Stop Wasting Money

For Governor

2010-02-02T14:31:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's true. Yesterday I announced that I'm in for a big race. Read more at Warren Redlich for Governor.

Governor?

2009-12-24T10:32:00.003-05:00

Friends in the Republican and Libertarian parties have asked me to run for Governor. I'm thinking about it, and would love to hear comments, both for and against.

Please see the Facebook group: Warren Redlich for Governor

A couple of the agitators are:
Eric Sundwall
and
Jim Ostrowski

I'm honored to be considered, and look forward to hearing from others. I do have some ideas about how our state government can ... you might guess the campaign theme ... Stop Wasting Money.

We can make substantial spending cuts in areas that do little for our state. By doing so we can protect the jobs that matter and reduce taxes for the rest of us.

December 16th Tea Party for Rand Paul

2009-12-03T11:57:00.002-05:00

For all who want our governments to stop wasting our money, and all who are supportive of the Tea Party movements, the candidate to watch is Rand Paul.

There is a big money bomb event for the younger Dr. Paul - Rand's Tea Party, set for December 16th. Please help the cause.

Rand Paul is the candidate to watch in 2010. The leadership of the GOP has fallen into the same fiscal irresponsibility that used to be a hallmark of the Democrats. Together, the heads of both parties are taking us in a downward spiral, making me remember fondly the Bill Clinton years.

If Rand Paul wins in 2010, it sends a strong message to the establishment that the natives are not merely restless. It will show we can also elect candidates who share our views.

Go Rand!

Federal Health Care?

2009-12-01T10:16:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine sent me an e-mail that included this picture. There was an explanation in the message, but the picture says more.

For my thoughts about federal health care, see my posts on this blog labeled Universal Health Care.

The New Money Bomb?

2009-11-16T20:13:00.003-05:00

Trevor Lyman has a new website, and it looks interesting. If you're a fan of Stop Wasting Money, Ron Paul, or the tea party movement, this site is worth checking out:

Tea Bombs

Guilderland Election Results

2009-11-04T07:57:00.006-05:00

The Guilderland election results for 2009 are in. Short story: For the next two years at least, Guilderland belongs to Ken Runion.

Details and some thoughts below:

For Supervisor:
Kenneth D Runion Jr 4,647
Peter A Golden 3,629

For the math-challenged, Runion won by over 1000 votes. That's a big win.

For Town Board:

Paul C Pastore 4,665
Patricia J Slavick 4,605
Matthew D Nelligan 3,571
David B Fraterrigo 3,165

Back in 2007, these were the vote totals for Town Board (the only contested race):

Mark E Grimm 4,187
Warren Redlich 3,961
David A Bosworth Jr 3,730
Michael F Ricard 3,723

The most obvious detail is that the Dems won in 2009 by a far larger margin than we did in 2007. Another note is that turnout seems slightly higher this year, and that's before absentee ballots are counted. The 2007 numbers probably include them.

Of course I'm disappointed. I'm also surprised. Our candidates worked hard. They spent a lot of money too - maybe three times as much as we spent. It seemed that Runion was particularly weak - with incidents like the Ghost of Altamont bringing him lower. His policy decision to raise his own pay while cutting paramedics seemed odd in an election year.

Political types can quibble about what the result means, or about what our team did wrong. That might be a worthwhile discussion if it was a close race. But it wasn't. To me, Guilderland voters sent a clear message. They want Ken Runion to run Guilderland. I will be quieter for the next two years.

Bullying ... and yes ... Warren Redlich

2009-10-31T17:30:00.004-04:00

Okay, this one isn't really about me. But I'm in it.

Fox 23 News did a "focus" on bullying. Good story on a common problem faced by kids, how it's changed over the last several years, and some things you can do about it. If you don't see a video above, here's a link to it on their site:
Fox 23 News: Bullying

Of course bullying is much more complex than what can be covered in a 3-minute news bit. It's not just about your kid being bullied. We as parents also need to deal with the possibility that our child might be the bully.

A good resource is:

AACAP on Bullying

Also, on girls and aggression, I read a great book recently:
Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls

and I'm reading:
Queen Bees and Wannabes

Well, actually I'm reading the 2002 edition and the above is the brand new 2009 edition. But I'm sure both are good.

