Saturday, August 30, 2008

Robach opens mouth in Ithaca paper - bunch of dumb falls out

Joe "Missing in Action" Robach showed up in the Ithaca Journal this morning in an article about unemployment. Robach is the chair of the Labor committee in the senate. You would hope he'd know what the heck he's talking about.

Unemployment insurance system strained

Senate Labor Committee Chairman Joseph Robach, R-Greece, Monroe County, said it's important to balance the needs of unemployed workers and protecting the business environment, he said.

...snip...

The report said New York's unemployment insurance fund is "significantly under-financed." New York ranks 49th out of 50 on the U.S. Labor Department's solvency index for state insurance funds. New York companies have paid taxes on a wage base of $8,500 since 1999, below the national average of $11,500.
...

New York had the fifth-highest long-term unemployment in 2007 among all the states, the report said. More than 22 percent of unemployed workers in 2007 had been unemployed for more than six months.

The unemployment rates for black and Hispanic workers are about twice that of whites, the study found. In 2007, 3.5 percent of whites were unemployed compared with 6.5 percent of Hispanics and 7.5 percent of blacks.


Yep. That's some "balance" you've got there Joe. You are "balancing" this sytem on the backs of workers and the strain is starting to show.

Rick Dollinger said:

"Joe Robach and his Republican friends refused to pass a bill that would force outsourcing companies to pay back their tax breaks," Dollinger exclaimed, "but then he turns around to the people who had their jobs outsourced and says 'sorry, we don't have the money' to help you look for another job. Instead, he says that investment would be bad for business. That's old time Republican corporate politics, and it has crippled our state."

"The most galling thing," Dollinger continued, "is Robach's suggestion that a business climate and the welfare of New Yorkers are somehow different things. If a "business" code doesn't benefit workers, then it isn't good for anybody. But that's how conservative Republicans like Joe Robach think. It hasn't worked nationally, and it sure hasn't worked here in Rochester. We need a change."

Sunday, August 24, 2008

NOW protests Robach's "women's health fair" sham

Things are getting rough for Joe "Missing in Action" Robach. He held a women's health fair at the mall in Greece today and the Rochester chapter of th National Organization of Woman showed up to protest. Harding has the story

It is not a good day to be Sen. Joe Robach. Robach held a Women's Wellness Fair in Greece today at the Mall at Greece Ridge which drew protests from Rochester NOW, the Greater Rochester chapter of the National Organization for Women.
Members of Rochester NOW spoke out about this Women's Wellness Fair, including remarks from Rochester NOW President Alberta Roesser.

"The truth is that Joe Robach is the single biggest barrier to women's health in Rochester," said Alberta Roesser, Rochester NOW President. "He's taking a page from Karl Rove's playbook and championing a lie. Robach is consistently anti-choice and has stalled on allowing even the most basic measures, such as age appropriate sex education, from passing the Senate."
Linda Stephens, the Rochester NOW PAC Chair, agreed: "Joe Robach proudly accepted an award from a right-wing anti-choice organization, and he's been their champion in Albany ever since. We're talking about a guy who would not care if we go back to back alley abortions and the horrifying injuries and deaths that result. The idea that Robach would call himself a champion of women's health is just ludicrous."

"I'm proud of the fact that the majority of people in Rochester, and New York State, favor reasonable measures such as the Reproductive Health Act, which codifies Roe v. Wade in New York law, and the Healthy Teens Act, which guarantees age appropriate sex education in public schools," stated Roesser.


That's going to leave a mark. Robach's opponent Rick Dollinger got in on the fun as well:

"Republican Joe Robach boasts a flagrantly deceptive record on women's health, and for him to publically stand behind women but yet ignore the issues important to them is an insult to their intelligence and a disservice to the voters in our community," exclaimed Dollinger.
"My opponent, Joe Robach, stands firmly against women's right to choose, and if it were dependent upon his misguided wisdom, women in New York State would be stripped of these rights," continued Dollinger. "Before women had these rights communities across our state and nation were being devastated by a pandemic of underground abortions that left women who had no other choice risking serious injuries, and on many occasion even death."

"With the ever increasing threats to Roe v. Wade we can no longer trust that the sanctity of a woman's rights to choose will be protected by the Supreme Court, and given the track record of Joe Robach and his Republican colleagues in Albany we cannot afford to wait this one out."


Harding hits the nail on the head:

The hypocrisy of this stunt by Robach today is obvious. One of the most, if not THE most important women's health issues is the right to choose. Choice is something Joe Robach does not want women to have. Joe Robach is anti-choice. He would rather go by the usual conservative Republican stance of not wanting choice for women.

Robach has a problem with women it seems. His hypocrisy on women's health aside, he also has stood in the way of the Fair Pay Act in the New York State Senate.

What's your problem with women Joe Robach? You don't want them to have their right to choose and you don't want them to make the same amount of money as a man. So, why are you pro-Republican but anti-women?

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Dollinger SLAMS "Missing in Action" Robach over kids cuts

What was Robach thinking?

Rick Dollinger slammed his opponent Joe "Missing In Action" Robach today for voting in favor of cuts that would slash funding to the Surround Care Community Corp. in Rochester by 50 percent - a cut of $2 million from the original $4 million that was allocated for the program.
"Republican Joe Robach showed his true colors when he voted for this deal. Just a few months ago, he was touting a $2.25 million dollar budget allocation for a law school that will primarily serve students outside of the county. This week we learned that Robach's allocation is paid for by taking $2 million from Rochester's children. I have news for my Republican opponent: you can't go to law school unless you graduate from high school. And when you have to make cuts - you don't make them on the backs of our children."

