Sunday, April 02, 2006

The Issues: Jobs, Land Claims, and a Democratic Majority

Commenting on the new issues poll here on Take Back New York's 24th, a reader writes,

"As a soon to be graduating student I must say that all of those issues are important, but there are two that truly stand out for me: one is jobs/the economy, the other is democrats taking back Congress. The first is an obvious one, I want a job (hopefully in the upstate 24th area)that I can support a family with. The second issue is important to me because I feel that the future of this country, of this district, my future, ultimately my future rests in the hands of the democratic party and them taking back the Congress.

That does not mean that none of those other issues aren't important to me becuase I deeply care about education, health care and the rest, but I feel that the democratic party taking control can hopefully fix all of those other issues."


This comment brings to me the thought that perhaps the selection of giving the Democratic Party the majority control of Congress is a kind of "all of the above" selection. But, what, I wonder, are our expectations of new Democratic majority? How would we, as Democrats, judge whether a new Democratic majority in Congress is successful? What specific actions would we want them to take in their first year in charge of the House and Senate.

A second development related to the new poll has to do with the land claims issue, which I've already discussed a bit this morning. I see that two votes have been cast in favor of the idea that the land claims dispute is the number one most important issue in New York's 24th congressional district race this year.

How can those votes be justified? That's not a rhetorical question. I'd really like to hear a justification from the people who voted in the poll this way. What is it about the land claims issue that makes it more important than the state of the economy, or the war in Iraq?

Also, how is the land claims issue a congressional issue? What do voters expect the United States House of Representatives to do about the issue? Most importantly, how do voters believe that Les Roberts, Michael Arcuri and Leon Koziol would handle the land claims issue differently?

4 comments:

24thIndependent said...

I'll tell you the truth, Biggus - the whole land claim thing is much bigger than just the Oneidas.

This is another case in which the Oneida County Dems forget that most of the 24th district, and most Democratic voters, rest outside of their jurisdiction (oh, I know it drives them crazy whenever I mention it.)

There is a little thing, for example, known as the Seneca-Cayuga land dispute. That's over in the western side of the 24th district.

Are we really supposed to believe that a freshman member of the House of Representatives is going to decide any congressional action on this issue?

In my opinion, it's a bogus issue that tugs at people's emotions, and gets them all riled up, but doesn't have a good solution.

Anyone who touches this issue turns to mud.

24thIndependent said...

On those thousand words, Biggus, I think that the congressional aspect of this issue can be summed up in less than that...

... but yes, I'd like to hear people's explanations of this. We need a much more clear discussion of the issue than has been offered so far: "That's Mah Rightful Property, Suh!"

Anonymous said...

This just goes to show how UNeducated you are on the land claim issue. Maybe you should do your homework before speaking on an issue you know nothing about.

24thIndependent said...

Okay, you who comes here without enough guts to leave your name:

Educate me.

That's what I asked Biggus Dickus to do. That's what I've openly asked anybody to do.

Come on. Tell me what I should treat the land claims issue as if it's central to this campaign, and a valid issue for choosing someone to represent us in the federal government for perhaps an entire generation.

Come on. Educate me.