This rendering of a new pedestrian bridge over the Erie Canal in Brockport, a span that will connect the Brockport State College campus to the Empire State Trail.

Editor:

The Village of Brockport is a focal point of the State’s $300 million Reimagine the Canals initiative, as the site of a new multi-functional pedestrian bridge connecting the village and SUNY Brockport across the Erie Canal.

This is the first large-scale infrastructure project to begin under the Reimagine program. Constructed next to the early 20th century guard gate that controls water flow in the Canal, the bridge will link the south side of the Canal at SUNY Brockport to the Empire State Trail on the north (village) side.

That connection is important, and not just to the college and village. The Empire State Trail is a tremendous resource for outdoor recreation — hiking, running, biking, kayaking, fishing — for locals and visitors alike.

The bridge provides the stimulus for the completion of the “Brockport Loop,” a joint college/village endeavor to create a walking trail on the south side of the Canal from the new pedestrian bridge east to the village’s high bridge at Smith Street over the Canal.

That bridge will undergo renovations to make it more accessible for cyclists and pedestrians. The Smith Street bridge, like the new pedestrian bridge, directly connects to the Empire State Trail, thus completing the loop.

The Canal holds immeasurable potential as a driver for economic growth and activity in our village. In 2005, we completed our Welcome Center on the Canal; visiting boaters tie up and take advantage of Welcome Center greeters, shower, and laundry facilities, and Wi-Fi.

We will be building a pavilion there for hosting our popular summer serenades program on the Canal, and an adaptive kayak dock is scheduled to be installed at the Welcome Center this spring. The recently formed Brockport Community Rowing Club, working to bring rowing to Brockport, has built a dock at the college near the site of the new pedestrian bridge. The bridge will help the club achieve that goal as, among its other functions, it has been designed for viewing regattas that can be hosted on our stretch of the Canal.

Brockport began almost 200 years ago as a transport and shipping hub on the Erie Canal. Though commercial shipping is long gone from the Canal, we and other Canal communities have celebrated its reincarnation as a recreational waterway and driver of tourism.

The Reimagine the Canals initiative, and the new pedestrian bridge it has fostered, is a capstone to this reincarnation. For Brockport, this is an investment in our economic future and a chance to ensure the Canal and its accompanying trail remain a central and functional part of our community.

Margaret Blackman

Mayor of the Village of Brockport

Editor:

I thought it necessary to respond to a recently published article entitled “Pandemic Perspective: Covid has been a demon, disrupting and ending lives.” The headline caught my attention, which on the surface felt relatable.

Then I caught a glimpse of the subheading; “Generous government relief for so many puzzles long-time reporter.” I thought perhaps I had stumbled upon the Letters to the Editor page, but alas, there it was front and center.

The author nobly calls attention to the lack of shared responsibility across our country over the last year, a constant reminder that individual “freedom” will always trump community in today’s society. Citizens across the United States have sacrificed, some willingly, and others without choice. We have lost loved ones and missed out on important milestones while so many persisted, yet others insisted that social distancing and mask-wearing were too inconvenient or infringed on personal rights.

In all honesty, I appreciate the general concern expressed by older generations about “who” will pay for the massive debt that the government has undertaken. “Will somebody please think of the children!” they scream. My condolences to Generation X, who has the privilege of shepherding us Millennials and Gen Z’ers through that challenge.

An issue created by a generation that no longer has any skin in the game. They decry survival checks to those who have suffered the greatest hardship during one of the largest global pandemics in recent history but will not bat an eye when billions or trillions are pumped into Wall Street and corporations.

Martin Luther King, Jr. perhaps said it best, “We all too often have socialism for the rich and rugged free market capitalism for the poor” (from a 23 Feb 1968 speech entitled “The Minister to the Valley”). This idea is so deeply engrained in our mind that the first inclination is to question the authenticity of need. That stimulus checks must be going to those who do not need it and therefore the money should go to the top in the form of tax breaks, subsidies, and other incentives. This way, money can trickle down upon the downtrodden by the benevolence of the billionaire who wants for nothing.

It was the “great” Ronald Regan who mainstreamed the “welfare queen” trope in his 1976 presidential campaign. Those proponents of individualism and free market capitalism use anecdotal evidence (at best) to cling to this idea of rampant and widespread fraud involving public assistance. For that reason, no one should receive financial support because suffering is the cornerstone of the American Dream. It builds character and everyone knows the world needs fewer snowflakes, people who can accept the racist caricatures of Dr. Seuss as essential to childhood and those willing to fight against “woke” cancel culture.

