Still reeling from the former New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer scandal and his behind closed doors sex nights with a prostitute, it appears his second in command, and now Governor, David Paterson does things behind closed doors too. No, this has nothing to do with his extra-marital affair, while that too was done behind closed doors. This has to do with how the new Governor likes to lead. Actually, he’s not leading, instead he’s making a lot of decisions behind closed doors and then springing them unannounced.

It started with his budget, which was pretty much all planned behind closed doors with him and two other people. Then, after announcing the budget, Governor Paterson likes to go behind closed doors, cut things out of the approved budget, and then spring that on people. Behind closed doors he decided to cut the position of Upstate Economic Director. That after visiting the upstate area saying he’s in full support of discovering new ways to help the upstate economy. But, behind closed doors, it’s a different story. True to some concerns early on, it appears Governor Paterson is more concerned with New York City, which is where he’s from, than anywhere else in New York.

Now, in his latest behind closed doors decision, Governor Paterson decided to issue an edict saying all government agencies must recognize same sex marriages performed in other states. Constitutionally, New York State does not recognize same sex marriages. But, here we have a Governor ignoring the Constitution, and ignoring his role as Govenor to protect the Constitution. Instead, he made a behind closed door decision that says all New York State government agencies must recognize same sex marriages performed in other states. He made the ruling two weeks ago. Then just recently announced his decision, not in person, but on a videotape! He’s taking either a cowards way out to avoid backlash and discussion. Or, we should start calling him Dictator Governor Paterson. In a dictorship way, the Governor has decided he can make any decision he wants, and force it not only on legislators, but the people of New York State.

When will this outrage end? Maybe it’s time to make another change in the Constitution that allows for the recall of a Governor. New York State has a Governor who was not elected by the people. He’s now abusing his power, making behind closed door decisions, and then forcing them on the people of New York State.

Some say Governor Paterson is a kinder leader than Eliot Spitzer was. I for one am beginning to wonder if he’s really a wolf in sheeps clothing.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

As a news guy I talk with a lot of law enforcement officers. I also speak with a number of people effected by crime in one way or another. Then, there are the scores of people I speak with who find themselves effected by drunk drivers. The last category is probably one of the most frustrating areas to talk about. Police officers find their hands tied at times when it comes to dealing with drunk drivers. Then add into the mix that the law simply wimps out when it comes to drunk drivers. This week I’ve come across two prime examples in the news.

The first one involves a fatal accident that took the life of a three year old girl. Ted Shaff of Farmington, New York was indicted by a grand jury on one count of leaving the scene of a fatal accident without reporting it. Earlier this month, while backing out of a driveway, he hit, and killed his 3 year old niece. While this is a tragic accident, and according to the police report, the 3 year old ran behind the van, there’s much more to this story than meets the eye. First off, Shaff fled the scene of the accident. This of course leads to the question — Why? — It turns out Shaff did not have a valid drivers license at the time of the accident. But wait, there’s more! Not only did he not have a valid license, he’s been convicted of felony DWI. That means, he’s been caught driving drunk more than once. On top of this, he’s lost his license before. But, even in the past when he lost his license, he was still driving as he was arrested a number of times for driving without a license or even valid registration on his vehicles. Finally, he’s been in and out of jail since the mid 1990’s.

In court this week when the charge was read for leaving the scene of a fatal accident the brilliant judge came up with a great idea. Let’s release Shaff on his recognizance, (oh yeah, I forgot to mention that not only did he flee the scene of the fatal accident, but police had to issue a warrant for his arrest!) Then, as part of the indictment, Shaff is not allowed to drive while he’s free. Yeah, that will really work won’t it. Here’s a guy who’s snubbed his nose at the law before. What judge in his right mind would think just because an indictment says he’s not allowed to drive, he’s not going to do it. Past acts reveal Shaff doesn’t care about this law. He should have been locked up.

