Sometime Monday, we may have a more formal statement to release, but in the meantime, we want to alert people who have come to us seeking to support Doug Hoffman in the upcoming NY 23 election: we understand your anger and agree fully with it.  We believe that Doug Hoffman, not Dede Scozzafava, should represent the citizens of NY23 in the House of Representatives.  Dede is an embarassing, self-serving, union-supporting liberal who has called the police on reporters, threatened to jump to the Democratic Party, and refused to accept invitations to an open debate. She is of questionable fitness to hold a seat in the House of Representatives, and definitely unfit to hold the line against government growth, spending, and abuse of power.

Yet she, instead of Doug Hoffman, is who the GOP leadership is supporting with money and staff in the primary.  To restore choice at the ballot box is the reason for the existence of both the Conservative Party of New York State and the American Conservative Party.  However, we must clear up some confusion -- we are not one and the same organization. In the last few days, we have had a number of new members sign up, and many personal inquiries to state and ACP national leaders stating "we found you on the net because of" either the race itself or Palin's endorsement.  Well, if the media had been a little more precise about which Conservative Party nominated Doug Hoffman, it would have helped... but then they are the media.  Accuracy hasn't been their strong point for a while, has it?

The CPNYS is and has been a professional political party in the State of New York for a few decades. They often run their own candidates, but they may also endorse those from other parties.  By using this tactic, they have elected conservative candidates (on their own ticket or others) in a state traditionally thought of as liberal.  However, the CPNYS is strictly a New York institution, with little or no desire to establish itself in other states. While we have had informal contact with officials of the CPNYS, the two groups are entirely separate.  Persons wishing to directly support Doug Hoffman should follow this link to his campaign website. The CPNYS website is here. 

The American Conservative Party is a grassroots effort founded in February 2008, by people who strongly reject the argument that "conservatives are hurting the Republican Party." We are not tools of the party, to do their bidding; the party is our tool for accomplishing a political task.  If a tool chooses to ignore the desires of its weilder, then it will be discarded and replaced.  Thus the ACP was formed to be that replacement: a party of, by, and for conservatives.  We will be evaluating candidates from other parties for the 2010 election cycle, in addition to supporting our own.  We would like to welcome you to the new home for conservative voters, and invite you to register here, participate in our forums, and (of course) donate time or money.

Yours in Freedom and Prosperity,

The American Conservative Party

The American Conservative Party recommendation list for the 2009 Texas constitutional amendment ballot is out!   There are eleven amendments on a variety of important subjects, such as eminent domain, sneaky government seizures, stealth entrenchment of officeholders, and fairness in property taxation.   Please see the forum post for both a brief summary and in-depth examination.  You can download a one page summary here.

Hello again folks.  As you might have realized, I have not posted in quite some time.  Why, well my life has become centered on my anger against this congress and administration and I’ve been protesting the same.  I have always opposed the drift in America towards the ideology of the collective and thus away from the idea of individual rights and responsibilities that are the foundation of our country’s government and American society.  Mr. Obama, in a way, has done us a favor by exposing our country’s direction by his attempt to accelerate the pace towards socialism.  Now what do we do?  I wrote this to my local newspaper, the Cecil Whig: 

More each day we realize that congress has chosen to ignore the American people who do not support a remake of our healthcare system.  85% of those polled like their healthcare and a majority does not support this so called reform.  Yes, we have problems with our present system, but a total makeover is not the answer.  Beyond the constitutionality of forcing Americans to purchase personal health insurance, which has no direct impact on others, and that we will not know the benefits or cost until 2013, after the presidential election, what has the government done very well with its one size fits all attitude.   

Letters, E-mails, picketing of congressional offices, town hall meetings and peaceful TEA Parties around the country, with a massive one on 9/12 in DC, apparently did not influence congress.  But you remember the 1999 Tennessee Tax Revolt when the Republican governor called a special session of the legislature to enact an income tax; No, well when the citizens found out through talk radio and E-mails, they descended on the Capitol in a mass display of indignation.  In some cases citizens utilized MLK's tactics by staging sit-ins in legislative offices.  The legislature backed down and to this day Tennessee does not have a state income tax.   

