Friday, December 01, 2006

Local Republicans Support Rep. Long, Kinda, Sorta

Sorry, no "Daily News" link.
Sen. Gibbs: "I don't feel I have the whole story. Until I do, I hesitate to say anything. If it turns out to be something very serious, that's a different matter." Well, duh, there's an opinion for you. Let's see. You could speak out against spousal abuse. You could say that snorting coke (let alone buying it) is of serious concern. You could say that affairs while married point to serious character flaws. You might even say that not paying taxes is um, what's the word - illegal. You might say that allowing your family to leave on the edge of poverty is, oh, callous. Or you could just wait for somewhat else to make up your mind for you.
Rep. Loughlin only read online about Long's tax problems (selective reading there, I think). He also needs more info before commenting. "Bruce needs to clearly explain all the circumstances. Once we have all the facts...I think we can make a judgement." Swearing in a deposition doesn't count, I guess.
Middletown Republican Chair, Sal Ruggerio, "...no comment & nothing to say." Theresa Santos (Midd. Town Council): "Everyone's got to take care of their own problems. I have no idea how it's going to have an impact on how he serves Middletown & whether or not people will trust him. I just don't know. I don't think anyone does." Hmmm, maybe you could hazard a guess? At least minority leader Watson did. He thought it would be difficult for him to be effective in office if he owed taxes (all the other things don't count)
I've given this some thought. I spent more than 2 1/2 yrs. running for office. I thought, spoke, discussed, and read about good government and responsible elected public officials. I resent the fact that Rep. Long was given a free pass this yr. with token opposition in the past. I resent the fact that now we're stuck with him for 2 yrs. I resent the fact that the "good ole' boy (or girl) network has now taken over, despite the fact that everyone condemns it while they're running. No matter what party Rep. Long is in, he betrayed the public trust, not to mention his family's. Character does count & matter. Doesn't it? At least I'd like to think so. What happened to all that talk about family values?
There was a petition to save the library director's job and one for the Library Board to resign. How about one that shows we have some respect for our District? Do we really want this man to stand in & represent us? Take the poll.
Info from Joe Baker & Matt Sheeley, "The Newport Daily News."