Secondly, and this story is even more frustrating because it involves a city councilman who’s obviously getting some favors from the law. Rochester, New York City Councilman John Lightfoot entered a guilty plea this week to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge. Again, on the surface, this looks fine. However, lets look a little deeper at what’s going on here. Councilman Lightfoot was arrested on a felony drunken driving charge in July of 2007 after he was involved in a two car accident on Interstate 490 which runs through Rochester, New York. The other driver suffered minor injuries. Lightfoot faced a felony charge in the case because of a prior drunken driving arrest in 1998. But, now he’s getting special treatment!

Give me a break. The guy not only had a previous DWI arrest, but this time around he causes an accident which means the charge automatically moves to a felony charge. But, he works out a plea deal to get off the hook. Why bother having the law in the first place. Once again we discover the Councilman has learned nothing from the past. Why should he now get a pass on the rightful charge of felony drunken driving?

Plea deals go on all the time, and it leads me to ask — When will the foolishness stop? Drunk drivers are a menace on the road and they are responsible for more than 50 percent of all fatality car crashes. If we really want to see the numbers of deaths as a result of car accidents cut in half, lets start by enforcing the law. Councilman Lightfoot, and Ted Shaff are a danger on the road. They’ve obviously shown they don’t care about the law, so why not just lock them up.

I say it’s time to start enforcing the DWI laws. Then, on top of that, when someone is arrested for driving without a license, especially if they have a past history of DWI arrests, throw them in jail and leave them there. I also have another idea for how to identify former DWI drivers on the road. After a first offense of DWI, they automatically get a bright orange license plate for their car. That way everyone will know that a drunk driver is behind the wheel of the car.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Presidential hopeful Senator Obama is at it again. This time around the Senator is taking heat for some remarks he made during a Memorial Day tribute. During the speech he claimed his uncle was among the first wave of American troops that helped liberate the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1945. Well, it turns out there are a couple things wrong with what he said.

First off, it was the Soviet army which freed concentration camp prisoners at Auschwitz. Secondly, Obama’s mother is an only child. So, Senator Obama, you have no American uncles. Of course his campaign handlers were quick to stick up for the Senator, once again finding themselves in the middle of speech mistake. In order to clarify his remarks, campaign officials now say it was his great uncle, or his grandmother’s brother, Charlie Payne, who was with the 89th Infantry Division that liberated the camp. They also pointed out that it was the Buchenwald camp, not Auschwitz.

While they’re hoping their comments will clear the air, Alex Conant, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, says it’s time to stop giving Obama a pass on comments like this. Conant went on to say, “Obama’s frequent exxagerations and outright distortions raise questions about his judgment and his readiness to lead as commander in chief.” Conant also pointed out that “Obama is always quick to bring up Senator John McCain’s stumbles on the campaign trail.” As a quick recap, here are some of Senator Obama’s past gaffes — “I’ve been to 57 states and still have three more to go.” Ummm, excuse me Senator? How many states are there? — “I was in the church for 20 some years, but I never listened to what the preacher said.” What!? I guess you needed to catch up on a lot of sleep during those sermons. Of course there’s more, but those are just a few.

This leads to another question. Have we ever had anyone else in the White House who gave us gems like this before? Hmmmm….wait a minute. His name was Dan Quayle and he was former President George Bush Sr.’s V.P. What did he say? Here are some of the better Quayle droppings collected during his time in office.

“I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have was that I didn’t study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people.”

“I’m not part of the problem. I am a Republican.”

“A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls.”

“Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and a child.”

While it’s true Senator Obama is making some big mistakes when it comes to speech-making truth. I also put out there a caution for all the conservative screamers who like to call for his resignation because of his exaggeration talents. Don’t forget, one of your very own Republican V.P.’s gave us some memorable moment speech phrases too. To emphasize this fact, let me close out this post with one of my favorite Quayle droppings;

“Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things.”

