Old Line Elephant

Moving

2010-02-16T21:34:00.003-05:00

Old Line Elephant is officially moving OldLineElephant.com. Archives will remain here at the old blogspot account.

2012 Candidates on Paper

2010-02-14T22:15:00.005-05:00

Here's a question for you - here are some credentials - who would you vote for all things considered?

One term Governor of a Democratic leaning state, highly successful business leader, fiscal conservative.

Former Vice President, former Secretary of Defense, 10 years experience in the House of Representatives, supports legalizing same-sex marriage, military hawk.

20 years experience in the House of Representatives, policy wonk, Speaker of the House for 4 years.

3 year Associate Attorney General, 8 year Mayor of nations largest incorporated city, former US Attorney, fiscal conservative, military hawk.

Successful owner of large construction firm, two term Governor of a swing state, libertarian-leaning Republican, no other political experience.

Who would you vote for? Please vote now!

In Defense of Term Limits

2010-02-10T19:51:00.005-05:00

Delegate James King (R) has proposed HB660, which would bring up to a vote a Constitutional amendment to implement 2 term limits for the General Assembly, Comptroller, Attorney General, and Governor. Over at Red Maryland, Brian Griffiths makes some very valid arguments about term limits, but I will have to respectfully disagree.

The central point to Mr. Griffiths; argument is that Maryland will become like California, where deficits are out of control because the only memory left in the system is that maintained by unelected political insiders. While partially true - it fails to note a few key elements of the term limit proposal. First, the assumption is that Maryland will automatically fall into the trap that California has fallen into - he fails to note the number of other States which are doing just fine with term limits. Only 30% of States have legislative term limits, yet 4 of the lowest unemployment rates in the US are from States with legislative term limits. The number one and number four lowest State budget deficit as a percentage of their general fund...have legislative term limits.

Second, the system does not work well as is. We have the same people in office for decades voting the same way in a rarely changing legislature. With term limits it allows people the freedom to enter into office with their own individual agenda to hope to accomplish, and not be as beholden to the party establishment. People will be able vote based on their conscience and not merely based on party whipping. The concept of citizen legislators is something to which we should all strive. Politics should not be a career path - politics can not be the only thing that defines ones life. But, I've discussed this before, so I digress.

Third, I agree with Griffiths on his other proposed reforms. Single member legislative districts and independent redistricting are great ideas. I feel that a combination of reforms are necessary to fix our legislature and our government. Term limits will minimize permanent politicians; single member districts would make each legislator more directly accountable; and independent redistricting will prevent the Democratic establishment from removing all the Republican leaning districts.

Now, to deal with the undue influence of lobbyists? I propose that we require State legislators to publicly declare any relative, former staff member, or personal connection who is a declared lobbyist on any level of government. By publicly declare, I mean that they should list those connections on the official webspace provided them by the State of Maryland. Also, we should require that State legislators and their staff are required to wait at a minimum of 24 months following the end of their service to the State to become a State or federal lobbyist. These are just two proposals, but I am sure there are other common sense, Constitutionally sound reforms we can come up with reasonable limits and open information.

Preventing undue influence by "professional staffers" I think is less of an issue than Mr. Griffiths seems to appear. Historic Congressional data suggests that the average staff person serves in office for approximately 5 to 6 years, compared to the average term of a Congressman of 10 years. I've never worked in a legislative office, so I can not discuss with confidence on the culture. All I know is that if I were a newly elected legislator that I would only want minimal carryovers and staff that was dedicated to assistance with legislative research. With term limits, aides would be focused less on those activities that many legislators do to bolster reelection bids (the press releases, mass mailings, etc) and more on the job of helping the legislator...legislate.

Now, this is not the perfect proposal, I think bringing this idea forward is the right idea. I would be more supportive of 3 terms for State Legislatures to allow for more memory in the Legislature, but even openly discussing the possibility is a step in the right direction. Openly debating the pros and cons of term limits is good and healthy.

2010 GOP Hopefuls: Carmen Amedori

2010-02-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

In 2010, the Republicans need a solid candidate to take on Barbara Mikulski. Why? The incumbent Senator has a) been in office for too long and has lost touch with her constituents; b) needs to be stopped for earmarking funds to top campaign contributors. Who can stop Mikulski? Previously, I had profiled Queen's Anne County Commissioner, Dr. Eric Wargotz. Recently, a new challenger has arrived - former member of the Maryland House of Delegates Carmen Amedori.

Amedori served from 1999 until 2004 in the Maryland House of Delegates. She served on the Judiciary Committee in the House of Delegates and served as Deputy Minority Whip (2002), then as Assistant Minority Leader (2003). In 2004, then Governor Bob Ehrlich appointed Amedori to the Maryland Parole Commission (MPC). The MPC oversees matters pertaining to parole release and when appointed, Amedori becamse the first Republican to serve in 36 years. Her term expired at the end of 2009 and O'Malley did not reappoint her as far as I know. Prior to her political experience, Amedori was a paralegal and a reporter for the Baltimore Sun.

2004 was her last year in the House of Delegates, so the last round of bills she sponsored could give an interesting picture into where her political views lie. The first thing that pops out is her tough attitude on crime and her support of the right to defend your property. She also supports pro-life legislation. She also supported tort reform, gun rights, a ban on human cloning, and localized education control. All in all, this shows a decidedly conservative record on support of legislation.

NewsMeat has very few details on Amedori's donation history - only noting a donation to McCain in 2008 and the Maryland GOP. Monoblogue pointed out Amedori's lifetime rating from the Maryland Accountability Project, an independent conservative group, was 66. In comparison to her compatriots in the House of Delegates, Monoblogue states that "...put her among the top 10 conservatives in the House during the time."

In the end, Amedori sounds like a conservative, Republican candidate. Can she run the right kind of campaign to defeat Mikulski? Only time will tell on that. She currently does not have an active, official website - but she is becoming active on Twitter if you would like to know more. I know that I would.

We Always Forget About the Don't Ask

2010-02-05T12:57:00.002-05:00

With the President'a announcement that he wanted to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the American people have focused on the injustice they feel was caused by the measure. They focus on the fact that homosexuals could not serve openly in the military and that they could be discharged for displaying "homosexual conduct." I agree with those who want to allow people to be able to serve in the military without hiding their sexual orientation. If one is gay and wants to defend my country, I don't care as long as they are able to perform their duties. In the words of the late Senator Barry Goldwater, "You don't have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight."

That said, as we focus on the issue of "injustice" we forget that this policy was put in place for more than one reason. The "Don't Tell" part is the easy one to focus on - but we often forget about the "Don't Ask." In addition to putting it in place to maintain the norms of the military and compromise with the conservative establishment, it was also put in place to protect homosexual people. How? It prevented people from prying and asking about ones sexual orientation. You are not allowed to harass or question someone if you suspect them of being homosexual - hence the "Don't Ask."

Privacy is important as there are some people who may be uncomfortable and act inappropriately around someone who is openly gay. The "Don't Ask" provisions allowed a person to maintain their private life as private as they desire. What we need to remember is that these protections, these measures implemented to allow people to keep to themselves and not be harassed, must be included in whatever modification is made to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policies.

I really don't have anything else to say on the topic. As I stated at the beginning, I have no problem with revoking this policy. My only hope is that whatever new policies are implemented that we as a people remember that each person has the right to not talk about their private lives. They should not be required to answer questions about their sexual orientation and, frankly, should not be asked. If we get rid of the "Don't Tell" and allow gay military personnel to serve as openly as they wish, let remember to "Not Ask" and allow people be as private as they want to be.

Andrzejewski for Congress?

2010-02-03T15:01:00.002-05:00

In 2010, a conservative superstar was born in Adam Andrzejewski. He ran a spirited campaign for Governor of Illinois with a great deal of grassroots support that, sadly, lost the GOP primary. For the politically inexperienced Andrzejewski, the fact that he received 14.5% in the GOP primary is actually a major accomplishment considering he began the primary season polling around 2%. Conservatives have shown an affinity to Andrzejewski and it would be disappointing if his promising political ambitions end with the loss in this campaign. My suggestion? Run for Congress in 2012.

Andrzejewski currently resides in Illinois' 13th District, which is currently represented by 72 year old Republican Congresswoman Judy Biggert. Biggert is a member of the Republican Mainstreet Partnership and Republicans for Choice. While she has a mostly conservative record on issues of taxation, a review of major votes and interest group ratings paint an interesting picture on other conservative issues. Biggert totes the party line when whipped, but she has crossed party lines on issues that may annoy some conservative such as to expand hate crimes, increase spending federal community service programs, give the FDA power over tobacco products, and to support overriding Bush's veto of federal spending on embryonic stem cell research. She's decidedly pro-choice and has gotten high marks from a PAC which supports expanded federal funding of the arts. In 2009, the Club for Growth gave her an 18% on their RePORK Card. In the end, the people of the 13th district can do better - Andrzejewski would be much better.

For those who do not know, Andrzejewski is a 40 year old self-made millionaire. In 1997, he founded the publishing firm HomePages Directories with his brother. The company published "hometown" phonebooks which were hyper-local (~7 mile radius) and became very successful. Success Magazine highlighted their business in 2006. After he sold off his portion of the company, he created a grassroots organization to teach people how to organize and lobby to get local school boards / counties to post specific spending details on-line. The results in increasing transparency across Illinois have been remarkable.

Andrzejewski is an across the board conservative who is young, charismatic, and can eloquently present his views on the issues. As a member of Congress, it would give Andrzejewski a forum to discuss the issues and a new arena that needs someone fighting for transparency. It's not the executive position he was born to fill, but it is a good role that he can succeed in. It will also allow him to hone his political skills with difficult, but winnable campaigns. Following success in Congress, Andrzejewski becomes an increasingly viable candidate for Governor in future elections (2014 or 2018) or potentially for US Senate (2014).

America needs more people like Andrzejewski. I hope we see more of him on the national stage in the future - a Congressional run is a great way to start.

Thoughts on SC-03

2010-02-01T22:10:00.001-05:00

South Carolina's third Congressional district is one of the few in 2010 where the Republican candidate is not running for reelection. Congressman Barrett is currently a candidate for Governor of South Carolina. This creates an open seat and already it's turning into an interesting primary. Current candidates include a local attorney Neal Collins, a Pastor Richard Cash, Ron Paul activist and local physician Mike Vasovski, and three State legislators - State Representative Rex Rice, State Representative Jeff Duncan, and State Senator Shane Massey. The incumbent has won in the past with over 60% of the popular vote, so a good look at the Republican primary because that winner will most likely become the next Congressman from that district.

First, let us look at the State Legislators. For the Legislators, one can look right to their records and their historic approval rating from outside organizations such as the Club for Growth, to determine their conservative credentials. Here are the approval / interest group ratings for Rice, Massey, and Duncan. The first thing I notice is that all three men are grade A NRA supporters. Also, Rice has a much larger record than the other two legislative candidates and, in 2006-2007, shifted sharply left on fiscal issue garnering below a 50% rating from the Club for Growth in 2007 and a 55% in the 2008 legislative session. On the other hand, Duncan started at the 75% in 2005 and has since had a rating of over 90% from the Club for Growth. Massey has an approval rating of above 90% as well, but a much shorter record to look at. In 2008, Massey and Rice both dropped below 70% support for "South Carolina Business and Industry Political Education Committee," a SC specific "pro-business growth" PAC. Duncan remained above 70%. From these records alone, Duncan has the better record on fiscal issues. Rice and Massey have decent record - but Rice is more spotty and Massey's is less complete, having only been elected in 2006.

To determine the benefit of the other three candidates - we need to review their platform and take them at their word. Collins specifically calls out spending federal funds on high-speed rail through SC-03 (pork) and increased spending on higher education by the federal government. Both of these platform items are not consistent with a fiscally conservative platform.

Vasovski has a very vague platform which mostly states, "I support small government." He also states that he supports a non-intervention platform in his essay on the topic. He specifically states that this is not the same as isolation - which is good to mark that distinction. He's also apparently been a candidate since 2008 for this office. Before I can make a serious analysis of the candidate - I would need to know more.

The final non-legislator candidate is Pastor Richard Cash. As expected, Cash spends a great deal of time discussing faith and God. He actually has an entire bullet point in his platform entitled "God." He makes very clear his views on the issues - including support of laws which would prohibit pre-marital sex and homosexuality, and supporting Congressional intervention in the Supreme Court to pre-decide if cases are eligible for judicial review. I oppose those entire platform points - the federal government especially has no place in trying to police people's personal lives and his idea on Congress goes against the entire spirit of separation of powers.

Based on this quick analysis of their platforms - none of the non-legislative candidates are truly all around conservatives. Based on their fundraising potential - none of the three of them are viable candidates. Of the Legislative candidates - Massey has the most money on-hand, but as you will notice over 50% of that is a loan from himself. Rice and Duncan have comparable amounts of money remaining on-hand.Both received around the same amount of PAC money. The difference? Duncan's other donations have been primarily organic with a $10,000 loan to himself and nearly $100,000 of individual contributions. Rice loaned himself over $50,000 to his campaign. Sure, he's raised more money - but only about 20% more than Duncan thus far.

Back to platform review for our legislative candidates. Rice mentions that he's a gun rights supporter, pointing to his A rating from the NRA. Rice supports the Fair Tax - i.e. a federal sales tax combined with a "prebate" given to everyone at the beginning of the year. I, personally, oppose this venture - once people find out that the government can pay them money, they'll actively try to vote themselves more money.

Massey and Duncan have similar platforms on fiscal issues. Both support tax reductions, both are "Taxpayer Heroes" from the South Carolina Club for Growth. What's interesting is the entire lack of discussion of social issues in Massey's platform. Massey does not mention gun rights, he does not mention abortion, and he does not mention immigration. While his platform is complete on most fiscal issue - many of the issues that matter to all around conservatives appear to be ignored. Duncan's platform discusses that he's pro-life, support of private parternships on energy independence, support of second amendment rights, and support of the State's rights to enforce their own immigration laws.

Now, I'll be honest - I don't live in South Carolina and am not fully familiar with the district, but based on how these candidates look on paper alone - Duncan appears to be the most capable and qualified with a solid platform. Anyone who knows more and has additional insight would be greatly appreciated. This six way primary is an interesting one to watch.

Interview - Delegate Candidate Rani Merryman

2010-01-30T17:07:00.003-05:00

Rani Merryman is a Republican candidate in the 8th Legislative District for the House of Delegates in Maryland. Her background is varied - working at a number of different small busineses before becoming a stay at home mom when her youngest child was born. She wants to be a citizen legislator and is running for the future of our State. She was willing to sit down and answer a few of my questions in an e-mail based interview. Here are her responses.

M.R. Newman: If you could summarize your campaign in a single sentence, what would you say?
Rani Merryman: As a mother, community leader, taxpayer and concerned citizen, I will fight for the interest of the people, not the special interest groups, as well as challenge legislators to help the small business community.

MRN: If elected, what would be the first piece of legislation you would propose in the 2011 legislative session?
RM: Establish a Sunset Committee—This committee will scrutinize state programs to determine if they are necessary and where they can be cut. This committee will investigate duplication of services and to make sure programs are still necessary. It will allow for greater accountability in tax dollars. In Annapolis we have tons of committees devoted to spending our tax dollars. We need at least one committee looking for ways to cut spending. This is common sense reform that will make strategic ongoing cuts rather than one-time, across the board cuts. Agencies being reviewed by the Sunset Committee could automatically be terminated without new legislation to continue them.

MRN: Maryland currently has an estimated $2 billion budget deficit, what do you feel can be done to fill this budget gap besides tax hikes?
RM: Legislators must be able to stand for the citizens they represent, even if that means the unpopular decision to send a budget back to the administration until it returns as a fiscally sound proposal. The initial role of government is to provide basic infrastructure, law enforcement and education to name a few. When adopting a budget that is bloated with special interest bureaucratic favors, we jeopardize ALL of the necessary programs as well as the wish list projects. Entitlement spending MUST be curtailed and systematically reduced until we are no longer outspending our revenue and have reduced the tax burden on residents.

We have a duty to the residents of Maryland to champion a tax structure that is congruent with economic growth for private citizens, which encourages private sector job creation. The economy and meaningful private sector jobs have to be our first priority, especially now. When I was growing up, if we wanted a new scoreboard for the stadium at school, we raised the money through the booster clubs. It could take years to achieve our goals. When the project was complete, it was a big deal in our community, everyone knew about it. You had either been selling ham sandwiches for years or eating ham sandwiches for years. Everyone in the community was invested in the project. By cutting taxes for the residents of MD and putting the power of their income back in their hands to do as they see fit, jobs will be created by small business and communities will support the programs and businesses that work for their residents.

MRN: What is your opinion of the current incumbents (Boteler, Bromwell, and Schuler) in the 8th House of Delegates district?
RM: Right now our state is faced with a deep recession. Our legislative leaders must be focused on improving our economy. I admire Delegate Boteler’s 100% rating with the National Federation of Independent Business – our nation’s leading small business association. Regarding the voting records of the other District 8 legislators, you can refer to my position regarding legislators willing to stand up to their party to vote against the Administration. When it comes to issues such as the budget, those who voted to pass the largest increase in Maryland’s history on the most recent budget, I find them to be just as culpable by simply acquiescing.

MRN: In 2010, Maryland voters will once again have the opportunity to vote to hold a Constitutional convention. Would you be in favor of a Constitutional convention?
RM: While our state has many issues, by re-writing the language of our Constitution, we create the possibility of giving more power to the federal government and less to the state. The idea of the Constitution is to protect the people from an over reaching government, used in that manner, it does a good job. I have not seen a systemic failure in the Maryland Constitution; No matter this constitution or another, it is only as good as the citizens it protects and their willingness to understand and enforce the rules it conveys.

I am hoping to see a government renaissance of sorts that would raise the interest, education and knowledge of how American government works at every level to protect the citizens. If we can achieve that goal, I think we might be more well suited to hold a Constitutional Convention in the future. At this time, I cannot say that I would be in favor of a Constitutional Convention.

MRN: Marylanders for Responsible Enforcement is collecting signatures to reverse a decision made by the Legislature to implement speed cameras in school and construction zones. What is your opinion on these efforts?
RM: I agree whole heartedly with the efforts to remove the speed cameras. I testified in front of the Baltimore County Council on this issue. Simply put, speed cameras don’t work. First, imposing law that is incongruent with our legal system should not be allowed. There is no opportunity to face your accuser. We cannot create legislation that subverts existing law.

The speed camera legislation is simply a revenue bill. Choosing instead to place police officers on the street in place of cameras we are maintaing local jobs, protecting citizens and their rights as well as deterring other forms of crime at the same time. The communities in Maryland deserve safe and empowered communities in which to raise their families and as legislators this premise should be our first priority.

MRN: On your website, you mention a Buy Local Initiative. Can you tell me a little more about this initiative? Is this a legislative initiative or a personal initiative?
RM: It is indeed a personal initiative though could also have legislative possibilities. The idea behind a buy local initiative is simple. When residents spend their money at locally owned brick and mortar businesses, they are promoting our local economy. Tax dollars are paid into our state, the salaries of sustainable private sector jobs are funneled back into our community through the purchase of goods and services and local residents who work at these establishments support our infrastructure with the property taxes they pay.

It is my goal to create legislation that champions local business; grow Maryland’s economy by enacting tax relief for small business who sell their goods and services predominantly here at home. Let’s provide sales tax relief for Maryland consumer’s that buy “Made in Maryland” products.

I love to see communities that employ and support the majority of their residents. I have been hard pressed to find anyone that will disagree, our communities have been breaking down for years. With a buy local initiative, communities are one step closer to the neighborhood of yesterday and supporting the endeavors of our residents rather than financing big corporate agendas.

I'd like to thank Rani Merryman for her honest and interesting answers. She was intereviewed by the Baltimore Examiner here, if you wanted to learn more about her candidacy.

Interview - Delegate Candidate Justin Ready

2010-01-27T11:00:00.003-05:00

Justin Ready is a candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 5A. The 27 year old Ready had is a small business owner who worked with two different State Legislators and most recently was the Executive Director of the Maryland Republican Party. Ready agreed to answer a few questions about his thoughts on the issues and his campaign. To follow are his answers from our e-interview.

M.R. Newman: If you could summarize your campaign in a single sentence, what would you say?
Justin Ready: It is clear that Maryland needs a new direction, new leadership, and fresh ideas. I'm running to make sure that Carroll County remains a place where families can afford to live and businesses can thrive. (That's two sentences, sorry)

MRN: In the 2009 legislative session, a number of Delegates proposed a personhood amendment to the State Constitution which would define personhood as beginning at conception and that such persons deserve all the rights of every other person in the State including the right to life. Delegate Dwyer has promised to reintroduce this legislation in the 2010 session. What is your opinion on this proposal?
JR: I agree with it. I am strongly pro-life and believe that life begins at conception. We must value life, born and unborn.

MRN: District 5A is currently represented in the House of Delegates two Republicans. What is your opinion of the two incumbent legislators in this district (Shewell, Stocksdale)?
JR: They are both good people who have the best intentions. I'm running because Maryland faces a dire situation and we need vocal, conservative leaders to turn the tide in this state and make a real difference for us in Annapolis. Because Republicans, conservatives in particular, are outnumbered in Annapolis, it is crucial that our elected officials be strong and energetic, constantly working creatively to persuade others to reject the left-wing tendencies in Maryland. Also, it's important for "safe seat" Republicans to be more politically active, using their influence to build the party and help candidates locally and around the state.

MRN: You previously served on the Maryland GOP Executive committee. How do you feel these experiences will translate to serving in the House of Delegates?
JR: There were a lot of great lessons for me. It really gave me the opportunity to get to know hundreds of our great conservative activists around the state and compare notes on what we need to do to really turn Maryland around. From a more practical standpoint it gave me important managerial experience and an even greater understanding of challenges that businesses and organizations face in our state. Perhaps most importantly, it gave me greater insight on the need to bring people together to accomplish tasks. I learned a lot about persuading people who don't agree with each other 100% to put differences aside and compromise. A delegate in Annapolis must stand firm on core principles but also strive to build coalitions and consensus to make Maryland a family and business-friendly state again. It's a subtle but important distinction and it's something I will be working toward in the House.

MRN: If elected, what would be the first piece of legislation you would propose in the 2011 legislative session?
JR: I don't plan to introduce a whole slew of legislation in my first session, but one bill that I plan to put in is something I worked on as Chief of Staff in the State Senate (with former Sen. Janet Greenip). The legislation would require that 65% of every education dollar sent from the state be spent "in the classroom". This would mean on teachers, materials, physical plant etc. that deals with teaching our children. Only 35% could be spent on bureaucracy and administration. That may seem like no big deal, but in our research we discovered that this was not happening or was right on the edge in several counties in Maryland.

