“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
Brooklyn, NY – Conservative Party State Chairman, Michael R. Long, announced today the launch of a petition drive to call the Tappan Zee bridge replacement the Brown Paige O’Grady Bridge to honor the 3 men brutally murdered on October 20, 1981 when members of the Weather Underground, the May 19th Communist Organization and the Black Liberation Army robbed $1.6 million at the Nanuet Mall in Nyack, New York.
“Brinks guard, Peter Paige, was shot and killed in cold blood, he never had a chance. Sgt. Edward O’Grady and Officer Waverly “Chipper” Brown, armed with sixshooters, were doing their job trying to stop the getaway car when they were gunned down with automatic weapons.
These 3 men went to work and never returned home to their loving families. It is unconscionable that any member of this gang of domestic terrorists should be allowed to resume a life outside of prison. The families of these 3 men continue to mourn their loss. Naming the new bridge in their honor is the very least we can do to honor their bravery and keep their heroism in our memories,” Long concluded.
The petition can be found at https://www.cpnys.org/petition/
The New York State Conservative Party’s executive committee, at its first meeting of the new year, passed a resolution calling on voters to reject this November’s ballot question calling for a Constitutional Convention. “It is important for voters to understand that the history of holding Constitutional Conventions proves they
are a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money that fails to accomplish what supporters claim,” said Chairman Michael R. Long. The text of the resolution follows:
Resolution, in opposition to a Constitutional Convention, presented and adopted by the members of the State Executive Committee on Saturday, January 7, 2017:
Whereas the New York State Constitution, since 1846, requires that voters decide every twenty years if there should be a Constitutional Convention to amend the New York State Constitution;
Whereas voters will have the opportunity to decide in the upcoming November, 2017 general election if such a Constitutional Convention shall take place;
Whereas the last four Constitutional Conventions were a carbon copy of legislative sessions and the majority of delegates were influential legislators;
Whereas the delegates that were influential legislators were able to collect a salary as a delegate and a legislator;
Whereas the past Constitutional Conventions were driven by personal agendas and special interest groups;
Whereas voters have failed to pass 7 of the 9 Constitutional Conventions since the first Constitutional Convention in 1776-1777;
Whereas legislative members have and will continue to present voters another means of amending the New York State Constitution without the undo expense of holding a Constitutional Convention;
Now, therefore, be it resolved that the New York State Conservative Party urges the voters of New York State to vote NO to a Constitutional Convention that would convene in Albany beginning April of 2019.
Brooklyn, NY – Councilman Robert Cornegy and the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus sang the “Black National Anthem” after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at a City Council meeting on Thursday, in an effort to continue the conversation and not be silent about what is going on in the country.
Councilman Cornegy stated that the words of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” an iconic hymn of the civil rights movement (that has been adopted as the “Black National Anthem) has been a unifying, rallying cry for support in this country and the words speak to liberty, justice and freedom for African-Americans.
What Councilman Cornegy fails to recognize is that singing the “Black National Anthem” at a City Council meeting is adding fuel to a fire that is on the verge of becoming an inferno.
Is the Star Spangle Banner the “White National Anthem”? Of course not! It is the national anthem of all Americans — Black, White, Latino, Asian, Liberal, Conservative – there is only one national anthem and elected officials who choose to create division among the races should resign from office immediately.
Elected officials are not overpaid football players and shouldn’t be acting like them. Members of the NYC Council have taken an oath of office that states, you swear or affirm to support and uphold the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of New York, and the Charter of the City of New York. All three constitutions are color blind as evidenced by the diversity of the members elected to each.
Elected officials have an obligation to honor their oath and not take unwarranted actions that provoke racial divide. If elected officials chose racial divide of unity, they should resign immediately.
Brooklyn, NY – According to an article in Politico today, the New York City Council is expected to allocate $100,000 to the city’s health department to study supervised injection facilities, a controversial program that provides intravenous drug users a place to get high while under medical supervision.
