Politics Are Local

2011 Campaign "Dirty Tricks"

Editor — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:10:30 GMT

[The following was submitted by Joe Derwin, chair of the Harrison Democratic Committee]

I read a recent Harrison Patch article and the accompanying reader comments regarding a last minute robocall in connection with the Mark Jaffe campaign. No one was more surprised than I when I received a call from candidate Dan Brakewood's wife telling me of the call. Being in the midst of Election Day work, I had not checked my home voice mail messages from the previous day. But, even I had received the call. In any case, I would just like to make sure that there is no confusion about the Harrison committee's positions.

For the record: At a Special Meeting on May 24, 2011, the Harrison Democratic Committee voted to endorse Frank Acocella for County Legislator by a near unanimous vote. All candidates were given the opportunity to address the committee. As prescribed by rule, all district leaders were either present or had given their proxy to an attendee. I forget the exact date, but sometime later in June as designating petitions were being circulated for signature, Mr. Acocella withdrew his name from consideration. He even provided an explanation to the media. Following Mr. Acocella's decision, the committee never met for the purpose of formally endorsing anyone else. The committee chose to wait for the results of the September 13th Democratic Primary, necessitated by Mr. Jaffe's ballot line challenge. In fact, at the September 8th meeting, Mr. Jaffe and Mr. Brakewood addressed the committee. Even after Mr. Brakewood won the primary, the committee did not endorse anyone. However, although there was nothing formal, the committee threw its support behind Mr. Brakewood, the Democratic candidate. In informal discussions I had with them, Democratic district leaders felt his professional and public service experience clearly made him the best candidate.

From then forward, Mr. Brakewood was invited to and attended Harrison committee meetings. He participated in Harrison campaign discussions at those meetings. During the campaign, Mr. Brakewood kept in contact with the committee. The committee offered its campaign headquarters for his use, and even provided Harrison voter information to him. Putting aside Mr. Terenzi's "favorite son" comment in the Patch article, in my view, there was never any question following the primary whom the Harrison committee supported for the Board of Legislators seat.

If people are looking to blame anyone for "dirty tricks," they should not look to the Harrison committee for the guilty party. The particulars suggested in the Patch article may or may not have merit. I know that I do not have any better insight into who made the robocall than the hypotheses made by the Patch or those commenting. Whether it was the Republicans, Mr. Jaffe, or someone else, we will probably never know. And, in my view, it made no difference anyway. The bottom line is: Mr. Gelfarb won. The Harrison committee congratulates him and all the candidates who won, as well as all those who did not. The committee wishes the winners only the greatest success in providing responsible, transparent government to those they represent.

As for my personal view, the 2011 election is over. It is time for elected Democrats to get ready to go to work January 1st, and for the rest of us to turn attention to the business of the 2012 election and beyond. That is what I suggest to everyone and what I plan to do.

Joe Derwin
Chair, Harrison Democratic Committee

2011 Mayoral Election & Beyond

Editor — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:54:24 GMT

Congratulations to Mayor-elect Ron Belmont and the Belmont Team. The Republican candidates scored a resounding victory over the Democratic slate leaving little doubt who the winners were. On January 1, 2012, all elected positions in Town Hall will be held by Republicans. They will be given the opportunity to prove to the voters that they voted for the right people. Even with inroads made by Mayor Walsh, Harrison's fiscal health continues to require attention and the operation of the Town needs to be run more efficiently. There will be some hard choices to be made, but only time will determine if Mr. Belmont and his Republican Town Board are up to the task.

The results of the election can be interpreted in a few ways. Some would say it was a popularity contest, others would say it was a referendum on Mayor Walsh's performance. We think it was somewhere in between. Others would say it heralds the return of the "good ol' boy" methods of the previous administration that brought the Town to a financial crisis. Arguably, the campaign never really dealt with the real issues or competencies of the candidates, but rather with the personalities of the candidates. That was too bad. In our view, too much time was spent on "I love Harrison" or the question of fairness of campaign mail pieces than the issues. The most important issue was, and remains, Town finances. There is little doubt that the financial information provided in the Walsh mail pieces is indisputable; Town financial documents show that clearly. The media apparently never even checked those documents out. Even though the New York State Comptroller's audit did not name names, the responsibility for the financial failures clearly lies with the Republican-controlled Town Boards of 2002 through 2007. The fact is they have had control of the Town's pocketbook and checkbook for over a decade. A mayor, as a town's chief executive, has the responsibility to lead and is responsible for what happens on his or her watch. Singling out an individual for blame may be debateable, but the financials, bonding, and tax increases for that period are real and indisputable.

