The long, seemingly endless election season has come to an end. Working families saw great wins and some unsettling losses in terms of supportive candidates, but the results of the Presidential election have made it clear that the people of this country want change. President-elect Barack Obama has outlined on his new website his agenda for the when the new administration takes office next January. High priorities on the list are matters of the economy, health care, and energy, issues that have become so important to working families across the country. His plans to support our workers, revitalize the economy, phase in reforms to our health care system, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil will be steps in the right direction to provide some relief to the tough financial problems faced by working families every day.
But our fight is not over.
According to the American Automobile Association, Western New York has the highest gas prices of anywhere in the continental US; only Alaskans and Hawaiins pay more per gallon. Congressman-elect Chris Lee wants the market to control our health care system, to deregulate business even further, and will cut government spending for vital social programs that working families here in WNY rely on. Though this was a long campaign cycle that left so many of us very tired of politics, we must still stay vigilant. It is our duty to make sure Congressman-elect Lee takes on our concerns and represents everyone here in the 26th districts - businesses as well as working families.
Showing posts with label Chris Lee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Lee. Show all posts
Friday, November 7, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Four Days Left!
With just four days left until the election, things are really hopping in the 26th Congressional District. Despite an attempt on the part of Chris Lee's campaign to block it, Alice Kryzan will now appear on the Working Families Party (no affiliation to us!) line next week. This gives Chris Lee the Republican, Independence, and Conservative lines, and Alice Kryzan the Democratic and Working Families lines. For those of you who haven't voted since 2004, please remember that the Democratic line is now ROW A, and the Republican line is now ROW B after the last gubernatorial election.
Since my last post, the Cook Report has also changed the rating of the 26th district to a toss up. This race has gotten so big that there's a story circulating about it on the AP wire! Thank you for all of your support so far, and keep doing all you can to educate voters and get them involved over this last weekend. We have plenty of volunteer opportunities, so please contact me if you'd like to help out.
Also, don't forget about tomorrow's Rock The Vote concert and rally! It's supposed to be sunny and crisp, a great fall day here in WNY for getting out and getting involved. Details are below.
Date: Saturday, November 1, 2008
Time: 3:00 - 10:00pm
Place: Delaware Park, on the steps of the Albright Knox Art Gallery
Details: Featuring local musicians Davey O, The Found, Redwater, The Thermidors, and Type Relevant. Speakers will include NYS Senator Antoine Thompson, NYS Assemblymember Crystal D. Peoples, Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz, Erie County Legislator Betty Jean Grant, Erie County Legislator Michele Iannello, Erie County Legislator Bob Reynolds, Buffalo Common Councilmember David Rivera, Congressional candidate Dan Humiston, Congressional candidate Alice Kryzan, NYS Assembly candidate Jerry Schad, Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan, and a representative from the ACLU. (Check the links in the right sidebar for last minute updates!) This event is free and open to the public and is an all ages show.
Since my last post, the Cook Report has also changed the rating of the 26th district to a toss up. This race has gotten so big that there's a story circulating about it on the AP wire! Thank you for all of your support so far, and keep doing all you can to educate voters and get them involved over this last weekend. We have plenty of volunteer opportunities, so please contact me if you'd like to help out.
Also, don't forget about tomorrow's Rock The Vote concert and rally! It's supposed to be sunny and crisp, a great fall day here in WNY for getting out and getting involved. Details are below.
Date: Saturday, November 1, 2008
Time: 3:00 - 10:00pm
Place: Delaware Park, on the steps of the Albright Knox Art Gallery
Details: Featuring local musicians Davey O, The Found, Redwater, The Thermidors, and Type Relevant. Speakers will include NYS Senator Antoine Thompson, NYS Assemblymember Crystal D. Peoples, Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz, Erie County Legislator Betty Jean Grant, Erie County Legislator Michele Iannello, Erie County Legislator Bob Reynolds, Buffalo Common Councilmember David Rivera, Congressional candidate Dan Humiston, Congressional candidate Alice Kryzan, NYS Assembly candidate Jerry Schad, Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan, and a representative from the ACLU. (Check the links in the right sidebar for last minute updates!) This event is free and open to the public and is an all ages show.
Friday, October 3, 2008
WFW Unveils Local Literature
Happy Friday, everyone!
We've finally received a proof of our local literature comparing Alice Kryzan and Chris Lee on the issues. (The reverse side has information about polling places.) Click on the image below to see a larger version.
It really highlights Lee's resistance to taking any real position on the issues that are most important to the WNY region. The piece is currently in print, and we'll start our voter canvassing operation as soon as we receive it. Contact us if you'd like to be involved in our outreach efforts!
