Support Maffei, Capanna
Wednesday, May 28 2008
Support Maffei, Capanna
Dear Editor:
Reading the newspapers, hearing economists, talking with citizens, filling up my tank, paying my propane bills, there has come a time when I wonder what the future will hold. What can we do to stay afloat, to pay for gas to get to work, to pay for increased food prices caused by increased trucking costs.
What are our options? If our past portends our future, we will make choices based on a market driven economy.
Do we find work closer to home? That’s not certain--jobs here are hard to come by.
Do we look for a home closer to our work? Homes here may be less expensive than the suburbs, but not more expensive than city living.
Property taxes are high now; if decisions are made to sell and live closer to the city, the tax base goes down; each remaining property owner pays more tax. If an exodus occurs, property values go down also. If we can’t afford property taxes, will village and town and county governments seriously consider consolidation of governance because they have no other choice?
What will happen to Sodus and Newark and Lyons? In between Syracuse and Rochester, they are a little too far away for fuel economy.
Our federal government might have used a bit of common sense to force the automakers to increase gas mileage as they did when they passed the law forcing automakers to install seat belts. Congress’ recent decision to increase mileage is too little, too late. Foreign manufacturers, Toyota and Hundai have and will continue with better gas efficiency because it appears they have long range planning.
And then there is the Iraq “war,” better named an invasion; when it began, oil was about $30 a barrel; now it is $135.
Our state government doesn’t help either; state Thruway fees have gone up twice this year. New York State’s bloated costs to run government have become unmanageable, and yet we continue to think earmarks brought back to only some communities, not all, is a good thing for our representatives to do.
When it is time to vote this November, ponder your choices and decide if you really want to continue on this imperfect path.
We desperately need sound thinking, long range planning, and as others are urging, leaders with a clear vision of what America can again become. Long term, we will find a way; it is the short term that concerns me--the next 10-20 years. We need great people working for us in the now.
Paloma Capanna, Democratic state Senate candidate in our 54th district and Dan Maffei, Democratic Congressional candidate in our 25th District, both possess the qualities of character and leadership we need, deserve and should expect for our representatives.
— Gaye Chapman, Sodus
Wayne County Democratic Chair
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