In January, the Harrison Town Board will be controlled not by a simple majority, but by a 5-0 Republican majority. Action needs to be taken on many matters: employee health care, pension costs, Town debt, and spending, to cite a few. Rhetoric will not get the job done. Since the start of the last decade, the Republican majority has never had the will to make hard fiscal choices with regard to these matters. They equivocated on what needed to be done. For example, rather than demand real contract concessions in recent negotiations, the Board negotiator only secured a $1 million deferral of wage increases until 2012, rather than a real budgetary reduction. That $1 million needs to be accounted for in Mayor Walsh's 2012 budget calculations, which means, unless $1 million can be found in expenditure cuts, taxes will go up around 3% just to cover this item. The negotiator could not even secure a health care concession on how much of a co-pay employees pay. The co-pays are the lowest that we have found for any municipal employee. The unions have not even responded to most of the requests for concessions. If one was a cynic, one might suggest the unions played a waiting game until a more sympathetic mayor was elected. Whether that is what has happened will be seen in the 2013 budget preparation, Mr. Belmont's first budget.

What remains a huge concern is the potential for a return to uncontrolled spending and fiscal mismanagement that placed Harrison in a dangerous fiscal position when the recession occurred. What should concern the taxpayers is that the architect of that mismanagement now will sit on the Town Board, again. The difference is with a 5-0 majority, there will be no checks and balances of any kind, even by a minority. The saying goes a leopard does not change its spots. Harrison taxpayers will just need to wait and see if that proves to be the case.

It would be very unfair to prejudge what will happen with the new administration. Circumstances will dictate what Mr. Belmont faces during his term as mayor. We wish him great success. That success will translate into what is best for Harrison, which is what we all want.

Letter: Be Wary of Republican Candidates

Editor — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:23:32 GMT

[This post is a reprint of a Letter to the Editor of The Harrison Patch from Harrison resident Michael LaDore. The Harrison Patch removed the letter this morning after posting it yesterday. It is posted here in its entirety with the permission of the author]
.........................................

So this is the best that the Harrison Republican Party can do for the November elections?

Let’s get this straight! Steve Malfitano is making a comeback for councilman. Isn’t he the mayor who bonded over $60 million dollars on frivolous feel-good projects during his tenure and wasted away millions of dollars of our surplus money needed for a rainy day (no pun intended!)? Isn’t he the one who spent over $9 million dollars to build ball fields on Project Home Run and flooded out hundreds of homes along the Beaver Swamp Brook and Brentwood Brook, costing homeowners, insurance companies and the town millions of dollars in damages?

Isn’t Malfitano the one who pushed through Project Home Run so that he could either sell or build townhouses on his family-owned property next to this once low-lying wetland that stored all the storm water runoff, (Check the Master Plan Steve tried to push through)?

Isn’t Malfitano the one who spent $14 million dollars on a pool complex in Silver Lake, which ended up being named for his running mate for mayor, Ron Belmont? Isn’t Ron Belmont, (the person - (nice guy) not the pool), the one who ran our recreation department forever and actually loses over $3 million dollars a year due to poor management?

And don’t forget the third wheel, their running mate Fred Sciliano, who while on the town board voted to give variances to Fordham University for their Harrison campus. Did you know that after the variances were approved, the company that Fred works for ended up getting the job and Fred was the project manager responsible for completing this work in a timely manner. Did you know that Fred’s company did $8 million dollars of work at Fordham’s Harrison campus. That must have been some Christmas bonus for Fred that year!

So this is the best that the Harrison Republican Party can do! Put up self-serving, profit hungry selfish men, (Malfitano & Siciliano), who really don’t care about Harrison, but only care about their ego’s and their pockets! Oh, and by the way, should Malfitano get elected to the Council position, and Siciliano get re-elected, they get free taxpayer paid medical insurance for the rest of their lives!