We've finally received a proof of our local literature comparing Alice Kryzan and Chris Lee on the issues. (The reverse side has information about polling places.) Click on the image below to see a larger version.
It really highlights Lee's resistance to taking any real position on the issues that are most important to the WNY region. The piece is currently in print, and we'll start our voter canvassing operation as soon as we receive it. Contact us if you'd like to be involved in our outreach efforts!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Interview with Mark Poloncarz
Yesterday, Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz was generous enough to give us an interview about the bailout, important local issues, and prospects for Western New York's economic future. Here's what he had to say.
*****
What do you think about Congress voting down the bailout yesterday?
Thankfully it didn’t have negative ramifications today. It had a huge impact yesterday. The markets leveled themselves out. Something has to be done. There has to be something due to the impact it will have. Banks are, unfortunately, failing. Two of the largest banks – Washington Mutual and Wachovia – are really no longer existing, investment banks no longer exist. Something needs to be done to protect the end consumer, the people who received loans that they can’t pay now, as well as to insure that our banking industry doesn’t fail or else we’ll be facing a much greater crisis. We’ll be seeing higher unemployment, higher inflation, as well as continued degradation of the markets. And this doesn’t change, so something has to be done now that the original bailout was rejected. They’re going to have to come back with other proposals. Unfortunately, no one’s going to get exactly what they want. Conservatives aren’t going to get everything they want, and progressives and liberals aren’t going to get everything they want. It’s going to have to reach some sort of compromise, and I don’t know if they know exactly what that is at this point.
What do you think about the job situation here in Western New York?
Well, we were never the hotbed of economic activity, though to tell you the truth, right now we’re in better shape than other parts of the country. We’ve not had the housing issues like other parts because we never had the boom, we don’t see the bust. Thankfully, we never had the many subprime mortgages in this area, so we’re not seeing the result of that. If the US economy takes a downturn, it’s going to hurt this area. We need new jobs; we need them from new industries. The old industries no longer exist in this area so we’ll have to rely on new industries. And anybody who thinks that the old industries are coming back are wrong. Whether they’re green types of industries or not, banking – certainly they’ll be less types of banks than there were before, so it’s going to be tough to get new banks to come to this area, but the financial services industry is still going to exist, so hopefully we can take a portion of that, and move on. We’re at least better situated to survive an economic downturn, especially compared to other parts of the country. No one’s invulnerable from this, but we’re in a little better situation.
Some Congressional candidates have suggested loosening restrictions on businesses. What kind of effect do you think that strategy might have on Western New York?
Well, I certainly would hate to see more deregulation. Unfortunately, deregulation is one of the reasons for the economic crisis today. Loosening restrictions on businesses is not the best way to go. Especially when we’re talking about the financial industry, we need to regulate a little bit more to ensure that the decisions that these banks make do not have the impact that we see today. I don’t think that deregulation – especially with what we’ve seen in the last few months, but more importantly in the last few years – is in this country’s or in this region’s best interest.
What’s the most frustrating issue you’re facing right now as County Comptroller?
We just finished a loan that thankfully we were able to get done by the end of today, otherwise we would have run out of money. Dealing with the Control Board and their refusal to allow my office to close loans on behalf of the County is frustrating. I could have easily done this weeks ago at a lower rate, but they refused to do it. They refused to let me do it, they said they were going to do it, and then when they tried to close the loan, they were incapable of doing it and had to turn to me anyway. It takes a lot of effort to argue who can do it, but it’s a lot easier to just do it. And so in this situation, I would just prefer that they allow me to do the borrowing.
Dealing with the County Executive is also another interesting issue. It’s often frustrating because we don’t always agree – on some things we do, but other things we don’t. So, I’ve always said that he shouldn’t take anything I say personally. It’s not a personal attack on him, it’s just a difference of opinion on the direction I think the County should go in compared to him. We have different roles, but that doesn’t mean that I can sit back and let him do whatever he wants.
What do you think is the biggest issue that Western New Yorkers should be concerned about right now?
The economy, certainly, is the number one issue on most people’s minds across the country. An economic slowdown in this country will hurt us all, regardless of where we live. We may be in a little better position than most parts of the country because we didn’t have the huge booms, so we don’t have the busts that they’re going through right now, but we have to be prepared for belt-tightening and tougher economic times. That is the number one issue, it has been for some time, and it will continue to be. I guess the best way to look at it is that New York State is going to be facing huge, multi-billion dollar budget shortfalls, and usually that gets passed on to the municipalities. When New York City catches a cold, Albany catches the flu, and usually Buffalo and Erie County gets pneumonia. But right now, New York City has the flu, Albany has pneumonia, which is not a good sign for Western New York. So, we have to just kind of tighten our belts and hope for the best. This economic issue is going to affect all of us for some time to come. We’ve not seen anywhere near the impact that we will see, especially as they resolve the issues in Albany with New York State’s government problems.