I'll also be looking to sponsor and co-sponsor legislation for small business and family tax relief, even if it is just some type of tax credit.

MRN: With budget shortfalls on the horizon, what would you propose to lower the State defecit?
JR: There is a big mistake made in describing our budget problems by Governor O'Malley and the media. While we have deficits, it would have been possible to avoid them. If in 2007 and 2008, Gov. O'Malley had simply limited budget growth to the rate of inflation (granted, not an easy thing to do because of laws mandating certain levels of spending increase in education and other areas), then we would have been largely out of the spending crisis.

By simply slowing the rate of increase in the budget, we would rarely have budget problems barring some sort of catastrophe. Instead, Gov. O'Malley and the Democrats who run Annapolis decided to pass the largest tax hike in Maryland history and raised income, business, and sales taxes in the fall of 2007. That has led to falling revenues...but O'Malley and the General Assembly have failed to actually cut the overall rate of spending.

They talk about "deep cuts" but in reality they are only snipping around the edges and moving money around different funds to keep spending more. O'Malley has increased spending by over $3 billion in 3 years - and squandered a $1 billion surplus left to him by Gov. Ehrlich. By cutting back spending this year and then limiting future budget growth to the rate of inflation or close to it for the next few years, our state would be back on it's fiscal feet.

MRN: In your platform, you mention that you want to "De-fund programs that are not working" and ensure that "...government is doing it's key jobs well." First, can you name a few programs that are not working that you feel should be defunded? Secondly, what do you feel is the appropriate role / job of our State government?
JR: My answer to the previous question touches some on how to limit spending. I do not have a laundry list of programs that I can submit and say "cut these". I have not had the chance to read the new budget just submitted by O'Malley. Again, often times it's just reducing the rate of growth in a particular area that would enable us to stay on track.

I can tell you from my time serving in the House of Delegates and State Senate as staff that one area would be the buying of land by the state. Currently 20% of our state's land mass is owned by the government, and yet we still spent over $100 million on land purchases in the past year.

To answer your second question, I believe the government's role should be protection and law enforcement, transportation, public education (including a robust, competitive system with charter schools and school choice), and help for those who legitimately cannot help themselves. The government should encourage job creation by limiting taxes and regulation on businesses, rather than forcing them to do things like pay for health care for part-time employees, or pile on hidden taxes for services. The government should not be telling individuals and families how to live or run their lives.

MRN: In 2010, Maryland voters will once again have the opportunity to vote to hold a Constituitional convention. Would you be in favor of a Constitutional convention?
JR: This is an issue that I confess I need to learn some more about. While I think of some good changes to how our constitution limits the state government, the reality is that if the wrong people got their hands on it (since we are, at this time, such a liberal-leaning state) we could have some problems. So I'm in favor of the idea but would like to look at it more closely.

Ready is a young, conservative Republican - exactly the type of person that the GOP is looking to recruit. He's passionate about what he believes and continuously updating people on campaign activities through Twitter. Ready lives in a Republican leaning district, so if he can make it through the primary process - his campaign to become the next Delegate from his district will become easier. I wish him luck in his campaign and know that if he wins, he will fastly become one of the leading voice for conservative thought in Annapolis.

2010 GOP Hopefuls: Marcus Molinaro

2010-01-26T11:00:00.000-05:00

Marcus J. Molinaro will start his third term in the New York State Assembly from the 103rd Assembly District this year. Molinaro has been active in Republican politics since he was 18 years old, first running for Tivoli Villiage Board of Trustees in 1994. In 1995, Molinaro became the youngest Mayor in United States. He was reelected five times. As Mayor, he cut property taxes while still improving the quality of public services and improving the roads in Tivoli. After his five terms, Molinaro ran for Dutchess County Council and won. He was reelected three times. While on the county council, Molinaro managed the county's $300 million budget adoption process and pushed for tax cuts. He was ambitious and it became very aparant in 2006.

In 2006, the 103rd Assembly District was represented by Pat Manning. In 2006, Manning had decided to run for Governor of New York. He had surged amongst conservatives who viewed him as one of their own. Standing at nearly seven feet tall, Manning was an imposing figure. He ran on a platform of family values and traditional conservatism. What conservatives throughout New York didn't know, was that Manning had been carrying on an affair on his wife for years with an aide. When the details of his divorve became very public, Manning dropped out of the race for Governor and went back to the 103rd Assembly District hoping that he could run for reelection. It was too late, though, because Mr. Molinaro had already stepped up to the plate.

Molinaro primaried Manning for the Republican line, he had already received the Conservative Party line. During the campaign the incumbent showed his true colors -- trying to impersonate Molinaro in order to steal the results for internal polling that Molinaro had paid for. Manning failed at pretending to be Molinaro on the phone and Molinaro just released the results. Manning was losing.

Molinaro beat Manning in the primary and won the general election. He won reelection in 2008 with the endorsement of every major third party.

Since serving in the Assembly, Molinaro has been a consistent opponent of wasteful and excessive spending. He received a 64% from the Conservative Party of New York in 2007 and has an F for New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, a generally left leaning group in support of gun control legislation. Molinaro represents the type of conservatism that is appealing in New York.

Molinaro lives in the 20th District of New York and apparently has been approached to be a potential candidate in 2010. NY-20 was represented by Republicans for a long time until 2006 during the big Democratic Congressional wave. In 2006, the current Junior Senator from New York, Democrat Kirstin Gillibrand was elected over former Congressman and noted alcoholic Republican John Sweeney. In 2008, Gillibrand won with a sizable margin against the former NYS Secretary of State. In the 2009 special election, a small margin divided Democratic unknown Scott Murphy from former NYS Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco. The election was noted by a LOT of negative attacks from the NRCC which helped build the name recognition against the unknown Murphy. Hopefully the GOP has learned from their mistakes and 2010 is a year where this district can be retaken.

I hope that Assemblyman Molinaro strongly considers a bid against Scott Murphy. Murphy is considered a vulnerable incumbent and in a solidly Republican year in a Republican leaning district, having a good candidate to challenge him is a must. Molinaro would be beyond that, he would be a great candidate. He's young, he's experienced, he understands the importance of using modern social media, and his platform is spot on for the district.

2010 GOP Hopefuls: Benjamin Lawless

2010-01-25T12:13:00.002-05:00

Maryland's third Congressional District appears to be a powerful seat to hold. Both of the current sitting Senators formally represented that district. What's interesting is that prior to the election of Ben Cardin in 2006, both Senate seats were still held by MD-3 alumni. The current occupier of this seat is Congressman John Sarbanes. Sarbanes' father held this same Congressional seat in the 1970s and served as US Senator until his retirement in 2006.

John Sarbanes had no political experience prior to becoming a Congressman. He was a lawyer with a famous father. In 2006, he squeaked by in the primary and won in the general election by a large margin against local businessman John White. That margin improved in 2008 against a lesser known candidate. In 2010, the Republican party will need a dynamic candidate to even make this Congressional district competitive. Enter Benjamin Lawless.

Lawless is an ex-Marine who served his country faithfully for seven years. He's a father of two, with a third on the way. He's also 25 years old, the minimum age eligible to enter Congress.

His platform is some classic Republican fare - balanced budget, no new taxes, fiscally conservative health care reform, end of pork barrel spending; but also includes some less traditional points such as support for a realistic timetable for Iraq / Afghanistan and regulations on corporate monopolies. The mix of traditional Republican ideals and populist rhetoric may be a good fit for this Congressional district and the 2010 election cycle. People are looking for candidates who are outside of the traditional establishment; Lawless fits that bill.

He's never held public office. He's young and hopeful for America's future. He's a military veteran. He's got the right platform for the district. One question remains - can he bring in the votes or money. Lawless is up against a decently funded incumbent and his ability to bring in money will matter in such an election. Sarbanes has family and personal name recognition - Lawless has neither. Lawless will need to get out there and meet the people.

Can Lawless win? After seeing a Republican become the Senator-elect from Massachusetts, I'm pretty sure anything's possible. Lawless is the right candidate on paper - let's see if he's the right candidate in practice.

Gaztañaga 2010 Interview

2010-01-20T21:11:00.005-05:00

2008 and 2010 Libertarian Congressional candidate (MD-2), Lorenzo Gaztañaga, agreed to an email interview again this year. Last year's interview can be read here. Here are some of his answers to my questions -

M.R. Newman: What made you decide to run for Congress again in 2010?
Lorenzo Gaztañaga: The way I would answer that question is, “How in the world would I not run for US Congress again?” For eight years, give or take, the republicrats gave us record deficits, never ending wars, with the support of the incumbent, Dutch Ruppersberger. In 2008, we got change with the demopublicans and, just like the republicrats, they held the presidency and the legislature. So, with “change,” what did we get? A continuation of never ending war, never ending growing deficits, and a secretively concocted health insurance “reform,” which is in fact a follow-up to the republicrats’ prescription overhaul. Dutch Ruppersberger has been cruising along supporting all of this. Apparently, Congressman Ruppersberger can always be a demopublican as well as a republicrat, and, of course, we can always be surprised because… I’m a tax paying, hard working American, and I have no intention of sitting around waiting for someone to fix the problem for me. I hope that answers your question.

MRN: What grade would you give our incumbent Congressman, Dutch Ruppersberger, and why?
LG: I would give Congressman Ruppersberger a -000. Why? Because he supports never ending war; he supports pretending to fight terrorism through the never ending wars; he votes for anything that makes the federal government bigger, more expensive, and more a blood thirsty leech on the American tax payer. I could go on, but I really would have to kill many trees to do so. Congressman Ruppersberger represents the double faced, double talking creature that unfortunately inhabits a great portion of our government.

MRN: What is your opinion of the versions of "Health Care Reform" that have passed in Congress?
LG: My opinion of the versions of Health Care Reform currently in Congress – well, Matt, this is a very tough question, because the people involved in drafting health care reform don’t know what’s in it. I have tried reading it, but at 60 years of age, I don’t think I have enough years left to be able to finish it. In fact, Maryland Congressional Democrat Steny Hoyer basically said a few months ago that no one should actually be expected to read through this legislation any more than others. Obviously, this is in direct contradiction to James Madison’s admonition that a law that could not be read and understood by a literate person was not a law at all. This so-called legislation is probably lawless, much like NAFTA was, and please don’t get me wrong, I am for free trade, but you don’t need something the size of NAFTA legislation or this proposed legislation of 2000 pages to be anything that could be good for the American people. After all, what is in there?

MRN: What real reform measures do you feel would benefit all Americans with regards to Health Care?
LG: Good question, Matt. First of all, let’s clear the air. The popular assumption is that our health care insurance system is free market based. It is not. It’s actually the result of insurance company lobbying, for the most part state legislatures, to grant them virtual monopolies. The solution to this problem would be a true free market in which customers could purchase insurance for health, choosing different programs in much the same way that we purchase our automobile insurance, home insurance, etc. Why in the world can’t members of a household not be able to go out and pick and choose an insurance policy that would be most beneficial for them, regardless of what the relationships are among them – whether they’re married, father and daughter, cousins, friends—what difference does it make? When it comes to Medicare and Medicaid—well, thanks LBJ. He drove us deeper into the war in Vietnam, and then now, 40 some years later, we’re feeling the pain of the cost of his phony baloney “War on Poverty” which included Medicare and Medicaid. This leads us to the current phony health care reform, which is really aimed at dealing with the staggering cost of LBJ’s legacy and the attempt is to dump the cost further on us and even more on generations to come. Another idea – why not let each of us build up a tax free medical savings account that could carry over from year to year and even be bequeathed to the next generation through inheritance? We could potentially save millions in health care by doing this. When it comes to the poor, yes, let’s have some kind of government run safety net for the time being, but ultimately, the American people are the most generous people in the world. The role of politicians should be to encourage them to be generous, while at the same time lowering their taxes. Following this baseline, we should be able to follow the adage of loving our neighbor as ourselves, which is one of the principles our country is based on.

MRN: What would be the first piece of legislation you would propose, if elected?
LG: If elected, my first piece of legislation would be to reclaim the power of Congress to declare war, which would directly mean bringing back home all our troops involved in warfare throughout the world. This would have the salutary effect of saving American lives, give a clear message to people who are depending on American troops that they have to get their own act together and saving billions and billions of dollars that we can put into retrofitting and renewing our infrastructure—our decaying bridges, tunnels, etc. which are vital to maintaining a peaceful and prosperous society, and which have been neglected for an awfully long time. I would follow that immediately with ending the phony baloney war on drugs. Drugs are inanimate objects. The very term “war on drugs” is oxymoronic. People who are hooked on drugs and whose lives are being destroyed by them should get the help they need if they want it. People who end up causing harm to others while under the influence of whatever should face the music, whatever they took. Some of the banned drugs have positive medical uses, and, so long as other people are not being hurt, an adult should be able to decide what he or she puts in his body. That would also save billions of dollars that are being wasted under the guise of the war on drugs, which, in fact, drives the profit of currently illegal drugs upwards, giving an incentive to the criminal entrepreneurs engaged in the drug trade.

MRN: What is your opinion on HR 1207, the legislation by Congressman Ron Paul to audit the Federal Reserve?
LG: What would I do about HR 1207? I would be thrilled to serve in the same Congress as Dr. Ron Paul and audit the Federal Reserve. Often I hear people saying the price of this or the price of that has gone up, and when I hear that, my reply often is, “It’s not that the price went up; the value of the dollar went down.” The Federal Reserve is responsible for much of that. It is a privately run monopoly bank sanctioned by the US Government. If that is not a monopoly, I don’t know what is, and it’s one that cannot be fought by the free market.

So yes, definitely, I back up this legislation.

Once again, I thank Mr. Gaztañaga for his honest interview. His thoughts are welcome and he is currently the only opposition to Ruppersberger. More on his campaign can be found here at the Maryland Libertarian Party's website.

Pro-Life Under the Radar

2010-01-19T12:50:00.010-05:00

Juno is a comedy-drama about a teenage girl who becomes pregnant. When she finds out she's pregnant, she decides to have a "hasty abortion." She ends up deciding against it. Why? She couldn't do it. She decides instead to carry the child to term and give the child up for adoption. This trendy, hipster girl decides to buck traditional liberal thought realizing that that the fetus inside her is a living person. Abortion is presented almost as an abusurdity.

In 2007, Judd Apatow created the film "Knocked Up." On the surface, it's a comedy about a one-night stand that ends up with the main female character pregnant. The two main characters are an independent woman who works in entertainment media and an unemployed stoner. The female lead's mother tries to convince her to abort the child, but she decides against it. This strong, independent minded woman could not abort the child and instead carries it to term keeping the child.

What do these two films have in common? Strong, independent women unintentionally become pregnant and chose not to have an abortion. Instead the two women take the child to term. In both cases, the women choose life and the men in their lives were supportive of their decision.

These are two Hollywood blockbusters with an unintentional pro-life message. In the words of The Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman the films "...present abortion as unreasonable, or even unthinkable." While it never may have been intentional, these two films provide a subtle anti-abortion message. In these two dramatic comedies, abortion is presented as an unthinkable option and a different choice is made.

While I know I'm three years behind the eightball on this discussion, I've just recently began thinking about these films. As Americans continue to change their mindset and become more anti-abortion, some movies are subtly starting to reflect this shift in attitude. It makes me wonder if this trend will continue as the views of the people continue to change.

A Stealth Campaign

2010-01-14T21:43:00.003-05:00

In 2010 there are a few potentially competitive statewide races in New York. There is the US Senate race with former Blue Dog Democrat turned Obama party shill Kirstin Gillibrand which can be competitive with the right candidate (ex. George Pataki). There is the Governor's race which could be competitive because of the incompetency of the incumbent Governor with nearly any candidate who can resonate with the GOP's base and not scare off independents (ex. Redlich, Lazio). There is potential in the Comptroller's race if a divisive Democratic primary arises and people look to the GOP candidate for independent auditing (ex. candidates Callaghan, Doug Hoffman). But, there's another Statewide race that could be competitive completely under the radar - the US Senate race against Chuck Schumer.

Most outsiders and political pundits are paying close attention to potential challengers to Gillibrand. She appears to be the weakest of the two sitting Senators, recently appointed and not really coming out into her own as of yet. This, many feel, creates an opening for a strong Republican candidate. The problem is that this ignores the election that was scheduled for 2010 and did not happen to arise because of a vacancy.

Chuck Schumer's last election was an electoral mess for the Republicans. The Republican Party picked a State Assemblyman as their nominee with no name recognition and an inability to raise money. The Conservatives, frustrated with the GOP candidate's moderate to left views on fiscal issues, selected their own candidate in physician Marilyn O'Grady. The Republican candidate received 24% of the popular vote, the Conservative received 3%. This does not bode well for 2010 where the liberal juggernaut has an additional term's worth of experience and a bigger warchest than before. I disagree.

While the media is focusing on Gillibrand's election, this leaves Schumer open to continue what he does best - ignore his constituents and posture for a greater leadership position. While Schumer is busy in Washington, this would allow a Republican candidate to lay groundwork, meet with constituents, and begin running a serious campaign for US Senate. Begin by taking out ads in Republican leaning media markets that can bring in big votes like the Albany or Long Island markets. Organize campaign headquarters in each of the State's Congressional districts. Write editorials in major newspapers subtly pointing out the many flaws of New York's senior Senator. What I suggest is a stealth campaign, sneaking up from behind Chucky Schumer..

While the mainstream media focuses all their attention on the junior Senator and the special election, a serious candidate focused on connecting with the people of New York and building their name recognition can sneak up on this liberal giant while he sleeps. The liberal establishment will ignore Schumer's reelection assuming it to be an easy victory. Yet, as Scott Brown's rise in Massachusetts' special election has shown us - nothing can be taken for granted this year. Republicans can be competitive everywhere with an anti-establishment message of fiscal responsibility and restraint. Schumer can be beaten - New York just needs the right person to do it.

Oversized State Salaries

2010-01-08T21:24:00.005-05:00

The State of Maryland currently has under its employ over 80,000 people. The job categories range from Governor to police to University Deans. The current average annual salary of all people working in Maryland is $68,000.

In 2008, the Baltimore Examiner requested a list of those persons working for the State who's annual salaries are over $100,000. 4,678 people, more than 5% of all State workers make over $100,000. One of those employees, our Governor, makes $150,000.

If this were a business, these salaries would be paid based on the fact that these employees were helping to generate the company revenue. This is not the case with the State of Maryland. Yes, they are helping to make the State run but the State currently has a $2 billion budget shortfall based on recent estimates. Something needs to be cut.

Cutting unnecessary jobs and waste is necessary. You know what else could save money? After speaking with a potential NYS gubernatorial candidate, a different idea was mentioned - capping salaries for State employees at $100,000. Since I do not know exactly how much everyone over $100,000 makes - let us approximate the average savings of this salary cap at $50,000 per person. Using this as an estimate - the State of Maryland could save $233.9 million, approximately 10% of this year's budget shortfall. This would go much further for permanent savings than any furloughs that the Governor has proposed.

Working in the public sector - from public education to organizing libraries to work in the State legislature was done out of sense of civic duty. A person did not jump into a public sector job to become rich, they did it to help their community, their state, and their country. Somewhere along the way this changed - politics became a viable career path instead of a civic responsibility; people remained in public schools to become wealthy.

Our tax dollars are hard at work building the bank accounts of others while the State remains is $2 billion in debt. I think we should change that. Who's with me?

Suggestions to Draft - Michael Garcia

2010-01-04T20:17:00.002-05:00

In 2007, the unexpected happened in New York. The Governor and former Attorney General, known as tough on crime specifically for busting up prostitution rings and corruption on Wall Street - was caught with his pants down. Eliot Spitzer had been involved with a high price prostitute. The high profile Democratic Governor who looked like a potential 2008 candidate - who fell from grace fast.

The prosecuter who led this investigation also led investigations into Republicans and Democrats alike with a broad public corruption initiative which led to probes into the likes of State Senator Efrain Gonzalez (D), former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik (R), two staffers of NYC Council Member Kendall Stewart (D), and Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio. Who is this investigator who is taking down corrupt incumbents? Micheal J. Garcia.

As mentioned in the previous link, "From 1992 to 2001 Garcia was a federal prosecutor with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York." During his tenure, he was awareded the Department of Justice's Exceptional Service Award twice. Garcia was acting Commissioner of INS from 2002 to 2003 and was appointed by President Bush as Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2003. Garcia was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2005 to 2008. From this post, he took on corruption in New York State Government and elsewhere.

Garcia is now working in the private sector, retiring as US Attorney after Bush left office. Garcia is a hard hitting prosecutor who has faced down terrorists and the bulldozer of a former Governor. Garcia could be a great candidate to challenge Cuomo. He's taken on corruption from both political parties. He's a Republican hero for taking down Eliot Spitzer. The fact that he was appointed by Bush could have an impact, but former US Attorney Chris Christie seemed to prove that it does not have to end ones political chances.

Garcia has the experience for the job and has a compelling narrative in the general election as a government corruption buster / terrorist prosecuter. Let's see if the New York State GOP seeks him out.

Redlich for NYS Governor?

2010-01-01T22:04:00.003-05:00

In 2004, entrenched incumbent Congressman Mike McNulty looked like a cinch for reelection. He had been in office since the early nineties and was great at playing both sides - consistently being endorsed by the liberal Working Families Party for his fiscal views and the Conservative Party of New York based on his pro-life stances. In 2004, little known libertarian leaning Republican attorney Warren Redlich challenged McNulty. He ran a spirited campaign, but eventually lost, albeit by a margin that McNulty had not seen in nearly a decade. In 2006, Redlich ran again - this time with a much less spirited campaign based primarily from his blog entitled Stop Wasting Money. It was in 2006, that I met Redlich.

At the time, I was a graduate student living in Troy, New York. I invited Congressional candidate Redlich to a College Republicans event and was interested to hear what he had to say. In a laid back atmosphere, he asked us what issues interested us and talked about them. It became very clear that Redlich was a man of principle, libertarian principles to be exact. His libertarian brand of conservatism did not work out well in 2006, in the Democratic landslide Redlich was defeated by the entrenched incumbent. But, he was undeterred in his quest to help his community. In 2007, Redlich ran and won a seat on his local Town Board and has been serving since.

Redlich has served many functions in his service to the community. As a voice of libertarian reason amongst a sea of the partisan Democratic voices in New York. As a pro-bono attorney for a Libertarian fighting to remain on the ballot in 2006 and 2008 (see Eric Sundwall in NY-20). As a Ron Paul activist and supporter of libertarian leaning Republican candidates, including 2008 NY-21 candidate Steven Vasquez.

Now, a group of online Libertarian and libertarian Republican activists are trying to draft Redlich to run for Governor of New York. In fact, one of the leaders of this draft movement is high ranking Libertarian Party official Eric Sundwall. This gives creedence to a Redlich bid and could help him gain a secondary ballot line if he were to run. It would also grant him a primary ballot line should he fail to garner the nomination in the Republican primary.