Think about it!!

Mike La Dore

WESTMed

Editor — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 21:06:00 GMT

When trying to determine what is best for Harrison, there often appears to be a disconnect with reality. Nothing shows this more than the WESTMed parking garage issue. A decision that should be a no brainer has become the poster child for the failure of the Republican-controlled Harrison Town Board. What we have is a small group of residents from Purchase who chose to live in a neighborhood adjacent to a commercial zone who now want to prevent a commercial business from providing service to their customers. To take it a step further, they are even complaining about the route of Interstate 287 "running through our neighborhood."

What is the issue? WESTMed, a doctors' group with a facility at 210 Westchester Avenue in Purchase, wants to construct a parking garage to provide additional parking for their expanding patient population. The residents on Anderson Hill Road feel it infringes on their quality of life and lowers their property values. They complain about brightness of existing lighting, pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and even complaining about public transportation stopping at the facility to pick up patients without their own car. For its part, WESTMed has modified its original conceptual plans for the single level garage by changing the slope of the parking levels, the lighting of the garage and parking lot, and all the landscaping. They have even promised to provide any needed sound deadening around their emergency generator that only starts when there is a power failure. WESTMed has taken every complaint and addressed it. The landscaping alone will bring a great improvement to Anderson Hill Road. But, that is not enough. What the residents want is to have the Town Board deny WESTMed the right to provide additional parking, something that is in full compliance with the commercial zoning. Now, they are submitting a list of demands. I always love it when people who do not have experience in not getting their way issue a list of demands.

The Republicans on the Town Board have helped the Anderson Hill residents move the goal post every time WESTMed responds to exactly what the neighbors request. It is reminiscent of the action by the Republican Town Board back in the Malfitano administration when they did the same thing to a developer in the Franklin Park neighborhood. In that case, a small group of neighbors complained about the developer building two family homes in a multi-family zone. They cited additional traffic and falling home values. The Board voted against the developer, denying his right to build. The developer sued and won. An appeal by the town is pending.

It is clear that the Republicans are in full election campaign mode and will do what they need to do to secure their election success. They know that in November they will need every vote they can find. Purchase along Anderson Hill is fertile ground as long as the Republicans can give those voters what they want. Rather than look at it as what is best for all residents of Harrison, Republicans would rather mine some votes from Democratic territory. Rather than offset diminished tax revenue from businesses caused by the recession and create a fertile business environment in Harrison, Republicans play to a vocal minority at the expense of everyone else. Increased business tax revenue reduces the demand for more residential taxes. Seems pretty obvious. It is apparent they do not see through their rose tinted political glasses all the empty office space along Westchester Avenue. If they did they would approve WESTMed's request. But, I would not hold my breath waiting for these Republicans to do the right thing.

Dangerous Road

Editor — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:01:00 GMT

(This is a Special Comment by a 72 year old Twitter author, 42bkdodgr, first printed on TPM)

Over the past year, I have written about the growing hate in America and that I expected the hate in this country to get worse, whether or not Health Care Reform was passed, and it has. On Oct 17th, Frank Rich, in his column ”The Rage Won’t End on Election Day” described the anger and hate we are seeing in the country.

What I believe we are seeing during this election period is what the atmosphere might be like in this country should the Republicans/Tea Party gain control of House and/or the Senate. What I’m talking about is not the policies that will be adopted by the Republicans (we already know what they are), but how the Republicans and their followers will treat their fellow Americans.

During the past year, we have seen Republican and Tea Party candidates refuse to meet with the media, unless it was with Fox News or one of the media outlets (press, radio, or TV outlets) who supports them and only asks softball questions. We have seen this happening with Palin, Angle, O’Donnell, Miller, and Paul. In some cases, we have even seen one or more of them run and hide from the press and media.

This policy will continue and probably will be adopted by more members in Congress, which will only result in the electorate becoming less informed. Some day it’s quite possible we will see a Republican president with a press corps consisting of only the Fox News Network. One might laugh at such a thing happening, but something like that or a variation thereof is in the realm of possibility.