NYS Conservative Party Chairman Michael R. Long believes the $100,000 can be put to better use than sending a message that it is okay to use intravenous drugs as long as you use a government sanctioned place.
Sadly, intravenous drug deaths are skyrocketing, however, the answer is not to provide a safe place to use drugs. Investment in facilities to end drug dependency, education of the dangers of intravenous drugs and providing more funds to law enforcement agencies to keep the drugs off the streets is a far better use of taxpayer’s money than setting up places that will do nothing to end the plague of drug dependency.
By setting up a “safe, clean haven for high-risk, vulnerable New Yorkers” to help prevent drug overdoses and disease transmissions will ultimately do more harm than good. It is based on a false premise: intravenous drug use is NEVER safe. The unfortunate addicted person will be given a false sense of security tricked into believing that using intravenous drugs in a government sanctioned place is safe; and even more importantly, those who are tempted by intravenous drugs may also be given that same false sense of security.
Brooklyn, NY — Conservatives meet in Forest Hills (Queens County), NY Saturday (09/24/16) to reorganize, adopt rules and regulations and elect officers to serve for a two-year term as required by Election Law.
Michael R. Long (Kings County) was unanimously re-elected to serve as Chairman for the two-year term. Kings County Chairman Jerry Kassar accurately portrayed Mr. Long’s leadership when nominating Mr. Long when he said, “Mike Long has earned the respect of the political leadership throughout the state and in doing so he has caused each and everyone of us to be more respected as party leaders.” Frank A. Tinari, Suffolk County Chair described Long as a man who is able to bring sides together while he fights for his convictions when he seconded the nomination.
Chairman Long, in accepting, thanked the delegates for their support, their loyalty to the Party, the many years of service they have provided and the sacrifices they make doing the work necessary to keep the conservative voice strong in this blue state. “You are the pivotal part of promoting the Party — elected officials have come and gone — but the work you do keeps the Party vibrant and strong and able to make a difference in New York State politics.”
Also elected yesterday were Shaun Marie Levine (Albany County) as the Executive Vice-Chairman, Howard Lim, Jr. (Westchester County) as Secretary and Frances T. Vella-Marrone (Kings County) as Treasurer.
Eight State Vice-Chairmen, Daniel F. Donovan, Jr. (Nassau County), Gerard Kassar (Kings County), Thomas M. Long (Queens County), Ralph C. Lorigo (Erie County), James F. Quinn, Jr. (Wayne County), Gregory S. Rigby (Cayuga County), Allen Roth (Nassau County) and Frank A. Tinari (Suffolk County), and seven Regional Vice-Chairmen were also elected. The Regional Vice-Chairs are: In the Capital District – Brian Gardner (Columbia County), in the Northern Region — Hank Ford (St. Lawrence County), in the North Central Region — H. Leonard Schick (Oswego County), in the South Central Region – James M. Thomas (Broome County), in the Mid-Western Region — Jason McGuire (Livingston County), in the Western Region — Arthur Munger (Genesee County) and in the Hudson Valley — Hugh Fox, Jr. (Westchester County).
The Officers above also serve as the officers of the State Executive Committee. The following are At-Large Members of the State Executive Committee: Vincent Arcuri (Queens County), Stuart Avrick (New York County), Carol Birkholtz (Warren County), Ross Brady (Kings County), Michael Buttino (Greene County), Thomas M. Casey (Queens County), Vincent Ciccolella (Nassau County), Louis DeCicco (Chemung County), John P. DeLessio (Orange County), Charles P. Duffy (Westchester County), James J. Duffy (Suffolk County), John Fanning (Nassau County), John E. Flynn (Suffolk County), Edward J. Gaddy (Ulster County), Eileen Johnson (Kings County), Nicholas G. Jonas (Allegany County), Christopher J. Kendall (Madison County), Paul Kennedy (Otsego County), Jim M. Kerr (New York County), Mark LaViolette (Schenectady County), Edward Magilton (Sullivan County), Charles R. Mancabelli (Onondaga County), Philip H. Mancini (Monroe County), James Maxwell (Putnam County), Donald S. Mazzullo (Monroe County), Liam McCabe (Kings County), M. Julie Miller (Oneida County), John Mulhall (Onondaga County), Maureen Natrella (Dutchess County), William Newmark (Bronx County), David H. Ryan (Kings County), Laura A. Schreiner (Suffolk County), Michael E. Torres (Suffolk County), Harold Wagner, Jr. (Richmond County), Anna M. Wilcox (Chautauqua County) and Robert Zordan (Saratoga County).
