Maybe in an alternate universe, the Republican Party is made up of pro-choice tree-huggers who favor raising taxes for federally funded social programs. One group of GOP activists, however, claims at least one of these precepts to be true right here on Earth. According to the newly renamed Republican Majority for Choice, three […]
Tarek Tannous
Posted inNews & Opinion
Renaissance speak-out
Last month, members of the public could pay $20 to have lunch and hear visitors from other cities sing the praises of large projects they say have revitalized their downtowns. The event was hosted by the Renaissance Square Corporation, which is planning the $230 million complex that is to house a bus terminal, performing arts […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Waste management
Where there’s water, there’s life. If the water is threatened, however, so is the life. That’s the message environmentalists have been trying to get across for years concerning the Great Lakes basin, which, in the later half of the 20th century, has taken a huge hit from development and misuse. Finally, the message may […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Slashing Section 8
While the rich are getting tax cuts, the neediest amongst us may literally lose their roofs. Included on the list of social services being gutted by the Bush Administration is Section 8, a federal housing program that provides aid to about two million low-income families. Mostly through vouchers, the federal government allocates funding to […]
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The Green monster
Reports of the Green Party’s death have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, according to David Cobb, who hopes to become the party’s presidential candidate, the Greens are bigger and stronger than ever — despite a widely-held view that the party was hurt by Ralph Nader’s run in the 2000 election. “While the Democrats […]
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‘Born to a no-parent family’
“It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do, but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do.” Edmund Burke, 1775 Baby Bobbijean was born in March 2003 at HighlandHospital. Within days, the Monroe County Department of Health and Human Services filed a petition classifying her as neglected. The newborn […]
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Dems grumble, but approve borrowing
After five months of haggling, the Monroe County Legislature approved the 2004 capital budget in a special session Friday that saw Democrats breaking from an earlier stance to support financing county projects with borrowed funds. The vote green-lights a $58 million plan for projects throughout the county: road repair, bridge work, technology upgrades, and […]
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Church vs. state
Read the US Constitution. No matter how long you search, you will never find the phrase “eminent domain.” It is a legal procedure that authorizes the government to take private property for a price it deems appropriate, whether or not the owner has any intention to sell. The practice and its application are grounded […]
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The Empire (Zone) strikes back
Some rules are meant to be broken. The state recently made an exception to one of its own policies and allowed the Brighton Town Board to expand the county’s Empire Zone boundaries several months before schedule. The measure, which was approved during last week’s town board meeting, redrew the zone’s borders to include an […]
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Fuzzing up the math
County Executive Maggie Brooks wants to straighten out the county budget, but to do so she will have to take a closer look at some of the figures she’s using. If not, she may find herself wondering why an estimated $500 million in state savings never materialized. Hoping to bolster state coffers through Medicaid […]
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Just business, nothing personal…
The Town of Brighton’s public works committee held an informal meeting with several businessmen who would like to fast-track an application to redraw the town’s Empire Zone boundaries to include an abandoned office building on 200 Canal View. The building, which contains 59,000 square feet of office space, has been vacant for four years, […]
