The community was well represented for the Governor's visit to Watertown this afternoon, estimating around 300 people in attendance.
Issues ranged from organic farming, minimum wage, wine sales in grocery stores, Empire Zones, AL Lee Memorial Hospital, wind power to tax caps.
It was interesting on several issues where the Governor had opposing views to local state legislators, such as Aubertine and Addie Jenne Russell. He spoke against the circuit breaker - he labeled it as ineffective and said it was after the fact and the tax cap needed to be enacted. The opponents of wind got a little wind behind their back with his responses for their cause when he talked about siting them in less conspicuous places than the St Lawrence River. The minimum wage where he said he preferred to wait and see what is done at the federal level and the time is not right for an increase.
The Governor actually talked with the ideological tones of a Republican.
The Governor was his usual quick witted self, he brought a bit a levity to a serious situation and was able to disarm those who looking to attack him.
He was compassionate to some speaker's causes while being brutally honest to others about their hopes for more funding.
The notables in attendance included State Senators Joe Griffo and Darrel Aubertine, State Assembly members Dede Scozzafava and Will Barclay. The notable not in attendance was Assembly member Addie Jenne Russell, which is her district, with the Governor here you would have thought her appearance was next to mandatory, oversight or excuse this was a major fauz pas.
The sum of New York State government could be found in one remark from the Governor yesterday.
"2008 New York woke up to our economy..."
"A government big enough to give you everything you want,
is big enough to take away everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson
6 comments:
[Dem] biased or not, I like Gov. Paterson -- he is smart (that was very obvious the way he presented his positions - and the historical knowledge base he displays - impressive); and IV is right, he is engaging and compassionate ... in a word: He is the right man for the tough job that lies ahead in these very troubling economic times.
It was a pleasure to have been part of it.
I continue to be blown away everyday by our Governor. Agree or disagree with him, he's in an exciting time of his life.
His speeches done by memory are incredible.
I think everybody likes the Gov, and most everybody wants to give him a fair chance to get the job done. But sooner or later all the verbage will have to produce results. When that happens, there are going to be either a lot of destroyed and disappointed taxpayers, or, for the first time, ticked off special interest groups. I just don't see where our public employees, our teachers, our many folks who want this game to continue, will ever be successfully confronted. Regular folks need to be packing up their families, as they have been doing for many a year. I fear this Gov will go down as just another name associated with NY's decline.
Got to give the Guv his props.... But Adie Jeanie WhatsHerName didn't show up in Massena either!!!! So much for her vow to represent all of us. Guess she's not one of us after all, just another stinking, power hungry lawyer who wants to go to Albany to screw things us even more!
Addie was in Albany this weekend, meeting new colleagues and hosting her extended family that had gathered for her official seating in the Assembly on Monday. She was to fly back for events but Cape Air had trouble all weekend and Monday as well with maintenance and icy runways. The Governor scheduled the visits with only a couple of days notice. Don't worry, she's on the job - calling out National Grid and asking for an investigation, and announcing an expansion of the HEAP program. No one else was talking about these issues.
WHat did the Gov say about AL Lee Memorial Hospital? Has he seen Darell about it? What happened to the 1 year extension Darrell got to save it? Why have a majority of the Drs. left?
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