You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Dan Maffei' tag.
So, our new Congressman Dan Maffei staged a photo op with an about to be laid off Syracuse China worker to explain why he voted for Obama’s economic stimulus bill, recently passed in the House of Representatives.
What irks me is this comment by Rep. Maffei (allegedly D–NY):
“I would have actually liked to see more on the tax cut side because that goes directly to families . . .”
So much for Maffei’s campaign pledge for a “new economy/new jobs.” I think the problem is that when folks hear stimulus, they think transfer payments. Families want a big chunk of money to be sent directly to them. That’s not what this is about.
Our economy will not recover if we blow the money on payments to families, no matter how deserving. The bill provides a modicum of tax relief for folks making less than $150,000/year. But the plan Obama is staking the early days of his Presidency on is mainly an investment and recovery program. The idea is to invest in programs and infrastructure that will create immediate construction jobs, as well as improve the country’s ability to create new jobs and a new economy in the future.
The United States will not be able to maintain its standard of living if we continue to live beyond our means to prop up a consumer culture that accounts for 70% of our Gross Domestic Product.
Our country must invest in education, healthcare, technology and infrastructure (from roads and mass transit to universal broadband access) if we are to harness the undeniable productivity of our workers and again create the innovative goods and services that will create a new, stronger economy.
Show some leadership Dan, don’t pander. Besides, aren’t increasing costs for college and availability of healthcare two of the hot button issues for economically stressed families? Those things can best be addressed with Democratic investments, not watered down Republican tax cuts. Repeat after me, I’m a Democrat and I’m proud!
The Washington Post needed an example of a candidate in the Northeast that showed how Republicans have lost their dominance to a resurgent Democratic Party. They chose Dan Maffei and New York’s 25th Congressional District.
The article pointed out that our congressional district was the only one in the country where John Kerry won the Presidential vote, but where there was no Democratic candidate against the Republican House incumbent. Maffei saw his opening and almost knocked Jim Walsh off two years later.
I’m always amazed at how much clout the Republicans have lost in this town. I grew up in a Syracuse/Onondaga County that had one Democratic House victory in 1964, something that was considered a fluke of the Johnson landslide–and that was pretty much it. Since the 1996 Clinton victory, the D’s have won every Presidential race and Schumer and Clinton have each won two six year US Senate terms. Maffei would also currently be a member of the House if it had solely been up to Onondaga County. It was the vote in the outlying areas like Wayne county that snuck Walsh back in to office.
Let’s hope the Post is correct and Maffei wins his election over Dale Sweetland, the Republican challenger. Sweetland hates the city of Syracuse and will do nothing to help us in our struggles against poverty and deindustrialization. He demonstrated his utter contempt for the city during his reign as chair of the County legislature when he ran the group with absolutely no input or discussion from the legislators representing the city. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a pair of victories of smart, well-spoken and thoughtful young men, over spiteful, intellectually-challenged old men this election season? Let’s Go CNY–Obama and Maffei!
