WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW By Councilman, Rubén Díaz Sr.

Now that the Judge Brett Kavanaugh matter is over, can we now return to the local matter of addressing the abuses, neglects, and ignored needs of our people?
 
You should know that during Judge Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court hearings; Governor Andrew Cuomo, NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio and our elected leaders all turning their undivided attention and complete concentration on attacking POTUS and his nominee, the judge, and the U.S. Senate confirmation hearings.    Rumor has it that their attempt was to distract attention away from the mess they have created in the City of New York.
 
We can all agree that the charges against Judge Kavanaugh are very serious, just as serious as those charges against President Bill Clinton when allegations of sexual misconduct were brought against him by several credible women, and also the case of the late U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy regarding the Chappaquiddick incident, when the vehicle he was driving crashed into the river and he left his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne to drown, abandoning her, not seeking help for her rescue.   We can all agree that these are all very serious and repugnant allegations.
 
That said, we can also agree that we must now turn our attention to our local leaders and the serious and repugnant abuses, neglect, and abandonment that they have inflicted upon our city’s homeless, and the residents living in Public Housing (NYCHA), the strap hangers, and the hardworking men and women of For Hire Vehicles under the TLC.
 
The lies and false reports regarding the thousands of children exposed to lead poisoning residing in NYCHA buildings,  the torture that Mass Transit riders are forced to go through every day to get to and from work, the high cost of rent, making apartments unaffordable for Senior Citizens, men, women, children and families which has led to the city’s outrageous numbers of homelessness, and the TLC abuses in high fees and regulations which have led drivers to suicide,  is an outrageous!
 
These problems are bigger, are what matters and are of great concern to our residents.  Our residents care about their housing, health, getting around the city, and their lively hoods more than whether or not Judge Kavanaugh is confirmed or not.
 
It is important for you to know that more than (60,000) sixty thousand families are homeless in New York City!  This number increases every day.   When you see the conditions of many of these NYCHA buildings and apartments, in which these families and their children are forced to live under and endure isn’t suitable or acceptable even for animals. 
 
NYCHA conditions have gotten so bad that the federal government had to step in, and file a lawsuit against the mayor and his administration, when their investigation found that records had been falsified to show that lead paint and asbestos had been removed, when in fact these families were being exposed to these hazardous materials.   So, the mayor was taken to court in order to protect the children residing in NYCHA buildings.
 
My dear reader, you should remember that Mayor Bill DeBlasio, before becoming Mayor, while campaigning invited the Rev. Al Sharpton to spend a night sleeping in a NYCHA project.   They wanted to supposedly, experience, first hand, the precarious conditions that NYCHA residents are forced to endure.   
 
Well that was back then! And this is now.
 
The day after spending the night in a NYCHA apartment, both DeBlasio, and Sharpton had a press conference to denounce the “horrific” conditions of the NYCHA residents and that if elected Mayor, his campaign promise was to make the “horrific” conditions at NYCHA his top priority.   DeBlasio said he would prioritize making much needed repairs and fixing the NYCHA problem.   That has turned out to be a laugh ha, ha, ha.   What a joke!
 
Let’s turn our attention to the nightmare of our subway system.  Neither the Governor nor the Mayor have demonstrated concern for the wellbeing of our city’s commuters.   They have been passing the hot potato from one to the other, without taking into consideration the suffering of those they were elected to serve.
 
All this time our leaders have been “under fire” not knowing what to do or how to deflect the heat away from them. 
 
But surprise! surprise!  Here comes Judge Kavanaugh!   Every single leader saw this as a great opportunity to deflect, distract the attention, and hopefully erase from the minds of the people the chaos and tribulations they have been forced to endure at the hands of elected leaders.  So they decided to become “Don Quixote de La Mancha”  against Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination.  
 
Ladies and gentlemen, now that the Kavanaugh derangement syndrome, for now, is over;  it is about time to return to and address the abuses, the neglect, and discrimination that have been inflicted upon our city residents.   As far as I am concerned our problems are greater than Judge Kavanaugh and his nomination to the Supreme Court.
 
I am City Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr.  and this is what you should know.  
   

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW By Councilman, Rubén Díaz Sr.

Catholic Charities Ends its Foster Adoptions Program after 95 years of excellent and professional adoption services

You should know that according to The Buffalo News “The Catholic Charities is ending their foster adoptions programs over the same-sex marriage rule.” after almost one hundred years of serving the poor, and less fortunate of our society.   It is important for you to know that “The Catholic Charities was founded approximately 95 years ago.  Today the agency is a thirty-six million dollar non-profit organization that sponsors seventy (70) social programs and services at sixty (60) locations throughout the eight counties in western New York.”  According to the article in the “Buffalo News”   As you know, The State of New York has regulations that bar discrimination based on sexual orientation. Those regulations are in direct opposition to Catholic teachings and beliefs.    Catholic doctrine, and teachings oppose same-sex marriage and therefore must oppose the adoption of children by same sex couples.    Mr. Dennis C. Walczk, the Chief executive officer for the Catholic Charities of Western New York stated that “We are a Catholic Organization, so we have to practice what we do consistent with the teaching of the Church.”    After decades of providing social vital services to the poor, the homeless, the abandoned orphans, and those most vulnerable of our society they are closing their doors to adoptions.  They served all people of every race, creed, color, and religion.    The Catholic Charities is willing to let go of more than thirty-six million dollars in funding for these programs to send a clear message to the entire world, that their faith, values, beliefs, and Catholic Teachings are much more valuable than money.     The Catholic Dioceses in Western New York estimates that since 2017 more than 153,000 people have received and have been served by the organization through its comprehensive counseling, social and mental health, adoptions and foster care assistance services.    According to the Buffalo News Report, The Western New York Dioceses is not the only one in the nation who have refused to accept money from the government to operate programs that go against their Catholic teachings.   In 2006 the Archdiocese of Boston stopped providing adoption services and in 2011, the Archdiocese of Illinois also stopped their adoption program, based on their refusal to change the Catholic Teachings in relation to same sex adoptions.   It is important for you to know that The Catholic church as of today continues to hold on to their beliefs that marriage should be between one man and one woman, even though there are some indications that those teachings, may in time, soften according to some signs coming from the Vatican and Pope Francis.   This is Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz, and this is what you should know. EDITOR'S NOTE: The news is from a Buffalo News source, which specifically mentions Western New York and the eight counties within it.  Rev. Councilman Diaz Sr. then mentions Boston and Illinois, but there is no mention at all of New York City anywhere.  Does Rev. Councilman Diaz Sr. mean that New York City is next?