Happy to be redistricted into Stefanik’s district
While many were suspicious of the recent one-party gerrymandered redistricting, I am truly thankful and excited to be back within the district of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. She leads by example with integrity, standing up to and for our country’s founding principles. She sees our Constitution and Bill of Rights as a roadmap, not a roadblock, for standing up for victims of antisemitism, political corruption and the woke liberal agenda.
As a constitutional republic, our democracy is definitely on the ballot this year. Elections are our voice and our way to choose those whom we believe represent our values. I am proud to be able to reelect Stefanik, the leader we need: a woman, a mother, wife and public servant who represents me, my beliefs and my values.
As a mother, I am confident in my and my son’s future living in Stefanik’s district, the community I proudly share with her.
Barbara Ann Whelan
Gansevoort
Jules. She never looked back, until recently.
“What did I take away from those years?” she muses. “I loved the discipline of dance — my idea of a good Saturday was to go from one class to another — ballet, tap, acrobatics, Flamenco. From drama I learned diction, poise, voice control. I earned some money and felt independent on the road. Later in my career as an educator, my theater life gave me confidence on stage, giving keynote addresses, conducting workshops, school-age kids are drowning in technology — phones, tablets, laptops — and suffering from shorter and shorter attention spans, are parents really that worried about what books they are reading? Are they reading books much at all?
As the mother of a 15-yearold, I am struggling to picture her wandering into a library and pulling ”Lucky” off the shelf. Even with the controversy it presents over unjust incarceration, I’d be thrilled if my daughter wanted to read it. The unfortunate truth is that she never ventures into a library without my prompting. How many teens do?
On the other hand, I can’t keep up with all the sexually explicit lyrics she’s listening to on streaming music services and the youth-centered TV shows based around sex, drugs, suicide, sexual abuse and heaven knows what else. Streaming services are well beyond the reach of old-fashioned broadcast censors, and I can’t find enough parental controls to keep all of that out of reach.
If she were merely reading books with sexually explicit passages, that would be a profound relief. At least she’d be reading. presenting to funders or debating controversial issues.”
These days, when my 6-yearold granddaughter visits in her tutu, she’ll show off a move she’s picked up in her own dance class. When pushed, “Baba” will join in with a little soft shoe and twirl spin, her arms extended delicately like Ginger Rogers, or rather, like Barbara Fields. She can still bring down the house.