“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
In case you missed this over the weekend Judith Clark, the domestic terrorist involved in the infamous 1981 Brinks Robbery that left 2 police officers — Waverly Brown and Edward O’Grady — and Brink’s guard Peter Page dead, is up for parole again. The fact that she is even eligible for parole is the result of Governor Andrew Cuomo declaring her rehabilitated (can’t help but ask what is Governor Cuomo’s expertise in declaring her rehabilitated) and minimizing her actual crime. The NYS Conservative Party has launched a petition to keep her in prison; please sign the petition and send a message that killing police officers will land you in prison for the rest of your natural life.
Governor Cuomo used his ability to blackmail the Legislature with the threat of the next phase of their pay raise being negated and even manage to swindle an undeserved 40 percent pay raise for himself. Interestingly, due to a quirk in NYS State law which caps all executive agency salaries at that of the Governor’s, his pay increase will likely result in hundreds of state employees being eligible for increase. The end result of what I feel certain was a poorly thought through action by the legislature will eventually cost the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
It was a budget that had something bad for everyone. If you live downstate and drive, Manhattan is about to become off limits by car . If you live upstate know that there is a whole new set of unfunded mandates. If you live anywhere in the State, the budget implements and funds the DREAM ACT and codifies parts of the Affordable Care Act and Health Exchange Law. The budget also makes policy having absolutely nothing to do with budgeting such as eliminating cash bail – a very dangerous action
And as bad as the budget is to our state’s residents even the progressives thought it was an awful budget because it did not go far enough. Personally I think Stephen King could come up with a new novel based on NYS government.
Stay tuned for further stories about the horrors of Albany. Make sure you make every effort to elect Conservatives to local government – our only line of defense.
PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING AND FUSION VOTING
A funny thing happened on the way to adopting a budget. The Legislature — against what appeared to be an overwhelming member objection — nevertheless created a Commission to possibly establish a taxpayer funded system of public campaign finance and raise the issue of fusion voting. The advocates are pushing for a six to one match. The end result will be a public financing scheme that will cost over any four- year period as much as $350 million.
As you know fusion voting allows for a candidate running on multiple party lines to combine their votes. What it does not do is effect the legal status of a political party to exist.
As you can imagine any effort to adjust or eliminate fusion voting concerns us. There are certain to be many turns on this road. And allow me to assure you that we are very much preparing for the fight.
Our society is simply inexplicable lately. How does one cosponsor a bill designed to put an end to animal testing using kittens, when one voted against protecting newborns?
The Adirondack Daily Enterprise has a short description of some of the key items in the budget . Can anyone explain to the taxpayers of New York, why the Legislature now requires “Employers throughout the state … to offer their workers three hours of paid time off to cast a ballot on election day” when earlier in the session they passed early voting whose provisions require that all early voting sites are open for at least eight hours on weekdays, including two days a week with evening hours, and for at least five hours on weekends and holidays.” Do they have absolutely no regard for the tax burdens they place on New Yorkers? No need to answer this rhetorical question, we all know they don’t.
Karen Dewitt interviews Chairman Kassar and others on the NY Commission to Look at Ending Fusion Voting. With regard to the Governor’s concerns on the cost of public financing of cross-endorsed candidates, the answer is simple: NO public financing of campaigns.
Are plastic bags as bad for the environment as some say? Maybe not.
Unfortunately for New Yorkers, the budget that was just passed by the Members of the Legislature is not an April Fools joke. The taxes, fees and criminal justice reforms enacted , along with the last minute 39% raise for Governor Cuomo, will only encourage more New Yorkers to leave New York It is rather pathetic that so many of the progressive politicians speak out when families are separated at our borders, yet gleefully increase the cost of living in New York that forces families to be separated. Some grandparents will not know the joy of being near their grandchildren because they can’t afford to move and their children can’t afford to stay.
I am still looking for the pot of money that was set aside for our roads. Isn’t some of the gasoline tax money collected supposed to fix our roads? Or does it go to the MTA also so they can keep their inflated staff?
