Can we believe Speaker Silver when he says the millionaires tax is dead? Maybe he read this editorial, but I'm not totally convinced that he has, yet.

Read E. J. McMahon's article, then please be certain to vote in our poll, if you haven't already.

Michael Goodwin opines on the Wisconsin situation and the entitlement culture. More on Wisconsin here, here and Kim Stassel has a great story story on unions.

The NY Post Editorial, on Saturday, made it perfectly clear that the First Amendment should be respected.

The New York Post, wrote in its Sunday Edition, about 1500 teachers paid to do union business and miss class while paying another teacher to teach costing taxpayers twice. Are you comfortable with your tax dollars paying twice for one teacher to be in the classroom?

Please don't forget to contact your Senator and tell them you support S. 3501-B/ Flanagan. Click here for contact information.

Weekly Wrap-UP

The President certainly seems to have his priorities upside down this week – letting the International Community deal with Libya, while usurping the Constitution by giving the green light to the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act passed and signed into law in 1996. David Limbaugh goes even further than the New York Post Editorial and labels Mr. Obama as an “imperial president who is refusing to enforce a law passed by powerful congressional majorities while persisting in enforcing a law (Obamacare) that two federal courts have already invalidated. The only common denominator is that Obama believes he is the law.”

Regarding Obamacare, a proposal being considered is to let younger patients be the prime recipient for transplants, especially with kidneys.

So much turmoil abroad and here, President Obama, obviously needed a break with some good Motown Music.

Teachers, in Wisconsin, have a pretty good deal.

Leave it to the NY Times to have a misleading headline. Why couldn’t the Times say “Wisconsin Assembly Helps Taxpayers?

Charles Krauthammer is correct when he writes “Here stand the Democrats, avatars of reactionary liberalism, desperately trying to hang on to the gains of their glory years - from unsustainable federal entitlements for the elderly enacted when life expectancy was 62 to the massive promissory notes issued to government unions when state coffers were full and no one was looking.

New York has similar problems with its budget and the overwhelming costs that public sector unions impose on taxpayers. The Conservative Party believes that the Triborough Amendment eliminates incentives for good faith bargaining. Let us know what you think in our weekly poll.

Governor Cuomo appears to have avoided a major battle with the health care industry by forging an agreement to cut costs in Medicaid. The agreement still has to be adopted by the Legislature after they review the details.

Hope springs eternal and hopefully Spring is not far off. Enjoy the weekend, I know I will.

Red State has more on the Wisconsin situation. The WSJ with more on public vs private pensions.
Karl Rove opines on Wisconsin. NRO has some more facts on the Wisconsin budget.

NRO also has a strong opinion regarding President Obama's decision to declare the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.

The NY Post wants Governor Cuomo to push for changes in NY archaic "LIFO" teacher lay-off law. New Yorkers support change and apparently Gov. Cuomo believes an "objective evaluation" is needed.

The UFT is on a spending spree while teachers face layoffs.

Nicole Gelinas wants more from Gov. Chris Christie.

The cost of not drilling.

So much for being civil to each other. Would the NY Times be all over this story if a Republican said "Every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary"?

The Heritage Foundation weighs in on government unions.

Wisconsin is still under siege.

New York's Teachers Union is out of touch with reality. Maybe if the union officials were not guaranteed (Agency Shop) their dues and actually had to "earn" them, they would have a better understanding on spending wisely.

New York's public unions are less concerned than most public unions in other states since they are protected by the Triborough Amendment, and there is little chance of it being repealed at this time.

A gross misuse of YOUR money!

After reading this article, I don't believe we will be seeing any taxes being collected from the Seneca Nation soon. The Governor's budget includes the collection of cigarette taxes sold to non-Indians, so the question becomes, how will this deficit be filled?

Well said Investor's Business Daily.

New 21st Century Politics: Getting Government Out of the Way.

Bonus article from Thomas Sowell.

Wisconsin is still in the news. David Brooks has an article in the NY Times that has some good background information. John Fund asks the question: What's at Stake in Wisconsin Budget Battle? Jonah Goldberg on Public Unions Must Go.

