The one thing American citizens hate to do is admit when they are wrong. It’s even harder to get the political leaders of our government to admit when they screw up. It’s nothing new, actually it is the norm since the creation of our country a couple hundred years ago.

 If you really think about it you can only come to the conclusion that our government is considered the largest terrorist organization. I know for a fact the rest of the world really believes that and I for one can tell you that I talk to Canadian citizens all the time that think our government is absolutely not to be trusted. Not to mention I have traveled around this world twice, visiting dozens of countries.

The question then becomes “why is this?”

Well you can start by examining some of the largest events in our country’s history. You will find numerous instances of our national arrogance imposing our will on uninterested societies. For instance during the mid 1800’s our government decided that we wanted land occupied by the Native Americans and that they would be better of living lives like the rest of us. When they resisted we basically exterminated them. Their true culture and way of life was destroyed forever.

 Even before that we decided that we needed cheap labor to work our fields. So our forefathers sent ships to abduct Africans from their homeland for slavery. We used the same justification, that we know better about how they should live, and our way of life is better for them. Thus began a couple hundred years of social destruction of African families and their own culture.

 When we get to the 1860’s we turn on ourselves. Our own citizenry couldn’t be content to live and let live. Our lust for war and oppression led to the Civil War. Only after the North was about to lose the war did President Lincoln free the slaves. Doing that saved the North from destruction, but it only happened under threat of the rebels winning the war.

 Go forward another hundred years and, oh say, four more wars in the books, and those very African Americans are being murdered for simply demanding the very civil rights they earned over three hundred years in this country. We murdered their leaders and lynched any one of those who dared to try and get a meal in front of Caucasians or who would ride at the front of a bus.

 So when I tell you that it’s true our country has no problem killing children in other parts of the world, it should not be a surprise or even controversial. We have sold weapons illegally (even recently),  bombed foreign schools killing thousands of children, murdered innocent civilians, interned our own citizens without warrant or cause, eliminated foreign governments who we don’t agree with, and have placed our military on 900+ bases in foreign lands to intimidate anyone who disagrees with our national ideology.

 It’s all true!

 So the question Ron Paul and I pose to you is this? If ChinaorRussiawere to send troops and occupy theUSA. If they dropped bombs on our kids, sent missiles into targets that turned out to be peaceful, and snatched up anyone who voiced disagreement with their policies, WOULD YOU FIGHT BACK? Consider it the “Red Dawn” scenario.

 Of course we would! So why shouldn’t the people of theMiddle East? Our media has labeled these people as Muslim fanatics, Terrorist, but remember those labels are relative to who is saying them.

 I’m not saying its right or wrong for them to fight back in the manner they did. But I do understand it and if you look at what we have done, and the example we have set from the beginning our country was founded. Then it is understandable that the people of the world don’t want us in their lives. Ron Paul is RIGHT! We should accept responsibility for those attacks and get the Hell out of other countries business.

 In the end it’s your decision what you want to believe. I hope you see the truth.

Ford Beckwith

With that said, I have an idea that i would like to run by you.

First, Congrats to Kathy Hochul on winning her race. Perhaps this post will give you an idea to take to Washington.

After the great depression from the stock market collapse of 1929, the USA only regained its prosperous economy by starting the “New Deal”. This “New Deal” began the reconstruction of infrastructure with the USA and put millions of americans back to work. Yes it was expensive, and yes it worked!

My thinking is simply, why recreate the wheel when it works so well? Let me explain. We all know that global warming is occurring. It really doesn’t matter why for this post, so lets not argue about that. The result our country is seeing because of global warming is rain and flooding in the greater part of our country and extreme drought in the other parts.

So what if our government started a project to build a national aqueduct system within every state that connects to a central routing system. Imagine this. Once completed, any flooding from the major river systems can be systematically rerouted to those areas that actually need the water to alleviate the drought in their state.

This project would take years to complete and it would put millions of people back to work. Yes it would be expensive, but the increase in jobs would increase the ability to tax and pay for the project. I say it’s a hell of a lot better than giving billions of dollars to the banks like we did recently.

Anyway, that’s my idea for you. I hope Kathy Hochul reads this and gives it a think. Let me know your thoughts.

So I’m thinking about changing the focus of this site from strictly town issues to a more generalised blog about anything and everything. I’m curious to know if any of you out there are interested in that, or would you like me to continue my blog focusing on issues in the town?

I have a lot to say, a lot to make public, and a lot of people could end up embarrassed with the release of information that I have stacked in my brain. However, I just don’t know if it’s worth the effort any longer. What are your thoughts?

http://hamburgfirst.wordpress.com/?s=woodlawn

The case was litigated and through negotiations and court appearances it is documented and now reported that the HMHA was removed as a defendant because they had nothing to do with the serving of the alcohol. They simply contracted with the fire department to rent the facility and the fire department would take complete control and run the bar.

So even though this was an HMHA function they are not being held liable for any injuries or damages in the case.

