Recently, a challenge was filed to petitions filed for a Republican Committeeman position in the Town of Rochester. Imre Beke, Jr. filed the challenge as the person was seeking to run a primary against his father.
As a favor to the party and to avoid a costly court case, Imre Jr. decided to withdraw the objection. For doing the right thing, one would expect kudos, right? Well, not from the disgraced former Republican County Chairwoman. She actually had the audacity to claim that Imre withdrew his challenge because of her posts on her blog / web page. She also claims there was no legal merit to the challenge which proves that she has no business in law or politics for the reasons set forth below.
Imre is a personal friend of mine, As such, I have discussed the matter with him extensively. Had the matter gone to court, I would have represented Imre and likely have won the case given the current case law. That being said, I commend Imre for his decision. It took a great deal for man who loves his father as much as Imre to withdraw the challenge especially in light of the vicious and nasty attacks launched against him as part of the primary process.
I feel compelled, however, to discuss the legal merit of the claim since Robin has posted an irrelevant section of law claiming that the challenge had no merit. The challenge did have legal merit in light of a decision from the New York Supreme Court less than one year ago.
The objection was filed based upon fraud. The petition improperly used the same Committee on Vacancies used by the County Committee which included the names Roger Rascoe, David O’Halloran, and Gloria Van Vliet, none of whom gave their permission to have their names used on the petitions. Roger Rascoe is the Republican County Chairman. David O’Halloran is the Town of Rochester Republican Chairman. Gloria Van Vliet is the Town of Esopus Republican Chairman. All three are members of the Executive Board of the Ulster County Republican Committee.
To quote the specific challenge originally filed with the Board of Elections, the petition "intentionally used the same Committee to Fill Vacancies to falsely and maliciously deceive the voters into believing that 3 members of the County Republican Committee, including the County Chairman, actually supported Manuela Mihailescu a/k/a Manuela Michailescu for the position of County Committeeman in that particular district instead of both Imre Beke, Sr. And David O’Halloran."
Those who opposed the challenge (such as Robin) cited Election Law Section 6-134 (8) which states:
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the failure to list
a committee to fill vacancies or the failure to list at least three
eligible voters as a committee to fill vacancies shall not invalidate
the petition unless a vacancy occurs which, under law, may be filled
only by such a committee.
However, the challenge was not that the petition should be invalidated because of the failure to have a proper committee to fill vacancies. The objection was fraud which is always a valid objection to petitions, even if the fraud was concerning the committee to fill vacancies.
There is case law supporting the challenge.
On August 3, 2011, the New York Supreme Court threw out petitions submitted ironically enough by the same individuals upon the grounds that the individuals who signed the petition were fraudulently induced into the signing the petition.
The petitions in that case sought an Opportunity to Ballot for the Conservative line and included three names for the Committee to Receive Notices. These names were the same three people used on the Ulster County Conservative Party’s official nominating petitions for the Committee to Fill Vacancies. They included the Ulster County Conservative Party Chairman, Edward Gaddy.
Again quoting the specifics filed by Imre, "Nevertheless, it is important to note that the petitions in Fornino were not disallowed because of the lack of a proper Committee to Receive Notices. Rather, the ground for disallowance was fraud. The Fornino case stands for the clear legal proposition that a person may not challenge candidates endorsed by a county committee through the petition process by using a Committee to Fill Vacancies or a Committee to Receive Notices made up of the same three people used by the County Committee. To do so is fraudulent inducement because the voters are fraudulently misguided into believing that the candidate on the petition is being supported by the County Committee."
Thus, Imre had a valid challenge based upon binding case law. Though the Board of Elections would likely have declined it since they do not like to get involved in issues of fraud, there is a strong chance the Court would have followed the Fornino case.
As a gesture of good will toward the party, Imre Jr. withdrew the objections and Imre Sr. filed a declination. This saves the Town of Rochester a great deal of money and allows the party to focus on the general election in November. It was a gracious move on the part of Imre and his father.
Unfortunately, in the world of Ulster County politics, a good deed never goes unpunished or without criticism. I want to give Imre a symbolic pat on the back for willingly withdrawing a perfectly valid challenge. He and his father not only saved the Town of Rochester a great deal of money, but they both showed grace and class despite vicious and nasty personal attacks being launched against them by petty and despicable people.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
You Didn't Build That
"Look, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. You didn't get there on your own," says President Obama, "If you've got a business -- you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."
Really? So Bill Gates did not build Microsoft? Steve Jobs did not build Apple? Those of you with a small business, you did not build it?
