Good Sunday morning.\u00a0 Here’s a look at some of the weekend opinion floating around out there in the North Country.<\/p>\n
Rep. Chris Gibson, the freshman congressman from the 20th district, is drawing a lot of attention.\u00a0 The Adirondack Daily Enterprise<\/a> lauds the Republican for promising to shrink the size of the military.<\/p>\n The members of this editorial board feel strongly that our nation should reduce its global military presence. U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, a retired Army colonel who represents New York’s 20th Congressional District, said it most succinctly in a Feb. 28 conference call with reporters, when he said several times that the U.S. military should be appropriate for “a republic, not an empire.”<\/p>\n Amen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Glens Falls Post Star<\/a>, on the other hand, dings Rep. Gibson for voting to cut funding for Planned Parenthood.<\/p>\n The paper quotes a Gibson spokesman who said “he voted for the bill because he did not believe the government should fund abortions.”\u00a0 But then then editor Ken Tingley argues the following:<\/p>\n By taking a stand on abortion, Gibson yanked funding for women to get breast cancer exams and cervical cancer screenings.<\/p>\n That was something, I as a man, was not aware of.<\/p>\n According to Planned Parenthood, it provides more than 1 million screenings for cervical cancer and 830,000 checks for breast cancer each year.<\/p>\n It also writes 2.5 million prescriptions for birth control. It says that 83 percent of its services are to prevent unintended pregnancy. They also provide nearly 4 million tests for sexually transmitted disease.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “Planned Parenthood,” Tingley concludes, “still provides a lifeline to many young people who would not know where else to turn.”<\/p>\n The Watertown Daily times, meanwhile, turns its attention to the latest bribery scandal in Albany, involving a gaggle of Democrats who appear to have waded neck-deep into the sleaze pool.\u00a0 The newspaper wants Governor Andrew Cuomo to take action<\/a>.<\/p>\n He has threatened to appoint a commission to investigate corruption if the Legislature fails to enact comprehensive ethics reform. However, the Legislature does not appear capable of policing its members.<\/p>\n Under the 1907 Moreland Act, the governor can appoint an independent commission with investigative and subpoena powers. Rather than wait while the Legislature dawdles, Gov. Cuomo should get started now.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n