So, what do you think about the 26th Congressional race?
Well, the democrats have a candidate in Alice Kryzan, who is a strong candidate. I’ve known Alice for a number of years. This is a determination on the direction that people want to take the rest of this country. You look at the difference between Alice Kryzan and Chris Lee, and you usually note differences between their positions, but it’s also, “Where does this country want to go?” Do we want to continue more of the same, more of what you saw under George W. Bush, more of what you’d see under John McCain, more of what you saw in Tom Reynolds, which was a Congressman who rarely was in Western New York, who was doing what he needed to do for the national Republican party? And I think with Chris Lee, you’ll get more of the same. You’ll get a Congressman who, in all likelihood, would be in the minority, would have very little say, very little help and assistance for this area, and in all likelihood would not really do much for this area. Alice has been a strong advocate for her clients over the years, she’s a hard worker, she’s a fighter. And she is looking to move this country forward, especially this community when it deals with green industry. I think she’s a strong candidate, one that I’m hoping the people of the 26th Congressional district will vote in because if so, it will give this area another voice in the majority as we move forward to not only create a better country, but also a better Western New York.
Thank you so much!
You’re welcome. Thank you, ladies.
*****
Thanks again to Comptroller Poloncarz for taking the time to speak with us.
*****
What do you think about Congress voting down the bailout yesterday?
Thankfully it didn’t have negative ramifications today. It had a huge impact yesterday. The markets leveled themselves out. Something has to be done. There has to be something due to the impact it will have. Banks are, unfortunately, failing. Two of the largest banks – Washington Mutual and Wachovia – are really no longer existing, investment banks no longer exist. Something needs to be done to protect the end consumer, the people who received loans that they can’t pay now, as well as to insure that our banking industry doesn’t fail or else we’ll be facing a much greater crisis. We’ll be seeing higher unemployment, higher inflation, as well as continued degradation of the markets. And this doesn’t change, so something has to be done now that the original bailout was rejected. They’re going to have to come back with other proposals. Unfortunately, no one’s going to get exactly what they want. Conservatives aren’t going to get everything they want, and progressives and liberals aren’t going to get everything they want. It’s going to have to reach some sort of compromise, and I don’t know if they know exactly what that is at this point.
What do you think about the job situation here in Western New York?
Well, we were never the hotbed of economic activity, though to tell you the truth, right now we’re in better shape than other parts of the country. We’ve not had the housing issues like other parts because we never had the boom, we don’t see the bust. Thankfully, we never had the many subprime mortgages in this area, so we’re not seeing the result of that. If the US economy takes a downturn, it’s going to hurt this area. We need new jobs; we need them from new industries. The old industries no longer exist in this area so we’ll have to rely on new industries. And anybody who thinks that the old industries are coming back are wrong. Whether they’re green types of industries or not, banking – certainly they’ll be less types of banks than there were before, so it’s going to be tough to get new banks to come to this area, but the financial services industry is still going to exist, so hopefully we can take a portion of that, and move on. We’re at least better situated to survive an economic downturn, especially compared to other parts of the country. No one’s invulnerable from this, but we’re in a little better situation.
Some Congressional candidates have suggested loosening restrictions on businesses. What kind of effect do you think that strategy might have on Western New York?
Well, I certainly would hate to see more deregulation. Unfortunately, deregulation is one of the reasons for the economic crisis today. Loosening restrictions on businesses is not the best way to go. Especially when we’re talking about the financial industry, we need to regulate a little bit more to ensure that the decisions that these banks make do not have the impact that we see today. I don’t think that deregulation – especially with what we’ve seen in the last few months, but more importantly in the last few years – is in this country’s or in this region’s best interest.
What’s the most frustrating issue you’re facing right now as County Comptroller?
We just finished a loan that thankfully we were able to get done by the end of today, otherwise we would have run out of money. Dealing with the Control Board and their refusal to allow my office to close loans on behalf of the County is frustrating. I could have easily done this weeks ago at a lower rate, but they refused to do it. They refused to let me do it, they said they were going to do it, and then when they tried to close the loan, they were incapable of doing it and had to turn to me anyway. It takes a lot of effort to argue who can do it, but it’s a lot easier to just do it. And so in this situation, I would just prefer that they allow me to do the borrowing.
Dealing with the County Executive is also another interesting issue. It’s often frustrating because we don’t always agree – on some things we do, but other things we don’t. So, I’ve always said that he shouldn’t take anything I say personally. It’s not a personal attack on him, it’s just a difference of opinion on the direction I think the County should go in compared to him. We have different roles, but that doesn’t mean that I can sit back and let him do whatever he wants.
