Weekly Wrap-Up

You know the old saying about New York, New York – “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” Problem is, with taxes on the increase, plenty of successful people – aka “the rich” – are starting to think that “anywhere” looks a lot better than the Big Apple.

Last week we heard Gov. Paterson take delight in the idea that Rush Limbaugh might be taxed out of New York City. But Rush won’t be alone. Here’s Donald Trump telling Neil Cavuto of FOX News how the “super rich” in New York might react to these new taxes...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,513027,00.html

“You’re talking about millions and millions of dollars for some people that really have other options, Neil. They can move to other states. You take a state like Florida, run by a governor, Charlie Crist, who is a terrific governor, and who is very, very cherishing of his no income tax.

So, you know, I make a lot of money outside of New York State, as an example. And I’m saying to myself, wait a minute. For the privilege of living in New York, I am supposed to pay tens of millions of dollars in extra taxes? It doesn’t make sense.”

Now don’t get me wrong – I don’t like everything about Donald Trump. But he makes a good point – and he reminds us that Gov. Paterson and Sheldon Silver haven’t thought their “class warfare” ideas all the way through.

This week we blogged about President Obama’s trip overseas, and his disastrous foreign policy instincts – as well as some news items on New York politics. But the big topic of the week is definitely taxes. There’s lots of great information in this article...

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04082009/news/regionalnews/tax_hike_on_rich_is_apple_dumping_163417.htm

First off, it’s a great guide to how Gov. Paterson’s tax hikes will affect all New Yorkers. The City and Long Island will get hit hardest – but every part of the state will suffer.

This article has some interesting numbers on where the taxpayers of New York stand on these new taxes...

“Meanwhile, New York voters -- by a lopsided 60 percent to 16 percent -- disapprove of the $132 billion budget approved by the Legislature last week, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday.

Asked if Gov. Paterson and legislative leaders had shown the political courage to make difficult decisions in the budget, 65 percent said no.”

Seems like plenty of New Yorkers are starting to agree with our Conservative Party message: “Spending is the problem... tax increases are NOT the answer.” We’ll be working hard all year – all the way through to 2010 and beyond – to get those people energized to go out and vote conservative.

Have friends or family who are fed up with the tax-and-spend liberal establishment, but don’t know how to fight back? Make sure they register to vote Conservative...

http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/download/voting/voteform.pdf

... and pass along the link to this blog, so they can learn more about what’s wrong with New York, and how to rescue our great state.

Enjoy your weekend – and let’s all do our best to remember the sacrifice and redemption signified by Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

One week from today - April 15, 2009 -- is national T. E. A. day. If you haven't become involved yet, click here: http://teapartyday.com/ to find out where you can attend a T. E. A. rally. They are in every area of New York, from Albany to Erie to Suffolk to Franklin to Chautauqua. It will be interesting to see how much coverage the media give them. Talk the rallies up with your neighbors, bring your family and friends....get involved and let all elected officials know what you think of their spending!

Maybe it will send in message to the New York City Council: http://www.nypost.com/seven/04082009/postopinion/editorials/council_for_sale_163381.htm

Or it may remind elected officials that they are approaching the fiscal mess in all the wrong ways: http://townhall.com/Columnists/DrPaulKengor/2009/04/07/reaganomics_vs_obamanomics

http://townhall.com/Columnists/WalterEWilliams/2009/04/08/government_deception

Another article on how the current administration's need for destroying our current health care system will effect us: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123914878625199185.html

And a new reason to keep our guard up: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123914805204099085.html

Congratulations to our Cayuga County Chairman, Greg Rigby, on speaking out at the Interior Department Hearing on Energy in Atlantic City, N.J.. According to an ACU Press Release, Greg attended and said the following: "Greg Rigby, a Small Business Owner from Auburn, NY; told the hearing, "We need a balanced approach on our energy needs with a focus on gas and oil. We need to base our country's energy policy on science, not on emotion."

