Editor:

This is in response to the letter about teens in the library. I agree that teens should be able to use the library, acting with respect and responsibility in taking care of their surroundings.

What I do not agree with is letting the teens use the children’s room. I don’t feel it is right to have small preschool children sharing a room with teenagers. This, in my opinion, is not a good mix. Teenagers playing Minecraft video games or taking over the small bean bag chairs that are there for young children.

When the library was built there was a room made for young children that had room for crafts, story time, and mothers being able to sit with their children and read a book. And then there was a room made for teens. These two areas were not even next to each other.

You may say that the teen room is smaller. That is true but it was based on the current attendance of the teens. The teens right now have there own room plus a loft space and even a community room space with TV for movies and video games.

I was in the library last Tuesday and found two teenagers “sitting behind” the reception desk playing video games. I saw the staff having a hard time moving around these two teens. That bothered me. The reception area was not made to accommodate this. I understand there are many issues floating around and there are two sides of each issue.

After attending Wednesday night’s board meeting I left feeling like once again the board does not care to listen to any concerns the community has. We were told by a board member that we were ONLY 65 people from the community!

I just don’t want the purpose of the library to get lost. I also want to thank everyone that attended Wednesday’s meeting, whether it be to speak to the board or to just listen.

Concerned!!!!!!!

Donna Wolcott
Albion

Editor:

I recently have become aware of a lot of controversy at our local library. I haven’t been able to get it off my mind. I am not in the middle of it all and don’t have all the facts or reasons people are doing the things they are doing. I know change is hard especially as we get older.

I understand that some of the issues revolve around our teenagers. I am having trouble wrapping my head around this. Why is there any argument over youth from our community wanting to be at the library?

We have poverty, single parent households, abuse, drug use and children don’t want to go home. There aren’t many other options in our community that are safe places to go. This is a wonderful opportunity to start breaking chains of generations!

Teach other options as way of life. Extend a hand of love to make a difference in their lives. Be a positive influence instead of contributing to the anger and disrespect they feel on a daily basis. Build self-esteem and help change our community for the future. “It takes a village to raise a child” was the theme at school when my children were young.

Have we gotten so selfish that we are going keep the oppressed, oppressed? We have the chance to impact the life of a child. Even if it only changes one child’s life, it’s worth it.

You give respect to gain respect. I have lived in this area all my life and have always been proud of that but I have to say, I am not feeling very proud of my community right now!

A concerned citizen,

Theresa J. Mosher
Albion

Editor:

In theory elections are good because competition and choice are good. One candidate is always a better bet to represent the public interest than another.

Though I haven’t met Rob Ortt, I have met Johnny Destino. (The two are running for State Senate in a seat open with the impending retirement of George Maziarz.)

We spoke at the Orleans Democratic Picnic in July and again at another meeting in early October. Johnny is a converted Republican. He is on the Niagara Falls school board and the BOCES board. A friend of mine, Tom Klotzbach, sits on a board with Johnny and speaks very favorably of him.

Just as anyone with a commitment to the United States, Johnny supports the Constitution. I have seen his signs in yards in Niagara County alongside Astorino and “Repeal the SAFE Act” signs! Though repeal is unlikely and amendment more appropriate, to me his stance on this issue illustrates how hard it is to “pigeon-hole” people according to their party affiliations.

To me, Johnny Destino, a married father of three boys, is a terrific candidate for State Senate.

Sincerely yours,

Gary Kent
Albion

Editor:

A recent article in the New York Times “Cuomo’s Gun Law Plays Well Downstate but Alienates Upstate” misrepresents the WNY and upstate areas as a whole. The article portrays “upstate” as a united front of anti-SAFE Act hysteria and repeal frenzy. That misstates the facts.

In reality, upstate opposes the SAFE Act by a relatively small percentage, but that percentage is considered statistically insignificant in the latest Siena College poll. Further, if the election is to be viewed as a litmus test on the SAFE Act upstate, Cuomo leads Astorino here in that same poll 47 percent to 34 percent.

While there are pockets of repeal “lawn signs and bumper stickers” throughout WNY, those numbers are dwarfed by the numbers of homes and cars not sporting such epithets. Rather, count the cars and yards that are not billboards for the NRA, SCOPE and the corporate gun lobby.

While the Times’ article notes that the law has spawned lawsuits, it fails to note that those lawsuits have been defeated in both state and federal courts.

In reality, there are other reasons that upstate voters may not support Gov. Cuomo. Many cite Common Core, hydro-fracking and other matters to be of greater concern. Upstate voters, like the rest of the state, are more concerned about education, the economy and jobs. The same Siena College poll shows that the issues motivating voters are largely economic – 13 percent cite jobs, 12 percent each for taxes and education; fewer than 5% mention guns and the SAFE Act.

