Stop Attacking Our Military

     The relentless assault by the Obama Administration against the U.S. military has endangered both the nation, and the nation's defenders.

       The  White House's proposed  $400 billion budget cuts over the coming twelve years falls in far too great a proportion on the Department of Defense.  The potential cuts are so severe that Admiral Mullen, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has actually suggested the possibility of cutting the pay and benefits of servicemen and women.  The problem is, our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are already underpaid, and many live in substandard housing, at a time when they are being worked and deployed at an excruciating pace.

     Of course, far less dramatic cuts are threatened to a whole host of other programs that politicians hold dear;  programs that are little more than bribes to home district voters to shore up their re-election bids.

     At a Congressional hearing held on June 1, Democrats opposed the idea of making the unions representing NON-military federal employees pay for the time those employees spend on union activities, a reasonable cost-saving concept initiated by F. Vincent Vernuccio III of the Competitive Enterprise Institute.  However, those same Democrats have traditionally supported cuts in the defense budget that could lead to slashing the pay of our  service people, who, of course, are not unionized. The fact is, unions traditionally contribute heavily to the Democrats, and military personnel do not.  So the Democrat members follow the money, to the detriment of America's safety.  That's disgraceful.

Memorial Day 2011

For over two centuries, American independence, and the freedoms that are cherished by people throughout the world, are all the result of the heroism of the men and women of our armed forces.  Let us pause this Memorial Day, and every day thereafter, to honor and give our undying thanks to those soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen who gave their lives for our nation.

HEALTHCARE REFORM LEGISLATION HURTS SENIORS

The impact of President Obama’s  healthcare legislation on older Americans must be examined more thoroughly.

There are several areas that concern observers who worry about how seniors will fare under the legislation.  The Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) has unprecedented power to decide how to ration health care via the mechanism of price controls.  Those concerned with the IPAB’s power have termed the group a “death squad.” The IPAB as the power to fix Medicare payments at so low a rate that doctors and hospitals will have no viable economic choice but to stop providing certain types of treatments, especially those costly or frequent treatments typically required by older patients. 

The legislation replaces doctors with bureaucrats in nationwide healthcare planning. Paying for it’s expensive price tag will require taking urgently needed dollars away from Medicare.  Plans call for reducing Medicare funding by $575 billion over the next decade. Former NY Lieutenant Governor Betsy McCaughey stressed that the White House’s own actuaries admit that Medicare spending per senior will be sharply reduced under the plan, from $16,162 to $14,731 per senior in 2019.

The decisions of the IPAB won’t be advisory.  According to the Obamacare legislation already enacted, those decisions will have the full force and effect of law, unless Congress directly rules against it.  (Stanley Kurtz, a senior fellow at the Ethics & Public Policy Center, in a recently published article, questioned the constitutionality of giving this unelected organization such vast powers.)

The financial impact of Obamacare will be harsh on the general public—except those with political connections.  Organizations that played important roles in getting President Obama and other prominent Democrats elected have received “waivers” exempting them from the harsh costs of the legislation.  These include, of course, groups that raised funds for his campaign, as well as supporters of Senate Leader Harry Reid and (former) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Over the past half century, America has acted forcefully to end discrimination based on race, sex, or ethnicity.  Unfortunately, age discrimination continues to play a harmful role in our society.  Men and women over 50 seeking to find new employment are overlooked with relative impunity. Now, thanks to a heartless new healthcare system, they will also face truly deadly discrimination in receiving medical care, as well. 

Legislative Reform Can't Succeed Without Campaign Reform

LEGISLATIVE REFORM CAN'T SUCCEED 

WITHOUT CAMPAIGN REFORM

     New Yorkers are clearly unhappy with their state government.  Corruption, high taxes, and many policies that run contrary to the popular will have long been Albany staples.  Yet the reelection rate of incumbents remains remarkably high--indeed, it equals that of the old USSR.  

     The reason for this dichotomy is clear.  Campaign and ethics laws are geared to favor the reelection of those already in office.  Combined with the regular advantages of incumbency, this makes sitting elected officials almost immune to challengers, whether from another party, or from reformers within their own parties.

    Several Examples:

•      The use of taxpayer-funded "official" newsletters that are thinly-veiled campaign literature;
•      The use of "member items" to reward or punish constituency groups that support incumbents;
•       Campaign finance laws that favor organization candidates that can raise funds to hire professionals to wade through complex regulations, or to raise large amounts of cash early in the election season and qualify for debates that have funding requirements; and
•       New voting machines that also provide a boost to incumbents facing challenges from third parties.  If a voter mistakenly votes for a candidate on both a major party line and a minor party line, the vote on the major party line is automatically counted and the minor party line is ignored.  While this doesn't affect the immediate election, this does weaken the position of minor parties seeking to reform the system in the long run.

     Incumbents feeling reasonably secure from the wrath of voters have little incentive to change their behavior.  Therefore, to force current elected officials to improve their ethics and become more responsive, inappropriate campaign practices must first change.  

     The Community Action Civic Association, Inc. is attempting to accomplish this, and invites all concerned citizens, organizations, and fair-minded elected officials to join in this effort.  Please contact Frank Vernuccio at nycommunityaction@gmail.com.