These comments from President Obama reveal his true feelings. He honestly believes that people do not succeed on their own. It is only through government that people find success. This justifies his belief that wealth should be confiscated and redistributed. Successful people do not deserve the money they make. It is the gift of government, and thus government may take it back.
Some will argue that Obama only wants to raise taxes on the wealthy to pay for his programs. This is contradicted by what President Obama told Charlie Gibson of ABC News in 2008, saying that even if those higher tax rates produce less revenue for the government, as has been the case with rate increases on capital gains, the government should take away the money as a matter of "fairness."
I personally believe that this country was created on the idea that hard work leads to success. It is the American Dream. Yet, our current President seems to think that the American Dream is a gift of the all powerful government. Thus, this year's election will decide whether our country will be founded upon personal accomplishment or the advancement of government. The big question for the voters is, "Is the American Dream dead?"
I found a video and a web site that handles this issues quite well. The web site is http://didntbuildthat.com. It applies great humor to this serious issue. I urge you to have a look.
The video is attached below. It is a campaign ad for Mitt Romney that really nails the issue. Take a look.
Really? So Bill Gates did not build Microsoft? Steve Jobs did not build Apple? Those of you with a small business, you did not build it?
These comments from President Obama reveal his true feelings. He honestly believes that people do not succeed on their own. It is only through government that people find success. This justifies his belief that wealth should be confiscated and redistributed. Successful people do not deserve the money they make. It is the gift of government, and thus government may take it back.
Some will argue that Obama only wants to raise taxes on the wealthy to pay for his programs. This is contradicted by what President Obama told Charlie Gibson of ABC News in 2008, saying that even if those higher tax rates produce less revenue for the government, as has been the case with rate increases on capital gains, the government should take away the money as a matter of "fairness."
I personally believe that this country was created on the idea that hard work leads to success. It is the American Dream. Yet, our current President seems to think that the American Dream is a gift of the all powerful government. Thus, this year's election will decide whether our country will be founded upon personal accomplishment or the advancement of government. The big question for the voters is, "Is the American Dream dead?"
I found a video and a web site that handles this issues quite well. The web site is http://didntbuildthat.com. It applies great humor to this serious issue. I urge you to have a look.
The video is attached below. It is a campaign ad for Mitt Romney that really nails the issue. Take a look.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Hoisted on his own Petard
President Obama and his supporters have been blasting Governor Romney for weeks now about his record at Bain Capital. They have accused him of investing in companies that have outsourced jobs. However, it appears that the President has been extremely hypocritical in this attack.
According to articles now surfacing, including in the New York Times, it seems that President Obama has invested heavily in companies that outsourced millions of jobs.
Here is a portion of an article from the Washington Examiner:
In his most recent financial disclosure from 2011, Obama and his wife reported having between $200,000 and $450,000 in the Vanguard 500 Index Fund, which invests in the largest U.S. corporations. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as of Sept. 30, 2011, the fund’s biggest holding was 8,272,039 shares of Apple Inc., then valued at $3.2 billion.
The New York Times reported in January:
Not long ago, Apple boasted that its products were made in America. Today, few are. Almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold last year were manufactured overseas….
“Apple’s an example of why it’s so hard to create middle-class jobs in the U.S. now,” said Jared Bernstein, who until last year was an economic adviser to the White House.
“If it’s the pinnacle of capitalism, we should be worried.”
The mutual fund that the Obamas have invested in also held 94,582,281 million shares of General Electric, valued at $1.4 billion, as of the SEC filing. The multinational conglomorate has a long history of outsourcing – according to a new book cited by the New York Times, in 1989, “G.E. became the first U.S. company to outsource software work to India.” Obama also has close ties to GE’s CEO, Jeffrey Immelt, who was appointed as chairman of his outside panel of economic advisers last year.
In addition to Apple and GE, the Obamas’ fund listed 10,655,961 shares of International Business Machines, valued at $1.9 billion. As the Wall Street Journal reported in 2009, “The technology giant has been steadily building its work force in India and other locations while reducing the number of workers based in the U.S. Foreign workers accounted for 71% of Big Blue’s nearly 400,000 employees at the start of the year, up from about 65% in 2006.”
Thus, President Obama has been shown to be a hypocrite. He attacks Romney for doing something he did himself.
According to articles now surfacing, including in the New York Times, it seems that President Obama has invested heavily in companies that outsourced millions of jobs.
Here is a portion of an article from the Washington Examiner:
In his most recent financial disclosure from 2011, Obama and his wife reported having between $200,000 and $450,000 in the Vanguard 500 Index Fund, which invests in the largest U.S. corporations. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as of Sept. 30, 2011, the fund’s biggest holding was 8,272,039 shares of Apple Inc., then valued at $3.2 billion.
