning his long and lauded career in Albany. Not once. Also curiously absent from any of the mailers and ads is the mention of "Democrat". I'm proud to be a Democrat.......why isn't Joe? He certainly mentioned it in previous elections......but not this election. Interesting.

He also didn't mention (in the ad) how he'd "always rather be back in Rochester" than in Albany working on the Budget, and how it is "incumbent upon" him to "return" if they are called into session to work on the budget and how he "Hopes he can finally persuade 32 Senators to vote for the final bill necessary to complete the budget - and go back home..."....you know.....that budget he claims in his ad that he voted against the last two years?

How can he vote against a budget and want to persuade the Senators to vote for a final bill to complete same said budget? Isn't that talking out of both sides of his mouth? Saying one thing and doing another? How can he persuade people to do something that he supposedly isn't doing himself? He's been doing that a lonnnnnnnnnnnng time. Too long. 7,220 days (as of today) to be accurate.

The below video is from the State of Politics from August 2010 - not that long ago.

Here is a portion of the video that speaks VOLUMES to me.
At around the 5:25 mark of the video where Joe is talking about the Senators vote on the budget(remember, the Assembly did not get a budget to the Senate until the end of June) and about meeting them half way or part of the way to persuade them to vote on the budget (that he supposedly didn't support)- Joe Morelle clearly says:

"To NOT do that....to let it go on much longer...I think is really imperiling the political fortunes of a lot of members of the legislature...." and as an afterthought he mentions that the taxpayers should be his first consideration.

Thanks, Joe. Thanks for that comment. It was extremely enlightening to me. I know what your first concern is. The political fortunes of the members of the legislature.

Noted!



I also saw one of your mailers.



Hilarious! "Don't you hate it when people go over the limit?"

Ummmm.....yeah! 20 items or 20 years in Albany - it's over the damn limit. I like the "10 or less" line, but I prefer, above all, the "5 or less" express lane. That goes for him and every one of his fellow lawmakers.

In his mailer, he says: "Our State spends too much, taxes too much, and does too little to create the economic opportunities our families need."

No kidding. What bills has he sponsored or co-sponsored to lower taxes or create economic opportunities? What spending cuts did he propose for the budget?

He never mentions any in his mailers or television ads. After almost 20 years in the Assembly.....I would think there would be SOMEthing for him to brag about in the "cut spending/lower taxes/create jobs" department besides "I voted against the last two budgets."

No?

Nothing? Nada? Zip?

Oh wait.....I forgot......he did push through mayoral control legislation to take away the voting rights of the city residents who want to elect their school boards.

He also wants to choose the next Mayor of Rochester in a special election......instead of using an interim Mayor and having a November 2011 election so the voters can decide.

See, Joe thinks he's not part of the problem in Albany - he thinks he can be the solution. Even though he's running for (incredibly) his ELEVENTH TERM IN OFFICE - he's not part of the problem. Is the ELEVENTH time a charm? I mean, after 10 terms in office, the 11th one is when he's going to do something about the mess in Albany? Really? We should believe that?

In his mailer he says he is "determined to change the way state government does business".

After TEN TERMS (20 years) of "business as usual" from Joe Morelle, I highly doubt that.

Here's another mailer:




Joe is talking with regular, everyday resident Irena Scoglio who also is the VP of the Library Board and Chair of the Irondequoit Democratic Committee and leader of the Seniors First Committee. I wonder if they were talking about consolidating the libraries - or maybe they were talking about how Libby Post was doing on the campaign website she is designing for Neil Breslin? Maybe they were talking about the property taxes in Irondequoit, and how there's no problem with them? John Perticone said the taxes were fine.

"But Irondequoit Town Councilman John Perticone, also in the crowd, said he has not heard a lot of people complaining about property taxes in his town. “I think our taxes are fine,” he said, adding that residents don’t want to lose services."

Geez, Irondequoit, your taxes are fine! Stop whining!

Prior Approval - Joe's great savings to the citizens of Monroe County. Did he mention how politics play a part in how high or low the rates are? During election years the rates don't go up much - but after elections they usually skyrocket to make up for it. Curious, isn't it?

Here are the 32 day pre-general contributions to Morelle:

Individual:


A few notable donors.....
Dewey & LeBoeuf - global law firm with NYC HQ that just "expanded it's Middle East presence" with an office in Abu Dhabi (according to their website). How nice.

Gerstman Schwartz - Long Island lawyers.

Israel, Israel, & Purday - Lawyers for health care providers.

Manatt, Phelps, & Phillips - more lawyers for health care, entertainment, media & advertising etc., which happens to be the firm that John Faso is a partner in, and they recently made a deal in the pension probe.

Corporate:


You can see that it's mostly insurance and health industry related.


Other Monetary:



More insurance and health industry related.


In Kind:



Transfers Out:




Expenditures/Payments:





As a part-time Assemblyman, it is imperative that you eat at as many restaurants as you can in order to work hard on that legislation to lower taxes and create jobs.....otherwise, you might imperil your political fortunes....err....I mean.....taxpayers! Yeah. The taxpayers.


Same ol' same ol' .....for the past 20 years.

11 comments:

cheri said...

Hellllloooooo Jax!

Wow, 20 years equates to 7,220 days. I loved reading some of the things that happened 20 years ago.

So Joe said -
"To NOT do that....to let it go on much longer...I think is really imperiling the political fortunes of a lot of members of the legislature...."

Oh yes, the political fortunes of the members of the legislature. I sit awake nights worrying about that. ;)

That was the first thing that came to his mind? How gross is that?

What's hilarious is watching Joe Morelle campaign with mailers/TV and see how he's trying to separate himself from what he's been doing the last 20 years.