Trouble in Indiana now? The WFP has a foot in Wisconsin, do you think they will be even more aggressive in our state? Be sure you vote in our poll.

Jersey has the right idea.

Judge Lippman has no idea how to cut spending.

The cost of gasoline, how high will it go? More here.

$100 million for Medicaid marketing?

John Bolton on the unrest in the Middle East.

John Thune withdraws from Presidential bid.

Thomas Sowell on Reckless Spending

Weekly Wrap-Up

This week has been all about the spending...

So far, so good: Speaker Boehner is representing the American people and working to hold the line on spending... (though via the Drudge Report and the Weekly Standard we learn that the Left wasn’t all that serious about their “civility” talk).

Meanwhile, the same old talk and gimmicks from Obama.

Here is The Washington Times on "Obama's Amazing Futureworld."

And John Podhoretz on the Obama Budget’s "not-so-tough choices."

Count Charles Krauthammer as "unimpressed" with the Obama Budget.

Buckle your seat belts - cutting spending is not going to be easy...

Profiles in courage, courtesy of Wisconsin. A protest is one thing, but for lawmakers to flee the state to avoid a tough vote... that’s unacceptable.

But should we expect much more from the Working Families Party liberals here in New York? I hate to say it, but probably not. What do you think? Vote today in our new Weekly Poll.

If you're looking for courage, don't ask Hillary...

... and don’t look to Obama's "Anti-Israel Agenda."

Have a great weekend!

E. J. McMahon on Mandate Relief.

Connecticut's Gift to New York.

Is the Administration disregarding their own proclamation on transparency?

The Heritage Foundation on the Administration's budget.

Karl Rove and Kimberly Strassel welcome republican discussion on spending cuts.

Cal Thomas on the possible republican entitlement plan to curb runaway spending.

Larry Kudlow on the economy.

Investor's.com on state pension reform.

Finally: Congratulations Tom Kirwan!

The Heritage Foundation writes about another poor judgement move by the Administration.

Sometimes you need more than a scalpel, Mr. President. What was that you chose to leave out?
The Washington Times on Obama's budget and his budget blarney.

Can there be more Dodd/Frank fallout? More on Frannie and Freddie and here also.

Terry Jeffery on socialism's trajectory.

Strange bedfellows agree that small budget cuts add up.

Yesterday we posted Mitch Daniels speech at the Ronald Reagan CPAC Dinner, apparently Rush Limbaugh didn't approve of his presentation. Isn't it possible both men are right?

Budget deficit takes largest share of economy since 1945.

The Heritage Foundation on Obama's budget. Investor's.com on Obama's budget.

The WSJ takes on Obamacare again.

Mr. President, some advice on how to really get the economy moving.

DiNapoli on Governor Cuomo's budget. The important thing to focus on is making the necessary real cuts in the budget and not depend on "smoke and mirrors" to give the illusion of spending cuts. However, the cynical part of me has to ask the question, is the critique of the budget being done at the behest of the Assembly?

Thomas Sowell with some very good advice for all elected republicans.

Next time you hear the words "draconian cuts" think of this article.

Two speeches at CPAC have a link and are well worth listening to.....rest assured they are not the only ones, rather only ones I could find: Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels at the Ronald Reagan Dinner Friday, George Will introducing him, and the closing speech of Congressman Allen West.

This happened before the full effects of Obamacare....scary how regulations can strangle a good system. Question, Mr. President, if entitlements are the largest portion of the budget and all agree that changes must be made to reign in spending on entitlements, why on earth, are you insisting that the largest entitlement ever be enacted?

Most of today's news is on budgets.... state and federal.

David Malpass on the President's budget: The President released his budget this morning covering ten years beginning with FY2012 (which starts October 1.)