While gun ownership is higher upstate, so too are gun-related deaths. Because of the overall low gun ownership (18 percent) and strong gun regulations, New York has the 4th lowest gun death rate in the country despite a population of 20 million people and 80 million visitors annually.

A recent Violence Policy Center (VPC) report, utilizing data from the CDC, shows that states with the lowest overall gun death rates have both lower rates of gun ownership and strong gun violence prevention laws. Conversely, states with weak gun violence prevention laws and higher rates of gun ownership have the highest overall gun death rates in the nation.

Another indication that western and upstate NY are not hotbeds of repeal frenzy, is that the recent debate between Cuomo and Astorino in Buffalo did not even merit a question about the SAFE Act. Further, the Buffalo News’ endorsement of Gov. Cuomo for re-election did not mention the SAFE Act, the Rochester D&C called the SAFE Act “a significant accomplishment,” and the Albany Times Union called it “mostly commendable.”

Paul McQuillen – WNY Coordinator, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
Judith Capodicasa – Buffalo
Al Capurso – Albion
Alexandra Dubroff – Cold Spring
Arthur “Happy” Klein – Tonawanda
Peter Leyonmark – Hamburg
Patricia LaFalce – Tonawanda
Kathy McCrone-Pudup – Rochester
Myra Robinson-Moses – Buffalo
Kathy Richardson – Rochester

Editor:

I read with disappointment the Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPE) changed Senate Candidate Johnny Destino’s rating. John Peracciny, Co-Chairman of Niagara County SCOPE, justified the downgrade by noting that Destino’s campaign “is being supported by officials that, in our opinion, are anti-gun owner and anti-Constitution.” This was quickly picked up by Rob Ortt who spoke of his A-plus rating at the expense of Destino.

What Rob Ortt and John Peracciny won’t tell you is that Rob Ortt is being supported by Republican Senator Dean Skelos.

The same Dean Skelos listed prominently on the New York State Republic Committee website (which has been sending out bush-league misleading mailers to Orleans County residents concerning Johnny Destino).

And the same Senator Dean Skelos that has an F rating from SCOPE.

SCOPE is not consistent. Downgrading Johnny Destino’s rating because SCOPE doesn’t agree with who is supporting him, while ignoring the support of Rob Ortt by Senator Skelos with his F rating is disingenuous.

The same goes for Rob Ortt – passing along SCOPE’s downgrade of John Destino while accepting the support of Dean Skelos comes across as the end justifying the means – and a winning at any price mentality.

Working to help preserve the Second Amendment rights of Orleans County voters needs to be based on consistency and facts.

Tom Klotzbach
Waterport

Editor:

The Hoag Library is a pillar of the community and symbolic for learning and developing. I am writing to inform the community at large who is served by the Hoag Library about some basic facts of interest for citizens and, hopefully, patrons of the library.

The Hoag Library is chartered as a “Cooperative” library, also known as a Free Association Library. This designation is one of three different types of public libraries allowed under New York State law. The key feature of this type of library is independence.

As an association, the Hoag Library is owned and managed by a non-profit organization, chartered by the New York State Board of Education, not by a municipal government or school district. Further information can be found on the New York State library website (click here).

Elected members of the Hoag Library Board of Trustees should be able to address and answer inquiries about the bylaws of this cooperative association and the authority by which they oversee the Hoag Library, including personnel and budget decisions.

While voters give elected officials the privilege to serve the community and represent the people, the Board of Trustees has an obligation to the community to be transparent in their governance and be held accountable to all the citizens and the community in which they serve.

Five staff members, including the director, have been terminated within the past six months. The experience, stability and knowledge of this tenured staff spanned 130 years. They were loyal to their customers, directors and Board of Trustees (current and previous) and certainly were familiar and helpful to any patron who visited the library. They will be missed by many, and a void of institutional knowledge and history is now gone. My challenge to you is “who is courageous enough to ask, ‘Why?'”

Complacency is the act of being pleased and satisfied with decisions that are being made for you and not wanting to make them better. If you say nothing with these decisions, then you are in silent agreement with the decisions.

If citizens are not satisfied with the actions of the Board, they are encouraged to attend the Hoag Library Board of Trustees meetings, which are held the second Wednesday of every month and provide their public comments. The minutes of these meetings are published on the library website (click here).

The bottom line is that because the Hoag Library is an association library, taxpayers can vote specifically to support the library to best serve the community. Is the Board listening to you and are they hearing your concerns and opinions? Is the Board taking the library in the direction that best serves this community? Is there transparency in their governance, and are they held accountable for their actions?

