LTE: Republicans not backing Fossella

In a recent Letter to the Editor in the Advance a Republican resident writes about her disdain for Fossella;

So Vino Fossella, the "disgraced" congressman, wants to throw his hat back into the ring. A little time has gone by and we haven't really seen or heard from him lately. So are we now supposed to just forgive and forget the shame and humiliation he not only brought down upon himself and his own family, but also for the rest of us who had come to admire and put our trust and faith in him?

He has the chutzpah to go around acting as though nothing happened and he thinks he can now successfully run against the candidate who has already been chosen by the Republican Party to succeed him, Robert Straniere, an honest and hard-working politician who is squeaky clean and has a great track record as a champion of the people of Staten Island for more than a quarter century.

Unfortunately for Bob Straniere his own party leaders think he has his own ethics problems.

update: fixed formatting of this post

LTE: Where is Fossella in our hospital crisis?

via SI Advance;

Closing another hospital on Staten Island, reported by Tevah Platt (March 15), is becoming a serious habit at the expense of the safety, health and welfare of Staten Islanders. City Councilman Mike McMahon is right: It is a "ridiculous" notion and, "Those who stand to lose most are the people who live in those sections of Staten Island that have the worst medical profile, the biggest need, and the largest inability to get access because of economic challenges and lack of health insurance."

snip

Recently he opposed closing a Brooklyn hospital (Victory Memorial) but hypocritically he assisted in closing a Staten Island hospital (Bayley Seton) by approving a breach of covenant with the federal government to pave the way.

Once a VA hospital, sold for $1, provided it could not be sold within 30 years, Bayley Seton Hospital was not only sold for a windfall but Fossella paid them an additional $150,000 of taxpayers' money to do it. The land and buildings alone are worth several millions of dollars. He required them to replace a general hospital with emergency room, operating rooms and wards with hundreds of beds, etc., for a small clinic that is not open 24/7 (or on weekends) for a meager $700,000, less the additional $150,000 milked from the taxpayers.

Vito Fossella loses debate to constituent

It is nice to see Vito Fossella getting smacked around by his own constituents;

I read Rep. Vito Fossella's letter [Feb. 13: "Public isn't served when elected officials mischaracterize each other's legislation"] in which he responded to Sen. Diane Savino about his proposed bill to allow people to tap into their IRA accounts to pay their subrpime debts.

His response just proves how out of touch Mr. Fossella is with his constituents and reality. Mr. Fossella, what makes you think those who have subprime loans have any retirement fund at all, let alone enough money in it to help them pay off their mortgage?

Secondly, your solution to take money out of their retirement fund (if any) would make matters worst in the end. Jim Dau of AARP warned that "homeowners at risk should understand that tapping into retirement savings compounds into a bigger loss."

What Mr. Fossella also fails to mention is that he voted against a real piece of legislation, H.R. 3915, which would have required the disclosure of an estimated interest rate (APR) and the maximum it can adjust to, the total estimated monthly payment and what percentage it is of a borrower's monthly income. These measures would make it very clear to the borrower about their projected expenses. However, Mr. Fossella voted against this bill.

thanks Richard!

LTE: Subsidize the wealthy

A recent LTE;

I read "Senate defers paid-for tax cut," and once again I am taken back by how ignorant Republicans are. The alternative minimum tax, a tax meant for wealthy people who paid nothing, is now hitting the middle class. Instead of righting that inequity and paying for it by taxing wealthy corporations that moved offshore for the sole purpose of evading taxes, Republicans have sided with the corporate thieves. Your elected Republicans are saying that you and your families are worthless trash and you continue to grovel at the feet.

snip

This trash you voted for runs up debt, steals trillions and then wants to cut education, Social Security, children's health benefits, veterans' benefits and any other program that helps the people of this nation. Survival of the fittest, but subsidize the wealthy.

LTE: Fossella's NO vote of air traffic legislation

An LTE in the Advance;

Mr. Donner also fails to address two of the major points of my letter, that airlines must provide basic needs for airline passengers during long delays and that the Department of Transportation collect and publish data on airline performance. I guess even a spinmeister like Mr. Donner would find it difficult to explain away Mr. Fossella's opposition to these points.