What do you think is the biggest issue that Western New Yorkers should be concerned about right now?
The economy, certainly, is the number one issue on most people’s minds across the country. An economic slowdown in this country will hurt us all, regardless of where we live. We may be in a little better position than most parts of the country because we didn’t have the huge booms, so we don’t have the busts that they’re going through right now, but we have to be prepared for belt-tightening and tougher economic times. That is the number one issue, it has been for some time, and it will continue to be. I guess the best way to look at it is that New York State is going to be facing huge, multi-billion dollar budget shortfalls, and usually that gets passed on to the municipalities. When New York City catches a cold, Albany catches the flu, and usually Buffalo and Erie County gets pneumonia. But right now, New York City has the flu, Albany has pneumonia, which is not a good sign for Western New York. So, we have to just kind of tighten our belts and hope for the best. This economic issue is going to affect all of us for some time to come. We’ve not seen anywhere near the impact that we will see, especially as they resolve the issues in Albany with New York State’s government problems.
So, what do you think about the 26th Congressional race?
Well, the democrats have a candidate in Alice Kryzan, who is a strong candidate. I’ve known Alice for a number of years. This is a determination on the direction that people want to take the rest of this country. You look at the difference between Alice Kryzan and Chris Lee, and you usually note differences between their positions, but it’s also, “Where does this country want to go?” Do we want to continue more of the same, more of what you saw under George W. Bush, more of what you’d see under John McCain, more of what you saw in Tom Reynolds, which was a Congressman who rarely was in Western New York, who was doing what he needed to do for the national Republican party? And I think with Chris Lee, you’ll get more of the same. You’ll get a Congressman who, in all likelihood, would be in the minority, would have very little say, very little help and assistance for this area, and in all likelihood would not really do much for this area. Alice has been a strong advocate for her clients over the years, she’s a hard worker, she’s a fighter. And she is looking to move this country forward, especially this community when it deals with green industry. I think she’s a strong candidate, one that I’m hoping the people of the 26th Congressional district will vote in because if so, it will give this area another voice in the majority as we move forward to not only create a better country, but also a better Western New York.
Thank you so much!
You’re welcome. Thank you, ladies.
*****
Thanks again to Comptroller Poloncarz for taking the time to speak with us.
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Continued Adventures of the Elusive Chris Lee
After a call and two visits to Chris Lee's office today, we finally came away with a press packet. It contained yet another palm card, a copy of an editorial from The Buffalo News that was published in May, and some information cobbled together from what was already presented on his website. We were unable to speak directly with Lee, and the campaign refused to fill out our candidate questionnaire, despite warnings that we would proceed without his input, printing "candidate did not respond" on our literature.
As one WFW supporter said in response to Friday's post, "How does he expect to get elected?" Now is the time for action! Write a letter to your local newspaper, and let people know that he's hiding from discussion of the issues. (You can find out guidelines for contacting The Buffalo News and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle on the action section of our website.)
As one WFW supporter said in response to Friday's post, "How does he expect to get elected?" Now is the time for action! Write a letter to your local newspaper, and let people know that he's hiding from discussion of the issues. (You can find out guidelines for contacting The Buffalo News and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle on the action section of our website.)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Mysterious Mr. Lee
This afternoon, representatives from Working Families Win went over to Chris Lee's headquarters to find out more information about where he stands on important issues like trade, health care, and jobs. So far, his campaign has refused several requests made by phone and e-mail, so we decided to go there in person.
The campaign staff refused to speak with us or answer our questions while we were there. Moreover, they had no policy papers to give us that outlined his plans on the issues. The only information we were able to take away from the office was a palm card containing very general claims about Chris having "real world experience" and wanting to "change business as usual attitudes."
We need your help! Take just a couple of minutes from your day to call Lee HQ and ask them to respond to our questions. Let them know how important it is for him to actually address the issues that matter most to working people in Western New York. You can reach Andrea Bozek from his campaign at the office at 716-632-2008 or by cell phone at 716-208-1870.
The campaign staff refused to speak with us or answer our questions while we were there. Moreover, they had no policy papers to give us that outlined his plans on the issues. The only information we were able to take away from the office was a palm card containing very general claims about Chris having "real world experience" and wanting to "change business as usual attitudes."
We need your help! Take just a couple of minutes from your day to call Lee HQ and ask them to respond to our questions. Let them know how important it is for him to actually address the issues that matter most to working people in Western New York. You can reach Andrea Bozek from his campaign at the office at 716-632-2008 or by cell phone at 716-208-1870.
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