Editor:

A writer to the Orleans Hub complained that I misinterpreted Congressman Chris Jacobs’ position on bail reform.

So I want to make my position clear. If there is any evidence that the bail reform law makes citizens less safe then the law should be changed. To date there is no such evidence.

We all want safe communities. We also all want equal justice. Bail is a set of conditions to assure future court appearance by someone accused, not convicted, of a crime. In this system those with means are set free, those without means are held in jail. This establishes unequal justice.

The writer makes the following statement: “These politicians and political organizations that spread the message of hate towards police officers are undoubtedly largely responsible for the 346 law enforcement officers shot in 2021, and 115% increase in ambush-style shootings of law enforcement officers in 2021 that Congressman Jacobs referenced.”

I know of no politician or political organization that spreads a message of hate towards police officers. Perhaps the writer could provide some examples. To be clear any politician that disrespects police officers, or any public servant, should not hold office.

The writer also makes the following statement: “The bottom line is when an individual is arrested and released on an appearance ticket (when under previous bail laws, they would have been off the streets), and then commits more crimes, those crimes could have been prevented.”

I agree 100 percent. If we could detain those who will commit future crimes than we should. However, that information is unavailable to us mortals. Both the Constitution of the United States and our basic sense of justice prevents us from locking up individuals for crimes they may commit in the future.

Mr. Jacobs has no anti-crime policies so he is scapegoating the bail reform law to create a sense of fear in the electorate. We elected Mr. Jacobs to help make issues, like crime, better for all of us.

Instead Mr. Jacobs is using fear to obscure and confuse the issue. This area need a representative. Mr. Jacobs is not that person.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

Let’s be honest here. Bail reforms were desperately due and fundamentally made good sense. I am not going to repeat the obvious.

But here, there and every where it 1) overshot by a wide margin and 2) was underfunded.

Where is the money for ankle monitors, for extra pre-trial supervisory staff, for mental health for those who need it, for job training for those that could use it?

Bail reform is just one part of fixing problems and it pushed the time to start forward and increased the number we had to try to reach.

Pointing fingers is counterproductive when we should be figuring out what worked, what did not, and make changes to do it better. Taking sides or overstating pros and cons is foolish – typical politics.

All need to roll up their sleeves and make the changes needed to make it and a healthy  society work.

Democracies evolve or they wither and die. It’s the defining question in this alt right era. It’s time to discuss and pull together.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

When will this craziness REALLY end? So, over a week ago Ms. Hochul announces an (overdue) end to the statewide indoor mask mandate. However this does not include certain facilities, most notably our schools.

So, are we supposed to be happy or satisfied with this? I am not! This situation has gone on long enough, is beyond being ridiculous and just needs to end.

Consider the following; we have vaccines available, a variety of treatment options/therapeutics available, including two new post-infection treatments that if given within a few days reduces hospitalizations by close to 90%. You add to this, the fact that schools and school sports settings have not been identified as major vectors for, or super-spreaders of Covid-19.

Did children get infected with this virus, yes. However, the chances of serious health impacts and death for basically healthy kids is statistically zero.

So why are kids still being forced to wear masks in school? Once they leave school buildings no kids or parents are required to wear them anywhere else as they go about their life and from my basic observation no one is or has for quite a while. I am asking why school superintendents, school boards, local elected officials, and most pointedly Ms. Hochul are keeping this policy in place?

Most recently Ms. Hochul stated that there is no “aha moment” that will happen where she will remove the school mask mandate and she will keep evaluating the data and vaccination rates. Is she serious with this, since when does one person have this kind of authority, this broadly, over all of New York State?

By the way a downstate judge said she didn’t have this authority, this was appealed, and where are the judgements on this? I believe it still sits with the NY Supreme Court Appellate Division and Justice Robert Miller.

I am anxiously awaiting his verdict. It is interesting that the US Supreme Court found it important enough to hear some pretty important similar cases and reach a verdict in an expeditious manner. Not sure what the holdup is on this?

With respect to Ms. Hochul’s approach on this issue, it seems to me like she is beholden to some other interest other than families and specifically the children of New York. I will leave it to everyone to figure out what that is on their own.

I want to applaud Senator Ortt, Assemblyman Hawley and all of the representatives who are involved in the “Take Back New York” campaign. Please keep pressing for all New Yorkers to get their freedoms back.

I would also like to applaud the numerous School Superintendents from Orleans and Genesee counties and surrounding areas who penned a letter to Ms. Hochul asking for an end to the mask mandates in schools.

