Month: December 2018

Katz’s agenda

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The Queens Gazette reports:

“Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, a lifelong resident of Queens, announced her campaign for Queens district attorney … In her announcement, Katz laid out her agenda for reframing the DA’s office as a place that “focuses as much on crime prevention, delivering real justice for all, and social progress as it does on the prosecution of criminals.” … Katz said she plans to bring an aggressive new agenda to the District Attorney’s Office with a new community-centered approach to the criminal justice system … treating gun violence as a public health issue …”

Translation: She’ll coddle violent thugs and make excuses for their destructive behavior, including advocating more gun control.

Newsbits

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Monday’s Newsbits:

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Politics:

Ambition

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The Hill reports:

“Supporters of stricter controls on firearms are preparing to mount a multistate push to close loopholes and restrict access for those who pose a risk to themselves and others, reflecting a new focus for a movement long pilloried as nothing more than gun-grabbers … Few states plan a more ambitious approach than New York, where Democrats won control of the state Senate — and with it, complete control of state government for only the second time in two generations. Democrats there are now planning bills to ban bump stocks and 3D-printed weapons, create a gun violence research center within the State University of New York system and expand the reach of hate crime bills, among other proposals. “With Republicans controlling our Senate, they have resisted a lot of the common sense proposals that have gotten more traction in other parts of the country,” said New York state Sen. Brian Kavanagh (D), who is sponsoring several measures this year. “Republicans had a one-seat majority, and they used it very effectively to block things.” …”

Keep in mind this is just the first wave of crap heading our way. I think they will pass it early in the session to show supporters how “progressive” the new legislative majorities are.

Make new friends

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Gun owners cannot continue to pretend that the Republicans are going to save 2A rights in the state. We must have a relationship with Democrats.

A good opportunity to start building that for Ulster residents is for them to attend the Swearing-in Ceremony of Juan Figueroa, the newly elected sheriff, on the 28th.

Session calendar

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I suspect the gun control bills will come up before March as there are enough votes for them to pass even with a few Democrat defections. The state budget is due April 1 and the legislature will likely spend all of March haggling over the details.

Senate Committee Chairs

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Newsbits

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Monday’s Newsbits:

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Politics:

What we can expect from the Senate Republicans

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This article in the Press-Republican gives a good idea how the new minority Republicans in the State Senate are going to behave:

“… [Betty Little] said she is braced for the possibility that Democrats will try to enact stronger gun control laws with initiatives that would likely be seen as burdensome by hunting enthusiasts and other gun owners in her district. “They ought to have more of a focus on (enforcement connected to) people gaining guns illegally,” the senator said, contending that measures that burden lawful gun owners have no public safety value. “The gun laws in New York state are among the strictest in the entire country. They (gun control proponents) really ought to be advocating elsewhere.” …”

True.  Now, how exactly are you going to stand up for 2A rights?

“… While some of her GOP colleagues say they will be vociferous in exposing what they see as flaws in Democratic legislation, Little said she is “not the boat-rocking type” and will likely take a more moderate approach to working out differences over the agenda as it emerges …”

Little is fucking useless.

This is exactly why the Republicans lost.  They do not challenge the basic premise of the Democrat agenda.  She has learned nothing from the last election, nor from those in years past.  The more Republicans act like Democrats the less Republicans get elected.

Priorities

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According to the Washington Post:

“Nearly four dozen incoming House Democrats told their future leaders Monday that they should prioritize action on health care, immigration, gun control and other topics over investigations into the Trump administration. The message was delivered in a letter that 46 freshmen sent to the entire Democratic leadership team … “While we have a duty to exercise oversight over the Executive Branch … we must prioritize action on topics such as the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, our crumbling infrastructure, immigration, gun safety, the environment, and criminal justice reform,” the freshmen wrote …”

There are two main reasons I don’t think gun control is going to be that hot a topic in Congress.

First, gun control is now and always has been a stinker for Democrats.  This past election did not change that.

Second, and more importantly, I believe the urge to engage in all sorts of stupid shit is going to override the rational thought process and ability to pursue an achievable agenda.  The party still has not gotten over Hillary’s ’16 loss and the failure to takeover the Senate now is driving their activist base nuts and that is not helpful for elected Democrats.

Newsbits

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Tuesday’s Newsbits:

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