So what should we, the people, do now?  Remember they work for us but are not following the majority.  We cannot fire them under the law, but we can certainly send a message more powerful than we have to date. 

Taking the healthcare debate as an example, I find that the mandated healthcare bills being considered to be unconstitutional since having to pay for insurance impinges upon my economic freedom and my civil liberties. I realize that whatever laws Congress passes and the President signs are constitutional until such time as the Judiciary declares otherwise, however congress and the executive are required to consider the constitutionality of the laws they propose/enact. When the oath congress members take to defend the constitution appears inoperative by their actions, they forget that over 30 million Americans have served our nation as have I in the Navy with the "41 for Freedom" submarine service. I still hold my oath to be sacred, even if they don't, and attend TEA Parties and protest on my own partly in that vein. 

The latest Senate bill, as now written, requires citizens to obtain insurance with the benefits government demands or they will be fined and/or imprisoned. Government cannot, in my opinion, require me to adhere to laws and regulations that do not/will not directly affect others. Yes, if I do not have insurance, federal courts have determined that public institutions must treat me thus encumbering other citizens with the cost of my care, but almost anything someone does has an indirect impact on others. If that is the criterion, then nothing I do is independent of government's concern; I reject that notion.

We already have a socialized medical system in America. It's called the VA, and it's a disaster, as has been demonstrated by recent reports of malpractice. The men and women in Congress are talking as if the American government hasn't already intervened in healthcare. What about Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration? The federal government has a horrible track record in becoming involved. They have caused much of the current crisis through over-regulation and mandates; more government obviously is not the answerAmericans are starting to realize that once a bill is passed and signed into law it impacts their lives until it is challenged  via the judiciary and declared unconstitutional; that assumes the judiciary will so rule or that the executive will follow the ruling.  That is why the Espionage and Sedition Acts under President Wilson allowed the arrest of approximately1500 (not the 150,000 Mr. Beck has stated?) citizens, many for just criticizing the government as I am now doing. And the SCOTUS did not initially rule against the imprisonment of Americans for exercising their 1^st Amendment rights.  Now we see what has happened under the Patriot Act.  On September 10, 2009 a federal judge finally ruled the Patriot Act’s National Security Letters (NSLs) were unconstitutional.  NSLs are warrants written by federal agents without judicial oversight; plainly a violation of the 4^th Amendment in our constitution to protect us from what the British troops did in colonial America.  Since NSLs  are secret and not allowed to be exposed, a violation of the 1^st Amendment as well when used against American citizens, as has been documented.  This abuse of our rights has existed for over 7 years.

Our Constitution was written to protect individual rights; rights that government cannot limit except under the most egregious conditions such as war or natural disasters, but even then it requires transparent actions by congress and the President. Our people fought a revolution in part for economic freedom and MLK died to guarantee that all citizens had equal civil liberties; yet Congress now chooses to ignore the wishes of our present citizens and the sacrifices of those in the past fighting for individual rights to achieve something that is political, not focused on what is needed to correct the deficiencies in healthcare.

An excellent project put on by the CATO Institute called "Downsizing Government":

http://www.downsizinggovernment.com 

Now the Citizens for Government Waste has had a list of "Prime Cuts" for a long time, and it deserves considerable praise for its efforts.  However CAGW never really asks the question whether an ENTIRE DEPARTMENT should EVEN EXIST!

Cato is not shy about these things.  It's still a work in progress, thus they have only reviewed 5 tiny Departments and have already found $260B+ dollars PER YEAR.  Wait till they get to DHHS!!

For further discussion on this issue, please go to our FORUMS (separate registration to comment--open to non-members and members alike) to express your opinion on the topic.