The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle recently asked the four attorney general candidates to opine on this one question:

What steps would you take to curb the gun violence that is plaguing upstate?

You can read each of the candidates' responses by clicking on their names after the jump.   

Worth noting - the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association found Maloney's position "the least offensive among the four".

Maloney's piece - as it were - begins with a recollection of fond childhood memories shooting a .22 caliber rifle with his dad and brothers... and concludes with his support for the death penalty.

In the past, I have generally found NY Times editorials hard to read, as their tendency had been to come up with lame excuses to back the incumbent, when they weren't just endorsing the Democrat for President.  But things have been getting better.  With the exception of the final decision, I found myself agreeing with much of what was said about Spitzer and Suozzi as candidates for Governor today.  The Times acknowledges Spitzer’s substantial accomplishments, but points out that Suozzi’s accomplishments are in some ways greater, because they were more difficult and involved greater personal risk.  The Times all but says that although Spitzer’s record is excellent, Suozzi may be the better candidate. 

This is from Sunday's New York Times:

"Fatal Hit and Run Is Second in 9-Hour Span in Manhattan."

It's time to get serious on hit & run. I say this not just because my wife's uncle was killed last month (still unsolved) and it's made us think seriously about leaving New York.

What's to be done?

1. GET SERIOUS ABOUT TRAFFIC. I've said this a million times. Parking tickets and towing are just one part of it. Does the DOT (Mrs. Chuck Schumer) have any traffic plan at all? Does anyone in the DOT care? Why not immediate public hearings? My wife and I fear crossing the street, and we feel sorry for older people and young kids crossing streets. How many people must die before traffic issues are addressed?

Some time ago the Feds excavated the decomposed bodies of  mobsters buried in a crude grave on Ruby Street in East New York.  At that time I predicted that the day  would come when another cemetery could give up some rotten bodies.  And I suspected  that it would be connected to the Courts and downtown Brooklyn.

Seems like we’re getting close.

In a previous article (Clarke & Andrews No More Hidden Secrets posted by maurice gumbs, Thu, 08/24/2006 - 2:30pm) calling for  Yvette Clarke and Carl Andrews to come clean I mentioned that I had seen  Carl’s campaign poster  prominently displayed on  the glass door of BPC Management  at 80 Livingston Street next to the old Board of Education building.  I thought it highly unusual.

 

Ben, et al., have been accused of calling these "contests" when there's no prize. Well, that changes here, the winner will receive an autographed copy of it with their caption added. I pick the winner at my sole discretion, although feel free to comment on other people's captions, which I will take into account.

by Mrs Panstreppon

A. When she contributes to the campaign of Rep John E. Sweeney (R-CD 20) in exchange for a $1,000,000 earmark for her Readnet Foundation in the pending HHS appropriations bill.

Meet Robin D. Hubbard, president and founder of the Readnet Foundation. Ms. Hubbard is also the founder and a trustee of the failed Readnet Bronx Charter School at the Metropolitan College of New York and president of Smart Learning Systems, LLC (formerly Readnet Systems, LLC).

There are three proposed earmarks totaling $1,400,000 for the Readnet Foundation in the pending HHS appropriations bill.

There's a statewide gubernatorial town hall meeting taking place next week.

Evidently, Buffalo isn't part of the state anymore.  We don't have concerns worth considering.

Getting down to brass tacks, every single candidate comes on over to Western New York and tells us how he or she really really cares about revitalizing our economy and reversing the population hemmorhage.  The City of Buffalo operates under the watchful gaze of a state-appointed, state-empowered control board.  The County of Erie has a soft state control board that is itching to turn hard.  We have an enormous interest in who occupies the governor's mansion in January 2007, because there is so much at stake here.