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Maybe, if they were in office twice as long, the pathetic, gutless hacks of the Niagara County Legislature would make fewer mistakes and bring less national embarrassment down on us.
So seems to be the reasoning behind the current push to increase the legislators' terms from the current two years to four. As far as we're concerned, the term should last two minutes or until the legislator in question screws up, whichever comes first.
For the City of Niagara Falls, the Legislature is a bloodsucking freak that diverts desperately needed funding to far more affluent places like Wilson and, especially, Lockport. For the rest of the county, the body is a comical sideshow, something to joke about at the coffee shop when their ineptitude rises to such a level that it gets documented in "Reader's Digest" or on "Good Morning America."
State Sen. George Maziarz once said he wouldn't trust the Legislature to "run a lemonade stand." This week, veterans across Niagara County would agree.
Last week, the Legislature's Human Resources Committee tabled a proposal that would transfer Veteran's Services to the Department of Social Services, a move that left the county's fighting men and women in doubt about whether and how they can gain access to their benefits.
The probably illegal move was co-sponsored by nine of the 10 Democrats on the Legislature, the lone exception being Renae Kimble. The next time you see them, you might want to ask Sam Granieri and Dennis Virtuoso what they did in the war.
It's stupid little turf wars that our legislators are interested in, this one designed to benefit Democrat John Cole, head of the Human Resources Committee. The fact that Cole is attempting to further feather his nest on the backs of those who sacrificed for their country doesn't seem to bother him.
"We'll wait until a legal opinion comes back," he said.
What a piece of garbage. Did they wait for legal opinions at Khe Sanh, the Chosin Reservoir or Omaha Beach?
One old-timer called last week and asked a rhetorical question. "Isn't it funny how the veteran is always the one to get screwed?"
We don't think it's funny at all. And John Cole and his cronies on the Niagara County Legislature should be investigated by whomever does those Un-American Activities things these days.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | August 20 2002 |