LIBN Column: Public Officials, Public Events...

Below is the Text from my LIBN Column published today 1/14/2011

I've been there, retail politics with a high-profile elected official.  In my case, it was US Senator Chuck Schumer on whose staff I served for nearly 6 years.  Chuck loves retail and does it often and well.  He spends countless hours on LIRR platforms, in front of supermarkets and at countless parades and festivals.   He listens to everyone, even people who disagreed with him.  Chances are if you have gone to the Oyster Fest, Riverhead or Huntington Fall Festivals you have seen the Senior Senator talking with his constituents and enjoying the local corn.  He loves getting and I loved being with him, even though it often meant working weekends and always added to my workload.  Elected officials exist to serve the public and you can’t serve the public if you’re not willing to go to them. 

I never worried that a public event would end in violence.  To think a nameless, faceless thug would attempt to take the life of an elected official for any reason is unfathomable, even today.   While rhetoric employed in modern politics has received greater attention in the wake of the Arizona shootings, it’s nothing new.  Jefferson once referred to John Adams as a hermaphrodite, and there are countless examples of heated politics in our history.  I’m sure we will debate what effect the tone of the last election had, but clearly this was an act of insanity and fanaticism that has no place in our republic.

After what happened in Arizona, elected officials and staffs across the nation are likely reconsidering how they interact with voters.  I’m confident this won’t stop them all from participating in retail politics, but it will certainly stop some.  Let’s hope the lasting impact of Arizona won’t be less access to our leaders by regular people who need their help and rarely have opportunities to interact with members of congress.       

I pray that Giffords survives and goes back to that Safeway for a “Congress on Your Corner” event soon, and I hope that others don’t hide in their offices as a result of what happened in Arizona. 

Hannity Appearance on Earmark showdown...

My Hannity appearance from a few weeks back...

Hannity 11-23-2010

2 clips from my Hannity Appearance on Tuesday.  In the first clip there is a funny moment....

Your World w/Cavuto Appearance from Friday 11-19

A tough debate with Neil over extending jobless benefits... My stats are accurate!!!  At the end of the day this argument comes down to the question of how would you want to be treated?  There but for the grace of God go I...  I would rather the economy create jobs but until it does our friends and neighbors need this aid....

Election Day-final thoughts on 2010 cycle

I am sure the sun will rise tomorrow regardless of tonights outcome.  Elections rarely bring major change even in "tidal wave years." If you think this election will be different I encourage you to read the Federalist Papers as to why and review the past 200 + years of our history to see what has happened every other time there has been a "wave" election.

I voted today early and turnout was about where it always is when I vote.  I am hearing the same from friends across the country.  Who knows who will show up today.  The tone of this year's contests where harsh but spirited.  Competition is vital to the survival of our republic (again see Federalist Papers).  

I hope those elected understand that what makes us great is our ability to come together to deal with problems. Let's hope that Congressional Freshman take the time to read our founding documents and understand their role in our republic.

Video: Hahn Debates the NYS Governors Debate w/ Bruce Blakeman on News 12

Click the link below for video of my post debate debate...

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Hannity Appearance Video from Friday Night in case you missed it

Here is my Hannity Appearance from 10-22-2010...

Hannity Friday Night 9pm

I will be on Hannity Friday Night with actor Vincent Curatola who played Johnny Sack on the Sopranos.  We will be talking about NPR firing Juan Williams, The elections and more... Tune in at 9pm.... And post your thoughts here... 

Food Fight!!!

Follow this link to video of me on Your World debating my friend Stuart Varney over food stamps...

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4362994/are-food-stamps-best-bang-for-the-buck/


I felt this was one of my better Fox appearances.  Stuart and I always have good debates...

Let me know what you think....

This spot earned me the Top Dog of the Week honor on Newshounds.us you can read the review here
http://www.newshounds.us/2010/10/09/democrat_chris_hahn_does_a_great_job_explaining_how_food_stamps_give_a_great_bang_for_buck_to_the_economy.php#more

Primary Day

Both Democrats and Republicans have primaries today in NY.  Don't forget to vote...  Watch me tonight at 8 & 11pm EDS on Money Rocks! on Fox Business...

NEVER FORGET

It's been 9 years since the horrible attacks on our nation that left thousand's of innocent people dead, lives ruined and a whole in our hearts.  I worked for Senator Schumer at the time and that day kicked off months of non-stop developments as we attempted to deal with the losses to our community and losses of friends.