The Infamous Warren Redlich

2009-10-30T09:01:00.008-04:00

I'm really getting famous ... well in Guilderland anyway, and maybe infamous rather than famous. Below are sections of a mailer that was sent to many voters in Guilderland:

What's most interesting about this is the political strategy. I'm not a candidate this year. I'm on the board, but I'm not up for re-election until 2011.

This negative mailer mentions my name three times, but doesn't mention the names of any of our candidates. A similar mailer mentions my name four times and only mentions one of our candidates' names once.

Breaking down the strategy, at first it appears they're trying to avoid building name recognition for our candidates. This is a common approach, especially for well-known incumbents facing relatively unknown challengers. If the voters don't know who your opponent is, then attacking your opponent helps voters recognize the name.

The part about attacking me is, for me of course, fascinating. It would appear that the incumbents think my name is mud. It's hard to say whether this is accurate. I tend to think most people don't even know who I am. People don't come up to talk to me in the supermarket, nor do they sneer at me in disgust. They don't seem to notice me at all.

So did they do a poll which showed I have high negatives? It's possible, but I suspect not. Usually when a poll is done in town, word gets around that people got a poll call. The odds are that someone who knows me, my wife or my mother would have gotten one of these calls and would have told us. That's what happens when you've been part of a community for 36 years.

More likely, the people making the decisions think I have high negatives. Maybe they're right. It's still not clear that voters will transfer those negative feelings to our candidates, but we'll see.

On some of the points in their mailer:

1. "Chaos, rudeness, negativity and a circus-like atmosphere at Town meetings"

While we have had a couple of over-the-top meetings, most have been calm - perhaps even boring to watch. The number of unanimous votes is somewhere over 80%.

The circus moments are entirely attributable to Ken Runion. He's stormed out of two meetings. I've stayed to the end of every meeting. He's orchestrated incidents, such as the DWI meeting (I'm a DWI lawyer) where several people attacked my proposals to reduce court congestion. More on that below.

Negativity? Yes. I have been negative. When Runion wants to give inappropriate tax breaks to large corporations, politically connected insiders, and felons, I'm going to be negative about that. I'm not kidding about the felon thing. The gas station at 1611 Western Avenue was purchased for $350K in 2004, but assessed for $185K in 2005. The owner is currently doing 7 years in federal prison for money laundering. See article in The Business Review.

When Ken Runion hides critical information like a massive sales tax shortfall, or a looming pension crisis in Guilderland, I'm going to be negative. When he raises his own pay while cutting paramedics, I'm going to be negative about that too.

2. ... direct police not to arrest certain driving while intoxicated offenders

That is grossly inaccurate. The proposals I made had nothing to do with arrests - they concerned decisions made by our police after the arrest. I did a blog post explaining this at the time: DWI DWAI Aggravated DWI and Plea Bargaining.

Then there's this bit:

I didn't know I was going to get control of Town Hall. Sounds great! Runion does have control of Town Hall because everything he does is backed by two reliable yes votes. They have voted unanimously on just about everything for about 6 years.

But reality creeps in. I will be, as I am now, one of five board members. And unlike the Supervisor, I will not be there full-time. The candidates on my team are strong-willed. No one is going to control them. The biggest problem will not be one person controlling things, but resolving disputes among ourselves.

Then there's this one:

It definitely will be a message. If the voters support Runion, I will respect their wishes. But here's the bigger question - if the voters reject Runion, will the Democrats accept the result?

In 2007 the Democrats rejected the voters' message. The following appeared in the Altamont Enterprise, 11/8/2007:

The town's highest vote-getter with 5,401 votes was incumbent Democratic Town Clerk Rosemary Centi. She cried as she made her acceptance speech, saying, "That's what you get when you're a master of communication," a reference to Grimm, who runs a communications consulting business. "A little bit of truth, wrapped around a lie."

...

"This was a campaign of one lie after another," Connolly angrily said of the town board race.

Caputo said that the race was "an injustice to the rest of us and to the town of Guilderland."

...

"It's easily lost in one night all of the things that have happened. You have to put it in perspective," Bosworth told Democratic onlookers. "This was not a mandate for change like some have suggested. We've had three months of negativity."

Compare that to how the Republicans responded to their loss in the 11/10/05 Enterprise:
Wednesday, Donegan sent a letter to the Enterprise editor congratulating Slavick and Pastore and thanking everyone who worked on his campaign.
...
Glenning, a vice president for the Bank of America, told The Enterprise Wednesday that he congratulates the winners. He did not go to Dorato’s Tuesday night with other Republicans, but watched the results on television at home with his wife and daughter, he said.