The New York Times reported in January:
Not long ago, Apple boasted that its products were made in America. Today, few are. Almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold last year were manufactured overseas….
“Apple’s an example of why it’s so hard to create middle-class jobs in the U.S. now,” said Jared Bernstein, who until last year was an economic adviser to the White House.
“If it’s the pinnacle of capitalism, we should be worried.”
The mutual fund that the Obamas have invested in also held 94,582,281 million shares of General Electric, valued at $1.4 billion, as of the SEC filing. The multinational conglomorate has a long history of outsourcing – according to a new book cited by the New York Times, in 1989, “G.E. became the first U.S. company to outsource software work to India.” Obama also has close ties to GE’s CEO, Jeffrey Immelt, who was appointed as chairman of his outside panel of economic advisers last year.
In addition to Apple and GE, the Obamas’ fund listed 10,655,961 shares of International Business Machines, valued at $1.9 billion. As the Wall Street Journal reported in 2009, “The technology giant has been steadily building its work force in India and other locations while reducing the number of workers based in the U.S. Foreign workers accounted for 71% of Big Blue’s nearly 400,000 employees at the start of the year, up from about 65% in 2006.”
Thus, President Obama has been shown to be a hypocrite. He attacks Romney for doing something he did himself.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Opening of Gibson Headquarters a Rousing Success
Earlier tonight, I attended the Grand Opening of the Campaign Headquarters for Chris Gibson. The place was packed. There were so many people, they actually had to congregate outside. There was nowhere near enough room inside. Considering how big the headquarters is, that is impressive.
Congressman Gibson a rousing speech that truly inspired the crowd. There were nothing but smiles despite the 95 degree temperatures.
If this event is any indication, Chris Gibson is looking strong in Ulster County.
Congressman Gibson a rousing speech that truly inspired the crowd. There were nothing but smiles despite the 95 degree temperatures.
If this event is any indication, Chris Gibson is looking strong in Ulster County.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The Hypocrisy of Debbie Downer
For months, the Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (aka Debbie Downer) has been attacking Mitt Romney because he once had a Swiss Bank account and because he has not released all of his tax returns.
Yet, in the height of hypocrisy, it turns out that Debbie Downer also had a Swiss bank account and refuses to release her tax returns. What a hypocrite.
Yet, in the height of hypocrisy, it turns out that Debbie Downer also had a Swiss bank account and refuses to release her tax returns. What a hypocrite.
Monday, July 2, 2012
An Interesting New Web Site
I recently discovered a new web site recommended to me by a friend on Facebook. It is a political right-leaning web site. I urge my readers to check it out:
http://www.wewillnotcomply.org/
http://www.wewillnotcomply.org/
Ads By Obama Campaign are False
FactCheck.Org has reviewed several of the ads from the Obama campaign that accuse Romney of being a “corporate raider” who “shipped jobs to China and Mexico,” asking if voters want to elect an “outsourcer in chief.” They have found the ads to be completely untruthful.
The ads are based upon an attack piece orchestrated by the Washington Post. In fact, the Post and the Obama campaign not only coordinated an attack against Mitt Romney, they coordinated a false attack. The Romney team demanded a retraction, but the Post of course refused.
Here is the review from FactCheck.Org about the ads.
Bain Capital, the venture capital firm founded by Romney in 1984, is the focus of the Obama campaign’s attacks. There is no question that Bain invested in some companies that helped other companies outsource work and that some of that work went overseas. That was the core business for Modus Media and SMTC Corp. — two outsource companies featured in a June 21 article in the Washington Post that has been the basis of recent Obama TV ads. Bain also invested in U.S.-based companies that sold goods manufactured here and abroad, and some of those companies closed U.S. facilities and eliminated U.S. jobs.
But after reviewing numerous corporate filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, contemporary news accounts, company histories and press releases, and the evidence offered by both the Obama and Romney campaigns, we found no evidence to support the claim that Romney — while he was still running Bain Capital — shipped American jobs overseas.
One TV ad, called “Come and Go,” claims that Romney “shipped jobs to China and Mexico.” But two examples cited by the Obama campaign occurred after Romney left Bain. There’s no clear evidence that a third company shipped jobs to China under Romney.
A second ad called “Revealed” mocks Romney’s tough talk about cracking down on China’s trade practices by saying “all he’s ever done is send them our jobs” and citing the Washington Post article. But the newspaper article contained no examples of U.S. jobs being shipped to China while Romney was working at Bain.
The “Come and Go” ad casts Romney as a “corporate raider,” but that term, loaded with negative connotations, is simply inaccurate. Bain didn’t engage in hostile takeovers when Romney was at the helm.
