In what is a potentially lethal line of attack, Democrat Rick Dollinger is calling out his republican opponent Joe Robach for his ties to the companies now being bailed out by the Federal government.

Rochester, NY – October 14, 2008 – Today, Democratic State Senate candidate Rick Dollinger criticized Republican Joe Robach and State Senate Republicans for accepting nearly $1 million in campaign contributions from the Wall Street corporations that had to be bailed out from their reckless investments. Dollinger pointed out that Republicans also lavished billions of dollars in tax breaks to these same corporations that taxpayers are now being forced to save. Republicans handed out these breaks in conjunction with loosened regulations and safeguards, allowing Wall Street to run rampant with "golden parachutes" and to gamble away billions of Main Street's dollars.

"Over the past eight years Republicans in the State Senate have enabled the fallacious practices of Wall Street banks and corporations by granting billions in tax breaks and passing bills that eliminated government oversight and accountability to taxpayers," said Dollinger. "These practices have dominated the agenda of the Republican controlled State Senate, and mirror the careless policies of the Bush administration."

"We can no longer afford the Republican model of leadership that favors the needs of big businesses on Wall Street over the economic crisis facing struggling taxpayers on Main Street," continued Dollinger. "Now taxpayers are being told that they must provide a $700 billion crutch to Wall Street, a burden inflicted upon New Yorkers as a direct result of the corruption within the Republican-controlled State Senate."

For the past 10 years, State Senate Republicans have lavished tax breaks equivalent to $2.5 billion, and another $1.5 billion in incentives upon Wall Street, while also passing legislation that dismantled measures requiring accountability and transparency within these corporations.

Dollinger concluded, "For years, New Yorkers have suffered from a weakening economy, crippling property taxes, and as a result, young people leaving the state in record numbers. In the face of all that, Republican Joe Robach decided it more important to help out the Wall Street barons bankrolling his campaign than protect the Monroe County taxpayers who voted him into office."

With Goldman Sachs and - or so scuttlebutt has it - Morgan Stanley applying for New York banking charters, do you really want republicans in charge of regulating them? How'd that work out up until now?