I hope you had a fun and safe Independence Day. Despite our many challenges, our country remains the greatest hope for those seeking liberty, justice and equality. The birth of our nation is worth celebrating the opportunities and freedoms it has given us.
But our diversity and differences have also on occasion led to great division. The events of this past weekend are deeply troubling. As a nation we need to come together and recognize we will have differing opinions. It’s good to have healthy debate on the issues, but we need to put aside anger and hostility. Naturally in a nation as unique as ours, there will be many viewpoints. That’s not only perfectly okay, but it should also be expected. What is never fine is when the political discord becomes our undoing.
We do live in a country where we can voice our dissent when legislation or policies are enacted that we believe run counter to our values. That includes a measure that was quietly introduced in late spring by the Centers for Disease Control impacting dog owners entering the United States. The CDC is requiring a tracking microchip be implanted into the family pet, with the microchip number documented on all required forms and in all accompanying veterinary records. Forms must be filled out and include a photo of the dog for every border trip. This includes service dogs. Dog owners must also have a certification of a U.S.-Issued Rabies vaccine form or health certificate that was endorsed by the USDA, that includes the microchip number. This policy takes effect August 1. The CDC did a terrible job making the public aware of this new policy, and now there is an incredible backlog of pet owners trying to meet the criteria. There are so many Western New Yorkers who own or rent places just across the border. People who were denied the ability to visit their own homes for nearly two years during COVID now face the very real possibility of not being able to enjoy the month of August at their cottages. Enacting this policy needs to, at the very least, be delayed. It’s unbelievable that the CDC would choose the peak summer months to implement this policy. They have handled this terribly by not getting the information out there in a timely manner and with enough awareness for pet owners.
I’m disappointed that our colleagues across the aisle took $2 million from a special account intended for non-profit capital projects, and instead quietly assigned those funds for their own pet projects. As the saying goes, power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. This action was wrong, shameful, and disregards the intent of that funding, harming many local organizations that do good work in this community.
I’m also opposed to a local law that was passed by the Erie County Legislature’s Democrat majority requiring only a simple majority vote of the Legislature to pass the sales tax extension. It will be on the November ballot. I urge everyone to vote against it, as it silences the public’s voice. It was because of the super majority requirement that the Minority Caucus was able to negotiate a sales tax holiday on all home energy bills this past winter.
If you have any county related issues, contact my office qat 716-681-2071, or by email, Frank.Todaro@erie.gov