With that line of reasoning comes concern about the government doling out free cash to those who do not need it. That an unemployment check that totals more than a person’s normal wages is an indictment on government support programs and not on the employer who pays starvation wages. That there is no way that someone making $75,000 on paper two years ago could have lost their job during that same time span. That someone earning that much could not possibly be burdened by student loan debt and out-of-control healthcare costs fueled by inadequate employer-sponsored health insurance plans. And of course, when the government puts stops in place to prevent employers from forcing employees into unsafe working conditions, the employee must be lying about their health conditions.

Topping the whole article off with a misattributed Thomas Jefferson quote and an Archie Bunker-esque anti-immigrant rant is the perfect close for a misinformed perspective littered with microaggressions.

I would expect better from the Orleans Hub.

Snarkily yours,

Matt Ballard

Statesville, NC (formerly of Clarendon, NY)

Editor:

There is an overwhelming response since the first payment was disbursed from our government, of who is going to pay all of this back, which is our money to begin with. How about instead of putting that burden on us, we hold the government to a standard of being more responsible with the money that is given to them by 200 million taxpayers?

Our defense budget just keeps growing. All the while they prey on the young to sign their life away through advertisements made to look like they’re signing up for a video game. Or flood schools in small towns where teenagers feel they have no other direction or way out. All to fight the battles the rich and power hungry have started, and continue to perpetuate by taking our money to fund the very same people they promote as our enemy.

We complain about immigrants, who come here to better their lives (the same thing we all are, but that falls on deaf ears) or for safety due to destruction a lot of times caused by us, but who are we to let go of our ego and take some responsibility for that?

We have the largest prison population in the world, compared to the country’s population, but lack of programs or processes to re-integrate people back into society. Then again why would you? It’s easier for a business to get repeat customers than it is to obtain new ones.

The banking system operates by receiving billion dollar bailouts, but shells out multi-million dollar bonuses and stock options, continuously increasing the interest rates, but pay only pennies on the dollar for our money saved or invested with them.

We bash welfare recipients, whom the majority do need that help whether they abuse it or not. Yet we don’t mind receiving praise for helping the needy, all while making sure we collect our tax write off of any charitable contributions made. Yet there is no criticism of Walmart, one of the largest bribers (politically correct term being lobbyist) for welfare programs since it makes billions of dollars from said programs. And we don’t even bat an eye at the hundreds of billions of welfare dollars (profitable) corporations receive through subsidies, tax breaks and credits.

Meanwhile programs and sectors that benefit society on a whole – infrastructure, education, healthcare, all of our social services are grossly lacking in a multitude of resources.

What I am trying to boil this down to is I find myself having a bit more compassion for the people who work hard for their $75,000 and receive a $2,000 payment in the Covid stimulus that would make a difference in their bottom line. A hardship experienced today may not be felt until tomorrow.

Clearly, there are many of these points that I and many others are not experts in, but a lot of times I do not think you need to be an expert to see past the veil that has been draped in front of us.

Nicole Zelazny

Buffalo (formerly of Medina)

Editor:

The Orleans Hub reported that unemployment was increasing in Orleans County, (2/8/21), up to 6.4 percent from 5.4 percent a year ago.

State Department of Labor reported: “Private sector jobs in the Western New York region declined by 50,800 or 9.2 percent, to 499,300 in the year ending December 2020.”

Also, the Hub reported that the need for food assistance is increasing. Albion Community Kitchen serving about 380 meals per week up from about 150 per week before the pandemic (3/14/21). Nationwide, the Census Bureau reported that: “Nearly 26 million adults — 12 percent — said their household didn’t get enough to eat sometimes or often in the last seven days.”

The American Rescue Plan will help alleviate the economic distress and hunger in our area. It is important to remember that Congressman Chris Jacobs voted against helping Orleans County. In the Rescue Plan that Mr. Jacobs voted against, Orleans County will get over $12 million dollars and most individuals will receive a check of $1,400.

Not only will this money help individuals but all the small businesses in our local towns as the people will be able to spend this money in local restaurants, bars, coffee shops, hairdressers and barber shops. This will help save small business and our small towns recover from the pandemic.

Mr. Jacobs would rather play political games than help the citizens and towns of Orleans County.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

I believe Mr. Fine needs to research what is spent in New York educating students before criticizing Congressman Jacobs. The cost to educate  is well over $23,000 per student in most New York  districts.

