545 People vs. 300,000,000 Americans

Everyone should read what Charlie Reese has written, pass it on, discuss it with friends and really think about our current political debacle. Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.

545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red ..

If the Army &Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees, we should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it........... Is up to you.

This might be funny if it weren't so darned true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid.

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
Taxes drove me
to my doom...'

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge T ax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Ser vice FeeTax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
And I still have to 'press 1' for English!?

I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!
GO AHEAD - - - BE AN AMERICAN!!!

Who Really Spoke and Who Just Mumbled?

Well, the election is over and Alfreda Williams won. Congratulations to her. They had everything on their side, including money (Lois Bronz's campaign war chest), Lois Bronz's mailing and support lists, but mostly pure democratic volume over other parties. Once she began to play the race card, she was able to capture the majority of the vote of color. She agreed with the democratic incumbents decision to do-nothing and simply let the numbers roll her into office. The incumbent legislature which voted to settle on the Housing Desegregation Lawsuit, was a torch she carried throughout the campaign as though she had voted for it herself.

The democrats who came out to vote certainly helped her win. I accepted that outcome when I began the campaign and even now that it's over. I'm disappointed to lose but not bitter or upset. I ran a great campaign on the issues, something she still has little, if any, knowledge of. In fact, her victory will allow her to go back to the laissez-faire mentality practiced by her predecessor and ignore not only the issues of the district and county, but sadly and more importantly, the people that have been continually ignored for years.

If you look at the numbers, it was democratic voters who simply, simplistically, and as uninformed and uneducated voters, voted across the party line. Shame on them. Not because I didn't win, but because they blindly follow their leaders without thinking, questioning or trying. I'm not saying we are there, but this is how most dictatorships begin. Just look at Italy, Germany and the others in the 30's and 40's, and now in the middle east. Blindly following is costing us in more ways than financial but that is the most significant problem with following and not thinking. I'm reminded of my parents old adage, "If so-and-so walked off a cliff, would you follow them?"

So how did, or will District 8 win from this election? It remains to be seen. To paraphrase Lois Bronz, she said she was happy Alfreda was able to get up to speed on the issues so quickly. This highlights just how out of touch she is. She didn't win because she was involved or knowledgeable. She was the heir apparent from a legislator who ignored her constituency throughout the district. The only people she did anything for was the Fairview section of Greenburgh. How sad a commentary that we go from one poor representative to another.

In spite of all of this, I wish Alfreda and the constituents of District 8 well. But with Alfreda and her ilk in power, it should prove to be a nightmare. Perhaps Rob Astorino, and the other Republican legislators can make a dent and begin turning around our county. The people began to speak in this election and I believe they will be even louder in the next one. I know I will be.

We Must Stop Overdevelopment

In many of our local neighborhoods, and in a broad sense throughout Westchester, we have seen the darkest side of development, human behavior, greed and social engineering run amuck. For example, in the Town of Greenburgh, we've witnessed uncontrolled development with the "sanction" by all the subordinate departments following Paul Feiner's misguided statist lead toward subsidized housing.

In fact, the Greenburgh Planning Board prejudiciously closed the public hearing as a proliferation of questions of the project site plan at 22 Tarrytown Road abound. Several people in the audience objected vehemently when Planning chairwoman Mclaughlin ignored their and several board members' pleas to hold the hearing open, insisting and receiving a motion to close the hearing at breakneck speed. Mclaughlin, whose strings are ostensibly dragged by Supervisor Feiner, could not seem to move fast enough to ignore the objections of so many and hand the silver platter to the developer! I don't know why she continues so anxiously to please the King and his “court” as he and his jesters have already disregarded the Planning Board's recommendation to not change the zoning for this property and then changed it right after reading the recommendation letter openly at a Board meeting. This charade must stop!

In Tarrytown we're witnessing the over-saturation of one of the most beautiful and significant waterfront areas in Westchester with immensely scaled condominiums. To the best of my knowledge, they are expensive; and many units remain vacant. Sleepy Hollow is wrestling with it's own demons as their waterfront property has had a bulls-eye placed on it by developers and their superstructure schemes slowly evolve into more than the area can handle. Why are we allowing developers such a free rein? Many suggest if we don't, then they will leave and build elsewhere. Okay, does that mean there is only one developer in Westchester and we should feel honored that they are here? I don't think so.