Good Luck with that, better get out the extra operatives. To bad Heyman isn't Supervisor anymore Joe. You could have put one of your helpers on the Town tax rolls again.

Or maybe Joe could ride in on the white horse waving $125,000 for Pinegrove. You know the money promised for King's Park Senior Center and then he took it away when the vote didn't go his way.

Oh yes, Joe 20 year Morelle. Perfect example of why we need term limits. Love to look at Morelle's financial disclosure statement page, after page, after page.

Joe quote "he's determined to change the way state government does business."

Hilarious! How do the people on his campaign write this stuff? He's been in 20 years. If he hasn't changed state government by now, when would that be happening?

I think the voters are smarter than this. Joe must think everyone is pretty dumb. I hope people come out in droves to prove to him that they are a lot smarter than he gives them credit for.

If not you're right Jax, it will be the same ol' same ol'!

Foils_for_irondequoit said...

"Oh yes, the political fortunes of the members of the legislature. I sit awake nights worrying about that. ;)"

Me too!

Those poor legislators. Working part time and being paid $79k a year....per diems....good bennies....members of committees.....donations from many special interests.

I worry too about their political fortunes.

Wonder how that successful business of his is doing.....MMI Technologies....seeing as though it didn't pull in any income last year.

It's gotta be tough....working on all that legislation to cut spending, reduce taxes, and create jobs....and for 20 years besides!

Wonder how he does it all?

cheri said...

Jax,
You must not forgot about all of Joe's luncheon and dinner engagements.

How taxing all of those meals must be. Paid for by campaign donations. :)

There is only so much time and so many lunches to be ate.

Political fortunes and special interest and lunches - Oh My!

Foils_for_irondequoit said...

I wonder if Mathew Lewis will make an appearance at some point this election?

Tee-hee.

cheri said...

Oh I remember Mathew Lewis who doesn't exist!

Priceless!

Forgot about that. Shameless impersonation!

Remember Irena's address (library board member and co-chair of the IDC) on the pretend "Seniors First" fliers that the Irondequoit Democratic Committee paid for?

Oh the deceit down Memory Lane! :)

cheri said...

So the latest Morelle mailer has Irena's (library board member-Seniors First Committee addressy for mailings- Chair of the Irondequoit Democratic Committee)picture on the front of it.

All these residents and the picture is one of the heads of the IDC?!

The mailer is about Joe Morelle taking on the insurance companies. Cough-Cough-Cough!

Now by taking on, does he mean taking on MORE campaign contributions? His financial disclosure statement reads like a catalog of money from insurance companies!

Spare me Joe!

Foils_for_irondequoit said...

I just put up that mailer under the other one, along with a link to the article where Perticone says the taxes are fine in Irondequoit.

lol

cheri said...

From Capital Connection- Albany
the writer says- "In what felt like a scripted scene, a crowd assembled in front of a home on Washington Avenue."

Yes, right across the street from John Perticone. What a coincidence.
A scripted scene it sure was.

Kind of like the day the Heyman crew had the press conference over at King's Park. Scripted and controlled and you were lucky if you found out one hour prior that it was happening. Morelle rode in on the white horse that day waving $125,000 IF residents voted to go to King's Park.

When the vote went the other way, Joe took his money back and it wasn't used to fix up Pinegrove.

So the money REALLY wasn't for the Seniors it was for King's Park and ONLY King's Park.

John Perticone doesn't think we have HIGH taxes!?! Really?
How out of touch is he!?!

kcomella said...

You know, if it was not for it being the weekend ... I would be running for the couch. Seriously. I would.

I have had about all I can take of Irena, and her running to the rescue for Joe Morelle. She's obviously loyal ... obviously supportive of her party ... obviously one of the head cheerleaders for Joe Morelle - and for alll we know, she could be a great dancer too - (who knows!)

But Irena, again and again, and again? ... seriously.

Geez, Louise, you mean to tell me that out of 52,000 residents ... Joe Morelle could not find a *real* common resident? He HAD to pick the his treasurer (or is she co-chair now ... jeesh, I cant follow her around) from the IDC ... his committee chair from his "seniors first" flakiest-fake crap from the permissive referendum, last year ... his "placement" from the library board (I could go on forever, but wont)

Ah, Irena .... again. I am so over stimulated, I do not even know where to begin. Or end.

Where are Joe's 51, 999 other residents in Irondequoit ... you mean to tell me that he could not find one ... one-one-one ... (1) ... ONE! ... fresh-new face to take a pic with ... for a mailing? (yikes!)

kcomella said...

Cheri had written -
John Perticone doesn't think we have HIGH taxes!?! Really?
How out of touch is he!?!


... as I reach to write from the floor, from under my desk -

We pay close to the highest taxes in the country.

Psst ... John, please - you are scaring the crap out of me. Please retract that quote the minute you have a chance. Please. It will could come back to bite you .... no, it will be back to bite you (as my mouth is attracting flies after reading that!)

cheri said...

Hey Kate, not only did Joe have all of Irondequoit to choose from. He also could have chosen somebody from Brighton or parts of the city in his district.

Instead it's Irena again......

All of the Assembly Candidates are highlighted in the D&C today. They are asked 3 of the same questions.

Just love Joe's reply to the question- "Do you support leadership change in the state Assembly?"

He doesn't answer yes or no of course.

His reply is "I will support a speaker who is committed to the upstate economy and addressing our unique needs."

What?! That doesn't answer the question. Well we all knew that Joe couldn't say NO to his Best Bud - Sheldon Silver!

What a laugh! Joe is an entrenched, career politician that only cares about himself. He's not planning on fixing anything. All he keeps saying over and over and over is that he hasn't voted for the last 2 budgets.

How about the 18 before that Joe? Nothing is going change as long as good old Shelly is still in there. :(