Can You Believe This?

Hi Everyone: When I learned about today's topic, I became upset and angry. I'm not sure about the state in which you may live, but New York state has hit another low in a series of low blows. According to data compiled by the New York Public Interest Research Group from the state Commission on Public Integrity; statewide, local governments and affiliated organizations paid more than $7 million for lobbying in 2010. What? I can't believe that towns, cities and counties etc. in New York state pay for lobbyists. In essence that means that taxpayers are paying for lobbyists, or insiders, to argue for one level of government against another. You've got to be kidding. This makes no sense to me, but is the norm. One lobbyist group, Albany-based Patricia Lynch Associates is now caught up in a series of corruption scandals. One had to know that was coming. Anyway, Lynch paid a $500,000 fine and admitted arranging campaign contributions, gifts and other favors to gain access to the state's comptroller office for clients selling investments. "Gifts, favors and campaign contributions are not a legitimate basis for government contracts or special treatment," then Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo said last December. "Lobbyists whose stock in trade is pay to play have no business appearing before government agencies that safeguard taxpayer dollars," he added. Then Cuomo said that, "Lynch's lobbying group is a major broker in Albany's corrupt pay to play political culture." What a tangled web. It is unimaginable that taxpayers are paying for a questionable service just to find out how corrupt the service and lobbying in general is. Lobbyists are a big business, not only in local and state governments, but also in our federal government. Our founding fathers never imagined that governments would work in such a manner. Common sense tells one that this isn't right and should be stopped, but I feel that lobbyists are so entrenched that they are not going away any time soon. Someone needs to protect the interests of taxpayers and if lobbyists aren't able to do it, who will? Politicians? Yea right!!! Til next week. Peter

Man of the Cloth Without Any Common Sense

Hi Everyone: Last year, the Rev. Terry Jones, pastor of a very small church in Gainesville, Fla., threatened to burn a Quran, Islam's holy book. His threat made national news and notority to both the pastor and his small congregation of 50 +/- people. Islamic followers were outraged that a Reverend would consider burning a copy of another religions holy book. What was he thinking? Nothing good would come out of burning a Quran. Eventually he backed down and didn't burn a Quran. On March 20th, The Rev. did indeed burn a Quran. Under the First Amendment, the pastor had the right of free speech to burn a Quran. But just because he had the right to do it, should he have done it? What would the outcome be if he did burn a Quran? Would anyone really care? Well as it turned out, people did care and the outcome was not good. Muslims worldwide were outraged and in Afghanistan, it further strained relations with the West. Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, condemned the burning four days after it happened. On Friday, according to Gannett, 11 people were killed, including 7 foreign U.N. workers, in a protest in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. On Saturday, in Kandahar, Afghans protested for a second day and nine more were killed. An unofficial total says that 20 people were killed due to the protests of the Quran burning. So there you have the jist of the story. The pastor's burning led to deaths of innocent people half a world away from Florida. There were repercussions. But the infamous pastor on Friday said that Islam and its followers were responsible for the killings. As for the actual killings, yes Afghans killed Afghans, but all they needed was a spark and the pastor gave it to them. Even though the pastor had the right of free speech to burn the Quran, common sense should have told him, don't do it. There were deadly consequences to his actions and he should be ashamed of himself. Can a pastor be defrocked? If yes, Terry Jones should be! Til next week, Peter