I suppose that we will have to wait for this year's debates between Vito Fossella and the Democratic candidate Steve Harrison to get Mr. Fossella to defend his votes. Let's hope Mr. Fossella doesn't try to duck the debates again like he tried to do in 2006.

LTE: More Subprime Mortgage Crisis and Fossella

A recent LTE in the Advace;

Who could see the sub-prime mortgage crisis coming? Well, Congress for one.

In April 2005, the Republican Congress tightened up personal bankruptcy filing laws, making it harder for individuals to find relief and get back on their feet. Many Democrats joined in this vote; Bush signed it into law. Who benefited? Not the working poor or the middle class.

Where are his calls for investigations? Where were his efforts before this escalated to this point? If Vito Fossella is part of the problem he can not be part of the
solution.

LTE: Subprime Mortgage Crisis and Fossella

A recent LTE in the Advace;

If Fossella really wants to help the problem, why not lobby for an investigation into the business practices of the mortgage businesses and brokers who made so much money on these loans, fully knowing that most of them would default? Fines for fraud violations could be applied to a fund for the victims. I don't expect to see that from Vito, since he receives much of his campaign money from banks and financial industry services and probably would not want to hurt his friends.

The people of Staten Island need some new thoughts and some real answers to the problems we are facing now and in the future. We don't have to accept the hollow offers and half-hearted attempts at problem solving. We can demand that government work for the people again instead of the other way around.

LTE: Vito Fossella on Immigration

An LTE in the Advance;

Republicans, however, worry about the guy doing their lawn. The middle class is being destroyed . Health benefits are becoming a memory. Pensions are gone. They're trying to destroy Social Security, college loans are harder to come by, the dollar is in free fall, but watch out for them there immigrants.

Where is Fossella on immigration;

U.S. Rep. Vito Fossella, R-N.Y., has proposed the scheme to withhold federal highway funds for purely political purposes. It's a stunt linked to the presidential race, in which New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and other Democratic contenders have wrestled with the question of whether it makes sense to issue driver's licenses to residents who have not completed the immigration process.

The answer, of course, is that it does make sense. Everyone who drives should go through the proper preparation and testing before they take to the road. By making driver's licenses available to all, states ensure that more people who get behind the wheels of automobiles know the rules of the road.

Unfortunately, some politicians have seized on the driver's license issue as a way to bash a selected minority of residents and those leaders who seek to create rational systems for responding to the surge in immigration. Fossella is one such politician.

Fossella's bill would punish states that seek to make their highways safer by denying them highway funds. It's a measure that is as dangerous as it is senseless. And it attacks the underpinnings of the federal system by creating a new tool for forcing state officials to follow the dictates of distant bureaucrats in Washington.

Where is Fossella on issues like Iraq;

Your search - Iraq site:http://www.vito2008.com - did not match any documents.

LTE: Disappointment in Katrina Aid

A recent LTE in the Advance;

I would like all the do-gooders who have voiced their opinion that the government didn't do enough for the people who were affected by Hurricane Katrina, to take a look at the Advance article of Dec. 4 regarding the $500 million in fraud that was stolen from the American people. You can hardly blame these people for taking the money that was literally thrown at them by the government.

snip

We were conned and the government was a knowing accomplice to this huge ripoff. Human nature, I guess, caused these people to take and steal in the wake of a tragic incident. It does not bode well for the reputations that they left behind. Unbelievable!

On top of loses in funding we have people like Rep. Fossella who despite mismanagement of funding and despite the lingering massive need for more help, voting against anything that would help those still struggling in a post
Katrina life. Human nature may explain why people took the money, but it can not begin to explain the lack of compassion Rep. Vito Fossella has shown the victims.

LTE: Flag waving won't help veterans

From a recent LTE in the Advance;

It is nice to hear that Elizabeth Hasselbeck of the "The View" has had a healthy baby boy, but is this top news?

Meanwhile, our soldiers are being treated like nothing upon their return from their duty -- hospitals in poor conditions; waiting hours and hours for a doctor to see them within uncomfortable, metal hospital beds.

