Today Democratic candidates for Congress Dan Maffei (NY-25), Jon Powers (NY-26) and Eric Massa (NY-29) teamed up to encourage national service through public service jobs in America.  They gathered in front of Greece Arcadia High School alongside fellow Democrats Rick Dollinger, candidate for State Senate in the 56th District (website coming soon), and Dick Beebe, County Legislator.  Paul Riordan, candidate for Supreme Court Judge, was also in attendance, as were about 20 local teachers and nurses in a show of support for Maffei, Powers and Massa.  It was raining a bit so I left my camera in the car, my apologies.

Powers began, noting that both he and his mother are teachers, and that his policy of national service, A Call To Service, is about “re-engaging our country.”

Here, excerpts:

Like the recent G.I Bill rewarding our men and women in uniform for their service and providing educational funding, we must launch a Professional Public Service Program similar to ROTC, encouraging high school and college aged citizens to enter service professions. As America faces shortages in critical occupations, we must reward training and public service into professions that serve our public good but are often overlooked for lacking financial incentive. Helping and recruiting our region’s best talent will ensure secure, long-term jobs here in Western New York.

Fields targeted for enhancement are nursing, teaching and social work.  Powers also advocated for vocational programs, apprenticeships and mentoring.  Additionally, he called for increasing both AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps enrollment.  It’s an ambitious program and worth reading in full at the above link.

Massa, who has 24 years of public service, advocated reinvesting “in our work force locally by using state and federal programs to forgive student loans over time for graduates that choose to take public service jobs here in Western New York.  Kind of like a domestic GI bill, but instead of serving in the military you can serve here at home.”  He also advocated creating an economic development zone much like North Carolina’s Research Triangle.

Massa went on to say we must “stop leaving college students behind and shipping jobs to China.  It’s all a matter of teamwork,” pointing to Maffei, Powers and Dollinger standing beside him.

Maffei, for his part, referenced Abe Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address phrase “Angels of our better nature,” stating that “Just like Abe Lincoln’s ‘angels of our better nature,’ we must stand and fight and be a part of this community where we’re needed.”  He called out President Bush’s tactics by contrast such as when America was attacked on September 11th and the president told us to show our patriotism by going shopping.  Maffei instead pointed to JFK’s “Ask not what your country can do for you” speech and noted that both of his parents were social workers.  He also pointed out that he, Powers and Massa will be leaders of the next Congress, not just members.

Rick Dollinger then spoke, stating that “In 1932 America elected a president who couldn’t walk (FDR) but he put America back to work.”  He then referenced the great work of JFK and Bill Clinton in terms of public service and the economy.  Dollinger went on to say “Those three presidents and these three gentlemen,” pointing to Maffei, Powers and Massa, “have one thing in common: they’re all Democrats.”

The crowd erupted in applause.

Jon Powers noted “Americans are ready to serve, they just need Washington to help make it possible.”  He referenced biotech and greentech jobs and the easing of college debt, stating that we need to “keep our best, brightest and talented right here.”

Massa concluded by saying “All we want is a playing field where we can solve our own problems.  Everybody should serve somewhere.”  He then noted the teamwork the three of them could employ with Louise Slaughter as a “Rochester caucus.”  Massa noted “None of us are shrinking violets.  The four of us will have a very loud and clear voice.”

Maffei concluded by saying “We also want to offer non-financial incentives for joining the military,” noting there is an increased need for Americans to help our veterans, not only from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars but also from Korea and Vietnam.

Powers concluded the press conference by saying “Military service taught me to serve my country and to continue that service.  There are other ways to serve, teaching, nursing…[We have] a once-in-a-generation chance for change.”

Sunday’s flag raising was the kick-off for Gay Pride Week and Channel 13 has a video here, The D&C has this:

Between 100 to 200 people participated in the presentation flag ceremony Sunday afternoon at City Hall, ushering in a new chapter for the gay community in Rochester.

“It’s such a significant event because it’s a strong sign that gay people are being recognized as an important part of the city,” said Scott Fearing, program director for the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley. “Too often we can be our own worst enemies, thinking we shouldn’t ask for certain things or being afraid that our requests will be turned down.”

and Bess and Ann have been so kind as to send these pictures for our viewing pleasure:

Flag Raising

Speaker

Rochester-we’re on our way

“And the dreams that you dare to dream……”

Update: (H/T to JB) Here’s that link to pics over at LGBTFOGG and more info for “happenings” this week

That is the question being asked today in and around Rochester. Meaghan McDermott filed this report in the D&C:

“To do the job properly, board members today need to be well-versed in education, finance, law and management. They need the accounting savvy to read through and understand school budgets, No Child Left Behind laws and volume upon volume of state Education Department regulations.

