Paradox inside an Enigma: Engage Mid-Hudson's Puzzling Kickoff

I submitted this piece to The Lincoln Eagle early this morning. 

Newburgh, NY, July 30--Lincoln Eagle exclusive.  About 200 people, mostly town-and-county-level politicians and bureaucrats, descended upon the Newburgh campus of Orange County Community College to participate in Engage Mid-Hudson's kickoff.  Engage Mid-Hudson is one of 10 regional sustainability groups that Governor Andrew Cuomo has funded through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The mid-Hudson region extends north from Westchester through Rockland, Putnam, and Orange, to Dutchess and Ulster Counties.  Co-chairs David Church, planning commissioner of Orange County, and Thomas Madden, commissioner of community development and sustainability for the Town of Greenburgh, led the meeting. 

Assemblyman Frank Skartados, representing the Newburgh (100th) Assembly District, offered a few opening remarks. He thought that Engage Mid-Hudson is out to streamline government.  A paradox became evident a few minutes later when Mr. Church divulged that Governor Andrew Cuomo had spent $100 million to fund the 10 regional sustainability groups (according to NYSERDA's website the booty was split evenly across the 10 regions).  I asked Mr. Church whether the aim of streamlining government is consistent with eight-digit slush funds.  Mr. Church's answer was that the endowment reflects the voters' will, even though the senior elected official present, Mr. Skartados, had just expressed a preference for streamlining government. Also, since the majority of New York residents in my lifetime have fled the state because of excessive costs and mismanagement, it is difficult to know whose preferences Mr. Cuomo has in mind: waste's victims or its progenitors. 

A second paradox followed.  Engage Mid-Hudson bills itself as open to public opinion, but a number of pro-freedom activists were present, and they called out questions during Mr. Church's talk.  Mr. Church handled the disagreement well, but several members in the audience began to berate the pro-freedom activists.  One, whom one of the freedom activists alleged is the owner of a green development firm that stands to profit from Engage Mid-Hudson, suggested to Mr. Church that the freedom activists be banned from future meetings.  It would seem that owners of businesses that stand to directly profit from Engage Mid-Hudson should be required to identify themselves at the beginning of meetings.  It seems as likely as not that Engage Mid-Hudson is just one more Democratic Party scam, like Maurice Hinchey's green development follies and Barack Obama's bailouts.   

A third paradox became evident when Mr. Church announced six working groups, including one for economic development.  Herb Oringel, an IBM retiree and chair of the economic development consortium, claimed that Engage Mid-Hudson could bring jobs to the region. Activist Glenda Rose McGee asked what kind of jobs could a tax-based bureaucracy like Engage Mid-Hudson create.  The question was a good one.  Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson explains why the broken window fallacy, an economic fallacy that has re-gained currency under the Bush and Obama administrations, is incorrect.  Government cannot make work by breaking windows.  The reason is that to pay for the broken window repair someone must be taxed.  The taxed money reduces private sector demand.  By advocating government spending and higher taxes, groups like Engage Mid-Hudson destroy legitimate jobs, jobs that satisfy legitimate market demand, and replace them with jobs that reflect the needs of politicians and special interests.  

Mr. Oringel's response to Ms. McGee was not reassuring. His chief example of jobs creation was the turning of Sing Sing Correctional Facility into a tourist attraction.  I would feel better if a private developer were to take the project because Mr. Oringel's IBM experience has not prepared him to assess market risk of this kind. For example, might Steve Wynn be willing to take gambling up the river? Engage Mid-Hudson and Governor Cuomo don't know. Since they are not going to invest their own money, they don't care in the same way that Steve Wynn would. There is little difference between Mr. Oringel's project and window breaking. 

In a question-and-answer period Ms. McGee raised a further point: regional sustainability plans are likely a pretext for more intensive intervention and regulation. In particular, the Towns of Woodstock, Olive and Saugerties have seen proposals for the construction of unneeded planned housing projects tightly linked to sustainability plans.   

