Obama, Putin at Breaking Point

Interesting article from The Hill:

The relationship between President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have reached the breaking point over the crisis in Ukraine.
Through a series of long telephone conversations, Obama and Putin have talked extensively behind the scenes about the fate of Crimea, with the United States repeatedly warning Russia against a grab for territory.But Putin appears to be forging ahead, defying Obama’s calls for a diplomatic solution that would allow both sides to save face.

Now the U.S. and its allies are directly hitting some of Putin’s closest advisers with sanctions in a move intended to isolate and punish the Kremlin.

Foreign policy analysts warn the latest steps could be the beginning of a deep freeze in U.S.-Russian relations.

“This has the potential to end very badly,” said Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security. “I don’t think this means war, but this could spell the beginning of a long period of extreme diplomatic alienation between the West and Russia.”
The tit-for-tat intensified on Monday, as Obama announced sanctions against Russians and Ukrainians deemed responsible for Russia’s incursion into Crimea, including close allies of Putin and former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Read full article here.

Cuomo's Common Core

We thought you'd enjoy this letter about Cuomo's Common Core, sent recently to Education Commissioner John King by Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro.

County Executive Molinaro urged Commissioner King to reconsider Common Core standards, which have led to a "level of confusion, concern and unrest among parents and educators [that] threatens to seriously undermine confidence in our educational system."    

 Dear Commissioner King:

Over the past several months there have been numerous forums throughout Dutchess County, focused on the implementation of Common Core.  Clearly, it is an issue that has sparked great concern among the parents and educators of Dutchess County.

As County Executive and parent of two school aged children, one receiving special education programming, I have worked to educate myself on the issues surrounding Common Core. I have spoken with other parents and educators who are passionate advocates for their children. I have heard stories of teachers being overwhelmed and feeling unprepared. I have read, with concern, debates over testing regimens and the privacy of data.  And most importantly, I have heard the cries of parents whose kids of all learning levels come home from school confused and burdened by a new curriculum and standards heaped upon them seemingly overnight.

Additionally, I wonder if adequate thought has been given to the "downward pressure" Common Core places on the growing need for Early Intervention and Special Education Pre-K services - a large unfunded mandate on county governments.

Read More:

Donald Trump To Meet With More Than 30 NY GOPers To Talk Possible Governor's Run

Read Ken Lovett's article at NYDailyNews.com

This item was dropped for space from my "Albany Insider" column this morning:

Donald Trump is set to meet with more than 30 state Republicans the second week of January as he still toys with the idea of a Republican run against Gov. Cuomo, Trump top aide, Michael Cohen, said.

The meeting is follow up to one Trump held at his office recently with 11 GOPers urging him to run.

While most insiders are convinced Trump is simply seeking publicity, Cohen insists The Donald really is considering a run and will decide by the end of January.

“The interest in Donald Trump as the Republican candidate for governor has snowballed,” Cohen said.

Republican Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino is seriously considering a run for governor next year. 

And while he is a favorite among state GOP Chairman Ed Cox and other Republicans, Trump tweeted out last week that he thinks Astorino would have no chance against Cuomo, a popular Democrat with about $30 million in his campaign warchest.

Read full discussion here.

Cattaraugus County Saves Residents More than $200,000 with ProAct Prescription Discount Card

The ProAct Prescription Discount Card Program is designed to provide individuals with little or no prescription coverage access to affordable medications. Since Cattaraugus County implemented the discount card back in May of 2012, residents have collectively filled more than 3,700 prescriptions and saved more than $200,000.

By working closely with ProAct, Cattaraugus County joined the growing list of counties across the country that have been able to provide their residents, regardless of age, income, or existing health care coverage, access to affordable prescriptions. Every resident in the county is eligible to utilize the program. The discount card cannot be used in conjunction with any form of insurance to discount co-pays or deductibles. All prescriptions are eligible for a discount, including some pet medications.

On average, residents can expect to see savings ranging from 10-20% on name brand medications and 20-70% on generic medications. Simply present the discount card at your local pharmacy when filling your prescription to start saving. To ensure the discount card is accepted at your local pharmacy, or if you would like to price out your medications, please visit www.NYRxDiscountCard.com. You can also contact the ProAct Help Desk at 1-877-776-2285.

Read full article at www.cattco.org

NYGOP Responds to Cuomo's Commission on Tax Reform

ALBANY, NY... Since Andrew Cuomo took office nearly three years ago, Republicans have called for tax reform again and again and again and again and again.

Today, the Governor announced a commission to investigate ways to cut taxes in New York State, co-chaired by former Governor George Pataki and former Comptroller Carl McCall.

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox released the following statement:

"After the 2009 taxpayer-driven Republican victories across New York, Andrew Cuomo campaigned on our issues of tax caps in 2010. With another campaign on the horizon, the Governor is finally moving to do what needs to be done for the taxpayers of New York State: tax reform.

Read full article here:  http://nygop.org/page/nygop-responds-to-cuomos-commission-on-tax-reform

RNC Launches ObamaCareCosts Campaign

Posted September 4, 2013 from GOP.com

WASHINGTON – Leading up to the major ObamaCare implementation milestone on October 1, the Republican National Committee is launching a month-long awareness campaign to show all Americans the costs of ObamaCare—and to show those who are hardest-hit that they are not alone.

A new website, ObamaCareCosts.org, will provide voters with state-specific facts on ObamaCare and the latest news on the implementation train wreck—information they can use to hold Democrats accountable for the disastrous law in 2014.

Each week the RNC will release a video of real news stories highlighting the costs of ObamaCare to Americans around the country. This week’s video, “ObamaCare Costs: Colorado,” shows the difficult choice facing Coloradans: going into debt or paying a fine in order to comply with ObamaCare.

The RNC has also launched a petition page to let voters make their voices heard. Throughout the month, the RNC will continue spotlighting local news stories about ObamaCare costs and promote the campaign through surrogate and media affairs operations. Americans can join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #ObamaCosts.

Read full article here

Can Andrew Cuomo kick-start upstate?

In case you missed it, this great piece by Joe Spector in Saturday's Rochester Democrat and Chronicle outlined the difficulties Andrew Cuomo is facing in promoting economic growth upstate.

Jobs and citizens are leaving upstate in droves. According to the article, Gov. Cuomo is,

"facing criticism as he seeks re-election next year as to whether his plan can rebuild an upstate economy that has struggled for decades with a decline in manufacturing jobs and population loss. His poll numbers have dropped considerably upstate this year, particularly in the wake of a gun-control law passed in January."

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox added, "What you need is to cut taxes across the board and let the free markets work rather than having government control over the program."

Check out the whole story below, and be sure to use the links above and to the left to share this with your friends.

Can Andrew Cuomo kick-start upstate?

By Joseph Spector, The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, August 10, 2013

ALBANY - Gov. Andrew Cuomo has made more than 75 trips to upstate and the New York City suburbs this year as he promotes his agenda, particularly ways to boost the economy. That's more trips than all of last year.

Yet the economy remains his most daunting challenge, even as unemployment figures show signs of improvement.

Read Full Article Here