“Yet the primary job requirement to be a school board member is to win enough votes.

“The only other requirements for the unpaid, volunteer job are that candidates be age 18 or older, able to read and write and live in the district. Once they are elected, the only training required is a six-hour course in how to spot odd financial dealings. New York is one of at least 21 states that require some training for school board members. Other states require ongoing continuing education.

“In New York, the qualifications for the job match those for most other elected offices and there’s no push for more, although the New York State United Teachers union has recently called for required continuing education.

What the heck is the point here? That there is no training for School board members because all it is is winning more votes? Ok Let’s have some fun here. What training is required to go from a talking head to County Executive? Did Maggie Brooks get any training or was that about the votes as well?

School boards are apolitical elected positions where those elected impart their passion and love of the district and try to make it better. Having a mix of backgrounds and qualifications is arguably the best route because if the school boards become bastions of elitism then who are they serving? Parents who simply care about their kids’ schools and are capable of balancing a checkbook and being dedicated certainly are qualified to serve on the school board.

Think about it. The most important attribute would seem to be caring about the children whose school board one serves on but if the board becomes a stepping stone for the next career move, where is the vested interest other than one’s personal goals?

Sure there are accounts of school board negligence and utter mismanagement or worse - Greece immediately comes to mind - but to go the route of what amounts to professional elitism (turning the board into a coterie of political friends or highly trained professionals with little investment in the school they purport to serve) whereas these positions should be comprised of concerned dedicated community members willing to do some oversight, research and auditing is a step too far.

School board positions are unpaid yet require a fairly large commitment from the members. If the school board members are doing this for the right reasons, the children and their education system, then the perk should be a positive outcome for the school they serve—strengthening the community they serve. And in the end when we have strong vibrant communities - everyone benefits.

I spy with my little eye…Something that begins with “S.” Can you guess what it is?

In today’s D&C, this article caught my eye, pun intended:

Mayor Robert Duffy wants to spend $1 million over the next five years on police surveillance cameras — enough to buy more than 40 additional units, adding to the 25 that should start going up on troubled city streets in June.

I admire a leader who wants to take bold steps and fight crime but I’m concerned about the actual effectiveness of surveillance cameras, and their impact on privacy rights. According to the ACLU, surveillance cameras are not effective in deterring crime but they are implicit in creating a false sense of security where they are installed and they do diminish privacy rights.

Other studies have found that improved lighting on city streets reduces crime by 20 percent. That’s a measurable, verifiable crime reduction that does not infringe upon privacy.

From an NBC report in San Francisco in 2007:

The 64 cameras already in use have a price tag of $500,000, Ballard said. The city will be installing 25 new cameras in 2008.

Data collected from surveillance cameras has been used in at least six investigations, Ballard said. One arrest has been made definitively because of the cameras.

“We believe the program is working,” Ballard said.

Wow, one arrest for $500,000 spent on cameras. That’s a fairly expensive arrest.

Cameras are reactive versus proactive. Wear a hoodie and what good will these cameras do, other than record some hooded figure, languishing in the shadows (where are those lights again?) stepping out for a second to be recorded in the act but not stopped from committing the crime? I feel safer already.

So, what was it that I spied with my little eye, something beginning with “S”? Spin. The false sense of security created by cameras, the lack of verifiable effectiveness, the expense-to-crime reduction ratio, all these factors are out there, being ignored. That is spin. We can all spy that.

“Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it”

 (philosopher, George Santayana)

Friday, April 4th, 2008 marks the 40th Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr:

“Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major. Say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. Say that I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won’t have any money to leave behind. I won’t have the fine and luxurious things in life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that’s all I want to say. If I can help somebody as I pass along, if I can cheer somebody with a word or song, if I can show somebody he is traveling wrong, then my living will not be in vain.”

Excerpted from “The Drum Major Instinct”, a sermon by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968

The movement for equality was not stilled by the death of Dr. King and is alive today all over the country. We saw an example of it recently at the County Legislature Chambers in Rochester, when the Public Defender selection process became an issue of racism and police were brought in to squelch any violence that might erupt as a result of the swarms of citizens (many African Americans) trying to exercise their right to assemble and peacefully protest the closed door selection process. Assembly member, David Gannt, was arrested and led out in handcuffs.

