Have Katie Barge and Lauren Weiner been indicted yet? No? I
wonder how long it will take before these suspended members of
Senator Schumer's campaign committee are charged with identity
theft. Excuse me? Never, you say? Oh, that's right: They're
Democrats. Republicans are getting indicted left and right on
spurious charges while legal machinations against Democrats grind
only slowly.
These two enterprising women are being probed for allegedly using
a Social Security number to get access to a credit report on
Maryland's lieutenant governor, Michael Steele, a rising
Republican star. Mr. Steele is a charismatic speaker who also
happens to be black, and that makes him dangerous to the
Democratic Party, which must keep the black community in its back
pocket. That's especially true here in New York City.
As Election Day nears, I keep hoping against hope that New
Yorkers from all ethnic groups will wake up and take voting
seriously for a change. This means exercising responsibly the
privilege of electing our community representatives. For too
long, too many New Yorkers have taken the easy way out and voted
down the party line as a family tradition. Consequently, the same
do-nothings get into office, perpetuating the status quo.
I've heard many in the minority community say they will never
vote for a Republican.When asked why,they have no answer. Yet
these same individuals are the ones who constantly complain about
high taxes, failing schools, and poor services. They never bother
to research the records of the politicians to whom they
repeatedly hand over the reins of government. But things are
changing, and while it may not be in time for this election, hope
springs eternal.
A new organization was founded last year to break the yoke of
ignorance in the election process, at least on Staten Island.
Citizens Organized for Political Empowerment, aka COPE
(www.copedrum.com), was established to promote a strong political
organization and spark active participation in the civic and
political affairs of Staten Island through education and voter
registration.
The key word here is education, because it's much easier for
demagogues to use the code word "disenfranchised" than
to address the issue of voter error due to inexperience or
carelessness. COPE's president is Bill Taitt, who formerly worked
for Council Member Michael McMahon, a Democrat. Mr.Taitt crossed
party lines to promote the candidacy of Republican Al Curtis for
state Senate. Had Mr. Curtis won, he would have been the first
black candidate ever elected from Staten Island. Like Michael
Steele, he is a conservative and therefore a target: Mr. Curtis's
campaign was sabotaged by Leonora Fulani, who distributed an
unauthorized campaign letter urging black voters to vote for Mr.
Curtis based solely on their color. Clearly, events like this can
be avoided in the future with an educated electorate, and it is
with this in mind that COPE was established.
The race for mayor this year is hopelessly lopsided when it comes
to financing, but the City Council races are quite interesting.
There is a glimmer of hope that Republicans have a chance to
bring some balance to the city government.
Presently, the City Council is topheavy with anti-capitalist
socialists who haven't a clue about how important business is to
the city's working class. Its members have chosen to override
Mayor Bloomberg's veto of a bill designed to keep Wal-Mart and
other nonunion retailers from doing business here. Josh Yablon
(www.joshyablon.com), a GOP candidate to represent Manhattan's
Upper West Side in the council, is sponsoring a Consumer's Rights
Freedom Ride to Wal-Mart on Sunday, October 30. Mr. Yablon
believes the present council is doing a disservice to struggling
young families. "Not only are they doing nothing to lower
the cost of living for the people of New York City,they are
fighting to keep prices artificially high,"Mr.Yablon states
in a press release.
An educated voter does his homework and will find good and bad
candidates in every party. It is vitally important, however, to
keep an open mind as we prepare to vote. I happen to be a
conservative, but if I lived in Queens I would be voting to
re-elect Council Member Eric Goia, a Democrat of the party that
used to be. He's a politician who's hands-on, living and working
in the community he represents. He sees a problem and does his
best to solve it without wasting taxpayers' money. Then again, we
have Democrats like Bill Perkins, who thinks noncitizens should
have the right to vote, and Charles Barron, who sees everything
in black and white, period.
New York City needs a healthy multiple-party system. That means
no double standards, and equal justice, when it comes to ethics.
Mr. Schumer, need I say more?