Maybe some of the conservative talk show hosts need to be not quite as verbose as they tend to be.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

For race fans, Memorial Day Weekend is racing heaven! It all starts Sunday around the noon hour with the Indy 500 which is followed by the Coca Cola 600 in the top NASCAR series. Pure speed with 1,100 miles of going fast and turning left. Just as usual, this year provided lots of speed, action, and story lines. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat were present in everyone’s mind. Scott Dixon, who lost the IRL championship last year on the fourth corner of the final lap of the final race when he ran out of gas, took the checkered flag in the 92nd running of the Indy 500. He outlasted, and out ran the Indy car field for most of the day. On the NASCAR side, there were many leader changes. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle, I Don’t Know How To Drive, Busch, his brother, Kurt, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, and a few others all ran up front. In the end, it was a Kasey Kahne sweep as he not only won the Coca Cola 600 but was also the winner of the All Star Race one week earlier.

While race leaders all provide great story lines, I want to address Danica “Cry Baby” Patrick and her uncalled for actions at the Indy 500 this year. Two female storylines are rising to the top after Sunday’s race. One centers around Sarah Fisher, while the other centers around Patrick.

First, let’s consider Sarah Fisher. A great Indy car driver, but one who decided not to pursue the sex symbol status like Patrick. As a result, Fisher finds herself fielding her own team this year. During the month of May at Indy, it was an uphill battle. Especially after her primary sponsor, who signed a deal with her, decided to back out of the deal. I would hope Fisher’s lawyers have some lawsuits underway. After that set back, she scurried around, found some sponsor money, and even had fans handing her money just because she’s an underdog in a big money game. In the end, she was doing fairly well. But, an unfortunate accident took her out of the race. After emerging from the infield care center, a very emotional Sarah Fisher did her best to keep her emotions in check. Through tear filled eyes, she said she’s now needs to figure out if she can pull money together for the race in Kentucky.

Many are picking on Sarah Fisher for the fact that she cried. I’m sorry, but this is simply uncalled for. Sarah Fisher just can’t catch a break in a big-boys sport and she was showing raw emotion after a very trying month. Against all odds, she put herself out there to not only race in the Indy 500, but was also making plans to race the entire season. That may now be gone because of a sponsor deal gone bad, and being caught up in a crash that took her out of the field.

On the other hand, another female racer who spends more time sporting a bathing suit than a racing suit, is heralded as a tough competitor for her actions during the race. Danica Patrick, who always looks like she’s mad at someone and carries a huge chip on her shoulder, was involved in a racing accident on pit road. As she was leaving the very narrow pit lane exit, she was clipped by another driver pulling out of his pit box. This was going on all day. Patrick was not the only driver to be clipped at some point during the day. But, for Danica “Cry Baby” Patrick, she responded in a very unsportsman like way. She may not have been shedding real tears, but she certainly was acting like a cry baby. After being pushed back to her pit stall, she bails out of her car and starts walking down pit road toward the pit stall of the driver that clipped her. What in the world did she plan to do? Did she figure she was going to pick a fight with the driver or someone on his crew? Come on Danica. Did you plan to pull out your lipstick and use it as a sword?

It’s time for Ms Patrick to grow up. It was a racing accident and it had been happening all day. Maybe it’s time to realize just because you might look good in a swimsuit, the big boys are not going to simply move over and let you by.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

I’ve addressed this issue before, but now I believe we’re starting to see what I’ve been referring to as an evangelical backlash. First it was Reverend Wright and Senator Obama’s connection with him and the church. Now in the latest backlash Senator McCain is rejecting endorsements from longtime preachers like the Reverend’s John Hagee and Rod Parsley. Like Senator Obama, the reason Senator McCain is rejecting these men revolves around some things they’ve said in the past.

Now, I’m not going to address the what of what they said. Instead, I’d like to point out that what we see happening here is something I’ve addressed before on this blog. This is an evangelical backlash as both politicians and the voters, are becoming more and more aware of the fact that the evangelicalism of past White House Presidents is starting to be more of a detriment, than a benefit. Also, before anyone starts ranting at me that the likes of Wright, Hagee and Parsley do not truly represent the evangelical movement, let me clarify something here. I am well aware of this fact. But reality is most people don’t know the difference between an evangelical, a charismatic or a pentecostal. As a matter of fact, those in the charismatic and pentecostal movements often don’t even know what makes them different. As a result, when many hear the word Christian, they usually associate that with the evangelical movement.