My only criticism of this letter is that it didn’t finish with an “or else” clause, such as “rescind your school mask mandate OR ELSE we are ending it.” I am baffled why school administrations, politicians, other local leaders are still compliant with this craziness. There should be no requirements for Covid-19 vaccines for kids or masking mandates forced on our children, period. This nonsense needs to end now, not when Ms. Hochul feels like it. It is past time to pushback.

Brian Sorochty

Batavia

Editor:

Congressman Chris Jacobs voted, along party lines, against H.R. 4521, the “America COMPETES Act of 2022.”

This legislation provides $52 billion for micro-chip research, development and private sector investment of manufacturing of micro-chips. Micro-chips are essential for our economic and national security interest.

Furthermore, this legislation provides $45 billion to strengthen our supply chain by acquisition of critical goods and equipment necessary for our national security and economic vitality. This legislation provides good jobs with competitive wages.

That is why this legislation has the support of the AFL-CIO, the United Steel Workers and the Alliance of American Manufacturers among others. While the Republican Party’s objective is to block Democrat success, Mr. Jacobs obligation is to the citizens he represents.

The poverty rate in Orleans County, Livingston County and Niagara Counties is greater than 10 percent, (U.S. Census report July 1 2021). Improving economic activity should be job one for Mr. Jacobs. Mr. Jacobs’ cynical opposition shows his devotion to national party politics not to the citizens he represents. We need a representative not a party bureaucrat.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

Tens of thousands of individuals, families and children of all ages and faiths rely year-round on the support provided by the Appeal through Catholic Charities.

We launched the 98th Appeal last month with a $9.5 million goal. Our team is reinvigorated, optimistic and already hard at work. Results from some early efforts on behalf of the Appeal have proven fruitful. Thanks to many generous donors, we are off to a terrific start with $1.2 million already raised.

With the pandemic still a driving force, a variety of challenges continue to surface for many individuals, children, and families in our community. These effects won’t go away soon and only point to the ongoing need for the critical programs and services Catholic Charities provides. Last year alone, the annual Appeal brought help and HOPE to more than 125,000 Western New Yorkers through Catholic Charities’ 57 programs and services across dozens of sites in the eight-county region.

For nearly 100 years, Catholic Charities has been a beacon of HOPE for the most vulnerable and most in need in our community, providing a multitude of services for those who are struggling to make ends meet or facing challenges impacting their health and well-being.

Community support through the annual Appeal provides HOPE to so many. It has helped provide food through Catholic Charities’ nine pantries and emergency assistance for basic needs such as clothing and restarting households.

It has supported families through mental health counseling and substance use treatment, as well as intensive therapy for families with at-risk teens. School-based counselors help to remove obstacles to learning for students, and education and vocational programs get young adults on track who need a high school diploma and a career start.

It has helped refugees forced to restart their life in a new country and those young at heart who need a friendly call or visit. Funds raised through the Appeal are crucial to ensuring these programs and services can continue.

The Appeal also benefits the Fund for the Faith, which supports such diocesan ministries and programs as campus ministry, Catholic education and spiritual renewal in parishes. Donors can designate their gift by giving to the Appeal, which benefits both Catholic Charities and the Fund for the Faith; giving to Catholic Charities only; or to the Fund for the Faith only.

We hope and pray that those who are able and who have given previously will join us again in 2022. No gift is too small.

Through the dedication of our Appeal leadership team, parish volunteers, Catholic Charities staff, and the generosity of Western New Yorkers, we are committed to reaching the Appeal 2022 goal. Thank you for your continued support.

Thomas Beecher, Jr. and Nancy Nielsen, M.D., Ph.D.

Co-chairs of Catholic Charities Appeal 2022

Editor:

A recent letter attacked Congressman Jacobs’ stance on New York State’s disastrous bail “reform.” Another recent letter praises bail reform. The author of both letters suggested Congressman Jacobs attributed a nationwide rise in crime to bail “reform” enacted by New York State.

This was not what the congressperson was suggesting. The congressperson’s letter had two main points– (1) nationwide pro-criminal, soft on crime, and anti-police rhetoric and policies are responsible for nationwide rises in crime and unprovoked attacks on law enforcement; and (2) New York State’s bail “reform” has resulted in an increase in crime across the New York State.

Over the past couple of years, politicians across our country have turned their backs on law enforcement and police officers, to energize and connect with their political bases. They have made law enforcement the “bad guys.”