All of the priorities we worked on prior were put on hold on 9-11-2001 and answering the question's of why and how joined the rebuilding effort as top priorities.  For a time, the nation rallied and petty partisan differences were replaced with a profound sense of national urgency.  When President Bush stood atop the ruins at Ground Zero and vowed that we would answer the terrorists who attacked us, even I was with him.

Unfortunately, the national respite from partisanship quickly gave way to an even deeper partisan divide.  While history tells us that partisanship has always been present, and always will be, it's amazing how united we can be when threatened by an outside force.

We are all Americans and we should never forget that for all our political and social difference we are more alike then different.  We all believe in the rule of law and the protection of basic civil rights.  We all want a better life for our children.  We all believe in the promise of opportunity that is our great nation.  We all value freedom.

As we pause today to remember those lost on 9-11 and vow to never forget.  Let's also reflect on how fortunate we are to be Americans even in times of great crisis, there is not now or has there ever been a greater nation on earth.  God Bless America,

The Week Ahead

The political season kicks into high gear on Tuesday with 1 week left before the primary in NY and 60 days till the mid terms.  The Nation will begin to pay more and more attention with every passing day.

As for me, I will be on America Live on Monday (Labor Day) @ 2:30 on Fox News Channel and on Bulls & Bears on Tuesday, 4pm on Fox Business Network.  Check it out if you can.

My Column from today's LIBN....

Here's my column from today's LI Business News.  Read more at www.LIBN.com

Hahn: Consolidation is public schools’ best hope

by Christopher Hahn
Published: September 2, 2010
Tags: consolidation, Education, Long Island

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Next week our kids go back to school at 118 school districts on Long Island. With a sagging economy and a state budget that some project will create a $20 billion hole next year, now’s the time to start thinking about how we deliver education and if we are preparing our children properly.

Today, Long Island schools are among the best in the nation with several regularly ranking at or near the top. We consistently produce Intel Scholars and most graduates are college-bound. At first glance, Long Island is doing a great job educating its kids. But a closer look paints a different picture. Some districts struggle to meet basic needs. Children who live on the same block may have very different education experiences because of an invisible line that separates a high-performing district on one side of the street from one that underachieves on the other.

This year has been especially tough with many districts forced to cut a variety of programs due to the state’s budget crisis. In the Central Islip School District, junior varsity athletics would have been cut but for the efforts of business leaders who raised funds to keep the program afloat. And to complicate it all, a majority of the funding comes from property taxes, and few can afford a tax hike.

No one would argue the system is perfect and few have been willing to step up with good ideas to make things better. Consolidation is referred to as the “third rail” for a reason: No one wants to touch it and those who do usually get burned. Long Islanders love their local control but don’t want to, and no longer can, pay for it. Something’s got to give.

Some say the administrative savings are not worth the effort or the loss of local control that would come with consolidation, but look at it this way - we have 118 districts. The average district spends 78 percent of its budget on instruction, supplies for the students and classroom upkeep. Another 22 percent is spent on administration and other noninstructional activities.

That’s a fair ratio but it could be better. The principle of economy of scale dictates that the 22 percent should shrink if districts consolidate. We spend approximately $7.4 billion on education on Long Island. Twenty-two percent is approximately $1.7 billion. If we save 10 percent of that, or $170 million, that’s more money than the total budgets of any one of all but nine districts. These savings can keep classes small and keep programs intact. In these tight budget times we need all the savings we can get.

If we can’t consolidate, why not make greater strides toward shared services? Does every district need its own purchasing department? I know it’s just one of many things school administrators do, but districts buy a lot of stuff. It seems like a no-brainer to have districts purchase collectively. Unless chalk and dry erase boards work differently in Kings Park and Deer Park, I don’t see what stops districts from combining this function when senior purchasers retire. At worst, maybe it would lead to better prices.

Finally what are we teaching our kids anyway? Long Island sends well over 80 percent of our kids to college and we should be proud of that. But the world has changed and perhaps it’s time to revisit the high school curriculum to better prepare kids for careers.

Perhaps it’s time for us to abandon the agrarian calendar that gives students 100 days off to pick crops. I don’t see many kids picking crops. They could use that time to study. Maybe if we save 10 percent on administrative costs we could cut summer vacation by 30 percent and use that time to teach real-world skills.

