ROMAINE: FOR WHOM THE BELL TOWLES?

[pseudohemmingway]

Ed Romaine looked like he had the Independence and Working Family parties in his pocket. He even screened and tried for the Green Party cross-endorsement. But, with the criminal conviction of Romaine's close associate Fred Towle, it definitely looks like the big momentum Romaine once had is swinging toward Steve Levy. Have the Independence and Working Family parties shifted with the momentum to Levy yet? Such a shift seems inevitable under the circumstances.

[Realist]

Fred's actions should not be held against Ed. If the minor parties abandon Ed for Levy because of someone else's actions, then they will prove themselves to be nothing more than Political Whores. Ed's platform and vision for the future of the county are based on core Republican values. The only reason the Brookhaven Republicans are the only ones in the news for this behavior is because they are the only ones in power. In Babylon, the Dems are in power and they have had thr share of scandal and criminal activity. Look at the sitting PO....Maxine Postal (from Babylon, i might add) Look at other counties where one party dominates ....If someone is involved in wrongdoing...it doesn't matter what party he or she is from. It is because they are the person in power and SOMETIMES people in powerful positions are not as free of CHARACTER FLAWS as we would hope!!!
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[Liar, Liar - Pants on Fir]

Ed Romaine definitely did screen with the Green Party for a crossendorsement. Two other County Executive candidates, Steve Levy and Chris Garvey, also screened. Remaining to be seen however is whether any of those three candidates will be crossendorsed by the Green Party or another scenario will happen, such as an enrolled Green running for County Executive or the Green Party deciding not to run any candidate at all.

But, yes, Ed Romaine did screen for crossendorsement from the Green Party. Other Republican candidates screened with the Green Party this year and have done so in the past. In fact one Suffolk Republican candidate who recved the Green Party crossendorsement last year was elected to office.

The Green Party is not some appendage of the Democrat or any other party like the Conservative Party is an appendage of the Republican Party. In reality a number of Greens regard the Democrat Party as bng our main enemy.

I view of the tone of your post I must ask do you think there is anything wrong with Romaine having screened with the Green Party? It seems an appropriate thing for Romaine to do because from what I understand he seems a far better person than the typical pinhead Republican candidate, though the recent Towle land scandal conviction may have tainted that image considerably.

[neither Rep nor Dem]

To Realist (3 posts up): Towles' actions in a certain sense can at l in part be blamed on Romaine because usually such crooks show signs of bng sleazy long before thr actual crimes are discovered. What happened gives voters at l reason to pause and ask: what kind of judgment will Romaine show in making key appointments in his administration if elected County Executive? What you say about Reps or Dems bng in exclusive power or near exclusive power rings with much truth. Reps and Dems have proven themselves even more dangerous when one duopoly party or the other remains in overwhelmingly dominant power for an extended period. One really scary thing about Romaine is that he is from Crookhaven and obviously has been rubbing elbows with plenty of crooks for a very long time. As for core Republican values? What the heck are those? The term "Republican values", like the term "Democrat values", is oxymoronic.

[Realist]

I am a Republican and I have "rubbed elbows" with many other Republicans and crooks or not......that does not make me a crook, for I did not have knowledge of what others were doing. Obviously, I many see things differently now, but at the time, it wasn't obvious. Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20.
As a Rep, I believe that the Govt should only do for people, what they are truly not capable of doing for themselves. I believe in free enterprise (legal of course) and encouragement of individual initiative and incentive. I believe that we should have equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity...not quota systems. I believe in retaining the principles of the past that have proven true and good, but keeping an open mind to new ideas and others points of view. I believe in national strength and pride, peace through strength and supporting human rights everywhere. I do NOT believe that my govt was put in place to regulate everything I say and do in an effort to protect me from myself and I do NOT believe that the welfare system was put in place so that generations of families should be supported by my tax dollars. Charity is a personal issue, NOTa govt benefit. I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to come here for a better life, but ONLY if they become a citizen, work legally and pay taxes and learn english, just like my ancestors had to only 1 generation ago. I believe in taking responsibility for my family, even if that includes my aging mother or my unwed teenage daughter's baby. They are not YOUR responsibility anymore than an illegal immigrant should be. I do not believe that govt benefits such as welfare and social security should be available to anyone that has not paid into the system! I do not believe it takes a village to raise a child but a loving family and competant parenting. I believe there truly are differences between Democrat and Republican values......but obviously, it only applies if you are speaking about INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE VALUES~
I am from BROOKHAVEN not crookhaven and despite every negative comment that is made, I think my town is still the best place to live.....and Republicans can still be the best candidate for the job.
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[Biotic Green]

