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"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." -President John F. Kennedy. |
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The Jailer of Freedom
Monday, May 20, 2013 Rochester, NY - That most unconventional of poets, the late e.e. cummings, is credited with saying, "To destroy is always the first step in any creation." It seems to me that whether the subject is local politics, or virtually any subject at all, the greatest hindrance to making progress toward real solutions is black and white thinking, which ultimately results in a closed mind. Some mind bending suggestions toward advanced problem solving, inside. Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot |
"If I look deep in thought, will people ignore my poor strategic choices?" |
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Lessons from the Obama Administration
Wednesday May 15, 2013 If second terms of presidencies are focused on securing that President’s legacy, Barack Obama has a steep hill to climb. One of the major legacies he leaves the nation is what NOT to do to be a successful political leader. Despite outstanding campaign skills and oratory, Obama’s political failures as an elected official provide a number of lessons learned for anyone aspiring to be an effective public official. Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks |
Downtown Rochester, NY: Coming soon, to a theater near you. |
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A Lot for Which to Be Thankful 
Friday, May 10, 2013 Rochester, NY - I suppose it's easy to be thankful for the very recent filming of a major Hollywood motion picture---in Downtown Rochester. But as sometimes down-in-the-mouth Rochesterians, we too often forget that this city, this county, this region, is decidedly one of the best in the nation (in the world?) in which to live. Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot - 4 opinions posted |
For Dems, the map continues to be a challenge |
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What Happened to the Pax irondequoita?
Wednesday May 8, 2013 Two years ago, a curious thing happened in Irondequoit. Democrats and Republicans briefly fell in love with one another, pledging to work together. The two parties jointly endorsed Supervisor Mary Joyce D’Aurizio and attempted to run a joint slate of candidates for Town board (although that plan was torn asunder by a primary election). Now, in 2013, not only is D’Aurizio being challenged, she is being challenged by a Democrat close to party chair Joe Morelle. What happened? Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks |
Breakdancing remake to shoot in Rochester next? |
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Spiderman in Smugtown
Wednesday May 1, 2013 The debate in Rochester over the filming of scenes in Spiderman 2 represents another example of the Smugtown approach to things: one side cheers, the other side boos, but both ignore a deeper irony. In this case, the fact that one of the nation’s most asset-rich places for the arts has consistently misplayed its hand. Will we ever learn? Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks |
Hizzoner, Rochester Mayor Tom Richards. An attorney and the former CEO of RG&E: Is Richards the most qualified Mayor Rochester has ever seen? |
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If it Comes Down to Experience, it's Richards by a Mile
Monday, April 29, 2013 Rochester, NY - Much has been made in the local media, as well as this publication, about the race for Mayor of the City of Rochester. Rather than the logical focus on the candidates and their stands on the issues, there has already been too much of a hyper-focus on Democratic Party in-fighting. But let's get back to the fundamental question here: Is City Council President Ms. Lovely Warren really up to the challenge of unseating her apparently very qualified foe, incumbent Mayor Tom Richards? Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot - 2 opinions posted |
Urbanski: 33 years of smiles |
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Adam Urbanski and Thirty Years of Decline
Wednesday April 17, 2013 Over the past 33 years, Rochester Teachers’ Association President Adam Urbanski has been the one variable that has remained unchanged in the failing formula of Rochester’s schools. To some, Urbanski is a hero, to others a villain. But to all he is a survivor. What does this say about the state of education in Rochester? What hope is there for the future? Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks - 5 opinions posted |
Adequate libraries are part of the 7 court-ordered minimum resource requirements for a sound basic education |
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A Constitutionally Sound Education Part III
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 Rochester, NY - When you read Justice DeGrasse's 7 resources required for a sound basic education, they seem reasonable, but how does a school district with 85% of its students at risk - and under pressure to tighten its belt during a recession - meet these requirements? RCSD Board member Willa Powell reveals the conflict between austerity and constitutional obligation in Part III of her series. Read More ...
Willa Powell |
Alex White |
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Green Party Candidate for Mayor Has an Eye on the Cold, Hard Cash
Monday, April 1, 2013 Rochester, NY - Today may be April Fools' Day, but this is no joke: The City of Rochester faces a $30 million annual budget deficit. Green Party Mayoral candidate Mr. Alex White thinks he has a solution. Read More ...