Credit Where Credit is Due?

Today President Obama addressed the nation from the Oval Office to formally announce the end of combat operations in Iraq.  All day long Republicans on TV and in the papers were on the war path urging the President to give former President Bush credit for implementing the surge which led to a more stable Iraq.  Well let's give credit where credit is due.  Let's give Bush and the Neo-Cons credit for lying to the American People and the World when they told us the Iraq had WMD's that threatened the World's security. Let's give them credit for underestimating what it would take to occupy a post war Iraq.   Let's give them credit for being wrong when they said "the war would pay for itself,"  that "we would be greeted as liberators" and that this would be a "slam dunk."

The GOP is out of touch.  Sure the surge worked I will acknowledge that, but Bush knew we needed more troops before we even went in, his generals told him so, he didn't listen to them.  He bit off more then we could chew and didn't want anyone but the brave man and women in uniform (and their families) to feel the pain of war.  There was no draft, no great call for the citizens of our nation to sacrifice in a time of war.  In fact we got a tax cut and were told to shop.  Meanwhile our finest young men and women faced shortages of body armor and multiple tours in a war zone where it was hard to tell friends from enemies.  Our soldiers are the only ones who deserve credit.  They deserve that, a GI bill and for a VA that will expertly treat the wounds they brought home whether they be physical or psychological.

We didn't get this right after Vietnam.  Many Vets found themselves homeless and unable to make the adjustment to life at home.  Still more suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that in some cases stayed dormant for years.  And the public didn't welcome them home the way they should.  It's comforting that even those who opposed the war support and honor our troops.  Thank them and give them the credit.  They deserve it.

Fox Business News Tonight 6:00

I will be on Fox Business News Channel tonight with Cavuto.  I will be on both panels at approx 6:15 and 6:45pm today.  We will be talking about the State and Local Aid Bill that passed the Senate today and the Moveon.org boycott of target...   Tune in and let me know what you think.

I'm Back in the fox News Strategy Room Tuesday 10 am

Should be a good day to talk politics.  Lot's going on.  you can log to http://live.foxnews.com/strategy-room and watch it live and email questions and comments.  Iwill try to continue the conversation here by responding to comments left on this post..

More Mid Term fun. Today's Strategy Room

On today's strategy room we talked about the mid terms and the Wiki Leaks.  Again I pressed the argument that House seats are local affairs and candidates matter in statewide elections.  Although the prevailing wind is pushing the GOP forward, they're facing major headwinds due to poor candidate selection and in part due to the Tea Parties influence.

Some candidates around the nation are downright bizarre.  We discussed Nevada's Sharron Angle who is clearly not ready for prime time.  Here in NY, the likely GOP nominee for the 1st Congressional District is a guy who made his millions outsourcing jobs to India.  That should play well in this economy.   

In Colorado, former GOP congressman Tom Tancredo is promising to run on a third party line.  This comes as today the Democratic candidate has inched ahead of his likely GOP opponent for the first time all year.  If Tancredo joins the race and pulls the right wing of the party away from the GOP candidate, the Democrat can't lose.  GOP Senate hopes are fading in Colorado as there leading candidate, Ken Buck, who claims to be a Tea Party member offended some when in a movement of honesty he referred to "Tea Party Birthers" as "dumb asses."  He could have chose his words more carefully, but he's right.  Of course, that remark could cost him the primary as it's now against the law of the Tea Party to ever agree with Obama even when it comes to where he was born.  Colorado looks like it will join Nevada as a state where the GOP will fail to pick up a seats due to candidate selection.  

We also talked about the Wiki Leaks story now dominating the news.  In reality there is little that we have learned from this that the American public hasn't expected for some time.  The war in Afghanistan is not going well and the Pakistanis at best aren't much help at worst are actively working against us.  This complicates the decisions the President must make in the coming months.  July 2011 is coming up fast.  

I would love your thoughts.

The Week Ahead

This week should be fun.  In New York, Governor Paterson has called the State Legislature back to Albany for an "Extraordinary Session"  It's possible they will finalize the budget this week and tie up some of the loose ends left from June.  One can hope.