The Members of the State Executive Committee serve as the governing body when the full state committee is not convened. All members serve a two-year term. The Members of the State Executive Committee appointed Eileen Johnson as the Assistant Secretary and Shaun Marie Levine as the Executive Director for a term coterminous with the elected members.
Brooklyn, NY — Chairman Michael R. Long is calling on the Legislative Members to have true compassion for those who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. “True compassion gives people aid in living. Today’s hospice and palliative care give comfort and do much to relieve pain to the terminally ill and gives them precious time with their families,” said Long in a memo distributed today. The full memo follows:
IN OPPOSITION TO… Medical Aid in Dying Act and related bills
A. 10059 – Paulin (on Health Committee Agenda) S. 7579 – Savino
Bill Purpose: To provide that a mentally competent, terminally ill patient may request medication to be self-administered for the purpose of hastening the patient’s death provided the requirements set forth in the act are met; provides certain protections and immunities to health care providers and other persons, including a physician who prescribes medication in compliance with the provisions of the article to the terminally ill patient to be self-administered by the patient.
Party Position: To watch a loved one with a terminal illness wither in pain is the most heart wrenching experience family members bear, but the miracle of today’s medicines has done much to eliminate what patients and family members had to endure. Today’s hospice and palliative care give comfort and do much to relieve pain to the terminal ill patient and gives them precious time with their families.
True compassion does not cut short the lives of people who believe a diagnoses means an impending death; many have defied a doctor’s prognosis. True compassion gives people aid in living.
A patient given a diagnoses of a terminal illness is fearful; the unknown almost always brings fear. How can anyone who has been told they have a terminal illness be mentally competent to make a knowledgeable decision that they want to end their life?
While this bill seeks to prevent unscrupulous people and organizations from being a part of any action that helps the patient commit suicide, it is known that laws do not prevent such occurrences from taking place.
Why, in good conscience, would we allow a “Medical Aid in Dying Act” be enacted to allow unprincipled Dr. Kevorkian’s cover to encourage terminally ill patients to take their own lives.
In Vacco v. Quill, the US Supreme Court unanimously held that New York’s state ban on assisted suicide was both rational and constitutional.
A terminally ill patient can refuse medical treatment prolonging their life, but the fear of a painful death should not be the rational to hasten death.
All life is precious and must be protected — sometimes even from oneself.
The NYS Conservative Party urges the defeat of this proposal.
Brooklyn, New York – The Conservative Party of New York State issued an additional memo to the Members of the NYS Legislature stressing the fact that raising the minimum wage will harm the economy of New York by reducing job growth. The memo follows:
Governor Cuomo has repeatedly stated that he wants New York to serve as a nationwide model for progressive policies all the while denying facts that prove progressive policies fail to produce the utopia progressives demand. We did not achieve Empire State status by being an experimental laboratory for liberal tinkering. We lost our Empire State status when New York chipped away at the free-market standards that established New York as a financial magnet only to become a struggling state at the precipice, ranked second-to-last for the worst business climate in the nation.
In a Wall Street Journal article published December 15, 2015, the WSJ acknowledges the various articles by economists over the past 100 years that both sides tend to rely on. It concludes that “the vast majority of these studies point to job losses for the least-skilled. They are based on fundamental economic reasoning—that when you raise the price of something, in this case labor, less of it will be demanded, or in this case hired.”
The WSJ goes on to say that “among the many studies supporting this conclusion is one completed earlier this year by Texas A&M’s Jonathan Meer and MIT’s Jeremy West, which reaffirmed that ‘the minimum wage reduces job growth over a period of several years’ and that ‘industries that tend to have a higher concentration of low-wage jobs show more deleterious effects on job growth from higher minimum wages.’