Rochester has long been a bastion for the Civil Rights movement since the days of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. But, how many of you are aware that we had have our own version of MLK in the form of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Florence? If you will remember from this post, Reverend Frank Florence was a mover and a shaker with the Public Defender debate and joined with Bob Bonn to extend an olive branch of piece to the Republican members of the county legislature in hopes of opening dialogue to correct an injustice to the community.

legrev.jpg

This is not Rev Florence’s first action within the civil rights movement. Let’s look back to Rochester, and specifically Kodak in 1967:

From September 1966 through June 1967, Minister Florence and his grassroots civil rights organization, FIGHT (Freedom-Integration-God-Honor-Today), targeted Kodak, the giant of the photographic industry and Rochester’s largest employer. Organized two years earlier in response to a race riot in Rochester, FIGHT was a federation of inner-city religious and community groups that aimed to speak exclusively for the black poor of the city. Known for its abrasive and confrontational tactics, now FIGHT demanded that Kodak initiate a large-scale training and employment program for Rochester’s inner-city poor. The ten-month-long dispute drew the Rochester community into a debate on economic equality, community cohesiveness, and social responsibility. Churches, editorial pages, radio talk shows, and dinner tables became the forums. Acting as a whirlpool around which residents dealt with problems of race and class in their community, the dispute served to define more clearly the parameters of civil rights in the city.

I am delighted, for the city and county that we have leaders such as the Reverend Florence, but saddened that we haven’t progressed further in our quest for civil rights and equal justice. Mary Anna Towler, of City News wrote this on Feb 9th of this year:

In one respect, it is good to see them back, these heroes of Rochester’s African-American struggles. In another respect: have we really come no farther than this? That these black men of a certain age still have to protest and get arrested as they seek justice?

Are we doomed to repeat the past, over and over, until we get it right?

(Photo courtesy of sconsetmonkey-thanks monkeyman!)

So, do you ever get the feeling that we would have done so much better with Bill Johnson for county executive? We were all so scared of those “Pac Man” commercials. OOOH-metro government-I’m frightened, I could loose my little fiefdom. Pac Man’s gonna eat it allll up!!

Bill Johnson’s ideas for metro-government were met with scorn and ridicule. But, was he crazy, or just extremely foresighted? Now that we’re facing massive deficits at city and county level-it’s not looking so crazy, is it? Today, the D&C writes this (emphasis mine) :

Faced with gaping holes in their budgets, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and Mayor Duffy are having to make some unexpected adjustments. Amid the current fiscal crisis, they must not tip-toe around possible long-term solutions that require exceptional leadership and political courage.

[snip]

Brooks’ budget was in the clear until the state appeals court struck down her F.A.I.R plan nine days ago. Now she may have to give suburban schools the $29 million she took away from them to help balance the county’s budget.

Brooks, who blames the state for pushing costs onto counties, is wisely working on a “Plan B” budget. Duffy, too, isn’t just going after the low-hanging fruit such as cell phone expenses. He’s targeting city services and layoffs.

To Duffy’s credit, he’s also talking about finding ways to achieve future savings from major government consolidations. Brooks, who rode into office in 2004 on the promise of collaboration and a willingness to seek viable consolidations, needs to join Duffy’s conversation with a new openness to government restructuring.

Hmmmm, where have I heard this idea before???? (here’s a hint, April 24, 2004):

I came into office 10 1/2 years ago as a supporter of metro government. I proposed merging the City of Rochester with the County of Monroe and creating what I call ‘voluntary service districts.’

[snip]

When people ask me the value of a consolidated government for Rochester and Monroe County, I mention such benefits as:

Broadening our vision (we know in our hearts that we’re more than a little parochial).

Following a single agenda instead of the often competing agendas of the mayor and county executive.

Eliminating a lot of the hoops citizens and businesses have to jump through.

Having more clout to lobby the state.

Projecting a strong, confident image to the wider world, as Louisville and Jefferson County did when they merged.

And, saving tax dollars by streamlining services. In Monroe County, for example, we have 31 highway departments with 31 highway garages and 31 highway superintendents. Does this make any sense?

In order for this to happen, we need strong, competent visionaries. We need honest communication and cooperation between all levels of government. We have an opportunity here to make history and a responsibility to the people of these communities to make it so. I see Duffy as having this potential. I question Ms Brooks ability to adapt to this kind of change. The proof, as they say, will be in the pudding.

