We have just returned from the largest rally that Albany's Capitol has seen in years.  The local paper (Albany Times Union) says about 5000 people gathered to protest Governor Cuomo's "NY SAFE ACT" passed on the first day of the 2013 Legislative Session.  As Sen. O'Mara said at the rally, he waited longer to speak than the bill was on his desk.  The West Capitol Park was a sea of people and I personally believe that the number in the Times Union (supporters of the anti-2nd Amendment bill) is way off.  I heard State Police estimate over 12,000 people.  This much is certain, the people who attended the rally were there on their own accord unlike many of the "rent-a-crowd" rallies that have taken place in Albany.

NRA President, David Keene, (described as a gentleman who sticks to his guns) was the keynote speaker and decried the manner in which Governor Cuomo pushed the bill through the legislature and believes Cuomo will find himself unelectable nationally.

Party Executive Director, Shaun Marie, addressed the 2nd Amendment supporters and told them, rest assured the Conservative Party stands with every single person who is here today -- that we will do all we can to REPEAL Governor Andrew Cuomo's NY SAFE ACT.  The NY SAFE ACT leaves us all vulnerable to those who have no regard for the law and the way Governor Andrew Cuomo demanded it be passed on the first day of the legislative session indicates he has little regard for the law-abiding citizens who own guns.  Repeal --- not amend!"

In other news, Sequestration is inevitable and John Brennan has a Benghazi problem.  The Dems just do not understand; spending is the problem. President Obama threatens to veto GOP plan.  Bob Woodward does not back down and continues to be critical of the President. Woodward not the only one threatened, Lanny Davis and why you should be concerned.

More sequestration hype here but apparently Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) does not understand the spending problems America faces.  Rep. Lee introduced legislation to create a Cabinet level -Secretary of Peacebuilding! 

President Obama (and Senator Reid)  wants to raise taxes and doesn't believe we have a spending problem.... Reason.Com explains why he is wrong. 

Phil Gramn, who knows a thing or two on how to manage budgets shows his monetary wisdom  in today's Wall Street Journal article. (subscription required)

American Enterprise Institute has an excellent article on "The Presidency Redefined."

Here is a novel idea:  How about cutting the employees the federal government pays not to work for Uncle Sam? 

Investors abandon solar; is any one surprised?

Wednesday's with Walter E. Williams -- a must read on President Obama's wanting to raise the minimum wage.

NYC Mayoral candidate, George McDonald, scores a win in Court, but AG Schneiderman is challenging his win.  If AG Schneiderman is successful, New Yorkers will be the losers. 

To say that NYC Comptroller John Liu is in above his head would be an understatement.

Bill O'Reilly strongly criticizes Governor Cuomo's radical abortion plan.  He, O'Reilly, has more faith in Americans right now than Rush Limbaugh does.

Sequestration!  According to the Administration, Sequestration equals Armageddon and we are doomed if sequestration takes place. Bob Woodward reminds us that this was the Administration's idea.  The NY Post reminds us that it equals 2.4 cents per dollar.  Michael Goodwin writes about the Administration's super hype to scare the population.  Speaker Boehner is upset about President Obama using the Military as a prop in the debate.  The Heritage Foundation has practical solutions.  Seriously, President Obama, do you really have to raise the terror threat?    Andrew Malcolm reminds us that the President  is now blaming Republicans for his idea.   This chart helps explain spending continues just at a slightly -- 2.4% -- less rate. (The way the Administration is carrying on, one would think that the sequestration was cutting 20% from current spending rather than 2.4% of projected spending.)

President Obama still insists spending is not our biggest problem.

With "logic" like this, no wonder the Administration thinks the way it does.  If this think tank is his favorite place to get policy advice, we really are doomed.

President Obama should start listening to Dr. Benjamin Carson instead of the Center for American Progress. 

Lest we forget:  The Power of Economic Progress.

Bill Hammond thinks hydrofracking may be acceptable.  Welcome aboard, Mr. Hammond. 

Tuesday's with Thomas Sowell.

In a Newsmax article you can read here  former Governor Pataki speaks out on Governor Cuomo's radical plan to expand abortions in New York State.  

Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo's top legal aide, Nancy Denerstein,  tries to "correct" the "wildly false misinformation" those of us who respect life are saying which is based on the only bill that is available for us to review.  The bottom line is simple:  Innocent Life at any stage must be respected.  The NY Times' headline is correct when it states "Cuomo Bucks Tide With Bill to Ease Limits on Abortion."  With all of the advances in medicine, it is making people realize that this unborn child can no longer be called anything except an innocent unborn child. 

The New York City Mayor's race is wide open and hopefully residents are listening to all the candidates.  The Conservative Party is paying close attention to the race.  

Another good article --  dealing with the issue of binding arbitration -- by E. J. McMahon in Newsday.  (subscription required.) 

Governor Cuomo is raising money and recognition out side of New York State.  Do you still think he isn't running for President?   For a person who wants campaign finance reform, he certainly does not hesitate to fund raise for what he wants.  And, of course,  what George Soros wants.....

It really is unfortunate that neither understand the ramifications of raising the minimum wage. 

Speaker Silver always wants more.  He will disregard rules or laws if they don't fit what he demands and will work around ways to be certain to get the money for his pets....taxpayers don't matter.   

About that promise the President made to Americans about their health care,  apparently he can't keep it.  

The Heritage Foundation thinks the President is a flip-flopper, especially on same-sex marriage. 

 I can't help but wonder if this was part of Governor Brown's plan to raise the taxes even higher in California, knowing full well the residents will not put up with this. 

Even the CBC (Citizens Budget Commission) is rejecting a Gov. Cuomo budget proposal.  

George J. Marlin writes about Heroes and  Celebrities.

Weekly Wrap-Up

“Sequester” is what everybody’s talking about this week, and today The Heritage Foundation offers perhaps the most humorous take on the matter.

Sequestration isn’t perfect, as National Review points out, but it can be made to work. 

Rich Lowry and Jonah Goldberg both point out that “sequester” is NOT a synonym for “doomsday.”

But doomsday is exactly what the Democrats want as they are “desperateto up the pain the sequester cuts will inflict on the American people.”

“Government by Freakout,” as Peggy Noonan calls it.

The sequester in perspective.

What’s your take on the sequester question? Should the government be forced to cut spending – or will a leaner government cause too much destruction?  Vote today in our new Weekly Poll.

New York liberals want to “sequester” your money and cut your budget with new taxes.  The latest: A new tax on tickets to sporting events.  The New York Post has my take on this new money-grab.

There’s plenty to worry about in Andrew Cuomo’s radical abortion agenda.  This is a great analysis, and the following paragraph stood out most to me:

The abortion party does not brook resistance, and it steadfastly seeks to ensure that everybody has a hand in its grisly business: taxpayers, employers, priests. All must be implicated. If a religious hospital declines to provide abortions, then it must be forced to do so. If a counseling center treats adoption as preferable to abortion, it will either change its mind or have its mind changed for it by the gentle persuasion of the State of New York.

The Conservative Party will be standing up for the unborn and against this abortion extremism – and we’ll be taking on the spending extremism that sees minor budget cuts as the end of the world.  Thanks for your support for our work, and have a great weekend!

Joe Biden on how to ward off potential intruders, buy a shotgun.  He's missing the point, it's not about the type of gun, it's about protecting the second amendment which includes all guns.  Don't infringe on the second amendment.  Obama's gun distraction.

Cuomo's smoke screen.

Newt Gingrich lays out how much trouble Republicans are in.

Michael Reagan on Immigration.

Casino gambling proposal for New York State is in trouble with voters.

The tea party has a new leader.

Read who the new "silent majority" is.

New York pols still keeping busy feeding the special interests.

Could there be a crack in the democratic foundation?  Read this.

No apologies necessary.

Hagel's confirmation has been delayed for good reasons.  More reasons Hagel shouldn't be confirmed.

Mr. President, you created the spending cut crisis, you fix it.

Governor Cuomo is claiming an abortion bill he's working on will be different from an existing controversial proposal he spoke about in his State of the State.  Let's see if he keeps this bill a secret, just like he did with the gun bill, or if he will make it public so everyone will know what's in it.

Guns and Pensions, Thomas Sowell

Protecting Gun Owners Rights. 

