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To the editor:
In TV ads, GOP gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Blakeman claims “Under Kathy Hochul, New York leads the nation in highest taxes and ranks near dead-last in affordability. ... I will cut taxes and slash utility bills in half."
So, which residents pay the state’s second highest property taxes? Blakeman’s Nassau County, of course.
Who is called the “principal architect” of the tax hikes that landed Nassau in second place? Who else, Blakeman!
When GOP politicians like Blakeman mention tax cuts, they aren’t talking about the working class. His opposition to imposing a luxury tax on $5+ million second homes is proof of where his “highest taxes” concerns lie. And, when Blakeman promises to halve utility bills, we should demand to know HOW.
With Americans across the country struggling to make ends meet due to GOP policies, it’s rich to hear Blakeman claim he has the cure. However, are New Yorkers worse off than other Americans? Not according to a state-ranking by disposable income in which New York ranked second highest ($21,282/capita), slightly behind Washington State ($23,301/capita).
Democrat-led Connecticut, Minnesota and Massachusetts round out the top five, while twenty of the bottom twenty-five least-affordable states are Republican-led and voted for Donald Trump in 2024. Florida, which Blakeman often compares to NY, ranks as the 37th least affordable state ($11,526/capita).
Voters have a responsibility to hold politicians accountable at the ballot box when they mislead us. The electorate’s failure to do so in 2024, vis-à-vis Trump’s campaign lies about inflation, war, crime and more has been disastrous for our country.
Let’s not repeat that mistake here in New York. As Thomas Jefferson noted, “An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic."
Joseph Cannisi
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jag1199
Kickback Kathy is the worst governor in America! She has made NY the most taxed, least affordable, least free state in America! #ditchthewitchin26 Vote for change.
Wednesday, August 26 Report this
reenjoe
I suppose jag1199 thinks Hochul has made all 50 states in America unaffordable as well. Blakeman is a Trump toady who will destroy our state the way Trump has been ruining our country. I have no doubt Blakeman will allow data centers to be built, WITH taxpayer subsidies, that will greatly INCREASE electric bills rather than "cut utility bills in half". He will also cut taxes for Wall St fat cats and corporations that exploit workers while cutting services we all depend upon. Blakeman was directly responsible for increasing property taxes in Nassau County by nearly 15% in 1998/99. LOOK IT UP!
When will working folks wake up to the GOP???? Reagan, Bush41, Bush43, and Trump 45&47 all promised tax cuts and better paying jobs. Workers are still waiting for those cuts and jobs since 1980 and our country is far worse off for believing GOP liars.
Blakeman is just another baldfaced liar like his hero Donald Trump.
Thursday, August 27 Report this
Valete
Cannisi resorts to name-calling once more, demonstrating a lack of literary prowess in presenting an argument grounded in factual evidence rather than partisanship.
To judge from the contemporary political forum, the art of persuasion has been entirely superseded by the art of the tantrum. A correspondent writes to inform us that Bruce Blakeman is a "toady" and Donald Trump a "ruin," appending a collection of historical economic grievances delivered with the frantic emphasis of a man banging a spoon against a highchair. One is instructed to "LOOK IT UP!"—the modern shorthand for an argument that cannot bear the weight of actual scrutiny.
We are treated to the familiar liturgy of partisan despair: Wall Street fat cats fattening, utility bills climbing, and the working class perpetually asleep, like Rip Van Winkle in a union hall. It is a bleak, exhausting view of the Republic, stripped of nuance and scrubbed clean of charity. If our civic discourse is to consist solely of calling neighbors "baldfaced liars" in prose that reads like a telegram from a burning building, we shall soon find ourselves with plenty of heat, but no light at all.
Thursday, August 27 Report this
reenjoe
Sica, when I call Blakeman a liar it isn't name-calling it's an observation. Blakeman's campaign promise to "cut utility bills in half" is absurd. Rates are soaring across the country due to AI data centers and cryptocurrency mining. I seriously doubt Blakeman opposes either of these energy hogs.
I ask that everyone "LOOK IT UP" regarding Blakeman raising property taxes in Nassau county because he did. Period, full stop.
