Friday, June 29, 2007

Mike Arcuri: Philadelphia Is "Overseas"

Congressman Arcuri seems to be having some problems with geography again. In response to the closing of the Federal Reserve check processing center in Marcy he sent the Fed's chairman a very strongly worded letter of rebuke.

“I am deeply troubled that we were not told of this closing ahead time or given any opportunity to voice our concerns,” said Arcuri. “It’s bad enough when the private sector out sources jobs overseas, but it’s unforgivable when our own government does it to us.


It appears Mr. Arcuri isn't aware that Philadelphia, Cleveland, Dallas, and Atlanta, instead of being overseas hotbeds of outsourcing, are actually cities within the United States. He might have picked up on that if he had actually bothered to, you know, been following the details of the closure with any sense of diligence.. Those are the cities where the Reserve is consolidating it's check processing functions because electronic banking has made paper checks obsolete.

Oh, and once again Mr. Arcuri seems to think the Federal Reserve is part of the government. It isn't. Like the Boy Scouts and the Red Cross it operates under a Federal Charter, but by law it receives no funds from the government. The workers at the Utica facility are employed by the member banks of the Reserve, not the federales.

Never let it be said Mr. Arcuri let the facts get in the way of his politics.