The NY Post editorial called the Mayor’s budget Pinocchio budgeting.

This blog is not very supportive of President Obama, but when he does get something right, he deserves the credit.  President Obama appointed Preet Bharara in 2009 and New York politicians have certainly made him a household name.  Chairman Long tells Ken Lovett intoday’s NY Daily News that US Attorney Bharara should be reappointed, should that be what he wants.  Chairman Long also said, “”I certainly laud him for what I consider the beginning of the cleanup, the cleansing, of New York State politics.  It seems like the whole state is infested — the city of New York, Assembly members, state senators and now the executive branch.”

Bharara’s Buffalo Billion probe taints Cuomo’s upstate boon.  The mushrooming Cuomo problem is also covered in today’s Politico-NY and can be read here.

While we include articles on the constant signs of corruption in our blog, it really is disheartening to those of us who are involved in politics because they truly appreciate all that America and New York State have accomplished through our form of government;  a republic (supreme power is held by the people through their elected representatives) — to see the headlines scream corruption and have our elected officials being investigated.  Ariel and Will Durant wrote in The Story of Civilization that a great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.   Voters must make the right choices in every election to be certain the chilling words of the Durant’s are not a prophesy of our future.

In case you missed this headline, McAuliffe restores voting rights for 206K ex-felons; GOP calls it move to boost Clinton.  Virginia only allows a governor to serve one term; but they are eligible after sitting out the next election.  Hopefully, he will not run again and if he did, the voters will remember his executive order allowing ex-felons to vote.

Someone should tell Senator Schumer that this is not new.  Obviously, his mobile device does not have links to his favorite places to shop otherwise he would know every time he came close to a favorite store, his phone would send him text messages.  Since Senator Schumer is always looking for an angle to grab a headline, I guess he thought the “spying bill boards” would get people’s attention.  It did, not because consumers are worried about it, but rather to show how he is totally out of touch with the real world of today’s modern technology.  Time to retire Senator Schumer!

Rasmussen has some interesting results in its latest Presidential poll. 

Puerto Rico defaults on debt payment; do not let Congress bail them out!  Congressman Darrell Issa has a better solution here.

Breaking News:  Congressman Chris Gibson not running for Governor in 2018. 

Former House Speaker John Boehner tore into Sen. Ted Cruz this week, calling him “Lucifer in the flesh.” Sen. Cruz took the attack as a compliment. 

The Democrats stood out as the party of criminals this week – coining a new politically-correct phrase for young lawbreakers (“young people involved in the justice system”), making it easier for those with criminal records to get jobs with the federal government (where they’ll fit right in, I’m sure), and concocting a scheme to manipulate criminal voting rights as a boost to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Will Mayor de Blasio soon be joining the ranks of Democratic criminals? 

In the most frightening example of the left’s disregard for the rule of law, we’ve now learned that under the Obama Administration, “federal immigration authorities last year released 19,723 criminal illegal aliens back onto U.S. streets who have been convicted of 64,197 crimes — including 208 homicides.”

Is it any wonder ISIS is using America’s open borders to infiltrate the country? 

As Obama brags about his economic brilliance, the economy continues to falter – and his failures are an albatross for the Clinton campaign.

Meanwhile Hillary’s foreign policy views are sparking anger throughout the world – and the State Department she led, in what is given as her main qualification to be President, is now the center of cover-up charges over Hillary’s email scandal. 

Donald Trump gave a foreign policy speech this week, and of course his opponents ripped and ridiculed his ideas – but his “America First” vision is winning praise, as well. 

Is this more evidence that GOP officials and members of Congress are making their peace with the idea of President Trump? 

Let’s wrap things up with some new Weekly Poll questions: Of the two presidential front-runners, who do you believe is more presidential – Clinton or Trump? Based on people you speak with and the news you read, are you sensing more excitement at the idea of Trump 2016? And overall, do you believe Donald Trump can actually beat Hillary Clinton? 

I look forward to seeing the responses. Thank you, and have a great weekend!