Redlich is an interesting candidate for the job. He's a small business owner. He's a political outsider and not a party man like Rick Lazio. His political experience is limited to his term in the Guilderland Town Board and two failed Congressional campaigns - but that has not stopped those with less experience from obtaining higher office. For example, Fred Thompson was a character actor and lawyer when he ran for US Senate in Tennessee and Chester Arthur was a lawyer / former Port Collector from NYC when he was selected to be the Republican Vice Presidential nominee.

The question is not whether Redlich is qualified. The question is does Warren Redlich have the fire in the belly necessary to travel across the State of New York challenging Rick Lazio and potentially Chris Collins in a Republican primary? Does he have the connections necessary to coordinate Tea Party activists across the state to help bolster his campaign? Both Lazio and Collins could have difficulty with that as well. Also, does Redlich present a plausible and different narrative than the current candidates available? I think he provides a contrasting viewpoint than most candidates available on certain issues - but on statewide issues that the Governor will face, his campaign would look similar to that of Rick Lazio. Lazio also has brought forward some interesting ideas for widespread government reform, ex. a unicameral legislature. I actually think a more compelling case could be made for Redlich for Attorney General and here's why.

Redlich is a lawyer who sees first hand a great deal of the problems inherent in our judicial system. He would offer a stark contrast to Andrew Cuomo as he runs for reelection - a party insider / political family dynasty candidate who's run for any office he could find. Redlich is a political outsider who's running to reform the Attorney General's office and focus on the issues that matter as opposed to those which will bankrupt our State and the people of New York. Cuomo is following in the footsteps of Eliot Spitzer and going after business tycoons and Wall Street to the point where the wealthy are running away from New York. We also need an Attorney General who is independent of the partisanship we constantly see. Cuomo is a Democratic lackey. Redlich may be a member of the GOP, but lackey he is not. Redlich fought in court against former Republican Congressman Sweeney to defend, pro-bono, Libertarian candidate Eric Sundwall.

Redlich is a small business owner, a lawyer, a libertarian, and a man who sees the broken areas of our judicial system on a regular basis. He stands tall in his beliefs and decisions, even when he knows they may not be popular. Contrast this with incumbent Attorney General Andrew Cuomo who is politically motivated in almost all that he does; opposes the death penalty; has wasted political capital attacking Facebook including spending taxpayer dollars to investigate the social networking site; he crudely tried to politicize September 11th when running for Governor in 2002; and his tenure as HUD Secretary was marked with problems which helped to create the housing crisis.

Redlich has the experiences, ideas, and the knowhow to formulate a solid platform to take on Andrew Cuomo. I would solidly support a Redlich candidacy for Attorney General. If he were to run for Governor, he would be a great candidate, but I feel he would be an amazing candidate for Attorney General.

A Year in Review - 2009

2009-12-29T21:51:00.002-05:00

In 2008, I continued a tradition from my previous blog where I would discuss the year that has passed. To follow is my executive summary of the year 2009.

The year begins. Obama lines up cabinet including number of tax dodgers prior to beginning of Presidency. Approval rating of the President-Elect in high 70s. President Bush gives best speech of career, as he leaves office. Obama enters office, is nominated for Nobel Peace Prize. Unemployment at 7.6%. Obama lays out stimulus plan, promises open government, and longer time from presentation to signing of legislation. Obama breaks promise, takes less than 3 days from proposal to signature of stimulus package. After LONG waste of time recount after recount, the joke's on Minnesota as Al Franken becomes US Senator. The stimulus begins to be spent. Obama nominates tax dodgers for most major cabinet posts - only Treasury Secretary not withdrawn / gets through. Hillary Clinton becomes Secretary of State, obscure blue dog female Congresswoman replaces her. Obama goes overseas to talk to foreign leaders - offends UK PM by referring to all of UK as England, that's like referring to all of US as Washington. Sheila Dixon indicted on 12 separate counts including criminal theft. Gitmo still not by month's end as promised. NY-20 special election held, Republcians pick solid candidate - but decide that attacking the Democrat is more important than winning elections, politically untested Democrat wins. Levi Johnston breaks up with Bristol Palin, spends entire year outing himself as giant tool. Obama promises to close Gitmo as soon as possible. My wife and I move into our first house. Obscure former NRA endorsed Congresswoman votes like a liberal Democrat in first vote in US Senate, votes against DC citizens gun rights.

Ryan Isaiah Newman is born on May 4th, making me a father and slowing down my my blogging. Unemployment reaches 9.5%. John Edwards gets investigated for using campaign cash to pay off mistress. His baby's mama testifies against him in August. Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson pass away on the same day. Cash for Clunkers launches. Cash for Clunkers runs out of money. Iran pretends to hold a free Presidential election, Nazi-esque incumbent reelected. Iranian people begin to protest. Supreme Court Justice Souter announces retirement, purported racist Judge Sotomayor nominated to replace him. Battle ensues in Senate, Dems win - Sotomayor is Majority approved. Gitmo still not closed. I open Newman for Maryland blog to discuss my stances on state issues - don't update often enough. Rosales tries to circumvent Honduran Constitution, Supreme Court stops him and removes him from office. Rosales flees gains support to be returned to power from from communist South American leaders and Barack Obama.

NY-23 Congressman John McHugh (R) nominated for Secretary of Army. Local party bosses pick special election candidates - GOP picks pro-choice, pro-same-sex marriage, pro-stimulus package, pro-card check candidate; Democrats pick marginally pro-life, fiscal moderate; Conservative Party goes rogue, picks a staunchly conservative accountant for special election. Health care reform proposed by Democrats. Ted Kennedy passes away, politically themed funeral. I open RedState account and begin cross-posting anything I write about NY-23 and GOP candidates. Unemployment reaches double digits at 10.2%, stimulus claimed to be working. Tea Party protests begin to rise as a new brand of disorganized, fiscally focused conservatism is born.

Polling shows GOP candidate losing support in NY-23 special election, Conservative gaining favor. Sarah Palin suddenly resigns as Governor of Alaska - goes rogue, finishes writing book. Gitmo still not closed. President Obama awarded Nobel Peace Prize, world equal parts confused and annoyed at this selection. "Open government" stimulus shown to be claiming jobs saved in non-existent Congressional districts. Congressman from Maryland District 00 unavailable for comment. Palin's book tour brings in massive crowds, continues to go rogue. Gitmo still not closed.

Healthcare plan passed by Democrats in House - including a pro-life amendment and a public option, perfect compromise for statists. Unemployment drops...to 10%. Democrat elected for first time in over a century in NY-23, Conservative comes in second place - vows to fight another day. Republicans win Governors mansions in Virginia and New Jersey, same-sex marriage fails in Maine. Senate tries to railroad healthcare plan - some members of GOP ask bill to be read, some decide not to fight. Lieberman says, "No public option." Obama tries to sway public opinion in climate change summit - international news discuss failure of his visit, domestic news is silent. After fighting in 2004 to make certain the Governor (R) wasn't allowed to appoint replacement Senators in Massachusetts, state government changes law so that current Governor (D) can appoint replacement to the late Senator Kennedy. Sheila Dixon convicted...of one count. Baucus says, "No health care reform without pro-life amendment." Baucus caves when money's thrown his way. Senate passes own healthcare plan without public option or pro-life language - Democrats in House throw hissy fit as it pleases none of them. Terrorist attempts to bomb plane on Christmas, heroic fliers save the day. Gitmo still not closed. Year ends.

One Solitary Life

2009-12-24T06:39:00.000-05:00

It doesn't feel like Christmas until I've heard Gene Autry sing Christmas tunes. On his Christmas album, he recites a poem entitled "One Solitary Life" which helps sum up the meaning of Christmas. The poem is as follows -

He was born in an obscure village, a child of a peasant woman.
He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty,
Then became an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He never did one thing that usually accompanies greatness.
He had no credentials but Himself.
While still a young man, public opinion turned against Him.
His friends ran away.
One denied Him.
He went through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
His executioners gambled for His only piece of property - His coat.
He was laid in a borrowed grave.
Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone.
Today He is the centerpiece of the human race.
All the armies that ever marched,
All the navies that ever sailed,
All the parliaments that ever sat,
And all the kings that ever reigned put together,
Have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as that
One Solitary Life.

Have a Merry Christmas.

Festivus 2009

2009-12-23T07:17:00.006-05:00

As with 2008, I would like to mark the season of Festivus with a list of those who have disappointed me in 2009.

Barack Obama - Seems a little obvious from a right-leaning blogger, but - I must list him nonetheless. I expected very little out of the President. I expected him to try to waste my money. I expected his inexperience to show. He succeded in both of those points perfectly. What I did not expect, was for Obama to be as divisive, if not more divisive as President Bush. The only benefit I saw from Obama winning the election in 2008 was the fact that he seemed to genuinely have a way about him that united people. Sadly, his policies and inept governance have divided the people of this great country in such a way that I am more disappointed by the day.

The Mainstream Media - As it did last year, your bias is showing. The love of Barack Obama by the mainstream media have blinded them to the point where serious reporting on anything negative associated with the President is ignored until it can not be any longer. It takes the blogosphere and Fox News to pundits to point out anything negative, even the mundane. We never hear about what happens with the President abroad - and it's not always pretty. And, of course, we hear nothing from any news outlet about our President's "Safe School's Czar." Once again, unbiased reporting has passed away and all that remains is one big press release of the Democratic leadership.

Nobel Committee - A peace prize for a man who had been President for all of a few weeks at the time of his nomination? Really? If he won in 2010, I'd disagree with the selection - but at least there'd be an actual year in office to point to. This was outrageous on so many levels and just diminished the prize.

NRCC - The NRCC lost 3 Special Election campaigns in 2009. 1) They began early on with negative attacks on a completely unknown entity in the NY-20 special election. This, in turn, created sympathy and increased name recognition for the man who no one in the district knew. If they ignored him, Tedisco could have just campaigned on his personal story / his platform and won easily. Instead they lost the election for him. 2) In NY-23, the NRCC and local parties backed a candidate who was just a failure on so many levels. From her lack of appeal to the CPNYS, to her support for liberal fiscal policies, to her poor fundraising abilities. Spending all that time and money supporting her and bashing the Conservative Party candidate helped to lose a seat that had not been held by a Democrat in over 100 years. 3) Special election in CA-10 that was MUCH closer than anticipated and they spent close to ZERO dollars supporting the Republican candidate. Who knows what could have happened if they gave him some support in this sleeper special election.

Greg Ball - Relatively young, politically adept, fundraising powerhouse. All those terms refer to Greg Ball. He looked like a great GOP hopeful for NY-19, the man who could flip that seat back into the GOP column. What happened? He drops out and suddenly runs for State Senate. Yes, Ball would be great in the NYS Senate - but he was a great candidate for Congress and I'm disappointed in him for dropping out.

My Thorough Assessment of the Senate Health Care Reform Plan

2009-12-22T08:08:00.003-05:00

No, it is a worthless behemoth the drafters of which do not fully understand. That is all.

2010 Candidate Interview: Buzz Beeler

2009-12-18T22:04:00.002-05:00

In 2010, conservative Democrat Charles "Buzz" Beeler is primarying my incumbent County Councilmember John Olszewski, Sr. I wrote a piece on his candidacy about a week ago.

Wanting to learn more, I decided to contact Beeler about his candidacy. He told me that he's running a self-financed campaign and is not seeking any organized labor endorsements. Beeler said, "I am also not seeking any monetary support from people during these difficult economic times. I am using my own and as the saying goes, 'I will put my money where my mouth is.' I am not seeking any endorsements from labor unions because I want to be the voice of the people, not special interest."

Beeler was willing to answer a few questions from me. The responses are as follows:

M.R. Newman: What do you feel is the most pressing concern impacting Baltimore County?
Buzz Beeler: The most pressing concern in Baltimore County is the State budget shortfall of $2 billion dollars. The county relies on this money from the state, and the shortfall will have a negative impact on a variety of issues facing the county.

MRN: Do you feel we need any specific changes in the pension process for Baltimore County Council members?
BB: The county council pension needs a complete overhaul. I would ask an independent auditor to review the system and recommend equitable changes. The changes should reflect the private sector of our economy.

MRN: What grade would you give our current representative, John Olszewski, Sr., and why.
BB: F. Since his term in office, spanning over ten years, we have lost most of our major employers, including Beth Steel, Western Electric and General Motors. This accounts for 46,000 jobs.

Our infrastructure is crumbling and continues to decline rapidly. Fifty percent of all rat infestation calls come from John’s district, and there is no present rat eradication program. His office is made up entirely of family members. Nepotism should not be a part of county government. He does not respond to constituent’s complaints in a timely fashion. I have experienced this first hand while hearing complaints of this nature at the councilman’s town hall meetings. Olszewski has consistently sided with labor unions and land developers, who in turn fatten his campaign coffers.

We are being taxed to death without any noticeable improvements. We have the second highest unemployment rate in the state. School performance tests in this district are the worst in the county. In the last ten years, 35,000 people have left the district. There is nothing here to attract them in the way of jobs or affordable homes.

There is an abundance of vacant buildings in this district that have become eyesores. (Beeler suggested the following link)

Mr. Olszewski, knowing the facts regarding the above news story, along with available trans scripts of the depositions, voted for Mr. Hohman’s $35,000.00 a year raise. Any other county employee would have been fired, demoted or suspended over such an incident.

Currently, there is a Federal investigation into Baltimore County regarding Mr. Hohman and his handling EEOC (workers compensation) filings. John is also aware of this and still hails Mr. Hohman as a valuable asset to Baltimore County. Through the PUD process (Proposed Urban Development), Mr. Olszewski’s close friend and campaign contributor, John Vontran purchased the land; know as the York Way property, for $1.2 million dollars. The price to the county taxpayers was over $18 million. In a recent Sun article, one GOP leader called the current political situation in the county a cesspool.

MRN: What would be the first piece of legislation you would propose, if elected?
BB: I would rewrite the county’s code enforcement laws, giving them the power needed to address these types of issues.

MRN: Much of your platform appears decidedly more conservative while the leadership of the party, particularly in Maryland, has continued to shift towards the left on most major issues. Do you still feel at home in the present Democratic Party?
BB: I am a lifelong member of the Democratic Party. There are many conservative Democratic members in this district. They are waiting for someone to represent them and their concerns that apply to this district.

One of the conservative concerns of this district deals with illegal immigration and its impact in our community. Issues such as gang activity, language and culture clashes are on the minds of the many voters I encounter.

I plan to address many of these issues. Currently it is costing the State of Maryland $1.4 billion dollars in dealing with illegal immigration.

MRN: What experience do you feel most qualifies you for a position on the County Council?
BB: I spent 30 years working this district, the whole district. I have spent many years working not only the streets, but the administrative side as well. The jobs of two recent councilmen have included one as a car detailer (John) and one as a florist, Mr. Dale Volz.

I wrote policy for the department, managed the alcohol unit of over 100 officers and preformed many other duties that directly involved county government. Early in my career, I worked as a special investigator for the county executive. As a police officer, I have dealt with all of the above issues of which I speak. I have also learned to formulate a team of highly qualified people who advise me. It is a foolish man who thinks he knows all.

Beeler comes with an impressive and interesting resume and a platform that definitely could be appealing to Republicans in the District. Beeler comes across as genuine; he's been a lifelong Democrat and has sadly had to sit by as his party left him and his values. I do hope people like Beeler can change their party. If he is able to beat Olszewski in the Democratic primary - I could definitely support his candidacy in the general election. Frankly, part of me is disappointed he won't be running as a Republican.

If you are interested and would like to learn more, check out Beeler's website here.

Suggestion to Draft - EJ Pipkin

2009-12-16T17:15:00.002-05:00

The position of Comptroller is one that the average citizen of any state will say they may not understand fully. The Comptroller is supposed to serve as the state's accountant is in charge of collecting taxes, handles deliquent tax collection, enforces unclaimed property laws; in summary, the Comptroller is the State's Cheif Financial Officer. In Maryland, the people are represented by former State Legislator Peter Franchot. He is one in a long line of Democratic Comptrollers, which has kept the position barely independent of the Governor and Legislature. The most recent Republican Comptroller was Phillips Lee Goldborough, who served from 1898 to 1900.

In 2006, Franchot beat the incumbent Comptroller and a sitting County Executive in the Democratic primary. In the general election, he did 9% worse than his predecessor against the Republican challenger - former University of Baltimore business school dean Anne McCarthy. He did receive 59% of the popular vote, but the 9% drop from the 2002 election against a relatively untested political entity displays weakness in a strong Democratic year. In 2010, economic issues are going to dominate and momentum is in the Republican Party's favor - so the State's cheif financial officer should be cheif among those to be challenged by a strong, Republican candidate. Enter EJ Pipkin.

Pipkin ran an unsuccessful campaign for US Senate in 2004. He was the Republican standar bearer against the entrenched incumbent Barbara Mikulski. While he did lose the race, Pipkin performed 5% better than any challenger to Mikulski since she was first elected to the Senate in 1986. In 2008, Pipkin made the decision to enter the fray for the 1st Congressional District. This left a bad taste in many conservative's mouth as their preferred candidate, Andy Harris, was vying for the nomination against RINO extraordinaire Wayne Gilchrist. Pipkin split the anti-Gilchrist vote, but not enough to hinder Harris' campaign.

But conservatives can and should forgive Pipkin for this primary. Pipkin is a fiscal conservative when it counts and has a record of drafting pro-growth legislation including those to repeal the Maryland estate tax and to reduce statewide property / income taxes. As the cheif financial officer of the state, we need someone who is fiscally conservative and supportive of limited taxation.

The No BS Zone has a great biography of Pipkin. Pipkin has a great biographical narrative - working his way through college as a construction worker. After receiving his MBA, Pipkin went into business finance in NYC selling junk bonds. In 2002, he challenged an entrenched incumbent state senator and won...by 25%.

In 2010, the narrative will be about the state of the economy. Having a potential candidate with relevant legislative and business experience who can say with conviction that he understands the plight of the downtrodden, that he understands what it's like to have to scrap to get by, and that the American dream is acheivable would be great. Having this candidate running for a statewide office that often gets turned into an afterthought by the political establishment would turn out to be even better.

Revenge of the Spitz

2009-12-11T12:23:00.001-05:00

In 2006, Eliot Spitzer was an unstoppable force in New York State politics. Brave, conservative footsoldier John Faso allowed himself to be steamrolled by the Attorney General on his path to the Governor's Mansion. By 2008, Spitzer was out of office due to a prostitution scandal that shook the seemingly unshakable Governor. Now, in 2010, Eliot Spitzer is considering a run for one of only statewide offices he has yet to hold - Comptroller.

Why would he want to run for Comptroller? While his current reasons are unknown - let me tell you a little story about New York's current Comptroller. In 2006 it was discovered that the incumbent Comptroller had been violating state law and inappropriately using state funds. His campaign for reelection began to slow down, but he won nonetheless. Within 2 weeks of winning reelection, he was removed from office for his crimes as part of a plea bargain with the Albany County District Attorney's office. In 2007, the replacement process began.

Then Governor Spitzer discussed with the legislature the idea of having two former State Comptrollers (one GOP, one Democrat) and the current NYC Comptroller, people who they all trusted, interview potential contenders for the role. Then, the legislature would take their suggestions and select a new Comptroller. The interview process was an open process filled with Republicans and Democrats alike. They narrowed it down to three highly qualified candidates - one from the private sector and two experienced politicians versed in government auditing. The Senate Republicans and Assembly Democrats, who were in charge of their respective chambers, ignored this list. They instead picked one of their own, Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli, to be the next Comptroller. Instead of respecting the process they had all agreed upon ahead of time - they decided to select one of their cronies. Understandably, the Governor was disappointed.

Three years later, Spitzer has his opportunity to get back at those who wronged him by selecting someone he did not trust and who did not meet the qualifications he felt were necessary to be Comptroller. So, he is considering a primary challenge to DiNapoli. This would create a huge rift between the Democratic establishment in New York and create an opportunity for a united GOP, if they are up to the task.

Enter my suggested candidate - Doug Hoffman. Hoffman would unite grassroots conservatives, the GOP establishment, and the Conservative Party with a candidate who is highly qualified with his private sector experience. Unlike his race for Congress, Hoffman can speak 100% with certainty on the issues of auditing and keeping the State's budget in check. With the right organization, a united front behind Hoffman could head into the new year ready to fight. If the Democrats decide to fight amongst themselves - a united GOP could bring their message to the people directly, build up Hoffman's name recognition, and shift the general election discussion to the issues that really matter.

Even if Hoffman does not enter - there are other highly qualified contenders such as Chris Callaghan (2006 nominee) or John Faso (2002 nominee, former Assembly Minority Leader). The point is that if the GOP can unite on this the most obscure of statewide offices - they may have a chance to allow New York to have an actual independent State Auditor who is not beholden to the Albany establishment for the first time in many, many years.

2010 Democratic Hopefuls: Buzz Beeler

2009-12-06T20:59:00.004-05:00

I currently reside in Baltimore County Councilmanic District 7. My current representative is John Olszewski, Sr. His son, is one of my three State Delegates. I hope, in 2011, that I am no longer represented by either Johnny O.

So far, no Republican have announced for either office. However, there is an interesting Democrat who has announced to primary John Olszewski, Sr. for County Council, Charles "Buzz" Beeler.

Beeler is not a politician. He's a former member of the Baltimore County Police Department who retired after 39 years of service to the county. The about section of his website almost reads like a resume if you're interested in his other experiences. The most interesting of these experiences? He co-produced the "50th Anniversary Special of the Christmas classic 'It’s a Wonderful Life,' featuring surviving cast members and the late Frank Capra, Jr."

His positions on the issues? What limited discussion that exists marks that of a rather conservative Democrat. He seems to support English as a national language, using non-violent criminal offenders to clean the streets, lowering the tax rate, and increased government transparency. He's a strong supporter for the County police as a former member, and it shows when you read his objectives. He's also very anti illegal immigration which is listed all over his website - perhaps to an extreme degree. His objectives seem interesting, but some of his objectives appear more suited to a County Executive platform.

Beeler appears to want to have an online presence - but does not appear to be well versed at present. He is planning to have a forum, which could be interesting. He has a blank blog with a single post. His photos section includes the movie poster to a film that he co-wrote the script. Beeler's webmaster needs to upgrade this website, get the candidate on Twitter / Facebook, and get a specific platform section.

Explore Baltimore interviewed Beeler back in June when he first announced his candidacy. According to the interview - one of the reasons he's running is a shady land deal from the County to a golf buddy of Johnny O Senior. Here's an excerpt from the article -

Chief among Beeler’s complaints with Olszewski is the sale of a Dundalk apartment complex to a developer who has ties to the councilman. The county spent more than $21 million in 2006 and sold the Yorkway complex to John Vontran for $1.65 million last year. (Olszewski and Vontran have played golf together.)

