Anyone who believes that Mr. Amedore is in Albany to change things might be asking the same questions I have.
The following is exactly what I sent to Mr. Amedore with the subtraction of my own personal e-mail address and my home address.
(see more comments after the letter)
From: KEVIN MARCH
Subject: I'm confused, Mr. Amedore
To: AmedoreG@assembly.state.ny.us
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2008, 3:46 PM
Mr. Amedore,
I realize that you have been in your position for almost a year and will, I assume, be running for re-election this coming November. I was one who pushed quite strongly for you during your election campaign, including going out on Election Day knocking on doors and putting up doorhangers. I pushed for you for several reasons. Some of these reasons are as follows: We're overtaxed, gas prices were high, and you were supposedly for lower taxes throughout the state, as well as smaller government.
Now, that being said, I am quite confused with some of the things that you have done since you have been in office. I received a mailer at home, which stated that you helped to increase coverage for children's health insurance through Child Health Plus (Chips). Wouldn't it be smarter and better for your constituents, the taxpayers of Schenectady and Montgomery Counties, if they could keep this money in their pockets to spend on their own health insurance?
Also, I realize that only since Mid-May, the Republicans were pushing for a gas tax holiday starting on Memorial Day. Now, while I realize that Governor Paterson is against this as he stated that he thinks that "Big Oil" would just take the extra profits, I would have thought this would be something that you would have been pushing for before you got to 10 months into your position. Now, I realize that we may not be able to get the taxes fully removed from this for ANY time this summer, so isn't it about time to see if there are ways that we could bring down some of the taxes on this, such as fees that are charged per tanker or per gallon, other than the sales tax, hence reducing the price per gallon to the end customer?
Then there's the Schenectady Metroplex that you, Mr. Tedisco and Mr. Farley all stated that you are supporting the "home-rule" on this issue. The Schenectady Metroplex, a group that taxes money from citizens and visitors of Schenectady County and redistributes them to local businesses. I can only think of one word that this group can be described as...Communism. I cannot see where anyone who considers themselves a conservative could even think of voting for something that is this far from their base of cutting taxes and relieving the taxpayers of the burden.
Living in one of the top 10 taxed counties in the United States of America, I thought that we were getting someone into office that would help to reduce some of that burden.
I would like to know, with this type of track record over the past year, what would be the good reason for me to vote for you in your re-election this November? I don't think that I see any difference in how any of these votes would have gone if we had an elected Democrat in the office? What reason could you give me for not (for the first time in my life) voting for a Democrat when it comes time for the election? Maybe I should let others make the decision and decide when I go in to vote, not pick a selection under the Assembly District column, essentially letting the rest of the district's decide who they think is best?
Now is the time to start making changes to this, turn around what has been happening. Whether what you (and your constituents) want to happen actually is approved not, at least it would show that you are voting with your conscience. Maybe it’s time to start with cutting some of the programs that you have approved in your short tenure in office.
A confused taxpayer,
Kevin March
To this date, I have not received a response. I have, however, received a sign to place on my lawn for the upcoming election. Attached to it (since they just dropped it off while I wasn't home), was a note with Mr. Amedore's letterhead stating that he had a record that I put up a sign for him last year and he was hoping he could count on my support again this year.
The fact is, if I wanted one up, I still have the same signs left from last year still sitting in my garage. I have actually decided that I will put up the sign at the speed of government. That is, I will wait after the receipt of an answer that I agree with one day for every day it takes his office to respond. Since I originally sent the letter to Mr. Amedore on July 31st and have not yet received an answer, that brings the date that I would put up the sign currently to October 17th. That would give him 18 days from today (September 26th) to have any chance of having the sign up, even on election day.
I don't really even know if I can bring myself to put it up at this point. Maybe I'll just wait until after the primaries tomorrow to find out who the Democratic nominee is and contact him for a sign. Don't be surprised if you see it on my lawn. I'm SURE it would surprise some people, especially those who know my political ideology.
1 comments:
There are few state figures that have stood up against taxes, toll hikes, and mismanagement more than George Amedore. I too got a flier in the mail, but this one told me that he voted against over $1 billion in new taxes and fees. Hardly the sort of brash liberalism being referred to.
Libelous postings to the contrary stem more from misplaced angst than fro actual facts. Snide letters are infrequently look for honest answers, as they have already come to their own conclusion. Last I checked, oppressive Communist regimes do not exist in Schenectady County, which would explain why we still have our First Amendment right to write for everyone else to see.
In light of the long history of Schenectady, Metroplex is but a vapor. Political ideology aside, something had to be done in Schenectady almost ten years ago because doing nothing was not an option. There are going to be times when our elected officials have to do what is right for the public good. Ensuring the perpetuation of Schenectady County development is one of those things. Now, I do not think that Metroplex should continue indefinably in its current form, and I know George Amedore feels the same, but why stop one of the few things that have worked based purely on ideology. This myopic divide has contributed to more mistakes than one should have to count.
Businesses are investing in Schenectady with their own money and bringing in new jobs. Economic development entities like Metroplex provide a needed spark for new businesses to come in, other businesses follow and our tax base expands. The end justifies the means in this case and the long-term benefit outweighs whatever notion of political ideological one may have.
In addition, a system like Child Health Plus may not be the hallmark of small government, but it sure does a lot for hardworking families in this state. Health insurance for individuals is expensive enough, but when you add the cost of an entire family, it becomes clear that an alternate option is needed. These families do not get a free handout, they pay into the system just like many others who receive coverage through employers. I suppose the alternative would be to ignore preventative health and stick to treating only illness instead. We all know that the latter is a far less economical choice for everyone.
There is a lot of waste, and we do have high taxes, but most of this is due to lawmakers who seek to spend more than we are able to provide. That is not George Amedore. Suggesting that a Democrat would somehow ameliorate the tax situation, especially one known for numerous increases, is simply outrageous.
For anyone that thinks that rampant hyperbole produces a convincing argument or that lawmakers just have to snap their fingers to make you happy...this is a Rotterdam reality check!
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