George Will writes how the bankruptcy problems in Puerto Rico will play a role in our finances. 

Should Target be boycotted?  Why one person changed their mind.

Kudos to the NYPD!  Job well done.

The NY Post editorial gives kudos to Donald Trump for his foreign policy speech, while National Review’s Andrew McCarthy has some doubts. 

Michel Faulkner says de Blasio betrayed voters with sketchy fundraising.  Meanwhile, de Blasio’s staff has been served with subpoenas.

A high-ranking aide to Mayor Bill de Blasio was informed that a nonprofit healthcare provider wanted to lift all deed restrictions on a Manhattan property in May of 2014 — two years before the issue came to light in a scandal that is being scrutinized by four separate government entities.

Is there any agency in America that President Obama will not politicize?

The New York Post’s editorial takes a look at the Mayor’s newest spending spree which is 15% more than Team de Blasio’s last budget while inflation is at less than 1%,

De Blasio attempts to sound the reformer from the left side of his mouth; he attempts to defend his illegal campaign-finance practices from the right side. What comes out is hypocritical gobbledygook.

The NY Post wants to know if Mayor de Blasio is corrupt or incompetent.  So do the rest of citizens in New York City. 

Democrats no longer care that their soda tax hits the poor hardest

The NY Times has faulted French labor laws, however that has not stopped them from calling for similiar laws in the US.  They have now found that the French labor laws are too expensive and eliminated 70 position; the question becomes will the stop pushing the same job-killing ideals here?

Wednesday’s with Walter E. Williams.

Bob McManus states in his Op-Ed in today’s New York Post that Mayor de Blasio’s administration might be the dumbest in modern times.  The reality is, we hope it is only dumb — and not a calculated, determination to break the law because it has become the way politics is done in New York.  Only time will tell and only concerned New Yorkers will be able to make a difference.  However, when Columbia University does all it can to cover up their involvement in a scheme that brought down Shelly Silver, one has to wonder if it is possible to end the indifference that many in New York City seem to have when it comes to electing officials. 

More problems for de Blasio in today’s New York Post.    Obviously, the Mayor is rattled by all of accusations.  

The Mayor has also made poor choices regarding our NYPD — the everyday man and woman  who risk their lives to protect us — and the people who sit on the Civilian Complaint Review Board. 

Former Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey says that the poor economy is literally killing people. 

The New York State Lottery is earning billions — for now — almost $10 billion last year.  What will happen when the casino’s open?  And what will happen to the school revenue that will most likely fall off?  Taxpayers asked for this conundrum, due in part, to the wording NYS used to pass one of Gov. Cuomo’s pet projects.  

Colorado Court rules against the First Amendment.

Tuesday’s with Thomas Sowell.

Transgender issues have been in the news quite a bit this week, from debates over so-called “bathroom bills” to ESPN’s firing of former big league pitcher and baseball analysts Curt Schilling over his criticism of transgender activists. The Daily Signal points out that ESPN should have the right to not associate with Schilling’s message – but shouldn’t that same right be extended to religious individuals? 

Saying that the new push for open bathrooms is political correctness in overdrive, Ted Cruz wants to know, “Have we gone stark raving mad?” 

And Rush Limbaugh thinks liberals want to eliminate the very idea of morality. 

Target is facing a backlash over its very liberal transgender restroom policy, and some are pointing out that such policies have already put women and young girls at risk. 

What do you think about this controversial issue? I’ve made it the topic of our new Weekly Poll, and I hope you will give your opinions.

Meanwhile, it’s looking more and more like Trump vs. Hillary this November. 

Is it possible that the Republican convention could be rigged – in favor of Trump? 

Trump is taking heat for going along with the transgender attack on women’s restrooms, for supporting tax increases, and for seeking to water down the Republican Party’s platform plank against abortion. 

Let’s see if he can win points with conservatives with the list of potential Supreme Court nominees he’s promising. 

Here in New York, we can expect to see more of this type of hypocrisy as our $15 minimum wage kicks in – and get ready for stories like this, reported by the Daily Signal, of small businesses being ruined by this “progressive” plan.

