To the Editor,
There's a saying that "character is what we do when we think no one is looking." In politics, character is doing the right thing even when it goes against your self-interest.
The Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees public sector union recently screened Congressman Tim Bishop and his opponent Randy Altschuler. In exchange for their endorsement, they pushed the candidates to take a stand against my proposal to sell the John J Foley Skilled Nursing Facility to a private buyer; despite the fact that my plan will reduce next year's deficit by $30 million, keep all the patients at the facility and require the buyer to offer union jobs to all the current employees.
Congressman Bishop has a nearly 100 percent pro-labor record and is the only federal official who attempted to stem the losses at the facility, when he allowed veterans on Tricare to be eligible to be placed there. However, he understands that the county has an enormous deficit and that we cannot afford to raise taxes on Suffolk County residents above the tax cap. Even though it would have been easy for him to have just said, "Sure, I'm against selling Foley" in order to get an endorsement, he chose to stay out of this non-federal issue.
Randy Altschuler is a self-proclaimed tea party conservative. While approximately 85 percent of the patients at the Foley facility rely on Medicaid, Altschuler supports the Paul Ryan budget which would cut Medicaid by $810 billion, forcing millions off the program and cutting rates to facilities like Foley. Altschuler tells tea party groups he wants to cut the size of government and then tells public sector unions he opposes efforts to reduce the size of THEIR government. He claims to respect local government yet when his own self-interest is at stake, inserts his opinion into a non-federal issue.
This week, because he spoke out against the sale.
Two candidates, two choices which speak volumes about their character. Suffolk County deserves to be represented by people who do the right thing when no one is looking and are willing to do the right thing for the people, even when it goes against their own self interest. This is just one more example of why Tim Bishop has the character to serve Suffolk County and why his opponent does not.
Steve Bellone
Suffolk County Executive
And that's why Long Island is in it's current state. Overtaxed and out of money to support a healthy economy.
First, Randy has NEVER held a political office - ever. I guess your statement is based on the five terms of office held by our current Congressman - Tim Outsourcer Bishop, right ?? Dave Dag makes these utterly sweeping comments that any Randy supporter wants dirty water, dirty air - as long as it is done quickly, cheaply and profitably ?? Let him take office, and implement his plans - and then judge the results. You are pre-judging the guy and he hasn't done one single thing. What a moronic premise you put forth Dave.
The claim that Bishop give's a rat's a$$ about "the needs of the patients" is nearly as absurd as the suggestion that Altschuler would outsource Municipal Employees jobs to China or India. "Private enterprise is more efficient than civil service. All other things being equal, its expertise should be utilized wherever possible." - except, apparently, when it comes to medical insurance, n'cest pas?
Mais non! As a result of my experience, I believe that universal health care based on private insurance is the best alternative in this country, with the common sense proviso that "for-profit" insurance companies are barred from participation.
And read Bellone's text very carefully... he never says Bishop came out in support of the transfer, he says he "chose to stay out of this non-federal issue". In other words, the Congressman passed on the question. Interesting then that Bellone praises Bishop for getting involved one time ("the only federal official who attempted to stem the losses at the facility") and then praises him again for washing his hands of the related sale issue.
"I pledge to you that my administration will work very closely with you to bring about a spirit of cooperation between the President and the air traffic controllers. Sincerely, Ronald Reagan, October 20,1980" "You're fired." Ronald Reagan to 13,000 air traffic controllers August 5, 1981 What happened in ten months between? He got the endorsement of PATCO and elected.
You are mistaken in assuming that "private" is synonymous with "for profit" as both forms of nursing home ownership exist nationwide, although non-profit nursing homes provide better patient care*. Were the nursing home industry starting from scratch, as is the Affordable Care Act, it would be common sense to forbid for-profit nursing homes since that "profit" comes at the expense of patient services. We can't do that because the nursing home industry, with thousands of for-profit entities, is already established. We CAN, however, do so with the Affordable Care Act and assure that the <= 20% of funding that would go to the enrichment of profit takers instead goes to help the aged. * a 1986 report by the Institute of Medicine (IoM), For-Profit Enterprise in Health Care.
True, it is impossible, currently, for Randy to replace the workers at the Foley facility with Indians or Vietnamese of his employ, although, as we have seen, he would have no ethical qualms about doing so. However, if we elect him and his like-minded colleagues, that may change (to the dismay of the myopic Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees.)
As long as the Taxpayers continue to vote self interest instead of in the country's interest, the country will continue to decline. All these other arguments are meaningless along the way.