Now, let’s talk about the villages and towns….

Sometimes bad decisions just keep coming back to bite you. Such is the case with The Fast Ferry in Rochester. From the D&C:

A developing plan to essentially refinance the debt left behind by the high-speed ferry, for example, is projected to save the city at least $1 million — and maybe several times that amount. Those savings would be spread out over the next decade and, while not enough to avoid significant job losses in the upcoming year, should deliver the largest single-year benefit in 2008-09.

Duffy said he is “holding out hope” but not expecting any last-minute relief in the state budget, expected to pass next week. He is expected to deliver his State of the City address on April 7, and his 2008-09 budget proposal on May 16.

Duffy went on to say:

“We are talking about consolidation. We are talking about departments joining together. We are talking about eliminating some services,” Duffy said. “You may see some departments not survive.

Duffy’s concern over any further state aid is supported by this article in today’s New York Times:

Like other states across the country, New York is facing a shortfall that is likely to only grow worse as the year continues. Even Albany’s most selfish and self-absorbed legislators cannot deny that. The voters certainly know what is happening to the value of their homes and their 401(k)’s.

The agreement that Mr. Paterson has worked out with leaders increases spending up to 4.5 percent. That seems high given the rumbling on the horizon. The new governor should make clear to legislators that any effort to hold out for more would be seen as irresponsible by the voters. He must also prepare the lawmakers — and the voters — for more cuts to come as revenues decline.

So, for now, it seems that things are going to get worse before they get better. Let’s just hope the “moving on” part Duffy spoke of doesn’t mean moving on to other states with better economic conditions. Some Ferry Tale…

Governor David Paterson is speaking at Midtown Plaza right now (12:00), live on NBC 10. The banner behind him says “Revitalizing Upstate.” Sounds good to me.

Update: commenter Dennis O’ Brien has details:

i went and it was a pretty good event. the order of the speakers was stupid, but that was the only issue. i just think the gov of ny should get last word, not second of 5 so the crowd grew a little restless. however, even paterson’s press agent said he was very happy with the turnout. paterson himself was great and what i really thought was important, he said he knows that all the statewide officials are from nyc, but being from harlem is a different nyc than those guys, ‘i know what it is to get shortchanged by gov’t’ ( a bit paraphrased ). i thought it was an excellent way to allay our (silly) fears of downstaters. lets get real, despite a small geographic difference, harlem is a world apart from 5th ave on the upper east side.

Updated update:

had i known i would be the ‘update’ i would have been more complete. paterson also mentioned that we are one new york and that we rise and fall together. projects mentioned specifically were a harbor front in buffalo, downtown investments in utica and rome, a project in syracuse and one in bingo. on a lighter note, he excused his lateness by explainig that he lost his notes and couldn’t find them, so he called in some troopers, but they also had no luck.

Some good news for Upstate: Upstate economic ‘czar’ Daniel Gundersen has just announced he plans to stay on with our new governor, David Paterson.  From The Buffalo News:

Upstate ESD Chairman Daniel Gundersen issued a statement indicating he has no plans to follow in the footsteps of his downstate counterpart Patrick Foye, who resigned his post Sunday.

“Our work here has only begun and I am committed to support Gov. [David A.] Paterson as we bring about true revitalization in every upstate community,” Gundersen said.

(Snip)

In the wake of last week’s Spitzer sex scandal revelations and abrupt resignation, Gundersen contacted several upstate mayors and other elected officials to assure them Spitzer’s departure would not halt efforts to jump-start the economies of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and other upstate communities.

The D&C has a report about the city’s Zero Tolerance program today (bold mine):

The Police Department credits Zero Tolerance with helping reduce the number of homicides by about 45 percent since its inception, compared with the same time frame last year.

Zero Tolerance is not a trend or a temporary fix for the city’s violent crime problem, but a policing philosophy designed to last, Chief David Moore has said. The initiative is no longer tied solely to police working long hours on overtime pay.

Phase II, which began in mid-January, relies on some overtime but also on the reassignment of officers to street patrols, creating a visible presence on the streets.

It’s a good read but leaves out mention of budgeting necessary to sustain this initiative.

It also doesn’t ask questions about the 2002-2003 statistics, which are almost identical to 2008 even though there was no Zero Tolerance policy in 2002-2003. See this graphic from the D&C report:

So, what was going on in 2002-2003 and what can we derive from that? There were about 11, 000 more people here then than there are today. Is this relevant? Are the citizens’ concerns being addressed? Are all options being examined?