“After three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax is finally dead. The collusion delusion is over,” President Trump declared last night at a Michigan rally.
Will the hoaxers be held accountable? Some of New York’s members of Congress want to set the record straight, with Rep. Elise Stefanik calling for the resignation of Rep. Adam Schiff from the House Committee on Intelligence, and Rep. Peter King pulling no punches with former CIA chief John Brennan.
As Newt Gingrich points out, this debacle unfolded under President Obama’s watch – what did he know, and when did he know it? The Clinton campaign deserves scrutiny as well – that side was home to the only real collusion in 2016.
Meanwhile the media certainly owes the country an apology, but let’s not hold our breath. And we may be seeing expanded investigations of the FBI and Department of Justice. Time will tell – hopefully.
I want you to tell me how you think we can prevent such a spectacle in the future. What’s the best way to hold the hoaxers accountable right now? That’s the question for our new Weekly Poll, and I look forward to the responses.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ
As usual, Rep. Alexandria-Cortez has been in the news this week. Clearly she is “obsessed” with her national image which has apparently come at the expense of her constituents who have complained about inadequate representation.
I have argued that conservatives should ignore her. In my opinion it is the best way to send her and the left wing media that glorifies her message that she, like her favorable to unfavorable opinion numbers, has peaked.
What I believe we cannot ignore is the extreme dangers that are presented by the policies she advocates, the socialistic approach to government she represents. These failed methods of governing like a fire beginning to burn out of control need to be confronted and extinguished before they burn our way of life.
If you ask me any and all public officials and candidates who espouse blatant socialism deserve careful scrutiny.
As much as I believe we should limit the attention we pay to Ocasio-Cortez, we must keep our guard up, our vision focused and our pencils sharpened to respond to these crazy ideas that are emerging from a larger misinformed group of activists. Additionally as Party Chairman I commit to you that Conservative Party candidates will be pressed to be active in response. And we as a Party will organize a more effective grassroots approach to pushing back.
Tom Precious gives a pretty good recap of what we think is agreed to at this time. New deals emerge in state budget talks as big-ticket items await resolution. This extension will only encourage New York’s exodus to continue: • Authorization of a five-year extension of what’s known as the “millionaires’ tax,’’ an income tax rate surcharge on high-earners.
Seriously, AG Holder? You want to know “Exactly when did you think America was great” . Every moment of her existence. We are the only country that has faced our dark side and corrected it! That makes us great. We believe all men are created equal – and when we didn’t fully practice that belief – we corrected it! America has raised the standard of living throughout the world; we ended two world wars and we will continue the ideals that our Founding Fathers knew would provide this new country with the blueprint necessary to be the most productive, free nation ever established. Shame on you for not understanding the greatness of America. Former AG Holder is just one of 85 (82 men and 3 women) who have held the office of Attorney General since our history began. I would think that would be a great accomplishment, despite the fact that I disagree with almost all that he stood for.
Democrats need a lesson in math; when a bill loses 57-0 , and the sponsor only votes “present” there is no way they can claim a victory. But they did: Democrats claim victory even after Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal loses big in Senate. Not surprisingly, the cable news networks hardly reported the resounding defeat.
This article will just make you shake your head in bewilderment. Unfortunately, rest assured, this is not the only person who thinks this way…in fact, I would venture to say, most democrats think she is right.
Newsday is reporting that the Nassau County legislature voted to borrow $3.7 million implement early voting as required by legislation passed earlier this year by the Democratic controlled Assembly and Senate. Early voting is not the only item Nassau County is borrowing money for; when you read the article, you have to ask yourselves why do they need to borrow so much? Nassau must cut spending as it certainly cannot afford to continue to borrow to meet the needs of her residents.
Cheryl K. Chumley has a great article in the Washington Times, one that should be circulated to your list of email readers and post on your social media: Socialism is rooted in godlessness.