One area I see New York State needs to invest more dollars is economic education. The children enrolled in school now will be faced with paying back this federal debt which now exceeds 125% of GDP. It will not be possible to fund this debt just by increased taxes on those making over $400,000.

The increased tax burden will be more far reaching then the wealthy and corporations.

Edward Urbanik

Lyndonville

Editor:

Congressman Chris Jacobs’s mendacity is on full display. In a press release Mr. Jacobs stated that: “Democrats refused to help us advance policies that would fund an expedited return to school for our students. Republicans introduced over half a dozen amendments to the COVID relief package to open schools. Democrats rejected them unanimously.”

Mr. Jacobs does not tell us what amendments to the American Rescue Plan, offered by Democrats, that Republicans made to improve the bill and expedite a return to class rooms. However Steve Scalise, the Republican Minority Whip, while on ABC’s “This Week” stated: “They’re saying they want to pass over $100 billion of new money that’s not even tied to schools reopening.”

The American Rescue Plan has $130 billion for schools which Mr. Jacobs voted against. These funds go towards things like safer use of classroom, improving ventilation systems buying personal protective equipment, according to the House Education and Labor committee. Additionally, schools are required to save at least 20% of the money they are granted specifically to address learning loss. I am reminded of Mr. Trump’s promise of having a “terrific, fantastic, phenomenal” health care plan, always better and always sometime in the future (which never came) and in fact no committee to create a better health care plan ever developed. There is no big beautiful better health care plan and there is no better Republican plan to safely open schools .

Mr. Jacobs refused to work with Democrats in opening up schools and safely returning students to the classrooms. Mr. Jacobs press release is deceitful and manipulative. The citizens of this district deserve better.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

The Town of Barre is celebrating our Founders Day on March 6th.  We won’t be able to have an in-person celebration this year.

The Barre Betterment Committee has created a puzzle for you to celebrate with us. It’s a little challenging, but we are confident you can figure it out!

A photo of the puzzle is here as well as a link to a downloadable pdf (click here).  Good Luck!

Betsy Miller

Barre

Editor:

The American Rescue Plan is a relief bill for the pandemic-induced crisis. While not a panacea or cure-all, it will offer some relief.

This legislation is supported by every sector in America. Former President Trump’s hand-picked Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, and his economic advisor, Kevin Hassett, have expressed support for the Rescue Plan.

A group of bipartisan mayors from across the country sent a letter to Congress in which they wrote: “President Biden’s American Rescue Plan contains such assistance as part of an aggressive strategy to contain the virus, increase access to life-saving vaccines, and create a foundation for sustainable and inclusive recovery… Your quick action on President Biden’s plan is a crucial step to making meaningful progress in one of the most challenging moments in our country’s history. We encourage you to take up the President’s rescue plan as soon as possible in the 117th Congress.”

Over 300 small business leaders from across the country wrote to Congress: “The American Rescue Plan meets the urgency of the moment and takes the steps necessary to save small businesses struggling during these difficult times.”

Leaders in education, and state treasurers from across the country sent letters to Congress urging the passage of The American Rescue Plan. This bill is not political and not controversial unless you politicize it by telling lies and intentionally mis-characterize the facts. That is what Congressman Chris Jacobs and the Republicans are doing.

PolitiFact, the New York Times and other fact checking organizations have categorized the claims by Republicans that there is still “over a trillion dollars of money unspent from previous relief bills” as misleading since the money they are talking about, while not spent, is allocated to other purposes.

Furthermore, the claim that only 9 percent of the money goes to Covid relief is also labeled as misleading at best. While only 8.4 percent is specifically allocated to fighting coronavirus, spending on things like subsidizing health insurance coverage for laid off workers, extending paid sick leave and funding for veterans is also important and needed to insure the recovery from the pandemic.

While citizens in Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and across the 27th congressional district are facing food insecurity, job and income insecurity and a health care crisis, Congressman Jacobs wants to play political games and refuses to help the citizens of his district.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

Originally, I wrote a completely different version of this for Black History Month. It is from the perspective of a Caucasian who has taught and coached Black teenagers. I have had one, or two, Black teammates on several of the teams I played on growing up.

But I have also been a minority of one on two otherwise all Black, or brown, teams.