It is reported and litigated and now fact, that a young woman, Ms. Kapusczak was under 21 years old at the time and was served alcoholic beverages at this party. She then got in her car and was involved in a vehicular accident causing injuries to the Drew Family. She was charged with multiple violations at the scene. These facts were stipulated to and the Woodlawn VFD accepted all blame and also admitted full responsibility according to the legal file at the Erie County Clerks Office.

Today I spoke to Judge Drury, who heard the case, outside his chambers and he told me the details. So all this is now fact. Woodlawn VFD offered approximately $375,000 to settle the case and the Drew family countered with about $425,000. The two sides couldn’t settle the 50K difference so this case went to a jury trial.

The interesting part was that since the fire department admitted all guilt and responsibility the Drew family was not allowed to call witnesses to the accident in front of the jury. Liability was already established so the only thing that was left to determine was the damages. I was told there was a brief argument to the jury by both sides and then the jury was sent to deliberate on how much money to award.

The legal strategy to admit guilt from the beginning probably saved the Woodlawn Fire Department from a multi-million dollar award. Because the jury didn’t get to hear about all the pain and suffering and the particulars of the accident. They were only left to decide a cash amount they thought would be fair. In the end the Woodlawn Volunteer Fire Department and Ms. Kapusczak are now ordered to pay the Drew family a little more than $460,000. Ms. Kapusczak’s car insurance covers only $25,000 of the award. So Woodlawn VFD is stuck with paying out the remaining amount, approximatly $435,000.

Question now is….. who is going to pay it? Does the fire department have enough insurance to cover the full cost or do they have to pay out of their own funds? Will they have to raise the districts fire taxes to cover the award or will they have to borrow/bond to pay the money? I don’t know the answer to those questions. I put in a call to Patrick McAnaney, Woodlawn Fire Chief, but my call has not been returned yet. I’ll keep you informed as I get more info.

Most wrote checks for double or more of the ticket price. Everyone who is a political player was there. Steve Pigeon, Byron Brown, just about every county legislator and of course, all the candidates for this year. Frank McKay called in and kept his promise by proclaiming to the crowd that the Erie County Executive Board and County Committee shall have the right to interview and ultimately endorse candidates this year.

Lynn Dixon was honored as the first ever Independence Party member to be elected to a County Elected position and McKay is happy we are finally free of influence of the major parties.

I had a good time, but honestly, I really am not a person who likes to mingle among people that can smile and shake your hand while lying to your face. So I basically ate a lot and had a few laughs with those who don’t like that I call them Demon-crats. Yes folks it was brought to my attention at least three times that evening. LOL!!!

No word yet on the final take but I expect it will be 20K or more from the size of many of the checks written to the party.

This deal was worked out over a long and arduous negotiation lasting many months. The ECIP is now holding a fundraiser on Thursday May 20th at Alton’s Restaurant on the corner of Seneca Street and Transit Road in Elma. Frank McKay is expected to call via phone and address the crowd to announce that the ECIP will be making endorsements this year.

The way it is supposed to work is simple. The ECIP will interview candidates and tell the State IP leadership who we pick. Then Frank McKay will ensure those candidates get the State IP endorsement. This effectively gives the County IP endorsement powers back without another court battle. A court battle is exactly what Frank McKay is trying to avoid while he is under investigation for hundreds of thousands of missing dollars from party funds and possibly a Federal money laundering scheme.

So if there are any potential candidates for public office this year who think they can bypass the local IP they should think again. I hope to see you all there.

The Frontier School System is the largest single employer in Hamburg. Albert and Lalka had about 1850 votes between them. The other four of us had close to 2250. The problem was simply too many candidates and an unwillingness to work together to unseat the incumbents.

I hope one thing comes from all of this. This should be a clear message to the school board that enough people are pissed off and the board should consider strong reforms. The only reason the incumbents survived is that their were two or three to many challengers. Maybe that was planned, maybe not. Hell, more than 450 people agree with me and want to cut sports! That in itself should wake them up.

However you want to look at these results remember this. The measure of a true leader is accepting his defeats, pick up the peices, learn from his mistakes and carry on to the agenda. True leaders never give up on the cause they believe in the most. I will be back next year for another chance at the school board because I believe we really need true reform there. See you in the trenches this summer. Lots of politics till then to discuss.

Ford Beckwith
Beckwith describes himself as a “taxpayer advocate,” intent on
cutting extraneous meat from the budget and spending plan while
letting local residents know what’s going on with the board. He
promised residents that if elected, he will vote against every
proposed tax rate increase.

“We’ve reached the limit to what people can afford. There are so many
areas to cut,” said Beckwith, who added that he thinks the board
should have went as far as to decrease the tax rate this year. “The
board is here to be the public’s voice.”

 ”Taxes go up. I don’t care if we have a top-ranked sports
team or great facilities. You want to lay off nine teachers or have a
girls hockey team? Other people have other agendas…Everything I do
is for the taxpayer and for education.”

