But from Unshackle Upstate’s perspective, that doesn’t really matter. Because in the votes that were cast, we see a validation of our Judgment Day message that has us fired up for the 2010-11 legislative session. 

Judgment Day was about getting the right people into office – people who understood and respected the needs of taxpayers and job creators. Our message clearly had an impact as virtually every candidate campaigned on a platform of fixing Albany’s dysfunction and lowering taxes and spending.  That message resonated with voters, as the majority of our endorsed legislative candidates won their races. 

We’re calling it a victory for Unshackle Upstate. But potential for a much bigger, and more important victory lies ahead.

The 2010 Elections were just one leg of a distance race, and we won’t be truly victorious until we convince our legislators to change their tax-and-spend ways, to be more fiscally responsible by reducing taxes and aggressively supporting (or at least quit hindering) private sector job creation.

That’s where you – the taxpaying public, their constituents – come in. When we launched the Judgment Day campaign back in February, our main goal was to educate and empower voters across the state so that they could make the best possible decision in the voting booth. To help spread our message and our information, we drafted the Unshackle Army, now nearly 25,000 strong and growing. 

Now with the elections over, we’re asking you to stay tuned. We need that Army to stay engaged, to help us keep the pressure and ensure that our representatives follow through on their campaign pledges.

2010 was a galvanizing year for Unshackle Upstate, as we became a grassroots organization focused on putting in office state legislators who would truly be responsive to the largest special interest group – the taxpayers. We knew we faced an uphill battle. And although the election is behind us, we will not give up our charge. Unshackle Upstate will continue to be highly visible in Albany, pushing for the reduced state spending and lower taxes essential for future economic growth.

We trust you’ll be there with us. We’re looking forward to it.

I am enthusiastic that we can change the way our state government views the taxpayers and private sector businesses.  We can tell them clearly that the tax and spend program of yesterday must go away and be replaced with sound financial planning and a willingness to cut taxes to give us more and create more jobs.  How can we do that? By voting out those that have turned their backs on us.  It’s really a simple process.

Tomorrow, we can vote for 25 people that have made a commitment to us that they want to help fix what is broken.  That they are willing to cut spending, lower taxes, and create more private sector jobs.  That they will be independent thinkers that will act in the best interest of all of us, not just a few of us.

Please take the time to get educated and get to the polls.  The list of candidates below represent Unshackle Upstate endorsed candidates for tomorrow’s election. A vote for them is a vote for YOU. Get out and cast a vote tomorrow for our future… YOUR future.

NYS Comptroller:

Harry Wilson

NYS Senate:

• 45th District: Betty Little (R,C,I)
• 48th District: Patricia Ritchie (R,C,Taxpayers)
• 49th District: Andrew Russo (R,C,Taxpayers)
• 53rd District: Tom O’Mara (R,C)
• 57th District: Catharine M. Young (R,C,I)
• 58th District: Jack Quinn (R,Taxpayers)
• 59th District: Patrick Gallivan (R)
• 61st District: Michael Ranzenhofer (R,C,I)
• 62nd District: George D. Maziarz (R,C,I,WFP)

NYS Assembly:

• 105th District: George Amedore (R,C,I)
• 108th District: Steve McLaughlin (R,C,Taxpayers)
• 112th District: Tony Jordan (R,C,I)
• 122nd District: Ken Blankenbush (R,C)
• 125th District: Tom Reynolds (R,C,I)
• 128th District: Robert Oaks (R,C)
• 129th District: Brian Kolb (R)
• 130th District: David Nachbar (D)
• 131st District: Kenneth Krause (R,C,I)
• 134th District: William Reilich (R,C,I)
• 138th District: John Ceretto (R,C,I,Taxpayers)
• 139th District: Stephen Hawley (R,C,I)
• 142nd District: Jane Corwin (R,C,I)
• 144th District: Brian Biggie (R,Taxpayers)
• 146th District: Kevin Smardz (R,I,Taxpayers)

How do I know who my representatives are?

We are the voices of New York State, but our representatives speak for us in Albany.  If you aren’t sure who represents you visit the NYS Board of Elections website and find out.

All 212 seats are open, with the notion of Incumbents vs. Challengers, should I only support the challengers, does that invoke real change?

Not every incumbent voted for this unbalanced budget and was anti-taxpayer. Not every challenger has plans that align with Unshackle Upstate’s goals for job creation, no unfunded mandates, lower taxes and fees. If you aren’t happy with the way your representative has voted in the past, then take that step to vote for someone new. It is time to rebuild! We should pay attention to their voting record and plans to make New York State a better place to live.  Change will come when we turn our frustrations into action.

What should I keep in mind as I go to the polls on Judgment Day?

