Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Spitzer at it again...

According to the NY Post, Gov. Spitzer blew up at Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco saying, "Listen, I'm a f***ing steamroller and I'll roll over you and anybody else," then went on to say "I've done more in three weeks than any governor has done in the history of the state."

Is there any comment even necessary? All I have to say is that this should be an interesting few years with Eliot's real personality coming out time and time again. Let's not forget when he declared war against John Whitehead, telling him he'll be coming after him and that he'll pay the price, oh and the time he threatened Sean Hannity, his show, and his future. Just a few of Eliot's childish outbursts.

I feel it's almost pathetic someone like this got elected.

Re: NY Times Editorial

Click on the title of this post to see the article.

In response to an editorial in the NY Times yesterday that clearly ignores the relevent facts of the situation, I am going to defend our 2nd Amendment. Liberals beware, below are statistics that factually prove that Florida has it right when it comes to gun ownership laws.

What the author fails to mention in his high school quality position against pro-gunners is that in 2005, Florida recorded a murder rate 13% lower than the rate for the rest of the country and that Florida’s 2005 murder rate was 58% lower than it was in 1986, the last year before the state’s landmark Right-to-Carry law took effect.

Since we are throwing around facts, In 2005, 'Right to Carry' states had, on average, 22% lower total violent crime, 30% less murder, 46% lower robbery, and 12% lower aggravated assault rates, compared to the rest of the country (as Reported by the FBI).

To conclude their article, the author states:

"The gun lobby, predictably enough, is blaming “bleeding-heart, criminal-coddling judges and prosecutors” for this grim state of affairs. The truth is that the National Rifle Association has succeeded too well in herding legislators to do its dangerous bidding. Lawmakers in 38 states have approved bills allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons.

As in some of those states, Florida’s legislators take the position that it’s no fun to have a gun if you can’t use it. So they loosened the laws on self-defense to allow a civilian to stand and use deadly force “if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary.” If lawmakers had any sense of shame, they would undo these lethal threats to their constituents."

There is a reason that 46 states have laws permitting concealed carrying of firearms, and 38 states, accounting for two-thirds of the U.S. population, have Right to Carry laws; it is because people in positions to vote on legislation look at facts, not propoganda (which is something new to the New York Times, it's falling readership, bleak financial outlook, and its great past of top editorial plagiarism and fake stories). The facts overwhelmingly support that states that support gun ownership laws have less crime.

Sometimes you wonder just how much ranting garbage the Times will allow in its paper.

Final word: The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report shows that there are more than 2.5 million incidents annually of individual citizens using their gun to stop a crime.

Free to Choose Online

For a great lesson in free markets, check out Milton Friedman's PBS series, 'Free to Choose' , which Idea Channel is streaming online at www.ideachannel.tv.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The Pataki Plan

OK YRs... This just came across... Let the NYYRC know what you think.

www.thepatakiplan.com

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

State of the Union was passable

As State of the Union addresses go, it wasn't tediously long and self serving, like Bill Clinton's 2000 address. But it wasn't a barn-burner, like some of Bush's earlier speeches in the House chamber.

Bush's address had some nice ambitious notes in it: reducing our use of gasoline by 20% in ten years; market-based coverage for the uninsured. But like in speeches past, both from Bush and his predecessors, we are not exactly sure how we are to achieve these goals. But at least he's thrown down the gauntlet. Whether the folks he addressed in the House and Senate will take up that challenge is another story.

There were a couple of nice moments that only the power of television could provide and they made the speech that much more fun to watch. The first was New York CIty's own Wesley Autrey was in the gallery and got a shout-out from the President. He appeared to thoroughly enjoy the moment that he earned with his courage.

The second was Barack Obama sitting directly in front of Hillary Clinton. I don't know how the seating assignments were drawn for this affair, but their proximity for the cameras must have drawn more than a few chuckles from the House staff. Clinton and Obama did a good job of pretending not to notice each other, but I can't help but wonder if they weren't thinking about 2008 and didn't hear a word the President said.

New York City Republicans get new chairman

Or should I say Chairwoman? Jennifer Saul Yaffa was elected as leader of the New York Republican County Committee last night. Former Chairman James Ortenzio stepped down after nearly four years in the post, which he professed to have enjoyed immensely.

Mrs. Yaffa has spent years fundraising for the GOP and is the National Committeewoman for New York State. We all look forward to working with her.

Monday, January 22, 2007

State of the NYYRC - 2007

At the New York Young Republican Club's January 17, 2007, general meeting, I gave the following address about where we've been in 2006, and where we are going in 2007.

