Of course Constantino is too busy to respond to you. He's been making multiple animated videos with music composed by himself, or so he says. One of his most recent ones he posted on Twitter/X "starred" Roger Stone singing and thanking Trump. It was very strange, to say to the least, and this is from he guy who wants to represent NY21? God help us.
ICE/DHS has become a rogue law enforcement agency that has mass hired thousands of unfit and unqualified people who have been itching to wear a badge, a gun, and to to exert power over others and who have been told that they have "total immunity". If you look at these agents/officers their appearance is nowhere near professional but rather the opposite. They are dressed to be as intimidating as much as possible. It is not beyond belief that a great number of these mass hires did not meet even the minimum qualifications to join a "normal" law enforcement agency.
“I intend to keep my character and ethics intact as I enter politics or there’s really no point.” Clearly, Constantino is keeping his promise. Unfortunately, his character and ethics are deplorable.
Matt Simpson has perfect attendance for a less than part time job? Hardly impressive. The main reason is Simpson takes full advantage of the per diem perk for legislators at a minimum of $165.00 a day, on top of his salary. Now if Matt get sleepy from accomplishing nothing for six years he stays in a hotel and eats and drinks and submits up to $658.00 for that foray. Matt has personally profited from being the least effective, most irrelevant, and most unqualified member of the assembly to ever represent us. I'm sick and tired of local republicans pussy footing around the failures of their party loyalists. In my humble opinion, Stec, Simpson, Sheriff Lafarr and all the other Trump sycophants put the guns in the hands of the I.C.E thugs and killers and should be held accountable. They put the sexual predator and wanna be despot in office, they pulled the trigger.
I’d like to see the evidence Matt Simpson is “the least effective, most irrelevant, and most unqualified member of the assembly to ever represent us.” Is he really that much worse than Dan Stec was?
According to the Assembly member site Simpson has zero legislation and zero funding initiatives for his distressed, abject poor district. Of course he still shows up for projects he opposed funding for. Democratic Assembly member Cashman from the North Country has already secured millions for Paul Smiths college and other projects and speaker Heastie has actually toured his district.
Yes, I saw a post from Stec yesterday with Cashman and Stec cutting the ribbon for a fair or something. Cashman has done more for the district in a few months than Stec or Simpson have done in years of being paid.
All the Constantino "noise" is really discouraging. I'm voting BLUE in November and I sincerely hope everyone with a functioning "brain-cell" will do the same. Either way, we're sending a congressional newbie to washington!!!
Character does matter! This is attested to by the two shared stories about Blake Gendebien. Thanks, Ken, for lifting up those stories.
We need more candidates who focus on attacking the issues rather than attacking their opponents. We already have too much character assassination in the body politic.
I’ve been getting texts from Anthony, too. Just yesterday I got one that basically said “Zohran Mamdani - BOO!” That Blake is basically the same as Zohran Mamdani.
I thought, do not tease me like that! I love Zohran Mamdani.
And while Blake’s political positions are more “centrist” or “moderate” than Mamdani’s, I do see a lot of similarity in the positive outlook and friendly, happy demeanor of the Blake and Zohran.
These are 2 guys who smile a lot and both seem to genuinely like people.
Also, there’s been a text from Constantino about the body lotion business that Blake’s wife Carmen runs using natural dairy products. Link for more information here: https://awholesomeglow.com/our-story/
I’m confused that Constantino seems to be attacking the Gendebien family for being at the same time socialists and entrepreneurs.
It seems to me that running a day spa in Canton and making beauty products is powerful positive messaging, but if Constantino wants to be negative about an immigrant building a business and life in small town America I guess more people should hear about it.
No construction started yet on Fed bldg detention. Local progressive lawyers looking for ways to halt. Activists are attempting to shame Syracuse construction firm:
S J Thomas
Into abandoning project.
ALSO Batavia detention ctr expansion is planned to house Women and children (CHILDREN 😳🤬) in cinder-block “tents”
*Info from “ROC Watch”, a coalition of Rochester groups try to intervene against ICE actions.
I don't know. Having the support of someone who got drunk and tattoed with a symbol of facist racism, or having the welcomed and the enthusiastic endorsement of a facist, racist, sexual preditor and pedophile, lying, cheating fraudulent conman responsible for extra-judicial killings and the deaths of tens of thousands denied previously assured U.S. Aide abroad as well as the thousands of innocent victims of Gazan genocide? I'm just not sure who I can vote for in America anymore. There must be a lesser of two evils, right?
People like to say New York spends more per student than any other state, as if that settles the argument. But it really doesn't.