The first was the Rochester Steelers, a semi-pro baseball team that played out of Genesee Valley Park. Among its top players were the Sutton brothers, Jesse Dowdell and Ike Walker, a teammate of Jerry Grote’s on the Auburn Mets before Grote got called up in 1969 and Walker quit professional baseball because he thought he was a better catcher than Grote. Our coach, Bosie “Slim” Thomas, Jr. and I thought Ike may have been right.

The second otherwise all non-white team I played with was Henri’s Inn, a slow pitch softball team here in Albion. Its coach, Arelee Ellis, referred to as “Boss Hog” by his players and friends, recently died down South. Among the better players on that team were Billy Witherspoon, Angel Rosado and Nate Little. Billy is still a good friend known by most as “Bogard”, while Nate went by “Tap”.

Let me attempt to give you something more to think about.

I have seen discrimination in some very ugly forms. James Neal, a Black teammate, had a relative beaten to death in the 1950’s in the South. A high school basketball teammate, Willie Torrance, was benched in his junior year, even though he was scoring over half our points, supposedly because, “He doesn’t care about defense”. The deal with Jerry Grote’s Auburn teammate may have been another.

One of my Black baseball players at Kendall was intelligent, articulate, athletic, decent, respectful, had artistic ability and looked like he could have been in the movies. I had to talk him back from despondency outside the counselling office one day—as nearly as I could tell—mainly because his Blackness made him feel unworthy. There were tears in his eyes while we spoke.

When I played for those two, otherwise all Black or brown teams, I never felt discriminated against. In fact, I might have claimed the reverse. It was my impression that I was always given the benefit of the doubt and, if anything, discriminated in favor of. The guys always had my back and stuck up for me. They tended to make excuses for my screw-ups.

Take from this brief description of my experience interacting with those of different skin color what you will. Though it is likely unnecessary to say, but I can only marvel at it.

Yours in all sincerity,

Gary F. Kent

Albion

Editor:

Every day when I go to school to teach, there are three things educators emphasize: lying is not OK, bullying in any form or context is not acceptable, and that belief and opinion are not the same as fact.

Breaches of these tenants are actionable. Yet when I see members of Congress like Marjorie Taylor Greene being allowed to harass, threaten, spout nonsense that incite violence and hate I am deeply disturbed. This is a person whose claims have nothing constructive to bring to governance.

Taking her off committees is not enough. What could possibly be the constructive governance goals of a person who believes dangerous, insidious, insane conspiracy theories, who endorses murdering people and encourages domestic terrorists to destroy and kill? What people say and believe when in a position to make crucial decisions matters.

Elected officials have no business remaining in power who unapologetically hold such beliefs. She espouses and seeks to shove through these theories to bear fruit in the governance of the United States of America. Conspiracy theories only cement tyrannical power.

Elected officials who let peers stand to this behavior either are hair-raisingly likeminded, cowed, or are arrogant and lacking in good judgment. In any case, they do not deserve the privilege of serving in Congress.

Robin Lewis

Holley

Editor:

In response to the recent letter by Paul Lauricella, urging elected officials to dismiss the governor’s Executive Order on police reform: an Executive Order carries the weight of law with criminal consequences.

Mr. Lauricella wants elected officials – of which I am one – to break the law and be criminals. He then calls us spineless if we don’t. This is pathetic. It’s the logic of a toddler.

Darren D. Wilson

Lyndonville

Editor:

I have noticed that it has come time for Governor Cuomo’s racist, anti-law enforcement, police reform executive order to be complied with. This is the same individual that allows criminals a revolving door to recommit with no cash bail. He is accused of senior genocide, being a bully and a sexual harasser.

This man is unfit to mop the floor at a brothel let alone run a state. I think nothing will happen to him and he will be re-elected. He is a Democrat, therefore nothing to see here.

What I find most reprehensible is our local police, legislators, mayors and town boards going along with this garbage. Does getting money now or in the future mean that much to you that you would spinelessly cede to a man that is truly using racism to fight phony racism and police brutality? All this will do is further embolden criminals and further impede law enforcement from doing its job. The criminal element will rule the day. The citizens will be less safe.

Most reasonable people would be glad to be rid of these individuals and breathe a sigh of relief that they can no longer be a menace to society. Unfortunately it is law enforcement that have to deal this criminal type in the end and they get demonized, hated and lied about by the ill-liberal press and politicians for just doing their job.

For me, when a violent white criminal is jailed or shot and killed by the police, I thank God and pray that the police officer wasn’t injured ridding the earth of such scum and am glad I never had to encounter such a person. I thank God there are policemen. If the perpetrator was roughed up a little in his resistance to comply, Good! Don’t resist. The problem isn’t the police. It for sure is not racism. It is those who commit the crime, do not reasonably comply with authority and are violent by nature.