That being said, I believe we’re seeing an evangelical backlash for a number of reasons. They range from poor leadership, a misunderstanding of what it means to be a Christian, and what we could call the fringe elements of some belief systems. Combine those elements with the fact that we also have the flip-flopping endorsements of people like James Dobson, and suddenly many are timid of the whole evangelical movement and the leaders connected with them. This could get worse, before it gets better. Of course many inside the church will start calling me a heretic. However, the real issue here has nothing to do with separation of church and state, and nothing to do with endorsements from religious leaders. Instead, this has more to do with the fact that many in the church have become so disconnected with the world we live in, that they are no longer relevant. We are called to be “in” the world but not “of” the world. But we find ourselves on a slippery slope of sometimes trying to straddle the “in” and the “of” aspects of the world at the same time.

The bottom line is this, it’s less about what some of these religious leaders are saying, and more about an understanding of what it means to transform the environment we live in. I will agree that the recent statements from men like Rev. John Hagee and Rev. Wright are outlandish. However, when you know their background and their belief system, to them, their statements are no more outlandish than me saying the sky is purple! From my perspective, the sky is purple. Why? Because I’m color blind and I don’t see blue. That color is always purple.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

And this just in…on the Global Warming Myth Front…a new report says anyone who’s ever had a kidney stone might want to join the fight against global warming.

Give me a break! It’s bad enough that Al Gore goes around telling everyone he invented the Internet when he was in the White House, now his made up fear-mongering global warming myth has spurred a new report released by urologists which speculates that as temperatures rise, so will the incidence of kidney stones.

No big d’uh there boys. First off, lets remember the key word here is speculate. Reality is this, any scientist worth their weight in education, have all denounced global warming as nothing more than speculation. So, it of course makes sense that this new report about kidney stones falls into the category of speculation too. Secondly, have these urologists being living under a stone of their own somewhere? The incidence of kidney stones rise every summer! Why? Because when the warm weather comes, dehydration sets in. This is simply common sense. Why is it common sense? Because we live in a nation filled with people who simply don’t drink enough water.

So I say again, give me a break. These so-called urologist specialists from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center need to be laughed out of their profession and lose their licence to practice medicine. It’s simple common sense, drink more water people and stop making excuses for poor health choices.

By the way, if you want to read a great blog entry about Global Warming, check out Brian Neudorff’s WX-Man’s Perspective Blog!

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Oil execs are back on Capital Hill responding to questions about high gas prices. It’s kind of amazing to sit and watch all of this going on. Many politicians recieve huge donations from oil execs so I’m sure they’re feeling rather uncomfortable about grilling the holders of the gas nozzle. On the other hand, other politicians are listening to what the people who voted them into office are saying they’re doing their best to bring the oil prices down. But, reality is, it’s like watching a fancy two-step dancing during a tug of war.

One of the key questions whenever the subject of high gas prices comes up has to do with profits. In the midst of the consumer paying higher and higher prices at the pump, oil execs continue to rake in record profits. They’ve never been able to answer the question of why. If anything they skate around any kind of real answer. Reality is this, gas prices keep going up, oil execs keep getting richer. The bottom line is, OPEC and the oil business is a monopoly. As long as they continue to hold the purse strings, and have no government regulation, they will continue to hold the consumer, and the government, hostage. They know the government has no teeth when it comes to making them stop their gas gouging ways, so why should they care. If a gas station owner starts price gouging at the pump, he faces fines and possible prison time. But when the oil execs price gouge, nothing is done.