For starters, a lot of that money isn't going straight into the classroom. It pays for things like salaries, pensions, health insurance, transportation, special education, and the higher cost of living in New York.
More importantly, regardless of funding, schools can only do so much. Kids don't walk through the front door leaving the rest of their lives behind. Poverty, family support, whether they come to school every day, and whether they've got a stable place to live all have a huge impact on how they do. Poverty, more than anything else, is the biggest hurdle and impact on test scores.
On top of that, New York still relies heavily on local property taxes to fund its schools, which means educational opportunities can vary dramatically from one district to another. Despite state aid, many of the districts serving the highest concentrations of low-income students and students of color still receive less funding per student than wealthier districts.
The results are hard to ignore. Students in high-poverty districts score significantly lower in English language arts and math and graduate at much lower rates than students in more affluent districts. Those achievement gaps aren't just numbers- they reflect the very real challenges that poverty creates and the unequal opportunities that still exist across our public education system.
Statistically, students in high poverty districts have 45% lower proficiency in ELA scores, 53% lower proficiency in math scores, and nearly 30% gap in graduation completion.
The state needs to keep working to reduce the huge differences in educational opportunity between school districts. As long as a child's ZIP code and family income have such a strong influence on their education, we'll continue to see gaps in student achievement that impact statewide statistical outcomes. Every student deserves access to the same opportunities, regardless of where they live or how much money their parents make.
Seems to me the better question isn't whether New York spends too much or too little. It's whether we're spending it on the things that actually help kids learn and succeed.
So true! NYS has a bare minimum of what is required and it is distressingly bare. I remember years ago when there was a round of budget cuts from the state, Salem had to cut back to one foreign language, Spanish, from two, French and Spanish. My niece’s school in Rockville Center on Long Island cut back to something like 8 languages offered from 12. And that’s typical across all subjects.
Constantino is at bottom nothing but Trump toady. Unfortunately, many north country voters, easy through ignorance or prejudice, will still vote for him.
398099
Of course Constantino is too busy to respond to you. He's been making multiple animated videos with music composed by himself, or so he says. One of his most recent ones he posted on Twitter/X "starred" Roger Stone singing and thanking Trump. It was very strange, to say to the least, and this is from he guy who wants to represent NY21? God help us.
ICE/DHS has become a rogue law enforcement agency that has mass hired thousands of unfit and unqualified people who have been itching to wear a badge, a gun, and to to exert power over others and who have been told that they have "total immunity". If you look at these agents/officers their appearance is nowhere near professional but rather the opposite. They are dressed to be as intimidating as much as possible. It is not beyond belief that a great number of these mass hires did not meet even the minimum qualifications to join a "normal" law enforcement agency.
“I intend to keep my character and ethics intact as I enter politics or there’s really no point.” Clearly, Constantino is keeping his promise. Unfortunately, his character and ethics are deplorable.
This is a very informative post! I'm going to share it and encourage others to subscribe to your substack.
Matt Simpson has perfect attendance for a less than part time job? Hardly impressive. The main reason is Simpson takes full advantage of the per diem perk for legislators at a minimum of $165.00 a day, on top of his salary. Now if Matt get sleepy from accomplishing nothing for six years he stays in a hotel and eats and drinks and submits up to $658.00 for that foray. Matt has personally profited from being the least effective, most irrelevant, and most unqualified member of the assembly to ever represent us. I'm sick and tired of local republicans pussy footing around the failures of their party loyalists. In my humble opinion, Stec, Simpson, Sheriff Lafarr and all the other Trump sycophants put the guns in the hands of the I.C.E thugs and killers and should be held accountable. They put the sexual predator and wanna be despot in office, they pulled the trigger.
I’d like to see the evidence Matt Simpson is “the least effective, most irrelevant, and most unqualified member of the assembly to ever represent us.” Is he really that much worse than Dan Stec was?
According to the Assembly member site Simpson has zero legislation and zero funding initiatives for his distressed, abject poor district. Of course he still shows up for projects he opposed funding for. Democratic Assembly member Cashman from the North Country has already secured millions for Paul Smiths college and other projects and speaker Heastie has actually toured his district.
Yes, I saw a post from Stec yesterday with Cashman and Stec cutting the ribbon for a fair or something. Cashman has done more for the district in a few months than Stec or Simpson have done in years of being paid.
All the Constantino "noise" is really discouraging. I'm voting BLUE in November and I sincerely hope everyone with a functioning "brain-cell" will do the same. Either way, we're sending a congressional newbie to washington!!!
Character does matter! This is attested to by the two shared stories about Blake Gendebien. Thanks, Ken, for lifting up those stories.
We need more candidates who focus on attacking the issues rather than attacking their opponents. We already have too much character assassination in the body politic.
