more responses, primary results, spitzer

I have received another response to the survey, this one from Deb Moynihan. A few of the answers are just a bit over the word limit I'd intended, and so I'm hoping she can trim it just a bit. I take fault for this, I don't think I put enough emphasis on the limit in the email, because Tom didn't notice it at first either. So now I get to feel like a jerk telling people thank you so much for the response but if you could just do this again... But I have to be fair and stick to the limit. I'll then post it without the whole "mighty" thing, which I at least stole partially (maybe even wholly, I can't remember) from Stephen Colbert. Also I'll put links to the candidate answers in a bar to the right until after the election. For easy reference.

If you're reading this, you probably already are paying close attention to the primary results, which are in fact, very very close. Not close enough for Ed Ryan though, he's conceded the Democratic primary, but has yet to throw his support to Magnarelli as Ed promised in an on air debate before the vote. On the one hand, I like Ed, and I like his willingness to stick to his guns. On the other hand, there's something to be said for party unity come November, and there's definitely something to be said for doing what you said you'd do on the air. As for the Republican primary, that is a 24 vote nail-biter, particularly because it's the one I really wanted one candidate to win, but it appears my pick, Ms. Mahoney is going to pull it off. They allowed a week already for more mail ins, and got 3, so I don't think the next week will produce a dramatic number of military ballots, and after that it's all done.

Spitzer is expected to announce a new program making it so illegal immigrants can get driver's licenses, making the immigration debate local in scope. This is one of those issues where I can see the point of view of people who say illegal immigrants don't pay taxes, they're here illegally, why should they get benefits, but the logical part of me says even if you think that way, it's a lot better to have some sort of record of who people are. Please don't write me angry emails saying I'm associating crime with immigration. I'm just saying, from a law enforcement perspective, if you're dealing with someone who does happen to be a criminal, it'd be good to know who they are, and a legitimate ID would do that. And I work with law enforcement and the courts, so I feel quasi-qualified to have an opinion on that. You disagree? Good for you, tell people about it. That's what forums are for.