Tonight marks the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection and repentance, the time for us to take stock of our sins, to atone for them, and to take steps to better ourselves in the coming year.

However, this time for reflection is not limited to the self, but applies to the world around us. In the coming year, Iran will inch closer to having a nuclear weapon, something which is flatly unacceptable. In the coming year, false prophets of peace will once again vilify our strongest ally, Israel, as she defends herself against violent enemies on all sides. In the coming year, President Obama will continue spending money at an unsustainable pace, putting our Nation's future at risk.

These developments are unacceptable, and in the New Year, we as Americans must determine if this is the path we want to go down. I am appalled at the direction this country is headed, and as your Representative in Congress, I will fight for our safety abroad, the security of our strongest ally, Israel, and fiscal sanity here at home.

Cheryl, Noah, and I would like to wish our fellow Jews a Happy, Healthy, and Sweet New Year. May you and your family be inscribed in the Book of Life.

Shanah tova u'metukah.

Randy Altschuler
Conservative Republican Candidate for Congress
New York's 1st Congressional District

Permalink: A Rosh Hashanah Message | Posted: September 8, 2010 3:30 PM

The fact that growth in the U.S. economy has slowed to 1.6% is proof positive that our economy remains in crisis and that the 'summer of recovery' is merely a cheap throw-away line from the Democrat's P.R. machine. Today's news is a clarion call to Tim Bishop, Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the House Democrats that they need to wake up and realize that the American economy is in deep trouble and is getting worse.

This has been a dismal week for economic statistics; home sales dropped like a rock, factory orders are down and now we find out that economic growth is way below estimates. These statistics don't lie. They in fact, high-light what has become obvious; President Obama's stimulus plan isn't working. His bail-outs and hand-outs are making the situation worse, not better.

Tim Bishop and the Democrats are living in a fantasy world. They don't seem to understand their policy of big spending and high taxes are breaking the back of the American taxpayer. Tax cuts are what are needed to jump-start our economy, coupled with across the board spending cuts that will help trim our ever growing national deficit. In Congress I'll fight for fiscally conservative policies that will turn our economy around and lead to an environment where businesses small and large will grow and prosper.

Permalink: BISHOP AND PELOSI NEED TO WAKE-UP | Posted: August 27, 2010 4:18 PM

The housing sales figures released Tuesday prove that despite the inside the beltway spin from the Obama administration, Nancy Pelosi and Tim Bishop, the economy is still in deep trouble and the bail-outs and give-aways simply aren't working. Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Tim Bishop have to stop living in denial. Congress needs to set aside the political rancor and renew the GOP tax cuts that are set to expire at year's end. Additionally, Congress needs to cut spending and institute new across the board tax cuts if we are to jump-start the economy and climb out of the recession.

How can we expect individuals to make the largest single purchase in their lifetime when they are scared to death of the Tax Tsunami that, courtesy of the Democrats, is headed our way at the end of the year. Potential homebuyers are worried sick that the sluggish economy and the prospect of a huge federal tax hike will dig deep into their bank accounts, wiping out hope of a home purchase for the foreseeable future. The American people need tax cuts and they need them now.

Permalink: HOME SALES PLUNGE = NO RECOVERY SOON | Posted: August 24, 2010 5:16 PM

For months now the Obama administration has been peddling the idea that the nation's economy was slowly turning a corner and was heading for recovery. Obviously, Thursday's unemployment figures prove them wrong.

Congressman Tim Bishop needs to explain to the voters of Suffolk why the Obama-Pelosi-Bishop economic plan isn't working for America. Tim Bishop voted with his boss Nancy Pelosi for the bail-outs, the stimulus plan and the other components of this ill conceived and poorly executed plan to resurrect our economy. And, by doing so, he also voted for the higher taxes and ballooning deficit that goes with it.

Tim Bishop, Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democrats who voted for these policies are job killers, not job creators. They simply don't get it; raising taxes during an economic downturn kills investment, kills small businesses, and ultimately kills American jobs.

I'm a businessman who has built two successful companies from the ground up. I've created over 700 jobs across America, 250 of them right here in New York. I know what it takes to grow businesses and create private sector jobs; it takes tax cuts, not tax hikes. The engine that powers our nation's economy is small business. Men and women across this nation, who take risks, build businesses and reinvest in both their companies and communities. No one has bailed them out, in fact, just the opposite; they've been hit with higher taxes and a mind numbing increase in red tape, regulation and the paper-work that goes with it.

It's time for Tim Bishop to muster his courage and tell the voters what the Obama-Pelosi-Bishop economic plan has done to create jobs and rebuild the American economy.

Permalink: Mr. BISHOP, WHERE IS THE RECOVERY? | Posted: August 19, 2010 1:53 PM

90 years ago today, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving American women the God given right to vote. From the Seneca Falls Convention, to the activist efforts of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the great state of New York played a central and important role in the suffrage movement. We can never forget the hard work and dedication of these heroines in our nation's history. Their actions have strengthened our democracy and made a lasting impression in the lives of generations of Americans.

Permalink: Recognizing the 90th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage | Posted: August 18, 2010 11:01 AM