“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it”-Ronald Reagan
Cuomo Administration Approves Additional $45 Million in Pork Spending in 2020, Analysis Finds. (As long as the federal government continues to bail out states; states like NY will continue to allow grant funds generated from bonds issued without voter approval to be granted by the Governor and his favored legislators. This “house of cards” fiasco of uncontrolled spending must end.)
Publisher Halts Promotion of Cuomo Book, Citing Nursing Homes Inquiry. It is positive news that Crown Publishing has halted promoting of Gov. Cuomo’s book, but the question still remains; how much did he profit from it? According to this article in today’s NY Post, “Embattled Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s book celebrating his response to the COVID-19 pandemic fetched a seven-figure advance – as publishers sought to capitalize on “another political star,” according to a new report.” But we won’t know for sure until he files his financial disclosure by May 15. According to the article, the governor has said he would donate a portion of his take to an unspecified coronavirus-related charity. (I doubt that that action will bring much comfort to the grieving families.) We welcome Assemblyman Ron Kim in joining our call for the book details: Cuomo urged to come clean on book deal amid nursing home deaths scandal.
Paul Grondahl writes in the Albany Times Union that Cuomo’s mother, sister remain by his side amid accusations; “I don’t like what he’s going through,” Matilda Cuomo says. In all honesty, no Mom would like the allegations her son, Governor Andrew Cuomo, is facing. The whole article is about the allegations of the 5 (now 6) women who claim to have been sexually harassed by him. What is missing from Mr. Grondahl;’s column is how Momma Matilda and sister Maria Cuomo Cole have reacted to the growing nursing home scandal and the subsequent cover-up. Why was that left off the table? Mr. Grondahl did mention it and the problems that have come to light regarding bolts used in the Mario Cuomo Bridge, yet neglected to let his readers know if they are upset by these allegations also. Interesting to note, Gov. Cuomo noted in his moving eulogy at Mario’s funeral that Mario told him “You always have to do the right thing.” The question now is: Will Andrew Cuomo follow Mario’s sage advice? The families of those who died in NY’s nursing homes need to know; a grave mistake is one thing – a cover-up of that grave mistake is unforgiveable and most likely criminal.
WalletHub finds tax burden is taxing for NY, CT residents; NY ranks 49 and they want to raise taxes. “WalletHub found that residents of states that voted Republican in the 2020 election on average paid less in state and local taxes than did residents of states that voted Democratic.” Any wonder why people are moving out of New York State?
Bob McManus on the new NYC School Chancellor: Same as the Old Boss/Like her predecessor, New York City’s new school’s chancellor uses racial demagoguery to distract from a record of educational failure.
The Democratic majority has been busy forcing their radical, partisan agenda down the throats of tax paying, law abiding citizens since the beginning of the 117th Congress in January.
This week it was H.R.1/ S.1, better known as “For the Politicians Act.” H.R.1/ S.1 outlaws voter ID, implements same day voter registration, begins public financing of federal elections, and supports the groundwork for Washington D.C. statehood.
At a time when confidence in our election system is at an all-time low, we should not be passing legislation that bans voter ID and allows for same day voter registration giving our election boards no time to vet new registrants properly.
H.R.1/ S.1 isn’t about protecting the rights of voters, it’s about seizing control of our time-tested state election processes to benefit the Democratic Party. This massive federal overreach would politically weaponize the Federal Election Commission (FEC), a traditionally bipartisan commission, and force taxpayers to pay for the re-elections of career politicians. It would further discourage Americans from exercising their First Amendment rights by abolishing privacy laws that protect them from the left’s pernicious cancel culture tactics. Any way you look at this bill it screams Big Brother.
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a reform bill that bans chokeholds and alters the so-called qualified immunity for law enforcement, which would make it easier to pursue claims of police misconduct, was also passed in the House. This bill does nothing but make an already tough job more difficult on law enforcement and allows for the defunding of police and their equipment, such as bulletproof vests.
This last week, Democrats in Congress showed the American people once again their wallets and personal safety mean nothing to them. It is imperative we work to take back the majority in 2022 to stop even more radical legislation from making it to the House floor.
Smoke and Mirrors from Albany Democrats
Democrats in the State Legislature provided us with more lip service this past week as they pretended to work tirelessly for the people of New York and strip embattled Governor Cuomo of his emergency powers.
