February 1, 2005

Dear Friends of the Constitutional Republic,

The head of the New York Conservative Party (NYCP) has spoken the truth about the Republican majority Senate in his state. And he is to be praised for this though he seems to be second-guessing himself --- which he should not do. A story in the "New York Times" (1/31/05) reports that the leader of the NYCP, Michael Long, told a two-day Party conference that State Senate Republicans are in danger of losing their majority status because faithful members of the GOP are angry over, among other things, tax and spending increases and business regulations.

The "Times," paraphrasing Long, says he blamed Republicans for "hedging on conservative values and adding pork-barrel giveaways to the State budget for the sake of winning re-election and keeping power." He predicted that conservative voters would disengage from the political process "if the citizens don't see a difference in either party, if both parties are raising taxes, if both parties are mandating restrictions on business and making it more difficult for people to exist in this State."

Referring to Republican Senate Majority leader Joseph L. Bruno, Long said it was so much easier --- but wrong --- "just to go along with everybody, not to make enemies." He described New York's State government as "broken." He and other NYCP members complained about tax and spending increases by GOP Governor George Pataki in his proposed 2005-2006 budget.

At the end of the "Times" story, Long is quoted as saying: "Maybe I'm focusing too much on the negatives. It's so easy to get down on ourselves and be negative," to say: "The people that we counted on betrayed us."

Well, no, Mr. Long, you, sir, are not being "too negative," not at all. You are simply telling the truth. You are experiencing at your State level what many conservatives have experienced at the national level regarding the Republican Party --- betrayal.

The sad fact is that nationally, and increasingly at the state level, the Republican Party is no longer the party of limited, fiscally responsible, Constitutional government. And this is not happening just in New York. In Indiana, GOP Governor Mitch Daniels, President Bush's former director of the Office of Management and Budget, has proposed a 29 percent tax increase to be levied mostly on anyone making $100,000 a year or more, including married couples filing jointly and small business owners.

At the national level, Mr. Bush has given us anything but a conservative government. He has given us the most expensive, debt-ridden, intrusive, big spending, un-Constitutional Federal Government in our history. And, of all things, with a straight face, he calls this "compassionate conservatism."

In other words, what Michael Long alludes to has already happened, certainly in Washington D.C. There is no longer any real difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. Both parties are un-Constitutional, Big Government parties the only difference being that Mr. Bush's Republican Party has given us a Big Government bigger and more expensive than any Democrat government gave us. To say this is not "too negative." It's the truth. And it's one more reason why we need a strong Constitution Party presence in all 50 states. People are looking to us for a real alternative. Let's get to work!

For God, Family, & the Republic,


Michael A. Peroutka