In the tradition of transparency and accountability that are the benchmarks of any successful democratically-elected organization, I would like to take a few minutes to present to you the state of New York Young Republican Club as it stands at the beginning of this New Year. I will review for you the accomplishments of 2006, and I will also present a series of projects and ideas for the coming months that I believe will help the Club continue to grow in 2007.

The benchmarks that offer the clearest picture of this organization's success are its total membership and its fundraising performance. While fundraising does include the generous contributions of Club alumni and supporters, the yearly dues that members pay to join this organization are our principal source of fundraising. Consequently, building a larger membership is key to maintaining a successful operation.

As of December 31, 2006, this organization...
read more here.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

PROTEST SPITZER FUNDRAISER TONIGHT

Day One has Come and Gone... and Eliot's Changing:

One of governor Spitzer's "Reforms" reads as such:
"Neither the Governor nor the Lieutenant Governor will hold or participate in any fundraisers within the Capitol Region during the legislative session"

BUT within NYC is fine...

So Let's go protest the fundraiser he's holding TONIGHT:

988 fifth ave, cross street is 81st, event starts at 6:00PM

Signs will be provided for. Governor Spitzer is charging $25,000 a head for this event!

Read more: http://blogs. timesunion. com/capitol/ ?p=3373

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Don't miss tonight's meeting

Come to the January monthly meeting of the New York Young Republican Club at the Union League at 38 East 37th Street, New York, NY. The meeting begins promptly at 7:00pm.

Featured speakers are Thor Halvorssen, President and CEO of the Human Rights Foundation; an international nonpartisan organization devoted to defending human rights in the American hemisphere. It centers its work on the twin concepts of freedom of self-determination and freedom from tyranny.

We will also be hearing from Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan. And I will be giving my president's report on the State of the Club in 2007.

And it's time to sign up for your 2007 membership. Please visit our membership page for details. You can purchase your membership online, or at tonight's meeting.

The Union League requires business attire. Please turn off your cell phone upon entry.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

January Meeting Wednesday, January 17

THE NEW YORK YOUNG REPUBLICAN CLUB, INC.
HOSTS HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION’S THOR HALVORSSEN
AT JANUARY GENERAL MEETING

New York, NY - The New York Young Republican Club will hold our January monthly meeting on Wednesday, January 17, 2007. The featured speaker will be Thor Halvorssen of The Human Rights Foundation, an international nonpartisan organization devoted to defending human rights in the American hemisphere.

Thor Halvorssen founded the Human Rights Foundation in the spring of 2005. Prior to that, Mr. Halvorssen led the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), the nation's pre-eminent student rights organization. Mr. Halvorssen has appeared on National Public Radio, Fox News Channel’s The O’Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes, MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Jon Stewart's The Daily Show, The Today Show and many others. Mr. Halvorssen is also a film producer.

Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan will also address the club.

Please join us at the Union League Club, located at 38 East 37th Street, on Wednesday, January 17, 2007, beginning at 7PM. Business attire required. Please check your coat at the door and turn off your cell phone. This event will be open to media that RSVP to pr@nyyrc.com.

About The Human Rights Foundation
HRF is an international nonpartisan organization devoted to defending human rights in the American hemisphere. It centers its work on the twin concepts of freedom of self-determination and freedom from tyranny. These ideals include the belief that all human beings have the rights to speak freely, to associate with those of like mind, and to leave and enter their countries. Individuals in a free society must be accorded equal treatment and due process under law, and must have the opportunity to participate in the governments of their countries; HRF’s ideals likewise find expression in the conviction that all human beings have the right to be free from arbitrary detainment or exile and from interference and coercion in matters of conscience. HRF’s International Council includes former prisoners of conscience Vladimir Bukovsky, Palden Gyatso, Armando Valladares, Ramón J. Velásquez, Elie Wiesel, and Harry Wu.

The New York Young Republican Club, Inc., is a not-for-profit political organization that exists to bring Republicans aged 18-40 together to discuss the Republican Party platform and aid the Republican Party in the education of the public about the Republican agenda and the promotion of Republican candidates for office. To find out more about the New York Young Republican Club, Inc. please visit the Website at http://www.nyyrc.com.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

No Promises:

After all the talk about how Eliot Spitzer was going to revitalize Upstate New York, his first press release takes a cautious tone.

While explaining his plans to make upstate an economic success, he starts by saying:

“The turnaround we seek won’t be easy and won’t occur immediately, but we will keep at it until the job is done.”

Where have I heard that line before?

He must be practicing for when President Bush puts him in charge of Iraq.