Federal deficits, though large, decline during the 10-year budget window from $1.6 trillion in FY11 to $1.1 trillion in FY12 and to a low of $619 billion in FY18.
Spending grows to $5.7 trillion in 2021 from $3.8 trillion this year.
Over the 10-year budget window, the federal government would receive $39 trillion in taxes and spend $46 trillion.
Marketable debt grows to $19 trillion from $9 trillion now, putting it at 77% of GDP. The budget includes a graph showing that the debt-to-GDP ratio explodes beginning in the mid-2020s, heading to 150% of GDP in 2050 based on current policies (e.g. the rapid growth in real spending on Medicare in the 2020s and 2030s.)
Statutory debt grows to $26 trillion in 2021 from $14 trillion now. In the budget, that’s a 106% debt-to-GDP ratio in 2021 (GDP is assumed to reach $24.6 trillion in GDP.)
Net interest paid over the 10-year budget window is $5.7 trillion, with $844 billion paid in 2021 on the $19 trillion in marketable debt (about 4.4% average interest cost.)

Many of the assumptions used in the budget are optimistic. We think the debt-to-GDP ratios will be much higher than shown in the budget for both marketable and statutory debt unless policies are changed dramatically. In the next few weeks, CBO will provide a re-estimate of the president’s budget using more realistic (though still optimistic) assumptions. It will probably increase all of the deficit and debt estimates.

The president’s budget assumes an all-out economic boom, with real growth climbing from an already rosy 4% in 2012 to 4.5% in 2013 and 4.2% in 2014. This is over 1% faster than the CBO and Blue Chip economic forecasts and well above any growth rate achieved in the Bush expansion (when the national debt and unemployment were much lower.)
The budget assumes wages and salaries grow 6.6% per year in 2013 and 2014 when inflation is assumed to be a very low 2%. This means huge raises for workers even though unemployment is still assumed to be 6%-9% in that period.
Despite very fast GDP growth, the 10-year Treasury note is assumed to average 3.6% in 2012, the current yield.
Also holding the deficit down, the budget assumes that top bracket income tax rates rise sharply at the end of 2012 (when the Bush rates expire). The tax increase raises roughly $900 billion from 2013-2021, with no negative impact on economic growth.
The budget assumes the tax rate on carried interest is increased to ordinary income tax rates in mid-2011 (there are no current plans for such a tax bill). The new tax treatment of private equity is assumed to raise $2 billion per year in FY2012 and beyond.
The budget assumes defense spending is cut sharply to $553 billion in nominal terms in FY2012 and then grows very slowly throughout the budget window, reaching $668 billion in 2021. In contrast, interest costs rise from $242 billion in FY12 to $844B in FY21, putting interest costs well above defense spending. Defense spending would be only 2.7% of GDP in FY21, a record low.


What could you do with $3.73 trillion?

We know what Yemeni tobacco smuggler Taha "Saleh" Mutaher, did with the ill gotten gains from bootlegged cigarettes.

The Conservative Political Action Conference is now underway in Washington, and the highlight of the event will be the closely-watched Presidential Straw Poll. Who would you vote for? Cast your ballot today in our new Weekly Poll.

(Keep in mind we can’t include every single person who might be thinking about running in 2012, but we’ve tried to make the list as comprehensive as possible. And this isn’t Chicago – you can only vote for one person.)

Here is some recent coverage on a number of the 2012 contenders:

Mitch Daniels talks about his chances... Sarah Palin discusses foreign aid... Newt Gingrich talks energy and more... and we've got Tim Pawlenty on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

I know some people who would like to see Jim DeMint at the top of the ticket. Is the John Thune for President push losing steam?

Here’s an odd pairing: Donald Trump vs. Ron Paul.

Speaking of Trump – he seems to be pretty serious.

And then there's GOP long-shot – George Pataki? (Along with former Senator Rick Santorum, he’s a “longer-than-long shot,” according to Politico.)

Is there something about Massachusetts that makes people flip-flop? Here’s the latest on Mitt Romney.

Mike Huckabee is playing politics - and Michele Bachmann may be a contender.

Don’t forget Haley Barbour. And have you heard of Herman Cain?

Thanks to the RNC, you can send someone special a Chuck Schumer Valentine.

The Washington Times has no love for an extremist judicial nominee from right here in New York:

And Egypt is still in the news. The Heritage Foundation has the latest on the Obama Administration’s mishandling of the situation there.