Recent events have shown that if the public tries to question a candidate, they might be put in handcuffs, have their head stomped on, or threatened to be taken out. So it would seem, we can expect, if one disagrees with a position or questions the policies of Republican/Tea Party candidate or office holder, to be attacked both verbally and physically by them or their followers.

In some instances, those running for office have said the Second Amendment rights under the Constitution might be used, should the electorate be unhappy with this year’s election results. I anticipate the threat of using one’s Second Amendment rights will continue, should some Americans be unhappy with bills passed by Congress and signed by the President, or even possibly vetoed by the President.

This is the environment we are living in these days and possibly in the days to come, and like Frank Rich, I fear that the rage, hate, and violence will continue and possibly get worse, until some civility returns to this country. How long that will take I don’t know, but it better happen soon, because we heading down a very dangerous road.

That is why it’s important for all Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, who truly believe in the principles of the Constitution and have respect for different point of views, to vote in this year’s election. Your votes are needed in order to ensure those who use, promote, or have remained silent about the hate and violence happening in this country, aren’t elected to public office. Notwithstanding, the Supreme Court ruling on treating corporations as people, the future of our democracy is at stake in this election.

Open Letter to the Harrison Town Board

Editor — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:40:00 GMT

Dear Members of the Town Board,

Although FY2011 Budget plans are only in the initial stages, a recent article in the Journal News (September 3, 2010) is a cause for concern. According to State Comptroller Di Napoli, costs for state and local pensions are expected to rise significantly in 2012. The expected contributions from municipalities that fund the Employee Retirement System will grow from 11.9% of a municipality's total salary figure to 16.3% in 2012, about 37%. The average contribution for the Police and Fire Retirement System will increase from 18.2% to 21.6%, or about 18.6%. The article states "Because the rate of return on pension investments is likely lower and the contribution rates are rising, town, city, and county governments will have to choose between cutting back on services or raising property taxes in order to pay for the higher premiums."

As budget deliberations progress, somewhere in them there needs to be a consideration of the impact of these 2012 pension changes. Taxpayers have seen the result of what poor planning and padded revenue projections have done to Harrison's fiscal health. In 2010, residents saw property tax increases and reductions in services. You have seemed reluctant to make the fiscal decisions that need to be made, especially when confronted with the current economic crisis. Economic growth is most assuredly sluggish at best. Contrary to what some suggest, this sluggishness cannot be attributed to a business cycle. No economist would support that claim. Although a budget is comprised of many accounts, employee wages and benefits, especially health care and pensions, are by far the greatest municipal expenditure. Contracts notwithstanding, you must deal with a new reality.

Harrison taxpayers cannot survive another double-digit tax increase in 2011 or beyond. Every economic indicator clearly shows that economic recovery is not going to accelerate in the near term. It is unrealistic to suggest that. Corporations, like those headquartered in Harrison, are holding cash, and not investing in expansion. It is bad business to add capacity to create inventories of goods or increase payroll if there is no demand. They are happy to pay dividends to their shareholders and bank the cash. Increased tax revenue from them will just not be forthcoming. They will relocate out of New York State before that happens. Local businesses cannot survive if the banks do not start lending. That affects local business owners and their families. Most banks do not have the funds to start lending while large banks, like corporations, hold onto cash rather than make it available to borrowers. Unless job growth begins to accelerate, many unemployed Harrison taxpayers will be unable to pay their taxes. As jobs remain few and real wages continue to stagnate, taxpayers will be forced to decide between paying taxes and feeding their families.

In my view, you need to be prepared to make some very unpleasant budget decisions over the next several weeks. Harrison cannot remain a benevolent entity. Shared sacrifice needs to be the basis for all decisions. Those decisions will be critical as to how Harrison will survive the recession. Rather than concerning yourselves with the use of golf carts or removal of stop signs, now is the time to be addressing the difficult budget decisions that you seem to have avoided in budget deliberations in prior years. Putting off those decisions until late December is a bad idea. Taxpayers are depending upon you to do the right thing by fulfilling your fiduciary duty to them.