Rochester City Councilman Adam McFadden also criticized Robach for the move, calling the cuts to these programs "devastating."

"These cuts are devastating," added Councilmember Adam McFadden. "They come right from programs that provide tutoring programs to keep kids in school, development programs to keep younger children on the right track, and job training so that older kids can get jobs instead of being on the streets. Joe Robach has said 'this is a win for everyone,' but that's simply not true. It's simply another sign of a dysfunctional culture in Albany that got us into this mess in the first place. We need somebody to stand up and say 'when we take money from our kids today we have to pay for it tomorrow,' but we don't have that voice in the State Senate. Joe Robach's silence speaks to his priorities."

Saturday, August 16, 2008

More video from the Rochester forum that Robach skipped

This video has Rick Dollinger speaking about property taxes:

Friday, August 15, 2008

Video of Dollinger at last night's forum, the one Robach skipped

Robert Harding was at the forum that Joe Robach was too chicken to attend last night in Rochester. Here's what he saw and some video too.

Last night's town hall meeting with Democratic candidate Rick Dollinger was informative and gave voters an excellent chance to talk to Dollinger and get his thoughts on issues impacting their community, including many issues that impact the black community, the urban areas of Rochester, among others.

Republican Sen. Joe Robach was missing in action, as expected. According to people with knowledge of the invites sent to Robach, there were at least two letters delivered to Robach inviting him to the event. There was no response and as Stlo7 of Rochester Turning pointed out, there was an empty mic stand filling in for Robach.

...snip...

Dollinger followed by giving some introductory remarks before taking questions from the audience.

"I think there is also a political problem," Dollinger said. "That is, under the current leadership in the New York State Senate, the quick fix solution has been too often the way they approach the violence in communities."

Dollinger continued: "What they don't do is look at the heart of the problem."

Dollinger mentioned a statistic that is shocking. According to Dollinger, 45 percent of the people in Rochester live in areas having chronic poverty. That covers five zip codes in the city and are all areas where people can qualify for the earned income tax credit - a sign of poverty.

Dollinger also brought up Robach's support for a law school at St. John Fisher College. Dollinger made a simple point: You need to graduate high school first before you go to law school. That point was intended at driving the point home that the money dedicated to a law school at St. John Fisher could go towards improving our high schools and making sure more children get a better education.

"You can't grab a gun if you can grab a book or hammer," Dollinger said, referring to the importance of education and employment instead of violence.


Here's Robert's video:



Will Robach debate at all? Does he really believe that the people in this district don't deserve to hear both of the candidates?

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Dollinger will hold forum without Robach

I never though there was much of a chance that Joe Robach would ever actually agree to debate Rick Dollinger. He'd get eaten alive and he knows it. That's not stopping Dollinger from going ahead with his first forum without him though. It happens tomorrow night in Rochester says Rochester Turning.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Dollinger blasts Robach on special session

From tap

"As the working and middle class families of upstate New York continue to be devastated by skyrocketing property taxes, the increasingly burdensome cost of day-to-day living, and a lack of sustainable good paying jobs, Republicans Joe Robach and Jim Alesi are participating, while on the public dime, in a special session of the state Senate that has served as nothing more than a political public relations gimmick meant to bolster a fading Republican Senate Majority.

"Republicans Robach and Alesi have flip-flopped on putting a stop to unfunded mandates, have sidestepped a real solution to the property tax crisis facing New Yorkers, and have cut-and-run without addressing the need for a circuit breaker. The time for excuses is over - we need real leadership in Albany that will get the job done."


Dollinger is right.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Hitting mailboxes soon - "Joe Robach is hurting our families"

This is so awesome. I have been waiting for this and I thought I would never see the day that someone would finally tell it like it really is about my craptastic state senator. That day is finally here. This is from The Albany Project site via Rochester Turning:





Hat tip to Rochester Turning and The Albany Project.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Robach running scared from debates

Joe Robach won't agree to debate Rick Dollinger. That's pretty weak tea. Here's a video of Dollinger calling him out on it.



What's the matter Joe? Chicken?

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Three debates, Joe. Can you handle it?

Rick Dollinger is challenging Joe "two black eyes" Robach to not one, not two but three debates. Think Joe will agree? Me either. From the Rochester Turning blog.

Citing that Republican Joe Robach has routinely been missing in action when it comes to addressing the issues that are affecting the middle class and working families of Monroe County, and now again by failing to participate in a public discussion on those issues, Democrat Rick Dollinger followed up at a press conference today on his invitation, sent two weeks ago, that invited Republican Joe Robach to participate in a series of debates. Joining Dollinger was Assemblyman David Gantt and supporters of these debates at Baden Park in downtown Rochester. Robach has yet to reply.


Here’s Dollinger’s proposal for the first three debates:

1. August 14th - Guns & Crime

2. August 28th – Reforming Albany

3. September 2nd – School Funding

Let’s hope that Robach takes Dollinger up on these debates. One of the biggest problems with Albany is lack of debate on the floor. The least our representatives can do is give us some campaign debates.


I really hope these debates happen. No way Robach can hold his own.