The bill passed by the Legislature merely affects new Executive Orders and allows the previous orders to be extended beyond April 30, with the Governor being allowed to amend them if his Department of Health deems its a necessity. The reality is that potential new orders will cover any area imaginable.
With the trust in our Governor and State Department of Health being at an all-time low following the revelation of the nursing home death cover ups, and yesterday’s breaking news that the Cuomo Administration altered documents and withheld data since at least July, Governor Cuomo should not only lose all his emergency powers immediately and into the future, he should resign his seat immediately.
Now is not the time for Democrats to play games in Albany, with all the information we have received the past few weeks, it is clear, Andrew Cuomo is not fit to serve anyone other than Andrew Cuomo.
Governor’s Race
I was pleased to hear that Congressman Lee Zeldin is exploring a race for Governor. There is no doubt he is a very strong candidate capable of running a good race and representing the state of New York.
He joins Congressman Tom Reed who has also expressed interest, and would be a formidable candidate.
I suspect others will also come forward, but, the bottom line is that the Governorship is in play and with the right candidate, we could be looking at a much needed changing of the guard in Albany.
Recent polling also indicates Senator Chuck Schumer is overstaying his welcome as the Senior Senator from New York. 2022 is shaping up to be a very important year for our state as voters from many political parties have woken up to the reality of what Governor Cuomo is doing to our great state.
For Immediate Release
March 5, 2021
Contact: Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org @cpnys
CONSERVATIVE PARTY CALLS FOR RELEASE OF ALL COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN CROWN PUBLISHING AND GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO, HIS AGENTS AND THE ADMINISTRATION
Brooklyn – March 5…The New York State Conservative Party today called for the immediate release of communications between Crown Publishing, Governor Andrew Cuomo, his agents, and members of his administration leading up to the publication of Mr. Cuomo’s New York Times best-seller book “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” (Oct. 2020, Crown.)
The core premise of “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” was Mr. Cuomo’s purported successful management of Covid-19 in New York State. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times are now reporting that Mr. Cuomo and members of his administration altered an official New York State Department of Health report to falsely embellish Mr. Cuomo’s image as an efficacious governor in the depths of a public health crises at the very same time that Mr. Cuomo was negotiating his book deal.
“Today’s news reports raise an obvious question: Would Crown Publishing have invested in Governor Cuomo’s book had they known the full extent of the nursing home deaths caused by the governor’s misguided policies?,” asked Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar. “And did Governor Cuomo and members of his administration work to bury the true numbers in an effort to seal the book deal? The public needs answers to these questions, and the governor and Crown can begin by releasing the communications between them.”
The Conservative Party has previously asked Governor Cuomo to make immediately public the profits he received from his book, and questioned whether the facts Mr. Cuomo concealed fostered a false narrative required for the book’s publishing. Governor Cuomo has refused to address these questions.
“If the truth had been known about the nursing home deaths in the autumn of 2020, it’s hard to believe that Crown would have moved forward with ‘American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic’” Mr. Kassar continued. “So the question remains: Did Governor Cuomo hide the true nursing home death toll for personal financial benefit, and, if so, exactly how much money did he make from that lie? The public deserves to know.”
In case you missed our press release today HR1/S1, you can read it here.
Raheem Kassam opines in the National Pulse on Dying In Darkness. An analysis of President Joe Biden first six weeks in office.
Oh dear, this article shows a photo of former First Lady Michelle Obama reading a Dr. Seuss book to young children…will the photo be erased from all the social media platforms it may be on? The article is a must read for parents and grandparents: Here Are Some Books the Woke Left Would Replace Dr. Seuss With.
For Immediate Release
March 4, 2021
Contact: Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org @cpnys
NEW YORK STATE CONSERVATIVE PARTY: ‘FOR THE POLITICIANS ACT’ MUST BE DEFEATED IN THE SENATEOmnibus Democrat Incumbency Protection Bill (HR1/S1) Would Inhibit Free Speech; Partisanize the FEC; Create Welfare-for-Politicians “Anyway You Look At This Bill It Screams ‘Big Brother.’”