Our soldiers are being demolished for no reason except for greed and for oil's sake! How long are we going to wait before it gets even worse? Just put out your flag. That will solve everything -- while these soldiers are maimed, and without proper veterans' benefits for themselves and their families.

For those of you no longer interested in just waving a flag and saying support our troops, Rep. Fossella has a solution. Window signs! You can do both with just one sign and not tire your arm. Thanks Vito Fossella!

Vet Real Estate Tax Exemption

I came across this LTE and was rather unfamiliar with the topic, Vet Real Estate Tax Exemptions. It might be of use to someone out there or someone may be able to fill me in with some background on the issue;

Attention all military veteran homeowners:

The veterans' real estate tax exemption is heading for extinction. The
2007 veterans' real estate tax exemption decreased 27 percent.
Contacting local politicians, past and present, has proven futile.

Just remember those who did nothing as the veterans' real estate tax
exemption heads for zero.

LTE: Bush vs. Democratic Congress

I am moving on from writing introductions to these. I think you understand the drill by now. A recent LTE in the Advance;

Bush's little war, which was going to pay for itself, will cost over $1 trillion. Even with that, we could have kept our economy stable, but not when Republicans gave billions to the top 5 percent.

Who is going to get stuck with the bill? The poor, the elderly, the middle class, but not that 5 percent. Then you read article after article saying things like, President likens Congress to teen with credit card.

Where is it written that the media has to regurgitate Bush's lies? When they know a politician is lying and media repeats the lies as though it were the truth, that's called propaganda.

I sense a larger amount of letters coming through expressing displeasure in either Fossella, Bush or government as a collective whole. Continue to connect Fossella to Bush and you have a campaign strategy.

LTE: Discontent with the administration

In a recent 'Letter to the Editor' (LTE) in the SI Advance a writer comments on his discontent with the Bush administration and the rest of the Government in DC;

Wake up, America. Speak out and see what is going on in your government while you are trying to just survive in America today. And I would also ask at what point would a Republican feel ashamed of and terrified by this administration for its outright lies, the outing of a covert agent, extraordinary renditioning, holding people in Guantanamo without bringing charges after four years, leaving them in limbo, illegal surveillance and wiretap, destroying the American economy and trashing the Constitution?

The adversity to not just the President but Fossella's party remains high. How the Democrats will speak to these constituents is what will make or break their campaign.

LTE: Finding a Humane Health Care Solution

In a recent 'Letter to the Editor' (LTE) in the SI Advance a writer discusses the need for universal health care;

We feel it is utterly objectionable that SCHIP, the successful and kind Children's Health Insurance Program, is having so much difficulty being reauthorized.

"It has been the only success story in initiatives to improve health-care access," says Cindy Mann, who directs Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families. This program has been a step towards changing what is a national shame: Millions of American men, women, and children with no health insurance.

Recent U.S. Census Bureau figures released in August, show an estimated 47 million Americans, 9.4 million of which are children, were uninsured in 2006, up from 15.3 percent in the previous year. According to the nonpartisan Institute of Medicine, about 18,000 Americans die each year because they don't have health coverage.

snip

We feel passionately that every person deserves health care! That is why we support HR 676, The U.S. National Health Insurance Act, sponsored by Rep. John Conyers. It is the solution America is looking for!

Rep. Fossella to date is refusing to support this bill.

LTE: Fossella opposed air traffic reform

In a recent 'Letter to the Editor' (LTE) in the SI Advance the writer comments on what Rep. Fossella's vote against the recent Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2007 means;

Down in Washington, the anger over delays, missed connections and lost luggage has reached the ears of members of Congress. On Sept. 20, the House of Representatives passed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2007, H.R.2881. (Roll Call Vote 890)

This legislation would require airlines to submit contingency plans to federal transportation authorities on how they would ensure passenger comfort and convenience during long flight and tarmac delays, including plans on deplaning after a lengthy delay.

snip

Although this legislation passed the House, it did not pass with enough votes to survive a potential veto by President Bush. While all the Democrats voted for the legislation, only 43 Republicans voted for it. Our representative, Vito Fossella, voted against the legislation.