Beeler comes across as an interesting candidate and when he begins to form a detailed platform, I'd love to learn more. Would I prefer him over Johnny O? At present - yes. Would I vote for him in the general election? Depends on the Republican nominee.

Gift Cards for Dixon

2009-12-04T14:10:00.002-05:00

As many in the Baltimore area know, Mayor Sheila Dixon was convicted of misappropriation of gift cards which were supposed to be used for underprivaleged families. Instead, she used the gift cards on herself. She was found not guilty on two theft charges.

The convicted Mayor should resign from her position. She is currently not serving the people of Baltimore City by continuing to waste their money during this court trial. In fact, instead of merely accepting the outcome of her first trial (she will be tried for perjury early in 2010) the Mayor is considering wasting more taxpayer money and calling for a new trial.

Inside Charm City has a great idea to help nudge the Mayor in the right direction - send her gift cards marked "RESIGN." They suggest low value or no value / spent gift cards sent to the Mayor. If you are interested in joining in this venture - feel free to send your expired / used gift cards to the following address:

You can mail the gift cards to:
Mayor Sheila Dixon
City Hall, Room 250
100 N. Holliday Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202

I think this could send a powerful message if coordinated properly.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T08:22:00.003-05:00

As Thanksgiving approaches, I decided to take inventory of all that I am thankful for.

I am thankful for my wonderful wife who has helped make me a more complete and whole person. I love her more every single day.

Every day, I thank the Lord for my son. I thank Him for keeping him safe through his NICU stay. I thank Him for helping him grow stronger every day. I thank Him for bringing him to us and for bringing him home as quickly as possible and without any equipment / stipulations.

I am thankful for all of the other members of my family - my many brothers and sister; my loving parents; my accepting brother and sister in-law; my wife's approachable parents; my amazing grandparents; and all the extended family that cares for us. Their love and support help me every day. I am incredibly thankful to have them in my life and love them all.

I am thankful for my freedoms here in these United States. The fact that I am able to speak my mind freely, worship as I see fit, and am granted a voice in our government. This nation is still the freest in the world and I thank God on a regular basis that I was born here.

I am thankful for my friends - both new and old; both close and those who have grown apart from the distance. Their friendship, support, and sometimes just their ears have provided me with so much over the years. I am incredibly thankful for that.

I am thankful for the congregation at our local church. They are a loving body of people that actively cares for each one of us. When my wife was in the hospital prior to our son's birth, their support and prayers meant so very much to me and did not go unnoticed.

And above all, I am thankful for my God and my Lord Jesus the Christ - who has provided me with the greatest gift of them all, salvation and everlasting life. I am proud of my faith and it has helped get me through anything that comes my way. I am overjoyed when I think of sharing my faith with my son - and can't wait to teach him all about it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and thank you for allowing me to share this with you.

Suggestions to Draft - Susan Schwab

2009-11-23T21:52:00.003-05:00

In 2006, John Sarbanes was elected to Congress in the Maryland's 3rd Congressional District. Sarbanes was a lawyer who had high name recognition as the son of former US Senator Paul Sarbanes. His 2006 opponent was Compass Marketting CEO John White, who received over 33% of the vote. In 2008, in a poor year for Republicans, Sarbanes won reelection against an insurance broker with no name recognition and no website. His opponent still received over 30% of the vote. In a year where Republicans are angry and ready to actively get out the vote and fight for Congress the GOP needs a solid candidate to beat Sarbanes. I feel that Susan Schwab may be that candidate.

Susan Schwab served as US Trade Representative from 2006 until 2009. She's a strong proponent of free trade and benefits from having nationwide name recognition. Prior to her tenure as US Trade Representative, Schwab was the President and CEO of the University System of Maryland Foundation from 2003 to 2006 and Dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park from 1995 to 2003. This statewide experience shows her commitment to the state of Maryland through her support.

Schwab's elected politics experience is not extensive. Schwab worked in throughout the 1980s as trade policy specialist and then legislative director for former Senator John C. Danforth.

She's motivated to work for solutions equitable to all sides involved - as seen by her handling of the US-Canada Softwood Lumber Dispute. She's got a sense of humor, as seen in her telling Charlie Rangel on Valentine's Day that she'd be his Valentine while testifying before Congress. She's a free trade dynamo who fought hard for bipartisan free trade deals.

Schwab is highly intelligent and motivated. Her experiences and story could make her a compelling candidate, especially in a year where the economy is of grave importance. Her experiences in international trade and business experience make her a perfect candidate to discuss economic issues. I feel that this current member of the FedEx board of Directors could be a great candidate for the NRCC to seek out.

Suggestions to Draft - John Faso

2009-11-18T21:41:00.002-05:00

For New York's 20th District, a solid candidate is needed to recapture this formally Republican seat. In 2009 during the special election, the GOP selected the now former Assembly Minority Leader. I'm suggesting a different former Assembly Minority Leader - John Faso.

Faso served in the NYS Assembly from 1987 until 2002, serving as Minority leader, serving from 1998 to 2002. In 1994, he considered a bid for New York State Comptroller, but internal Conservative Party / NYS GOP politics led to the selection of Herbert London as the Comptroller nominee. In 2002, Faso ran for New York State Comptroller, resigning as Minority Leader in order to run. He lost to the incumbent New York City Comptroller, Alan Hevesi by approximately 3%.

In 2006, Faso ran an insurgent campaign for Governor and beat out William Weld at the NYS convention. Faso was defeated by a large margin against the pretty much unstoppable (at the time) Eliot Spitzer. Yet, his conservatism was respected by the CPNYS and GOP faithful. In 2009, he considered a bid for NY-20 in the special election to replace Gillibrand. He was actually endorsed by the Greene County committee - but the nomination went to Tedisco instead.

In 2008, Faso became one of the founding members of New Yorkers for Growth, a fiscally conservative NY PAC focusing on state issues and working to elect fiscally conservative officials. Faso recently wrote an editorial on the fiscal problems of New York State for NY for Growth.

Faso is a hypercompetent fiscal conservative who is a known quantity in the 20th District, has experience running against all manner of opponents, actually lives in the district, and has an unquestionable fiscal conservative credentials. While Faso would be an excellent Comptroller candidate, which he's reportedly leaning towards, a Congressional bid in NY-20 would be great.

My Top 7 Most Influential Conservatives

2009-11-12T14:24:00.005-05:00

Former Bush advisor and notorious conservative electioneer Karl Rove came up with his list of the top 7 most influential conservatives in these United States for Forbes magazine. I disagree partially with his list. Here's his list in order - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader John Boehner, Senate Minority Whip John Kyl, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, Representative Paul Ryan, Heritage Foundation President Edwin Feulner, Columnist Charles Krauthammer. The problem with much of this list is that it reads more like a list of most influential Republicans.

As a thought project - I decided to develop my own list of the key players in the modern conservative movement in these United States. As I sat and thought about it - I came up with the following people:

1. Jim DeMint - US Senator from South Carolina and Chairman of the Republican Steering Committee, DeMint is a former member of the House and one fo the biggest voices for conservatism in the US Senate. He has been quick to buck the system and endorse outsider candidates for US Senate and the House of Representatives including Pat Toomey (PA) before Specter switched parties, Doug Hoffman (NY-23), Marco Rubio (FL), and Chuck DeVore (CA). He is influential in the conservative grass roots movement and a force to be reckoned with.

2. Chris Chocola - This should perhaps be the Club for Growth as an organization, but the current Club for Growth President has helped continue to make the Club for Growth the premier alternative to the NRSC / NRCC to actively support conservative candidates. Expect the CfG to be a key player in the 2010 elections.

3. Paul Ryan - Rove had Ryan at 5, I put him at 3 due to his legislative presence and prowess. Ryan is an articulate, young Republican who has been at the forefront of producing insightful and innovative, conservative legislation. I feel Ryan will be a key player in the future of the Republican Party and in conservatism in America.

4. Erick Erickson - The Editor-in-chief of RedState.com is one of the most influential members of the online right. His early support of Doug Hoffman and fundraising pushes helped to bring his name to the front of the online right while building a competitive war chest for the relatively unknown CPA. Erickson has worked hard at creating a powerful right-leaning online community and it has proven to be an effective communication tool and election tool.

5. Rush Limbaugh - There are many things you can say about Rush Limbaugh - that he bates the left, that he's purposely over the top - he is an influential voice in the right's critique of our President. He will continue to be an active voice as he was in the 90s while Clinton was in office. A man who has such an active support base and continues to be on the air on hundreds upon hundreds of stations across the nation has no choice but to be influential.

6. Ron Paul - Representative Ron Paul may be a lowly member of Congress, but his libertarian thoughts and his support base run deep. He has created a vast network of supporters who are helping to build up fiscally conservative to libertarian candidates nationwide. I would go as far as to say that the Ron Paul Revolutionaries were some of the forerunners to the "Tea Party" movement.

7. Charles Krauthammer - I agree with Rove here. Krauthammer is a perfect spokesman in the written form and I feel that his influence on conservative thought can only increase during Obama's Presidency.

Thoughts welcome.

UPDATE: So Rove's list is most powerful conservatives - as such, I agree with his list a little more. But, nonetheless, I like my influential conservative lists.

Veterans Day 2009

2009-11-11T08:46:00.000-05:00

Today is a day of rememberance to our veterans. Let us never forget the courage and love of country many of these tireless soldiers have exhibited.

Let us never forget the heroics of Admiral James Stockdale - who when captured by the Viet Kong purposely beat, cut, and disfigured himself so that they could never use him in film propaganda. He was captive in Hoa Lo prison for 7 years, kept in solitary confinement for resisting torture for 4 of those years. He never broke and never gave in.

Let us never forget Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last known surviving American World War I veteran. The 108 year old man served at age 16, sneaking under the radar because Missouri, at the time, did not actually issue birth certificates. He served as in a Casualty Detachment division and in 1918, Buckles escorted prisoners of war from England and France back to Germany. In World War II, as a civilian, Buckles was captured by the Japanese while working in the Philipines. He was kept captive for three years and the malnurished former soldier led his fellow inmates in daily calisthenics to keep active.

There are countless stories of heroism, bravery, and love of country that could go on for pages. Remember all of those brave Veterans today and God bless them.

Conservative Comptroller Candidate Suggestion

2009-11-04T19:30:00.003-05:00

With the 2009 special election now past, Doug Hoffman has lost. But, it is quite an accomplishment for an unknown CPA to go from polling at 16% to garnering 45% of the popular vote on a third party ballot line. This is a big accomplishment in and of itself. Hoffman is a hero to many conservatives who saw this as a fight that needed to be fought - win or lose, it was worth the fight.

But what will become of our conservative hero. He has lost a battle - but the war for conservative principles is far from over. In 2010, the Republican Party will need a conservative candidate for NY-23. Perhaps that candidate will be Doug Hoffman, but I have a suggestion that may be even better suited to his personal experiences - draft Doug Hoffman for Comptroller.

Doug Hoffman is a businessman and accountant. He received his MBA from the University of Connecticut in 1976 and became a CPA in 1977. An Army Reserve / National Guard veteran, Hoffman served as Controller for the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1980 Winter Olympics. He is currently a small business owner and is a managing partner of the Dragon Benware Crowley & Co., P.C. accounting firm. The bulk of his background is in business and finance.

New York State's Comptroller serves as the state's financial auditor and oversees New York's retirement system. Hoffman's extensive experience as an accountant, as controller for the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee, and his business sense make him a highly qualified candidate for the role. His outsider status and unquestionable fiscally conservative credentials could make him the perfect choice for the GOP in 2010.

In 2006, the GOP in New York had an opportunity to take the comptroller against a corrupt incumbent. Even the New York Times endorsed the Republican candidate against an incumbent who was literally stealing from New York State. After his forced removal from office, Governor Spitzer set up a committee of former State and NYC Comptrollers to interview potential candidates in a public forum to replace the corrupt incumbent. They came up with a list of 3 qualified candidates for the position. Instead, the State Legislature ignored this list and selected an Assemblyman (Dede Scozzafava, broke rank with Assembly Republicans to vote for him).

New York deserves an independent, fiscally conservative Comptroller who will audit the budget and offer active criticism of state waste. They currently have an okay Comptroller who was hand selected by NYS legislature from among their own. Doug Hoffman would offer a start contrast to the incumbent. He already has a superb credentials and new found nationwide name recognition.

Let's try to draft Hoffman for Comptroller. New York needs him.

Dede Gilchrest and Doug Harris

2009-11-01T20:02:00.004-05:00

In 2008, incumbent moderate Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest lost in the primary to conservative State Senator Andy Harris. Gilchrest had been serving in Congress since 1991 and was one of 2 remaining Republican Congressmen from Maryland.

This upset was apparently too much for Gilchrest to handle. Instead of gracefully losing and endorsing the Republican or just staying out of the election - Gilchrest endorsed the Democratic candidate Frank Kratovil. In fact, he was in campaign advertisements for Kratovil actively camapigning against the very Republican establishment which had supported him for nearly 2 decades.

Why did Gilchrest endorse Kratovil? Ideologically and politically he was more in line with Harris. The real reason? Sour grapes.

He could not bear to endorse the very person who had cost him his House seat, so instead he rallied against Harris. Even if this meant going against the very party that had supported him and making Harris' point - that Gilchrest was too liberal for this district. Scozzafava did the same thing.

In this election, Dede Scozzafava was attacked on the right by Doug Hoffman. Hoffman ran a strong campaign with bigtime fundraising from national conservative supporters, much like Harris. Scozzafava was the crowned, GOP candidate in the race just as incumbent Gilchrest was in MD-01. Hoffman and Harris were both the Club for Growth preferred conservative candidate. Each had national movement conservative support. Each forced out the selected Republican candidate and in each case, this Republican candidate proved that movement conservatives were right - they were too liberal for the district and endorsed the Democratic nominee.

Scozzafava falls into a long line of self-serving, self-proclaimed Republican "moderates" who care not about party, care not about principle - care only about themselves and about getting even.

My 2009 Election Predictions

2009-10-30T22:04:00.004-04:00

With election day fastly approaching - The Hedgehog Report is having an election results prediction contest. They ask them to predict the results from the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia plus the NY-23 special election. Here are my predictions -

VA-Gov: McDonnell 57%, Deeds 43%
NJ-Gov: Christie 47% Corzine 45% Daggett 8%
NY-23 Special Election: Hoffman 41% Owens 39% Scozzafava 20%

My predictions are partially based on being hopeful coming up to election day, but these are my thoughts. Opinions are welcome.

For the Good of the Party

2009-10-29T18:45:00.000-04:00

In the 2006 New York State gubernatorial election - an interesting thing happened. Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld was running against former New York State Assembly Minority Leader John Faso for the Republican nomination. Weld had his own ballot line separate from the GOP (Libertarian). He had a Lieutenant Governor nominee lined up. He was a former Governor and had all the experience necessary to be Governor. Then came the 2006 NY GOP Convention.

At the convention, Faso won the the nomination. Weld was still within his right to primary him. He still had some high level support within the GOP and the all important second ballot line. But, he didn't. Why? For the good of the party.

In 2008, for that same reason, Mitt Romney dropped his Presidential bid and endorsed John McCain. Romney still had a path to victory - it was slim, but plausible. He opted instead to drop his bid and help rally his supporters to John McCain.

This begs the question - when does it become the responsibility of a candidate to drop their bid for office "for the good of the party?"

In the case of Weld v. Faso, it made sense. The Republican Party was up against a monster in New York State politics in Eliot Spitzer. Before his fall from grace, Spitzer was a force to be reckoned with and appeared unbeatable. Weld's campaign did not add anything significant. A primary would divide the party unneccesarily when they needed to unite against a strong opponent in a Democratic year. The primary would not remarkably change the discussion - both of them would talk about taxes and spending while ignoring social issues; both would attack Spitzer as a poor bipartisan leader; both would have run a similar general election campaign. In the end, swapping out Weld for Faso would not have changed the course of the campaign enough. There was no case for a primary and for the sake of party unity - his step aside made sense.

The end of Romney's bid served the same purpose. Polling was showing Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama strong against any Republican candidate. The path for victory for Romney was difficult, but doable. Yet, McCain had momentum, stronger nationwide favoribility ratings, and an easier path to the nomination. Romney's general election campaign could have been remarkably different than McCain's - but at that point in time, Romney had no reason to continue. He was not an ideological opponent of McCain; he did not offer a compellingly different general election strategy; and his continued presence only served to drain and slow down from the eventual nominee. For the good of the party and for the good of John McCain's campaign - it made sense for Romney to step aside.

This brings me to the election that I can not seem to ignore - NY-23. Instead of a primary, we have a general election with two Republican candidates. Scozzafava and Hoffman would both caucus with the GOP if elected. Unlike a primary, the victor of the two of them does not have a few months to rally against the Democratic nominee. They are running simultaneously against the Democrat.

Supporters of Scozzafava have throughout the campaign called on Hoffman to drop out for the good of the party and to preserve the seat for the GOP. Yet, this is a case where the primary or continued campaign by Hoffman is important. Hoffman has a different message than Scozzafava - he is championing fiscal and social conservatism. His fiscally conservative focus has resonated in the district and recent Research 20000 polling shows Hoffman tied with the Democratic nominee...with Scozzafava polling at 21%. Hoffman is leading amongst independents and Republicans.

Now this begs the question - who's presence in this race is really hurting the party's chances of successfully retaining this seat? Who's presence in the campaign does not add much to the discussion? Who's presence in this campaign is only serving to help prevent the GOP from maintaining this Congressional seat? Perhaps it is Scozzafava should realize that, for the good of the party, the ending of her campaign makes more sense.

Doug Hoffman Surges to Lead in NY-23

2009-10-26T12:55:00.000-04:00

A new poll of 300 likely voters conducted by Basswood Research for the Club for Growth shows that Doug Hoffman is currently leading in the NY-23 Special Election. The results? Hoffman 31.3%, Owens at 27.0%, and Scozzafava at 19.7%.

This helps to emphasize my theory that it is not Hoffman who is the spoiler, but Scozzafava. According to the poll, Hoffman is leading amongst Independents and Republicans. All Scozzafava's continued inclusion in the race serves to do is siphon votes away from the Conservative candidate who, if elected, will caucus with the GOP. As Basswood pollster Jon Lerner said, "Hoffman now has a wide lead among both Republicans and Independents, while Owens has a wide lead among Democrats. Dede Scozzafava's support continues to collapse, making this essentially a two-candidate race between Hoffman and Owens in the final week."

I see no benefit in the GOP continuing to spend any money on Scozzafava. They should cut their losses now and allow Hoffman the freedom to continue his bid for Congress unfettered and unattacked by the party he wishes to caucus with. If you want to help the cause - donate to Doug Hoffman to help him in this final stretch.

Scozzafava as Spoiler

2009-10-19T14:28:00.002-04:00

One of the early arguments against Doug Hoffman's campaign was that he would serve as a spoiler and ruin the chances of the GOP from retaining this Congressional seat. That's one of the big arguments that Dede Scozzafava and her establishment supporters are still using against Hoffman. Recent polling data shows that not to be the case.

Hoffman has held his own and improved his standing in the past two weeks amongst every single group of voters and is currently leading amongst independent voters and the support of 27% of Republican voters. This is the case as Hoffman remains the least recognized of the three candidates. As he continues to build his campaign, increase the number of campaign offices, and begin to advertise on TV - Hoffman's name recognition will increase and his support base will only improve.

This begs the question - who's really the spoiler. Hoffman has been boosting his name recognition, strengthening his ground game, and is leading amongst Independent voters. Thursday will show if his fundraising prowess is better than Scozzafava's - but insiders indicate that Scozzafava's fundraising has been weak at best. Scozzafava has been losing steam and losing support amongst voters as they continue to get to know her. Her unfavorables went up 12% in the past two weeks and 28% of voters feel that after viewing Scozzafava commercials they are less likely to vote for her, that's over a quarter of the electorate feeling less inclined to vote for her based on her ads.

So, who is spoiling this race for whom? Both Scozzafava and Hoffman would caucus with the GOP in Congress and currently Hoffman has the most momentum, which was acknowledged by the independent pollster to be even greater than the Democratic candidate's. With Scozzafava's approval and polling numbers dropping, it appears that Scozzafava may be spoiler, not Hoffman.

Scozzafava and the Self-Serving Signature

2009-10-16T11:56:00.004-04:00

On October 3, 2009, Dede Scozzafava was interviewed following an event in Saranac Lake. At this event, Scozzafava said that she would not sign the Americans for Tax Reform Taxpayer Protection Pledge for a confusing reason. Here's a quote from the article -

Scozzafava said she won't sign the pledge because the income tax is just one form of tax, and that more people could be impacted if, for example, you refuse to increase income taxes under any circumstances but raise other taxes or fees instead.

"When people say they'll never vote for taxes - those are people who have never been there," [Assemblywoman and Scozzafava supporter] Duprey said.

In the past 2 weeks, her Conservative opponent and Protection Pledge signer Doug Hoffman has gained quite a bit of ground. In those two weeks, Scozzafava has changed her mind and decided to sign this taxpayer pledge. The associated press release states that this provides a "...clear indication of where Hoffman and Scozzafava stand on taxes." I disagree on this statement.

Instead of providing a clear picture of Scozzafava's stance, it shows a clear picture of character. Scozzafava is willing to sign any pledge and do anything to get elected. If she was principled in her moderacy, I could at least respect that. I now have no respect for her principles on the issues. As polls show her losing support amongst conservatives, she jumps onto an anti-tax pledge she does not believe in. This is a display of a self-serving nature and the people of the 23rd District deserve better.

An independent minded alternative has stood proudly for fiscally conservative principles the entire time. He has not wavered from week to week based on polling data. Doug Hoffman is the right candidate for this district and his opponents actions make this clearer by the day.

Hoffman's Opportunity

2009-10-15T20:44:00.001-04:00

Doug Hoffman has the opportunity to do something amazing in far upstate New York. He has the chance to become the first member of the Conservative Party of New York elected to the House of Representatives. He would be the second person from that party elected to Congress, following James Buckley's election in 1970. He has the chance to lead the charge for conservatives large C and small c into 2010.

Doug Hoffman is currently polling at 23% according to independent polling data collected by Siena college. This is 7% higher than he was polling two weeks ago. He also has the lowest name recognition in the race with 63% of voters in the 23rd District do not knowing enough about Hoffman. Positive campaigning is key to boost name recognition. Hoffman can continue to use that to define himself with positive campaigning. His new ad is a great step forward - continuing this path will get his message out there.

