An Open Letter To Governor Paterson

Dear Governor Paterson,

As I'm sure you know, Hillary Clinton has now officially joined the Obama administration. Due to overwhelmign approval by the senate, she is now the Secretary of State. This will make it rather difficult for her to continue her duties as the junior senator from the state of New York.

You have hinted, during this long and laborious process, that you will name Senator Clinton's successor soon after her confirmation. The rumor mills have given Caroline Kennedy the best odds, and I am aware that you have interviewed her along with the rest of the potential senators.

As one partially blind person to another, I have a simple request for you:

DON'T.

You have been a great spokesman for those of us who, despite our disabilities, possess skills and qualifications for jobs. We deserve employment, not because we deserve special treatment, but because society should not waste our talents.

There are many great potential senators in this state, all of whom have extensive legislative experience. Do for the senate slot what you would want others to do for you or for me: pick the candidate with the best qualifications, regardless of gender, race, orientation, disability, or family name.

Thank you for your efforts to keep this state solvent in tough fiscal times.

Sincerely,
Me

P.S. As I wrote this letter, I found out that Ms. Kennedy withdrew her name from contention last night, making my plea irrelevant and moot. I don't mind.

Behind the Mask

Last night, a friend mentioned that after having seen the Saturday Night Live sketch, she wondered what bad thing Paterson had done to be ridiculed like that. It was an honest question. Most of the time, that kind of satire comes from the need to attack someone who abuses power.

A bunch of people have been asking about what kind of a governor David Paterson actually is. Bill Moyers interviewed him on the budget, and it's worth watching (at least a little of it):

David Paterson on PBBS

My main issue with the budget is the education cuts. (Disclaimer: These cuts affect me directly. Most of my employment is in some way connected to public education.) The public schools are one of those "invest now to spend less later" things; when you cut back on education funding, you end up costing the state a lot more down the road. Same goes for preventative health care, which only Obama and Huckabee even mentioned during the campaign.

I have other qualms about the budget, but the main point that Paterson makes is hard to dispute: namely, that we have to balance the budget, and there's no pain-free way to do it. You can't faul him for being too honest or reasonable. As far as abuse of power goes... well, hey, he hasn't been in office too long. So far, so good.

Makes you wonder why SNL decided to go there.

That One

I went to a theater event on Halloween, and I wore this:

Truth be told, I've been wearing it every day since I got it. But that's besides the point.

After the show, I went over to talk to one of the producers, a friend I haven't seen since Hillary and Obama were duking it out. At the time, he was an ardent Hillary supporter. Now, as it turns out, he's pushing for McCain. He's the only New Yorker I know who's even considering voting for McCain. I think he's just trying to get a rise out of people.

As I came over, he introduced me to the British actor he was speaking to.

"This is Jeremy," he began. "He's mostly blind. Jeremy, I don't know if you realize this, but that shirt you're wearing isn't a McCain shirt."

I figure I may as well respond to one lame attempt at humor with another: "You know, I don't think I'm the only one operating with a blind spot here."

His British friend asked if he really, honestly, was voting for the crazy old man, and my friend drunkenly responded that at least Palin has experience as a governor. What qualifications does this Obama guy have.

"You're right," I said while smiling and nodding. "He's completely unqualified to be president. No qualifications whatsoever."

Then the British guy's attractive girlfriend joined us and remarked that she really wanted a shirt like mine.