Did you know that the New York State budget just created instant millionaires? Amazing! And the "instant millionaires" didn't even have to buy a lottery ticket! Read how it happened here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123906034447494989.html

Henry Stern makes a case for term limits: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/04/05/2009-04-05_why_the_bums_stay_in_albany_politics_is_.html

Cal Thomas writes of the Iowa Supreme Court Decision: http://townhall.com/Columnists/CalThomas/2009/04/07/trouble_in_river_city

Thomas Sowell's best columns are titled "Random Thoughts" and here is a paragraph from today's: "Barack Obama seems determined to repeat every disastrous mistake of the 1930s, at home and abroad. He has already repeated Herbert Hoover's policy of raising taxes on high income earners, FDR's policy of trying to micro-manage the economy and Neville Chamberlain's policy of seeking dialogues with hostile nations while downplaying the dangers they represent. "
Read the rest here: http://townhall.com/Columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/04/07/random_thoughts


Don't forget to sign up to be a Fan on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/Conservative-Party-of-New-York-State/58774139300

New York's one party control of the Legislature and Executive branches of government, appears to have placed the "needs" of the Teacher's Union before the true needs of the students!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123897492702491091.html
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04062009/postopinion/editorials/uft_wins__kids_lose_163080.htm

Former Congressman Rick Lazio is moving around the state spurring talk of a possible GOP run for Governor. http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/630339.html

President Obama needs a quick lesson and what to do when sanctions and resolutions do not work for we all know that North Korea is not intimidated by either.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123897547166291201.html

And he should also have a quick lesson on what not to say while on foreign soil.
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=312213


On the positive side, know that we have a strong voice in the U. S. Senate http://spectator.org/archives/2009/04/06/political-greed

This just in: Save the Date - May 28, 2009 - for the 47th Annual Conservative Dinner in New York City. More details to follow.....

Weekly Wrap-Up

With all the bad budget news this week – here in New York and in Washington – let’s focus on something happier for a minute: Opening Day is almost here. The Mets are looking good heading into the season... but we all know that what matters is how they perform at the end of the season.

Let’s hope this doesn’t jinx them...

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04012009/sports/mets/jinx_is_in__si_picks_mets_to_win_it_all_162368.htm

For right now, I’m just ready to enjoy some baseball and the spring weather it brings.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/preview/ny-spbbmets0403,0,7742773.story

Here’s a game I’d rather not have to watch: Americans for Tax Reform is pitting New York against New Jersey in an “epic battle” to see which state can destroy itself first with higher taxes and uncontrolled spending. In this game, everybody loses.

http://atr.org/new-york-vs-jersey-battle-higher-a3088

Sheldon Silver and Gov. Paterson are certainly trying their best to drive taxpayers out of New York. We’ve been following the budget debacle all week here on the blog. Shaun Marie has posted links to the best stories. Make sure you didn’t miss any.

And remember: We’re also being hit by the bloated $3.5 trillion Obama budget just passed by Congress.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/04/03/2009-04-03_congress_passes_obamas_35_trillion_budge.html

At least Gov. Paterson is finding some humor in all of this. He thinks it’s hilarious that Rush Limbaugh is leaving New York City to get away from high taxes. Does the Governor really think that Mr. Limbaugh is the only person in New York planning to relocate to a more taxpayer-friendly locale?

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04032009/news/regionalnews/rail_promises_162706.htm

That article also talks about the MTA bailout plan the politicians are trying to orchestrate. Get ready for even more spending, if you can imagine that. And no, the date on that article is NOT 4/1 – but this quote makes you think it came out on April Fools Day...

“‘The fact is, this is a balanced and effective budget,’ Paterson said.”

The brave New Yorkers serving in our military who wanted to vote in this week’s special congressional election might be finding out that the joke is on them. I saw this on The Corner over at National Review Online: “The Shameful Disenfranchisement of the Military in New York’s Congressional Race.”