These politicians and political organizations that spread the message of hate towards police officers are undoubtedly largely responsible for the 346 law enforcement officers shot in 2021, and 115% increase in ambush-style shootings of law enforcement officers in 2021 that Congressman Jacobs referenced. This is an increase compared to the number of officers shot in the line of duty in 2020 (312), and 2019 (293).

The author of both letters claims that bail reform has not contributed to the state-wide rise in crime. However, the victims, and those that have been re-victimized – over and over – would beg to differ.

The bottom line is when an individual is arrested and released on an appearance ticket (when under previous bail laws, they would have been off the streets), and then commits more crimes, those crimes could have been prevented.

Those victims could have been spared the pain and suffering of being victimized. What about the individual who continually violates an order of protection that is supposed to protect a victim of domestic violence? The suspect is simply issued an appearance ticket, and sent on their way, only to keep violating the order, re-victimizing the victim. The list of examples could go on and on.

Perhaps the author of both letters has the privilege of being shielded from the extremely dangerous people that victimize and re-victimize society. Unfortunately, not everyone has that privilege. The reality is that New York State is less safe because of the disastrous bail reform laws. Even district attorneys and leaders in democratic cities (like Buffalo) realize this.

Respectfully,

James White

Albion

Editor:

Republican leaders are using New York’s bail reform law to scare up votes. They claim that the increase in crime is directly related to bail reform law.

However, crime is up all across the country including in places that have no bail reform laws. Thus the connection between bail reform and crime is tenuous at best. Let’s be clear, bail is something of value that an arrested person gives to the court to ensure a future court appearance.

People with means can get out of jail quickly while those without means sit in jail awaiting trial. Republicans would have to argue that those accused of a crime, before conviction, must be locked up for their argument to have merit. For example Harvey Weinstein paid $1 million in bond and was set free awaiting trial. Matthew Beddingfield was out on bail for attempted murder when he assaulted officers at the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The New York Bail Reform law is an attempt to provide fairness to the judicial system so that there is not one set of rules that applies to those with financial means and another set of rules that applies to those without financial means.

The cause of crime is complex and the solutions to the rise in crime will probably also be complex. Republican leaders, if they wanted to reduce crime, would seek to understand the causes of crime. Instead, they want a campaign sound bite that can scare up voters.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

What a great effort and example by Mr. Todd Eick, a Medina teacher who donated two years growth of his hair to Wigs 4 Kids.

Both a lesson for his students and a wonderful gesture for children who need the boost and  many things to help them. Thank you, Mr. Eick.

Norma Huth

Medina

Editor:

It’s time to stand straight and true.

Roman authors utilized the ritual slaughter of a person to signal to the audience that the literary world the reader has entered is suffering from a deep social crisis that has caused a perverse inversion of normative systems of human society, which brings into focus the norms and standards of human culture. (The Poetics of Human Sacrifice in Virgil’s Aeneid by Bill Gladhill)

Is that very different now in the US when 800,000 have died here while other highly vaccinated countries are opening up with far lower death rates? Statistically, looking at 84 countries, the major difference between highly compliant counties with low death rates and non-compliant ones with high death rates like us is the degree of trust we have in our country, the degree to which we have built in structural economic inequality and how much trust in each other! (Click here for article in Science Direct.)

It is indisputable that our current rate of human sacrifice to Covid is far higher in alt right communities that voted for Donald Trump. (Click here for article from NPR.)

So we know: 1) The communities with more Covid suffer more income disparity at the hands of their neighbors and political leaders. 2) They are being bombarded with bad information about their own society so they do not recognize, in our case, a) the science of vaccines, b) the benefits increasing government investment in opportunity, and c) trust in traditional normative news sources which impartially report on the real multifaceted world we live in.

Alternately stated we can not move forward when people listen to alt right news sources promoting people so craven that they extoll extreme alt right positions including Covid noncompliance and death. (Couched in lies of course to hide the power grab.)

The moral is to listen to traditional news and evidence-based life saving measures and also reject trading on fear of the person sitting to the right or left of you; to calm down and use common sense; to read the election documents ourselves or trust the Courts that have; to take top experts and numbers seriously; to understand it’s always been true that doing something that others find works well is better than continued failure.

As the Romans understood, when we stand by and do not fight human sacrifice  we are in a period of perverse inversion.

I repeat, 800,000 US deaths later, it’s time to stand straight and true. President Bush is contributing to Republicans who voted for impeachment, perhaps you should too.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

In a recent letter Congressman Chris Jacobs asserts that bail reform is responsible for an increase in crime. He cites a number of national crime statistics to support his claim.