I raised a question as to Engage Mid-Hudson's identity.  I asked whether it is a government organization or a non-government organization.  Mr. Church said that it is neither. This was a fourth paradox because if Engage Mid-Hudson is neither a government nor a non-government organization, then it does not exist and it cannot cash NYSERDA's $10 million check. Tsk, tsk--a Zen-like conundrum any green business crony can ponder.

Rife with paradox the meeting was unpersuasive.  What is the purpose of Engage Mid-Hudson beyond providing funding for crooked, green businesses?  In Canada and elsewhere NGOs have been used to subvert republican governmental structures and regulatory authority. In the tradition of New York's honest graft, are we to expect just one more deal in the Plunkitt tradition or a more serious incursion on republicanism?

Letter from Mayor Ed Koch Supporting George Phillips for Congress

Dear Friends:

With less than two weeks to go before the mid-term election, we know this letter -- asking for support for George Phillips for Congress – is coming very late in the day. But we are making this unusual request because this is both a moment of urgency and opportunity.

The urgency is that this is a crucial moment in the U.S.-Israel alliance. Iran is edging ever closer to becoming a nuclear power. If that should come to pass, a grave threat will become an existential threat for the state of Israel. All against the backdrop of an aggressive  international campaign of deligitimization and isolation against Israel. So now more than ever, Israel needs strong allies in America – and strong allies in the United States Congress.

Unfortunately, when it comes to Maurice Hinchey, who represents New York’s 22nd District, we have one of the least sympathetic, most hostile lawmakers in Congress on all issues impacting the U.S.-Israel relationship. Hinchey is a member of a small group of Representatives that routinely votes against the bipartisan resolutions and legislation by which Congress supports the U.S.-Israel alliance.

Consider just a few items from his record:

-In 2002, at the height of the Intifada, as Israeli civilians were being murdered by the hundreds in suicide bombings, a simple House resolution expressing solidarity with Israel passed by a 352-21 margin. Hinchey voted “present.”

-In 2006, Hinchey voted against a bill to promote democratic institution-building in the Palestinian territories titled the “Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act.” It passed 361-37.

-In 2009, he voted against a resolution condemning the Goldstone Report, an infamous product of the UN that accused Israel of intentionally committing war crimes in Gaza. The anti-Goldstone resolution passed 344-36.

-This year, he signed a letter to President Obama that accused Israel of the “de facto collective punishment” of Palestinians in Gaza and demanded that President Obama pressure Israel to open its borders with Gaza, a move that would leave Israel dangerously vulnerable to terrorism.

-Most stunningly of all, Hinchey voted against one of the Obama administration’s most important foreign policy initiatives, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Act, passed by overwhelming margins in both houses of Congress and signed into law this summer. This key piece of legislation, vital to both American and Israeli security, sailed through the House 412-12.

Hinchey voted against it.

If there is a Member of Congress who has voted more consistently against consensus American foreign policy interests and against U.S.-Israel friendship, we would be hard-pressed to name him.

Fortunately, the opportunity comes in the person of George Phillips, a young and talented candidate who was born and raised in Endwell near Binghamton. Mr. Phillips -- a dedicated teacher who also brings foreign policy experience from his days as a Congressional aide -- has closed to within just a few points of Representative Hinchey. A race that was once thought of as untouchable is now winnable. New York’s 22nd District is now on the national political radar screen. A stunning upset is within reach. Which is where you come in.

The two  of us signing this letter differ on many issues and indeed belong to different political parties. But we are united in our criticisms of and opposition to Maurice Hinchey; and in our support and enthusiasm for George Phillips, who would prove to be a strong and faithful friend of the US-Israel relationship.

Your help during this sprint to the finish will make a meaningful, and quite possibility a decisive, difference in the outcome of this race. That is why we are asking that you join this effort by going to www.electgeorgephillips.com,  and make an online donation today.

George Phillips will prove to be what Maurice Hinchey has never been: A serious voice on American national security and a stalwart defender of Israel. In protecting the interests of Israel we are protecting the interests of America. The United States and Israel are animated by the same principles. We care about the same causes. We are hated by the same enemies. And our destinies are therefore inseparable. As one who cherishes the special relationship between both nations, we hope that you can find it within yourself to make a contribution.

