New York City Looks at 440,672 More Acres in Catskills

The Times Herald Record ran an article today describing a major New York City initiative to purchase nearly 100,000 acres  (looking at 440,672 acres but actually planning to buy about one fifth of that amount). But is it a coincidence that Congressman Maurice Hinchey aims to turn the entire Hudson Valley into a federal park just as New York City buys ever more land in the Catskills?  I wrote this letter to the editor of the Times Herald Record:

Adam Bosch (July 15, "NY City Wants Control Over Another 440,672 Acres in Area's Watershed") raises several useful points but neglects to ask the $64,000 question: Is there a connection between Congressman Maurice Hinchey's proposal for a federal park in the Hudson Valley and the City's aggressive land grab in the Catskills? In 1992 then-Assemblyman Hinchey proposed a bill that would have established socialist-style zoning boards in the Adirondack Park. Mr. Hinchey has repeatedly proposed aggressive land-use controls for 20% of Utah. Now, he claims that his federal park proposal for the Hudson Valley cannot possibly lead to radical restrictions on property rights. Maybe not today. But acceding power to a parks administrator eliminates the rule of law. And such restrictions can be implemented down the road without public debate once a park administration is in power.


Is the NYC land purchase a coincidence? Might the intention be to turn the Catskills into an Adirondack-style park and squeeze Hudson Valley residents out via a gradually tightening pincers (City owned watershed land on one side, a federal park on the other), forcing the Hudson Valley's population south to New Jersey and New York City? This is very much the gist of UN Agenda 21, and UNESCO has already been given administrataive control of more than a dozen parcels of land within the borders of the United States. Is depopulation the long term plan for this region? Or is it just a coincidence that the City is grabbing land just as Mr. Hinchey offers the Trojan horse of a federal park?

Sincerely,

Mitchell Langbert, Ph.D.
Town of Olive Republican Commitee

Guest Article: Conservative Universities: Finding an Alternative to a Left-Leaning College Education

Special to Mitchell Langbert's blog.  By Alexis Banari.*

Conservative Universities: Finding an Alternative to a Left-Leaning College Education

It has been said —and rightly so— that the majority of institutions of higher education are left leaning.  Statistics from a recent study state that 72% of all university professors self identify as liberals.  Only 15% say that they’re conservatives.  Private, Ivy League schools are even more lopsided with 87% of the faculty identified as liberal and 13% as conservative.

While a little bit of debate never hurt anyone, some conservative high school graduates desire an education founded in principles that more closely match their own.  The answer can be found among the various conservative-leaning private universities and colleges.  Listed below are three conservative options and what they have to offer:

Baylor University- Waco Texas

One of the larger private universities to top the conservative list, Baylor University has around 14,000 students and offers 150 undergraduate programs.  Their educational philosophy is based on the Baptist faith.   The school has a relatively high tuition and many of the students are from affluent backgrounds.  There are many multi-generational Baylor families.

Hillsdale College- Hillsdale Michigan

This college averages around 1,200 students at any given time.  Only undergraduate degrees are offered in over 50 concentrations.  75% of all Hillsdale students receive some type of financial aid from the university itself.  Hillsdale does not accept federal financial aid.  A morality code is applied to all students who attend the school, and required coursework includes a two-course sequence on great books of the western world, the constitution, and United States history.

Hillsdale students do well when competing for places in professional programs, and their website claims that 98% of all graduates have a job or enter graduate school six months after graduation.

College of the Ozarks- Hollister Missouri

Known as “Work Hard U”, College of the Ozarks provides a free, accredited college program to motivated students who demonstrate financial need.  Students apply for grants through the government aid program, and then work on campus 15 hours a week plus two 40-hour weeks each semester.  The difference between the cost of tuition and the grant received is covered by working and grants from the university.

Academics are consistently ranked in the top 300 by credible sources.  Students are expected to abstain from alcohol both on and off campus, and a strict dress code is enforced.

Conclusion

These three conservative alternatives represent a small piece of the conservative college continuum.  With a little bit of research, a young conservative student can find the perfect fit for their beliefs, budget, and educational goals.

*Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at onlinedegrees.org, researching online degree programs. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Ognibene Offers Hope for Ulster County's Ailing Economy

Thomas Ognibene, gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino's running mate, spoke to the Kingston/Rhinebeck Tea Party on Monday evening, July 12, at the Town of Ulster Town Hall. About 40 Tea Partiers were present. Ognibene, a former New York City Councilman, complements Paladino's Buffalo roots.  Ognibene ran for mayor against Michael Bloomberg in 2005 but the Bloomberg campaign challenged his electoral petitions, knocking him off the GOP ballot.

Ognibene said that the Paladino campaign is hopeful about its own petition drive, the outcome of which will be known as the Eagle goes to print.  Although the Democratic press has painted a rosy economic picture here in Ulster County, that picture is deceptive. The "pork" band aids that the Democratic politicians have put on the canker sores that they have created through over-taxation and over-spending are trumpeted in the Democratic media.  But what Democratic voters fail to realize is that the upstate area has been paying far more than it has been receiving.  Job growth in Ulster County since 1990 has been at less than one fifth of the national rate.  Neither the Democratic politicians nor the Democratic media discuss this trend because the Democrats are the reason.

Ognibene pointed out that Sheldon Silver, the Speaker of the Assembly, ought to be unelectable because of the damage that he and the Democrats have done to New York's economy.  As well, New York's wasteful spending (with per capita Medicaid spending double that of California) has caused firms and talented workers and business people to move elsewhere. Ognibene, along with Paladino, is calling for a modest 20% cut in the state's budget. 

One question from the audience was how Paladino and Ognibene will improve their profile in the New York City area.  They are better known upstate, especially in western New York, but will not be able to take the primary against Republican in Name Only (RINO) Rick Lazio if they cannot win New York City.  Ognibene told the audience that Carl Paladino, a successful, self-made real estate developer (the only gubernatorial candidate, Democrat or Republican, who has not spent his career at the public trough) has a ten million dollar war chest for that purpose.

To Socialists, the World Is a Classroom

Schools are mostly government-run operations and reflect government values.  Few institutions in American life have failed as badly as the education system.  My claim is that socialism is modeled after the classroom.  The teacher, Professor Obama, stands before the classroom. Any students who disobey the Professor's instructions are disciplined.  The school board, US Congress, concocts ever more elaborate and stricter rules.  If a student does not learn, does not obey, he or she must serve detention.  Those who obsequiously learn the professor's lessons most studiously, the socialists, consider themselves smarter than everyone else.  Because they lack the legitimation of a state diploma, those who would rather not comply with the Professor are intimidated.  But they are productive and competent. The socialist lesson plan is that the state is all knowing; that those who obey are intelligent; that subservience to government is morality; that the Professor and the school board know best.