No double-dipping for Senator Kathy Marchione.

Democrats evidently don't have a sense of humour.  See why.

Weekly Wrap-Up

Republicans have blocked a vote on Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary, and it’s becoming clearer than ever that this is the right thing to do.  John Podhoretz wants to know if Chuck Schumer will do the right thing.

Another day, another misstatement (to put it mildly) from Harry Reid, who would have us believe that America will be in grave danger unless Chuck Hagel wins immediate confirmation.

Ramping up the minimum wage is bad for New York and bad for the nation.

Surprise, surprise – the Obama Administration can’t pay for all the Big Government programs they’re proposing.  

Of course this has never stopped them before, as the past four years of trillion-dollar-plus deficits indicate.

And there’s also the fact that the President’s proposal won’t work.

Only a liberal like Nancy Pelosi would speak out for taxpayer-funded dignity.

The media is obsessing over a drink of water because they don’t like the truth: That Marco Rubio had the right message.

If so-called journalists were even half as worked up over Benghazi as they are over Marco Rubio’s sip of water, we might have some answers.

Dr. Ben Carson has also taken some heat for taking on President Obama.  Will he be running against Rubio in 2016? Dr. Carson will appear with Sean Hannity on Fox News tonight. 

Now that Valentine’s Day is over and done with, which liberal do you love the LEAST right now?  Obama? Pelosi? Reid? Schumer?

Let us know what you’re thinking in our new Weekly Poll.

And have a great weekend.

Descent among his own party members.  Governor Cuomo is facing criticism regarding his budget from members of his own political party, from Comptroller DiNapoli and  from Syracuse Mayor and Democratic Party Co-Chair, Stephanie Miner.  The Comptroller says "The budget increases our debt burden and relies on temporary actions that will get us through short-term problems but pushes off some hard choices for another day,"  seems as if we are not the only ones who are concerned about New York's spending problem.

The New York Post Editorial asks the question "What are republicans good for?"  They are concerned about the possibility of Albany raising the minimum wage (see our legislative memo here) and worry that the republicans will comprise their principles and allow an increase to go forward.  The NY Post wants genuine opposition, and WE are the genuine opposition.  Click here to change your registration and join our cause. 

The NY Post also wants Governor Rick Perry to come here to make his case — and force a debate New York’s political class prefers to ignore.  Since Texas has benefited from our high tax burden, we certainly need to force the debate. 

John Lott thinks background checks may do more harm than good....read why here.

ICYMI yesterday, the good news on New Yorkers views on Governor Cuomo's radical abortion plan.

The Watertown Times wants to know "How many delays?"  So do we, Governor Cuomo!

Why the President is wrong on universal preschool.   And what his is outrageous spending is really doing to the American economy.  

Taking Terrorism and the Arab Spring Seriously.

Great advice from the Gipper to his son Michael .... Happy Valentines Day!

Where to begin?  The President's State of the Union address was so full of new spending programs it is only a matter of time before all Americans are paying a federal tax rate of 80% and even then it won't be enough to cover his grandiose ideals.

Here's what the Heritage Foundation thinks of the STOU address.

FactCheck  lets us know what was "spin".

John Gizzi thinks he rehashed his Inaugural Address, with a few more big government ideas.

Andrew Malcolm reminds us that  "The bad news is we've still got 1,437 days of this guy's gabbing to endure. The good news: Yesterday it was 1,438."

Of course, the New York Times has a different view, one that believes President Obama is setting the right course for America.  They say in part "Mr. Obama made clear that after his re-election in November, he does not intend to allow a relentless Republican drive for spending cuts to define his second term. And in laying out his agenda, he continued trying to define a 21st-century version of liberalism that could outlast his time in office and do for Democrats what Reagan did for Republicans"  Interesting statement, what Reagan did for Republicans..... President Ronald Reagan did what he did for AMERICANS, he laid out policies that gave Americans the ability to keep more of what they earned, cut regulations to allow companies to grow and increased our ability to defend ourselves.  Ronald Reagan saw America as the land of opportunity and made it possible for Americans to prosper from that opportunity, NOT have Americans dependent on government to provide what people are unwilling to work for. Question for the New York Times, what happens when no one is willing to work to pay for governments' largesses?