It can make all the difference.

Sincerely,

Ed Koch  

Ulster County GOP Candidates Highlight Annual Republican Committee Dinner

Peter Rooney Proves Assembly Candidates Can Be Cool

George Phillips, a congressional candidate who offers economic growth and an end to Maurice Hinchey's antisemitism

State Senator William J. Larkin kisses County Committee Chair Robin Yess

The Ulster County Republican Committee had an excellent turnout for last night's annual dinner.  I didn't make a headcount but there were over 100 people there at $95 per plate. The Hudson Valley Resort and Spa's banquet was good as were the hors d'oeuvres, but the big news of the evening was the keynote speaker, George Phillips.  Given this week's exposure by Ed Koch and American Jewish Congress chairman Ron Lauder that nine-term Ulster County Congressman Maurice Hinchey is an anti-Semite, Phillips got positive news today:  Karl Rove has announced that his American Crossroads organization is going to provide $300,000 in soft money for Phillips's campaign.  This is the best development for freedom since the New York Times's stock price fell to below $5 per share (the tabloid's stock now trades at $8.59, evidence nevertheless that the fourth generation of Ochs Sulzbergers to inherit the tabloid are as inept at business as they are at journalism--the Ochs Sulzbergers are a living argument in favor of their stand on the inheritance tax. The problem is that they always manage to exempt themselves from their inheritance tax proposals).

The speakers at the dinner were excellent. These included Pete Rooney, who's running for Assembly, Fawn Tantillo who's running for county comptroller and  Senators Bonacic and Larkin.   Phillips opened the proceedings with a dynamic speech.  His economically illiterate and antisemitic opponent, Maurice Hinchey, has much to fear.

Robin Yess put together a wonderful event at the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa

Maurice Hinchey's Anti-Semitism

Ed Morrissey blogged yesterday about Ed Koch's endorsement of George Phillips in the New York 22nd congressional race.  I hope Mr. Morrissey doesn't mind if I quote him at length:

"Why is Koch opposing the Democratic incumbent? Koch is apparently unhappy with Hinchey over the nine-term Congressman’s hostility towards Israel. In his speech, Koch will hit Hinchey over his 2002 meeting with Yasser Arafat at the PLO leader’s headquarters, one of only three members of the House that met with Arafat there. Hinchey also “voted against the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism act, designed to promote the development of democratic institutions in areas under the administrative control of the Palestinian Authority,” and refused to sign either the Poe-Peters or Hoyer-Cantor letters which supported Israel’s right to control access to Gaza to prevent armaments to flow into the Hamas-controlled territory.


"It’s not just Israel, either. Hinchey voted against tougher sanctions on Iran as well, which Koch will mention in his announcement. Koch will also hail Phillips for his work while on the staff of Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) on foreign policy, especially on legislative efforts to force UN reform by purging support for terrorism and antisemitism at Turtle Bay."

My friend, Lincoln Eagle publisher Mike Marnell, was at the Ed Koch announcement.  Ron Lauder, head of the American Jewish Congress, also announced that he will support Phillips, according to Marnell. Hinchey's distaste for Israel goes beyond the usual left-wing support for terrorism.  I have heard a rumor that there will be a demonstration to protest Hinchey's anti-Semitism in the coming weeks.

Five Louts Extend Invitation to Destructive Oaf

Mike Marnell, crusading publisher of the Lincoln Eagle of Kingston, NY, just sent me this press release.  Congressman Maurice Hinchey has a long history of camouflaging extremist environmentalism in moderate rhetoric.  For instance, he proposed to turn the Adirondacks into a socialist dictatorship run by Soviet-like planning boards, and was able to convince the Adirondack Enterprise that this was a "moderate" proposal. Likewise, he was able to convince stock trading maniac Jim Cramer that he really does intend to permit drilling of the Marcellus oil field.