Friday, January 12, 2007

The beginning of the end:

As I read the articles and listen to the interviews it has become clear that not only the future of Iraq but also the future security of our interests at home and abroad are in danger. Despite the President’s best effort to take the fight to the terrorists and do what he knows is best for the security of our nation the people of our country are no longer capable of understanding. Gone are the days when the American people comprehended what was at stake. When they were capable of seeing the risk to the future if we did not act or hold the line.

With even Republicans now falling into the trap the only thing left is for our troops to go the way of Mogadishu in 1993. Al Qeada will be given new life and a new home to plot and attack American and western interests, the way they used Somalia to plot and attack our embassies in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kenya after Clinton pulled out.

The complete pullout of Iraq will be as momentous for Islamic terrorists and their host nations as was the Soviet pullout of Afghanistan. While Americans cheer that we are now home on our couches watching the E Channel, Al Qeada will use the opportunity to plot their next faze of the war.

At what point did we loose our understanding of what it takes to be a powerful and secure nation? Maybe we should be grateful that we’ve even made it this far. Had today’s American mentality beset us two centuries ago, America would very likely still be a handful of states without a western coast or worse the property of either Britain or Mexico. It might not even be the United States but two separate nations of north and south.

Maybe the change came when new generations of Americans forgot what it took us to get here. There is something sad about today’s masses when many don’t know what Pearl Harbor was or in some cases think she’s a singer. How many today even know that we fought a war in 1812, against who and why?

America is still a great nation but is unfortunately receding into a state of vulnerability. The reaction of Americans after 9/11 gave us a brief moment of what once was, a look back into the distant mirror of a time when American’s refused to cave or compromise the way our enemies currently are today and why after our forced withdrawal from Iraq, they will hold all the cards.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

This looks like a good spot:

After the President’s speech last night, I was flipping around to hear the various comments. When I got to CNN, they had their reporter standing right near a group of protesters who you heard chanting in the background.

There is no way CNN did not purposely setup near the protesters. You know CNN wanted to immediately squash any sense of hope that viewers may have had listening to the President.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

What about the parents?

The City Council has released its report on nightlife in the City titled, “Safer Nights, Safer City”. The report’s aim is to come up with recommendations on how to improve the safety of club goers after a number of fatal incidents. The Council’s ideas include everything from ID scanners and surveillance cameras (the ACLU must love that one) to shutting down clubs that have multiple offenses.

The problem I have with the report is once again our representatives fail to hold parents with any accountability. It was only a couple days ago when I discussed how the City refuses to call parents out on the failings of the city’s public schools and now the City Council has followed with not a peep about the role parents should be playing when it comes to their 18 year-olds club hoping in the city. In the Council’s report they start by showing examples of recent tragedies on the club scene, all included underage drinking.

Besides attacking nightclubs and spending more taxpayer’s dollars on a bigger police presence, Christine Quinn and the gang should tell the parents of this city to get their crap together and start being a parent. Without a joint effort between clubs making sure patrons are of proper age and parents making sure they know what their children are doing, the problem is not going to go away.

For once I would like to see at least one elected official stand up and tell the parents of these kids that they're the problem not the city or schools.

We must not run this time:

We’re currently at a point where no matter what President Bush says about the war in Iraq, Democrats are going to disagree. For Democrats the strategy has worked well as today’s American society with its need for immediate gratification have completely forgotten any history they might know and shifted support to the Democrats.

While Democrats have been telling the American public that there is no “global war on terror” the Horn of Africa has been under siege by Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda is not new to Somalia as it was the place Osama bin Laden first tested the American government and its people. Many might recall Bill Clinton’s decision to send troops to Somali in 1993 under the disguise of a humanitarian mission. Bin Laden sent in his fighters to battle it out, which created the now famous “Black Hawk Down” event. Bill Clinton, not willing to tell the American people the truth about Al-Qaeda or deal with a war, quickly pulled out our forces.

Since then Al-Qaeda has been building a presence in the Horn and until recently came very close to taking over the whole country. Today the battle in Somalia still rages on with just yesterday American forces using air attacks against Al-Qaeda operatives in the southern part of the country.

In an article in today’s FT reporting yesterday’s attack, they discuss the origins of Al-Qaeda in Somalia and its use as a base to launch the embassy attacks in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kenya. It also repeats what Bin Laden himself has said, which can also be found in the 9/11 report, that:

“it was the battle of Mogadishu that led him to believe the Americans lacked the stomach for war. More deadly attacks in east Africa followed.”

We know what followed after the attacks in east Africa, 9/11.

Based on Al-Qeada’s history should there be any doubt that a withdrawal from Iraq will not be viewed as “Americans lacking the stomach for war”?

