Press-Republican

Local News

Related Photos

  • P-R File Photos

    images_sizedimage_277231925

Discussion

IMPORTANT: Comments that include a personal attack on other commenters will be deleted in their entirety. Your comments are not welcome here if you can't maintain a civil tone.

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
October 4, 2009

Congressional candidates address health-care issues at forum

2 of 3 Congressional candidates appear at forum sponsored by UNYTEA Party

By JOE LoTEMPLIO

PLATTSBURGH — It was no surprise that the two candidates participating in Sunday night's 23rd Congressional District forum are not in favor of the president's proposed health-care reform plan.

Eyebrows were raised, however, when the third candidate did not show up.

Republican candidate Dierdre "Dede" Scozzafava and Conservative Party candidate Douglas Hoffman spent an hour fielding questions from the crowd of about 200 people at the event sponsored by the UNYTEA Party, a recently formed taxpayer group.

But Democrat William Owens was not there.

"I am going to be very candid and say that I am very disappointed in that," UNYTEA founder and forum moderator Mark L. Barie said.

"There's a big crowd here, and I can't think of an issue that is more important to North Country people than health care."

Barie said Owens's campaign called late Saturday and told him that Owens, a Plattsburgh attorney, would be in Oswego at an event and could not make it.

Scozzafava, an assemblywoman from St. Lawrence County, traveled three hours from her home in Gouverneur, and Hoffman an hour from Lake Placid to attend the event held at the Westside Ballroom on the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base.

The race is to decide who will fill John McHugh's seat. McHugh was confirmed as secretary of the Army last month.

During the forum, Scozzafava and Hoffman, an accountant, answered about a dozen questions about health care.

Scozzafava said several times that while rising health-care costs need to be contained, she does not see the need to totally revamp the system.

"I don't see what the rush is," she said.

"I think before we drastically overhaul the system we need to find some common ground to control costs."

Hoffman said costs for everything, and not just health care, need to be reigned in.

"That's why we need to change Congress," he said.

"We need to get our freedoms back and get spending and taxing under control."

When the issue of abortion came up, Scozzafava said that she is pro-choice and would not discriminate against anyone on the basis of income when it came to that procedure.

Hoffman said he would be against utilizing taxpayer money for abortions.

After the two candidates talked about tort reform and the need for setting reasonable limits for damages and lowering malpractice insurance costs, Barie took a shot at Owens.

"Gee, I would have loved to have a lawyer answer that question," he said looking at Owens's empty chair.

"Oh wait, he's not here."

On the issue of earmarks for local hospitals, Hoffman said he has signed a pledge to end all earmarks.

He said fixing the whole system would do more to help local hospitals than earmarks would.

Scozzafava noted that Hoffman was on the Board of Directors at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, which has received federal earmarks.

She also said she supports earmarks if they are for the public good, noting that the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base was redeveloped with the aid of earmarks.

"I won't take that pledge. Earmarks help create jobs, but they need to be transparent and totally open," she said.

With election day a month away, Barie said he would like to have another forum where candidates can field questions on any topic.

"I'd like to do that if we can because it's clear that people have a lot they want to ask."

E-mail Joe LoTemplio at: jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

North Country Scenes


Click on photo to view gallery with latest photos

FYI...
  • money.jpg Where to get the best deal on beer, haircuts, movies

    Looking for a good deal on a six-pack of beer? Try Charlotte. A haircut that won't burn a hole in your wallet? Harlingen, Texas, is your best bet. A trip to the movies? Hilo, Hawaii, is supposed to be nice this time of year.

    May 22, 2013 1 Photo