***NEWS RELEASE***

For Immediate Release July 2, 2010	Contact: Mike Morosi  202-225-6335 (Hinchey)

Reps. Hinchey, Murphy, Tonko, Lowey and Hall Invite

U.S. Interior Secretary Salazar to Visit Hudson Valley

                Washington, D.C. -- Five members of Congress for New York's Hudson Valley have invited U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to visit the region as part of his America's Great Outdoors initiative.  U.S. Representatives Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Scott Murphy, Paul Tonko, Nita Lowey and John Hall asked that the secretary make the trip in order to learn about innovative strategies being used to conserve lands and waters for public benefit in the Hudson Valley.

                Salazar recently announced that he is touring several regions of interests in order to develop the America's Great Outdoors program, which aims to reconnect Americans to the outdoors.  The full text of the letter inviting the secretary to the Hudson Valley is below. More details about the America's Great Outdoors program can be found at: http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/ .

July 1, 2010

The Honorable Ken Salazar

Secretary

U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240

Dear Mr. Secretary,

As you continue to plan and develop America’s Great Outdoors program, we hope you will consider visiting the Hudson Valley region to conduct a listening session and learn about innovative strategies at work to conserve our lands and waters for public benefit now and for future generations. 

The Hudson River Valley is one of the most significant river corridors in the country. The historical, natural, cultural, commercial, scenic, and recreational resources spread throughout the region are unparalleled. Our region is home to a wealth of history and beautiful landscapes that inspired a school of art and fostered innovation that drove our nation's early economy. Today, the region is a model for the green job movement, with an emerging solar energy industry and a $4.7 billion tourism economy that is closely linked with conservation and outdoor recreation industries.

Currently, the Hudson River Valley is designated as a National Heritage Area, National Estuarine Research Reserve and a New York State Greenway. In addition, the House of Representatives recently passed legislation authorizing a National Park Service special resource study of the Hudson River Valley.

We applaud your effort to promote and support innovative community-level efforts to conserve outdoor spaces and to reconnect Americans to the outdoors. Stakeholders from across our region have been involved in exactly these types of efforts for many years. Whether it is connecting residents of the New York City metropolitan area to one of our country's greatest landscapes or working on a regional-level through the Greenway to conserve our historic, cultural and natural resources in the face of persistent population growth, the Hudson River Valley has been at the forefront of promoting innovative and cooperative solutions to our challenges.

We are confident that you will find many projects and partnerships that exemplify the America’s Great Outdoors agenda in the Hudson Valley and we hope that you will be able to include our region in your upcoming tour of the country.

Sincerely,

Maurice D. Hinchey

Scott Murphy

Paul Tonko

Nita Lowey

John J. Hall

##

Repeal Obamacare (and Lots More Too)

A flurry of e-mails are in my inbox calling for a repeal of Obamacare, law suits against it and efforts to unseat Blue Dog Democrats and other vulnerable Congressional flunkies who voted for it. I certainly hope these efforts, one and all, come to fruition. But if repeal is in the air, perhaps a few additional things can be repealed. Such as the Bush prescription drug plan; the bailout; the Department of Energy; the Department of Labor; and the Department of Education. As well, how about a 15% across the board cut in government payroll and a rescinding of 15 laws? Which laws? Heck, there are thousands to choose from. It shouldn't be hard. Pick the 15 most expensive.

David Horowitz

David Horowitz writes:

"You know the problem - the arrogant assault on our constitution by Barack Obama and his minions in the House and Senate. The way they forced the national takeover of our health care system is the greatest threat to our democracy since Russia placed nuclear missiles on Cuba.

"Yes! It's that serious. But as a longtime supporter of the Freedom Center, I'm certain you understand this.

"What I need today is for you to help me print more of the two most powerful and popular booklets the Center has ever published. I'm talking about Obama's Rules for Revolution and The Art of Political War for Tea Parties.

If you want to help David H. go to this link: https://secure.donationreport.com/donation.html?key=OMG7PRA9EQQA

American Center for Law and Justice

The ACLJ is a Christian rights organization. Jay Sekulow writes:

"I'm sorry to say, Congress and the President have let you down.