Response to Realist:

Whether or not a particular Republican in Brookhaven is a crook or not is hard to tell unless the crook is caught and convicted. Are all elected and appointed Republicans in Brookhaven Town government crooks? Certainly not. Are there percentagewise a higher percentage of crooks among elected and appointed Republicans in Brookhaven than in the average town government in Suffolk. The record suggests almost certainly YES. Do the close relationships of Brookhaven Republicans with developers, land speculators, construction contractors and the like contribute to corruption in the town? Almost certainly YES. Does the absence of any kind of meaningful "sting" by law enforcement agencies to weed out all of the corrupt elected and appointed Brookhaven Republicans contribute to the continuing atmosphere of corruption which seems to exist in perpetuity in the town? Almost certainly YES.

Obviously many of the Republican values in which you believe are contradicted by the very nature of the way Republicans behave in Brookhaven Town government, even by Republicans who may not be generally regarded as crooks.

Free enterprise? Businesses with Republican connections and the like obviously have a great advantage over other businesses in the town, especially in securing town contracts and the like. The Republican Party never really believed in truly free enterprise. The Republican Party in Brookhaven as well as nationally has shown so much favoritism to mega-businesses and monopolies at the expense of sole proprietor and other truly grassroots businesses. Elected Republicans as well as elected Democrats LOVE taxpayer dollars bng given as corporate welfare donations to big businesses, especially big businesses who contribute big bucks to thr political campaigns. Many in the Green Party, such as myself, believe that this unholy alliance among Republicans, Democrats and polically connected businesses should be halted. True free enterprise at the grassroots level is in fact destroyed by the nature of Republican policies in Brookhaven as well as in the nation. If you truly believe in free enterprise and not in duopoly corporate welfare, why not join the Green Party or at l the Libertarian Party?

I too very much believe in encouragement of honest individual initiative and incentive, but the way both Republicans and Democrats act to inhibit true grassroots free enterprise does not accomplish that.

You mention that, as a Republican, you believe that government should do for people only what they cannot do for themselves. I suspect many Republicans might call you a liberal or socialist for uttering those words. The Republican-controlled Brookhaven Town government and the Bush administration definitely don't follow those words!

I am a Green but I too believe in equal rights and equal opportunity -- and don't believe in quotas, affirmative action or other race-based schemes. An individual should be treated on the merit he or she shows as an individual and if that individual is a victim of racial discrimination then that individual should be fairly and speedily compensated for the discrimination. Unfortunately nther the Republicans nor Democrats have established laws which would allow that to happen.

I too very much believe in the principles of the past that have proven true and good, but I want to see those principles of the past that have proven false and bad to be abandoned.

I too believe in national strength but to me "strength" means acting wisely and peaceably towards nations which have not attacked us. Bush's war for empire is to me a sign of national weakness, not national strength. Republicans as well as most elected Democrats support that kind of national weakness.

I am glad to hear that you don't like the Republican-dominated government telling you what you must and must not do to protect you from yourself. It is about time that Republicans stood up for the rights of informed adults to use marijuana and other substances which may in some ways be harmful. Perhaps you have spoken to elected Republicans at the state and national levels to reverse thr support for existing laws which supposedly protect individuals from themselves by prohibiting them from using marijuana, even if they are cancer patients in dire need of the relief marijuana can provide. Both the Green Party and the Libertarian Party support the basic human right of adults to choose or not to choose to use marijuana. Since you apparently also believe in that right, why are you not a Green or Libertarian?

I too don't believe that illegal aliens should recve government benefits. I believe that generally illegal aliens should be deported to thr countries of origin, though I also believe that the U.S. government and megacorporations should be legally prohibited from causing the ongoing governmental, economic, social and environmental disruptions in those countries. Republican President Bush has advocated amnesty and eventual U.S. citizenship for millions of illegal aliens. That fact seems to contradict your support of citizenship bng offered only to legal immigrants.

The present welfare system, as supported by both Republicans and Democrats, is dehumanizing, inhumane, and penalizes people for showing initiative and self-empowerment.

There is really not much difference between Republican and Democrat values, at l as these values are actualized in town, county, state and national levels of government.

Individuals are best judged as individuals regardless of thr political affiliations. The highest levels of values are to be found among individuals who set these values on the basis of principles and ethics of a far higher nature than anything set forth by the Republican Party, the Green Party or any other political party. It is those individuals of high values and high consciences to whom wise people should look for inspiration in life. One thing is for certain: No such individuals exist among the Republicans controlling Brookhaven government!





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