Nationally its 100 days till the mid-term elections and there should be a flurry of activity this week.  As I stated in an earlier post, the GOP should have a successful election season as is the trend, but the Tea Party has pushed the party so far to the right and forced so many primaries across the country that it will likely reduce the amount of seats they pick up.  Even if this is a national referendum, House elections are local affairs and candidates matter.

I will be on Fox News Strategy Room Tuesday Morning at 10am talking politics.  Log on to   http://live.foxnews.com/strategy-room watch and send your questions and comments.   

My Column from today's LIBN....

Hahn: Break the stalemate

by Christopher Hahn
Published: July 23, 2010
Tags: Lighthouse, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Town of Hempstead

Yet another town decided to kill a promising project. The system ensures that it almost always comes down this way. The Lighthouse project is too big an idea for town government to process. We need a better way. Let’s have the state do it.

Ed Mangano should call Gov. Paterson and sell him the project’s property. Paterson and the Legislature should create the Nassau Coliseum Redevelopment Authority. Empower it with two key functions: zoning and bonding.

This authority’s board should be appointed by the governor and the Legislature with one seat from the Town of Hempstead and one from the county, and it should be chaired by the chairman of the Long Island Regional Planning Board.

The authority should determine what is economically viable and work with developers to build it. Turning this property over to the state allows the authority to bypass local zoning laws that are not equipped to deal with projects of this magnitude.

This project is too significant to the region to allow parochial interests to stop it. An authority appointed for a single term would not have to worry about getting re-elected and therefore would do the right thing. The only flaw in this plan? It would require the state to work quickly and leaders to agree on something, neither of which seems possible right now.

Town officials must be responsive to local concerns; that’s their job, even in towns as large as Hempstead. It’s good politics, but bad policy. You rarely lose an election by rejecting a project, even one as high-profile as the Lighthouse. The region loses thousands of jobs, millions in tax revenue and countless opportunities for new businesses to emerge.

This isn’t a criticism of the town. They took an overwhelming proposal and responded with something they felt their residents could stomach.

Communication among the town, the county and developers has been suspect throughout this process. Many town officials complained they had little opportunity to discuss components of the project. While the response from Hempstead is unfortunate, it wasn’t unexpected.

The area around the Coliseum is the last remaining place in Nassau for serious development.

Nassau needs accessible downtowns with housing options, entertainment, shopping and office space. Even if we ignore suggestions that this project is not viable without increased density, density equals smart growth. Greater density in a centralized area allows for the preservation of land outside that downtown. If this project fails it will be a lost opportunity and will mean tough choices in Nassau for years to come.

Mid-Terms

The conventional wisdom is that the GOP should come close to taking the majority in the House and pick up a few seats in the Senate in this year's mid-term elections.  The party of the President almost always loses seats in the mid-terms.  This year will likely similar with one major difference.  The Tea Party movement has produced many candidates so outside the mainstream that it's possible, if not likely, the rising GOP tide will not lift their boats.

Case in point Sharron Angle.  If you asked me in January what would happen to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in this years election I would have told you he would have plenty of time to enjoy Vegas come 2011.  A funny thing happened on the way to the GOP victory party.  They selected Tea Partier Sharron Angle in a contentious GOP primary.  Angle is among the most conservative Senate candidates running this year.  She is incredibly anti-government and has stated publicly on the record that Social Security should be eliminated.  Now I know she is new to politics, but the first thing I was taught about the business is that Senior Citizen's always vote.  They also collect Social Security.  In Nevada, Seniors make up 30% of the electorate, their children and grandchildren  make up the other 70%.   She has also suggested that if conservatives don't win this year, they should consider "2nd Amendment Remedies."  Sharron if you're saying what I think you are saying you're suggesting treason.  The Constitution has a remedy for that.  This woman is so unprepared for the race that she refuses to meet with the press, local, national or otherwise.  Senator McConnell, the minority leader, announced today that he will not go to Nevada to campaign for Angle.  I am starting to like Senator Reid's chances and I think Vegas will have to wait another 6 years for his retirement party.

All in all, the GOP is having an identity crisis when it comes to the Tea Party.  We know what the Tea Party is against, but what are they for?   If you're a Republican candidate with an innovative idea for government, dare you campaign about it?  I mean, its a new government program that may actually require government spending.  What if you are an incumbent Congressman who secured an appropriation for a project? It's going to be a tricky year.  I know the GOP will pick up seats, but not as many as you think.

Thoughts?