"The worst part is that this law includes a mandate that FORCES Americans to participate - meaning you could be forced to buy a health care policy that funds abortions!

"But let me assure you: THIS IS NOT OVER.

"If you want to join their efforts to fight the abortion provisions in the law click here.

Mitt Romney writes:

"President Obama's healthcare bill is unhealthy for America. Without a single Republican vote in the House or the Senate, he pushed through a bill that millions of Americans do not want, and for which we cannot conceivably pay.

"Health care reform shouldn't mean higher taxes, cuts to our seniors on Medicare, insurance price controls or greater federal involvement in our lives. But unfortunately that's just what we're getting.

"America has been taken down the wrong path by President Obama and the Democrats in Congress, which is why it's critical we elect fiscally-responsible conservative leaders in November who will repeal this bill and restore commonsense principles to healthcare.

"That is why I am writing to you today to announce a new initiative at my Free and Strong America PAC called "Prescription for Repeal." Over the coming weeks and months, my PAC will be providing GOP candidates with the support and funding they need to defeat Democrats who supported ObamaCare."

If you want to contribute to Mr. Romney's Prescription for Repeal PAC click here.

Americans for Limited Government

Robert Romano of Americans for Limited Government sent out a press release supporting Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (remember from last fall?) who is filing a law suit against the law's individual mandates. Romano writes:

"March 22nd, 2010, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today condemned the House of Representatives for enacting what he termed "the government takeover of health care that will ration treatment, increase the cost of premiums, and force Americans onto government-run insurance.

"Last night, the House passed the Senate version of "ObamaCare" 219 to 212. Wilson encouraged states, like Virginia, to pursue their plans to sue against the constitutionality of the federal mandate that individuals purchase health insurance.

"Wilson said that the "Constitution does not permit Congress to enact any mandate for individuals to purchase anything, let alone health insurance.

"Wilson said that the "Constitution does not permit Congress to enact any mandate for individuals to purchase anything, let alone health insurance."

Amazingly Romano does not have a link asking for a donation.

Campaign For Liberty

John Tate of C4L writes:

"Late Sunday night, the U.S. House of Representatives abandoned the Constitution, made a mockery of the words of the Founders, and drew a line in the sand as it passed the Senate’s health care bill 219-212.

"The morning after the federal government acted yet again to increase its control over our lives, the freedom movement has two clear options.

"Option #1 is to give President Obama, Rahm Emanuel, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid exactly what they want by throwing in the towel, surrendering any hopes of free market health care reform, and taking the pressure off an exhausted Congress.

"Option #2 is to rededicate our efforts, work harder than ever to spread the message, turn up the heat, and give them the fight of their political careers.

"You see, our elected officials are used to enduring knockdown, drag-out battles over controversial issues, and the one thing they always count on after a contentious vote is that the phone lines will go silent and their inboxes will slowly be whittled down. After all, they know our side lost, and the bill will soon be signed into law.

"That may have been true about the legislative fights of old, but our Revolution must not allow this dangerous relic of past political thinking to continue.

"Read the roll call of the House vote here. Get contact information for your representative here.

"If your congressman voted for Nancy Pelosi’s power grab, contact him right away today by phone and email and let him know what you think of his failure to uphold his oath to the Constitution.

"Remind him that you’re watching and will do everything in your power to hold him accountable for his vote and to make sure his constituents know he believes they should either carry government-approved insurance or answer to the IRS.

"Tell him his actions have made you more committed than ever to fighting for free market health care reforms like those contained in C4L’s Operation Health Freedom.

"And make sure he knows this will be the first of many calls, emails, and faxes he can expect in the coming days and months.

"If you are able, please help Campaign for Liberty spread the word, hold our elected officials accountable, and carry on the battle for health freedom by donating today.

"Only your continued support will keep us at the forefront of the fight to push back against the statists’ advances and reclaim our liberties.

"I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of being lectured on responsibility and fairness by reckless politicians who think money can be generated out of thin air forever and who believe the Declaration’s statement concerning “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” means we have to bow the knee to their every whim.

