On a warm summer night when I was having trouble sleeping, I checked the Internet and saw on Senator Patty Ritchie's Facebook page that she had visited some senior citizens and brought them some ice cream. Made me think how refreshing some ice cream would be right now and how great it would be to have a State Senator show up with a pint of chocolate mint.
Alas, that's not likely to happen, but if it did I wonder if I would have the episode on my blog before the Senator's press flack would have it on her Facebook page.
Of course, the Senator has a staffer well trained in media as a former managing editor of a daily paper. He knows how to bypass the filter of old media and take his boss' case directly to the public.
Just a few years ago, we had no idea what our public officials did except for what the MSM told us. Of course, they are professional gatekeepers and know how to tell us what we need to know....
Now I know my Senator visits seniors, taps maple trees and has saved cheese and chili from the clutches of unfeeling bureaucrats.
I never had that kind of insight into Jim Wright when he was senator. Although I know he was at Pete's last night.
5 comments:
Was it Wine Ice Cream, and was it purchased through the Hudson/Black Reg. District expense account????
Patty Ritchie and icecream news flash .....zzzzzzzzz. Would love to hear of something other than PR (save the cheese)etc. I agree she is the SILENT. Senator!.
All politicians do normal things like all the rest of us. Considering the ignorance level of a good share of the voters, I suppose putting a human side to any politician is a plus for them. I would like to see her (and every politician) post a list of how they voted on every bill that comes before them. That info is availible now for those who want to take the time to look for it, but posted on their facebook page would be a far easier way to be found by most people. And their voting record tells you a lot more than their words.
Look Patty is a very NICE person - I like her, she was a great county clerk .
I am not as impressed yet with her performance as a state senator . I 'd grade her a C.
She has done well on some of the "soft issues "that were mentioned .
BUT frankly on the very difficult problems of systemic reform e.g.serious budget curtailment like SPENDING caps with staffing ratios matched to nationally normed benchmarks and mandated consolidations of schools and privatizing corrections and elimninating redundant or no show commissions and authorities -- well frankly NOT SO MUCH ! .
Given that she's a Freshman i'll give her a pass rather than fail grade
BUT now :
I have hope that she'll break the shackles of Skelos and Libous, the 2 who engineered last yrs SENATE coup with Espada and Monserratte when the state senate did NOTHING for a month and held up any progress and spent $$$ for nothing .
Senator , lose those 2 and think for yourself and act boldly to do the RIGHT stuff - the future is at stake .
NYS is way out of control yet. The need for SERIOUS Financial and systemic reform is great. Our best and brightest are continually leaving the state in droves to the benefit of competing states .
Without that creative brainpower that spurs innovation and the requisite private sector jobs that create both fine technical employment and tax revenue while containing public costs the future in NY is bleak .
The talented don't want to work in prisons -
Leaders need to FIX our state to develop and restore the proper balance of private sector employment NOT continue to sink our economy by over- dependence on public sector employment -- that is the real challenge for you
That is all well and good but no one that votes knows what facebook is.
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