Another question is why were none of the housing units there designated as affordable or low income housing A.K.A. subsidized housing? Perhaps because the Village a) didn't think of it; b) thought of it and knew it would devalue the rest of the area they are trying to improve; c) realized that the housing that doesn't get sold might be rented and become Section 8 voucher housing or d) did not want the crime that follows so many of these lower socio-economic renters. Maybe there is an “e, f, g” and more.

There was a study that was conducted recently in Memphis, Tennessee that tracks Section 8 housing, it's voucher participants and the crime that travels with them. In what the study calls the “rabbit ears” affect, when you overlay the high crime areas on top of the Section 8 housing, now located in the suburbs from the inner city, it's the “rabbit ear” exact match! Crime is proven to go up commensurate with Section 8 housing. But that doesn’t mean let’s simple do away with Section 8 housing. Of course there are valid reasons to support some of it.

Just because there is a parcel of land without a building on it, doesn't mean we must build something on it and maximize its use with an out-of-character, over-sized building placed on it. This is why most neighborhoods and thinking people object to many developer plans. It's what has been the over-riding issue at 22 Tarrytown Road. After being punished with Westhab's hapless homeless facility for over 25 years, the neighborhood started to see some relief once the County closed the facility. But giving back to the neighborhood isn't in the cards for this workforce group of people. As they say, no good deed goes unpunished. So, the county purchased the property and gave it to Westhab to develop.

Supervisor Feiner endorses subsidized housing, and came to the neighborhood and said this was workforce housing for Greenburgh's municipal employees and teachers. Then it wasn't. Oops. He lied. Then Westhab’s Robert Sanborn perpetuated the same lie, obviously believing if they say it enough, “everyone” will believe it. But the neighborhood and the surrounding area organizations didn't drink their Kool Aid (not to give Kool Aid a bad name), and knew they had been politically, blatantly, and openly lied to. To spread his standing with the lame-stream media, the supervisor wrote several op-ed pieces pining how the Fulton Park neighborhood were NIMBY's. And yet, all they ever said was build something to scale in the area at 22 Tarrytown Road.

The often pushed-aside-by-Supervisor Feiner, Greenburgh Comprehensive Plan would be a step in the right direction in the Town of Greenburgh as well as one for the County. The Town Board seems to have no issue urinating away $405k on it and then doing what they can to circumvent it before it's adoption for one law firm and it's developer client. People at the Comprehensive planning meetings continue to say the same thing: give us less impervious space, smaller buildings or same-sized buildings to replace what's torn down, more sidewalks, bike paths, parks and green space and less congestion. But alas, the Greenburgh Town Board won't listen. And, they'll continue to travel to the Villages, where they are greeted with open arms as Supervisor Feiner, who continues to praise the Villages he cannot destroy, mock the unincorporated areas he can destroy, and paint the people and findings who participate in the Comprehensive Planning meetings openly as kooks. There's only one real kook here and it’s not the residents.

It's time we change the way government operates. It's time to take out the career politicians and the wannabes who have worked with them for years. We need fresh ideas and people who know how to make tough decisions and take government back and hand it over to the people, where it rightly belongs.

Is Westchester Guilty?

Sure, it's a pretty tough question to answer, and for most thinking people his HUD settlement plea certainly is an admission of guilt, regardless of the terms of the settlement. Whatever Andy Spano or the other legislators claim, when you settle any suit, even with the inclusion of a "no admission of guilt" clause, you've admitted guilt! He's just trying to "hedge his (compensatory) bet."

I don't believe Westchester is racist, and yes, there is certainly an economic divide. Even if Andy Spano admits he and his failed incumbent board of legislators are racists through this settlement, will a complacent electorate return them the to business as usual on November 3? As they scamper away with their political tail between their legs toward the darkness of say, New Jersey, where shenanigans like this may be acceptable, will Westchester ever get past this uncaring and apathetic routine? I hope so. It's why I'm running for office.

Westchester County is comprised of a very diverse group of peoples. My neighborhood exemplifies this as do so many others. But there is a commonality as well. The people owning homes here, work for everything they get. Many of us struggle, living paycheck to paycheck and fear what may happen if their health and/or employment fails. Yet, they persevere and they really ARE the community they live in. They are not subsidized by government and yet government insists they subsidize others. Why? Because it's the incumbents way of buying more votes through dependency. We know it works - just look at how long so many have stayed in office.