I’ve been getting texts from Anthony, too. Just yesterday I got one that basically said “Zohran Mamdani - BOO!” That Blake is basically the same as Zohran Mamdani.
I thought, do not tease me like that! I love Zohran Mamdani.
And while Blake’s political positions are more “centrist” or “moderate” than Mamdani’s, I do see a lot of similarity in the positive outlook and friendly, happy demeanor of the Blake and Zohran.
These are 2 guys who smile a lot and both seem to genuinely like people.
Also, there’s been a text from Constantino about the body lotion business that Blake’s wife Carmen runs using natural dairy products. Link for more information here: https://awholesomeglow.com/our-story/
I’m confused that Constantino seems to be attacking the Gendebien family for being at the same time socialists and entrepreneurs.
It seems to me that running a day spa in Canton and making beauty products is powerful positive messaging, but if Constantino wants to be negative about an immigrant building a business and life in small town America I guess more people should hear about it.
There is nothing good about Constantino. I do not believe one word he says.
FYI from Monroe County ( Rochester) resident:
No construction started yet on Fed bldg detention. Local progressive lawyers looking for ways to halt. Activists are attempting to shame Syracuse construction firm:
S J Thomas
Into abandoning project.
ALSO Batavia detention ctr expansion is planned to house Women and children (CHILDREN 😳🤬) in cinder-block “tents”
*Info from “ROC Watch”, a coalition of Rochester groups try to intervene against ICE actions.
Thanks for keys informed.
Thanks for the update.
I don't know. Having the support of someone who got drunk and tattoed with a symbol of facist racism, or having the welcomed and the enthusiastic endorsement of a facist, racist, sexual preditor and pedophile, lying, cheating fraudulent conman responsible for extra-judicial killings and the deaths of tens of thousands denied previously assured U.S. Aide abroad as well as the thousands of innocent victims of Gazan genocide? I'm just not sure who I can vote for in America anymore. There must be a lesser of two evils, right?
There is no indication that Platner even knows who Gendebien is. They are only linked by using a fund raising company.
Great, great reporting as usual. Keep writing!
People like to say New York spends more per student than any other state, as if that settles the argument. But it really doesn't.
For starters, a lot of that money isn't going straight into the classroom. It pays for things like salaries, pensions, health insurance, transportation, special education, and the higher cost of living in New York.
More importantly, regardless of funding, schools can only do so much. Kids don't walk through the front door leaving the rest of their lives behind. Poverty, family support, whether they come to school every day, and whether they've got a stable place to live all have a huge impact on how they do. Poverty, more than anything else, is the biggest hurdle and impact on test scores.
On top of that, New York still relies heavily on local property taxes to fund its schools, which means educational opportunities can vary dramatically from one district to another. Despite state aid, many of the districts serving the highest concentrations of low-income students and students of color still receive less funding per student than wealthier districts.
The results are hard to ignore. Students in high-poverty districts score significantly lower in English language arts and math and graduate at much lower rates than students in more affluent districts. Those achievement gaps aren't just numbers- they reflect the very real challenges that poverty creates and the unequal opportunities that still exist across our public education system.
Statistically, students in high poverty districts have 45% lower proficiency in ELA scores, 53% lower proficiency in math scores, and nearly 30% gap in graduation completion.
The state needs to keep working to reduce the huge differences in educational opportunity between school districts. As long as a child's ZIP code and family income have such a strong influence on their education, we'll continue to see gaps in student achievement that impact statewide statistical outcomes. Every student deserves access to the same opportunities, regardless of where they live or how much money their parents make.
Seems to me the better question isn't whether New York spends too much or too little. It's whether we're spending it on the things that actually help kids learn and succeed.
So true! NYS has a bare minimum of what is required and it is distressingly bare. I remember years ago when there was a round of budget cuts from the state, Salem had to cut back to one foreign language, Spanish, from two, French and Spanish. My niece’s school in Rockville Center on Long Island cut back to something like 8 languages offered from 12. And that’s typical across all subjects.
Good points.
Does Tony support the latest forever war in Iran? It’ll be over 8 months old by Election Day.
He has said in the past he trusts in everything Donald Trump does.
I’d like to think that would help people decide how to cast their vote. 😉
Robert Smullen got my primary vote in part for his service. That makes Trump and Tony C chickenhawks.
Maybe Costantino was accurate when he said he wanted to keep his character and ethics intact.
Seems they're pretty awful, and he has no intention of changing them.
Constantino is at bottom nothing but Trump toady. Unfortunately, many north country voters, easy through ignorance or prejudice, will still vote for him.
All I can say is OY VEY!