[reprinted with permission]

Memorial Day - 2010

Editor — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:42:00 GMT

Memorial Day was celebrated several weeks ago, but it is appropriate to offer some history of this holiday and some reflection. First celebrated to remember Civil War dead, Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day with its basis in the placement of flags on the graves of that war’s dead. On May 5, 1868, it was officially proclaimed by General John Logan, then commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. The first observance of Decoration Day was May 30, 1868. New York was the first state to recognize the day as a holiday. Not all states, especially the states of the former Confederacy, recognized the day until it was changed after World War I as a remembrance of any American killed in any war. Ironically, the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient, Lt. John W. Finn from World War I, died May 27, 2010. Some remember that it was called Decoration Day and still call it that today. For most of the Twentieth Century, most southern states had their own holiday that celebrated only the Confederate war dead. It was not until Congress enacted the National Holiday Act of 1971 did all states recognize it when it was changed to the last Monday in May, thus ensuring a three-day weekend celebration.

It seems that Memorial Day has diminished in its importance over the years. Today, many people seem to think of it only as a three-day weekend off from work, a time of special sales, and an opportunity to hold cookouts. The solemnity of this day seems to have vanished from the minds of some Americans amid the sales circulars and the smoke of the barbecue grill. Now it marks the “official” start of summer. Even with the military still serving and suffering casualties in two wars, paying tribute to those that defended, and those that still defend, the country is not what it should be. Some would wager that if you asked ten people on the street why Memorial Day is celebrated, many would not know the correct reason.

Our state has a long record of men and women serving their country, including 663 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, seven of whom were awarded the medal twice, two from the war in Iraq. This year in Harrison, the day was commemorated with a parade and a ceremony at the monuments in Riis Park. All branches of the military were represented. About a dozen or so World War II veterans attended, snapping to attention as the National Anthem was sung. 2010 is the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II. The United States loses many World War II veterans each year, with the Veterans Administration estimating that about 1,200 die each day.

The speeches were all causes for reflection. It was interesting to see the World War II veterans, many of them moving a bit slower now, contrasted with the youth of the Marine corporal who spoke and his fellow Marines in the honor guard. Already a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, his short speech served as a reminder to those present that there are still men and women standing watch to protect us. Seeing these young men can only make everyone proud to be an American. It is clear that the tradition of men and women defending our country, protecting our freedoms, and paying the ultimate sacrifice continues. We must never forget that sacrifice. It is important to make sure our children and future generations always remember and honor those who serve. In fact, it is not just something important to do, it is our duty to do it.

Project Homerun

Editor — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:13:00 GMT

As our readers know, POLITICSARELOCAL.COM has long been an opponent of the Project Homerun proposal. This project for the Beaver Swamp Brook area on Oakland Avenue was the brainchild of former Mayor Steve Malfitano in a misguided attempt to add recreational facilities in a swamp. Previous to his proposing this project, a citizens committee had studied and determined that the site would always be prone to flooding. Our blog Editor has spoken out against it at the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) public hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, spoken out against it at Town Board meetings, and has written Letters to the Editor in opposition to it. A number of times our opposition has appeared on this blog. We remain opposed to it today.

We realize that adding another voice to those who want the site excavated and returned to its original state, may give people a wrong impression. This is not a political issue. This is not about who currently sits in the Mayor's office, who sits on the Town Board, or our support for the current administration. That support remains firm. This is about a single issue with which we take exception. The remediation of the site was imperative. We have been an advocate for doing what is right for the residents in the brook area. Adding significant amounts of fill to raise the grade of the site was the first mistake that Harrison made. The area has always flooded. We believe that Harrison acted in error when it moved ahead with the project. It appears that this was done before an honest, comprehensive evaluation of what course of action would not negatively impact the already vulnerable flood plain and surrounding properties was done. Now, despite resulting extensive flooding, adding additional fill and landscaping is being proposed. Not only is this just not the correct course of action, the appropriateness of it may be based on bad flood plain data. Regardless of the claims to the contrary by the Town's consultant, the addition of fill has negatively impacted the brook area. You would need to be blind not to see that.

We visited the area on both sides of the brook on March 30, 2010. Once again, the brook had significantly flooded the area and caused severe damage to personal property just as it had done in the recent past. Homes along both sides of the brook were inundated with water causing a great deal of property damage. Businesses, which have the potential for leaching toxic chemicals into the brook, were once again subjected to the flooding washing toxins into the brook. In 2007, the consultant claimed that the flooding was caused by a "100-year storm." It would appear that such a 100-year event is no longer needed to cause severe flooding. This latest flooding seems to conflict with the findings of the consultants studies. This is clearly unfair to residents who live adjacent to the brook.