Senator Rubio has it right when he says "more government isn't going to help you".  Senator Rubio's transcript is here.

Great news from Chiaroscuro Foundation!  Governor Cuomo's proposed abortion expansion, are too radical for most (78.8%) New Yorkers.   According to the survey:

• A vast majority of New Yorkers believe (78.8%), when they are informed of the number of abortions in New York, believe there is already sufficient access to abortion in New York State.
• 75% oppose changing the law so that someone other than a doctor can perform surgical abortions;
• 89% oppose abortions for reducing twins or triplets to a single child, and
• 92% oppose late-term abortions for sex selection.

Read more about the poll here. 

Say it ain't so.... Governor Cuomo, are you really putting your own ambitions ahead of the welfare of New York's residents?

Wednesday's with Walter E. Williams.

According to this article, the White House nixes idea of raising the Medicare eligibility age.  This sentence "Raising the eligibility age from 65 to 67 would save the federal government $125 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office, by shifting some of the health care burden to younger seniors by requiring them to obtain insurance on their own," is a little misleading.  Doesn't the author know that to get full Social Security benefits, the retirement age is no longer 65?  What is the problem with keeping Medicare eligibility the same age as full Social Security benefits?  It will not change anything if one chooses to retire early at age 62.

Solar energy isn't as "green" as proponents would like us to believe.

It really is pathetic what happens to some people in politics. 

And this is really disturbing that a company will go to this length to help elect and/or defeat a particular candidate without your knowledge. 

More disturbing news that our government is downloading the contents of laptops, cellphones and digital cameras belonging to international travelers.

Why doesn't this surprise us?

Rich Lowry sounds off on Obama's Benghazi two-step, while CNS news reminds us that Secretary Kerry had more protection on a trip to Arlington, VA than the State Department had deployed at our compound in Benghazi.

Almost Deja Vu, only this time it is the Governor from Colorado and it is hydrofracking water, not Governor Carey offering to drink a glass of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls.  It's time to let New York get to work, Govenor Cuomo, let NY hydrofrack.

The Heritage Foundation prepares us for tonight's State of the Union address....haven't we heard it all before?  (I'd really rather watch NCIS than listen to the meaningless words from the Narcissist-in-Chief.) 

Dr. Ben Carson, a man of true courage.  Dr. Carson would give a meaningful State of the Union address, one that we could all be proud of. 

Tuesday's with Thomas Sowell and my favorite topic:  Random Thoughts!

“It’s all about maintaining his numbers now, not about the best policies for the state,’’ said a source who knows Cuomo well.  Wow!   This is from an eye-opening column by Fred Dicker in today's NY Post, I say eye-opening because Mr. Dicker has been one of the Governor's staunchest supporters.  (Of course, that was before the Governor's State of the State and his assault on the 2nd Amendment.)  While the remarks are not Mr. Dicker's, the fact that they have made it into the press is significant. After this column, I can't help but wonder how often Governor Cuomo will be on Mr. Dicker's radio show, where he has been a frequent guest.

NY's Les Miserables, but don't worry, the Governor passed the NY SAFE Act so at least the unstable put back into New York's streets won't have guns.

Governor Cuomo is also expanding Medicaid coverage (remember he doesn't what to upset his base) from approximately $54 billion to $57.6 billion per year! 

Andrea Peyser begins her column with "They've gone too far" and we couldn't agree more.  Parents get involved!!  Know what is being taught and what they are distributing to your children.

Anyone who has ever put a claim into their insurance company knows that they will have an increase in their premiums, this is normal business practice.  So the news that those who have been devastated by Sandy have to pay more in city taxes should not come as a total surprise, however, the people who have suffered so much are not even back on their feet.  Talk about bad timing, couldn't the City wait until residents have returned to normalcy?

The Left is besides themselves while the right is hailing Dr. Ben Carson for his common-sense address at the National Prayer Breakfast.  If at all possible, set aside about a half hour to watch the video (link above) and you will understand why the WSJ has an Op-Ed "Ben Carson for President."  His speech has surged him to national prominence, his journey to this stage of his life is the American Dream.  Al Sharpton, we can only hope that the press comes to its senses and realizes your time in the limelight is over and Dr. Ben Carson's is just beginning. 