"The greatest thing in an election is the public gets to be heard," Glenning said Wednesday. "We ran a good campaign, everybody did."

Makes you think a little more about where the rudeness and negativity comes from.

Obama, Basketball and Women

2009-10-25T11:01:00.004-04:00

I just saw this article in the New York Times about a man's world in the White House. Apparently there is growing criticism that President Obama doesn't involve women enough in key decisions.

The highlight of this at the moment is an incident where Obama hosted "a high-level basketball game with no female players." Oh dear!

This might be why I don't bother reading the New York Times much any more. Maybe they can find something to talk about that has some degree of importance and/or relevance to regular people.

Time for a ghost story

2009-10-15T23:31:00.001-04:00

One of the problems with entrenched incumbents is they lose their grip on reality. For an example, watch the video below:

Rick Lazio?

2009-09-19T13:15:00.003-04:00

Word is that Rick Lazio is running for Governor. He's got a campaign website: Lazio.com. Next we'll have to see if he finds any substance to talk about. And you may also want to keep track of him on the completely unofficial site about him: Rick Lazio.

Bob Conley

2009-07-31T12:04:00.003-04:00

My continuing interest in the minor history of federal politics led me to acquire one of the former campaign websites of Bob Conley who ran for US Senate in 2008 in South Carolina. I certainly don't agree with Bob on everything, but we'll see what people think of him.

Small Business Owners Matter

2009-06-05T09:00:00.002-04:00

I run a small business - my law firm. There's me, plus two other full-time lawyers, a part-time lawyer, a full-time assistant and a part-time assistant. What a tremendous learning experience it has been.

One thing I think most people don't realize is that small business owners work very long hours. I don't really have set hours. I'm essentially on-call 24/7. I might stroll into the office today at 11 am, but that's hardly the whole story. Last night I worked at home until sometime after 1 am. This morning I was up checking e-mails around 7 am.

When you're the owner, you can't stop working because it's yours. We get a lot of calls from prospective clients. Ideally you return those calls quickly. Check out the distribution of when our calls come in:

These calls are money. That's how we pay the mortgage, the car payment, and how we will eventually pay for the kids' college tuition and our retirement (if lawyers really do retire). As you can see, my day isn't 9 am to 5 pm. We get calls on weekends too, though it's not too bad:

It's not just money. It's people looking for help. For all the anti-lawyer hatred out there, the fundamental truth is that we do something important. We help people. That's what most businesses (large and small) do. If we didn't help, they wouldn't pay us.

But my point is that small business owners work long hours. For myself, there's two reasons. Of course I do it to make money. But I also do it because helping people is very rewarding. I suspect a lot of small business owners feel the same.

It can be as simple as running a restaurant, and the satisfaction of providing customers with a good meal and a pleasant experience. Now think about how many hours a restaurant owner works. Lunch starts at 11:30 and dinner wraps up after 9 pm. You start prepping for lunch around 9 am and you finish cleaning up after 10. After lunch maybe you get a small break, but you have to get ready for dinner too. Most restaurants are open 6 days a week, and some are open every day.

Politicians don't create jobs - small business owners do. These idiots in Washington and our state capitals just don't get it. Right now they're revving up to raise taxes and small business owners are sure to get hit hard.

That takes away our incentive to do what we do. I hear concerns from owners of all kinds of businesses - lawyers, doctors, restaurants, retail stores, etc. Why would we keep working this hard if the government is going to take the money out of it?

If we don't work as hard as we do, that means fewer jobs are created.

The truth is that many of us will continue working because we still like helping people. But as you take the money out of the equation, you're reducing our incentive to do so.

US Use of Torture: An Opposing View

2009-05-26T19:19:00.002-04:00

I believe it is wrong for the US to torture prisoners. But I don't claim to know the answer to whether torture is effective or not. Happily I have no experience with it.

Here's a perspective from someone who does seem to know, Matthew Alexander:

He also wrote an article about it in the Washington Post.

Rand Paul on Health Care

2009-05-22T09:45:00.002-04:00

Rand Paul is, for now, better known as the son of Ron Paul. But he's stepping out and deserves attention for who he is. Below is a video where he talks about health care.

This is a bit of preaching to the converted. Libertarians already get it. The challenge for Rand Paul and others is finding a way to explain these issues in soundbites. Sad but that's politics.
His reference to water distribution after Katrina is pretty good.