According to the story, “In New York, ten counties make up the 20th congressional district, and nine of them sent their absentee ballots to overseas voters too late for them to be received and returned in time to count in this election.”

Shameful is the perfect word for this. Our men and women in uniform are fighting for our freedom – but they’re not allowed to exercise their own freedoms back home.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NjUwYWJmMTRjNDNlOWYyMTVhNTFiOGFjMWJhYTJkZWQ=

This has been a rough week for taxpayers. Need a silver lining – besides baseball? Just remember that the Conservative Party can’t wait to take the liberals’ tax-and-spend policies to the voters of our state – so they can have a say in this.

It won’t be easy – but you can bet the Conservative Party will be working hard for you. If you’re as fed up as we are, make sure you vote in our new poll – and get your friends and family to register as Conservatives.

Try to have a good weekend.

When a prominent member of the Democratic Party, who served in the Legislature with Speaker Silver, states that the state budget "does not adequately respond to today's economic realities" you know there are serious problems, especially when that prominent member is the State Comptroller. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/04/02/2009-04-02_longwinded_lawmakers_in_albany_fail_to_p.html
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04022009/news/regionalnews/dinapoli_rips_fellow_dems_162493.htm

The NY Post Op-Ed piece by Bob McManus enlightens New Yorkers as to where the real power is in New York politics: http://www.nypost.com/seven/04022009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/the_king_of_ny_162480.htm
The quote of the day has to be from his column "Much of Silver's influence devolves from the irrelevance of Gov. Paterson and of Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith -- neither of whom could make an impression in a pail of wet concrete."

If you are confused about how big the spending increase is in the new state budget, you are in good company. E. J. McMahon, a renowned fiscal expert says in his NY Fiscal Watch column that "One of the many glaring shortcomings of the state budget process is that it is not possible to answer such questions with much certainty until the Division of the Budget (DOB) finally issues an Enacted Budget Report, up to 30 days after budget bills are passed." Read more here:
http://www.nyfiscalwatch.com/?p=1055#more-1055

New Yorker's are being hit hard with all of the new taxes, fees and increase in the PIT. Now comes the federal budget which will extract even more from us. Candidate Obama campaigned for change, little did we know that we won't even have any change left when both of the budgets are signed into law. http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/04/02/house,_senate_poised_to_adopt_pared-back_budget
http://townhall.com/columnists/MichelleMalkin/2009/04/01/the_shut_up_and_swallow_congress

Can a leopard change its spots? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123862834153780427.html

Hidden in the huge spending bill that is determined to diminish the lifestyles of the good citizens of New York is the outrageous "reform" of the Rockefeller Drug Laws. http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/04/01/2009-04-01_statute_of_liberty_albany_goes_extra_sof.html

Bill Hammond has an article on the "Three Kings of Albany" certainly worth reading.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/columnists/hammond/index.html

The New York Post Editorial points out how and more importantly why the Charter Schools in New York have been denied any increased funding. http://www.nypost.com/seven/04012009/postopinion/editorials/freezing_out_the_children_162265.htm

The 20th Congressional Race is still to close to call and it may be two more weeks before we know for certain who will represent the 20th Congressional District which is really too bad since Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) could use Jim Tedisco's support on the GOP alternative budget proposal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123854083982575457.html

Cal Thomas has a new column in "TheFoxNation" calling for the return of Reagan Republicans: http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/03/31/thomas_obama_gm/ and Thomas Sowell writes about the perils of a "Rookie President": http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/03/31/a_rookie_president

Do you know who said ""We see all the time . . . how the world really . . . is growing together. The challenge (will be) whether our Constitution . . . fits into the governing documents of other nations."? Frightening statement and even more frightening when you know that Justice Stephen Breyer is the person who made the statement. Do you know who Harold Koh is?
He has been nominated by President Obama for the position of legal advisor for the State Department and a likely future Supreme Court Justice. Koh believes laws of places like Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka should carry equal weight with the laws of Virginia and South Dakota...read more about him here: http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=323391460856338