Alex White |
Proposed new Amtrak train-bus station for downtown Rochester: Groundbreaking is August; train ridership is up 89% here since 2007. |
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Op-Ed Briefs: Louise Makes the Train Station Run On-Time; Time to Divide-Up North Korea
Monday, April 8, 2013 Rochester, NY - Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter has been a steadfast advocate for a new Amtrak Station-bus station-intermodal transit center in downtown Rochester, for as long as I can recall. Well, her perseverance has finally paid off. And Greater Rochester can only benefit from her efforts. War with North Korea seems less a nightmarish fairytale today than it did just six months ago. Inside, I offer what I believe to be the only logical solution to vanquishing the rogue regime, that hopefully minimizes the loss of life, while at the same time puts to rest once and for all the dictatorships' nuclear ambitions and threats. Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot |
Willa Powell, on Why It's Not Just About the Money |
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5 Ways the State Should Have Helped Underfunded Schools
Friday, April 26, 2013 Rochester, NY - Willa Powell continues her series on what a "constitutionally sound, basic education" really means, and how the State government, driven by caps and cuts, blithely shirks its responsibility to our public schoolchildren. Here are the 5 things the State could have and should have done to help local school districts learn how to meet constitutional thresholds, while spending less. Read More ...
Willa Powell |
Morelle's blind ambition renders certain party members invisible |
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An Unfortunate Press Release
Wednesday, April 24, 2013 If it’s true that it’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game, then the Monroe County Democratic Committee lost when it declared victory. But that is often the result of ambition-driven scorched-earth politics. Democrats have reason to be disgusted with a party that claims to speak for them, but does so with a dearth of class and consideration. Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks - 8 opinions posted |
Race: a puzzle with pieces that don't quite fit together |
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The Power of an Illusion
Friday April 12, 2013 Have you ever toiled for years believing one thing, only to find one day that you were wrong? That some article of faith turned out not to be true? It can be uncomfortable, disturbing. Unconsciously, we fight such revelations, fearing it will unravel other beliefs. It turns out the the whole concept of “race” is such an illusion. A lie we have told for generations and that has now become so real, we can barely believe that it actually does not exist. Two more weeks remain to see the exhibition “RACE:Are We So Different?” at the Rochester Museum & Science Center. It is a must-see. Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks - 1 opinion posted |
Children of different backrounds often demonstrate greater maturity than do their fearful parents. |
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One Foot in the City, the Other in the Suburbs
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 Rochester, NY - Today's guest essayist, Linda Lopata, wonders aloud why the "haves" and the "have nots" must be so utterly divided in the Community of Monroe, and postulates that perhaps, in the end, we are not so different. Read More ...
Linda Lopata - 1 opinion posted |
H.L. Mencken was cynical, to say the least, but maybe his pronouncement was more than just classist snobbery? |
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The Indiscreet Charm of the Booboisie*
Monday, May 6, 2013 Rochester, NY - There is one group, one class in America that is allegedly above reproach, and seems immune from nearly all scrutiny: The Middle Class. Well, as the Smugtown Beacon is wont to do, we will turn this notion of middle class immunity from critique, squarely on its ear. Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot |
Onion.com |
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After North Korea; Boston; & West, Texas, Past Time for Some Levity
Monday, April 22, 2013 Rochester, NY - I don't know about you, but I've certainly had it with the plethora of bad news recently. So, if laughter is the best medicine, maybe Dr. Happiness has the cure? Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot |
Cute, yes, but will they be smart enough to build bridges, lay sewer systems, or fend off rogue nuclear regimes? |
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The Electronic Gadget Excuse
Monday, April 15, 2013 Rochester, NY - What's most important to Rochesterians, and Americans? Not crumbling bridges, roads, or sewer systems. Not the lack of educational fairness or achievement in urban and rural areas. Not even an impending war with North Korea and Iran. By all subjective measure, the most important societal imperative is our continued obsession with smart phones, tablets, and all other mostly unnecessary collections of electronic contraptions. Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot |
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