Have a great weekend!

Mr. President, have you seen what this “JV” team is doing lately?  On Monday, United States President Barack Obama said that he expects Mosul to be retaken from ISIS “eventually.”  Seems to me that this “JV” team is at varsity level and you are still in denial. 

A word of advice to President Obama and whomever follows:  Let’s protect what we have before we waste any more taxpayers dollars in failed solar issues. 

While we are talking about wasting taxpayer’s money, the $3071 spent on this, hardly registers in the federal budget.  However, multiply every minute waste of money and soon you are talking about real tax dollars that we work very hard for.

The Tax Foundation gives us a handy chart as to what the state and local individual income tax collections per capita are.  Alas, this is not the chart you want to be number 1 on, yet New York State is number 1. 

As we noted yesterday, the NY Post questions how the handpicked successor to Sheldon Silver is going to clean up Albany. 

Politico is still writing about Mayor de Blasio’s problems. 

Governor Cuomo is poised to kill more upstate jobs.

Finally, this has been a long time coming.

The American Conservative Union released the 2015 Ratings of Congress and the US Senate.   Congressman Collins scored the highest with a 65% while 12 Democrats scored ZERO.  Both Senators Schumer and Gillibrand also scored ZERO.

Former Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey has some advice for the GOP on how to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Ruth Marcus, a columnist for the Washington Post, opines on this: This election is an unpopularity contest for the ages

Six times in the history of the United States, Americans have chosen a New Yorker as their president.  Will 2016 be the seventh?  The odds are quite good since at this time, it looks more and more like both candidates will be a resident of New York State. 

This is an election year that is rewriting political science.  In the 9th Senate District, the person who voted for Shelly Silver to be Speaker — convicted of corruption — and for Carl Heastie to be Speaker — currently being investigated — appears to be rewarded with a Senate Seat.  Meanwhile the hand picked candidate– by Silver’s loyalists — for Silver’s Assembly Seat Alice Cancel easily won.  These are the people who may write ethics rules for themselves and their fellow legislators.  Do you think they will include term limits?  No Pension if convicted? Or continue the ambiguous ones currently in place.  Look where they come from, the answer is obvious.

You’ve Got a Friend is one of Carol King’s biggest hits;  Governor Cuomo must really like it as he is singing it to organized labor lately. 

This is undoubtedly one of the most disturbing articles we have posted to date; but it is necessary to do so.  Despite what Hillary said, an unborn child is a human being and an abortedchild must not be sold for spare body parts. 

The Fourth Circuit Federal Court is becoming as radical as the Ninth.  If this Daily Signal post does not point out the consequences of a far left president appointing judges for life, life in America is almost past the brink of profound constitutional changes.

Wednesday’s with Walter E. Williams.

The AP is reporting more bad news on Obamacare — UnitedHealth, the nation’s biggest health insurer, will cut its participation in public health insurance exchanges to only a handful of states next year after expanding to nearly three dozen for this year.  Read more here.

The Daily Signal recaps the latest case to be heard by the equally divided US Supreme Court. The Justices listened to the oral arguments in a case brought by Texas and 25 other states challenging the Obama administration’s attempt to give legal status and work authorizations to more than four million illegal immigrants.   The Hill also reviews the arguments before the Court and believed that the Administration may not win.

The Empire Center examines what is driving the K-12 school costs increase.

Are we heading for another recession?  According to Investor’s Business Daily, the signs are there that we are.  USA Today is reporting that defaults are at the highest level since 2009, another bad sign.

New York has the second highest foreclosure rate.  

The Sun opines on the possibility of a super high tax on guns, first reported by Americans for Tax Reform and disclosed on Drudge Report.  While the editorial becomes a little far-fetched, it does provide food for thought.

Tuesday’s with Thomas Sowell.

Mayor de Blasio is probably questioning why he agreed to do a TV show on Channel 4 in New York City. 