There is an incumbency, no pun intended, to help others in need, whenever possible. But our system for helping others has evolved from a temporary helping hand, to one of dependency, and a multi-million dollar cradle-to-the-grave industry. On top of that, when you saddle private industry with an inordinate amount of regulations, the small companies, or "the little guys" get wiped into oblivion. These are the businesses that need the assistance of government, not to be strangled by it. They are the ones that can help these same people in need the most, through employment, to improve their lives. I'm pretty sure the system as it is now is not what our founding leaders envisioned America would become.

So, is Andy Spano admitting he is a racist? I think he is. To say lets settle this lawsuit is disingenuous to the majority of good people in Westchester. We sit at the crest of the tide of political correctness because of a racist decision, made by a liberal judge with an agenda. This is an issue purely of economics and whether or not you can afford to own property in the southern part of New York State. If you cannot, you can rent an apartment and still live here. There is no "right" to own property as some would suggest. But if you want to own property, go to school, get a good viable education, get a job, work hard and save. And when the right time comes, you can purchase what you can afford, be it a co-op, condominium or a house, anywhere you want. Until then, people in power should rethink, retool and reduce some of the programs that encourage recipients to do nothing and be rewarded for it.

As we retool, rethink and reduce, we should take these same people and insist they go back to school and/or learn a trade so that eventually, they will not be a burden on society, but a contributor to it. Westchester is not racist - it is rich. Rich with ideas, rich with entrepreneurs and self-starters who buckled down and achieved a lot and rich with charity. Our burden of entitlements, created and bastardized by our politicians, needs to change if we are to turn the tide that the elitists have shoved down our throats. And for those that truly need help, we will always be there to offer assistance.

Failing Spano Administration Does It Again!

Last week, the failing Spano administration paid $750,000 to do a fly-over of Westchester to photograph all the homes and buildings in it. Why? There is a proposal in the County Legislature to enact a bill into law allowing the County to do a county-wide revaluation of all real estate properties in Westchester. This aerial photography will be used to compare homes and buildings once they enact their legislation. They'll do another fly-over and compare the images to see who has built onto their property or not, and then they'll raise your taxes. This bill enables them to do this every two years! Wow! What about home rule?

If you are still having difficulty swallowing this, keep in mind that there is a New York State law mandating revaluation every two years. But, amazingly, not many towns and villages will do it for the obvious reasons: the politicians will lose votes if taxes increase. How does it work? Well, if we had kept up with revaluations regularly, the changes in taxes would be minimal. But, using myself as an example, my home is valued at $10,000. A "reval" might see that go up substantially. Because I work, I may (or may not) be able to afford it. My parents home, which they've been in for about 50 years, may have been valued at $5,000. Like most seniors on a fixed income, any increase could be devastating for them. Seniors will be impacted the most severely. Most politicians know that more seniors vote than kids. Most kids don't own a home or property. So, as you do the math, you can see how this is a nightmare for politicians.

In the end, the Spano administration is spending our tax dollars to spy on us from the air. They found a way to raise our taxes that they didn't have before. They've got some nerve.

Westchester is the highest taxed county in the nation! This has to stop! We need to vote out all of the incumbents and give our county back to the people who support it. It's time for us to be heard!

Oversaturation of the Rt.119 Corridor

As I travel throughout District #8, and speak with many residents, I'm surprised and frankly, dismayed at how many people are not aware of the County's and the local Towns and Villages Board's eagerness to build on any open space, creating huge, apartment style buildings.

There is a County initiative to build affordable housing apartments along Rt. 119 from the Marriot Hotel, westbound to Rt 9, in Tarrytown. From there their plan is to head north along Rt. 9 on the Hudson River to Peekskill. Can the two-lane Rt.9 handle much more traffic? Can Rt.119 handle any more? I don't think so. When Police Officer Christopher Ridley was tragically shot and killed in White Plains, and White Plains PD basically shut down traffic, the repercussions were felt across the Hudson River as far as the Airmont Road exit on the Thruway. I know because I was stuck in it.

