Fiscal conservatives need to be consistent

Newspaper readers seem to support Biden while non-readers support Trump

Please consider supporting The Front Page with a paid subscription: HERE

If you are going to be a fiscal conservative, it can't be just some of the time.

Whether it's federal or state governments, opposing unchecked spending is a good thing. But if you are an elected official, you have to be consistent. You can’t demand cuts to spending, then back away when the ramifications affect the voters that elected you.

That’s hypocritical.

During editorial boards at the newspaper, we used to ask congressional candidates whether they would favor a Department of Defense study about military base closures; not to weaken national defense but to modernize and bring it into the 21st century of cell phones and internet.

Whether it was Elise Stefanik, or Tedra Cobb or any other candidate, the answer was universal.

"NO!!!!!!"

They refused to even consider it, even though the Department of Defense insisted it was needed to modernize its forces and be more efficient in using taxpayer money

That's because of Fort Drum.

The U.S. Army base in Watertown, N.Y. is at the center of the economy in that corner of the 21st Congressional District. No one ever suggested Fort Drum be closed, but there are many other bases around the country that are no longer needed, so somebody’s district gets screwed.

Six years ago, the Pentagon again urged Congress to let them do a review. None has been done since 2005. Cell phone and digital technology has come a long way since then.

Rep. Elise Stefanik has regularly tried to get the Pentagon to spend even more money in her district by touting a missile defense system based in Fort Drum. But not everyone at the Pentagon believes it is needed. That decision should be left up to the experts in national defense.

The state of New York has its own problems with unabated spending and Sen. Dan Stec of Queensbury has been one of the most vocal fiscal conservatives.

On Jan. 19, Sen. Dan Stec said this about the state budget negotiations:

 “I was glad to hear the governor acknowledge that our state has a looming budget deficit and that New York has a robust reserve fund, but ultimately this budget plan does nothing to address that impending problem. Proposed spending is $233 billion, a 4.5-percent increase over last year’s record-setting budget."

Like any good fiscal conservative, Sen. Stec believed the state should get its financial house in order. He is right.

Upstate Republicans like Stec and many others have long complained about how high taxes are driving people out of the state and making it difficult to survive - especially in small rural communities.

On March 15, Sen. Stec said:

"The Legislature and governor must do a better job of serving the priorities of our hardworking families and small business owners. As we work towards an enacted budget, I urge all parties to exercise fiscal responsibility and do what’s right for all New Yorkers.”

Stec was right again.

But when the final state budget proposal was made, it included a plan to close up to five state prisons because of plummeting inmate population. The plan could save the state millions of dollars.

Fiscal conservatives like Stec did not celebrate. In fact, he fought to restore the spending. That is hypocritical.

Many of those state prisons are the economic engines of small upstate New York communities, especially in the North Country and locally in Comstock. They are some of the few places for people to make a good salary.

So Sen. Stec opposed those budget cuts. But you can’t have it both ways.

Stec sponsored an amendment to remove language authorizing the closures - it was defeated by the Democrats - then voted against the state budget bill.

With Democrats in control, it passed anyway.

If we need fewer prisons, that is a good thing. I doubt there are many who want their children to have a career in the Department of Corrections. Most of us would prefer a different industry to drive our local economies.

When Mount McGregor closed in Wilton years ago, it seemed like an opportunity to repurpose the property into parkland, housing or Grant Cottage-related tourism.

But it sits there vacant and decaying.

Stec calls that "an unmitigated disaster."

“Across the state, these buildings have been dormant and are turning into blight on their home communities with no tangible plans presented to put these sites back in use and make them economic drivers in their respective regions,” Stec said in a press release. "It’s unconscionable that Senate Democrats refuse to accept the need to keep correctional facilities open, and instead continue to push an agenda that only furthers criminal behavior."

I don't buy that prison closures lead to criminal behavior. I do buy that it saves taxpayers money.

But maybe Stec could turn his energies toward repurposing old prisons into incubators for new business and better local jobs.

Fewer inmates leads to fewer prisons and less state spending. Losing a prison is not the worst thing that can happen to a community, not if you replace it with something better.

---

Wells College closing

After the announcement that the College of Saint Rose was closing, the one thing assured was it would not be the last.

While Saint Rose made its announcement in December, Wells College - a small liberal arts college in the Finger Lakes - made the decision to close just this past week and announced it with a posting on its website. It had been in existence since 1868.

"Members of the board, many of whom are Wells graduates, have spent years trying to find creative solutions to raise revenues in hopes of avoiding closure, including most recently having conversations with other academic partners,” the announcement said.

---

More informed?

A recent presidential election poll by NBC news found that President Joe Biden was the choice for those who consume newspapers.

Donald Trump did best among those who do not follow the news at all.

That should tell you something.

The poll found Biden leading Trump 52-41 among traditional news consumers - newspapers, network news and cable news.

When it comes to digital news consumers, Trump holds a 47-44 edge and boasts a hefty advantage among voters that don't follow political news at all, 53-27.

---

North Country Light Brigade

The North Country Light folks will be out again tonight at Centennial Circle delivering a message of peace.

They will be in downtown Glens Falls at 8 p.m. with the message "Ceasefire now."

---

Mark you calendars

Battenkill Books in Cambridge will be hosting a discussion between former Schenectady Gazette Editor Judy Patrick and myself about my new book The Last American Editor, Vol. 2 as well as general discussion about journalism, newspapers and the play I am developing for the Adirondack Theater Festival.

The event will be held Thursday, May 16 at 6 p.m. at Battenkill Books.

Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.