Due April 1- 105 Days Late -NYS Incapable of Creating a Budget

Incapable - Lacking the necessary ability, capacity, or power.  105 days late and our elected officials in New York State Government have been incapable of reaching an agreement on a state budget.  For 105 days we have been hearing rhetoric as to who is at fault.  For 105 days we have listened to “not my fault” blame the Governor, blame the Senate blame the Assembly, blame the Democrats or blame the Republicans blame the schools, the unions, business, blame the public for expecting too much or blame the system…. Don’t the people of New York deserve better?  111 days until election 2010 how will you voice your displeasure? 

 Patricia Biancaniello

Remember The Meaning of July 4th

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it…” Declaration of Independence

In 1776 these words changed the world forever.  The people who signed their name to the Declaration of Independence did so with the knowledge that there were no guarantees. They put everything on the line and created a nation. We are both the benefactors of their actions and the guardians of the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  As citizens of these United States we embrace the belief that our government derives its power from the consent of those governed (Us).  But too many of the eligible voters are no shows on Election Day.  Too many are uninformed, and too many Americans are not holding their elected officials accountable.

Democratic Government allows for the participation of its citizens. Successful Democratic Government requires an informed and active citizenry. 

This July 4^th remember what was accomplished with the Declaration Of Independence in 1776. Remember Thomas Jefferson’s words “governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.” For yourself and the future of the United States get informed, get involved.

Patricia Biancaniello

Update on Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 10:33AM by [Smithtown Matters]

A message from Randy Altschuler

On this, the 234th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, perhaps the words of Ronald Reagan best sums up the spirit of our nation and its people. As we enjoy the blessings of liberty and the beautiful weather of this weekend, let us remember those who have sacrificed so much, so we can be free.

"From our forefathers to our modern day immigrants, we've come from every corner of the earth, from every race and every ethnic background, and we've become a new breed in the world. We're Americans and we have a rendezvous with destiny....No people who have ever lived on the is earth have fought harder, paid a higher price for freedom, or done more to advance the dignity of man than the living Americans--the Americans living in this land today. There isn't a problem we can't solve if government will give us the facts. Tell us what needs to be done. Then get out of the way and let us have at it."

Ronald W. Reagan
March 31, 1976

End the Blockade on Gaza

By John Dennehy

Last month, in an act of civil disobedience, a group of international activists attempted to break the three year old Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.  Nine of these activists were killed when the Israeli military used live fire to take control of the ships and prevent them from reaching Gaza.  What happened on the high seas was a tragedy, but it dulls in comparison to the enduring tragedy the blockade has created in Gaza. 

The Gaza strip, because of the land and sea blockade, has become the largest open air prison in the world, and most of the inmates are innocent civilians.  The strip, which is home to 1.5 million people, is twenty-one miles long and between four and seven miles wide.  The entire area is surrounded by walls and armed guards.  Some aid and commerce is allowed through at the discretion of the Israeli military, but for the most part it has become a prison.  Israel claims the blockade is necessary to prevent Hamas militants from obtaining weapons to later be used against the Jewish state, and while that is a just cause, it is obscene to punish the entire population for the actions of a few.  A UN fact-finding mission described the blockade as "collective punishment", and illegal under international law. 

According to a 2010 report by Amnesty International, Israel’s blockade of Gaza has resulted in a humanitarian crisis. “Mass unemployment, extreme poverty, food insecurity and food price rises caused by shortages left four in five Gazans dependent on humanitarian aid,” said the 2010 report, released May 27. “The scope of the blockade and statements made by Israeli officials about its purpose showed that it was being imposed as a form of collective punishment of Gazans, a flagrant violation of international law.”

Ninety to ninety five percent of water is unfit for human consumption, but the tools to fix the water infrastructure are often not allowed to pass through the walls.  In 2008, large areas of the strip were partially or completely destroyed by a military operation (which resulted in over 1,400 deaths) but building supplies such as cement are held back because Israel claims they can be used for military purposes.  Israeli can easily block things like guns and grenades and allow other things to pass freely; including people.  The current list of banned items includes things such as Nutmeg, musical instruments and fishing rods. 

In the wake of its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, UN chief Ban Ki-moon demanded that Israel lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip immediately.  Ban told reporters that the underlying problem behind the May 31st tragedy was the crippling Israeli siege of the tiny Palestinian coastal enclave, which he described as "counter-productive, unsustainable and wrong." 

While the loss of life resulting from the raid on the flotilla is regrettable, the action has brought the world’s attention to the walls built around a people.  Whether it’s the Warsaw Ghetto during a Nazi occupation or the Gaza Strip during an Israeli one, forcefully walling in an entire population is wrong.  Mr. Netanyahu*, tear down this wall!

*Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

War is Peace

By John Dennehy

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been showing up in the nation’s news headlines over the past several weeks for an unusual reason; he wants to cut military spending.  He wants to trim spending by cutting a few archaic and failed programs and by reducing bureaucratic costs in the top heavy military he commands.  That may not seem like such a bold move until you consider this; Robert Gates was appointed Defense Secretary by George W. Bush, a president who had declared himself a “war president”. 

In the year-long debate over healthcare reform the question that came up again and again was; how can we afford it?  Even though about half of our federal taxes go into military spending*, diverting some of that money to help defray health costs was barely even mentioned.  During the current recession local school districts around Smithtown, Kings Park, and just about everywhere else have had to lay off teachers and cut programs because of cuts in education funding – and the notion that money would be better spent on books rather than bombs is still little more than a catchy bumper sticker.  ** And, now even the Defense Secretary is talking about trimming the fat – what more will it take? 

Data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies shows that, the US military spending in 2010 will roughly equal the rest of the world combined.  Still, according to an article in the Washington Post here congress may override reason and the Defense Secretary and pour even more money into the war machine.  Why? Well, for one it’s about jobs.  High tech fighter planes don’t build themselves.  It’s also about money and public perception.  The mostly faceless corporations that get the lion’s share of those hundreds of billions of tax dollars have a lot of spare change to throw around and money wins elections.  Plus, it’s political suicide to look weak on Defense.  So even at the cost of the nation’s health and education and now perhaps even over the protest of the Defense Secretary, our tax dollars continue to be spent on blowing things up.

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.
This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children...
This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

* This figure combines the Dept. of Defense, military spending in other departments and military costs in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

** The U.S. Department of Defense employees around two million people, combined civilian and military.  The U.S. department of Education employees around five thousand people. 

Congressman Tom McClintock

This item was forwarded to me in an email as a response to dialogue about Arizona and illegal immigration.