SUFFOLK'S BOSSES TWEED AND MARK HANNAS DISENFRANCHISE VOTERS....

During the same week that the nation celebrated democracy via the inauguration of our new president, various political bosses from across the idealogical landscape of Suffolk County, New York conspired to disenfranchise Suffolk County voters via cross-endorsements of the incumbent Suffolk County District Attorney, Suffolk County Treasurer, and Suffolk County Sheriff.

Such boss dominated and committee influenced cross-endorsements, while keeping experienced incumbents in their existing positions, effectively disenfranchises voters in Suffolk who will have no alternative candidate(s) for whom they can vote for any of the above noted county-wide offices, and potentially others.

The nature of participatory democracy is characterized in part by a form of adversarial proceedings, where different individuals under the mantle of different political parties "sell themselves" to the voters who make a choice between candidates for any such office(s).

The fact that the current localized Suffolk County, New York versions of Mark Hanna and Boss Tweed have already seemingly locked in the nominees for different county offices and have agreed to cross-endorse each others identical candidate(s) deprives the voters of a choice, and cheapens democracy; where even if not one registered Suffolk County voter goes to the polls to cast a ballot, the cross-endorsed incumbent(s) wins re-election while the voters lose.