All Hoag Library Board of Trustees meetings are open to the public. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month at the library. The next scheduled meeting is Nov. 12.

Mary Anne Braunbach
Albion
Braunbach is a former library trustee and is currently president of the Friends of the Library.

Editor:

Why do so many people have such a problem with truth? Why do so many of us tolerate what amounts to bullying by abusive authority?

When my wife was fired (10/13/14), the new Hoag Library “Director” told her she was fired for abandoning her post. You be the judge.

On Saturday, Oct. 11, five teenage students appeared at the Library saying they were there for community service. My wife, Grace, called their teacher and found she was not coming in to supervise them. She then got the new “Director’s” phone number from one of his new replacement employees. She called the “Director” to inquire whether he intended to come in to work with them. His response was to immediately begin his customary, heavy-handed verbal harassment of her for doing what needed to be done, contacting the teacher.

Grace was even told not to wait on a patron while he continued to berate her. (All this came from a “Director” who had earlier told the staff, “If you see a problem, you own it.”) At that point, she was needlessly reduced to tears in a public place with a public audience. No one deserves such treatment, particularly not a 30-year employee.

At this point it would be well to recognize at least four things. The first is that the parents of the students likely assumed their teens were doing community service under adult supervision for 2-3 hours. The second is that the Hoag Library’s new “Director” has one face for the public and another for many dedicated employees. The third is that three experienced staff members have left in the last month. The fourth is that this is about what is best for The Library, not Grace.

As the day wore on, Grace gradually developed a nasty headache. After 5 hours, she arranged coverage for 2 hours and went home. She told an employee she was sick and needed to leave and they agreed to cover for her. She notified the “Director’s” secretary by e-mail that same day. Employees have used such arrangements to obtain coverage for years without a policy. The new “Director” never dictated any change in this practice.

When Grace went to work on the last of her 30 years of Mondays, she was terminated by the “Director” in the typical ridiculous way people often are these days (“Give me your keys and empty your locker.”).

What does any of this have to do with the truth?

Though the “Director” said he was terminating her for “abandoning” her post, the real reason is that, just as with the others who were pushed out, she had many years of service. Even though she worked only 13 hours a week, she, just as the others, was expendable for budgetary reasons.

The truth is that my wife has been a solid employee for 30 years. The truth is she has devoted hours of unpaid time, weekly, for much of that period. The truth is she volunteers as a “Friend of the Library” and has for years. She worked six hours today! The truth is she insisted we pay our pledge to the Library two years early. The truth is that she has found a serious buyer for the old Swan Library building.

The truth is that people in the United States don’t need to put up with bullying. But we do every time we say, “There is nothing we can do about it.” How many times have we said just that in the face of authority being abused?

Assuming that all the nonsense going on at The Hoag is “much ado about nothing” does a disservice to your community. It is wishful thinking. If you value truth, justice, and your Library, call a Hoag Library Board member to find out what is going on.

Gary Kent
Albion

Editor:

This is a Response to Tom Rivers’ challenge to NYS legislative candidates in his editorial on Oct. 20, 2014 (Candidates don’t have much to say about Orleans County, rural NY).

As I see it, the issues identified in Mr. Rivers’ editorial are symptoms of a problem created 101 years ago. Democrats and Republicans are not going to solve this problem. They created it.

Let me first outline the 101-year-old problem: The problem is our current system of taxes. When Democrats and Republicans ratified the 16th Amendment and imposed an income tax, they took the wealth of our nation and gave it to a few hundred people in Congress to use as they see fit: The biggest theft in history.

In the process, the structure of our society that was designed and created by the U.S. Constitution and intended to be preserved, that structure was destroyed. Look at the structure of our society today. You are not a free person: You are required to report your earnings every year to the government. Why? Because every penny you now earn belongs to the federal government, thanks to the Democrats and Republicans.

Congress now gets to tell you how much of their income (that you earned for them) that you get to keep and how you must spend their money that they allow you to keep. If you spend it improperly, they will take more of their money from you. You see symptoms; Our tax structure is the problem.

Your wealth is the property of the U.S. Government. Consequently, lower governments are left to their imagination to figure out how to grab what they need of your wealth: State and local income taxes, sales taxes, real estate taxes, fees, fines, surcharges, revenue generating charges, red light cameras … an endless list. If symptoms of distress appear in a community, and you want a solution, the major political parties’ solution is, fundamentally, more of the same but on a grander scale. Take more of your money and give it to someone else.