Obamacare already forcing doctors to close practices.   Betsy McCaughey has an excellent article in today's NY Post on Obamacare which says in part "The latest news from four federal agencies is that 1) insurance will be a lot less affordable than Americans were led to expect, 2) fewer people than promised will get insurance and 3) millions of people who have coverage through a job now will lose it, thanks to the president’s “reforms.” Oh, and children are the biggest victims."  Guess they should have read it BEFORE they passed it...

The Heritage Foundation says get the government out of the natural gas business, we say, why stop there.

Senator Lisa Murkowski from the state of Alaska, discusses the future of energy.

Michael Goodwin in yesterday's NY Post "Nobody wake Barack"

Weekly Wrap-Up

Double standards are abundant in Obama’s America. 

For Chuck Hagel, Sen. Harry Reid has changed his tune on accountability.

And liberals’ hypocrisy knows no bounds in the Obama era.

It seems that Harry Reid isn’t a stickler for the truth.

The President is making his priorities clear...

His new campaign operation isn’t in step with IRS regulations, and thus follows a proud tradition established by many Obama cabinet nominees.

Talk about priorities: Gov. Cuomo could be helping New York, but instead he’s playing politics.

Do you believe the Governor will ever make a decision on fracking – or will he keep “kicking the can” so as not to offend his big-money “green” supporters? Tell us what you think in our new Weekly Poll.

Comparing the Governor’s critics to Nixon is over the top, but that’s the Cuomo style.

I wish the anti-gun crowd would hold more events like this – they’re not helping their cause.

Peggy Noonan on the brilliant Paul Harvey, and the terrible Steve Kroft...  

Is this America’s future under the liberals’ abortion agenda?

Have a nice weekend.

Governor Andrew Cuomo says NO to Legislators regarding casino's sitings.  This could prove to be a very interesting development, since both Speaker Silver and Senator Skelos have an interest in where the casinos may end up.  Does anyone care about what New Yorkers think? He says here that on downstate casino's, "I'm not going to do it."

Wage Hike Will Kill Jobs.

Diana Fuchtgott-Roth writes about reasonable ways to cure the jobs bust.

Part three from Heritage Foundation on how to jump start America's economy.  Is anyone from the Administration reading these???

Will we ever get the full truth on Benghazi?  Today's hearing makes it perfectly clear, they were on their own.  How pathetic -- our government, (the one Chris Rock wants us to consider as DAD) -- ignored the warnings and ignored the pleas for help and didn't even communicate with each other.  Heaven help our military and those stationed around the world.  Where is the outrage from the main stream media?

All you will get on the news tonight is how Code Pink shut down the Senate Intelligence Hearing on Brennan's CIA nomination.

So if Amazon and Overstock win this suit, will we get our sales tax back? 

Thank you, Michael E. Bongiorno, we couldn't have said it better!

Ronald Reagan's Legacy:  The Sacred Value of Human Life. 

More broken promises as we learn more about Obamacare.  And as we learn more, we learn that the red tape burden will also cost us dearly.  Making certain all the regulations are in place must be the reason President Obama missed is 4th budget deadline.  No one in the main stream media seems to care, nor do they care that the US Senate has not passed a budget since April 29, 2009, yet both continue to rack up debt. 

Hagel may be nailing his coffin closed.  First being ill prepared at his hearing, then accusations from a former staffer,  and now refusing to detail foreign funders, he may just talk himself out of being confirmed as Secretary of Defense. 

A lawsuit has been filed against Ground Zero Mosque leader.

A congressional report confirms what we have been speaking out on for years about NY's Medicaid system. 

Will Secretary Kerry travel as much and accomplish so little?

Americans on disability increase for the 192nd straight month.

More from the Heritage Foundation on how to free Americans from government control. 

Good article on hydrofrackng here.

Is the honeymoon over?  More signs that it may very well be over.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President. His true strength as our President.  Forty States issue a proclamation commemorating his birthday, 8 do not!   Thanks Grover!!

Part two of Thomas Sowell's Prophets and Losses.

Wednesday's with Walter E. Williams.

The American Thinker opines on NY's Safe Act. 

We thought you should know about your hard earned tax dollars being used for salaries.