Brooklyn – March 4…The New York State Conservative Party today called on members of the U.S Senate to defeat overreaching and unconstitutional legislation pushed through the House of Representatives in a razor thin party-line vote on Wednesday that would usurp the sacrosanct rights of states to control their elections processes, force taxpayers to assume the costs of congressional elections, and strip Americans of their right to confidentiality in furthering political speech, among other things.
“HR1/S1 isn’t about protecting the rights of voters,” Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar said, “it’s about seizing control of our time-tested state election processes to benefit the Democratic Party. This massive federal overreach would politically weaponize the Federal Election Commission (FEC), a traditionally bipartisan commission, and force taxpayers to pay for the re-elections of career politicians. It would further discourage Americans from exercising their First Amendment rights by abolishing privacy laws that protect them from the left’s pernicious cancel culture tactics. Anyway you look at this bill it screams ‘Big Brother.’”
Provisions in the massive HR1/S1 bill include:
Forcing taxpayers to subsidize congressional campaigns;
Changing the FEC from a six-member, bipartisan commission into a partisan five-member commission controlled by a sitting President and unilaterally capable of creating new regulations without the input of Congress;
Compelling individuals to disclose what causes they support, subjecting them to potential harassment and thereby reducing political speech;
Forcing not-for-profits, issue advocacy groups, and organizations they support to publicly declare whether they support or oppose any candidate that appears in their materials, and
Dramatically increasing the cost of online political speech — aka suppressing it — by eliminating the FEC’s longstanding internet exemption.
“Every time the Democrats seize power in Washington, they attempt a massive federal overreach,” Chairman Kassar continued. “This time they are going after free speech itself — our nation’s First Amendment rights — and the American people will not stand for it. This cynically misnamed omnibus bill, the so-called ‘For the People Act’ is anything but. The proper title for this legislation should be the “For the Politicians Act’, and it must be summarily rejected in the Senate.”
HR 1 is the most dangerous piece of legislation ever considered by our Congress. It will, without doubt, change what our Founding Fathers established for the United States, outlined in the Preamble and the US Constitution. The First Amendment of our Constitution guarantees citizens, the freedom of religion; the freedom of speech; the right to peaceably assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Yet, today, the left is determined to cancel all they do not agree with, thereby having no discussion about anything the left disdains. Americans, who treasure our freedoms, must speak up now. The Democrats’ New Schemes to Control Political Speech. More about HR 1 here: The Facts About H.R. 1: The “For the People Act of 2021.” There is nothing in the “For the People Act of 2021” that is for the people; it is for the oligarchs who want to control those they consider their personal serfs. Even the ACLU has criticized HR 1. Nine Former FEC Commissioners Warn of “Ruinous Effect” of H.R. 1 and S. 1. Contact your Member of Congress (scroll down to New York) and urge them to vote against this egregious and iniquitous piece of legislation. Even the ACLU has reservations about this
The Governor’s statement shows how insensitive he is and that he does not listen, understand, or care about others despite his public persona that tries to portray that he is a sensitive, caring individual. When a woman (or man) has suffered a trauma (sexual assault survivor) a true mentor would never, ever think of being playful and make jokes that they think are funny regarding sex to a sexual assault survivor. Yet, that is exactly what Andrew Cuomo did. “I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way. I do it in public and in private.” A mentor would care and protect the individual; not rip off their scab to expose the wound again. Here is another occasion that the inuendo is obvious – he did this on front of his daughter, no less – yet, the journalist has no problem with his remarks; thereby giving tacit permission to the Governor to continue his sexual banter.
New Yorkers deserve a Governor who respects all women, not one who thinks that subordinates are there for more than what is contained in the job description.
More startling allegations were made this week by former Congressional candidate and aide to Governor Cuomo, Lindsey Boylan, charging the Governor with sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct.
Boylan wrote about her experience working for the Governor Wednesday and went into very disturbing detail. Boylan gave specific instances of Cuomo engaging in inappropriate workplace behavior saying “the Governor would go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs.”
In another instance Cuomo suggested he and Boylan engage in a game of “strip poker” as they traveled together to an event. Finally, Boylan charges the Governor with kissing her during a one-on-one meeting.