Hoffman is a unique candidate in that he comes from entirely outside of the political realm. He's an accountant and a successful small business owner. He is not a lawyer or a political scientist or a currently sitting politician. Hoffman is just a local businessman / accountant who was sick of the current political scene. After losing the Republican nomination behind closed doors to a woman who is on the record saying that she supports Card Check and the stimulus package, Hoffman turned to the Conservative Party of New York. For those who do not know, due to New York's fusion electoral system - candidates are able to be cross-endorsed by multiple parties. Republicans candidates actively seek the Conservative line and no Republican has been elected Governor without that line since its inception. The Conservative Party serves to check Republicans, setting up road blocks in their victory path if they are not sufficiently conservative.

With surging fiscal conservatism amongst independents, Hoffman has an opportunity to win on fiscally conservative values. As a small businessman, Hoffman is on the front lines helping create jobs and has seen firsthand the problems of government intervention. As an accountant, Hoffman understands the need for keeping any business, including our government, lean through minimizing waste. As a conservative outsider, he supports term limits to prevent creating career politicians.

Conservatives nationwide have an opportunity with Doug Hoffman. We have the chance to help elect a genuine movement conservative. Doug Hoffman is exactly the type of conservative we need in Congress. As a former New Yorker and former member of the Conservative Party, I'm proud to of him and the choice of the party's endorsement.

Cross posted at Red State

2010 GOP Hopefuls: Eric Wargotz

2009-10-13T18:44:00.002-04:00

2010 Maryland US Senate candidate Eric Wargotz is a physician and the current President of the Queen Anne's County Board of County Commissioners. Watgotz was elected President of the Queen Anne's County Board of County Commissioners in 2006 with 51% of the vote.

Professionally, Wargotz is a top notch doctor. He was thrice recognized as one of "America's Top Physicians" by the Consumers Research Council. He served as Medical Director and Chief of Pathology at the Doctors Community Hospital in Lanham from 1989 to 2007. He has served on numerous medical boards including serving as the Governor's Appointee to the Board of Physician Quality Assurance and served as President of the Queen Anne's County Medical Society (2000 to 2004). In addition to work in his field, he has also aided in humanitarian efforts including joining Queen Anne's County Cares which provided relief effort for victims of hurricane Katrina.

His experiences on both the business and practical side of health care make him exactly the type of person that we need to help provide insight into health care reform. Wargotz prepared a press release on the topic discussing the important tenents to remember during health care reform. Wargotz said, "Real, meaningful health care reform should have three goals – lower costs; improve patient care; and, reduce waiting times for critical care,...The current legislation addresses none of these things and in many cases was going to make it much worse." He then lays out his 7 keys to successful health care reform. I for one would love to see a detailed plan with specific legislative action items that Wargotz would propose if elected.

Considering that the incumbent, Senator Barbara Mikulski, has been earmarking funds to top campaign contributors - Maryland deserves better. Mikulski has been in the US Senate since 1987. Her 22 year tenure should come to an end next year. Wargotz is exactly the type of candidate that Republicans need to try to recruit. He's a doctor who provides the background needed on health care issues, is an elected Republican in Maryland, and is ready to fight on the issues that matter most to Americans.

Lollar Running for Congress

2009-10-08T14:21:00.004-04:00

Charles Lollar., Charles County GOP Chairman is officially running against House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Lollar is a former Marine an exciting public speaker who can articulate conservative principles well. Example of such articulation can be found here.

RedState blogger Moe Lane interviewed Lollar back in August back when he was considering a bid for Congress. Here's a brief excerpt from Lane's article -

Charles Lollar is primarily a fiscal conservative primarily. He feels that the biggest problem facing Marylanders is that the government’s fiscal irresponsibility is taxing-and-spending our way into debt; which will lead to less choices and a general lack of individual freedoms down the road. He favors limiting government growth to inflation, not to mention term limits; and considers it a priority for the Maryland Republican party to unify its message and focus on fiscal responsibility. Charles is also a supporter of school choice, and was not even remotely pleased with the way that Democrats killed the DC program earlier this year. His reaction to Card Check was strongly negative; he considers it to be a huge business issue, and that instituting it would force business to operate in an unethical way. While Lollar is not opposed to unions as unions, he does note (as many others do) that they elect their own officers via secret ballot.

Regarding Steny Hoyer’s seat: when I asked him if he was running for it he started by saying that he wasn’t – because it wasn’t actually Hoyer’s seat; it was the people’s. In Lollar’s opinion, Hoyer however treats the seat as if it were his (an opinion that I happen to share); and he’s offended that Hoyer does that.

The last Republican to hold the 5th Congressional District in Maryland was Lawrence Hogan, who left Congress in January of 1975. If Lollar can defeat the House Majority Leader, it would be a feat.

Lollar is a young, black Republican who is articulate about his fiscal conservative values and has served the Republican Party proudly as a County Chairman. He's exactly the type of candidate that Republicans should be seeking out and recruiting for 2010.

Unenforceable

2009-10-02T15:51:00.002-04:00

Maryland recently changed the law to ban the use of text messaging while driving an automobile. This law went into effect on October 1, 2009. Though that is not the entire story. The law only bans the sending of text messages. It does not prohibit the reading / review of incoming text messages. Also, the law does not prohibit the use of cell phones for normal calling use. The officer will have to witness a person typing a text message to another in order to actually enforce this law. This law is unenforceable.

What is to stop a person from claiming that they were merely making a phone call or reading a text message when the officer witnessed them looking at their phone? The officer can not prove whether or not the person is telling the truth and can not merely take a person's cell phone. Unless the person is driving recklessly while texting, which is a different fine altogether, there is no way this can be enforced.

As I have mentioned in the past, we can not begin to micromanage people's lives. You can't legislate intelligence. Drivers must learn how to deal with distractions, it's not something you can regulate. Texting while driving is a massive distraction and unsafe, but if a person drives recklessly then the crime is reckless driving. Enforce the law as written and, perhaps, increase penalties for those who drive recklessly while using their cell phone.

I for one hope that in the future our state legislature and our Governor review the laws they are voting upon. Try to determine the enforcability of such legislation. If the point was to make the roads safer with fewer people texting while driving - then they have failed. If instead this was an attempt to raise state revenue, then they also failed. Even if a person is fined for driving while texting, the defense is so simple and difficult to disprove that a person with a competent lawyer should be able to readily fight such a charge with ease.

Once again, this law is unenforceable and I hope our legislators learn from this mistake.

This post is cross posted at Newman for Maryland

How Doug Hoffman Can Become a Congressman

2009-10-01T11:39:00.002-04:00

The first independent poll not performed by a right-leaning outfit has come out in the 23rd Congressional District. The results? Scozzafava is ahead with 35% of the vote to Owens' 28% and Hoffman's 16%. This leaves 21% undecided. In addition - only 1/3 of Scozzafava and 1/4 of Owens voters in this poll say they are confident in their selection. The race is wide open for Doug Hoffman to take.

Doug Hoffman is about to receive a quarter million dollar investment from the Club for Growth. That could be huge for increasing name recognition (71% of voters have no opinion of Hoffman) and getting his message of limited government out in the open. But that can not be all.

First - he must avoid the mistakes that the NRCC made in the NY-20 special election. Do not go 100% negative. Hoffman must begin preparing positive advertisements introducing himself to the district. He's a certified public accountant and small business owner who understands the hardships of these current economic times. He's a fiscal conservative who wants to see our economy fixed with common sense, conservative approaches. A television ad incorporating these elements could be powerful - showing that Hoffman is just like the average voter. With 71% of voters having no opinion of Hoffman, this allows Hoffman to define his candidacy as he sees fit - not as others would define him. He really is a genuine small business owner and accountant with a great story to tell - so tell it.

Second - take a note from the cross tabs of where one needs to spend their time. Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties where Hoffman is currently at 10% are not outright lost causes - but building up support in Madison, Oneida and Oswego counties where he currently polls at 20% and 30% are undecided may be more important. Those western counties are Scozzafava territory, but the remaining counties are ripe for the picking. Knowing this from the Sienna cross-tabs could be beneficial in targeted advertising in this quick election.

Third - Hoffman needs to make the most of the endorsements / support of all the conservative PACs / groups coming to bat for him. Hopefully some big-wigs who endorsed him will come to the 23rd district to help him out, like Fred Thompson, but we don't know for sure. Allow them to make calls, advertise, and see if they can help with GOTV efforts.

In a short turnaround election, GOTV and name recognition are important. Having a powerful, district-wide GOTV effort and positive name recognition through targeted advertising can improve Hoffman's chances.

In short - this race is wide open and Hoffman has an opportunity to win this special election. It also provides the conservative movement with a new rallying point in this off-year election. Hoffman has the opportunity - let's hope he can pull it off.

Hoffman's NY-23 Endorsement-Palooza

2009-09-28T19:58:00.003-04:00

Today the Hoffman campaign revealed three major conservative endorsements for their campaign -

FredPAC - Fred Thompson's political action committee. Thompson is a name amongst the conservative base and in an email I received from his PAC - he's asking his supporters to donate to Hoffman.

Club for Growth - The Club for Growth is the forefront right-leaning political action committee in the country. The Club for Growth may not have a perfect track record, but they could help provide money to Hoffman's third party
candidacy.

Susan B. Anthony List - A powerful and forceful pro-life political action committee.

With these three groups, plus the endorsement of the Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Troopers could provide some powerful fundraising and personnel assistance to his campaign.

Biff the Muppet Republican

2009-09-27T20:56:00.003-04:00

My wife and I watched Sesame Street's "Sing Along" DVD with Ryan the other night. What happened at the end was the following - a Muppet repairman named Biff had been trying to fix a television and TV antena on the roof all night and in the end, it broke. One of the children said to him, as it broke right at the end, "And you call yourself a repairman." Biff responded by saying, "No, a Republican! I call myself a Republican!"

I think we need Biff to become a spokesman for the GOP. I can see the ads now.

My name is Biff, and I support this message.

The Sedimentary Stone

2009-09-22T14:01:00.003-04:00

A fixture in the State Senate since 1967 is my current Maryland State Senator, Norman Stone. The 74 year old State Senator represents the 6th legislative district and his long tenure makes him the longest serving sitting State Senator. Prior to his tenure in the State Senate, Stone served in the House of Delegates from 1963 to 1967.

Norman Stone is an interesting legislator. Key aspects of his current voting record can be viewed here. Based on this and his historic approval ratings from interest groups - the Sendimentary Stone is a mixed bag.

On issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, Stone has come down on the side of social conservatism 80-90% of the time. He has actively opposed indoor clean air acts, supports requiring proof of citizenship to get a drivers license, and has a strong rating from firearm rights groups. Yet, he supports a ban on cell phone / texting while driving and bans on certain food colorings - issues which are generally more in line with the progressive idea that "big government" must protect us.

On the fiscal front - Stone is all over the map. He's been in support of increased spending legislation and increased environmental regulations. While, in the same session he votes actively against tax increases. Stone opposed a sales tax increases, supported removing certain computer sales taxes...while in the same breath he supported increasing income taxes on millionaires and the establishment of a "living wage" for certain state workers.

The dichotomy in his voting record shows a man who wants to serve two masters - the conservative constituents of his district and the liberal leadership of the Maryland Democratic Party. No person can serve two masters forever and with an election coming up, Stone may end up picking one of the two. Will he kowtow to the liberal leadership and walk down the progressive pathway to fend off a primary challenge? Will he realize that he represents a more conservative people than the state at large? Or will he continue operating as the sedimentary mixup of views with no apparent cohesive political philosophy? Time will tell - as the campaign for 2010 has only just begun.

The Indecisive Candidate

2009-09-18T12:10:00.005-04:00

Recently, former State legislator and State Insurance Commissioner Larry Hogan announced that he was forming a Gubernatorial exploratory committee. Hogan is a successful businessman, an experiences former legislator, has experience in Maryland's executive branch, and has a proven record in politics - in 1992, he came the closest anyone has come to defeating the current House Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. In 1994, when Republicans took control of the House, the candidate did not do as well as Hogan performed in 1992...with Bill Clinton taking Maryland by a decent margin.

Sounds like a potentially strong candidate for Governor. What's the problem? Larry Hogan is not decisively entering the race. Instead, Hogan is "testing the waters" and will not run if Bob Ehrlich decides to run. Hogan said, "Should my friend [Bob Ehrlich] decide to run, he would have my enthusiastic support, as he always has, and nobody would work harder for him."

Now, I like Bob Ehrlich as much as the next Republican in Maryland. I think he was a great Governor and I think he'd be a great candidate if he decided to run in 2010. But, he's not running at the moment. He's not a candidate for office. If you are announcing you are considering a run for office - don't add in caveats.

If you are considering a run for the highest office in the State, you must be doing so because you feel you are the best person for the job. You feel that you are the most qualified and most capable of being the next Governor. As such, you need to convince the electorate that you are the most qualified and most competent person for the job. If you do not feel that way and you say as much when you announce - you will not gain that much confidence from voters. When Hogan announced he was forming his exploratory committee, he basically said that, "Ehrlich is more qualified than me, but if he doesn't run, I'll take a stab at it." You can't inspire support in you as the most tested and ready person for the job when your announcement tells the audience that you don't believe so yourself.

Therein lies the problem. As Rick Lazio has done in New York, people need to stop waiting for the party's "preferred candidate" to step to the plate. If you want to be the next Governor, then run enthusiastically. Spend time building up a coalition of supporters, stop waiting. If Ehrlich runs - then he runs. If he doesn't, we need to have candidates ready to take the leap into the race and ready to give it their all in a race for Governor. Playing the "wait and see" card will only weaken ones candidacy.

I honestly think Larry Hogan has a great deal to offer Maryland as a potential candidate. Let's hope he decides to act like a candidate who's in the race to win - and not a candidate in the race until his friend makes up his mind about it.

Thoughts on Health Care Reform

2009-09-16T13:12:00.001-04:00

A topic I have not tackled is the current boondoggle that is health care reform. Congress has been dealing with this issue for the better part of this year and so far - have not come to a conclusion. Competing reform bills in the House and Senate are so lengthy and were not given adequate time to discuss, debate, or modify as needed.

As such, the American public has stood up and said - we want you to slow down. Many are saying that they do not even want a public option. But, in the end, Americans want something to be done about health care. As such - the Republican Party must offer alternatives. Luckily for us - they have.

The Republicans in Congress have offered a multi-faceted approach to health care reform. Yet, unlike their Democratic colleagues, they have kept their bills smaller and limited in scope. For example - John Shadegg prepared the "Improving Health Care for All Americans Act." This legslation allows individual to gain tax credits just like businesses for purchasing health insurance. It also allows certain civic organizations to allow members to join in insurance programs they establish - including church groups, alumni associations, and trade association in addition to employers. This will provide competition to employer provided health insurance. Finally, it removes some of the barriers for those who have pre-existing conditions trying to get health insurance.

The Republican Study Committee develoepd the Empowering Patients First Act. This includes reform that allows persons to purchase insurance across state lines, allows physicians to deduct for uncompensated care, and caps non-economic damages in medical liability cases.

There are many other ideas as well - many of which are incldued at the House GOP Caucus website on healthcare.

I do not agree with every single item on every single reform bill proposed by the GOP, but I find them to be a far better and far cheaper alternative to the behemoth that the Democratic Party has created. Then again - this is why healthcare reform needs to be done slowly and with great care. The American public doesn't need any random legislation entitled "reform" with no regard to cost or consequences steamrolled through Congress. We need the best possible piece of legislation to pass, preferrably piece by piece. Omnibus legislation is never a good plan and will always be able to be packed with mini-pork nuggets of which the people are unaware.

2009 CPNYS Hopeful: Doug Hoffman

2009-09-13T21:24:00.002-04:00

President Obama nominated Congressman John McHugh (R-NY) as the next Secretary of the Army. When confirmed, a Special Election will be called in the 23rd District of New York.

The 23rd District covers the north-most section of New York State and borders Canada. The district has been represented by McHugh, a moderate Republican, since 1993. This district or a previous incarnation of this district has been represented by a Republican since 1871. The district is generally conservative and voted for Bush twice, but voted for Obama in 2008.

Because this will be a Special Election - the local party leaders select candidates and no primary is held in New York State. After initially considering courting Republican Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava, the Democratic Party selected an unaffiliated attorney from Plattsburgh named Bill Owens. His previous federal donation history includes a $750 donation to Alfonse D'Amato when he faced Chuck Schumer in 1998. He's considered a more moderate to conservative Democrat. The Republican Party leaders selected Dierdre Scozzafava. Scozzafava is a member of the State Assembly who is pro-choice and in favor of same-sex marriage. She's also involved in her brother's business - which is massively in debt at the moment. On fiscal and social issues, the Conservative Party of New York gave Scozzafava a rating of 15 out of 100.

Based on these ratings - the Conservative Party of New York decided not to cross-endorse Scozzafava. Instead, they endorsed accountant Doug Hoffman. A CPA, Hoffman was the corporate controller for the Lake Placid Olympic Winter Games in 1980. He's also a small business owner - multiple small businesses, in fact. He supports a flat income tax rate, opposes Obamacare, and is pro-life. His candidacy has begun turning heads gaining some nationwide conservative press and comparisons to James Buckley's awesome Senate victory.

In order to gauge support - Hoffman hired conservative pollster McLaughlin & Associates to poll the 23rd district. The results were intriguing - showing 31% undecided. Hoffman was at 19%, Owens at 20% and Scozzafava at 30%.

Hoffman is trying to raise his profile and fundraise like crazy in the buildup to an actual campaign beginning. With luck, this third party Conservative will be able to buck the system and take down a 15% conservative and the Democratic challenger.

On Parental Consent

2009-09-02T14:01:00.001-04:00

On this blog, I have not always ventured into the controversial. I feel that it is important, though, that certain issues be discussed. The topic of abortion is a touchy subject to most. It is a topic that divides the American public fairly evenly - with nearly as many in favor as against.

Maryland has very permissive abortion laws. In fact, our ranking by NARAL Pro-Choice America is higher than generally viewed as liberal areas such as New York, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. As one who's views on this issue tend to fall to the right, I can't help but wonder what that means.

As I began to delve deeper into this, I noticed one of the simplest and most clear cut in my mind aspect of abortion regulations: parental consent. Parental consent for abortion for minors is an unnecessarily controversial issue. If an abortion is to be viewed as those on the left would have us view it - abortion is merely a medical procedure. If that is the case, then abortions must be treated as any other medical procedure. In Maryland, a minor is unable to get a tattoo even with parental consent. Why then should a potentially invasive, damaging, and emotionally strenuous medical procedure be allowed to be performed on a minor without no notification of a parent if a physician feels that "...[t]he minor is mature and capable of giving informed consent to an abortion." It may not be perfect, but parental notification and consent is the current standard for medical procedures. To feel we must treat one controversial procedure differently, which the many on the left want us to view clinically as a medical procedure, is inconsistent and illogical.

As such, I would propose the following to adjust Maryland law with regards to parental consent. I would propose to amend General- - Health Section 20-103 to read as follows -

(a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, a physician may not perform an abortion on an unmarried minor unless the physician has first gives consent from a parent or guardian of the minor.
(b) The physician may perform the abortion without consent of a parent or guardian if the minor does not live with a parent or guardian.
(c)
(1) The physician may perform the abortion, without consent of a parent or guardian of a minor if, in the professional judgment of the physician notice to the parent or guardian may lead to physical or emotional abuse of the minor.
(2) The physician is not liable for civil damages or subject to a criminal penalty for a decision under this subsection not to request consent.

(d) A signed statement granting consent for the procedure from the parent or guardian of the minor will be considered conclusive evidence of consent.

Please review my proposal and consider this option. It provides regulations requiring parental consent as required for all other medical procedures. It allows a physician who truly believes that the minor's life is in danger if consent is sought to perform the procedure without consent and protects those doctors under the law.

Those on the left will say that I have gone too far, those on the right will say that I have not gone far enough. Yet, I think this minor reform would be a positive step forward. As always, opinions are always welcome.

Cross-posted from Newman for Maryland

2010 GOP Hopefuls: Marco Rubio

2009-09-01T21:16:00.000-04:00

Marco Rubio is the 39 year old former Florida Speaker of the House and a Republican US Senate candidate.

Born of two Cuban immigrants, Rubio worked his way up from his local community college to graduate from the University of Florida in 1993. Rubio graduated cum laude from the University of Miami in 1996 with his J.D.

Rubio first held elected office as a City Commissioner for West Miami and in 2000, began to serve in the Florida House of Representatives. During his tenure, Americans for Tax Reform referred to Rubio as “...the most pro-taxpayer legislative leader in the country." In 2005 and 2006, Rubio traveled the state hosting what he called "Idearaisers." The point of these events was to generated ideas on how to make a better state for their State. He then compiled the top 100 ideas into a book entitled 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida’s Future. These ideas became the centerpiece to the remainder of his tenure. In 2007, Rubio was selected as the Speaker of the House and during this time, fostered the accomplishment of 50 of the 100 ideas from his statewide tour.

In 2008, Rubio left office due to term limits. Since leaving public office, Rubio returned to practicing law in West Miami. He also served as a visiting professor at Florida International University’s Metropolitan Center, worked as Florida Chairman of GOPAC, and served as a political analyst for Univision during the 2008 Presidential election.

In May 2009, Rubio announced that he was running for US Senate to replace outgoing Senator Mel Martinez. He was ready to serve his State and not willing to wait in the wings while other potential candidates made up their mind. Since then, Governor Charlie Crist has also announced that he will be running for US Senate. Rubio remains unwavering in his bid for office. He is young, optimistic, and full of ideas. He brings with him good experience for the role and has a solid, conservative record. He is the underdog in this primary, but if recent history is any indicator - underdogs can and do win in primaries.

Marco Rubio is exactly the type of candidate that the national Republican Party should be seeking out. He is an experienced, energetic, younger Republican with roots outside of traditional Republican circles who is steadfast in his principles and can articulate them well.

2010 GOP Hopefuls: Greg Ball

2009-08-25T20:30:00.004-04:00

Gregory R. Ball is the 31 year old Assemblyman who represents the 99th District and a potential 2010 Congressional candidate (NY-19). The 99th District is in the southern part of New York, covering parts of Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester Counties. Ball was first elected in 2006.

Prior to 2006, for 12 years, the 99th Assembly District was represented by Willis Stephens. Stephens was one of three Republicans in the State Assembly who had been consistently endorsed by Planned Parenthood. Stephens was a generational name in the district, his father and grandfather had held the seat before him for a combined total of 68 years. Stephens was "entitled" to the seat and served when elected following his father's retirement in 1994. He was constantly endorsed by traditionally liberal leaning outfits such as AFL-CIO, Environmental Advocates of New York, CSEA, and NYSUT. During his time in office, he was cited for using campaign money for personal expenses such as a clown for a child's party. In 2005, Stephens inadvertently showed the local community what he thought of them by sending out an email message to an email discussion group saying that people of his hometown of Brewster were "pontificating idiots." Enter 29 year old Greg Ball in 2006.

