Today, let us celebrate dirty laundry. But before we do…

At least there is one thing most Americans are united on these days: Americans are divided. The State of the Union (SOTU) circus was proof of that. As was the impeachment and the Mueller Report.

Politics? Economics? Major social issues? This is the Age of Disagreement. A lot of it poisonous. 

Seriously, have you lost a few friends over political and social issues in the last few years? Do some pals avoid you because you love or hate this president? Or because of the party whose flag you wave? Have you become: “One of them”?

I rest my case.

I don’t know whether these vitriolic days inspire you to celebrate. Or to gnash your teeth. But may I humbly suggest we all toast our American circus-cum-Maytag. Yes, you too, even if your side got crushed.

Circus? Well, what else would you call it? In the three rings we’ve got attacks and hearings, subpoenas and documents withheld, and whistleblowers and skullduggery.

In the sideshows, we’ve got leaks and emails exposed, impeachment and SOTU theatrics, media bias and bureaucrats covering their bums, FBI honchos sacked, top intel guys lying, palace intrigue, and more.

We have the endless political campaigns and their nasty debates, scathing best-sellers that expose our corruptions, and marches and movements that fill the air and quicken pulses with charges of racism, sexism, and misogyny. And don’t forget treason, collusion, sedition and Russia, Russia, Russia.

Why the Maytag connection? Well, this circus churns out more dirty laundry than most countries have clothes. I reckon dirty laundry is a major ingredient of our GDP. 

I could go on and on. As no doubt they will. “They” being the circus performers and the Maytag. But do consider this: It is all a blessing. We are fortunate to have and experience it.

When I was young — living, and writing in New Zealand — I fell afoul of its swamp. Government owned all broadcasting, but was forbidden to interfere with its independence. Right.

The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation hired me to write a satire on politics. I did. They hired actors and produced the show. But when a few politicians got a sneak preview, they shut the project down. They ordered the network to lock the program in a vault. They refused to let anyone — even me, its writer — see the show. They declared it radioactive.

Thirty years later, I petitioned government to let me at least view the show. Let us let bygones be bygones. I offered to sign a non-disclosure. In a curt letter, some bureaucrat told me to roast in hell for all eternity. 

My point is that few people in this world enjoy the circus that you do. For instance: New Zealand is one of the most free and civilized nations. Yet politicians could banish something they disliked from the public airwaves. Newspapers complained and fans did too. (Readers of my then column.) The politicians said we could all stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. They could do what they bloody-well wished with something that satirized them.

New Zealand has nothing like our Freedom of Information Act. No court can force bureaucrats to release a rather innocent TV show that petty pols canned decades ago.

Few if any countries allow the public to sue for documents. Few allow the open and vicious debates we enjoy, or suffer. In many lands if you point the finger toward treason and corruption, you lose your finger — or more. Disagree with the powers that be and you be gone, brother.

Publish or broadcast stuff that upsets the rulers and the rulers shut you up. Or maybe, shut you down.

Oh, other countries have their scandals. They have their exposures and truth commissions. Some have impeachments and recalls. But rare is a country that offers the huge assortment of weapons and tools that America does. These are weapons our citizens wield to deal with treachery — tools they use to pry free something close to the truth.

I have in mind the subpoenas and rulings. And freedom of the press. And freedom of speech, even when that speech insults or offends or embarrasses. In this country, we set up grand juries to evaluate evidence our leaders want smothered. We allow hound-dog prosecutors to follow their noses into sordid corners.

It’s all sloppy as pig swill. And imperfect, for sure. Winston Churchill called democracy the worst form of government in this world of sin and woe. Except for all the other forms. If he was around today, he might say the same about this structure our founders bequeathed to us. It’s a structure that allows and encourages so many freedoms, which lead to disputes filled with rancor.

It is a system that trusts the people to do the right thing, to out the truth — through the press, the courts, the campaigns and elections, impeachments, and special prosecutors. Even through satire that stings.

Yes, the laws, safeguards, and freedoms of our system encourage us to out the truth. 

Whether your side has been bloodied or vindicated, let us raise a glass. We are lucky to live in this nation of circuses and dirty laundry.        

Tom Morgan writes about political, financial, and other subjects from his home in upstate New York. Write Tom at tomasinmorgan@yahoo.com or read more of his writing at tomasinmorgan.com.

For years, local governments have dealt with increasingly insurmountable financial stress forced upon them by Albany. It has become common practice for the state to pass a law, create a new regulation, or impose a requirement that costs money to implement at the local level. But unfortunately for localities and taxpayers, Albany’s forced “mandates” often do not come with the necessary funding to cover the expenses. 

The state’s basic message to localities is: “Do everything we say, and by the way, you have to pay.”  

When local budgets tighten, localities are forced to raise taxes in order to meet the new costs. Unfunded mandates are the single-biggest driver of New York’s property taxes, which are among the worst in the nation. Passing the permanent 2-percent property tax cap in 2019 was a victory, but adding pressure on municipalities in the 2020-2021 budget would be the worst-case scenario for anyone hoping to see their property taxes go down.

The state has not only forced new costs on local governments, but also reduced Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) funding in last year’s budget. The $59 million cut from last year’s budget needs to be restored, at the very least, to help ease the burdens facing localities. At present, that money is being recuperated through local sales-tax increases, another substantial weight suppressing growth. 

Making matters even worse, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to restructure Medicaid, already the most expensive program in America, and facing a $4 billion shortfall, involves shifting even more costs to local governments — estimated at $150 million annually.

Often, when people talk about budget economics, the conversation gets bogged down by confusing vocabulary and problems start to look unsolvable. Issues that will directly impact taxpayers range from the very basic — New York’s property tax rebate-check program has expired, to the complex — counties must adhere to the 2-percent tax cap or will be forced to pick up the local share of Medicaid growth.

In reality, these problems, at their core, are straightforward and New York’s budget is no different. New York State is laying siege to its localities, and middle-class homeowners are being asked to foot the bill.

The best way to corral taxes in New York is to spend less money, and to be prudent with the money that hardworking families send to Albany. Until the state takes action on these growing problems, we will continue on the high-tax path that feeds into the affordability crisis, drives residents to other states, and keeps us from reaching our full economic potential.

William (Will) A. Barclay, Republican, is the New York Assembly Minority Leader and represents the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County. Contact Barclay at barclaw@assembly.state.ny.us or (315) 598-5185.