Have a great weekend!

The Daily Star (the paper cover the Oneonta area) gives kudos to Governor Cuomo for demanding ethics reform. There is no doubt that ethics (the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation) have gone by the wayside as evidenced by daily news reports of politicians who have succumbed to their dark desires. Ethics reform is necessary, however, it is incumbent upon the voters to make better choices. Let's face it, we have all kinds of laws on the books that people break every day, in other words, no law will be able to prevent a crime, rather it will give society the means to "punish" the person who breaks the law/commits the crime. In the end, it is up to society, to raise the standards.

Peggy Noonan: being a good man helped him became a great man.

Reaganomics: What we learned, by Arthur B. Laffer.

Is this how we should be treating our friends?

The Heritage Foundation on Bernanke and debt.

Larry Kudlow on January's unemployment rate.

Cal Thomas on Dave Cameron.

The Democrat and Chronicle on pension reform. Sen. John Thune on blocking pension bailouts.

Schools can cut costs.

The Heritage Foundation on Patriot Act Facts.

The House is keeping their word.

Jobless recovery?

Wise words from William McGurn.

Auburnpub.Com: State can't allow Silver to block tax cap.

Most NY schools could cover aid cuts, according to a state Education Department report.

Thomas Sowell on Undermining Allies.

David Cameron on Multiculturalism

Many of the pundits have written about the exclusive interview between President Obama and Fox News "superstar" Bill O'Reilly and they have dissected most of what they deem important...Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, Obamacare etc., all worthy topics to be analyzed. The WSJ does have a good piece refreshing his memory on taxes. However, I must observe one thing about the interview that I believe gives us more insight into Barack Obama than any of his other answers. At about the 8:50 minute mark, Bill O'Reilly asks the President what he believes the worst part of this job is...the President's reply astounds me. Essentially, the President believes the worst part of being President is being in a "bubble"...not being able to have a spontanious conversation with someone. Hmmm, I guess looking into the eyes of a soldiers' spouse or their parents when they have been severly wounded or sacrificed thier life is less difficult than living in a "bubble". Says a lot about the man. Sadly.

The Heritage Foundation on Big Government, Big Business, Big Problem.

Investor's.com believes his (Obama's) words do not match his deeds. Guess they are right according to the WSJ.

CATO has a great ad educating people (and Congress) on Constitutional Authority.

Bob McManus wants to know if Speaker Silver has met his match.

Thomas Sowell writes about the Judicial Activism ploy.

Wow, this headline says a lot. So does the article.

California's cap and trade in trouble.

The Pension Reform of 2009 was a bandage, not a long term solution, Mr. Speaker. He should read E. J. McMahon's article.

This article may explain why we are losing 2 congressional seats.

They do have a point. If he needs three, couldn't he pay for two of them.

Yesterday, as we all know, would have been President Reagan's 100th birthday. President Reagan is sorely missed and these two articles explain why.

Weekly Wrap-Up

Obamacare is still in the news this week, with a devastating court ruling against this health care “reform,” and with every Senate Democrat (except for one brave soul who didn’t vote) blindly obeying Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer and the Obama Administration and voting against repeal...

Why does this vote matter? Answers from The American Spectator and The Wall Street Journal.

Via The Weekly Standard, we are reminded that The New York Times will stop at nothing to advance the left-wing perspective on the health care debate.

As The Weekly Standard points out, “The whole piece, though attempting to be subtle, is a plug for Obamacare.”

On the international front, Egypt is the biggest story this week.

Here is Charles Krauthammer’s take on the situation.

And we’ve got this from The Heritage Foundation.

There are concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood...

...and Israel is rightly worried.

What would President Reagan do about Egypt?
How do you think the situation in Egypt will affect our world? Vote today in our Weekly Poll.

Speaking of President Reagan: As we commemorate his 100th birthday this month, there is a great deal of remembrance about how this great leader transformed America, and what we can learn from him today.

Here and here you’ll find two perspectives from The Washington Times.

And The Heritage Foundation looks at “The Classical Virtues of Ronald Reagan.”

Have a great weekend!