So, Mr. Jacobs is saying that a New York law is causing a nation-wide crime spree. That is a remarkable claim. Let’s think about this. Bail is set to ensure the individual, who is accused of a crime, would appear in court at a later date. This person is still innocent.

Those who could afford bail were then released those who could not afford bail were then detained. This system criminalized being poor. Furthermore, studies and real world experience in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Buffalo have shown that bail reform, like New York’s law, do not increase crime or recidivism.

Where is the evidence to connect bail reform with this nation-wide crime spree? There is none, period. This is just another example of Mr. Jacobs using fear-mongering to get his base to vote for him because his policies do not help his constituents.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

The national homicide rate approached a 25-year high in 2021.

346 law enforcement officers shot in 2021.

115% increase in ambush-style shootings of law enforcement officers in 2021.

These numbers are the face of the nationwide crime crisis putting every American at risk. Politicians around the country, especially in areas hardest hit, are starting to play the blame game. But the fact of the matter is irresponsible anti-police rhetoric, the defund the police movement, and New York’s reckless bail reform laws championed by elected Democrats and activists have been a windfall to criminals and contributed to the surge in violence we are seeing now.

Especially here in New York, nearly 100,000 individuals have been released under this flawed bail reform program. How many more stories do we need of someone being released without bail only to go back out and commit another violent crime within hours? How many more people need to be injured and terrorized by a criminal who should be behind bars before the Democrats in charge of this state wake up and realize this misguided idea pushed by the radical left has put the communities they serve at the mercy of violent criminals?

As a former state senator who fought this reckless law, I have seen firsthand how dangerous this policy truly is; and that is why I am working in my federal capacity to protect the communities partisan state lawmakers have chosen to neglect.

Last year, I became a cosponsor of the SERVE Act. This legislation would make federal incentives available to states who give their judges the responsibility to determine what danger a defendant poses when making bail or pretrial determinations.

With recent attacks on police and crime surges weighing heavily on the minds of every New Yorker, it is time for the Governor to swiftly repeal this reckless law and put the people of this state ahead of her party’s political gamesmanship.

Along with my Republican colleagues in New York’s congressional delegation, I recently sent a letter to the Governor reminding her of the dangerous impact bail reform has had and the solutions we have offered in our proposed legislation to help combat crime levels and support our officers.

New Yorkers have suffered under lawlessness fostered by Democrats for far too long. It is reprehensible that the legislature will not admit the failure of this law and repeal so-called “bail reform.”

I call on the New York State Legislature to repeal these policies immediately and for Congress to pass legislation like the SERVE Act to better support our law enforcement officers and the safety of our communities.

Congressman Chris Jacobs, NY-27

Orchard Park

Editor:

The ongoing Covid pandemic has shed new light on infectious disease and underlying health conditions.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention explains individuals who currently smoke, or who have a history of smoking, and those dealing with underlying health conditions have an increased risk of developing severe outcomes from Covid.

Covid impacts many of the same organs of the body that smoking does, including negatively effecting the lungs and weakening the immune system.

The dangers of tobacco use are well-established, killing more than 22,000 New Yorkers every year. In New York State, 650,000 adults live with underlying health conditions and or chronic illness.

According to Health Day News, if you vape and catch Covid, you may feel a whole lot worse than people who come down with the virus but don’t use electronic cigarettes. This study also found higher rates of labored breathing and more emergency department visits when they contracted Covid.

If you are a smoker, and would like information on quitting, please talk to your healthcare provider. If you are a healthcare organization in need of evidence-based assistance with helping your patients quit, please contact Health Systems for a Tobacco Free Western New York at (716) 845-8246.

Shannon Waddell

Tobacco Control Specialist

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Buffalo

Editor:

As I drove down Route 31 on the way to Buffalo the other day, I saw a bunch of signs that said “No Solar Energy.” I decided to do some research on it to see what all the hub-bub was about.

Do we really need solar and other renewable energy? Is this whole global warming thing real or is it just a bunch of propaganda that people are feeding us? As I read numerous articles from reputable sources, I made my independent decision based on the facts.

First, is climate change real? According to NASA (an independent/non-political agency) an average of 1.2 trillion tons of ice is melting in the Arctic each year! Current estimates are that the entire Arctic ice sheet will completely melt by 2035 and that will raise the ocean levels by 20 feet. That would put most of New York City, Florida, and Louisiana underwater.