"They’ve staked their claim and left no doubt about where they stand.

"Now it’s our turn to prove we will never give up on our principles.

Principles that don’t include forcing your neighbor to buy whatever good or service you think they should have under penalty of IRS action. Principles that reaffirm the fundamental right of each American to live their life and pursue their dreams without constant government interference.

Please, contact your representative today and clearly state your independence from politics as usual.

Get Liberty.org

Get Liberty.org
writes:

"The die has been cast. Last night, despite overwhelming opposition by the American people to the government taking over the nation’s entire health care system, the House of Representatives voted 219 to 212 to do just that, adopting the Senate version of ObamaCare.

"Despite the victory lap House Democrats took on Capitol Hill last night, and Barack Obama at the White House, the American people should not be disheartened. It was for their efforts alone that this process divided the Congressional majority for a year, making it long, bloody, and costly.

"34 Democrats joined with 178 Republicans to cast bipartisan opposition to the measure. That is no mistake. Without the tenacity of the American people, expressed in the tea parties, at the town halls, and in hundreds of thousands of phone calls, emails, letters, and faxes sent to Washington and district-level offices, this bill would have surely passed a year ago.


George Phillips (Congressional Candidate NY 22nd CD)

"Despite widespread opposition from the American people and being brokered through a series of back room deals, Congress passed the Democrats' health care legislation yesterday.

"My opponent Maurice Hinchey came down in favor of the bill, and in a close vote, was one of the deciding voices.

"Hinchey refused to hold Health Care Town Hall meetings last summer, and in doing so I believe he refused to listen to the concerns of his constituents.

"I've signed a pledge stating I'll vote to repeal this bill when elected and fight for solutions that truly lower health care costs without a massive government take over.

"We're approaching an important March 31st fundraising deadline where a public report will be filed with the FEC.

"Send a message to Maurice Hinchey about your opposition to the bill by donating to our campaign today.

"Donate through clicking on our website or sending donations to our PO Box below.

"Thank you for your support.

"Sincerely,

"George Phillips"

Let us repeal health reform and file law suits. Let us go further and aim to repeal all of the legislation passed since 1970.

Retraction of Accusations About Hinchey

Dear Mitch,

LAST WEEK KTP RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM A MEMBER OF OUR ORGANIZATION CONCERNING MAURICE HINCHEY'S PROPERTIES.
THIS EMAIL WAS THEN SUBMITTED TO OTHERS WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE AND I AM DEEPLY AGITATED THAT IT WAS. THIS INFORMATION IS NOTHING MORE THAN GOSSIP AND I PERSONALLY DO NOT APPROVE OF THIS FORM OF COMMUNICATION.

THEREFORE I AM RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THAT YOU IMMEDIATELY REMOVE ANY MENTION OF THIS MATTER FROM YOUR EMAILS AND BLOGS ESPECIALLY WITH MY NAME APPEARING WITHIN.

I WILL EXPLAIN FURTHER WHEN WE MEET.

THANK YOU.

Tom Santopietro

Hinchey Aims to Bureaucratize Hudson River

Glenda McGee just sent me this article about Congressman Maurice Hinchey's plan to turn the Hudson Valley into a national park. I can imagine that the right to re-hab your house, put in a new bathroom, or sneeze without permission from the goose steppers in Washington will be eliminated.

Adam Bosch of the Times Herald Record writes:

"KINGSTON — Congressman Maurice Hinchey wants the federal government to adopt the Hudson River Valley as a unit of the National Park Service.

"The designation would make the valley eligible for more federal grants to boost conservation, historic preservation and tourism."

Letter to Congressman Maurice Hinchey Requesting Impeachment of President Ocheeseball

Dear Congressman Hinchey:

President Barack Obama lied to Congress recently when he claimed that his health care proposal (a) excludes non-citizen immigrants, (b) would not involve rationing that would limit care to many elderly Americans and (c) will be a stable system that will not result in fascist control of the entire health system by an increasingly totalitarian American state.