-          The current legislative body passed (predominantly along party lines) a $136 billion budget that raised state spending by 7.6%

-          The average family of 4 has been hit with $1300 of new taxes and fees

-          9 of the 10 highest taxed counties in the nation are all located in New York State

Some people only care about the statewide races and not the legislative, what can I do to help GOTV?

We have to start rebuilding our economy from the ground up. These 212 seats are most vital when beginning that process. While the statewide races are important, these 212 legislators represent each of us on a local level. They take our issues to the statewide level. We have to start somewhere, and if we want to see New York State keep their residents here, lower taxes and get businesses back we have to get the right people in office to do that.

What other resources can I use to make my decision & share with others for 11/2/10?

National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) released their 2009-2010 Legislative Voting Record. The Business Council of New York State (BCNYS) released their 2010 Pro-Jobs Voter Guide agenda outlining key issues that affect New York State’s job climate.

Share with family and friends how we continue to get buried with taxes and how New York State has been nickel and diming us for too long.

It’s time to GOTV so we can take our state back! It only takes one and it starts with you!

But I implore you, don’t let your disgust with campaigning discourage you from heading to the polls on Nov. 2.  Because this year, it is more important than ever that you vote.

Unshackle Upstate has renamed Election Day as Judgment Day for the New York State Legislature. That’s because there is so much at stake – specifically the future direction of New York state and its economy. And who we, the voters of this state, choose to send to the Capitol can significantly affect that outcome.

Voters will choose a new governor and lieutenant governor. They will also vote on state comptroller, attorney general and all 212 seats in the Legislature.  It is our chance to take back our state government, to put in office people who will do what’s best for New York – control spending, lower taxes and create jobs.

Just by casting your ballot, you remind all elected officials that your approval is neither automatic nor to be taken for granted. They have to earn your vote with service, and that means acting in the best interest of taxpayers to lower state spending and reduce taxes.

But for whom you cast that ballot will also send a strong message.

New Yorkers have long paid some of the highest taxes in the nation. Yet in the last two years, the Legislature passed laws that hit the average family with $1,300 in new taxes and fees.

This summer, US News reported that, over the past two years, New York’s per-capita state tax hikes totaled $414 per person – far more than any state including California, which has raised taxes by $312 per capita. According to the report, New York by itself accounted for 29 percent of all the state tax increases proposed and enacted since 2009.

The 2010-11 budget added $1.2 billion in new taxes, in large part to cover the whopping $136 billion spending bill and close an enormous – and growing – budget gap. Lawmakers balanced the budget by relying on their usual one-shots and temporary enhancements, not by addressing the state’s spending problems.

That makes it certain that the budget gap will just continue to rear its ugly head.  In fact, the comptroller estimates the state will face a cumulative spending gap that could exceed $37 billion through its fiscal year 2013-14, largely because lawmakers have failed to find a permanent solution to the discrepancies between spending and revenues.

Now when something like that happens in our homes and business, we have only one choice. We are forced to tighten our belts, to purchase only what we can afford. New York hasn’t done that, and we’re all paying the price – in lost jobs and neighbors, as people leave the area for better, more affordable opportunities.

That’s why who you choose to send to Albany is so critical. We need lawmakers who understand the dire realities and are willing to be leaders, to step up and be accountable for the tough decisions it will take to fix this mess.

If you’re uncertain who that is, I urge you to get informed on your candidate choices. For starters, check out the endorsements made by Unshackle Upstate as well as its Legislative Scorecards.

I’ve heard the anti-incumbent calls to “throw out the bums,” but I don’t buy them. There are incumbent legislators who get it, and who have done an admirable job of representing their constituents. But in cases where that hasn’t happened, new blood is needed.

I don’t necessarily support term limits, either. Why? Because you, the voter, have the right to impose term limits every time there is an election. If you don’t like what your representative is doing, you simply vote for his or her challenger and put a new person in office.

So again, I implore you to exercise that right. Cut through the campaign rhetoric, and make a choice for a better future. Vote on Judgment Day, Nov. 2.

212 seats are on the line and it is up to you to see which legislators are for you, for keeping and expanding businesses and for making our economy better. Check Unshackle’s list of endorsements and use your ONE vote to help get a pro taxpayer legislator in office who will embrace our agenda of reducing taxes, fees and assessments; cutting state and local spending; reducing state borrowing and curtailing mandates.

$171 a day our Albany lawmakers received to return back to Albany to vote on a budget that took 16 weeks to pass. Your ONE vote can help to get a legislator in office whose voting record demonstrates they have acted in the best interest of the NYS taxpayers.

$136 billion budget, passed predominantly along party lines, that raised state spending by 7.6%. There was obviously no balancing this budget! Your ONE vote could help get a legislator in there who will not vote to increase spending while NYS remains in a deficit.

