Dino the Disgrace

I don’t live in Lancaster, so I don’t really care very much whether its rude, glibertarian supervisor, Dino Fudoli, fails or succeeds. However, Wednesday’s Buffalo News published a profile of Fudoli which revealed that some are turned off by his aggressive, obnoxious behavior, and that he’s occasionally willing to take unpopular stands. BFD. 

But it also featured this quote: 

“Sometimes I feel like I’m on an island, that nobody else is looking out for the taxpayers but me. People need to start waking up and realizing that the government’s not their friend, the government’s their enemy,”

I added the emphasis there, because it took me aback. I had to re-read that second sentence several times. Here’s a sitting supervisor – the government executive for a municipal entity – informing his constituents that he’s their enemy – after all, he is the chief executive of that government. That their neighbors are their enemy. 

What does government do? It provides us with the foundation for a civilized society. Because our government(s) are representative democracies, the government is us. The people who work as clerks and highway workers and teachers crossing guards and cops and firefighters and librarians and assessors and plow drivers and garbagemen – you know, these guys (NSFW):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3mw49mk_x0]

These people do hard work, and they’re not monsters or the enemy or Hitler or Tojo or mad King George. They’re your neighbors. They’re your family and friends. They’re also part of “government”. Do you think they’re your “enemy“? 

I can’t think of a more fundamentally stupid notion than for an American elected official to promote the notion that government is the people’s enemy. Even if you disagree with a person or a policy or how money is being spent – do you think Boehner or Pelosi or Obama or Romney are your enemy? Do you think that your town supervisor or your county legislator are your enemy? Do you operate under the mindset that, if the town of Lancaster thinks that it really needs another cop, and the entire town board votes to hire a new cop – these people are all your enemy, and here’s Dino Fudoli to protect you from the tyranny of the extra cop? 

Fudoli is promoting not just a ridiculous, tea-partyist, idiotic idea of town government as someone’s “enemy”, but brewing up a recipe for anger, aggression, violence, and harm. It’s much, much easier for some lunatic to commit a physical assault of some sort on a government official if he’s been told by some simpleton that this official is the “enemy”. You go to war with enemies. Anyone with an ounce of decency should condemn this fundamentally un-American, un-democratic view of what our system of government is, especially on the local level.

Accused former drug dealer and undemocratic Collins apparatchik Dino Fudoli is a disgrace to his office, to Lancaster, and to WNY. 

12 comments

  • tonyintonawanda

    The quote jumped out at me as well but I didn’t have quite your reaction. First, it’s a short quote so I figured there was probably more that put it in some context.  Then I thought he is a bush league politician who went weigh over the top with his hyperbole in trying to make the point that more often than not government is the problem not the solution.

    Then I concluded words matter and this is a really stupid thing for a government official to say….calling government the enemy is militia type nonsense that goes too far on the rhetorical scale.  Hence, after trying to excuse him because my impression of him to this point was fairly positive, I agree with you even if I don’t really think Dino believes we should view government as the enemy.

  • 1. Elect people who think government is bad.
    2. Get bad government.
    3. Goto 1.

    I’ll never understand why people vote for politicians who say things like “government is your enemy.”  Do they really think they’re going to do a good job?

  • We used to demand a better, more polished politician.  Then we started allowing these faux-populist tea partiers to invade government, none of whom have the talent to  articulate a nuanced or intelligent position.  So instead we get simplistic slogans designed to appeal to simpletons who think that a tax break is on its way.

    •  Agreed.  Carl Paladino was fun for five minutes and all of us GOPers woke up and realized we really fucked up our party.  We went for the ride on the Crazy Carl train and now we have done significant damage to our party. 

  • Only stupid people believe this narrative. The electorate is made up of mostly stupid people. This is why we have a problem.

  • I hate the current trend that loudmouth, ‘regular guy’ politicians that are all the rage right now. Some of them have some decent ideas, but it all gets lost in their bravado. 

    I want my elected officials to act like adults, and to engage in meaningful dialog about issues. Unfortunately, I live in Niagara Falls, so I don’t get that here either. 

  • “ACCUSED former drug dealer” is a little Harry Reid-y: unless he’s convicted, who cares? But he may have been speaking the unvarnished truth: an examination of the governmental activities he’s supported might very well mark him out as an enemy of the people.

  • He would have been far better off if he’d just stopped with “not your friend.” Because gov’t surely ain’t.

    I guess in Bedenko’s world politicians should all be the best and brightest. Sorry, those people are working at real jobs…

  • When I worked at New York State Crime Victims Board providing needed assistance for victims of crime
    with medical expenses and loss of earnings, I doubt very much  whether a lot of people saw me as an
    enemy.  I really resent a dickwad like Dino Fudoli taking this position.

  • As Alan said:

    “Fudoli
    is promoting not just a ridiculous, tea-partyist, idiotic idea of town
    government as someone’s “enemy”, but brewing up a recipe for anger,
    aggression, violence, and harm. It’s much, much easier for some lunatic
    to commit a physical assault of some sort on a government official if
    he’s been told by some simpleton that this official is the “enemy”. You go to war with enemies.
    Anyone with an ounce of decency should condemn this fundamentally
    un-American, un-democratic view of what our system of government is,
    especially on the local level.”

    Alan go watch this political ad on youtube.com

    I think the political party you belong to created it. Promoting violence.  “Fight back and knock him out of Congress” while you hear punches in the back ground.

    http://youtu.be/BSke77t5xCw

    So allen?  Are you ok if the Democratic party promotes violence?

  • With Giza at the helm for the previous 16 years, our local government has been the enemy of the taxpayers. Giza received his healthcare from the Lancaster/Depew Boys and Girls club NEVER refused to take his $8,000 healthcare stipend. Giza is the person who originated the plan to waste millions of taxpayer dollars on the property @3949 Walden Ave (Colecraft building). After losing the election, Giza wanted to keep his clutches on Lancaster taxpayer monies by requesting to be hired as a consultant to the Lancaster IDA @$20,000
    Yes, Fudoli was correct when he stated that the government was your enemy, as in Lancaster that has been  the status quo.

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