Join us for our April 16 broadcast featuring Betsy McCaughey, who has fought for real health care reform and against Obamacare.

 

Also featured be a discussion of the bizarre governing policies of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

 

The producer of the new movie, "Atlas Shrugged" will discuss the film.

 

Jason Adolphus, the entrepeneur who opened the acclaimed "La Bella Havanna" restaurnat in Yonkers will discuss what it's like to start a business in the face of an ecoomic downturn. 

 

The broadcast can be heard on your radio at 1460 am in the Westchester/northern NYC area, and WVOX.com worldwide.

END THE TERM LIMITS LOOPHOLE

Despite two votes in which New Yorkers resoundingly endorsed the two-term limit, our present cast of elected officials can take advantage of a loophole in the current term limit law to run for a third term.  There is not much to warrant a third term for them.  By every objective standard, New York is not being governed well.  Further, those engaged in the act of governance--our elected officials-- are hardly paragons of municipal success, nor can they point to singular accomplishments.  There is no justification for the existence of this loophole.  Therefore, the Community Action Civic Association, Inc. (COMACTA) believes this loophole should be abolished.  The New York Civic organization  is spearheading this effort, and they are to be congratulated for their efforts.  COMACTA members look forward to working with New York Civic in this vital endeavor.

New York’s Dangerous Transportation Challenges

                The safety of our state’s roads, bridges, airports, seaports and rail lines is in severe jeopardy.

            Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch has released his long-awaited report on New York’s transportation infrastructure.   The safety of our state’s roads, bridges, airports, seaports and rail lines is in severe jeopardy, and our state government appears clueless in how to resolve the crisis. The Report notes,  “New York State currently lacks the revenue necessary to maintain its transportation system in a state of good repair, and the State has no credible strategy for meeting future needs.” 

            New York State has failed dismally to maintain a viable transportation network, in almost every way possible.

·         We have allowed our seaports to wither away, through a combination of inept government, organized crime corruption, unrealistic union demands, and a misguided belief that waterfront areas are better utilized for luxury uses instead of blue-collar enterprises that produce thousands of jobs.   It’s not just that New York was undercut by cheaper alternatives elsewhere on the eastern seaboard; frankly, our state surrendered before the competition even began.  This massive loss of what was once New York City’s bedrock industry resulted in an economic decline from which the entire state has never recovered. 

·         Our airports, controlled by the overpriced and underachieving Port Authority, are rated as the worst in America.  LaGuardia Airport, in particular, is an antiquated disgrace. 

·         While the rest of the nation receives the overwhelming percentage of cargo through rail lines, New York City, through its failure to maintain cargo rail lines, must rely on trucks.  This produces both horrendous road congestion and extensive pollution.  Allowing private cargo lines to provide increased freight capability could take the expense and burden off taxpayer-funded roads, bridges and tunnels.

·         In the earlier part of the Twentieth Century, increasing the subway system allowed the city to grow.  In the postwar years, however, the growth of the city in areas such as the eastern section of Queens, Staten Island, and the Northern Bronx were ignored.  Indeed, there is less subway service available now than in the past, thanks to the elimination of the elevated lines. 

            Despite having the highest taxes and some of the highest transportation charges in the nation, New York does not have the resources to address its vital transportation needs.

            According to the Report, “Right now, neither the MTA nor DOT has adequate resources to cover both its operating expenses and the level of new borrowing demanded by its proposed capital program.  New York, therefore, faces a choice:  significantly higher taxes, fees, fares, and tolls or a drastically diminished transportation program that could jeopardize safety and economic well-being.” 

            That depressing analysis reveals the true nature of the problem.  It completely fails to acknowledge, let alone address, the core reasons for the tragic state of our transportation resources. 

            First, corruption, in its many guises, needs to be rooted out.  That includes the usual bouts of politically-connected contractors and organized crime rip-offs,  as well as  the inexcusable surrender to outrageous union demands.  Antiquated provisions such as the “triborough agreement” which increase labor costs must be repealed.  The role of politicians attempting to buy votes by acceding to the TWU’s transit-strike blackmail negotiating tactics is despicable.  As COMACTA vice president Larry Allison recently noted, “When it comes to the TWU, they don’t work for us, we, apparently, work for them.”

            Second,  patronage-loaded bureaucracies such as the MTA and the Port Authority need to be totally revamped.  In particular, the MTA’s blatant failure to produce honest financial reports is a slap in the face to every New Yorker.  Further, the Port Authority’s failure to treat New York State fairly, its complete inability to manage our area airports in a competitive manner, and its own excessive operating costs must come to an end.  True privatization must be implemented wherever feasible.

            Third, the excessive prevalence of NIMBY (not in my backyard) that slows down ever planning process must be overcome.  And finally, environmental regulations that have little to do with actual science and more to do with political pandering need to be re-examined. 

            New Yorkers cannot  afford either higher taxes or higher fares, fees and tolls.  We can meet the challenge of establishing a first class infrastructure if we act more honestly and intelligently.