125 days past the deadline, the New York State budget that we all waited for finally passed. What did we get out of it? Higher spending and more taxes with almost no presence of creating new jobs or improving the broken economy. Your ONE vote can elect an official who will not vote for numerous budget extenders just to give us a late and anti taxpayer budget.

62-member Senate that passed a 4% property tax cap. However higher than the 2.5% Unshackle proposed, your ONE vote could keep those in office that listened to the taxpayers need for a cap. Where was the Assembly with their votes?

8% of additional taxes and fees NYS taxpayers were hit with last year, and we are still getting buried. Your ONE vote will help to make sure that the average family of 4 no longer gets hit with $1300 of new taxes and fees.

Elected officials and Albany hopefuls have produced commercials, mailers and robo calls telling you what they plan to do, but ask them what they have done – get educated and informed. Share with your family and friends how important their ONE vote is…if we don’t get it right now, when will we?

The FACT of the matter is: Our Frustration should lead to Action that can bring about Change for our NYS Taxpayers. Vote based on facts, not opinion.

Your Voice. Your Decision. ONE Chance. ONE Vote.

11.2.10 – YOU be the judge!

As I was getting ready to leave, she mentioned that her daughter was 18 and could now vote.  And then, in one of life’s AH-HA moments, she realized: her daughter isn’t registered to vote.  She quickly took care of that.

There’s a lesson in this story. 

It’s not enough to just complain about the “state” of New York.  We, you have to be willing to do something about it.  And that something is voting.  And to vote, you must be registered. 

The deadline for registering to vote on Judgment Day (Nov. 2) is Oct. 8.  Click here to get more information about where you need to register.

But don’t stop there.  Make sure that all of your friends and family are registered as well.  The only way to get a government that will represent us is to VOTE for people that believe in you and me, people who will take their responsibility seriously and work in our best interest.

But if you need an additional kick in the pants to motivate you to register, check out this report on property taxes released by the Tax Foundation.

What does this mean for me and you?  Our taxes, which are already too high, will just keep going up.  Why?  Because New York state’s pension fund is currently underfunded.  So the only way for your local government and school district to make up the difference is – drum roll please – by taking it from our pockets.  It is estimated that the average household outside of New York City will need to fork over an additional $220 next year.  And that is just to cover the pension being underfunded. 

We can’t continue on this path, my friends. 

It is time to elect people who will make the same tough decisions about state spending that you and I have done in our homes and businesses. 

So get registered and circle Nov. 2, 2010 on your calendar.  That’s Judgment Day, the day you get to judge the quality of candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller and your representatives to the Senate and Assembly. Let’s send the best ones to Albany and the others back to look for another line of work.

Want to learn more about the candidates and your elected officials’ stands on key economic issues? View Unshackle Upstate’s Legislative Scorecards.

Now that we are 40 days away from Judgment Day, Nov. 2, it is vitally important that every New Yorker get educated about her/his elected official and what they accomplished this past year.  Notice that I said what they accomplished?  I am trying to be more positive.  You see, I think that we did a good job of pushing back this year and as a result we saw some positive work done by both houses and both parties.  But so much more could have been accomplished if the political will existed to get it done.

Over the next six weeks you are going to be inundated with mail, radio and television ads from elected officials telling you what they think you want to hear.  But please do me a favor…dig a little bit deeper.  Find out if what they are telling you is true.  How can you do that? Well, you can start by reviewing our scorecards at www.unshackleupstate.com/scorecard-new.  If you want to look at other scorecards/voter guides, you can find more at http://www.nfib.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=db5oIxzI99E%3d&tabid=1038 or http://www.bcnys.org/voter-guide/

2010 is such a critical year for all of us that pay taxes in New York.  In the last 2 years we have seen state spending increase by 12 percent and we’ve been hit with more than $9.2 billion in new taxes and fees.  That includes increases to your driver’s license fees, car registration fees, a reinstatement of the sales tax on some clothing and shoes, and numerous other nickel-and-dime hits to your pocketbook.  And don’t even think about going out for a bottle of beer or a glass of wine… that too will cost you more.

So I ask, when is it enough?  When will we stop bearing one of the highest tax burdens in the country?  When will our elected officials start representing us…the taxpayers?  The answer is simple and at your fingertips…you must get educated and you MUST VOTE.

When you get that piece of mail or hear that radio or TV ad or when you meet the candidate directly, remember this:  Before they tell you what they’ll do… ask them what they’ve done.  Don’t think that what you are hearing is correct or accurate.  Get educated.  And if you don’t get a good enough answer, then don’t give them your vote.

