A few quick notes for Sunday:
1. Some local glibertarian shat this opening sentence in a recent blog post:
I have read with amazement local leftists argue that the hordes of productive middle-class Americans who flee Buffalo each year can be easily replaced by refugees from the Third World (who will heavily rely on welfare).
That sentence has everything: (a) convenient strawman erected to establish something that is “argued”, yet unsupported by any reference or link; (b) latent racist, blatant classist, patently xenophobic comparison of “productive” middle class people who flee Buffalo to immigrants from the Sudan or Burma; and (c) further denigration of the immigrants as uniformly and “heavily” reliant on welfare. It’s far more likely that those supposedly lazy, dependent immigrants could show you, me, and the glibtards a thing or two about hard work, productivity, courage, and smarts. The post then links to a tragic story in the Buffalo News about what amounts to culture shock among local third world refugees who come to find out that what they find normal is considered a crime here. The answer is to educate and inform them – not to insult them as savages.
The problem is serious enough that a special community and courts collaborative was formed 10 months ago to improve services to this newer population. The group recently hosted a daylong workshop in Buffalo for Family Court judges, lawyers and social service workers.
“In America, we emphasize independence and individual freedoms,” said Family Court Judge Lisa Bloch Rodwin in her opening remarks. “This is in direct conflict with certain cultures that emphasize obedience to parents and authority. How do we bridge the gap between behaviors which are accepted between spouses in other cultures, but which are not acceptable or legal here?”
In the 2 1/2 years she’s been judge, Rodwin said, she’s seen at least a doubling of cases involving newcomers to the country and culturally isolated Muslims, noting that child neglect, abuse, family violence and juvenile delinquency are rampant.
I’m appalled that someone who is unfortunately and astonishingly taken seriously in this town could get away with writing something so fundamentally wrong and bigoted.
2. Donn Esmonde wants a museum at Canal Side. That’s a great idea, seeing as museums and nostalgia are the only growth industry we seem to have in this region.
3. Howard Milstein’s Niagara Falls Redevelopment hasn’t developed (or redeveloped) a single item in Niagara Falls. This company, which apparently excels only at boarding up buildings and mowing grass, is busily speculating that this land may someday have value, whilst claiming to the press that it isn’t a land speculating company.
4. The Republican minority in the county legislature has enough votes to block any attempted veto override by the legislature’s Democratic minority. According to the News, the Republican lawmakers have reached a deal with Chris Collins to reduce the previously voted-for library funding, and to completely eliminate funding of all culturals except for the Collins list of ten. At this point, the Democratic majority should vote to eliminate funding to all culturals, including the Albright Knox and everything else the county executive wants. If Collins wants out of the county-taxes-go-to-help-fund-cultural-activities business, then darn it he should be an absolutist about it. If Shakespeare gets nothing, then neither does that pencil drawing in the museum. That is the first step to abolishing the despicable political morass that is county government. Perhaps a professional county manager might see the value in maintaining theater and arts programs in this region. Chris Collins has not, incidentally, shown any proof that taxes would go up a single penny were the culturals to be funded as set forth last week. I guess “quality of life” is not something worth paying like $5 per year for.
5. December rain events suck.
Have a great Sunday!
The Buffalo Record 