Clearly an indication of New York’s economic decline as its minimum wage increased through the years.
The leading progressive voice in the current presidential race, Sen. Bernie Sanders, calls for Americans to embrace the Scandinavian economic model. We question if he realizes that Sweden, Denmark and Finland do not have a minimum wage and that countries that do not have a minimum wage have on average unemployment rate four percent lower than those with a minimum wage. Denmark has long been held as the model for progressives – they have the world’s lowest level of income inequality – remember no mandated minimum wage – due to the powerful collective bargaining system gaining a $20 wage for fast food workers. However, fast food restaurants, and related industries, are less profitable. Furthermore, the economic future of Denmark is rapidly declining.
Forbes’ notes, “You can’t suspend the laws of economics. You can’t expand a welfare safety net to cover an entire society.”
The Conservative Party unequivocally states that you cannot increase the minimum wage in New York State without facing the consequence of losing jobs.
When did putting people out of work become the role of legislators? Tell Governor Cuomo NO to a $15 minimum wage. Your role, as a New York Legislator, is to help New Yorkers, not put them out of work.
Chairman Michael R. Long sent the following legislative memo opposing Governor Cuomo’s call to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour. The memo follows:
The NYS Conservative Party would be ecstatic if every citizen in New York State earned enough wages to be considered a one-percenter or at least a six-figure salary. That is the American Dream…a dream that will be shattered if government insists on mandating a raise in the minimum wage to $15.
Most earners of the minimum wage are those entering the work force with little experience and unskilled workers hoping to climb out of poverty. According to the AFL-CIO website, the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act established a federal minimum wage to serve as “a floor below wages,” to reduce poverty and to ensure that economic growth is shared across the workforce.
The original concept for a minimum wage changed dramatically when Micah White, PhD wrote in Adbusters.com – Anarchic Swarms – The Emerging Model, an article calling for a worldwide, multi-front mutiny against the way our economic and military leaders are running the world, giving birth to the radical movement, Occupy Wall Street that has morphed into today’s demands for a “fair and just” $15 an hour minimum wage.
Social media helped organize a scrappy group of anarchists and made them the driving force demanding an increase that most economists say will hurt the people it supposedly seeks to help.
The Cato Institute lays out four reasons not to increase the minimum wage here.
American Action Forum writes that government — despite many in government saying it will save taxpayers — savings are minimal compared to the labor market consequences.
The American Dream has and will always be a beacon to free-market entrepreneurs’ creating businesses and giving people jobs. Micah White, PhD proved his social experiment worked – he has changed the way government looks at the minimum wage, albeit a misconstrued goal based on the public’s approval for increased wages.
Raising the minimum wage, to the extent being called for, may give birth to an American nightmare, where there are no jobs available to escape poverty.
We urge New York State Legislators to reject what has become a populist call for a $15 minimum wage.
Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky should be ashamed of himself for sponsoring legislation that could increase his own salary as a state legislator from $79,500 to $174,000 a whopping 219% increase.
Worse yet, Kaminsky’s legislation would provide him and other state legislators regular cost-of-living adjustments without even requiring the Legislature to vote on these salary increases.
Also included in his proposed bill is a tax-payer funded campaign finance system with a 6:1 match ratio. (Every dollar raised by the candidate equals 6 dollars from the taxpayer.) New York City’s history with its public campaign finance system is fraught with fraud.
New York State taxpayers want honest, hardworking public servants who put the state’s best interest ahead of their own.
Brooklyn, NY — Justice Antonin Scalia appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 used his wisdom to guide America as our Founding Fathers outlined in the greatest constitution the world has ever known.
His wisdom and wit will be sorely missed. The world has lost a man who truly understood and fought for the American Dream for every American and every person who sought to be American.
We will continue to fight the good fight with the wise decisions he has left us.
Thank you Justice Antonin Scalia, we will carry on, now rest in peace.