These are questions that need to be answered.

On August 6, 2007 Mayor Duffy and The Department of Community Development invited the public to participate in their City-Wide Housing Market Study in order to better understand housing needs and trends in our city in light of Rochester’s ongoing foreclosure problems.

People can fill out the survey online and participate in the study via this link.

Seven months have passed and a recession is seemingly upon us, so I’m wondering what this study has produced so far.

When will the city release its current findings?

The overview of the study states that Rochester is primarily a rental community and that, as we all know, more and more people are moving to the suburbs and/or moving out-of-state. Update: Here is a passage from page 8 of the Housing Survey pdf that I think encapsulates the issue (bold mine):

Rochester is firmly planted in a slow-growth region. Upstate New York exhibited the third lowest growth rate nationally at 1.1% between1990 and 2000. Yet, from 1982-1997, 425,000 acres were urbanized. Out-migration from the City—a continuing stream of people moving to the suburbs—is contributing to the increasing City vacancy rate and inhibiting an already undervalued housing market.

Now that the housing bubble has burst nationally, places like Rochester weren’t hit as hard as a result of this undervalued housing market, but the persistent economic woes of upstate New York can hardly take much comfort in this. With New York State’s budget in lacklustre condition, the hardship of upstate New York could be compounded by reductions of promised aid from Governor Spitzer (as reported yesterday on this blog).

Are there any plans for a group of area leaders to visit with Governor Spitzer to ensure the promises to Upstate aren’t broken?

Fresh off of our EPA post about Monroe County being #1 in toxic industry releases in NY, the D&C posted a story today proclaiming Rochester as 27th environmentally friendly city out of 50 based on the findings from PopSci.com website. I went to the source and read the online Popular Science article. What I came away with is that both the D&C and Popular Science are practicing fuzzy math.

The parameters of this report are not comprehensive. The data seem to have been culled haphazardly with certain larger cities receiving higher marks for having park acreage whereas smaller cities with greater park acreage receive lower marks. Cities smaller than 100,000 (often with better green practices) are not even included. Basically the list reflects a movement toward becoming green rather than actually being green. For example, the PopSci.com article starts out with this statement (bold mine):

Austin has pledged to meet 30 percent of its energy needs with renewable sources by 2020, aided by planned wind-power installations that will surpass their predecessors in efficiency. Seattle has retrofitted its municipal heavy-duty diesel vehicles with devices that will reduce particulate pollution by 50 percent.

Notice the absence of words such as “has met” or “did reduce.” This indicates that these cities are planning on becoming green and are working toward it but they have not achieved it. This is the case with Rochester. We have begun the work to improve our environment but we’re not there yet if the EPA lists us as #1 in NY State for toxic industry releases. Air quality cannot be minimized in defining “environmentally friendly.”

The study’s categories for being green are Electricity, Transportation, Green Living and Recycling, yet Rochester only scores well on one, a 4.1 out of 5 for Recycling. We don’t even make the 50% threshhold for Electricity and Transportation, scoring 4.5 and 4.4 out of 10, respectively. Green Living was determined by the number of buildings deemed green and Recycling was determined by the recycling programs in use, but Electricity and Transportation, which are directly tied to the number of persons living on the planet via their energy use and car ownership (hence emissions), have a greater impact on the environment than buildings and recycling.

Which is more bothersome, the fact that we’re less than 3 points higher on this so-called “environmentally friendly” list than Pasadena, CA, or that it was reported without reference to the EPA’s findings released just yesterday, 2/28/08? Any city in Southern California (notorious for its smog) listed on an “environmentally friendly” list should give anyone pause. This study lists at least four cities in Southern California. Do we want to be a member of this club?
The real problem here is reporting one side of a story because it reflects more positively on our city. Wouldn’t the truth actually spur more corrective environmental action?

We’re #1, woo hoo, right? Um, not. From the Associated Press (bold mine):

Monroe County, with Kodak, tops list of industry releases

11:17 AM EST, February 27, 2008

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Environmental Protection Agency says Monroe County remains New York’s top producer of toxic releases to the air, water and land by industry.

That’s mainly because the county is home to the state’s biggest single industrial plant, at Kodak park in Rochester.

The findings are contained in the EPA’s latest Toxic Release Inventory report, which looks at 2006 releases.

