The Register-Star, January 13, 2008
Livingston, NY

Gillibrand backs tax reform, troop pullout

By John Mason
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand strongly criticized the use of property taxes to fund New York’s schools, and said she would like to see 80 percent of U.S. troops out of Iraq in 12 months, at a “Town Hall meeting” Saturday at Livingston Town Hall . The hall was packed with about 150 people.

The announced agenda was property taxes, and the congresswoman had brought along two state experts, Geoffrey Gloak, a spokesman for the Office of Real Property Services, and Shelly Willett, an education and communication specialist with the Internal Revenue Service. But many other issues affect property taxes, and Saturday’s discussion touched on several, including voting machines, the Iraq War, impeachment and tree preservation.

Our PDA chapter for NY's CD 14 compiled this platform of questions some time ago to ascertain candidates' stances on the issues we care about. We haven't yet polled a candidate for national office to my knowledge, and some of the items already are in need of updating, but we thought we'd share it here because we're interested in hearing what other PDA members in NY think about it in relation to their own activities. So here it is . . .

1) Do you support the repeal of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and the immediate restoration of habeas corpus for all people, citizens and non-citizens alike?

Jonathan Tasini, the progressive, anti-war Democratic candidate challenging Hillary Clinton for the U.S. Senate, needs your help! Between now and July 6, Tasini supporters will be collecting petitions to get Jonathan on the ballot and force a September primary. We need to collect 15,000 signatures statewide including 100 each in 15 NY Congressional Districts. The only requirement to gather petitions (or to sign the petition) is that you be a registered Democrat somewhere in the state of New York. Anyone interested in petitioning, please contact russell@tasinifornewyork.org. Former president of the National Writer's Union, Jonathan has been endorsed by Howard Zinn, Cindy Sheehan, Susan Sarandon, Medea Benjamin (Code Pink), a half a dozen NY chapters of Progressive Democrats of America, and many others.

HARPER'S MAGAZINE PRESENTS
IS THERE A CASE FOR IMPEACHMENT?
A PUBLIC FORUM FEATURING:

Lewis H. Lapham, editor of Harper's Magazine
Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.), ranking member, U.S. House Judiciary Committee
Michael Ratner, president, Center for Constitutional Rights
Elizabeth Holtzman, member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee during Watergate
John Dean, White House Counsel to President Nixon and author of Worse Than Watergate
Moderated by Sam Seder, host of "The Majority Report" on Air America Radio

Thursday, March 2, 8:00 p.m.
Town Hall
123 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10063