I urge you to propose to impeach President Obama for lying to Congress. His irresponsible lying is a disgrace and an embarrassment to the American people.

Sincerely,

Mitchell Langbert, Ph.D.

Does Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D, NY-22) Support the Obama Plan to Murder Your Grandma?

I have sent the following secure e-mail to the Honorable Maurice Hinchey, Congressman of the Gerrymandered 22nd Congressional district.

Dear Congressman Hinchey:

I oppose the current health care bill. However, this inquiry concerns three related questions: (1) whether Congressman Hinchey has read the Obama health care proposal; (2) whether he believes that voting for a potentially incompetently drafted bill that he has not read fulfills his duties as an elected official; and (3) whether Congressman Hinchey supports the provision in the bill, noted by Dr. Betsy McCaughey in the New York Post, that encourages health policy makers to prevent the elderly from receiving care, i.e., that encourages murder or the elderly to die without care?

I am posting a copy of this e-mail on my blog, http://www.mitchell-langbert.blogspot.com.

There is a rumor flying around the Internet that few if any Congressmen have read the Obama health care proposal. This is because of a recorded statement on Youtube by Congressman Conyers to that effect. I would like to clear the air on this question:

Has Congressman Hinchey read the current health care proposal? I would appreciate your direct written response to this question.

According to the Youtube video of Congressman Conyers, no Congressman has read the bill because it is impossible to do so. Yet, the Democrats aim to pass the law anyway.

If that is the case, do you believe that you would be acting competently in voting for a complex bill of supreme importance that you have not read?

Again, I would appreciate your direct written response to this question. Do you believe that you are acting competently in voting for a complex bill that you have never read?

Third, Betsy McCaughey recently wrote in the New York Post that the Obama proposal includes a provision that would require health policy makers to ask doctors to counsel elderly patients that they are better off dying than receiving care. President Obama's "murder grandma" proposal is obviously essential to his claim that the proposal will reduce health costs. While there may be gains from providing coverage to the uninsured because they can obtain earlier treatment, the expansion of coverage will also stimulate demand in the absence of rationing provisions. I have not read the bill, but there is no doubt in my mind that rationing is essential to cost reduction claims( if indeed costs are reduced, which will be a surprise to me given the widespread incompetence in Washington with respect to even the most elementary managerial problems).

I repeat. Would you please send me a clearly written letter (another concept that is generally alien to the inept Washington culture) outlining your answers to these three questions:

1. Has Congressman Maurice Hinchey read the Obama health care bill?

2. If not, does Congressman Hinchey believe that in voting for a bill that he has not read and does not understand that he is fulfilling his duties as a Congressman to his constituents?

3. What is Congressman Hinchey's position on rationing provisions in the bill, including the "murder-your-grandma" provision?
Sincerely,

Mitchell Langbert, Ph.D.

My Letter to Congressman Maurice Hinchey Re HR 45

Dear Congressman Hinchey:

I oppose gun control and in particular HR 45, Representative Bobby Rush's (D-IL)Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, the text of which is located at http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/text.

As you likely know, the Federalist Papers #29, written by Alexander Hamilton, describes the nature of what the Founding Fathers saw as a militia. Hamilton leaves little doubt that the reason for the Second Amendment is protection against incursion against liberty by the state.

Given current developments in Washington, there is little reason to believe that the US government is legitimate or trustworthy. Rather, it is tyrannical. I have written to you previously advocating a 75% reduction in the federal budget, but you obviously have failed to respond in practice.

I would like to know your position on HR 45. I have indicated my e-mail and regular mailing address above.

Sincerely,

Mitchell Langbert

Holy Gas Cap: Congressman Maurice Hinchey Accused of Assault

A Rosendale, NY man has accused Congressman Maurice Hinchey, who proposed price controls on gasoline a month or two ago, of assault according to the Kingston Daily Freeman.

According to the Daily Freeman, "Paul Lendvay, 46, who is the chairman of the Catskill Regional Friends of the National Rifle Association" is planning to press charges against Hinchey because the two got into a scuffle at a street fair over a Winchester 94 Teddy Roosevelt commemorative rifle that Lendvay was displaying and because Hinchey refused to buy raffle tickets for the rifle, which he was admiring.