Last week Hillary celebrated the first anniversary of her campaign, National Review condenses that year here.  Are the Clinton’s tied to the Panama Papers, many of their friends are. 

Michael Goodwin’s Sunday column in the NY Post makes the case for NOT voting for Hillary.  In part “As The New York Times documented, and as Sanders has emphasized, Clinton’s regime-change strategy for Libya was a colossal failure that created a humanitarian disaster and a terrorist base.”  Read the rest of what he has to say here.

The Daily Caller also reports on how Hillary repays her supporters.  And this was done when Secretary of State, just think of what she can (and will) do if president with every federal agency under her control. 

All millennials — especially those who support Bernie — must read this.   And Bernie needs a reminder in economics.  Here is a good article for him to read so he will understand why promising “free college” is a bad idea.  And this is for all Bernie supporters:  this is what you paycheck will look like under a Sander’s Administration.

Sharon Kehnemui has a great article on Fox News explaining how important it is to know history — a concept millennials and younger students are not being taught.

Now that your taxes have been filed, read this to find out where they are going.  Federal spending is obviously out of control and whomever is elected in 2016 will have to make the right decisions to protect our Republic.  Does anyone believe Bernie or Hillary are capable of doing that — if so, you are not paying attention to what they are saying.  The Republic is in our hands.  Sharon Kehnemui’s opinion piece is a good reminder to all.   

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio makes a racially insensitive joke that would have most politicians resigning in disgrace, Hillary Clinton throws him under the bus, and the media elites tell us it’s really not a big deal. This is your Democratic Party, folks. 

The Mayor’s had a rough week – from the corruption probe that may be turning into a web of lies and to the off-color joke, to his role as the “bad guy” in New York’s primary campaign… and his job approval ratings are tanking.

What do you think about Mayor de Blasio – is he making our state look bad? Do you think he’s getting a free pass by the media for a joke that would get most politicians in deep trouble? Are you surprised by new allegations of corruption during his campaign? 

Vote today in our new Weekly Poll. 

In presidential politics, the New York Post has endorsed Donald Trump, while the Washington Free Beacon wants to know what John Kasich thinks he’s accomplishing by staying in the race. (Fun fact: Kasich currently has fewer delegates than Marco Rubio, who is no longer a candidate.)

The Democratic debate was a brawl, with Hillary blasting Bernie and Bernie mocking Hillary – or, as John Podhoretz puts it, “just old people yelling.” 

Meanwhile the upstate job slump continues – and this is before Andrew Cuomo’s $15-an-hour minimum wage kicks in. Workers will continue to suffer under this new mandate, but unions will reap the benefits.

Will Canada’s new push for “assisted suicide” be the model for New York? The culture of death is indeed flourishing, though Jonah Goldberg notes that in the battle over abortion there’s a truth that liberals can’t deny, but try to desperately.

Here’s the state of our world: America is this close to war with Russia, North Korea continues its missile push and our country is literally being invaded thanks to lax immigration laws and border security. 

But the baseball season is in full swing, spring is here, and it’s shaping up to be a beautiful weekend. Have a great one!

This is a shameful lack of common sense.  It is things like this — Department of Education bungles — that allowed a grade-fixing principal to be reinstated, it is no wonder parents are clamoring to place their children in charter schools.

Bye-Bye Richard Emery, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Hmm, I wonder if this is included in the $1 Trillion tax increase Hillary will need for all her promises.

Hillary, please explain your hypocrisy on equal pay. Carrie Lukas opines in the NY Post on the same issue.  

Yates and Genesee Counties also have problems with the unfunded mandate to increase the salary of their District Attorney.

New York should follow Maine’s successful welfare reform to save taxpayers and encourage the American Dream. 

The Empire Center notes that incentives encourage Medicaid patients to choose well.

Re. Michel Faulkner wants to know where is the people’s champion.

Mr. President, can’t you get your Iranian friends to grant these Members of Congress a waiver.  By the way, everyone, but you, knew you couldn’t. 

The rapidly changing electronics world means rapidly changing laws.  Look for this case to end up in the US Supreme Court.