Many are aware of what's been referred to as the Stop and Shop project, roughly where the old Premier Theater used to be. But Stop and Shop is a convenient smokescreen I believe is being perpetrated by DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise and Wiederkehr, LLP. They want a zoning change and are not concerned about what the neighborhoods and their people want or say.

There are several factors here in play. To the best of my knowledge and it's my opinion, here's what I have found out while attending over a years worth of Greenburgh, Elmsford, Irvington Town Board meetings:

1) White Hickory's (herein WH) attorneys, DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise and Wiederkehr, LLP (herein DelBello), requested this project stop being referred to as The Stop and Shop project. My understanding for this is because they are not obligated to, or want to, commit to building a (Stop and Shop) supermarket at this location. They could build a supermarket there. They have requested a zoning change and are pushing the Greenburgh Town Board (herein GTB) to act on it asap. The reason is they would like to have this done quickly is they need it done before the Greenburgh Comprehensive Plan is adopted.

2) A Comprehensive Plan severely limits what can be built as the governing body must maintain the zoning in place when the plan was adopted - forcing the current zoning to stay as is and not easily able to be changed. Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner is racing through the Town of Greenburgh's unincorporated areas doing what I believe are illegal spot zoning for developers under the guise of developing homeless-affordable-workforce-Section8 housing and "taxables" for the zoning is locked in by the Comprehensive Plan. The plan should be ready shortly.

Why would any politician do this? I cannot say for sure, but possible Greenburgh Supervisor candidate Patricia Weems always says its about money or power. She's probably right.

3) The County has executed a study to see how viable it would be to utilize unused parking spaces in office parks to build apartment buildings. Their misguided thought was that residents of the apartments will park in the fewer available parking spaces at night. When they go to work in the morning, a worker from the office park will slip into that now unoccupied space. They claim this would be young urban people, not families with kids who will live here. Is it any wonder the County is the highest taxed county in the USA?

4) Everyone that I've discussed this with doesn't mind development. It's OVERdevelopment they are against. This is what the failing Spano administration is doing to our neighborhoods, our lifestyles and the quality of life in Westchester. We have traffic congestion that at times makes traffic in NYC seem like the Indianapolis 500. It's time for a change. We need to throw the incumbents out. It's time for US to be heard!

County Government Raises

Our current county government legislators clearly do not get it. If they did, they would not be raising taxes, increasing spending, raising their salaries and increasing their expenses! They would, in today's economy, vociferously, vigorously and without question announce that they are refusing a raise and looking to make cuts everywhere! But their egos and their lack of understanding of what the “right thing” is, and their lack of understanding of what the average person is going through, won't allow it. It's simply (monkey) business as usual. I'm an average guy who is constantly doing without one more thing just to get by and pay my bills. If you ran any kind of business the way these people run county government, it would be out of business quickly.

Part of the issue is the lack of checks and balances that have been removed from all of our systems of government. When we were in school, we all learned about balance, a two (or multiple) party system and the benefits thereof. We are experiencing the socialist, one-party rule at the local, county, state and federal levels by only having democrats in power. This must change. It's time to be heard!

Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in your world." I believe in this and want to see my family's and my son's future world, be a good, affordable one that treats people with courtesy and respect. We haven't had this for some time now. Vote for me for 8th District County Legislator and help me bring government back to 'We the People'.

"Fed Up and Unwilling to be Ignored. It's Time to be Heard!"

We Must Reduce the Size of County Government

I believe we can. The biggest and most challenging aspect of this goal is that it must be a bi-partisan effort. I agree with Rob Astorino, our candidate for County Legislator, that we must stop the tax madness in Westchester and New York state. But, the initial stage will require the voice of the people (read Vox Populi @ Westchester Herald (www.WHYTMedia.typepad.com) to push all the legislators to start by cutting the pork we have in government. Do we really need someone being paid to deal with movie companies making movies in Westchester? Maybe we do, but why pick on one position. We need to reevaluate all positions.

After we start trimming do-nothing, patronage and unnecessary positions, we can go after the programs that are redundant, not successful or producing a cost-effective return, outdated, and most importantly, duplicated. As we begin this trimming, we should be able to at least hold our taxes where they are. As we continue to trim, we should slowly begin to see our taxes go down. It took years for the democratically controlled legislature to get us here and it will be difficult, but not impossible to to reverse this trend.