Finally, I didn't notice your objections to Gov. Hochul being name-called "Kickback Kathy". But you never seem to mind name-calling by those on your side of the political fence.
Thursday, August 27 Report this
krell1349
Blakeman doesn't fulfill his promises, like his God Trump. He promised to "fix" the property tax assessment system in Nassau County when he was elected, but he did not. Instead, he has been freezing the assessment rolls just like Mangano did. Promises made, promises not kept, just like Trump. The mess he is creating will need to be fixed by a Democrat. Bring utility rates down by half, I think not. What a con man and a liar. That is what Blakeman is. He will never be the Governor of New York. And that's a good thing. Trump will bring him down.
Friday, August 28 Report this
Valete
Debunking Blakeman's Critic
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s tenure demonstrates a steadfast commitment to fiscal responsibility, rendering personal attacks against him entirely groundless. According to Nassau County budget reports, his administration successfully froze the county's general property tax levy at $755 million annually for four consecutive fiscal cycles (2023 through 2026). He also canceled $150 million in property tax hikes scheduled by his predecessor.
While the total county operating budget expanded to $4.4 billion for the 2026 fiscal year to fund public safety and hire over 600 law enforcement officers, this growth relied on county reserve funds rather than tax increases. Any fluctuations in total property tax bills stem from independent school districts and town-level assessments, which make up 60% to 75% of a homeowner's bill and remain entirely outside county administrative control.
Furthermore, Canissi, resorting to name-calling in political discourse does not constitute a valid empirical observation. Relying on derogatory labels is merely indicative of weak literary skills and a limited vocabulary. Such insults reveal an inability to engage with nuanced policy data or construct a substantive, evidence-based argument. Blakeman’s tangible legislative achievements and flat county property tax data stand as a robust defense against such superficial criticism.
Friday, August 28 Report this
reenjoe
It's become quite obvious that the online commenters saying that Word Man/Sica uses AI to compose his posts are correct. Sica's posts are repetitive and employ the same tired phrasing, tone and content. His posts read like a broken record.
Friday, August 28 Report this
Valete
Cannisi has been writing letters and posts that are silver-plated lies.
Cannisi should read various books and newspapers to broaden his horizons.
Cannisi should be writing commentaries on Aesop’s Fables—not politics.
Sunday, August 30 Report this
Valete
Cannisi tumbles with his disinformation campaign; he gives it his all to convince readers that socialism is the way, the light, and the truth, but fails in his task.
Hang up your pen, Cannisi, it has run out of ink.
Naturally, writing in various genres is way beyond his limited ability. His posts and letters reflect the tone of a man groping for words and a theme; it is clumsy, amateurish, and highly weak. Reading anything he writes is like wading through dense, agonizing mud just to separate fact from fiction.
Monday, August 31 Report this
Valete
I just received a notification on my phone that Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey eliminated legal restrictions on late-term abortions. In plain English, this new law allows abortions all the way into the ninth month of gestation. This is exactly what the Democratic Party champions—murder by decree.
Monday, August 31 Report this
reenjoe
Hot off the presses:
'A Florida grand jury reportedly found that members of Governor Ron DeSantis' administration "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer-owed settlement funds to an organization affiliated with Casey DeSantis to be used on political activities.
The findings from the grand jury, obtained and reported by CBS News Miami, are the results of a months-long inquiry into allegations that Florida officials funneled $10 million of a $67 million Medicaid settlement, meant to repay those who were overbilled for healthcare services for sick and underprivileged children.
In 2024, days after the $10 million was sent to Hope Florida Foundation, a welfare assistance program founded by Casey DeSantis, the money was transferred to other accounts, eventually landing in the lap of political action committees, two of which were run by the governor's then-chief of staff, the grand jury said.'
This is what Republicans champion - steal taxpayer money meant to care for poor sick children and funnel it to family and friends.
Tuesday, September 1 Report this
krell1349
But Wordy Man, Nassau County sets the assessments. When will Blakeman fix the assessment system? The answer is never. He lied about this when he was elected.
Wednesday, September 2 Report this