And you should also be aware of the cost to Obamacare if the current  proposal to deal with immigration is adopted.

The Unions pushed for Obamacare, now they want subsidy to help pay for it.

The question now becomes, how much are you willing to pay for Obamacare?  Haven't you had enough of groups pushing for Obamacare, then realizing it is going to cost them more?  They believe we should be taxed and taxed and then taxed again to pay for their folly.  There must be a way to resolve Obama's need for ever increasing tax burden.

The New York Sun's Ira Stoll thinks there is when it comes to entitlements, the fastest growing deficit in the federal budget.

Richard Dryfuss (Manhattan Institute) knows of ways to fix pension costs, thereby helping taxpayers.

And the Heritage Foundation writes about freeing our economy.

Tuesday's with Thomas Sowell.

Anyone who believes this photo certainly knows very little about skeet shooting.

By Steve Kroft's own admission, 60 Minutes and President equal a love affair. 

At the very least, couldn't Steve Kroft ask why the cheapest Obamacare plan will cost $20,000 per family?  Or doesn't Kroft really care about the truth and the economy of Americans.  Kroft could have also asked how Social Security will deal with this dilemma.  But apparently Kroft just wanted to add another Presidential interview to his resume.

The Weekly Standard is also concerned about the decline in birth rates in America.

And Bill O'Reilly writes about What the Babies Would Say if they could to those who want to abort them.


This is certainly cause for concern in Western New York.

It is amazing how the left just changes words and we are all supposed to believe that everything is right with the world.  "Liberals" is a word no longer praised by most, so they are all "Progressives" now.  "Member Items", New York's term for "earmarks" or "pork in the budget" is no longer acceptable to the general public, so Andrew Cuomo banned "Member Items" and now has, for himself, not the 213 Legislative Members, $3 billion in "discretionary funds" that he is calling "transformational projects."  Governor Cuomo has apparently forgotten that a "Rose by any other name would smell as sweet"  but his "transformational projects" are becoming a bone of contention among the Members.  The Conservative Party contents that these are tax dollars being used to curry favor and neither the Governor nor Members should be using them.  Let the taxpayers keep their hard earned money.  Perhaps, Governor Cuomo should have a sit-down with Governor Perrry, they could discuss taxes and guns!

We certainly do not advocate a late budget, but this headline should be cause for concern.   Is the plan to pass an early budget a plan to keep the contents as vague and not fully examined as possible?  When you build  a house sans foundation, it is bound to collapse at some point.  Many of the Budget Articles state how dependent the state is on federal funds, well the Feds are looking to be reimbursed for a large portion of funds already paid and may cut future funds.  And let's not forget, Medicaid is funded in part by the Counties, so taxpayers could be hit with a double whammy.  Are Legislators looking to seriously cut/reform Medicaid, and if not, why not?

First it was 7 and we didn't know where, then we were told 3 would be used to bring tourism to upstate New York, then we were told if politics was involved he would withdraw his support, now today, we are told Niagara Falls area is in addition to the 3 outlined in his State of the State message.  Governor Cuomo, seems to us that you are playing politics with casinos and not being forthcoming with New Yorkers. 

Weekly Wrap-Up

America is in danger, as the latest attack on our interests illustrates...

... and Obama wants this guy to be our Secretary of Defense.

How bad was Hagel’s confirmation hearing? Very, very bad...

Four dead Americans won’t stop Hillary’s quest for the White House.  “What difference, at this point, does it make?” – how’s that for a campaign slogan?

“Totally bankrupt” – that’s America’s future if Obama continues to idolize France and other European nations that have spent themselves into oblivion.

But of course, it won’t be Obama’s fault. Must be nice to not be responsible for anything.

There’s a better way, and The Heritage Foundation offers some helpful do’s and don’ts.

“Mandating a minimum wage is not the way to help workers,” the Post wisely points out.

How would you like to see the minimum wage increased – a lot, a little or not at all?  Vote today in our new Weekly Poll.

Maybe the less involved the Obama Administration is with job creation, more jobs will actually be created?

We all hope that the jobs situation can’t get much worse than this, but under Obama anything is possible.

RIP Ed Koch.

Have a nice weekend.