Those in charge and elected should tell Cuomo and his racist executive order to go to h-e- double hockey sticks. You open this door at our peril. The law abiding citizen. They are not going to stop this nonsense unless you push back.

A disrespected law enforcement will one day walk off the job and let the progressive social workers and racist ministers handle the calls. Let them walk in a cops’ shoes and see how they deal with it. This will eventually happen because none of you elected have a spine. You are letting the criminals win.

We live in a world ruled by the aggressive use of force. The criminal will never let up on that aggression. Let the police do their job and stand behind them.

None of you should be re-elected if you go along with this. I fully expect the hate from the progressive left and right defending the indefensible. I don’t care.

Paul Lauricella

Yates

Editor:

My wife and I are well over 65 with comorbidities. We have been on a list at our pharmacy for months. After reading article in Hub about Orleans not getting enough vaccine, and promise of a significant shipment, we were excited.

Yesterday, our pharmacy called and we were assigned appointments and went through state site to confirm. Today the rug was pulled out, and we get no vaccine.

You cannot put shots in arms with no vaccine! Mr. Cuomo who got our doses?

Dayton Hausman

Medina

Editor:

I remember Al Capurso from the time he was a child. In 1965, Father Joe Rigley recruited me to bring migrant children from Coloney Camp to the St. Joe’s Boy Scout Troop. Al’s Dad – Al Sr. – asked me to help with the troop, since we were bringing in a bunch of kids. Al Jr. and Bob were scouters then and great kids and accepting of the migrant kids.

Then Al worked with Rev. Edmangelesdorf, who headed up a 1970’s drug outreach program, a nation-wide popular approach to reaching out to kids tempted by drugs at that time. That staff were like guardian angels to youths in our community, available at all hours. Al was a tireless, 24-hour advocate and rescuer of youths in crisis.

Al then became one of the first counselors for the County’s Alcoholism Counseling Program.  When STOP DWI came in and dramatically changed the culture of drinking and driving, Al was at the forefront.

We, the Probation Department, dedicated one officer to handle 50 felony level DWI’ers (95% likely to be alcoholics). Al and our Karl Holt teamed effectively keeping our probationers in treatment, sober and off the roads, so that we had no repeat offenders in nearly two years, a remarkable task in dealing with alcoholics. Karl left for greener pastures. Al continued.

Also,  Al  brought to our community’s historical heritage and political life the same energy, effectiveness, generosity and kindness that he’d shown all his life. We all know he loved music, which he also willingly shared to ours and others pleasure. He was a “man for all seasons,” a loss to us all, but a gain to Heaven.

Bob and Margaret Golden

Waterport

Mr. Golden was the Orleans County Orleans Probation director from 1964 to 1988.

Editor:

One of the objections to raising the minimum wage was that the Congressional Budget Office projected that it would cost 1.4 million jobs. However, research has shown that this does not happen.

Paul J. Woodson and Dale Belman’s report, “15 years of Research on U.S. Employment and the Minimum Wage,” show that increases in the minimum wage have not led to detectable job losses.

Even in low wage states like Mississippi raising the minimum wage is beneficial. Studies by Michael Reich, Sylvia Allegretto and Claire Montialoux found; “Minimum wage increase will have more positive effects in Mississippi and other low-wage states than in more affluent states.”

While the CBO may project job losses, that is not what extensive years of research shows. Furthermore, studies by the Economic Policy Institute show that “public assistance programs would fall by between $13.4 billion and $31.0 billion.” This will help to reduce the federal debt. They reported that: “Earned income tax credit (EITC) and child tax credit (CTC) expenditures would decline by somewhere between $6.5 billion and $20.7 billion annually. Expenditures on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other major government transfers would fall by between $5.2 billion and $10.3 billion annually. Reduced annual expenditures on SNAP alone would range from $3.3 billion to $5.4 billion. We also estimate that the $15 federal minimum wage in 2025 would increase annual Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) revenue by between $7.0 billion and $13.9 billion.”

Raising the minimum wage will help essential workers that have been there for all of us throughout this pandemic crisis. Home health care aids, nursing home workers, substitute teachers, grocery workers, cooks and many other essential workers deserve to make a living wage and research shows that it will benefit society as a whole. Thank you.

William Fine

Brockport