Why am I thinking of that R.E.M. song “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It“? Why aren’t Republicans protecting us from environmental pollution instead of “protecting” taxpayers from same-sex partner benefits and citizens who want to attend public meetings?

The D&C had a recent piece on brownfields and I think it is surprising how many there are in this country, over 500,000 according to Howstuffworks.com, and that is just the industrial category of abandoned factories and toxic waste dumps. Many more brownfields are located in and around businesses we frequent daily. On January 11, 2002, President Bush signed the “Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act” into law to protect small business owners from environmental legislation and to clean up the land around such businesses. It always comes down to money.

Here’s an excerpt from the D&C piece by Brian Sharp (bold mine):

“On the west bank of the Genesee River, halfway between Corn Hill Landing and Brooks Landing, lies nearly 60 acres of prime land.

More than a mile of the waterfront is city owned. The rest is a mix of state and private property. At the heart of the site, in the area of Flint and Exchange streets, is the former Vacuum Oil Co. refinery. And nearly all of that land is potentially or documented to be toxic.“

Why is it “documented to be toxic”?

“Vacuum Oil, now Mobil Oil Corp. and part of Exxon Mobil, has a checkered past. The company was accused in the late 1800s of improper dumping, which resulted in several deaths. In addition, a warehouse explosion burned for a week and on one occasion the Genesee River itself reportedly caught fire. Vacuum Oil operated from 1866 to 1936.”

Where does the stuff go once cleaned up? From the Environmental Protection Agency’s website:

“OUST defines “Alternative Cleanup Technologies” as those which are alternatives to pump-and-treat (for groundwater) and excavation and disposal (for soil) which have been proven to be effective. Examples of alternative cleanup technologies include: soil vapor extraction (SVE), air sparging, biosparging, landfarming, biopiles, bioventing, low-temperature thermal desorption, in situ groundwater bioremediation, dual-phase extraction, monitored natural attenuation, enhanced aerobic bioremediation, and chemical oxidation.

Some of the newer technologies, which have not yet been demonstrated to be cost-effective for typical UST sites, are referred to as “innovative technologies”. Examples of innovative technologies include: radio frequency heating, co-solvents, surfactants, and soil washing. Visit EPA’s CLU-IN Web site for more information on innovative technologies”

The clean up process is important because the detrimental effects to the environment affect all of us. Here’s a video I found from Howstuffworks that speaks to the business angle for environmental clean up.

So what is being done at the site along the Genesee River? From the D&C (bold mine):

“”A city request for $215,100 in state money to help with initial land use planning of the “Vacuum Oil Brownfield Opportunity Area” finally has gotten approval from the Senate, and the Assembly should follow soon, said Pete Grannis, commissioner for the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The application, filed in May 2006, is “sitting on the speaker’s desk,” Grannis said last week, and “will go out (to Rochester) shortly.”"

Let’s hope “shortly” isn’t another two years.

While reading the lead editorial in today’s D&C I just felt it was incomplete. I came away thinking “Why didn’t they just say it?” By “it” I mean “gun control.” Ooh, I realize it’s a bad, bad phrase in America, that somehow the notion that the right to bear arms is something not to ever be discussed, but it has become the accepted position. However, there is no such thing as a driveby stabbing.

Why didn’t the paper mention the option of looking into how guns proliferate in our city? More about the violence forum needed to be put in the piece instead of just a listing of topics discussed. What we have instead is more pontificating and lamenting the troubles without spelling out the information that was discussed. It’s useless drivel without the whole story.

Of course Jean-Claude Brizard and Mayor Duffy and everyone in the whole city must demonstrate “more action than words going forward,” but that also includes the paper’s reporting.

Here’s what I want to see:

1. Statements on gun laws and loopholes in NY state

2. Statistics on known “drug-infested neighborhood(s)”

3. What work is being done to clean up these areas and who is doing it

4. Update on the Zero Tolerance program

5. Specifics on real, tested solutions that have worked in other cities

What I do not want to see is this statement on the D&C Editorial blog:

“our commentary pages will continue the drumbeat , citing everything from our coarse culture and gangsta rap music.”

Hint: your rhythm is off on your drumming if you really think rap music is a major place to start. Try hunger, try fatherless homes, try depression and stressed out single moms before trying to lay the blame on music.

Will we start hearing this in court: “The rap music made me do it”?

Is this yet one more example of a business afraid to ask the tough questions, afraid of offending the powers that be? Is it a case of having an idea that is only secondary to the root problem and sticking with it out of sheer stubbornness?