This new information coming from the very credible Boylan is extremely disturbing and further adds the proof that the Governor is no longer fit to lead the state of New York. His nursing home order, followed by the subsequent cover up of deaths, lies and now these sexual harassment allegations have earned him a much-deserved federal investigation.
The people of New York deserve accountability and answers, instead of providing that, Cuomo has set out to hire more staff members to handle his “messaging.” More taxpayer dollars spent on hiring staff members to cover up for his transgressions is appalling, but not surprising.
For almost a year, the Conservative Party has been questioning the Governor’s handling of this crisis. It was clear from early on; the administration was willing to use the pandemic as a political tool for self-promotion and false praise. Thankfully, Congresswomen Elise Stefanik and Nicole Malliotakis, who called for an investigation nine months ago, ere on our side calling for the truth.
Assembly Republicans have begun to take the first steps into an impeachment trial of Governor Cuomo, a move that has gained the support of many prominent Democrats, including Queens Assemblyman Ron Kim, who himself charged the Governor with threatening his career last week.
COVID-19 Relief Transforms into Democratic Wishlist
The American Rescue Plan is nothing but a pork filled Democratic wish list that provides billions in foreign aid and leaves Americans stranded and eventually on the hook for the bill.
Auditors at OpenTheBooks.com cite numerous examples of what they consider to be suspicious spending, including: $1.5 million for Chuck Schumer and the Seaway International Bridge connecting New York to Canada; $112 million for Nancy Pelosi and BART; $50 million for family planning groups such as Planned Parenthood; $852 million for civic volunteer agencies such as AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps Vista, and the National Senior Service Corps; and $470 million for libraries, museums, arts and humanities agencies.
This is not COVID relief, this is theft of American taxpayer money. Only 9% of the $1.9 trillion goes to public health, only 1% to vaccine, and 95% of the money allocated for schools in this bill is not eligible to be spent until 2022. Meanwhile, about $500 billion from the last relief bills remains unspent and unobligated.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said on Inside City Hall with NY1 political anchor Bobby Cuza. “This bill, unfortunately, has so much unrelated stuff in there that has made the bill so expensive, and it doesn’t just focus on the tailored needs of our communities.” The Congresswoman also points out that this bill could come at a cost of $15,000 per American household to pay for Biden’s pork filled package.
Relief packages should be about just that, relief. We all understand the need to help Americans who have been affected by this pandemic at no fault of their own, but now is not the time to spend money we simply don’t have on things, nor provide relief for COVID-19.
Schumer’s Numbers Erode
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s approval rating among his New York constituents has hit a two-decade year low. Senator Schumer recorded his highest-ever “poor” rating according to a new Marist Poll.
Schumer gets an “excellent” or “good” rating from just 41% of New York registered voters, according to the poll released Tuesday. Good for the second-lowest of his Senate career. Nearly 30% of the respondents believe he is doing a “poor job.”
This is unwelcomed news for the Senator who is up for re-election next year and it is rumored that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is preparing a potential run against him. Amongst young voters, a key constituency for Ocasio-Cortez, 58% believed Schumer was doing a poor job.
The poll was not much kinder to Senator Gillibrand who also saw her numbers take a hit statewide.
While Senators Schumer and Gillibrand worked to build national profiles, they neglected to do their jobs at home. They have both become two comfortable, taking their large Democratic voting bloc in New York City for granted and ignored them while on a quest for self-fulfillment.
Perhaps these new polls will remind the two Senators they work for New York State and all politics are local.
Gordan G. Change writes in Gatestone Institute: Biden: It’s Okay to Finance China’s Military. Yes, you read that headline right. This is a must read article that will hopefully enlighten Americans since the main stream media fails to report on the real dangers of President Biden, and his family’s, ties to China.
The chink in Emperor’s armor is getting bigger and bigger as Fox News reports the latest disturbing allegations. (Fortunately, Fox News still has its voice despite the calls to cancel it.) The Washington Free Beacon has also picked up the latest problems facing Gov. Cuomo.
File this under “Misleading headlines:” Working Families is only New York party to grow since November. The Conservative Party grew by roughly 3000 voters across the state since last November and by about 6000 voters since last February. While the Times Union focuses on just the Capital Region, the facts are we, the Conservative Party of New York State, are proud to note that we have almost 4 times the number of enrolled voters as the Working Family Party has throughout New York State.