That ad also repeats the claim that as governor of Massachusetts, Romney was “outsourcing state jobs to India.” But it wasn’t the state that outsourced contracts. Rather, Romney vetoed a measure that would have prevented the state from doing business with a state contractor that was locating state customer-service calls in India.
*****
Now, those of you who have read my blog and/or followed Dad and I on the Kingston Chronicles Television show know that I was not a big fan of Governor Romney. I was pushing for Governor Huckabee. (Dad always like Romney though.)
Though I still have some concerns, I am going to support Romney wholeheartedly against President Obama. I personally believe this election is about the fundamental direction and purpose of our country. Will this great country continue to be the beacon of freedom our Founding Fathers hoped for or will be become a socialist republic following the failed models of Europe?
To use an analogy, if you hire someone to repair your house and then find out 90% through the intended time period for the job that the worker has not only failed to make the promised repairs, but also has made the home even worse by adding a poorly constructed addition that you neither wanted nor needed, would you allow that person another opportunity or would you fire him and hire someone new??
I believe that President Obama has failed. He still blames President Bush despite being in office for three years, five months, and twelve days. Instead of focusing on the economy, President Obama focused his efforts on his healthcare law. He should have bee focusing on the economy. That shows poor judgment. It is time to hire someone new.
Four years from now, if President Romney has failed to do the job, then he will have to be fired and someone new hired. One way or the other, we must find someone capable of righting the economy.
The ads are based upon an attack piece orchestrated by the Washington Post. In fact, the Post and the Obama campaign not only coordinated an attack against Mitt Romney, they coordinated a false attack. The Romney team demanded a retraction, but the Post of course refused.
Here is the review from FactCheck.Org about the ads.
Bain Capital, the venture capital firm founded by Romney in 1984, is the focus of the Obama campaign’s attacks. There is no question that Bain invested in some companies that helped other companies outsource work and that some of that work went overseas. That was the core business for Modus Media and SMTC Corp. — two outsource companies featured in a June 21 article in the Washington Post that has been the basis of recent Obama TV ads. Bain also invested in U.S.-based companies that sold goods manufactured here and abroad, and some of those companies closed U.S. facilities and eliminated U.S. jobs.
But after reviewing numerous corporate filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, contemporary news accounts, company histories and press releases, and the evidence offered by both the Obama and Romney campaigns, we found no evidence to support the claim that Romney — while he was still running Bain Capital — shipped American jobs overseas.
One TV ad, called “Come and Go,” claims that Romney “shipped jobs to China and Mexico.” But two examples cited by the Obama campaign occurred after Romney left Bain. There’s no clear evidence that a third company shipped jobs to China under Romney.
A second ad called “Revealed” mocks Romney’s tough talk about cracking down on China’s trade practices by saying “all he’s ever done is send them our jobs” and citing the Washington Post article. But the newspaper article contained no examples of U.S. jobs being shipped to China while Romney was working at Bain.
The “Come and Go” ad casts Romney as a “corporate raider,” but that term, loaded with negative connotations, is simply inaccurate. Bain didn’t engage in hostile takeovers when Romney was at the helm.
That ad also repeats the claim that as governor of Massachusetts, Romney was “outsourcing state jobs to India.” But it wasn’t the state that outsourced contracts. Rather, Romney vetoed a measure that would have prevented the state from doing business with a state contractor that was locating state customer-service calls in India.
*****
Now, those of you who have read my blog and/or followed Dad and I on the Kingston Chronicles Television show know that I was not a big fan of Governor Romney. I was pushing for Governor Huckabee. (Dad always like Romney though.)
Though I still have some concerns, I am going to support Romney wholeheartedly against President Obama. I personally believe this election is about the fundamental direction and purpose of our country. Will this great country continue to be the beacon of freedom our Founding Fathers hoped for or will be become a socialist republic following the failed models of Europe?
To use an analogy, if you hire someone to repair your house and then find out 90% through the intended time period for the job that the worker has not only failed to make the promised repairs, but also has made the home even worse by adding a poorly constructed addition that you neither wanted nor needed, would you allow that person another opportunity or would you fire him and hire someone new??
I believe that President Obama has failed. He still blames President Bush despite being in office for three years, five months, and twelve days. Instead of focusing on the economy, President Obama focused his efforts on his healthcare law. He should have bee focusing on the economy. That shows poor judgment. It is time to hire someone new.
Four years from now, if President Romney has failed to do the job, then he will have to be fired and someone new hired. One way or the other, we must find someone capable of righting the economy.
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