Greg Ball is a retired Air Force Captain, he left active duty in January 2005 and remains a member of the Air Force Reserves. He was then hired by Exceed International, an international development corporation. Through his work there, he was elevated to Vice President of Exceed's Northeastern United States within a year. In 2006, Exceed proposed a $75 million urban renewal project for the village of Brewster, within the 99th Assembly District that should, when completed, generate some $2 million annually in tax revenue for the community. With his business and military experience behind him, Ball decided to primary Stephens. In early 2005, he declared his candidacy. He ran an unorthodox campaign -- when Stephens refused to debate him, he hired a guy in a chicken suit to show up at events; when it came out that Stephens had received shady donations from an indicted trashman/reported mob boss, Ball brought trash bags to campaign events to emphasize it; when illegal immigration was being discussed across the country, Ball brought it up locally and showed that it was happening here in New York. Ball's campaign won the hearts of the district and he defeated Stephens 70% to 30%. Stephens retained ballot access on the Conservative and Independence Party lines, but declined to campaign in the fall -- instead running for a Judgeship at the last minute. After Ball's insurgent campaign, he won in 2006 with 50.8% of the vote.

Ball campaigned on reform and traditional conservative principles. He's kept to that since being in office. He wrote the New York State Property Taxpayers Protection Act which would have created an inflation-indexed cap on spending and school/property tax increases. He has proposed caps on the state sales tax on gasoline. He has supported gun rights and opposed firearm microstamping in New York. On immigration, Ball pushed the New York State Criminal Illegal Alien Deportation and Legal Hiring Act which would have authorized police to detain and start the deportation process for illegal immigrants caught committing a crime immediately. In terms of the environment, Ball is a bit of an environmentalist at heart, and has vowed to create lesiglation providing tax credits for using alternative sources of energy. He has supported Greasestock, a privately run alternative energy exposition held in Yorktown Heights, NY. He has attended since being in office.

For reelection in 2008, he faced former Brewster Mayor John Degnan. Degnan is a Republican who enjoyed also running on the Democratic Party line. He did so for Mayor of Brewster and he did so when he challenged Ball. He primaried Ball on the Republican line while retaining the Democratic Party line as well. In September 2008, a 60 year old former staff member accused Ball of sexual harassment in a letter to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. A panel determined in October that no sexual harassment had taken place and that the charges were fabricated. It was also discovered that the accuser had connections to Ball's opponent, Degnan. Ball won reelection by a wider margin.

Ball is preparing a bid for Congress in the 19th District in New York. He's outraising the Democratic incumbent primarily through individual donations. He's holding town hall meetings on health care throughout the 19th district.

The 19th District was represented by a Republican prior to John Hall's victory in the Democratic wave of 2006. This is a winnable district and Greg Ball is a perfect fit and great candidate for the seat.

Note: Much of this post was originally posted by me last November at Red Albany.

Illegally Counted in Census

2009-08-25T13:37:00.002-04:00

Save the GOP has linked to an interesting Wall Street Journal article. The crux of the story, based on current census standards - those who are included to be counted include those legally and those illegally here in the United States. What does this mean? It means that illegal immigrants would be included in the census and therefore included in how Congressional districts are reapportioned.

States like California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona which have larger than average illegal immigrant populations would benefit and could gain Congressional seats and, in turn, electoral votes based on counting people who are not here legally. Those states with low illegal immigrant populations would be hurt as these persons are included in the census. Here's a quote from the article -

the U.S. Census Bureau is set to count all persons physically present in the country—including large numbers who are here illegally. The result will unconstitutionally increase the number of representatives in some states and deprive some other states of their rightful political representation. Citizens of “loser” states should be outraged. Yet few are even aware of what’s going on.

In 1790, the first Census Act provided that the enumeration of that year would count “inhabitants” and “distinguish” various subgroups by age, sex, status as free persons, etc. Inhabitant was a term with a well-defined meaning that encompassed, as the Oxford English Dictionary expressed it, one who “is a bona fide member of a State, subject to all the requisitions of its laws, and entitled to all the privileges which they confer.”

Thus early census questionnaires generally asked a question that got at the issue of citizenship or permanent resident status, e.g., “what state or foreign country were you born in?” or whether an individual who said he was foreign-born was naturalized. Over the years, however, Congress and the Census Bureau have added inquiries that have little or nothing to do with census’s constitutional purpose.

By 1980 there were two census forms. The shorter form went to every person physically present in the country and was used to establish congressional apportionment. It had no question pertaining to an individual’s citizenship or legal status as a resident. The longer form gathered various kinds of socioeconomic information including citizenship status, but it went only to a sample of U.S. households. That pattern was repeated for the 1990 and 2000 censuses.

The 2010 census will use only the short form.

If this bothers you, as it does me, contact your member of Congress and ask them to support a fair census that only includes those persons here legally - resident aliens and citizens.

Pro-Life Union for Secularity

2009-08-17T18:15:00.003-04:00

I found an interesting organization called the Pro-Life Union for Secularity. For those of you who check my blog regularly, you may have noticed that I've added their link to the sidebar. The PLUS is an organization that opposes abortion for non-religious reasons and uses secular data / information to support their cause. They also include some interesting handouts on their site.

For those interested, check the link on the sidebar or earlier in this post.

What If Bush Did That?

2009-08-10T13:43:00.000-04:00

As I continue to watch President Obama in office, I have to ask one question - what if President Bush had done what Obama's done so far.

What if, President Bush had pushed bills through Congress with less than 5 days of public review? What if he had promised to allow that timeframe on the campaign trail, then went ahead and pushed bills through without that review time? Would the Democrats in Congress be outraged? Wouldn't the news media jump all over Bush railroading his policies through Congress? Well, President Obama did just that - it was one of the first of his campaign promises he broke.

What if President Bush had given the new Prime Minister of our closest ally a collection of out of region DVDs? What if that had followed said Prime Minister giving an expensive gift with close ties to the White House to President Bush? I'm sure the New York Times would run a front page article about how President Bush had insulted our allies. Well, President Obama did just that.

What if President Bush's Treasury secretary appointee didn't pay Social Security or Medicare taxes for several years prior to his appointment to the job? Would the appointee even get through a confirmation hearing? Since it was President Obama's Treasury Secretary appointment - he made it through with very little argument.

What if, during the Social Security reform debate, President Bush had asked anyone who heard any "disinformation" about his policy ideas to contact the federal government? What if he used a webpage owned by the people to track these disinformants? This is the newest thing our President has done, trying to keep tabs on those who provide differing views to his on healthcare proposals.

It is outrageous the double standard in our news media. It's outrageous the lack of outrage or even discussion of this by the media. Frankly, it's despicable to realize that President Bush would be called out for removal from office if he did all these things in his first six months. For President Obama, there's nothing but hearts and rainbows from the media.

Anh Cao - Hero of the Day

2009-08-04T13:03:00.003-04:00

Representative Anh "Joseph" Cao (R) of Louisiana was elected in 2008 in a heavily Democratic district in what some call a fluke after facing a ridiculously corrupt Democratic incumbent. Cao is now prepared to vote against Obama-care even though it may cost him reelection. That makes him our hero of the day. Here's the quote -

“I know that voting against the health care bill will probably be the death of my political career...But I have to live with myself, and I always reflect on the phrase of the New Testament, ‘How does it profit a man’s life to gain the world but to lose his soul?’”

Top 5 People for Dinner

2009-08-04T12:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, after hearing them discuss it on the radio in the morning, I posted on Twitter the top 5 living people that I'd want to have dinner with outside of family and friends. For those who did not see it, the list included the following - Joss Whedon, Dick Cheney, Jim Gaffigan, Fred Thompson, and Francis Collins. Today, let's discuss why I picked each of these people.

Joss Whedon - For those who do not know, Joss Whedon is a writer / director who created (or co-created) Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog, and Dollhouse. He's written music, scripts, and comic books. His ideas are all over the map and incredibly interesting. I'd like to sit down with him and just try to figure out where these ideas come from. What are his inspirations? How did he make the concept of a teenage girl who suddenly discovered she was chosen and had super powers in order to kill vampires such an entertaining program? Also, I'd love to know what he may have done for a second season of Firefly. I also wonder if he'd ever consider writing a piece of traditional written fiction. The questions are all over the map and it would be an interesting conversation.

Dick Cheney - Former Vice President Dick Cheney would be an interesting person to talk to. First, it would be interesting to hear in a one-on-one setting what his views are on how the country was led the past 8 years. I also wonder how he felt serving under a President who supported a Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, when he has a gay daughter and opposes such an amendment. I'd also just like to hear what he has to say about how the media portrays him. Is he really the evil genius working behind the scenes that the media wants us to think he was? Or is he something else entirely? I think the latter and I'd love to find out.

Jim Gaffigan - Honestly, I want to know what Jim Gaffigan is like in person. He's hysterical and his anecdotes are all over the map. I would love to just to have a conversation with him about nothing in general; see where the conversation leads.

Fred Thompson - Fred Thompson is a former US Senator, an actor, a radio personality, and was my choice for the GOP primary in 2008. I still have a Fred '08 sticker posted on my cube at work. I'd love to ask him about his campaign for President; what initially motivated him to run - was it the online draft movement or had he been considering a bid for a while? Where does he think that things went wrong along the way? How would he do things differently if he were to do it again? Also - what does he think of the current situation and what policy ideas would he implement to help our economy? I'd also just want to ask him about his experiences in politics and in Hollywood.

Francis Collins - For those who do not know, Francis Collins is President Obama's choice for Director of the National Institute of Health. He was one of the key scientists involved in the Human Genome Project. He was a strong atheist early in life - and a convert to (in his own words) Evangelical Christianity. He founded the BioLogos Foundation which discusses the topics of religion and science. I'd love to talk to him about his faith, the science behind the Human Genome project, his ideas for leading NIH, his thoughts on future scientific research, etc. He's such a fascinating figure that I'd love to just learn more from him.

Comments are welcome and I'd love to hear others' lists of potential people they'd like to have dinner with.

Budget Cut Suggestions

2009-07-31T16:30:00.002-04:00

If you are from Maryland and have budget cut ideas for our Governor - let him know. He's got an online suggestion box for budget cuts. I posted my suggestions over at Newman for Maryland. Feel free to leave a comment with your own.

Newman's 2010 GOP Draft Suggestions

2009-07-15T11:26:00.012-04:00

I've decided instead of putting together some new articles and to restate some of my previous suggestions, I've decided to post a list of people I suggest the GOP should draft for public office in a spattering of states (CT, MD, and NY). If I were in charge of national or local state GOP organizations, these are the people I would seek out to run for public office. Thoughts are always welcome.

Connecticut
Congress
CT-4 - Linda McMahon - CEO of WWE, Member of the CT State Board of Education, see previous article

Maryland
Congress
MD-3 - Susan Schwabb - Former US Trade Representative (2006-2009), President and CEO of the University System of Maryland Foundation (2003-2006), see previous article
Statewide Offices
Attorney General - Scott Rolle - 2006 GOP Attorney General nominee, see previous article
Comptroller - E.J. Pipkin - State Senator from the 36th District (2003-Present), vast financial background and has an MBA from the University of Virginia, failed GOP candidate for US Senate in 2004
State Legislature
HoD-6 - Matthew Newman - 26 year old environmental engineer, proprietor of Newman for Maryland and Old Line Elephant
HoD-6 - Paul M. Blitz - 2002 and 2006 GOP candidate, military veteran (VFW 2621), Historian for The Heritage Society of Essex and Middle River, dedicated to the district
HoD-8 - Rani Merryman - Professional homemaker and active blogger, currently looking into running - very close race in 2006

New York
Congress
NY-8 - Randy Daniels - Former NY Secretary of State, 2006 gubernatorial primary candidate, see previous article
NY-20 - John Faso - Former Assembly Minority Leader (1998-2002), 2002 GOP Comptroller nominee, 2006 GOP Gubernatorial nominee
NY-21 - Frank Merola - Currently Rensselaer County Clerk, see previous article
Statewide Office
Comptroller - Andrew Eristoff - Former New York City Councilman (1993-1999), former Commissioner of Finance of New York City (1999-2002), former New York State Comissioner of Finance and Taxation (2002-2006), see previous article
Attorney General - Michael Garcia - Former US Attorney, brought down Eliot Spitzer, prosecuted the terrorists involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and brought charges against politicians including State Sen. Efrain Gonzalez (D), former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik (R), two staffers of NYC Council Member Kendall Stewart (D), and Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio (D)
US Senate (v. Gillibrand) - George Pataki - Former 3 term Governor of New York, never lost a statewide contest, excellent campaigner and fundraiser

As always, opinions are welcome.

Flat Income Tax Rate

2009-07-13T11:59:00.002-04:00

I think we should have a flat income tax rate here in Maryland. I posted my thoughts on the matter over at Newman for Maryland along with a startlingly odd tax proposal from Delegate Olszewski. Please check it out.

2009 Legislative Ranks District 6

2009-07-02T20:01:00.001-04:00

During the 2009 legislative session, the Maryland Business for Responsive Government (MBRG) kept track of how each Senator and Delegate voted on a variety of issues that they felt were important. The Maryland Business for Responsive Government is a primarily fiscally conservative organization that focuses on issues of business regulation, taxation, and other fiscal issues. A link to their report can be found here. As a concerned citizen, I first reviewed the scores that were given for the 2009 legislative session to those representing me here in the 6th Legislative District. Here are the scores -

Senator Stone - 0%
Delegate Minnick - 50%
Delegate Olszewski - 20%
Delegate Weir - 20%

These scores are very low for each of them except for Delegate Minnick, who voted with the MBRG 50% of the time. To help explain how the MBRG came up with their rankings, let us review some of their critical pieces of legislation. For brevity, I shall focus on three - two from the House and one from the Senate.

SB 1072, also known as the "Preakness Bill," is a circumvention of bankruptcy law. This bill allowed the state to condemn and seize the following properties which were in the process of bankruptcy proceedings -

"(1) Pimlico, Laurel, and Bowie race tracks and training facilities and any and all property or property rights (including a catering company) associated with these facilities, wherever located; (2) the multi-million dollar Preakness trophy known as the Woodlawn Vase; (3) the name, copyrights, service marks, trademarks, trade names and all other intellectual property associated with the Preakness and the Woodlawn Vase; and (4) all property and property rights of the Maryland Jockey Club, and Laurel Racing Association, and their affiliates."

This bill allows for quick condemnation whereby the state calculates what they think the property's worth, gives that to the owner, and if the owner disagrees - they have to sue the state if they want the full value of their property. It also shows that property owner's rights are not the highest priority for the Maryland legislature. This bill passed the Senate with my Senator, Norman Stone, voting in the affirmative. When this bill reached the House of Delegates - all three of my Delegates voted in the affirmative. The MBRG opposed this measure. So do I.

Next is HB 1288. If an employer is found violating minimum wage laws, an employee is allowed to sue for the pay they deserve under the law. If a court finds an employer guilty of violating this statute - they may allow against the employer the cost of legal fees for the employee as well. This piece of legislation would require the employer who violated this statute to pay the owed money, legal fees, and an additional two times the income difference. While requiring the back payments owed is a fee befitting the crime. Adding on the legal fees is a reasonable addition. A total of triple the owed difference in income goes to the point of overkill and excessive. Also, what person remains in a position once they realize that their income is less than the minimum wage. If the person is a citizen, they should know their rights. If the person is an illegal immigrant, then the employer has committed a different crime and should be penalized accordingly. The MPRG opposed this measure, which died in committee.

The final is HB 902, which is an expansion of the Family Medical Leave Act. It requires employers to give people time off, FMLA time off, for the employee’s brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, domestic partner, and the child of an employee’s domestic partner. I understand the inclusion of domestic partners, especially with the current state of same-sex marriage legislation in Maryland. Now, it would be nice to have time off for my grandparents or siblings - but I do not feel this needs to be mandated by law. I understand their motivation. I understand the sentiment. Yet, I and MRPG disagree with this legislation. Current FMLA requirements are adequate.

While each of these pieces of legislation in and of themselves do not individually pose a threat to business in the state of Maryland, the compiled impact of all this legislation is a net drag on employers and companies in the State of Maryland. In a State which needs all the help it can to boost business - we can not become more unfriendly to business. No excessive fines, no excessive requirements, and no more abuse of eminent domain / circumvention of bankruptcy law.

Trust and the Right

2009-06-25T10:15:00.008-04:00

The recent admission by Mark Sanford of his infidelity was incredibly disappointing to me. As a Republican who believes in limited government, I had watched Governor Sanford govern as such and was inspired by the way he articulated my conservative values. I thought for sure that he would be one of the top tier candidates for the 2012 Republican Party Presidential nomination. No longer.

I find myself incredibly disappointed and I've come to a realization as to why. I had this same feeling back in 2006 when the Republican candidate for Governor of New York that I had supported, Pat Manning, turned out to have been unfaithful to his wife and had done immoral and potentially illegal acts to obtain private information about his opponent when he ran for State Assembly. The reason is simple - because they betrayed our trust.

Why is trust so important to me? As a man who finds his home on the political right, I am a supporter of limited government - a government whereby the people have more freedoms and rights than the government has to over them. This type of a government requires an informed and responsible public; it requires us to trust each person to do what is right for themselves and their family. In order to have a limited government, you have to hold a great deal of trust in the average person. I trust that I know better for myself than my Senator or my President. I feel the same way about my neighbors and my friends. This is part of why I am a conservative. This inherent public trust carries over into our politicians. Ronald Reagan was a big time truster - according to Reagan speechwriter Peter Robinson, Reagan would trust those he appointed to do their job according to their ability and where they were the experts, he would trust their knowledge and their judgment. We on the right want to trust our political leaders. We are appalled when politicians prove untrustworthy and in most cases the grassroots will go after our own. Forgiveness for betrayal of trust takes a long time - hence why Newt Gingrich has only begun to regain traction as a viable voice in the mid-2000s.

Perhaps this above anything else is why we on the right are hurt so much when a politician shows an unsavory side. It has been ingrained in our psyche that trust is the foundation for good government - trust in the people and trust in our political leaders to not abuse what little power we have allotted to them. When they fall - when they steal, lie, cheat, or all around violate the public trust conservatives are heartbroken. At least, I know that I am.

We rally towards people who give the appearance of all around trustworthiness. This is why Mitt Romney faltered in 2008, conservatives did not trust that he was honest about his opinions. This is why Mike Huckabee failed to gain traction in 2008, conservatives did not trust him to be fiscally conservative. This is why even Republicans began to have a low opinion of George W. Bush, because he did not follow through on all the limits to our government that he had promised. This is part of why John McCain succeeded - he was trustworthy, always sticking to his opinion and his values even in the face of ridicule.

This is the problem with playing with the politics of trust. "Do as I say, not as I do" will never work for a Republican. It should not for anyone, for that matter - but it becomes especially problematic when you run on a platform of family values and trust in the people.

This has been cross-posted at Newman for Maryland

On Political Views

2009-06-21T21:27:00.003-04:00

A person's political beliefs change throughout their lives. Most people are more liberal in their youth and become more conservative as they age. Winston Churchill once said, "Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains."

Before I could vote, at 17, I flirted with anarchism. I believed in my heart that government does not matter, so long as the people are of a strong moral character. I believed that our nation could succeed without a government. I was mistaken - not everyone has a strong moral character. As such, we need laws to protect us from one another - straightforward laws protecting us from attack, murder, or theft. From there, the natural progression of my opinions shifted in an unnatural direction - directly to liberalism.

It may seem as an odd shift, from an anarchist to a liberal. Yet, I shifted towards the liberal end of the spectrum entirely because of my views on social issues. I was a "social progressive" at 18 who believed in legalization of anything and everything to a fault. My thoughts never visited the fiscal end of the spectrum and on foreign policy, I was mostly apathetic but leaned towards opposition to the views of the Republican President who our nation had just elected. I was angry and still felt that the election was stolen by the corrupt President Bush. If I had allowed my anger to subside and had thought about the situation I would have realized something important. Vice President Gore had served in office for 8 years of relative peace and economic prosperity - the fact that the election was close showed a weakness in his candidacy that should have made me, as a liberal, angry at him. But, I digress.

There are some who became neo-conservatives after September 11, 2001. I was not among those people, but the event did change me. I was a freshman in college when it happened. It scared me - and I was happy that we had a President who acted decisively in the face of danger. I still disagreed with him, but he was the President and I supported him in the defense of our nation. A few weeks after September 11th, I saw the media go from fawning over the President to attacking him at every turn. We had went from a nation united - into one being torn apart by unnecessary attacks on the intelligence and honesty of our President. It upset me and I began to feel sorry for this man whom I used to despise. I was not yet on the right, but I was moving there. Around this same time, my faith began to shift and be tested. I began to doubt the divinity of Jesus Christ. For a while, I believed that my Messiah was merely a man, not man and divine. What was interesting about that - I never once doubted the resurrection of Christ.

Towards the end of my sophomore year in college, I made a great many mistakes. I was in a relationship with a woman who consumed my life and it led to my ignoring the things which mattered most - my family, my faith, and my studies. After we broke up, I took inventory and had an epiphany. I realized there are certain important parts of my life and that they are to be treasured. The seeds of social conservatism were laid and I began to question much of what I thought about politics. My crisis of faith came to an end as well and I never again questioned the divinity of Christ.

As time progressed, my views became more and more socially conservative and hawkish in my views of foreign policy. My views on abortion became more complicated by the realization that I could not with a clean conscience define when a life began myself. My views on same-sex marriage became changed as I came to the mindset that the Constitution did not ban the act of legislating morality - merely it banned the intervention of the government into church affairs. By the 2004 election - I had changed my voter registration to Republican and voted proudly for President George W. Bush.

Through my introduction into social conservatism I began to look into all that I could read. I read about all manner of conservative thought - from libertarianism to modern Dixicrat thought. This continued as I joined the College Republicans my senior year of college and remained modestly active during my two years of graduate school. My march towards conservativism had become complete. Towards the end of my graduate career - I had begun shifting towards the view of that the government which governs best, governs least. I began to realize that private solutions always work better than public / governmental solutions. In that vein - certain parts of my social conservatism primarily with regards to my views on drug legalization and same-sex marriage began to subside and while my views on foreign policy had not changed much, I became more libertarian in my thinking on the whole. Which is where I sit today.

I consider myself a pragmatic strict constructionist. I believe in a stricter interpretation of our Constitution, but I believe we must be pragmatic in our approach to governence. My views on particular issues - they are defined here. Why do I tell this story? Because it helps to paint a picture and lets my readers know who I am as a person. I'm a man - I'm not perfect and my thoughts have changed over time. I have not always been the man I am today and I'm proud that I've been able to grow and change over time. I may not always hold the exact same views I hold today - but I have finally reached a point where I understand my values. I hope this helps my readers understand me a little better. Thank you.

Cross posted at Newman for Maryland

Iranian Democracy

2009-06-18T09:25:00.002-04:00

I support democracy in Iran. Every person across the world deserves the opportunity to elect their own leaders and to be free from tyranny. I stand with the protestors. I stand in support of the people on the street who are standing against the dictatorship that has held onto the people since 1979. As with the rest of the world, I will be watching the news closely to see if the will of the people can be discerned from the government run machine in Iran and be actually upheld. I also hope and pray that Mousavi, who has become a central figure in the fight for democracy, is the agent of change that he is trying to present himself to be.

If you are on Twitter, consider making your icon green to show solidarity in a subtle way with the people of Iran.

Conservative Majority?

2009-06-16T19:38:00.004-04:00

According to a recent Gallup poll, conservatives are the single largest ideological group in these United States. Conservatives are 40% of the population, with moderates at 35% and liberals at 21%.

There are a few interesting points to this poll. First - 18-29 year olds are just as likely to call themselves conservative as liberal (30% vs 31%). Also, both males and females are more likely to call themselves conservative than liberal.

This actually confirms that which Republicans like Mike Pence and Pat Toomey have been saying all along - if Republicans acted more conservative, especially fiscally, they would do better. Let's see if they learn from this.

On Dr. George Tiller's Death

2009-06-01T13:48:00.003-04:00

One of three doctors in these United States who perform late term abortions was murdered over the weekend. Dr. George Tiller was a target in the past of protest and another assassination attempt. In addition to the damage this does to his community, his family, and his congregation (Tiller was murdered while at church) - this does major damage to the "pro-life" movement.

Any time an advocate of abortion is murdered, it damages the pro-life movement. Opposition can take the form of protest, letter writing, pushing for legislation, etc - but the taking of another person's life is contrary to the type of movement that pro-life supporters are endorsing. Taking a man's life in order to further your political agenda is never right. As the National Right to Life Committee puts it -

...the National Right to Life Committee unequivocally condemns any such acts of violence regardless of motivation. The pro-life movement works to protect the right to life and increase respect for human life. The unlawful use of violence is directly contrary to that goal.

It diminishes a movement when people use violence to intimidate or quell political opposition. It is especially detrimental when that movement relies on its strong support for the sanctity of human life. I hope that this act of senseless violence does not cause an ideology that in its purest form is based in love - to be diminished or destroyed.

Quick, Practical Thoughts on Sotomayor

2009-05-27T12:11:00.002-04:00

I will be brief. Those on the right are going to be in an uproar with the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. The 55 year old Latina Judge has a notably more liberal view than myself and the Republican Party as a whole. The Republican opposition needs to remember the following - Sotomayor is being nominated to replace Supreme Court Justice David Souter. She is not being nominated to replace Scalia, she is not being nominated to replace Kennedy, she is not being nominated to replace Thomas. She is being nominated to replace a more liberal Supreme Court Justice. The balance of the court remains the same, period.

Feel free to vote against her, but you can not stop her nomination fully - you can only slow it down and make yourselves look bad in the process. Allow an up or down vote in the Senate and all Republicans should vote "Nay." Then move on from there. Pick your battles wisely - the moment Kennedy, Thomas, or Scalia are ready to be replaced...get ready to fight the President tooth and nail; but with Souter...it's much less of a big deal.

On Redistricting

2009-05-07T14:23:00.001-04:00

A new post is up at Newman for Maryland. Here's an excerpt -

The problem with redistricting in a State such as Maryland is that with one party dominating, minority parties are left out in the cold. The chances for retention of districts with varieties of opinions begin to dim under one party rule. Partisanship takes the front line with fairness being pushed into the background. Sadly, that is what we currently have in the State of Maryland. This is where HB284 comes into play to help account for this.

Co-Drafted by 6th District Delegate Joseph Minnick, HB284 would establish a Legislative Districting and Apportionment Commission under the State Constitution. Who is on this Commission and what do they do? The Commission redistricts our state following the decennial census. The Court of Appeals compiles a list of 30 qualified persons, 10 of which from the majority party, 10 of which from the principal minority party, and 10 of which are independent of party or affiliated with a 3rd party. These people have to have been Maryland voters for the previous three years and may not have held elected office, run for elected office, or been a registered lobbyist. The majority and minority leader of the Senate and House of Delegates each select one member from this pool of 30.

Ryan Isaiah Newman

2009-05-04T20:44:00.002-04:00

My son was born today, at 5:12 PM. He came in at 3 pounds, 1.4 ounces and at 16 inches in length. He's amazing to behold.

Best 2010 Team for New York

2009-05-01T19:14:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to post additional comments, but I think if the NYS GOP wants to make some solid headway in 2010 statewide - this should be their entire statewide candidate ticket -

Governor - Rudy Giuliani - Former Mayor of NYC
Attorney General - Michael Garcia - Former US Attorney, brought down Eliot Spitzer, prosecuted the terrorists involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and brought charges against politicians including State Sen. Efrain Gonzalez (D), former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik (R), two staffers of Council Member Kendall Stewart (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio (D)
Comptroller - J. Christopher Callaghan - Former Saratoga County Treasurer, 2006 comptroller nominee
US Senate (v. Gillibrand) - John Faso - Former Assembly Minority Leader, 2006 gubernatorial nominee
US Senate (v. Schumer) - George Pataki - Former 3 term Governor

Discuss.

Democrat Arlen Specter

2009-04-28T21:43:00.002-04:00

Arlen Specter, the senior Senator from Pennsylvania and a man who was elected as a Republican since 1980, has switched parties. This now gives President Obama and the Democratic Party no check or balance with the US Senate.

Specter narrowly fended off a primary challenge in 2004 from a more fiscally conservative candidate, Pat Toomey. Toomey went on to become the Chairman for the Club for Growth. He's an announced Republican candidate for 2010 and would have trounced Specter in a primary, according to recent polling data. All this makes Specter's move look more political and less about ideology or about the Republican Party. It's all about political survival and it wreaks of political opportunism. I wonder if he'll become a Republican again if he wins reelection and the GOP retakes the Senate...

On Freedoms in Maryland

2009-04-28T20:45:00.002-04:00

Another new Newman for Maryland post is up, this one is about personal freedoms in the state of Maryland. Read the entire articlehere. Here's an excerpt -

We the people of Maryland live in what is called the "Free State." Yet, if we were to adjust our nickname based on the findings of the quantitative study performed by George Mason University Professors William P. Ruger and Jason Sorens, Maryland should be called the "Restricted State." If you turn to the 33rd page of the linked PDF, you can read the executive summary of the lack of economic and personal freedoms in the state of Maryland. To directly quote the Professors, "Maryland’s impositions on personal freedom include the second-strictest gun laws in the country, and marijuana laws are fairly harsh (except that the first offense of high-level possession is a misdemeanor, and there is a weak medical marijuana law), motorists’ freedoms are highly restricted, gambling laws are tight, home schooling laws are burdensome (curricula must be approved by the government), centralized land-use planning is very advanced, eminent domain abuse is totally unreformed, victimless crimes arrest rates are high, and civil unions are not recognized." Our state restricts many of the individual freedoms endowed by our Creator and codified in our Constitution. How should we address these issues? I will focus on a two of these freedoms today - eminent domain and motorist freedoms. Same-sex marriage will be a topic for another day.

Following the decision of Kelo v. New London, the entire nation attempted to repair the assumed freedom from eminent domain laws that had been torn asunder by this ruling. In Maryland, the Property Protection Act of 2006 was proposed. This would have amended the State Constitution to abolish the act of taking private property for private economic development. State seizure of property would be limited only to public use of the property such as schools, parks, or roads. Under the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR), the person would also be compensated for said seizure. The amendment never came to pass and was never brought before the voters. This is an important issue. Property rights need to be protected or they will become so diluted that the government can seize your house by a vote of a County Council in order to make way for a new shopping plaza. Since the federal Constitution allows it, according to the Supreme Court, we must act at home to make certain that our State Constitution is clear. I would support a reintroduction of this amendment to protect our property rights.

On Political Careers

2009-04-25T22:52:00.002-04:00

A new post has been written on the newly created Newman for Maryland blog. Here's an excerpt -

Politics is not a career path. It is a means by which we are supposed to help our state, community, and our nation. It was never intended to be. George Washington was a General who became a politician temporarily because he knew that our nation needed his leadership. Fred Thompson was a lawyer and actor who temporarily became a politician because he felt he could help the people of Tennessee and provide them with good representation. When Zell Miller left the political arena, he went back to being a college professor. Politics was a part of their lives, not the only thing which defined them.

The problem with a person who treats politics as a career is that they lose site of the point of politics. It is not merely a job. It is not merely a career path to build up ones resume in order to one day become CEO. It is a civil service where one becomes a representative of the people, our envoy in this our republican democracy. Too many forget that as they continue with the day to day aspects of politicking and focus so much effort on being elected and reelected that they forget what they were chosen to do.

Feel free to leave comments over there.

Random Tidbits 04/19/09

2009-04-19T17:24:00.005-04:00

Here are some random news items that I decided to comment on...for now -

Joseph Biden who's making over $220k a year...signed up for social security benefits last year. Maybe, if people who were still making an income and not retired decided to not sign up for social security, there will be some of it left when my parents are close to retirement. Then again, maybe not. For the record, Tricky Dick Cheney, who's a year older than our current Vice President, did not sign up for social security benefits

Paste Magazine has developed an "Obamicon.Me" feature, which allows you to make your own iconic poster in the style of the Obama logo/poster developed by Shepard Fairey. I developed two of my own. HT to keepthatfaith

Mike Pappas' fledgling campaign for Governor has gotten a website. For those of us who actually want a serious challenger to Martin O'Malley who's a fiscal conservative, this website needs a big facelift. In a related 2010 note, Bob Ehrlich's website has gotten a huge upgrade. The website includes info on his radio show and some news on the issues.

Speaking of radio shows, former Senator, Law and Order DA, and Presidential candidate Fred Thompson has got a new radio show. Podcasts of the program can be downloaded in MP3 format from the official website. I like his show from what I've heard so far and suggest checking it out for those who like Rush Limbaugh, but with want better commentary and more interesting guests.

Open Source Contract Plank 2 - Federal Spending

2009-04-15T15:42:00.000-04:00

As I had nearly forgotten about my concept of an Open Source Contract with America, I've decided to begin preparation of my second plank - on federal spending.

We the people are disturbed by the growing trend of governmental growth. In order to maintain a healthy body, a person must cut fat from their diet and maintain an appropriate balance of intake to output. A healthy government is operated the same way. We watch frightened as our children't future is mortgaged for the temporary benefit of today. To prevent a future of uncontrolable growth, we propose the following -
Balanced Budget Amendment - It was pointed out by President Reagan that a man can spend beyond their means, but only for a limited time; he then asked the important question as to why we feel that as a nation we are not held by that same restriction. We agree wholeheartedly and feel that the only way to truly manage this is by Constitutionally mandating the balance of revenue to spending. We propose an amendment to the Constitution of these United States which requires a balance to the federal budget.

Earmark moratorium - The fact that wasteful, last minute additions can be added to pieces of legislation and redirect the funding of said bill in a different direction than the original intention is absurd. This begins with establishment of a year long earmark moratorium. If this proves successful, then the moratorium will be shifted to a longer term trial or permanency.

Government-wide Audit - Corporations which see widespread waste and abuse of funding see government mandated audits. Why then does our own government not fall under the same restrictions as widespread abuse and waste continues to flourish in our government? We propose the selection of two, independent auditing firms following a reasonable contract bidding period to be hired by the federal government for the sole purpose of conducting a comprehensive audit of the federal budget for waste, fraud, and/or abuse. The work load would be evenly divided between each firm based on ability so that work is conducted in parallel. The two firms will prepare a single report on their findings which shall be presented before a joint session of Congress and the President of these United States of America. If this program proves successful and uncovers vast levels of waste, fraud, or abuse, the program should scheduled at periodic intervals.

This is a continuation of an open dialogue between whomever wishes to join in. Check out the initial call to arms and my first plank. Please feel free to discuss them here or post any additional ideas.

Suggestions to Draft - Frank Merola

2009-04-09T13:16:00.002-04:00

My next in my long, drawn out line of suggestions that I think the Republicans should draft for Congressional runs in 2010 is Frank Merola. Frank Merola is the current Rensselaer County Clerk and has served in that capacity since being elected in 1998. His biography from the Rensselaer County GOP can be found here.

Merola has served in public office for over a decade and has been a proud public servant. He never faltered, he never failed in his role. He received numerous awards for his dedication to public service as County Clerk, including - Commissioner of Motor Vehicles Service award (1999), the Jack Dwyer award (2001), Troy Boy’s Club Community Service Award (2003), a recipient of the NYS Archives award for Advocacy on behalf of Records Management (2004), and annual Rensselaer County Sheriff’s award for honesty, integrity and dedication in serving county residents (2005). These awards just continue to show the honesty and integrity of this public servant who, thus far, has been proud to serve in this capacity. In 2010, I suggest he tries to move forward in a federal role.

He has been a silent civil servant thus far except for one major instance, when his role in the way Rensselaer County functions was being explicitly warped by state government. When former Governor Eliot Spitzer came forward and stated that he wanted to hand out driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, Merola stood up and lead the charge of county clerks throughout New York State to rally against it. He led a law suit against the state for attempting to violate federal immigration laws. He was on national news for his actions, standing up for the principles he held dear. He won in the court of public opinion and Spitzer stepped down. Merola then went back to doing what he does best...serve the people of Rensselaer County.

This devoted civil servant has done everything to earn our respect and he is the perfect choice to run for Congress. He has a base of support in Rensselaer County and will be fighting against newly elected Congressman Paul Tonko. Tonko is an entrenched politician who served as an Assemblyman for over two decades and then ran for Congress after serving briefly for former Governor Spitzer. The 21st District is considered one of the most Democratic districts in the state of New York that isn't in New York City, yet Jim Burhmaster was able to garner 35% of the vote in 2008, in a massively Democratic leaning year and 10% better than any Republican had done in the past 12 years with one exception...where it was still 5% better than the GOP candidate. Merola has a great track record to point to as a devoted civil servant. He's never faltered and has served the public flawlessly for a decade.

Without the President on the ballot and considering that the Democratic national establishment will start out ignoring the 21st district, a Republican could have a chance in 2010. A well known figure like Merola with a positive civil service record and a good support base could perform well. If Republicans do well in 2010 nationally, as is common during most off-year elections for newly elected Presidents, then Merola could very well be the best choice that the Republican Party of New York could have for this district.

My Speech

2009-03-26T12:07:00.003-04:00

If I were an actual politician, I had thought about what I would say in a major speech. As I never plan to be such a politician...I decided to write one instead. What follows is that speech - prepared over the course of the past month with what very little free time I had at work.

Since I began my journey down the road to conservatism, I have intently listened to the words of some of the great orators. The best among them are eloquent and capable of providing the right inflection at those perfect moments to make the listening audience in awe of the words and ideas presented. One of the titans of spoken word, Ronald Reagan, gave a speech some seventeen years before my parents met which redefined conservatism. Reagan said to gathered crowds of supporters that we had entered into a time for choosing, where our nation had two paths which were not left or right, but up or down. Reagan said we can either go "...up to...man's age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order - or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism." His words are as true today as they ever were.

Our nation has had numerous decisions to make throughout its history. Thomas Jefferson had to choose whether to pay pirates or stand and fight for our freedom to trade freely. He chose the latter. James Madison could have chosen cowardice and surrendered our fledgeling nation nation to British invaders, he chose to fight. George Washington could have chosen the simple path of President for life, he instead chose to step aside allowing our nation to move forward. Harry Truman could have chosen to allow the Soviet Union to starve free Berlin taking the easy route and stand aside, he chose to stand up. Gerald Ford could have allowed a former President to suffer under a national witchhunt as the man himself continued to lose everything that he had; he chose forgiveness and healing. Time after time, the giants upon who's shoulders we stand made the difficult choices. These patriots are the reason we stand here today.

America stands tall today as the proud purveyor of freedom. She stands as the last great hope for a world witnessing a growing emergence of true enemies of freedom. In Iran, members of the peaceful Baha'i faith are systematically rounded up and slain. In North Korea, speaking ill of the government will get you inprisoned. Our freedoms should never be taken for granted. We as Americans are safer and freer than our brothers and sisters abroad. We have every right to take pride in our home and in the beautiful gifts of liberty, justice, and freedom she provides.

Conservatives are too often treated as unwavering supporters of the agenda of the Republican party, blindly adhering to the ideology of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, never considering the consequences of these ideas. Yet this is clearly not the case. From differing conservative perspectives, a tapestry of ideas are bred ranging from the the libertarian leans of the Ron Paul revolutionaries to the neo-conservative thought of the ditto-heads. All claim the mantle of conservative visionaries and all are, to an extent, accurate. Conservative means many different things to many different people within the movement, yet to the outside world it is embodied not in the idealistic vision of Adam Smith but in the leadership of former President Bush.

We as conservatives need to break the mold and coalesce around our commonalities to show a wanting world that we understand their troubles. We understand the turmoils of modern society and have answers that have succeeded in the past. Let us never forget our moral clarity and the great visionaries of conservative thought. Let us remind Americans of all stripes why they had allowed us to lead in the first place - they agree with us. This cult of personality that has overtaken our nation is beginning to dwindle and a true call to arms is beginning. The people of this great nation are realizing that individual freedoms and limited government are the answer and that waste and greed are more common among government than among the governed.

The people want less, not more from our government. They want a lean machine that is free of politics as usual and meets its Constitutional functions. If we conservatives return as the purveyors of freedom, liberty, and limited governance then we can win elections and we will bring our nation back on the right course. If those who claim the mantle of conservative do not live up to these values, then we must find those who will. Conservatism upholds traditional limitations of government and in so doing allows it to function properly. That is the ultimate goal of conservatives - a Constitutionally limited government serving the people and providing freedom and liberty to the greatest extent possible. That is how we must act and that is how we must serve in office. If we do not, we will be cast aside being remembered not as the defenders of freedom but as those who stood idly by as it crumbled.

I call upon Chairman Steele and the Republican Party to stand tall and proudly. Do not waver in your support of limited government and do not falter in your opposition to the waste they call a stimulus. Stand proudly against the growing tide of expanded government and as they hear your call, the American people will stand up with you. Thank you and God bless these United States of America.

Quick Tedisco Update

2009-03-24T17:11:00.000-04:00

Tedisco was recently endorsed by the Poughkeepsie Journal and Neil Golub, the owner of Price Chopper. Why are these two endorsements signficant? Golub has donated to Republicans and Democrats alike and in all his years in the public light...has never publicly endorsed a politician. That makes this significant for one of the bigger name businessmen in the area. The Poughkeepsie Journal is important for a big reason - in 2008, they endorsed Barack Obama for President. To go from endorsing Barack Obama to ignoring a Congressional candidate who would support his agenda is significant for Tedisco. Let's hope Tedisco can win.

Expect Continued Slow Updates

2009-03-17T12:05:00.003-04:00

Sorry again to my reader(s) for the delays and slow updates. I've been tweeting fairly regularly as it's easy to do from work - but writing up a solid blog post takes time I don't generally have at work and at home - we still do not have internet at the house which we closed on yesterday. I will continue updates but they will be slower coming until we have internet at home. Again, check my Twitter account for brief, but more active commentary and random thoughts. Thank you for your patience.

Tedisco Returns

2009-03-16T11:03:00.000-04:00

The negative ads those in the 20th District of NY have been seeing...should end soon. Jim Tedisco has taken back over his own campaign away from the NRCC. The positive Jim Tedisco who I like and want to see in Congress replacing Gillibrand will come back in the final days of the campaign. Let's hope he can pull this one off.

Ehrlich Updates?

2009-03-03T16:15:00.002-05:00

Bob Ehrlich's website, which has had a picture of a bilboard up since he lost reelection, will be reinvented this Thursday. Does this mean he's planning another bid for Governor? It's unclear at this point - but it will be interesting to see what the new site looks like.

Quick Update

2009-02-20T09:45:00.001-05:00

Added a handful of new links to Maryland Conservative, Conservative Herald, and some 2009 candidates I support. Check them out.

Presidential Disagreement

2009-02-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

In honor of Washington's Birthday on Monday, C-SPAN rated the Presidents. I respectfully disagree with their assessment. First, I list for you their top 10, in order - Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson, Dwight David Eisenhower, Woodrow Wilson, Ronald Reagan. Once again, I disagree.

First, many who know me know that I am not a fan of Abraham Lincoln. Those who hate Bush for his policies that they feel suspended their rights, need to look at "hero of freedom" Abe Lincoln and note that he suspended the right to habeus corpus, arrested political opponents, put Maryland under martial law to prevent them from seceding, and emancipated slaves in areas where he (at the time) had no political control over. Andrew Johnson continued the policies of Lincoln after his death and is considered one of the worst Presidents by C-SPAN's historian crew. Second, JFK was not a great President...he was a poor President at best. He bungled foreign policy from Vietnam to Cuba and domestically he created the first non-war, non-recession federal defecit, wire-tapped suspected communists (including Martin Luther King, Jr), and led to some large scale inflation. Frankly, that doesn't make a great President...especially since he did not serve a full term in office.

My opinion is more of the line that the greatest President's we have had are in this order - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, Calvin Coolidge, John Adams, Ronald Reagan. Why? I'll break down, specifically, my top five.

George Washington established the Presidency and it's role. He kept us focused on domestic issues as our nation was still in it's infancy and kept us safe, secure, and kept the government moving. He may have done little in terms of pushing an agenda - but that was not necessary at the time. What was necessary was vetoing that which deserved it and keeping our nation afloat while staving off potential war.

Thomas Jefferson helped make our fledgeling nation a great one. He stood up to foreign bullies by refusing to pay tribute to the Barbary pirates. He fought against wasteful spending and fought the national debt. He supported an end to the slave trade. He established the Army Corp of Engineers and the US Military Academy at West Point. He did not veto a single piece of legislation, being the only President to do so - but he served well and upheld the office of the Presidency with pride.

Theodore Roosevelt was an outdoorsman who brought some interesting perspectives to the Presidency. He helped to make competition exist again in our free market system - by destroying the trusts which were stifling it. His foreign policy did begin the neo-conservative movement, intervening where he saw fit...but it worked and succeeded in making us a stronger nation. He was a conservationist and found a Constitutional way to help preserve our nation's beauty. He was the youngest man to serve as President, and served well.

Harry Truman had the decisive leadership we needed in the hard times towards the end of the second World War. He made the hard decisions with a heavy heart and led us to victory when he was able. He was a humble servant who didn't try to pack the courts (FDR), suspend rights for our freedom (Lincoln), or lie under oath (Clinton). Truman did his job and left office with our nation safer than when he found it. He may have been thrust into the Presidency, but so were other greats like Theodore Roosevelt.

James Madison was an excellent Secretary of State under Jefferson. When he became President, he successfully led our nation through it's first invasion on our soil. His leadership alone is enough to put him in the top 10. The fourth President led our nation to victory over invasion early in our nation's history - for that he deserves our respect and gratitude.

That's my analysis. I'm no historian, so I can't go as in depth - but I don't think I'm too far off. Feel free to comment with your own list of top 10 Presidents.

Suggestions to Draft - Randy Daniels

2009-02-17T06:56:00.000-05:00

Following my outside the box suggestion of drafting Linda McMahon to run for Congress, I come with a more conventional pick - Randy Daniels. Why is he more conventional? He is a Republican who has held public office in the state of New York. Why is he worth looking into? Because Randy Daniels is a charismatic, black Republican and just plain awesome.

Randy Daniels is one of those Democrats turned Republicans later in life akin to Ronald Reagan or Rudy Giuliani. For some further reading on his views on the issues, check into his official website here. Daniels' primarybackground is in journalism, but his career in politics goes back to 1986 when he served as Communications Director for the President of the New York City Council. In 1988, he lived in the Bahamas and served as Press Secretary to the Bahamian Prime Minister. In 1992, he served very briefly as Deputy Mayor for David Dinkins. In 2001, Daniels became Pataki's Secretary of State and served until 2005, he officially joined the GOP in 2002. He has since 1997 served on the Board of Trustees for the State University of New York; he currently serves as their Vice Chairman. In 2006, he mounted an unsuccessful bid for Governor, which shocked me considering how amazing of a speaker he is and his views on the issues.

Daniels is a moderate to conservative Republican that swings to the right on the issues that matter to New Yorkers - lower taxes and fighting crime. Daniels is also incredibly charismatic. I watched him speak to a room filled with Republicans in Syracuse in 2006 during his failed campaign for Governor - I still don't understand why he didn't get the nomination. With other candidates such as Faso, Weld (a former Governor of Massachusetts) in the room getting polite applause, Daniels got the room to stand up, cheer, and many felt proud to be Republicans. He's not 100% the conservative on certain social issues, taking a more moderate stance on abortion, but between his charisma and his ideas, he'd be an amazing candidate.

Daniels would be faced with the incredibly difficult task of facing down 8th District monstrosity Jerrold Nadler. Nadler is extremely liberal and had supported impeachment proceedings against President Bush. Nadler has faced token opposition since being elected and a Republican has not represented this district in a century. Daniels is the man who could make it competitive. Daniels has a great camera presence and would do well in a debate against Nadler. With his background and no actual votes to point to, he could run on a platform that could include support for education, opposition to the stimulus package, and a promise to serve as an independent voice apart from the partisanship seen in the past in this district. Post-partisanship campaigning does well in districts like this which went overwhelmingly for Obama. Daniels could be the post-partisanship candidate.

In 2010, Daniels does not need to beat Nadler - but if he can come within 10 or 20 percent, he'd be stronger than any previous competitor, and would make Nadler begin to spend money that he could otherwise be using to help other candidates. If that's the case, Republicans will nationally consider spending more money on this district next round and, if Daniels is up for it, with more monetary support he could post an even stronger challenge by 2012. Congressman Daniels has a great ring to it.

Moving Delays

2009-02-11T10:56:00.003-05:00

Expect delays in Old Line Elephant. My wife and I are moving and we do not have internet at the house as of yet. When we get internet at our new house, expect Old Line Elephant to be up and running at a more normal pace again. Sorry again for the delays.

Olszewski on Abortion

2009-02-02T17:17:00.000-05:00

I wonder if the Maryland Right to Life PAC feels foolish for endorsing Olszewski in 2006, considering by 2008 he has voted with them 0% of the time.

6th District Delegates 2009 - Joseph Minnick

2009-01-30T17:55:00.002-05:00

My third in this series of 6th District Delegates is Joseph Minnick. Minnick, like Weir, has not been the primary sponsor of a single piece of legislation this session. I've already discussed a few pieces of legislation he co-sponsored along with Olszewski and Weir previously, so to further try to discern the political philosophy of Delegate Minnick, we'll have to look at the pieces of legislation that he's co-sponsoring separately.

First, let's discuss HB126. HB126 is a bill regarding gift cards and gift certificates. What does it do? It requires that if a gift card/certificate is not used for one year or after four years from the purchase of said gift card/certificate, that the seller is required to remit 70% the remaining balance of the card to the state of Maryland. Yes, if you have a $100 gift card, use it once early on and don't for a year - 70% of the remaining balance would become the State of Maryland's to keep. Also, sellers of gift cards in Maryland are required to provide the Comptroller with a status update annually to make sure they can keep track of all the gift card balances. Exceptions exist for gift cards with written expiration dates that are greater than four years, phone cards, public transit cards, and those sold by charities. But that's about it. This piece of legislation is an attempt by the state to take your gift cards if you don't use them in the timeframe the state allows.

He, like his co-delegates in the district, co-sponsors some bureucratic legislation that may cause problems for the market down the line. One piece of legislation requires that anything with animal fur to have a tag which specifies what the animal is and where the animal came from. This is a noble thought, but when you are producing furs for multiple states and with multiple pelts from multiple locations, it will become difficult to track the location from which each fur arose and irritating if Maryland is the only state where you are selling said furs to require this information.

He does co-sponsor a few good things, such as an extension of the tax exemption for veteran organizations and the proof of presence act. One of my favorite bills is actually an amendment to the state Constitution, HB284. This Constitutional amendment would establish a redistricting committee composed of seven members. The first four will be appointed by the legislature, one each from the majority and minority leader of each legislative body. The four of them will then vote for three more from a list of 30 names given them by the Court of Appeals. No more than 2 independent voters or members from the same political party in the state may be on the committee. What does this mean? It means that at least one member of the committee is required to be a member of a third party, a Libertarian, Green, or Populist/Independent. Also, each member can NOT have held public office or run for public office within three years of their appointment to this committee. What's interesting about that is that if Steele or Ehrlich do not run for office in 2010, both are eligible for this committee as it will have been a full four years since they previously had run for public office. This Constitutional amendment, which Minnick is the first co-sponsor, would be a boon to Maryland Republicans helping provide them with a way to have a fairer redistricting after the 2010 census. The only suggestion I would make is to allow one appointment by the Governor to provide closer to equal involvement in all three branches of the state's government.

Minnick has a mixed record that becomes more mixed when you review his interest group ratings. He's been consistently rated as 100% supporting the Right to Life views in Maryland, has a center-right view according to right-leaning economics groups and besides the 2006 legislative session has been less than 50% in support of the Maryland State Teacher's Association. He's gotten a less than 50% rating from Progressive groups, strong support from Maryland Gun Owners of America, and he actively opposed the Maryland indoor clean air act. All in all, Minnick is a right to center-right kind of guy which makes me thoroughly confused by his support of HB126. Frankly, Minnick comes across as the kind of Democrat that a Republican like me would consider voting for. Yet, his support of HB126 continues to make me wary.

6th District Delegates 2009 - John Olszewski

2009-01-28T21:02:00.001-05:00

Following my post on Weir, I'd like to review the record thus far from the youngest of my three Delegates, John A. Olszewski, Jr. His father is a member of the Baltimore County Council.

Unlike Weir, Olszewski has actually written a few pieces of legislation this session in addition to his co-sponsorship. He is the primary sponsor of three bills and co-sponsoring sixteen. Since Olszewski felt so strongly that he had to draft three pieces of legislation, I shall review them first.

The first is HB21 which would legalize gambling...for fantasy sports. If you manage a fantasy sports team and it's the activity includes a prize for the winning fantasy team, the way legislation is currently written in Maryland this is illegal. As one who could care less if people want to gamble, at face value I have no problem with this legislation. My problem with this is one very critical piece of language in Section (A) Subsection (4) which reads - "No winning outcome is based...(II) On the score, point spread, or any performances of any single real-world team or any combination of real-world teams." The emphasis is mine. This section, effectively keeps fantasy sports as gambling illegal. How? Think about it for a moment - fantasy sports management is based on a persons ability to manage a combination of players from a variety of teams, and the outcome of this fantasy sports game is based on the performance of a combination of real-world teams or, if the player is a hardcore fan, may be based on the performance of a single team. If the outcome is not based on performance of these teams, then what is it based on? If it's based on "your ability to select the best team," then it's still based on the performance of "...any combination of real-world teams." I think Delegate Olszewski needs to reread this language or if I'm mistaken, please explain how this doesn't effectively defeat the purpose of the bill.

The second bill, HB 25, makes it so that motor scooters can not drive on roads with a posted speed limit higher than 30 miles per hour. Currently, the law states 50 mph is the fastest roadway a motor scooter can drive on. A motor scooter is defined in Maryland as seen here. Effectively, a motor scooter is an unregisterable vehicle with a size limit, if it goes above that - it becomes a motorcycle. This is actually an understandable piece of legislation. If a motor scooter is not a registerable motorized vehicle then it makes sense for it to not be allowed on highways. I actually understand this piece of legislation.

The third bill is HB179, which I discussed earlier pertaining to Todd's Inheretance and a waste of $250,000. We don't need to go any further into this one.

What else are the priorities of Olszewski? He wants the state University system to establish a "truth program" to make sure everyone knows every cost of textbooks and that a cost analysis is performed and disclosed to students before switching textbook editions. The cost analysis has to be in depth in determining the worth of purchasing a new textbook edition. It's an entire "bill of rights" for textbooks to try to help control the costs. Frankly, it seems like a waste of time and adds an unnecessary level of bureaucracy to colleges. He co-sponsors legislation to an electronic abandoned property database and removing newspaper notice requirements. I understand making the abandoned property records more streamlined and modern, but I don't know if we're fully ready to remove all newspaper references. He wants to decrease the homestead tax credit. He wants to force the MDE to partially pay for new on-site sewage systems after adding additional requirements for a facility installing one. He wants there to be a Negro Baseball Day as a state holiday as the second Saturday in May. He, Minnick, and Weir want to ban texting while driving, (which I'm perfectly fine with). He also has a few co-sponsored pieces of legislation involving stricter penalties for driving away from an accident that leads to death or injury.

All in all, Olszewski's sponsorship record is mixed. It includes a mix of useful legislation and wastes of time and money. I hope the rest of his record leans towards the useful for the rest of his tenure. He's currently got poor ratings from conservative interest groups.

The Sacking of Dybul

2009-01-28T17:17:00.001-05:00

Why would President Obama fire an openly gay, Howard Dean donor who's been running an extremely successful program for AIDS prevention worldwide? Because he was appointed by Bush, perhaps. Dr. Mark Dybul was initially told he'd be staying on in his role as coordinator of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. He was canned the day after Obama's inaugeration. Here's an article on the situation and it's just disappointing.

6th District Delegates 2009 - Michael Weir

2009-01-27T17:37:00.000-05:00

Since the beginning of this legislative session, I'd like to take a moment and look at how my three Delegates are holding their own for the 2009-2010 legislative session. To start, here are the bills sponsored by Delegates Olszewski, Minnick, and Weir. I'll begin with Delegate Michael Weir. So far, Weir has co-sponsored 11 pieces of legislation. He is not the primary sponsor of a single piece of legislation. I give Weir, (along with Minnick and Olszewski) kudos for supporting legislation barring those here illegally from obtaining a driver's license. But is where my credit granting ends.

Two of these pieces of legislation are pork, "Creation of State Debt" specific to feed money into places in Baltimore County. These are quick and fun ways to shore up votes, by pointing to something you helped fix up. Minnick and Olszewski co-sponsored each of the two pieces of legislation as well. The first is for the Owings Mills Jewish Community Center, to allow them to purchase an electric generator for their emergency shelter. This will go up to, but not exceed, $500,000 assuming they can meet whatever the state gives them and do not use the money for religious purposes. Helping upkeep an emergency shelter is admirable and so long as if a state of emergency is called, anyone from the community can use their facility, I have would normally have no problem with this. But, when we are in a financial crisis, half a million dollars can not be just doled out to a community center. Another $250,000 is being offered for the upkeep of Todd's Inheritance. For those who don't know, Todd's Inheritance is considered a historic site because it was owned at one point by the family of Mary Todd Lincoln. Not by Mary Todd Lincoln, mind you, but by members of her family. Just as with the previous debt creation, this one should not even be considered at this time with the financial burden currently sitting on the state. When state workers need to be laid off, we shouldn't consider handing a quarter million to fix up a "historic" building that provides zero tourism revenue to the state or local government.

What additional pieces of legislation did Delegate Weir co-sponsor? Weir, Minnick, and Olszewski team up with a number of Delegates to support legislation which reduces the number of years of creditable service required of a member of the State Retirement and Pension System to accrue by 3 to obtain a military service credit. I'm not sure where this number comes from. I can see 10 years as a milestone, I can even see 5 years if the credit was tiered, but I don't understand 7. If anyone can explain where this seemingly random number arose form, I'd be grateful.

Weir also co-sponsored A piece of legislation to make property tax assessments annual instead of triennial, the cost of which is not entirely clear. I also am unclear of the benefit of this besides to potentially a) cost the state money in the number of required employees to implement this bill and b) cost the taxpayers more money as their property taxes increase on a more rapid basis. Another is a piece of legislation which makes manufacturer warranties of home appliances enforcable explicitly by law. It also specifies that the under certain circumstances the manufacturer would have to reimburse the consumer of their full purchase price (sans "reasonable allowances") or replace with a "comparable home appliance." This bill creates new bureaucracy, will require additional funds for enforcement, and adds undue requirements onto manufacturers. If a product does not function, then allow the warranty to suffice. Also, I hope this legislation defines what a "home appliance" includes. Will the State of Maryland begin requiring manufacturers to entirely replace and reimburse consumers for a faulty toaster? Also, what is defined as a comparable home appliance? Is comparable based on consumer reports or based directly on cost? Speaking of additional bureaucracy, Weir and Olszewski want to establish an Athletic Training Advisory Committee to certify athletic trainers. Is this really one of the most pressing issues facing the state of Maryland? Do we really have that many uncertified athletic trainers running around and training atheletes in an inappropriate fashion? Really, inquiring minds want to know.

In summary, Delegate Weir has not written a single piece of legislation in this new session and co-sponsored a variety of bills, none of which actually address concerns about budget shortfalls. If Weir's 11 co-sponsorships are to be taken at face value, increasing tax assessment timeframes, pork projects, and unlicensed athletic trainers are incredibly pressing issues facing out state. I remain unimpressed.

Senator Gillibrand

2009-01-25T20:42:00.002-05:00

Color me shocked that Governor David Paterson, a liberal lion in New York State politics, appointed a Congresswoman who's only served since 2006 and in her time in the House of Representatives got a 100% rating from the NRA, opposed the bailout, opposed Spitzer's plan to give licenses to illegal immigrants, and had an all around right leaning view on most issues except same-sex marriage and came across as abrasive to some of her colleagues. I really am just shocked.

Redaction of Comment

2009-01-25T18:27:00.002-05:00

When I make a mistake, I am here to freely admit it. I, and I'm sure many conservatives, do not fully understand what a family planning organization in foreign lands actually do. Read the comment from "The Only Sensible Man Alive." He's a libertarian who's opinion I respect. The last two paragraphs sum up the relevant information. Perhaps the Global Gag Rule was ill conceived. Perhaps we should not be in the market of paying for any family planning organizations, period, but that's an argument for another day. To prevent an organization from doing many good and necessary deeds because they perform one deed which I disagree with is foolhardy. If an organization is to promote abortion as a form of birth control, then of course do not fun them. If an organization, on the other hand, allows an individual to have access to abortions in a worst case scenario while also performing other functions, then I can see where the Mexico City Policy becomes faulty.

Obama's First Moves

2009-01-23T20:27:00.004-05:00

So what does Barack Obama care about the most? His first hundred days will show his true agenda, the things that matter the most to the new President. Let's see what he's wanted to push for the most since Tuesday.

He lifted the Mexico City policy. The policy required any non-government organization receiving money from the United States government to "neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations." Initially instituted by President Reagan, it was lifted by Clinton, and reinstated by George W. Bush.

He closed the detention center at Guantanimo Bay. He also ordered that all intelligence agencies use interrogation techniques from the Army Field Manual instead of the other techniques used during the Bush Administration. Secretary of Defense Gates says this is going to be difficult because it's unclear what happens to the current detainees at Gitmo. I understand changing the policy on torture. Closing Gitmo needs to be done slowly and methodically to figure out what exactly what to do with the detainees before immediately closing it.

Both of these executive orders are nods to the liberal base which helped secure him the nomination. The problem with the latter is that it's not well thought through. The problem with the former is that to "actively promote abortion as a method of family planning" is awful; to promote abortion as a form of birth control is awful. Abortion, if it is to remain legal, it should be as a last resort such as if the woman's life is in jeopardy. You can plan a family with birth control such as condoms, medical birth control, or the simplest solution - not having sexual relations.

Global Warming Skeptic Rising

2009-01-23T20:21:00.002-05:00

Not everyone blames man for global warming. In fact, 44% of US voters believe that global warming is caused by planetary trends as opposed to being caused by man. 41% believe it's caused by man. As one who is a bit skeptical and believes that global temperature changes are caused by planetary actions, this is an interesting turn of events.

CPNYS Blog?

2009-01-23T20:17:00.001-05:00

The Conservative Party of New York has a blog. It's following the news with their patented lean. Check it out.

Suggestions to Draft: Linda McMahon

2009-01-16T18:13:00.000-05:00

This is my first in a series of posts I plan to write about how the National Republican Congressional Caucus could find local politicians, business people, or celebrities who have the ideas, money, and people skills necessary to be solid candidates for office. My first suggestion is Linda McMahon.

McMahon is the 60 year old CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment. Her business skills helped turn WWE into a business powerhouse. She's a trustee at Sacred Heart University and was recently appointed by Republican Governor Jodi Rell to the State Board of Education, pending legislative review in February. This is my first in a series of people I think Republicans should try to draft in 2010 to run for Congress.

Her donation history shows that she's a moderate, with Republican tendencies. She has donated to former Congressman Chris Shays (R), the Republican Leadership Council, former Congressman Rahm Emmanual (D), Bob Dole for President, and Senator Joe Lieberman (I). These donations show a great deal about her ideas. She's a pro-choice, Republican leaning voter who could be exactly the type of candidate that could do well in New England. She founded the charitable wings of the WWE including their Get R.E.A.L. educational and literacy programs and SmackDown! Your Vote! campaign to get wrestling fans interested and out to vote. Smackdown! Your Vote! brought Obama and McCain on the air during an episode of the program each giving memorable moments. She currently resides in Greenwich, CT, which is 41% Republican by voter affiliation. She resides in the 4th Congressional District. The 4th District was represented by moderate Republican Chris Shays from 1987 until January 3, 2009 following his loss for reelection to Jim Himes. He lost by a margin of approximately 2%.

McMahon brings money, moderate Republicanism, and a capable public speaking ability. She obviously has a good working relationship with the Governor and has shown that she has a strong love of her home state through her charitable activities. She has good business sense, which could be useful to have in a new member of Congress. Her past support for the former Republican incumbent, Chris Shays, could serve as a boon to her candidacy within the district. If she stops donating to generic Democratic causes, a serious run for the post could work. We need local celebrity candidates who have the right ideas for the district they live in and are truly Republicans at heart. McMahon may not be completely right-wing as some in the party would want, but she's exactly the candidate who could win in Connecticut. Hopefully the NRCC will try to draft someone like her. I hope they remember that I was one of the first to suggest it.

Tom Hanks Disappoints

2009-01-16T17:57:00.000-05:00

"The truth is this [the show Big Love] takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen...There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here's what happens now. A little bit of light can be shed and people can see who's responsible and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting constitution and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So lets have faith in not only the American, but Californian constitutional process.”
-Tom Hanks at the premiere of the new season of the show Big Love

Apart from the fact that I've heard that the show Big Love is incredibly boring, the fact that Hanks would compare these polygamists to mainstream Mormons in a serious way is offensive. The fact that he immediately calls them un-American for being socially conservative is offensive. I may not agree with them, but finger pointing and name calling is just as bad when the left does it as when the right does it. You can't have it both ways. You can't freak out when Palin calls people un-American for socialistic tendencies then turn right around and call social conservatives un-American.

The Obama Party

2009-01-15T17:27:00.000-05:00

Obama has effectively created his own political party, in the words of others. His political machine will stay in effect as a $75 million operation in every Congressional district in swing states. This machine will coordinate with 20 somethings who have been on the payroll during his Presidential campaign and create a grassroots Obama Party network currently dubbed Obama v2.0. The network will put pressure on members of Congress to make certain that they tote the Obama Party line, even if it's unpopular in their district. It will also move to support candidates, create phone banks, and basically act like a psuedo-political party that may hurt local Democratic efforts. In effect, Obama is doing exactly what groups like MoveOn have wanted to do for year, co-opt the Democratic Party and make those who disagree with your liberal agenda fear for their support of their more conservative ideology. Watch out Kirstin Gillibrand and Kent Conrad, the Obama Party may be coming for you.

For the record, this is my 100th post on Old Line Elephant.

Dixon Indicted on 12 Counts

2009-01-10T21:19:00.003-05:00

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon was indicted on 12 separate counts. The crimes include theft and perjury. State prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh brought the charges down on her soon after bringing down indictments against the Mayor's ex-boyfriend on bribery charges. The Mayor, who has seen the murder rate drop significantly under her very short tenure in office. The Baltimore Sun has a good timeline of when the alleged illegal actions occurred, including Dixon purportedly stealing two grand set aside for under privileged families to buy herself Best Buy gift cards in $50 chunks...and then buying herself video games and DVDs.

An entirely unscientific Baltimore Sun online poll has Sun readers saying that they think that Dixon should resign. I generally agree. If Dixon does resign, she'll be replaced by another black woman in City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. If she is not convicted, there's really no way to remove her from office - so, we'll see what happens.

Senator Conrad on Obama's Tax Plans

2009-01-08T13:19:00.003-05:00

First quote - "misdirected" on Obama's new tax plans Then The Hill got Democratic Senator Kent Conrad to say a bit more about his thoughts, along with the thoughts of other Senators. Here's the quote -

I don’t think it works...I don’t think it will give much lift to the economy...If someone offers you several thousands of dollars in tax credits when your product is not selling, are you going to hire someone?

It's good to see that there still are Democratic Senators who are not going to be automotons and do whatever Obama says. Thank you, Kent Conrad.