Tonight during President Bush’s speech to the country I would like him to tell this story above and point out these facts, telling the American people that this time it’s imperative to hold the line.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Poland’s participation in Iraq:

For everyone still frantic over the idea that a nation’s leader would go to war for strategic reasons, lets take a look at Poland who aided us in the liberation of Iraq.

Yesterday Poland and a large portion of Europe had their flow of oil stopped after Russia decided to shut it off. Russia claims the pipeline it flows through was being siphoned by Belarus, so they shut it down at the expense of Europe who relies on it to survive. The country worst affected was Poland who gets 96% of its oil from the pipeline.

Looking back at the liberation of Iraq, the reason for Poland’s participation becomes a little more obvious. With Iraq holding the second largest reserves in the world, a free and Democratic Iraq could mean a new source of oil for Poland. Considering Poland is at the mercy of Russia, it was worth the risk to get involved. Though it hasn’t paid dividends yet, yesterday’s pipeline closure helps explain why they would join the coalition of the willing.

The sooner American’s remember that the world always been and still is one big chess match, the sooner our politicians can come together and get things done for the best interest of our nation.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Huh?

Did anyone see Bloomberg’s news conference on the gas smell. He said they don’t know the source or what it is but it’s not dangerous.

How do you know it’s not dangerous if you don’t know the source or what it is?

Lets take a look at this:

It was just announced that President Bush will address the nation on Wednesday at 9:00 PM to inform us about his new Iraq strategy. Democrats are probably already writing up their drafts on how their going to attack the President and his war on Iraq before they even hear what he has to say.

Democrats have been exploiting the difficulties in Iraq for political gain with the hopes of forcing a complete withdrawal. They want Americans to know that they were the ones who brought their men and women home. The question though is at what cost?

Say Democrats are successful and we’re forced to withdraw completely from Iraq, what are some possible outcomes?

The biggest risk to America is Iraq breaks out into a complete civil war with a new leader emerging that makes Saddam look like George Washington. We already know that the one thing Al-Qaida cherishes is a comfortable home to plot the West’s demise. President Clinton’s withdrawal from Mogadishu is a perfect example of what could happen. We know that a number of terrorist attacks were planned from there and the whole country was close to falling into the hands of Al-Qaida if it wasn’t for West friendly Ethiopian forces that came in to help.

Another worse case scenario is that Iran uses the upheaval to send in a stabilizing force to take over the country. I think by now Iran knows the world is not ready to start a war with them and would let Iraq become Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Munich.

The only hopeful outcome is that the different factions come together and follow through with an elected government. The reality is if they haven’t been able to do it in the last two years, they’re definitely not going to do it when American forces leave. As I’ve said in the past, if President Bush could be blamed for anything, it’s having faith in the Iraqi people that they would not revert back to a state of nature and sit down and start a normal government.

Considering that we no longer have bases in Saudi Arabia would leaving Iraq be the best option for U.S. security? Iraq is a strategic asset for a variety of reasons and its unfortunate Democrats are going to risk the future security of our nation because they don’t have the stomach to tell Americans like it is. Americans need to get over the delusion that the world is a pretty place and that as a nation you don’t have to play hardball. If they don’t and we continue to travel down this road, nations like China, Iran, Russia and even Venezuela are going to give us a spanking.

Something tells me we’ll be here again:

With Eliot Spitzer’s election it appears the public school system and it’s legion of teachers, is going to get the billions more that it wants. The reality is that despite the money they will receive I can easily predict that it will do nothing to improve the system and that they will be coming back several years from now to ask for billions more for the same reasons. I recall during the Giuliani era the continuous fight he had over public school funding. The best line at the time came from Rudy when during a dinner I attended he said, “another billion dollars is not going to fix the problem”.

While riding the bus on Friday I was reminded why Rudy is right. In the back of the bus were four teenagers, a girl and three boys. The four were in the back throwing F bombs and other vulgar language loudly that wanted me to go home and take a shower. They constantly were referring to beefs that they had with people and other nonsense. Basically it included anything but a normal conversation. This is the type of behavior you typically see from NYC public high school kids riding the MTA.

Observing these miscreants it becomes apparent that billions of dollars more to the system is not going to change anything. The problem runs deeper then classroom sizes or teacher pay. The problem is the household these children are raised in. John Locke, the Social Contract Theorist that our founding fathers turned to when writing the U.S. Constitution, believed that every child is a product of their environment. He believed anybody could be molded into anything based on their surroundings in their early life. Proofs of his theories are all around us. The Manning brothers would probably not be playing professional football today if it wasn’t for their father. Watching the Apprentice last night and Ivanka Trump, it’s obvious the influence her father had on her, including her decision to study hard and graduate from Wharton.