The Times Union and Tom Golisano

2009-05-21T10:08:00.003-04:00

The Times Union sneers at Tom Golisano for moving to Florida to reduce his taxes. Some quotes from the TU:

to get out of paying his fair share of taxes

I'm pretty sure Golisano has paid more taxes than anyone at the Times Union, and probably more than the entire operation.

That what it all comes down to is, he just doesn't like paying taxes, and would rather keep his money?

Soon to follow in the paper is the list of people who like paying taxes and don't want to keep their money.

he might remember ... where he came from. New York was where he made all that money. Here ... was an environment that nurtured this entrepreneur: The businesses and work force on which to build his payroll enterprise

He could have built his business anywhere. He chose to do it in NY and in doing so he created thousands of jobs - more jobs than any of the TU's beloved politicians. His efforts generated huge benefits for our state.

Tom Golisano deserves thanks for all he's done for New York. Instead he gets the TU's "version of the Bronx cheer".

The practical reality of governing: Your policies influence people's choices. Does the TU blame city residents who move to the suburbs for better schools? How about all the NY seniors who move to Florida which has better policies for them?

The State decided on a "soak the rich" tax plan. Why would you expect the rich to stick around for that?

Meanwhile, budding entrepreneurs see the writing on the wall, and start their businesses elsewhere. New York will continue its long slide.

Lindsey Graham - Consistency ...

2009-05-20T00:41:00.001-04:00

I believe the quote from my Contracts professor (Professor Dubroff) was: Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds. Lindsey Graham must have a big mind.

Save Tigers - By Eating Them

2009-05-15T10:43:00.002-04:00

At this point I'm pretty much a John Stossel fan:

A Republican Who Likes Obama

2009-05-01T16:13:00.003-04:00

I'm an elected Republican and I'm happy with Barack Obama ... sort of.

Of course I'm unhappy with him monkeying around with the economy, but he's not doing any worse than Bush on that stuff.

Here's why I'm happy:

1. Obama stepped up to the plate on medical marijuana. Under Bush (and Clinton), the feds would arrest people involved with medical marijuana even where it was legal under the laws of those states. For those who think Republicans are supposed to hate marijuana, that's missing the important principle. Republicans believe (or used to believe) in federalism and states' rights. If a state wants to allow medical marijuana, the feds should respect that. Obama does.

2. Obama is pushing to end the crack/powder disparity. Long ago the feds made the same stiff penalties apply to 5 grams of crack cocaine and 500 grams of powder cocaine. Many felt this was unfair since the drugs are essentially the same and since crack is used more heavily by poor blacks vs. wealthy whites using powder. Of course Obama should go farther, but he's done more than Clinton did on it.

3. Obama is right on the torture issue. I've been sickened by reading how some of our nation's top officials justify torturing people because 9/11 changed things. Baloney. Torture is wrong. We're better than that. I'm waiting to hear Bush answer the question: Who would Jesus torture?
Same on this point for Gitmo. Time to close it down.

4. Obama is right on opening up dialogue with other countries. Yes, I do think governments in places like Iran, Cuba and Venezuela stink. But we work with plenty of other countries that stink too. The talks probably won't lead anywhere meaningful - those leaders will stay rotten. But not talking is worse.

5. Obama understood that belt-tightening starts at the top - a view not shared by the Democrat leadership in Guilderland. On his first day in office he instituted a pay freeze for top officials in the White House. Grandstanding? Maybe, but good policy anyway.

There's more, but I give Obama credit for doing the right thing on some tough issues. Now if only he could get past that whole socialist mentality and start to recognize that capitalism is better ...

Swine Flu: Ron Paul Talking Straight

2009-04-27T23:57:00.002-04:00

Dr. Paul (he's really a doctor) talks about how government (and perhaps the media) is overreacting to the swine flu outbreak. Great perspective.

Universal Health Care and the Doctors

2009-04-19T13:21:00.004-04:00

I saw this great op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal: When Doctors Opt Out. Not sure if the article will stay online. It's by a Dr. Marc Siegel, and he talks at length about doctors refusing to accept Medicaid and Medicare patients. This does not bode well for a government-run universal health care system.

For some of my past posts on this topic, see:

Sept. 2006: Universal Health Care - Looming Catastrophe

Dec. 2006: Universal Health Care Again - Do Doctors Make Too Much Money?

