Called Sen. Gillibrand today

[clear eye]

for two reasons. Firstly to let her know how crucial I felt it was to increase the % of infrastructure spending in the "stimulus" bill, and decrease the % of tax cuts to businesses and the ultra-wealthy so that the bill, with the decades of taxes we will have to pay on the interest for all that borrowing, would actually work to improve the economy. I am taking that position because of the info I've read from two Nobel prize-winning economists, Stiglitz and Krugman. And secondly to get her constituent email address, as she doesn't have her website up yet.

As soon as I mentioned decreasing the tax cuts for business, I heard a sound of impatience from her staffer, and he didn't even ask me my zip code to note my comment. I have to presume that is a reflection of how the Senator feels about business tax cuts, that more is always better no matter the economic situation. This was even after I told him that since healthcare spending was at stake, these changes were literally a matter of life and death. I don't think for Sen. Gillibrand and her office, benefits from limiting business tax cuts computes.

Also disappointing was finding out that she doesn't have a constituent email address yet. I would imagine that one was made available to her as soon as she was appointed, but a week later it hasn't been set up.

Knowing that in her first Congressional campaign she had her Republican-connected father get dirt on her opponent from the police dept. that was not a matter of public record, I imagine that it will be tough for anyone to challenge her in the 2010 primary. She seems to use the Republican campaign playbook--anything is fair game, accurate or not, as long as you can make it stick. I'm afraid the liberal contituents of the NYC and Rochester areas are out of luck for the foreseeable future.