Beckwith added that he’d like to expose, as he suspects, the large
number of patronage positions with the school district. He supports a
two-term limit, stating that “You have ten years to make your mark.”
Citing former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra’s “Red and Green”
budget- which he said outlined a system to give the public an
opportunity to vote for either a tax increase or eliminate
“extraneous” positions- Beckwith said cuts still need to be made.
“If sports were that important, every student would play them,” said
Beckwith, who said he did not believe that many of the 5,245 district
students were involved in athletics. “It’s up to the public to decide.
We need to educate the public on needs…How many kids will get a job
playing football?”

Another contention Beckwith had with the current spending plan is him
alleging that the district pays more per student- in the range of
$14,000 per child- than that of higher-performing schools such as
Nardin Academy.He proposed the board look into private contracting to save money,
with sufficient services maintained.

A 1983 graduate of Frontier High and resident of Blasdell, Beckwith
heads the Hamburg Independence party and laments, as he said, the fact
that 57 percent of resident taxes go toward the Frontier School Board.
He said the graduation rate is too low for what residents pay in
taxes, adding that athletics should take a back seat to academics.
The graduation rate was 91 percent 10 years ago and it’s fallen,”
said Beckwith, who also served on the Hamburg Recreation Advisory
Committee.

Updated: May 14, 2010, 6:44 am / 5 comments
Published: May 14, 2010, 12:30 am

Frontier School Board candidate Ford Beckwith is trying to set himself apart from the other five candidates.

At a candidates’ night this week, he succeeded.

Beckwith, who runs a blog called Hamburg First, questioned how much money the district spends on sports for a high school with what he termed a declining graduation rate.

“Do we want to continue to sink money into sports versus education?” asked Beckwith, a Navy veteran. “You should teach kids to read, write, do math and science. . . . Everything after that is a bunch of crap. How many kids will grow up to play football?”

Beckwith also said he will not defer to Superintendent Ronald DeCarli.

“My focus will be on what the residents want. If that clashes with Mr. DeCarli, then we’ll go to fisticuffs,” he said.

Beckwith’s comments stood apart from those made by his fellow candidates, Ted Casey, Nicholas Hoffman, Patrick Boyle and one-term incumbents Larry Albert and Martin Lalka. The six are vying for the two seats held by Albert and Lalka for five-year terms in Tuesday’s election.

“You can’t cut sports and make the graduation rate improve,” said Albert, a retired Frontier music teacher of 34 years. “[Athletes] must meet academic standards in order to participate in sports. I don’t believe there is a correct number of extracurricular [activities]. We’re trying to develop a well-rounded individual.”

Boyle also disagreed with Beckwith’s take on the issue. “I couldn’t say cut music or sports. Give them all that you can,” Boyle said.

Boyle, who serves on the district’s internal audit committee and is the general manager of information services at National Fuel, described his strengths as a problem solver with a fiscally conservative approach to district spending. “I’m a long-term planner. We need to have a level budget over a long period of time,” he said. “I know how to work with people who don’t always get along. . . . I love to look at problems and analyze solutions.”

If elected, Beckwith pledged to vote against any tax increases for the next five years. “I think about what the taxpayers are paying; not the services. I’m willing to make the hard choices and don’t care what the other board members want,” he said.

Most of the candidates expressed concern about the shrinking pool of money from state aid and what that could eventually mean for Frontier.

Lalka, a retired postal worker and an Army veteran, praised the stable tax rate in next year’s proposed budget and the district’s three-year fiscal plan.

“We need to keep the tax rates low, and yet educating the kids has to be first,” he said. Lalka lauded his perfect attendance record at board meetings. A Frontier graduate, he stressed how visible he is at school functions, music and sports events.

Albert vowed to support long-term fiscal stability and to find ways to strike a healthy balance for taxpayers and the district in funding education.

“We have to find ways to cut expenditures in education,” he said in an interview. “Cutting teachers and staff is unacceptable.”

Albert supports universal prekindergarten, reasonable class sizes, electives on a secondary level and accelerated programs for high-achieving students.

Casey, a Frontier graduate who previously worked as the safety director at Delphi in Lockport and has experience with contract negotiations, pitched the safety of students, support between parents, teachers and students, and a healthy fiscal environment as his campaign platform.

“I’m level-headed. I’m passionate, but I don’t get emotional,” Casey said. “We should strive to make Frontier the best school district in all of Western New York.”

Hoffman vowed to bring a new generation of leadership to Frontier and its School Board. A recent Sienna College and Frontier graduate, Hoffman works for Tops Markets. Hoffman advocated keeping small class sizes, implementing a writing center at the high school and beefing up the quality of internships available to students. 

“Putting students first is my most important goal,” Hoffman said. “How many 23-year-olds do you see run for school board? I have a strong will to succeed.” 

e-mail:krobinson@buffnews.com

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