March 2007: Socialized Medicine

Yes They Can

2009-04-16T00:38:00.009-04:00

Inspired by the Tea Parties of April 15, 2009.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, we now know the answer.

It's the answer told by unemployment lines that stretch around Walmarts and gas stations in numbers this nation has never seen; by people waiting hours upon hours, because they believe that this time must be different; that their call really is important to the corporation or government agency they've called, and that an American (or at least a Canadian) will pick up the phone, listen to them, and actually address their concerns.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve, that they are correct, and that government will do everything in its power to protect itself at our expense.

It's been a long time coming, but now, because of what we have done these last days, at this defining moment, government has grown even more in America.

We did this to ourselves because we did not understand. For even as we suffer now, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, maybe a third or fourth, the worst financial crisis in a century, and we're making it worse by the day.

There are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us, wondering if they'll return home, and if they do, whether they will still own their home or be able to find a job.

There will be setbacks and false starts. We know that government can't cause every problem, but they will try. And above all, they will ask you to join in the work of destroying this nation the way it's been done in America for hundreds of years - bribe by bribe, bankruptcy by bankruptcy, foreclosure by foreclosure.

So let us acknowledge the true spirit of big government, where each of them resolves to work less and take more from us. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot thrive while Congress rules Main Street and Wall Street.

On my mind tonight is a woman. She's a lot like the millions of others standing in line except for one thing - She is 106 years old.

I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - Prohibition and the War on Drugs; the New Deal and the Great Society; the times we were told that they can't do such things, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes they can.

You thought the government couldn't take your house so someone could build a shopping mall: Yes they can.

You thought the police couldn't arrest you without probable cause: Yes they can.

You thought they couldn't take your hard-earned money and then use it to bail out large corporations, which then gave the money as bonuses to the executives who tanked our economy: Yes they can.

You thought they couldn't hold you in jail or take your car, home and drivers license away until you were proven guilty in a court of law: Yes they can.

You thought they couldn't eavesdrop on your phone calls and spy inside your home: Yes they can.

You thought they couldn't just print money to pay the bills: Yes they can.

You thought they couldn't take away your guns: Yes they can.

You thought they couldn't interrogate you in an airport just because you have some cash and you work for a non-mainstream campaign: Yes they can.

A congressman was arrested for DUI, another was caught being naughty in a bathroom, still another caught hitting on young boys, and all the while Presidents, congressmen and other government officials keep lying to the People. Yes they can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there are so many more ways they can screw us. So let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; what change will they see? How much worse will we have made it?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to let our people go back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity by getting government out of the way; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that the Constitution limits the powers of government and protects the rights of individuals; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that they can, we must stop that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a corrupt government:

No They Can't!

A riff on Obama's "Yes We Can" acceptance speech after the 2009 election. This was also inspired by all the parents who have called me about how their kids were abused by the police in one way or another, and they always ask: "Can they do that?" Yes they can! And they do. And they'll keep doing it until we make them stop.

Don Csaposs: The Stalking Gets Weirder

2009-04-15T23:23:00.005-04:00

Not too long ago I wrote a post about how Guilderland town employee Donald Csaposs has been obsessed with me in cyberspace. Apparently the stalking continues.

Here's the story: A friend of mine from elementary school has been posting our class pictures on Facebook. Several of us have been posting comments about the pictures, such as trying to identify some of the classmates. This is the kind of harmless and silly stuff people do on Facebook.

However, I just noticed something related to these pictures. The image below shows comments posted by classmates about one of the sets of pictures. I've blurred the names and photos of my classmates (to protect the innocent), leaving only Csaposs and myself. You can see that he asked "Where's my buddy Warren?"

For anyone who follows Guilderland politics, or who has read my original post, it is obvious that we are not buddies. My friend, not knowing of the dispute between us, responded on Don's "wall". Don responds: "Thanks. He's ever so cool ...." That picture is below.

So can anyone come up with a non-creepy reason why Don Csaposs would be interested in my elementary school photo? Comments welcome.

Immigration Checkpoints

2009-04-12T19:57:00.004-04:00

Along the lines of the previous post about Steven Bierfeldt, I just noticed this criticism of the increasing use of "immigration checkpoints": Checkpoint USA. They also have a good YouTube channel on checkpoints.

Wow!!

2009-04-07T13:04:00.002-04:00

I would say this is incredible, but unfortunately this is becoming normal in America.

Video below, or read about it in the Washington Times.