If this legislation does not become law and our air travel system does not improve, you now have a name and face to focus your anger on. The next time you miss a connecting flight, are sitting on the tarmac for hours or are looking for lost luggage, just remember Congressman Fossella voted against this legislation.

Bold text my own edit to the above quote.

LTE: Fossella needs to do more for SCHIP

In a recent 'Letter to the Editor' in the SI Advance the writer comments on the work Fossella needs to do to help the bill overcome President Bush's veto;

We urge Congressman Vito Fossella to work with his colleagues in Congress, and especially his friends in the New York delegation, to pass legislation which will renew and expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), [which was vetoed by President Bush].

snip

The Bush administration has chosen a direction which is anti-children, anti-family and anti-New York. The hard-working families of Staten Island need Congressman Fossella's help now.

Don't let Vito Fossella claim to support SCHIP and do no work to get this past the President's veto. Fossella needs to do more than that. This is a question of whether we provide health care to our most vulnerable constituents, our children, and voting in favor of it and walking away is not good enough.

see also:
House passes SCHIP bill, yet much work ahead for Fossella

LTE: Wal-Mart bad idea for the island

In a recent 'Letter to the Editor' (LTE) in the SI Advance the writer comments that the island needs better investments than even more discount stores, something they already have;

With two K-Marts, a Target, and a Kohl's, I believe we have plenty of discount department stores. A Wal-Mart is just not needed. If anything, we need to cross into New Jersey for upscale stores, not discount ones.

snip

Wal-Mart sells cheap, imported goods and provides low-paying, mostly part-time employment. A renewable energy research and manufacturing center would provide high-paying, full-time employment. [SI Advance]

Vito Fossella has come out in support of Wal-Mart coming to the island, clearly he likes the idea of taking financial contributions from Wal-Mart. More discount stores that offer little employment opportunities to the district or long term investment, it is your choice.

LTE: Bush and Fossella gravy train

In a recent 'Letter to the Editor' (LTE) in the SI Advance a writer comments on the economic state of Americans and our country after years of Bush and Republican policies;

Since Bush took office, 5.4 million Americans have slipped out of the middle class and into poverty; nearly 7 million Americans have lost their health insurance; median household income has gone down by nearly $1,300; 3 million manufacturing jobs have been lost; the real earnings of college graduates have gone down by about 5 percent; entry level wages for male and female high-school graduates have fallen by 3.3 and 4.9 percent respectively; 3 million American workers have lost their pensions. Home foreclosures are now the highest on record; the personal savings rate is lower than at any time since before the Great Depression; wages and salaries are at the lowest share of gross domestic product since 1929; and the top 3 million Americans (Bush and friends) earn nearly as much income as the bottom 150 million (the rest of us) combined. [SI Advance]

LTE: Bringing the troops home, a conservative view

In a recent 'Letter to the Edtior' (LTE) in the SI Advance, a writer comments on reasons to bring our troops home and shows that all of us, Democrats, Republicans, Independents or Conservatives may disagree on other things but we all have our reasons to bring our troops home;

Regarding our "war on terrorism," I think it's time we picked up our marbles and came home ... from all fronts. How about the word isolationism? How about -- let's get a handle on our immigration system (or lack of it), find a way to make fuel from our own garbage (solves two problems there), manufacture all the goods we need to sustain us (jobs for everyone), build an almighty defensive security system (no one would dare), and, oh yeah, mind our own business ...? [SI Advance]

LTE: Fossella is forgetting bin Laden

In a 'Letter to the Editor' (LTE) last week in the Staten Island Advance a writer comments on the administration's distraction in Iraq and the failure to go after and find bin Laden;

Nonetheless, there has never been any credible evidence linking the Iraqis to the 9/11 plot. The people (Osama bin Laden, et al.) who actually planned and implemented the 9/11 attacks are still at large and, for all their tough talk, there doesn't appear to be any effort being made by the current administration to bring them to justice.

Curiously this article is juxtaposed by the preceding letter by a very 'patriotic' citizen decrying peace activists and praising Rep. Vito Fossella for doing everything he can to go after terrorists. The letter above seems to aptly point out one big hole in that strategy, that in fact we have given up fighting the terrorism that started all of this. Rep. Fossella where exactly is Osama bin Laden?