A petition website, www.STOPPROJECTHOMERUN.com, has been setup up by Harrison resident Mike La Dore. As residents may know, Mike has been fighting this very public battle for many years. It has cost him and his neighbors on both sides of the brook financially to protect and restore their property each and every time there is a heavy rainstorm. In Mike's case, he is also currently involved in a lawsuit by one of the Town's consultants because Mike had the temerity to challenge the validity of the consultant's data and subsequent studies. Now it appears that this consultant is charging Harrison an additional $50,000 to revisit his study documentation to answer DEC questions. The opponents claim has always been that the site is sinking because it is a swamp. Harrison does not need a consultant to see that this is true. Just visit the site. In our view, the $50,000 is throwing good money after bad. We understand that there are DEC funds that are owed to Harrison. If the application is withdrawn, these funds may be released by the DEC.

With that in mind, we recommend that all residents sign the STOPPROJECTHOMERUN petition. Perhaps if enough pressure is brought to bear on the Town Board, the site application will be withdrawn by Harrison. This action will bring to an end a long, embarrassing and costly political escapade. That is the correct thing to do.

Welcome

Editor — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:15:00 GMT

Welcome to the politicsarelocal.com web blog. Since our inception in 2007, our mission has been to inform, to generate debate, and to encourage political discourse among the residents of the Town of Harrison, New York. In 2010, our mission is unchanged. Frank and open discussion of the issues that impact our community remains at the core of what we want to achieve.

The political environment in Harrison remains a great concern. The Town Board has continued to show a lack of the leadership and management ability in the dealing with the complexities of governing. In our view, despite some changes in membership, the Board continues to appear dysfunctional and incapable of non-partisan discussion, let alone solutions to Harrison's problems. Over the last decade, the lack of civility and respect exhibited by members of the Board toward each other and towards the residents seems to support a clear lack of understanding of what cooperative government means. That lack of civility and respect has carried over to the residents as well. The result is Board meetings that deteriorate into nothing more than personal attacks and claims of "political agendas" rather than expressions of honest differences. There has been an addition of a new Councilperson to the Board. However, based on her comments to date, the newest member of the Board has demonstrated that she will abide by the political partisanship that has brought the Town to where it is.

politicsarelocal.com continually tries to base its editorial comment on the issue, rather than partisan views. We encourage all of Harrison to participate. There is room for everyone to make their views known be they a Republican, Democrat, Conservative, Independent or any other political affiliate. You are all invited. We will publish your comments as written.

However, there are a few ground rules. To begin, before we publish your comments, politicsarelocal.com will attempt to confirm through available sources anything being claimed. If your claim cannot be substantiated, it will not be published. If it is just an opinion, please state it as such. Also, you must identify yourself with your real name, not an alias. On line handles are not enough. And finally, we will not tolerate obscenities or insulting characterizations of anyone or any organization. That serves no purpose and deprives the reader of a forum where serious discussion maybe conducted. Too often, blogs allow anonymous claims and borderline language that should not be tolerated. politicsarelocal.com will not permit that to occur here. If you cannot accept these ground rules, you can always take your discussion elsewhere.

It would be naive not to admit that a clear division exists between those that support real change in Town government and those intent on maintaining the status quo. In our view, Harrison cannot afford to have that continue.

So, welcome. We look forward to hearing your views.

Our Name

Editor — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:34:00 GMT

We had someone ask us about our name, yet again. We get the question every so often. The question is always "Isn't the quote All politics is local"? Well, the fact of the matter is yes, that is correct. Our use of "are" was necessitated by one thing: the URL or website domain name, allpoliticsislocal was already taken by another website. We had to go with what we could get. In our case, we are more interested in the local aspect of the quote than anything else. However, we are grammatically correct. According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, the noun politics is actually a plural, but it can be singular or plural in construction. So, now everyone has the answer. The quote itself has been attributed to the late Tip O'Neill, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. As today's politicians and pundits continue to refer to the quote, we think the point is applicable more than ever.