Albany… You’re Fired!

Danny Panzella
6/28/2010

The NYS Legislature is playing dangerous politics with the lives of the voters in New York when it refused to return to Albany to finish the budget deal. The Legislature refused to enter an “extraordinary session” because technically they have been in extraordinary session for months. This game is appalling and voters need to call out their legislators on this disgusting political show.

The legislature has voted against several key proposals by the Governors office that are in the best interest of businesses and in turn New Yorkers. Paterson proposed allowing grocery stores the ability to sell wine giving grocery stores a new income stream, and the state more tax revenue.

Another proposal was to cap the growth of local property taxes, including school taxes. Ill say that again, your elected representatives SAID NO to capping property taxes. Paterson and legislators agreed on a temporary reinstatement on clothing tax.

Paterson says there is $400 million in unfunded spending in the legislatures budget.

GUN RIGHTS PREVAIL: SCOTUS upholds 2nd Amendment

Danny Panzella
6/28/2010

The Supreme Court today (Monday 6/28/2010) upheld the 2nd amendment federally protected right to keep and bear arms to all 50 states.

The court issued the 5-4 ruling Monday morning in McDonald vs. City of Chicago, which challenged handgun bans in the City of Chicago. Where Mr. McDonald sued the city to win back his 2nd Amendment right to bear arms to protect himself in his “rough neighborhood.” Chicago had banned handguns. Mr. McDonald had been burglarized several times in the past few years. I’ve considered owning guns illegally to protect my life, “But i wont do that.” Said McDonald on the Stossel show which aired last week.

In a 2008 decision (D.C. v. Heller ) that invalidated the handgun ban in the nation's capital. More importantly, that decision held that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms was a right the Founders specifically delegated to individuals. The justices affirmed that decision and extended its reach to the 50 states. Today's ruling also invalidates Chicago's handgun ban.

Chief Justice John Roberts was the most vocal advocate of using the Due Process Clause to extend the Second Amendment rights to the states. "I don't see how you can read -- I don't see how you can read Heller and not take away from it the notion that the Second Amendment...was extremely important to the framers in their view of what liberty meant."

The discussion over "liberty" was a major philosophical theme of the arguments. Gura and National Rifle Association lawyer Paul Clement argued that the rights articulated in the Second Amendment are fundamental freedoms and would exist to all Americans even if there was no law specifically saying so.

The language used in reporting this victory for personal sovereignty and constitutional liberty by the mainstream corporate media is reprehensible. Media outlets are reporting that SCOTUS “extended” gun rights to the states. Implying that SCOTUS has the authority to decide whether or citizens are allowed to own guns. I’ve got news for the media many of which would love to see the populace unarmed; the Constitution of the United States GUARANTEES the right to keep and bear arms for all citizens. No one, not SCOTUS, or Elena Kagan, or President Obama has the authority to take back that right.

Freedom of Education

Freedom of choice is one of the key principles that made the United States great. But with the education system we have very little choice. You can choose the socialist public school system that is based on top-down, command-and-control with bureaucratic committees of elites planning the education of we the people. Non-compliance is criminalized and funding is extorted through taxation. Even those who don’t have children are forced to fund the public education system. The other option is expensive private or religious schools reserved for the wealthy, connected or religious.

Charter schools are crucial in the fight to improve education. Charter schools are generally run much more efficiently than government schools saving the tax payers money and providing for more stable job environments for teachers. The demand for Charter schools is rising as the Public education system fails systemically not only to educate but to administrate.

The Charter school system provides freedom of choice for parents, better educations for children and a smaller tax burden for the community. Competition provides for quality of service and competitive pricing as opposed to government monopoly.

Danny Panzella
Candidate NYS 63rd Assembly
http://www.donttreadonstatenisland.com

Job Growth NYS’s #1 Priority

 With the economy headed deeper into a depression contrary to what the main stream media would have us to believe we are in a crisis situation. Emergency steps must be taken to ensure that our local economy can recover. Emergency cuts need to be made in our spending, but also in taxation.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics New York boasts an 8.3% unemployment rate (May 2010) Small business is the number one job creator. We need to create the environment where small businesses can expand and create new jobs. The government needs to stay out of the economic stimulus business and allow the free market to function without fascist interventionist policy smothering all but the politically connected private sector.

