Party's choice
TO THE EDITOR: Our free-enterprise system is being systematically dismantled by this administration while most people sit back and rationalize what the government is doing. If you disagree, you are intimidated, demonized and called a racist. Now our Assemblywoman is calling anyone that criticizes her bumbling of the nomination of Scozzafava as being somehow against women. She is proud that she managed to get her liberal friend nominated even though the majority of this county's Republican committee members wanted Maroun as the nominee. Mrs. Duprey, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Did Mrs. Duprey know that the Working Families Party (WFP) was supporting Scozzafava? When Scozzafava suspended her campaign, she followed the lead of WFP and endorsed Owens. The WFP was founded in 1998 by the notorious ACORN group and union organizations and acts as a front for ACORN and was an outgrowth of the socialist New Party. The WFP and ACORN are co-located in the same building in Brooklyn. The leader of ACORN, Bertha Lewis also acts as the co-chair of WFP and has said that with their endorsement comes a commitment to their causes. In 2004, George Soros used the WFP to launder contributions to a Democrat candidate.

Mr. Owens, I wish you well, but as another Nancy Pelosi yes man, I hope that your term will be for only one year. Hopefully, the Republican Party will get their act together and support a candidate in 2010 that has been chosen by the party members.

Clyde M. Rabideau

Plattsburgh

Amber lights better choice
TO THE EDITOR: Does your vehicle have amber turn signals on the rear, or are they red? Many of you probably don't know and most of you probably don't care. Maybe you should.

Results from a new federal study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), published in the Sept. 17 issue of "Status Report" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, indicates that amber is the better choice to reduce rear-end crashes. The study compared crash rates for vehicles with amber rear turn signals with vehicles that had red rear turn signals. The crashes in the study involved two vehicles where the lead one was turning, changing lanes, merging into or exiting from traffic, or entering or leaving a parking lot.

The study was restricted to models with just a change in turn signal color without other design changes. The result was a statistically significant 5.3 percent reduction in crash risk. This is in line with previous research showing amber rear turn signals to be more effective in reducing the likelihood of rear crashes. European auto makers have been required to use this color since 1967.

Although the study did not give reasons for the reduction in crash rates, it would seem that the amber color stands out in better contrast to red rear turn signals, which are somewhat masked by red brake lights or red tail lights.

So, the next time you go looking for a new or used vehicle, give consideration to one with amber rear turn signals over one with red rear turn signals. It may not prevent you from being rear-ended, but it gives you a better chance statistically.

This and all Did You Know articles can be found on the web at www.franklincony.org.

Know the law and drive safely.

Dave Werner

Franklin County Transportation Safety Board

Malone

Grateful victor
TO THE EDITOR: As the town clerk/tax collector for the Town of Peru for the last seven years, I would like to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you. Thanks to:

   Peru Republican Party for endorsing me as your candidate. I hope that I have served you well.

  Everyone who wrote a letter or allowed me to place a sign on your lawn. Public service is a decision that one makes on an individual basis. For so many to come to bat on my behalf has warmed my heart.

  To all of the residents that opened your doors to me.

  To the news media for working so hard. Anyone I have encountered has been extremely helpful and kind. I truly believe that you have been fair and allowed everyone to play on a level playing field.

  To the contributors of my campaign, your thoughtfulness, generosity and support will remain close in my heart forever.

  To my family: my father and brother for making so many telephone calls; my sister and brother-in law, sister-in-law and mother-in-law, your support was endless. I love you all and hope that I have made you proud. I am lucky to have all of you in my life. To my brother, Mike and his family, you have shown all of us the true meaning of fight, courage and what family means. Lastly, my husband, John, children Morgan, Will and Maddy. I know that whatever happens will be okay. You have given me the strength to carry on.

Win or lose, we all know what kind of game we played. We were strong, we played fair and we all learned how to be good sports. I hope that we all take positive experiences away from this and learn and remember how to be respectable neighbors and residents in a town that I love to call home.

Kathy Flynn

Peru

Wrong candidate
TO THE EDITOR: On Thursday the 5th, you wrote "Scozzafava's selection as candidate drew heavy criticism ... Republicans complained that with her support of gay marriage and abortion rights, she was far too liberal."

You, the national media and the Democratic party continue to make the statement and imply that we Republicans and Conservatives in the 23rd are too narrow-minded to have accepted a candidate who, like Mayor Giuliani and others, strayed from Republican orthodoxy on only these two issues.

The truth is that Dede Scozzafava was a terrible choice made by the 11 county Republican chairs. We were asked to hold our noses and accept a candidate who appeared to digress from Republican philosophy on such other major items as card check, cap and trade, health insurance, government spending and stimulus while accepting the endorsement of an ACORN affiliate political party. Some Republican! She was a penultimate Republican in name only and we had enough.

It was not the loss of local control or outside influences that caused the rise of Hoffman and decline of Scozzafava in the last days of the campaign but the absolute disgust we felt with our own party's selection. Where else did we have to go?

Would Hoffman or another Republican candidate have won if they had been on the Republican line instead of hard to find on down the ballot? Remember, Owens got under 50 percent and the combined vote of Hoffman and Scozzafava would have beaten him, perhaps handily without the intra-party squabble.

In my opinion, it was the 11 who allowed misplaced friendship and the push to choose one of their own to get in the way of their normally astute political judgment, and caused the loss of the 23rd to the Democrats.

David C. Glenn

Plattsburgh

League was again active
TO THE EDITOR: The League of Women Voters of the Plattsburgh Area, at the invitation of citizens, has successfully moderated Meet the Candidate forums for the Town of Westport that included the races for district attorney, town supervisor and sheriff. The League also moderated a forum at the rotunda in Plattsburgh for Clinton County treasurer.

A forum for the 23rd Congressional race was held at SUNY Plattsburgh's E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium and was sponsored by the Plattsburgh Chapter of United University Professions, the Plattsburgh State Student Association and the Plattsburgh Area League of Women Voters. It was covered by eight to nine media outlets from local, regional and national operations.

All venues were well attended and all included questions from the public audience. The League genuinely thanks SUNY Plattsburgh, North Country Public Radio, Mountain Lake PBS, Cardinal Points, Press-Republican, Valley News, WIRY, WCAX, WPTZ, all sponsors, candidates and interested citizens who participated.

The League would also like to commend the Press-Republican for publishing the compendium of North Country races with profiles of the candidates in 2009. Additional information regarding candidates and propositions was also found on the local LWV Web site, www.plattsburgh.ny.lwvnet.org. The League acknowledges that all of these voter services are tools for keeping voters informed to help promote and protect the democratic process.

Congratulations to all voters and all candidates. Your public service is most appreciated.

The League of Women [and men] Voters is a non-partisan organization dedicated to democratic government. Through voter service, the League endeavors to help the electorate become more informed about choices he/she will make on Election Day. When representing the League, members are non-partisan. When not representing the League, members may be politically active and often support candidates.

Myra Decker

President

Janet Alexander

Carole CaoBa

Kathy Schumacher

Barbara Landes

Ingeborg Sapp

Betty Ann King

Betsy Metz

Madeleine Robinson

Board members