All Politics is Local

(Isn't that the way the saying goes?)

From a Google Image Search - Syracuse.com

All Politics is Local

Elections do try your nerves and those ads! To me, it seems as if Republican ads lie all the time, but to Trumpers I guess it seems that Democratic ads lie. My representative to the US House is Brandon Williams who votes with the Republicans in Congress all the time, if he votes at all. He is an extreme MAGA, but he is happy to claim that he has brought millions of dollars home to Central New York, although he did not vote in favor of the bills that provided this bounty. He is running on a straight message of fear. Fear immigrants, fear your own neighbors because they are criminals. Restore old tough law-and-order laws or you could all die in your beds because hardened criminals are being released due to cashless bail reforms.

Because I sincerely believe that my hometown would be better off with his rival, John Mannion, I have been writing letters to the editor of our local newspaper. Yes, we still have a local newspaper even if it is almost entirely digital. But we live in a town that is home to a famous journalism school, the Newhouse School. It has always leaned to the right but has tried not to be extreme. The first letter I sent to offer an opposing view on a Brandon Williams ad was on the topic of immigration. It was a bit outspoken so perhaps that explains why it was not published. Here is the text of that article:

My fellow citizens,

Brandon Williams cannot represent us in Congress. He is scare mongering. He is using immigration as a cudgel to foment fear that "illegal" immigration will turn into an invasion. People do not want to leave their native lands and migrate. They only do it as a last resort and at great risk. Williams is a climate denier who cannot solve the problem of mass migration. He uses the corruption that people are fleeing to frighten us but does nothing to affect the roots of migration. Williams uses people's misery as a campaign strategy.

My second letter about Brandon Williams and why we shouldn't elect him was in answer to Williams' claim that "defund the government" and cashless bail reforms have increased crime and have put us all in danger. This letter was published at Syracuse.com in the opinions section. Here is the text of that letter:

Please Vote Wisely

"Defund the Police" was never meant to be taken literally. It was a campaign slogan used by demonstrators who took to the streets for 40 consecutive days because they believed the need for reform was great. Some people in the Justice system (the DA and judges) have turned this slogan into a way to create fear that there will be no law and order in our community. At the time the slogan was used, police departments, including ours here in Syracuse, were investing in war surplus materials like bazookas, machine guns, and armored vehicles (mini tanks) for "riot" control (to break up peaceful demonstrations). These peaceful demonstrations were also about trying to close the racial divide which put black folks at greater risk of arrest or death, filling prisons with African Americans, many for minor offenses. Demonstrators in Syracuse did not suggest closing the Police department. They were asking us to find more equitable solutions to managing petty crimes.

Cashless bail had its origins in that same movement. When poor folks are arrested, they often find that they will be required to stay in jail longer than other residents because they cannot make bail. Then Syracuse had two gruesome murders of seniors by African American young people. Cashless bail was never intended to apply to such serious crimes, but our DA and some judges hated the idea of cashless bail and have used it indiscriminately to release serious offenders to make citizens fear that dangerous criminals walk our streets (because of a law that was intended to help first-time offenders).

Many members of our community believe that helping end poverty among our African American and other ethnic groups by providing pathways to prosperity - exit ramps from turf wars to the wider world - might bring positive change. By demonizing reform rather than making it more effective our officials have trapped us in a negative status quo.

We respect our first responders, and we appreciate that their tasks are difficult (especially in our current gun culture). But since they are on the front lines their insights would have great value in bringing change. When The Century Foundation published the article "The Architecture of Segregation," Syracuse was called out for our lack of racial mobility (2015). A study that looked back years later found us in the same place.

There is always pushback to change, but extreme Republicans, like Brandon Williams, are using disinformation about reform movements and crime rates to pretend that continuing our old tough stance on law enforcement is necessary and that ignoring pleas for help with changing old cultural patterns in our community will keep us safe. There are still times we may need to be tough, but consulting those affected by poverty and segregation, designing better futures for our neighbors, and implementing those designs are important steps in making our community better for all of us.

Please vote wisely.

It is my intention to spread these comments more widely because I can't afford to make my own political ads.

I am now at def con I need a valium.