With the money flowing to Albany and Washington, the major role of an elected official today is to bring the money back to their district. My opponent is proud of the $33 million he obtained for Genesee County’s 77 Stamp project. Democrats are proud of the billions going to Buffalo and New York City. Every elected official across the state is proud of the numerous grants given to their towns and villages. And now, according to the editorial, Orleans County is also seeking a bigger piece of the financial pie as a solution to its problems. Seriously?

What would I have done? What will I do when I get into office? I would have voted against the 77 Stamp project. Any act where the government takes and distributes your earnings is tyranny. Thousands of such tyrannical projects exist across the state. I will work to end this tyranny and leave your earnings in your hands. I will work to establish a proper, constitutional way to fund government. A consumption based tax system, a sales tax system, is a system where government has a direct interest in making sure commerce and enterprise is thriving. And, that brings us to the issue of tourism and commerce.

New York State is grossly failing to meet Orleans County’s and the surrounding counties’ infrastructure needs. For example: Route 531 should be extended to Niagara Falls and developed to serve Holley, Albion, Medina and all of the northwestern upstate towns and hamlets along the way. The abandoned Ontario Parkway should be taken to Niagara Falls. The entire shoreline of Lake Ontario should be developed so that it can be enjoyed by tourists and residents, with new pull-offs for tourists, commercial development, and private use.

Want to solve Orleans County’s problems? Fix the 101-year-old problem. End both federal and state income tax. If we do, the role of government will automatically become limited, focused on the needs of its citizens, and we would quickly return to the structure originally crafted and established by the U.S. Constitution, where you, as an individual, will become free and empowered again to implement your own solutions.

Mark E. Glogowski, Ph.D.
Hamlin
Libertarian Candidate
139th Assembly District

Editor:

Facts the extreme gun crowd won’t tell you:

Polls continue to show 90 percent of New Yorkers, including a majority of NRA members, support background checks.

Eight American children are killed every day by guns.

Two-thirds of New Yorkers support the SAFE Act, and DO NOT want it repealed.

The SAFE Act has withstood legal tests in state and federal courts.

The SAFE Act remains the law of New York.

The SAFE Act keeps assault weapons with large ammo capacity out of the hands of cop killers and first responder killers.

The Second Amendment has never allowed, nor was it intended to allow unlimited rights to obtain all manner of weapons.

I urge all registered voters to check your candidate’s position on the SAFE Act and vote for those who favor it and common sense gun laws.

Thank you,

Al Capurso
Gaines
Member of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (nyagv.org)

Editor:

To prevent the implementation of the political worldviews that historically have always led to tyranny, two financial barriers were placed in the U.S. Constitution. In 1913, when the Democrats and Republicans ratified the 16th Amendment, they trampled on and crushed those two barriers.

In the process they destroyed the structure of our society that the U.S. Constitution was designed to create and preserve – a structure where you were empowered to provide for and defend yourself and family. The two major parties today are pursuing worldviews where government dominates and controls society – worldviews formerly blocked by the financial barriers.

The SAFE act is a typical efforts supported by those worldviews: A shooting at a school in another state justified the passing of a bill in the middle of the night – no debate, no proper notice, no input from the many state agencies affected, creating unconstitutional restrictions on your owning, purchasing and using a weapon, restrictions on weapon designs, and even unconstitutional confiscation of weapons. Were our elected officials terrified, or was there another motive?

Consider a person getting a rash from poison ivory and then government passing laws limiting where you can go (not the person with the rash), who you can interact with, how you must dress, medical care you will be required to receive, restrictions on your ‘driving privileges’ (you might be distracted if you see a person with a rash), penalties for parents of anyone having a rash (obviously bad parenting) … Get the idea?

These are responses to ‘symptoms.’ Not one response addresses the problem, the source of the rash … the poison ivy plants in the garden. The shooting is a symptom. It is not the problem.

The Second Amendment gives every citizen the right to carry a weapon – loaded, unloaded, concealed, not concealed – anywhere they deem necessary to protect themselves, their family, and neighbors. It even provides one reason every citizen has an obligation to carry a weapon. How does the SAFE Act, restricting your ability to defend yourself and family, address any problem? It doesn’t.

You interact with a criminal for about 90 seconds. Police arrive in 10 minutes. Nothing in the SAFE Act empowers you, as a citizen, to respond spontaneously to defend yourself. Sure, the SAFE Act addresses symptoms of problems, but not problems created by you; they are created by the worldviews embraced by Democrats and Republicans.

Mark E. Glogowski, Ph.D.
Hamlin
Glogowski is the Libertarian Party candidate for the 139th Assembly District.