If/when the Antarctic melts that will raise ocean levels another 200 feet. That would put 130 million Americans underwater and bankrupt insurance companies and our country.

We can still slow the progression of global warming. How? Electric cars and trucks for starters. Transportation makes up 29% of global warming. Since most major automotive manufacturers plan to stop selling internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030 to 2035, that will help. It will also help our people because EV’s by that time should get 1,000 miles per charge and cost much less to run, purchase, and maintain.

The bigger part of the equation, making up 61% of the problem, is electricity use and emissions from power generation, homes, and businesses. The energy sources that contribute the least to climate change are hydroelectric, solar, wind and nuclear.

Unfortunately, hydro is limited to having powerful rivers and lakes to dam (we are fortunate to have Niagara Falls and two small hydro plants in Orleans County in our area). Nuclear plants cost about $10 billion to build and risk leaking of radioactive materials. It is reported that 45 of the existing 61 nuclear plants in the U.S. have been leaked radioactive materials, and we could still have another (or worse) 3 Mile Island, Chernobyl or Fukushima.

That leaves wind and solar as our best options. I’ve heard the argument that industrial solar farms are ugly and they ruin the landscape. There is a simple fix for that – town ordinances requiring a fence around them with plastic sheeting to obstruct the view. Out of sight, out of mind.

There is no one-size-fits-all perfect solution. But if you want your kids to have a habitable planet, pick your (not so) poison option. I’m going with solar.

Walter E. Dunn

Medina

Editor:

At about 10 p.m. on the night of December 11^th, a windstorm blew down a huge 150-year-old tree in our front yard knocking out power and crushing my wife’s car. No one was hurt and it didn’t damage the house. It could have been a lot worse, especially if it had been blizzard conditions.

What was awe-inspiring and truly heartwarming was the immediate response from the Medina community and our friends and neighbors. All offering to help in any way.

The fire department and sheriff checked in on us, which was nice. The next morning the electrician Eric Heveron cut a live wire off that was laying on the ground and moved it safely away. WGW Landscaping was absolutely amazing. Bill Wolter brought in five guys Sunday afternoon with a bucket truck, chipper, tractor and four different types of chainsaws. They worked until dark that day and had everything cleared the next afternoon, so National Grid could restore power. Zacher Construction brought in a huge forklift to take the massive stump and tree trunk away.

NYSEG guys came when all my carbon monoxide alarms were blaring because my gas generator was pouring exhaust fumes into the house through the basement door. Advance Technology company had to overnight parts from Texas to fix my furnace, which had been blown out with a power surge.

A very nice Spectrum guy came to get my wife’s TV back on. Of course, our insurance agent, Libby Pollard arrived early, and all the claims were quickly processed. We are truly thankful for everyone’s concern and help.

We are constantly exposed to bad news headlines, crime reports and divisive commentary, so sometimes we might lose sight of how kind and warm hearted most people are. The storm event strengthened our faith in mankind.

Paul & Patricia Hartigan

Medina

Editor:

I have seen several letters in newspapers expressing the opinion that Democrats are overreacting in their push for voting legislation.

So I thought I would review the facts. The Brennan Center for Justice reported, (12/21/21): “Between January 1 and December 7, at least 19 states passed 34 laws restricting access to voting.”

Last April the New York Times examined the new Georgia voting law and found 16 specific provisions that make it more difficult for some people to vote. In general this law limits polling places and makes access to ballots more difficult in order to frustrate people trying to vote.

Much more concerning though, The Brennan Center also reported; “And in a new trend this year, legislators introduced bills to allow partisan actors to interfere with election processes or even reject election results entirely.”

PEW Charitable Trust reported (7/28/21), that 14 states have enacted 23 new laws that empower state officials to take control of county election boards. Laws such as Arizona’s H.B. 2720 or Texas’ law S.B. 7 or Georgia’s S.B. 202 for example would allow for partisan officials to reject the results of an election.

Republicans have already tried to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia and four other states. For example after three re-counts, including hand recounts, of every legal ballot in Georgia and Arizona, confirmed that Joe Biden was the winner, Republicans sent into the federal government forged documentation falsely claiming Mr. Trump as the winner.

Our own Republican congressman, Chris Jacobs, along with over 100 other members of Congress voted to disenfranchise millions of voters just on the some claim of irregularities with absolutely no evidence. (No evidence has been found to date either).

Voting is the foundation of our democracy. Passing laws that allow only one party’s votes to count is not democracy. That is why these voting rights bill are needed to protect our democracy.

William Fine

Brockport