Is NY really on brink of survival?
Climate change needs to be our top priority
The Front Page
Morning Update
Monday, August 9, 2021
By Ken Tingley
George Ferone is the chairman of the Warren County Republican Committee.
He is also a Town Board member in the town of Queensbury who represents my ward. I don’t recall any controversy from his time on the Town Board, and I don’t believe anyone has ever challenged him for the job.
My understand is that he is a community guy who wants the best for the town and county, so I found it surprising what he said this past week when announcing that the Warren County Republicans had endorsed Rep. Lee Zeldin for governor.
“New York can’t survive another four years of Andrew Cuomo,” Ferone was quoted in a short article in The Post-Star on Sunday.
I have no problem with the endorsement.
I have no problem with calling Gov. Cuomo’s recent behavior and his record into question.
Like manny in upstate New York, I have never voted for Cuomo.
But this type of hyperbole is the problem with what we are seeing in national politics, and to see it trickling down into the vocabulary of a local politician is disturbing.
This is a copycat syndrome where local politicians try to emulate the national behavior they see from someone like Rep. Elise Stefanik.
Consider the statement again for a second: “New York can’t survive another four years of Andrew Cuomo.”
At face value Ferone is saying the state will cease to exist if Gov. Cuomo is reelected next year. I’d like to ask Ferone a couple of questions about that. Under what circumstances would the state cease to exist? Would it secede to Canada? Would the entire population move to another state? Would Gov. Cuomo possibly merge us into Vermont?
You see, words matter.
While you can argue that taxes are too high, there is plenty of things about New York that are far better than most other states, so I doubt the state is teetering on extinction and I suspect Ferone knows that, too.
That isn’t because of Gov. Cuomo, it’s because its institutions have protected our environment and because the economy is larger than many countries, it will support spending that is beneficial to us all.
I doubt there are any circumstances - no matter what Gov. Cuomo does - where New York will cease to exist.
Ferone knows that, too. His statement was the type of hyperbole that he believes is expected of a political leader these days. I’d be more impressed if he stuck to the issues instead of hyperbolic exaggerations.
As the county’s Republican chairman it is Ferone’s job to rally local Republicans around its committee choice for governor.
But stop the fear mongering.
Gov. Cuomo is a political bully who should be replaced. But no matter what happens, the state ain’t going anywhere.
Climate change
It should be the lead story in every newspaper and news broadcast today.
But it won’t be.
Complicated reports about climate change don’t drive ratings, and sadly, too many of us don’t want to take the time to understand it.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that nations have delayed curbing fossil-fuel emissions for so long they no longer can stop global warming from intensifying over the next 30 years.
It reports:
- There is no doubt that humans are responsible for global warming because of their use of fossil fuels, clearing forests and loading the atmosphere with green house gases like carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat.
- The last decade was likely the hottest in 125,000 years.
- Glaciers are melting and receding at an unprecedented rate.
- Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have not been this high in 2 million years.
- Ocean levels have risen an average of 8 inches over the past century and the rate has doubled since 2006.
- Heat waves have become hotter and warmer since 1950.
- Wildfires have worsened.
- Bursts of extreme heat in the oceans have doubled in frequency since the 1980s, killing fish seabirds and coral reefs.
Happy Monday to you, too.
The report is approved by 195 governments around the globe and based on more than 14,000 studies and is considered the most comprehensive summary on climate change to date.
While the basic understanding of climate change has not changed drastically in recent years, there have been key advances. Computer models have become more powerful and new data using satellites and ocean buoys has give a clearer picture of the Earth’s past climate by studying ice cores and peat bogs.
The report also said there is still a small window to prevent a worse future if the world acts now.
All our political leaders should stand as one behind that.
Tweet of the Day
Yes, words matter, but many resort to hyperbole to make whatever point they are trying to make. It's easier than having a reasoned discussion and gets more attention.
Excellent point Ken. And I also have to say that I can remember my father and uncle talking about how high the taxes are, and THAT was in the late 50's when I was a little kid! We are a high tax state. We always HAVE BEEN, and we probably always WILL BE. So many of these politicians try to pass it off as something new. It's been like that probably since before many of them were even born.