A repeal of the “Orwellian” MTA tax would be the first cut to be made. This not only burdens business owners with yet another levy, it also creates more paperwork, more record keeping and higher accounting expenses that come along with the required reporting rules. Some other ways we can help small business is to reduce red tape, regulations and laws that expand government control and cost jobs. Tax credits for employers for every new job they create would also benefit small business and get New Yorkers back to work.

Spending is a politician’s favorite vice. They spend to buy constituencies regardless of the budget constraints; I believe this is why the budget is never passed on time. The two party dictatorship constantly postures over where to spend the money. Many of these expenditures and projects are out of the scope of the authority of the state Constitution. This means the New York State Legislature has NO AUTHORITY to spend our money they way they do! One of my objectives will be to audit the legislatures spending and begin to cut the non essential expenditures, expensive regulations and laws that are forcing jobs out of New York State and straining our economy.

Danny Panzella
Candidate NYS 63rd Assembly

http://www.donttreadonstatenisland.com

Albany - Robbing from Paul to pay Paul

Albany - Robbing from Paul to pay Paul
June 16th 2010

Albany’s pension Ponzi is now complete. In a very creative budgetary sleight-of-hand they decided to make obligated payments to the State’s pension plan…  By borrowing from that very same plan.  Clearly, they are now praying they can hold it together until the November elections.

Regrettably, many New Yorkers who work for the state are never going to receive their promised wages or pensions.  While I am sympathetic, I also have to point out that taking a career politician at his or her word is asking to be screwed over.

But given the magnitude of this problem, what can be done?

If I was governor (with emergency powers), I would immediately:

- Slash all expenditures by 10%, looking to cut them by 25% total. 

- Privatize everything possible.

- Retroactively change pensions, calculating them by the average wage over the worker’s career (to correct for ‘stuffing’ the last year with excess overtime). 

- Replace state pensions with 401ks .

- Direct the state pension fund and general fund to immediately allocate 10% of its resources in physical gold and silver – before every other state catches on that this is the only asset that is likely to retain its value .

- Create a task force to uncover state fraud

- Start a New York State charter bank and return control of financing projects to the people of NY.

- Simplify the tax code.

- Meet with business leaders to uncover what legislation impedes job creation and remove it.

- Negotiate a pay cut for public unions, and if they were unwilling to be reasonable, fire them all – and rehire them at a rate we can afford.

- Decriminalize (not legalize) marijuana, so that it would still be kept off the streets, but pot smokers would pay a stiff fine instead of facing jail time and a criminal record.

- Re-open our two shuttered nuclear power plants and bring them back online using thorium, a safer, cleaner, abundant, and peaceful type of nuclear energy; financed by bonds secured by the future power production of these plants.

…And that’s just for starters.

Since I am not governor, but a mere candidate for State Assembly (district 61, Libertarian party), and since Albany is unlikely to change course until they are forced by a system collapse, I urge New Yorkers to take steps and protect themselves. 

When New Yorkers go to the polls this November, I urge them to vote Libertarian.  Staten Islanders can send a powerful message by sending me and my running mates to Albany.  We might not be able to bully or bribe them into doing what is right, but we will get in their faces, we will get them on record, and we will put them on notice.

Because they will know, deep in their guts, that we’re only the first guys over the wall…  And many more will follow.

Faithfully yours,

Dave Narby

Libertarian Party candidate district 61, Staten Island

The National Inflation Association “MELTUP” Update

The National Inflation Association is pleased to announce that it has released an update to its latest critically acclaimed documentary 'Meltup'. Meltup was released exactly one month ago and has already received over 561,000 views with an overwhelming 96% of its viewers giving it a thumbs up.

NIA's new Meltup Update Video is 7 minutes long and was produced in the same quality as the documentary. It goes over the most important economic events that have taken place since the release of Meltup. The video offers evidence that Americans are beginning to become educated to the truth about the U.S. economy and inflation. It also offers hope that even the U.S. government may be beginning to move in the right direction.