Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Enough With the Grandstanding

It is time for an end to "memorializing resolutions".  What are they, you ask?  Well, memorializing resolutions are resolutions issued by a legislative body on issues outside of their jurisdiction or authority in order to express a political position by the majority of the body.  Put into simple English, it is usually (not always) an opportunity for politicians to grandstand.

For example, the latest one is a resolution submitted by Legislator Gregorius which purports to "tell" Congress to take action on the issue of gun control.  Truth be told, Legislator Gregorius is grandstanding for his similar minded constituents, nothing more.  It is the function of the State Legislature or Congress to deal with gun control issues.  A resolution telling Congress to do something has no legal support or authority.

The County of Ulster has a lot of problems.  The Legislature needs to go about the business of the County, not the business of the State Legislature or Congress.  If a County Legislator wants to be heard on gun control, then a write a letter to a State Senator or a Congressman.  Do not waste the valuable time of the taxpayers on grandstanding.


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

When is Bob Senor going to resign he DOES NOT LIVE IN TEH CITY OF KINGSTON.

Anonymous said...

You are absolutely correct Rich. Gregorious states that we can do something, or we can do nothing. His resolution that urges Congress to do "something" really is nothing. It tells them to do absolutely nothing specific, but he claims it's something. That is correct, something is something. Why not send them a memorializing resolution asking Congress to do something about drink driving? I am certain that more people are killed by drunk drivers than by ARs.

Anonymous said...

I understand nothing is going to happen with the Salzman case with the DA.

Richard T. Cahill Jr. said...

9:00 am,

I am a member of the Kingston Fire Commission, I therefore cannot discuss that case.

Anonymous said...

Barney Fife aka Bob Sen0r call home. Come back to your ward. Pr at least let the people who elected you have a way to get in touch. Not your message machine a face to face with your electrec would be nice.

Anonymous said...

nice idea Bob Senor having your next door neighbor put out a barrel of trash in front of your former residence. get real Bob you took your trash to Ulster.

Andrew Champ-Doran said...

Agreed, Mr. Cahill,

I have found memorializing resolutions to be nothing more than time-wasting, make-work of the ineffective. Either the County Legislature has the authority to act, or they don't. Sometimes, they do have that authority, but won't exercise it, and the resolution is nothing more than a bone thrown by the Legislature to pacify their constituents on one issue or another.

It's a little bit like the chicken telling the fox to get out of the henhouse, to twist a metaphor. The fox might or might not leave, but I suspect that depends a lot more on the Farmer's actions than the chicken's admonitions.

Here is how we save the time of everyone: Let the member write the letter you speak of, email it around to all of the other members of the legislature, and those legislators that want to sign it, do. The legislator can then take the letter to Mr. Cahill's and Ms. Tkaczyk's respective offices, and let them deliver the letter to their individual chambers. They could even have a number on the bottom indicating how many legislators signed over how many possible (14/23, for example).

That would save meeting time and postage.

Andrew Champ-Doran
KingstonBarn.wordpress.com