A large portion of my district, District 8, is a low income area and the recipient of many dollars for many people. It will be difficult, but not impossible for us to address this without displacing or hurting our recipients. But government cannot continue a cradle-to-the-grave environment forever. We are now paying the price for that. Plus, there are many options from the private sector that may accomplish the same things that don't cost as much or anything.

Help me by joining my campaign. If you agree with me, great! If you don't agree, feel free to disagree, but offer me a real solution, not talking points, and I'll listen with an open mind. You can also email me at ElectTomBock@gmail.com.

Why I'm Running for Westchester County Legislator for the 8th District

Hi Neighbor,

My name is Tom Bock, and I live in the Fulton Park neighborhood in the Town of Greenburgh, NY. I am a life-long Greenburgh resident and when I got married, twenty one years ago, I moved to Fulton Park with my wife, Sue. We had the dreams that most young couples have when they are starting out and began to plan. We worked non-stop on our fix-er-upper house for a year, slowly making it nicer for us. My son, Cameron, was born 17 years ago. He is quite an accomplished musician and hopes to pursue his education in music, following in the footsteps of his teacher and mentor, my dad, John. My parents live in Greenburgh as well.

I've been a firefighter in the Elmsford F.D., for 36 years and am still active in firefighting. In 1989 and 1990 I served as the Chief of the department. On a County level, I have been a member of the Westchester County Hazardous Materials Response Team and am a co-founder of the Westchester County Technical Rescue Team. Both of these teams are all-volunteer and serve to protect the entire County and it's guests. I am a director on both the Westchester County Association of Fire Chiefs and the Westchester County Volunteer Firefighter's Association.

When Hurricane Katrina struck, I organized a one-weekend fund raising drive for the fire service and the Chiefs' Association. We raised and distributed over $180,000 to the emergency services in the Harrison Fire District in Mississippi. I also helped coordinate a delivery of $35k in Christmas gifts to this same Gulf region with our great corporate neighbor, Modell's Sporting Goods.

I am also proud to be a founding Board member for the Just Imagine Making Miracles Yours (J.I.M.M.Y.) Foundation, of Somers, NY, helping terminally and seriously ill children and their families. I have also been involved with the Burn Center at the Westchester County Medical Center.

I responded with many of my fire service colleagues to NYC when we were attacked on September 11, 2001. As a result of my involvement in the fire service, I was asked to sit on the Westchester County WMD Planning Committee and the Special Operations Oversight Committee. These very important organizations work to help Westchester's residents and guests be safe and be prepared for many types of emergencies that we never dreamed of before 9-11.

Like most of you, I am disgusted with the exorbitant tax increases we've suffered with over the years. I have witnessed first hand dealing with the County, how difficult, obtrusive and unresponsive getting help from this lumbering giant can be. Rob Astorino, the candidate for County Executive wants to reduce County government and I agree with him. We have seen patronage positions given out without regard to need, expertise, or expense. We've seen Playland, a national and local treasure, lose money and be mismanaged to the tune of a $3 million yearly. The medical center, which I have a love-hate relationship with, hasn't been managed well for years and yet we keep increasing it's size yearly. Their expertise saved my father's life and I'm grateful for that. But, the abuses and waste are pervasive and need to stop! I want to work to end these abuses, reduce the size of the County government and return accountability and responsibility to the people of Westchester County!

I'm running in the election for Westchester County Legislator for the 8th District to try and take back control of our County government. I am not a career politician. In fact, I never thought of myself as running for anything until my neighborhood got hammered by the County. They purchased a .7 acre of property and decided without discussions with the neighborhood to create a social services hub in Greenburgh. No neighborhood should be treated this way!

I will no longer sit back and hope others will step up and do something. I am stepping up to challenges we face and will work to represent all the neighborhoods in District 8, which includes portions of White Plains, Greenburgh, Sleepy Hollow and Mount Pleasant. If you feel your voice has been ignored, if you are tired of being abused and if you want to see honesty and accountability in County Government, help me. Join my campaign.

Together we can make a difference.

Thank you.

Tom

Tom Bock

White Plains, Ny

ElectTomBock@gmail.com

ElectTomBock.blogspot.com