Niagara Falls Reporter endorses Kerry

Check it out here.

JOHN KERRY BEST HOPE FOR AMERICA It's time for a change.

In less than four years, President George W. Bush has wrecked the economy, been responsible for the deaths of nearly 1,200 brave American soldiers and the maiming of 8,000 more, killed 25,000 Iraqis -- many of them defenseless women and children -- failed to capture Osama bin Laden and was asleep at the switch for the Sept. 11 attacks that took the lives of 3,000 of our countrymen. No president in all of American history -- Republican, Democrat or Whig -- has a worse record. While he's fond of glamorizing himself as a "war president," when he actually had the chance to go to a war, he chickened out, used his family connections to land a cushy spot in a National Guard unit and then went AWOL on that.

And though he claims to be an enemy of "big government," he has presided over a period of unprecedented growth in both the number of people working for and the costs associated with federal programs. The facts that he can't speak English as though it were his first language and has managed to alienate our historically closest allies are beside the point. Likewise the fact that he is the first president in more than a century to take office after having lost the popular vote in an election.

Bush has shown himself to be a liar of the basest sort. He lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and he lied about Saddam Hussein's links to al-Qaeda. He lied about his own criminal record, which includes a couple of drunk-driving arrests and a covered-up cocaine bust. He lied about his military record.

If there's one thing we can't stand here at the Reporter, it's a liar. When Bush now claims that, in his second term, there won't be a draft and there won't be any meddling with Social Security, we find it impossible to believe him.

John Kerry is not the greatest candidate. His imperious nature and inability to dumb down his communication to the level of a grade-schooler are among his faults. But we're quite willing to accept those faults to rid ourselves of the pox that is the Bush presidency, which has made the United States of America a laughingstock throughout the rest of the civilized world.

Kerry's from Boston, and missed the opportunity of a lifetime last week by not showing up at any of the seven games that led to many miracles and the triumph of the Red Sox over the Yankees. But it's difficult to imagine any citizen of this country whom we would not endorse over President Bush. Vote John Kerry on Election Day. State Sens.

George Maziarz and Byron Brown are running pretty much unopposed but, if they had real opponents, we'd be hard-pressed to endorse either incumbent. Their robotic, knee-jerk, party-line response to the smoking ban last year has been a huge success, in that it's put hundreds of Western New Yorkers out of work and has forced dozens of struggling businesses to close here on the Niagara Frontier.

How they can justify that in their own minds is beyond us. State Assemblywoman Francine Del Monte also voted for the ban. Like Maziarz and Brown, she never saw fit to come to her district and ask people what they thought. But unlike the senators, she's facing a real election-year challenge. For Del Monte, voting for the smoking ban typified a style of governing dictated not by the wants or needs of her constituents but by a guy from Lower Manhattan named Sheldon Silver.

Her opponent, Paula Banks Dahlke, has quite correctly made repeal of the smoking ban a central issue in her campaign. It's not her only issue, but it's a sound one. In our view, it is only fitting that Del Monte join the many other young women she helped put on the unemployment line. That's why we're endorsing Banks Dahlke for the 138th District Assembly seat.

Without question, New York State has the most bizarre procedure for electing judges we've ever seen. While anyone who pays attention knows whether a given candidate is a Republican or a Democrat, a complicated system of cross endorsements and minor party endorsements serves to muddy the waters. Additionally, candidates are forbidden from expressing their views on any remotely important topic, further leaving most voters in the dark about whom they're voting for.

There are five people running for three seats on the state Supreme Court this year. The three we've come to know and respect -- Paula Feroleto, John Curran and Frank Caruso -- all come highly recommended.

Curran currently sits on the court, Caruso serves as Tonawanda Town Justice and acting City Court Judge in Buffalo and Feroleto has more than 20 years' experience as a trial lawyer handling a wide variety of cases. All three deserve your vote.

A vote to retain Charles Schumer in the U.S. Senate is a no-brainer. Likewise, Louise Slaughter deserves re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

With political polarization now the norm in Washington, and the gulf between the "red" states and the "blue" states growing wider by the minute, it is important for New Yorkers to elect to national office those who best represent our values. And, like it or not, that means electing Democrats.

By its very nature, New York is a liberal place. Throughout its history, the Empire State has provided safe haven for those fleeing injustice and oppression, whether they were runaway slaves from the South or refugees from Eastern Europe.

Here at the Reporter, we're constantly amazed by the level of vitriol heaped upon New York in the form of hate mail sent to us by people living in places like Mississippi and Utah -- places that largely elect Republicans to represent them in Washington.

Schumer and Slaughter are as unabashedly liberal as the state they represent. For that alone, they deserve our support.

The race for Niagara Falls City Council is a bit tougher to call.

Both candidates, Glenn Choolokian and George Lodick, are good men and well qualified for the position. Both are vocal critics of Mayor Vince Anello's administration.

We were a bit put off, however, by Choolokian's refusal to debate Lodick on the issues. An open debate in a public forum would have provided the voters of Niagara Falls with the best possible opportunity to decide who to send to City Hall.

For whatever reason, Choolokian chose to deny them that opportunity. We suspect it has to do with his role as one of the plaintiffs in a $1.4 million lawsuit filed against the city by a number of workers at the water and sewage treatment plants, a suit that Lodick has repeatedly referred to in his campaign literature.

Choolokian's refusal tipped us off the fence in this race. Our endorsement goes to Lodick.

Regardless of which candidates you decide to support next Tuesday, the importance of your vote cannot be overestimated. Remember, just four years ago, the presidential race was decided by fewer than 1,000 votes in the state of Florida. Our system of government isn't perfect, and neither are any of the people seeking elected office. But only by getting out and voting can we remind those in government that we're keeping an eye on them.

Thanks to the Reporter for permission to repost.