Those scorecards – available at http://www.unshackleupstate.com/scorecard-new/ – offer a look at the voting records of all 212 legislators in regard to the important issues of reducing taxes, mandates and state spending.

That’s important information for voters to consider, but it’s just one part of Unshackle’s efforts to educate voters and mobilize them to vote on Judgment Day, Nov. 2 for the candidates who will truly represent taxpayers’ interests in Albany.

Up next will be Unshackle endorsements. The scorecard results will be one factor in making those endorsements, along with input from chambers of commerce in the candidates’ areas and a review of each candidate’s history of support for Unshackle’s platform.

Between now and Nov. 2, you’ll be bombarded with information on the candidates, each with a story to tell about why he or she should be your choice and why their opponent isn’t even worth consideration.

All I’m suggesting is that rather than relying on these commercials, take the time to do some research. See what groups like Unshackle Upstate, NFIB and the Business Council of New York State are saying about the issues and the candidate’s stances on them.

Then factor that information into a Judgment Day decision on Nov. 2, a decision to send to Albany only those candidates who truly understand the state New York is in and are willing to stand up and make the tough choices ahead.

It is your responsibility to know when and where you will need to be in order to vote.  You can find out the site of your polling location by clicking here.  There is no reason for you not to get there tomorrow.

It is your responsibility to get out tomorrow and pull the lever of those who deserve your vote.  How can you find out who they are?  Well, a good place to start is our scorecard.  You can find it here. Take a look and see how your Assembly member or Senator scored (if you are not sure who represents you, click http://nymap.elections.state.ny.us/nysboe).  If they are in a primary, they scored well and you are satisfied with their work, then vote for them.  But if you aren’t happy with their performance, and there is a challenger, then take the courageous step and vote for somebody new.  Help start rebuilding our state government.

It is your responsibility to help one another.  You do that by exercising your right to vote.  If you believe that your vote doesn’t matter, then you haven’t been paying attention.  Since 2000, more incumbents have been put out of office by indictment than by the voters.  That’s horrible.  We return roughly 98 percent of our senators and assembly members to office.  And what have we gotten for our effort?  Out of control spending, one of, if not the, highest tax burdens in the country and a state government that continues to disregard our calls for change.  We need to take a stand. And we need to start tomorrow.

Imagine where we might be today if half of you that decided not to vote had actually done so.  How might our state be different?  Which of the current incumbents might not actually be there?  What if the person you didn’t elect, because you chose not to vote, would have represented the final vote to defeat a massive spending plan that added more taxes and fees?  We don’t have time to hesitate, to weigh the odds or to assume our vote is meaningless. If we want to make a difference in New York State, we must take action NOW.  The possibilities start with us, and they start tomorrow.

Be sure to get out and vote.  And please continue to follow Unshackle Upstate as we seek to change how the government of the State of New York treats its taxpayers.  We will continue to fight for you.  We hope that you will continue the fight with us. Judgment Day—Nov. 2—is just 50 days away. Each day that passes between now and then represents a chance for us to join forces and take back OUR state.

Did you know that NYS will borrow up to $2B from taxpayers over
the next 3 years through tax credit deferrals included in the
revenue package?

No, I did not know.

As bankrupt as NY is, that should disqualify borrowing. A debt buyer should recognize that the full faith and credit of NY taxpayers is exhausted. Similarly
Federal aid, transferred borrowing, is exhausted.

Borrowing is an admission from our representatives of failure. There is
no acceptable excuse. The results should be critical bills, an on-time budget for example, passed and signed.

Bills of inconsequence, use of handheld cell phones for example, are not
results. Times at bat, number of swings, not even the number of triples
count. These are failures and not results. Sponsoring a bill without
reasonable probability of passage in the current session, or without
intent to aggressively pursue passage and signature, is not a result.
Knowing an incumbent’s positions is nice, but only results count for reelection.

Sending an incumbent who failed back to Albany is senseless. A person
who withdraws from responsibility using any excuse to intentionally not
vote is a fool. Voting ‘for’ based on a belief that an incumbent, a senior,
has more power is fallacious. Not one incumbent has succeeded in
ousting any of the dysfunctional legislative leaders. Bringing home the
bacon is not a consideration. We are suppressing or have lost our taste
for bacon which fattens our taxes. Sharing any bacon (which we would
borrow) by power and tit for tat is poor method.

Our NY government as presently structured and constituted is not
representative. Incumbents do not represent us. You and I are
responsible for choosing who will represent us. Our representatives are
accountable to you and me, when done accountable to us only. The
failures of our chosen representatives are our own. It’s time we get it
right, to make our best effort, to choose differently, somebody, anybody,
even one untried. Any mistakes we make may be corrected in short
time. Let’s vote without fear for new representatives and not
incumbents.