When I ask why does the Catholic School system in the city work so well at graduating students and preparing them for life I already know the answer. It’s because the parents write a check every month giving them a vested interest in their child’s success. The parents, I’m one of them, want to know what we’re getting for our money and want our children to come home with results. It makes us an active participant in the schooling of our children leading to the success that Catholic Schools have. In the public school, a large majority of the students go home to parents who don’t have an interest and don’t ride their children like a racehorse when it comes to their work or to be respectful young adults.

If smaller classrooms were the issue then I would say show them the money but it’s not. The teachers union, Gov. Spitzer and everyone else needs to start holding parents accountable. At a town hall event with Joel Klein a couple years ago when it came to problems with the school system, not once did he mention the parents. Why is the city so afraid to call it like it is? Who are they afraid they’re going to offend?

Friday, January 05, 2007

Will Democrats ever give credit to tax cuts?

The job numbers for the month of December are out and once again the “greatest story never told”, to steal a line from Larry Kudlow, continues to live on.

The report from the Labor Department showed the U.S. added another 165,000 jobs in December compared to a forecast of only 100,000. Wages, the hot issue for Democrats, jumped 4.2% over last year, which was double the rate of inflation during the same period.

Another interesting note about the survey is economist claim that the problem with our current job market is not growth but instead not enough skilled workers. Even New York, for those that say it’s in “shambles”, is having problems filling skilled jobs. The recent Federal Reserve Beige Book for the district of New York stated:

“A major employment agency reports that the labor market has grown increasingly tight, and that recruiters are using referral bonuses more aggressively to find skilled workers; moreover, firms are reported to be making increasingly widespread conversions from temporary to permanent positions. Hiring is reported to be particularly strong in the legal services and banking industries; a rebound in demand is also noted for workers in public relations and advertising. A contact at a financial industry association indicates that business activity, revenues and profits have strengthened in recent months, and that hiring activity has been solid.”

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Not all victories are obvious:

Of all the things mentioned in Eliot Spitzer’s State of the State Address, the one that stood out the most was his pledge not to raise taxes.

Since the beginning of his campaign, taxes have been a favorite topic among Republicans when it came to attacking Spitzer. Spitzer’s early silence on the issue and his refusal to rule out raising them gave Republicans, no matter how futile their chances of winning, something to rally around.

As projected Spitzer won and Republicans around the State viewed the whole election as a complete fiasco with nothing to show for it. Yesterday’s speech though did give Republicans something to be proud of. Spitzer’s bold claim that he won’t raise taxes might never have occurred if Republicans didn’t constantly claim Spitzer would raise them if elected.

If Spitzer appears to be anything, it’s the type of person who will do something out of spite to prove you wrong. So if Republicans spent months telling New Yorker’s he would raise taxes, he will do whatever he can to prove them wrong, so they can’t come back and say we told you so. Spitzer might think his refusal to raise taxes is a victory over Republicans who said he would. I say it’s a victory for Republicans who kept him from doing it.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

You don’t say:

The FT has an article this morning about how Argentina’s energy sector is reeling after price controls were placed on fuel by the government.

In the article former energy secretary, Daniel Montamat, states that:

“low prices had led to low investment across the sector, which had held back oil production and refining capacity, resulting in insufficient diesel to meet demand.”

As Democrats start their reign, Argentina’s attempt at price controls and its disastrous affect should be a warning to Americans about Democrats goal of setting price controls on drugs. If price controls are put in place, investments in new drugs and the supply of current ones will decline making the flu vaccine shortage that took place a few years ago because of President Clintons price controls, look like a slap on the hand.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Is he living in the same State I am?

Just like that the Eliot Spitzer era has officially begun. Spitzer trying to continue to make New Yorkers believe the world is crumbling down around them, stated during his speech that “New York has slept through much of the past decade while the rest of the world has passed us by” under Governor Pataki. Really?

If that was true somebody forgot to tell the New York real-estate market that has seen prices skyrocket over the last decade. Even homes in Suffolk County that were barely $100K ten years ago now sell for over a half a million.

Somebody also forgot to tell the New York job market that has unemployment under 5%, the rate considered to be full employment in society.

Everyday I look around and see a Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, etc. that is better today then ten years ago. I see a State and its current statistics that are gong to make it extremely hard for Eliot Spitzer to improve upon. What’s he going to do take unemployment to unprecedented levels of 3% or crime down another 47%? Good luck!

The only one in New York that has been sleeping during the last decade is Eliot Spitzer and those that wanted to believe that Pataki was a bad Governor.