What came out of Capital Hill yesterday about made me fall off my chair in disbelief when I heard it. Once again when pressed about the fact that gas prices keep going up while the execs make record profits they responded in a different way. This time around they said they’re not making record profits. As a matter of fact, one exec said, “we only make a few cents per gallon of gas.” Excuse me!? If that’s the case, why are you still lining your pockets with gold? The exec then said there’s an oil shortage. Come on, give me a break! An oil shortage has brought us to this point? I don’t think so. Once again this just proves that the oil executives simply don’t care about what’s going on. They’re price gouging and they know nothing will be done. When pressed into a corner, they then fear-monger about oil shortages, which no one else is talking about, to make excuses for why they are laughing all the way to the bank.

Or….

Could it be some politicians have gotten the ears of the execs who want drilling here in the States? If they start saying there’s a shortage and more drilling needs to be done, it could be pushing an agenda of drilling here.

Now, before you think I’m against drilling here, I want to say I am not against it. I’ve always wondered why we’re paying other countries for oil when it’s right here in our backyard. But, this whole scenario does make me wonder if there’s an underlying agenda for both the politician and the oil exec here.

Just something to make you say….Hmmmmmmm…

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

The former Attorney General of New York State and of course now the former Governor of New York State should be proud of himself. After being a bully on Wall Street and a sex addicted Governor who lost his position in disgrace, the Eliot Spitzer embarrassment hits Law & Order tonight. The long running NBC hit show has been known to air episodes that some would say are “ripped from the headlines.” The season finale set for tonight is no exception. The plot centers on a murder investigation which in turn leads police to a prostitution ring which counts the governor of New York as one of its clients. Of course who can forget that just a few months ago, former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer made headlines when he resigned after being identified by federal investigators as a client of a high-priced prostitution ring.

Of course Sam Waterson, who plays assistant D.A. Jack McCoy on the series said - quote - “I shouldn’t say we’re doing the Eliot Spitzer story. I should say we’re doing a story about a politician who gets into trouble because of sexual questions…involving prostitution.”

Whatever the case may be, the Spitzer story is pretty much the embarrassment of New York that just keeps on giving.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

The California Supreme court ruled that a voter-approved ban on homosexual marriages was unconstitutional. I bolded and put italics on the phrase “voter-approved ban” for a reason, and I’ll get back to that in a moment or two here. But first here’s what happened. The four to three ruling means California is the only other state, besides Massachusetts, that allows same-sex marriage. Reaction from the gay and lesbian community was immediate and joyous. However, on the other side of the issue, religious and social conservative groups have vowed to put a measure on the November ballot for an amendment that would make same-sex marriages illegal once again. If successful, voter approval of the measure would invalidate the California Supreme Court decision. What a minute. Why does another vote need to be taken? The voters already said they do not want same-sex marriage. Could it be the judges have broken the law here?

There are many issues tied to same-sex marriage, and this of course is always a hot-button topic. I’m not going to touch on any of the hot-button issues here concerning the rightness or the wrongness of same-sex marriage. However, I do want to bring something up that should be more alarming to people than anything else…

How did we get to a place in this nation where 7 men can over-rule a voter-approved ban on something? The voters said they do not agree with same-sex marriage laws. In other words, the people voted and spoke, sending a very clear message, that same-sex marriage in the United States should not be allowed. This being the case, who’s breaking the law here? The people who exercised their right to vote? Or the 7 judges who decided to say the people were wrong?

Who broke the law? The judges have broken the law. They have decided to take it upon themselves to set the rules without any regard for the majority vote, or the existing laws.

Many today complain about the situation of the nation saying we’re living in a police-state. Of course nothing could be further from the truth. If you want to see a police-state just travel to a country like Haiti, Cuba, or any other dictatorship you can think of. We do not have military enforced law on the streets of America. We do not live in a police-state situation. But I’ll tell you what we do have and where we’re heading if we keep allowing judges to make up their own rules along the way — We will end up with a Robed-Dictatorship made up of lawyers turned judges who think they can do whatever they want, whenever they want.

It’s time to get focused on the issue here. While, as I said above, the same-sex marriage ruling is a hot-topic with many sides to the issue, it’s time we looked at the real issue here. Activist judges who think they can overrule what the majority want.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus