In the early 20th Century, British journalist G.K. Chesterton warned that elites, in the name of progress, would attempt to deliver the common man from perceived miseries by imposing on him faddist social bromides.  These modern emancipators he predicted would initiate “a new persecution of the common man.”

David Harsanyi, in his fine new book, Nanny State argues that Chesterton’s fears were justified.  According to Harsanyi, “a band of do-gooders are subtly and steadily stripping us of our liberties, robbing us of the inalienable right to make our own decisions and turning America into a nation of children.” Read the rest of this post »

In his quest to become the 20th Congressional District’s Conservative Party nominee, Sandy Treadwell has made some extraordinary claims.

In a four-page fundraising letter that arrived in mailboxes last week, Treadwell says he is tired of high taxes and wasteful spending.  Treadwell is shocked that “a whopping $20 billion worth of pork projects were added to the bill” to fund our troops in Iraq.

Treadwell’s outrage is disingenuous.  He appears to have forgotten that during his tenure as Republican National Committeeman he never denounced Republican congressional majorities for their egregious deficit and pork spending.  Also, Republican Chairman Treadwell was silent in 2003 when GOP state legislators enacted the largest tax increase since the Rockefeller era.  Nor was there a word of criticism from him when Pataki-Bruno-Silver cut their annual pork spending deal (which often included millions for the rich man’s paradise – Lake Placid).  And no one ever heard Treadwell condemn the Pataki administration’s squandering of taxpayers’ money to reward cronies, placate lobbyists and contractors, and neutralize municipal, healthcare and teachers’ labor unions. Read the rest of this post »

British journalist G.K. Chesterton described the period when politicians grope to get the attention of constituents who are occupied with important matters (i.e., sending their children back to school, preparing for the holidays) as the “Silly Season.”  And recent events confirm that Albany’s “Silly Season” has commenced.  Here are two examples of their folly: Read the rest of this post »

Last fall Governor-elect Spitzer urged North Hempstead Republican Senator Michael Balboni to resign his office and join the new administration as Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security.

Balboni, convinced he was an expert on the subject because in 2003 as Chairman of the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee he added “Homeland Security” to the title, accepted the position.

Publicly, the appointment was portrayed as a bi-partisan gesture; privately, Albany Democrats boasted it was part of their plan to take control of the State Senate. Read the rest of this post »