How does a person with such a closed mind refusing to admit even a semblance of truth regarding the thorough Mueller investigation, remain the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee? One is incapable of preforming the important duties of the Intelligence Committee (charged with the oversight of the United States Intelligence Community) when one’s mind is consumed by a vise of hatred simply because their candidate did not become president.
The late breaking news on Friday was the release of the long- awaited Mueller Report. Naturally, the majority of democratic candidates, pundits and anchors demanded that an unredacted report be made public…immediately. One democratic pundit, Doug Schoen, has good advice if Democrats want to win the White House in 2020: it’s time to stop investigating Trump. They are so blind and angry, they won’t take his advice. Kimberly Strassel also has very good advice for our nation; Mueller’s investigation is done. Now dig into the real scandal — missteps of Comey, FBI. We are a nation that has always trusted and believed that the FBI’s reputation was sterling and above board. That trust was violated for political reasons, the repercussions will be long lasting and may never recover. The majority of Americans are tired and would like all of the continuing investigations to end; however, this is one that really needs to be pursued; the FBI must take the necessary steps that prevent any further abuse of its powers. The full Kimberly Strassel column is behind the WSJ paywall, if you have access to the WSJ, read it here. Gregg Jarrett, who has reported on the “collusion issue” from the very beginning, calls it the dirtiest political trick in modern US history.
WGRZ has an overview of what the NYS Budget contains. With one week left, things can change quickly, so by the time this is posted, the overview could be incomplete or just plain wrong. WSKG also have an overview of the proposed budget, but it points out that the Governor has the upper hand. If the Budget is not passed by the March 31 deadline, both Houses only have one choice: pass it with no amendments or reject it and shut down government. The state’s highest court gave this ability to the Governor when then Speaker Sheldon Silver sued then Governor George E. Pataki. This is a powerful incentive for both houses. However, this year, there is an additional incentive, perhaps even a coercive method to pass the budget: The Commission on Legislative, Judicial and Executive Compensation requires an on-time budget. By the way, 3 of the 7 members of the commission are appointed by the Governor, one each by the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House and 2 by Chief Judge of the NYS Court of Appeals. The Governor, never one to shy away from using hard-ball tactics to get his way, had the majority of votes on the commission. Anyone want to call it, what it really is… blackmail.
It’s hard to pick a favorite Ronald Reagan quote on taxes.
“For our opponents, every day is April 15 – Tax Day. For us every day is the Fourth of July.” – that’s one of my favorite quips from our 40th president.
“The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.” – talk about a statement that has stood the test of time!
“You can’t be for big government, big taxes, and big bureaucracy and still be for the little guy.” – that’s a Reagan quote that would get the crowd going at a Trump rally.
This week, once again, New York’s Democrats showed themselves to be the party of big government, big taxes, and big bureaucracy… the party that thinks New Yorkers are taxed too little… the party that sees every day as Tax Day.
As this New York Post editorial puts it, “It seems the only sure thing about this year’s state budget is that it will sock taxpayers yet again” – AGAIN being the operative word, because New Yorkers are already among the highest taxed citizens in the country… which is why many of our most productive people are moving to other parts of the country.
“Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things.” – that’s another Reagan quote I love, and soaking taxpayers is an “established way of doing things” in New York that needs to be questioned and changed.
In fact, Tax Freedom Day in New York – the day you stop working for the government and are working for yourself – was May 15th in 2018… the latest in the nation. This year with the craziness in Albany we can expect it to be even later.
There are many ways for the Conservative Party to tackle this issue – we can emphasize that high taxes hurt the state overall; that families are among the hardest hit; that high taxes feed Albany’s spending addiction; that well-connected interests get special breaks while normal folks pay through the nose; or that “soak the rich” tax policies don’t work (as even Andrew Cuomo acknowledges).
What do you think is the Conservative Party’s BEST strategy for showing the negative impact of the Cuomo Democrats’ high taxes? That’s our new Weekly Poll question, and I look forward to seeing what you have to say.
QUICK HITS
Leftist dogma can’t fix what ails New York City’s public schools.
