Blankenbush vs McGrath - Tale of the Tape

Well, sort of.

I started writing this as a comparison of the two State Assembly candidates' websites.  Ken Blankenbush has a site full of stuff from his "True North Plan", while Brian McGrath's site has almost no meat at all, just platitudes.  However, it now appears that Blankenbush's plan has been lifted, mostly verbatim, from the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee, since a downstate candidate's plan is, in some instances, word-for-word the same as Ken's.  It's very embarrassing for Blankenbush, as he adamantly claimed earlier that the plan was completely his own creation.

Does that leave us with any new, original ideas in this race?  It's hard to tell. As I said, McGrath's site gives little detail.  Some excerpts:

"I will work to put people back to work for the long-term and to create a climate in the North Country where business can thrive."  " I will work to bring 'green collar jobs' and clean energy, and I'll fight not only for better highways, but also better access to the information superhighway."  "I will work to ensure the long-term viability of Fort Drum."

How?  More details, please, especially as he stated, " Career politicians have failed the North Country, and it's time for a new face, a new perspective, and fresh ideas."

What new perspective, and what fresh ideas?

On the other side, if you throw out "Blankenbush's" plan, there's not much left. Putting aside the credibility issue for the moment, though, let's assume he really does agree with what is in the plan.  What is in there? Here are some examples:

1. No Miranda rights for terrorists.  As despicable as terrorists are, this is still the United States of America, and if terrorist acts are committed on our shores the perpetrators still need to be treated like any other criminals, a la Timothy McVeigh.

2. Tort Reform - limit punitive damages to $250,000.  I agree that something needs to be done about punitive damages, but I'm not sure that a one-size-fits-all amount will work in all cases.  It's something to think about, however.

3. T.E.A.C.H - Train Educators According to Competitive Hallmarks - Merit pay for performance and continuing education, and replacing tenure.  Rewarding good teachers and penalizing poor teachers sounds like a good idea, but what will we use for objective measurements of performance? 

4. Parents' Education Control Act - direct election of Regents in nonpartisan elections every two years.  I kind of like this, but think the terms should be longer.

5. Fight proposed methane capture regulations - In other words, no taxing cow flatulence.  I had to laugh at this one. On the face of it, it's ridiculous, and it's further embarrassment for Ken, since this issue was debunked a year and a half ago.

6. Spending cap - A constitutional spending cap limiting government spending to no more than the rate of inflation.  Perhaps something to think about, but probably difficult to handle in reality because inflation rates are all over the board, depending on what types of products and services you are looking at.

7. A flat income tax, indexed to inflation.  On principle, I am opposed to flax income taxes, unless there are very specific exemptions so there is not too difficult a burden on the poor.  In general, as you move up the income scale, people with higher incomes have more disposable income, after paying for necessities, available to pay taxes.

8. Term limits - no more than eight years in office for state senators and assembly members.  I like the idea of term limits, but think ten to twelve years may be better to allow plenty of time to understand the position and to mentor new legislators.

Aside from the websites, what other information there is about the candidates can be gleaned from Judy Seymour's excellent articles in the Watertown Daily Times.  However, in Jude's articles there is little difference between McGrath's and Blankenbush's stances.  Both agree that something needs to be done about the state's fiscal crisis; both agree on limiting property tax growth; both agree on providing ease of access for ATV riders to use local roads; and both candidates oppose the DEC's proposed regulations for outdoor wood boilers, among other topics they both support.

At this point, I have issues with both candidates.  I wish McGrath would be more forthcoming on the specifics of his platform, and I believe that Blankenbush has hurt his credibility with the copying involved in creating "his" plan, plus some of the specifics of the plan are not well thought out.  However, I have to give Ken props for at least having a more specific platform than Brian.