The Freeman adds: "Police said that, based on what they knew of the alleged incident, a charge of misdemeanor assault would be unwarranted. Harassment, a violation, would be the more likely charge, they said."

Hinchey's spokesman accused Lendvay of pressing charges for political purposes.

"Hinchey, first elected to Congress in 1992, is running this fall for his ninth two-year term in the House. His Republican opponent is expected to be George Phillips of Endwell."

In a separate Freeman article, Republican challenger George Phillips, a gallant, capable, well educated and handsome gentleman, questioned Hinchey's far fetched statistics concerning energy exploration:

"In a press release, Phillips - who lives in Endwell, near Binghamton - said Hinchey was using "rhetoric" and was "blocking new oil production" by continuing to support a ban on opening drilling in protected areas.

"Despite polls showing public support for offshore drilling at near 70 percent, including a majority of Californians and Alaskans, Hinchey continues to oppose tapping the 20 billion barrels of oil that the Department of the Interior says can be found in the areas currently closed to drilling," Phillips said in the prepared statement. "The United States is alone among developed nations in implementing such a ban on offshore drilling."

New York's 22nd Congressional district looks like it's going to have an interesting and tight race. With Hinchey getting into street scuffles and Phillips getting major traction on energy, Ulster County and the rest of the gerrymandered district may be looking at a Republican in Congress next year.

George Phillips on Maurice Hinchey

George Phillips has written an excellent article for Poughkeepsie Journal on Congressman Maurice Hinchey's crackpot proposal to establish price controls on gasoline. Phillips reminds us of:

"the long gas lines and fuel rationing of the 1970s, and has seen the disastrous artificial shortages price controls created. Many gas stations were forced to restrict gasoline purchases to a few gallons per customer or only to commercial vehicles. Others closed down entirely, unable to find gasoline for their customers."

Phillips astutely points out:

"supply and demand is a natural law of the land...The plan would effectively shut down oil companies that could lose far less money by simply not selling gasoline."

The bottom line is that America, and New York's 22nd Congressional district, would be better off with Phillips, not Hinchey, as Congressman.

Maurice Hinchey on the Road to Serfdom

Fox News's Special Report with Brit Hume played a clip of my Congressman, Maurice Hinchey, advocating nationalization of the American oil companies. I have been concerned about inflation for the past year or two, and Hinchey's remarks suggest one reason. The instability and wealth transfer due to inflation lead to increased demand for authoritarian solutions. Increasing government control of oil companies will increase the authority of politicians but it will not reduce gasoline prices or increase exploration. In 1911 the Supreme Court broke up Standard Oil, the most efficient oil company of its day. The reason was to enhance competition. (The decision was misguided.) Now, Congressman Hinchey wishes to eliminate competition and establish a government-controlled oil monopoly.

Part of Congressman Hinchey's willingness to vent uninformed views without inhibition is that he has run unopposed for the past several Congressional elections. Hopefully, that will not be the case this year. A high school teacher from Binghamton, NY, George Phillips, is going to run against Mr. Hinchey. Mr. Phillips is disadvantaged for several reasons. First, New York's 22nd Congressional district is absurdly gerrymandered. (Mr. Hinchey corruptly designs his election district while he claims that he can run oil companies honestly and effectively.) Due to the gerrymandering, New York's 22nd Congressional district includes Poughkeepsie, the only point it is east of the Hudson, the southern and eastern Catskills, and then a thin strip that stretches west through Binghamton and Ithaca. This has the effect of including Poughkeepsie, New Paltz, Kingston, Binghamton and Ithaca, all Democratic, in one district. A second disadvantage is that Mr. Phillips is a newcomer to politics and is organizing a campaign from scratch.

Mr. Phillips can use all of the help and advice that he can get. Any support would be welcome. A defeat of Congressman Hinchey would remove a festering, reactionary sore from Congress.