Roadblocks and Texas Pretzels  by Tom Reynolds

It appears that enough Republicans / Conservatives crossed over and voted for Democrats that they swung the elections to the Democrats.  If those voters still hold Conservative / Republican values, but they voted Democrat because they don’t like Donald Trump, they will soon get a new appreciation of Trump.  After January 1st, he will be one of only two effective deterrents to the left implementing their radical agenda. 

Fortunately, Trump is a big roadblock, especially when it comes to 2nd Amendment issues!

I’ve previously written how Trump’s administration has prioritized preserving constitutional rights, such as the 2nd Amendment, and they created a Department of Justice section to deal with those issues.  This is huge!  It takes the financial burden of opposing unconstitutional laws off of the citizen’s back.  We will undoubtably see Democrat efforts to undermine the Trump administration in this area.

The Hochul / James duo will continue to undermine 2A and ignore the Supreme Court.  They will almost certainly increase their efforts and be energized by having four more years to do it.  Expect even more intrusive laws, so if you are thinking of buying guns or ammo, the next two months would be the time. 

National issues will be impactful and worth watching, perhaps, partially for amusement.

The story gets pretzel-like in Texas.  Did Texas voters forget that Democrats want to do away with fossil fuels?  Texas oil qualifies as a fossil fuel.  Will newly elected Democrats vote for Democrat policies and defy their Republican voters or do they cave on Democrat policies in hopes of keeping Republican votes and being reelected? 

Texas Senator-elect Talarico twisted himself into a pretzel while campaigning.  He tried to frame himself as a defender of oil and gas jobs and oil industry interests but his legislative record shows the typical Democrat advocacy for doing away with fossil fuels. 

Unfortunately, Talarico (and others) may have an out. Nationally, they have enough of a majority that their leaders may allow them to vote against a Democrat bill because the leaders have enough votes to pass the bill, without their vote.

But fortunately, President Trump has a veto power and the Democrats will need every vote to potentially overturn the veto.  Will Talarico and others turn into pretzels if their vote is needed?

And will the voters eventually realize that there would not be a bill, at all, if they had voted against the Democrat.

And the Democrat Governor-elect of Texas faces another interesting issue.  Texas is sitting on an ocean of oil but the Democrat Party has come down strongly against fossil fuels.  Will the new governor follow New York’s example of not exploiting a natural resource under her feet, for political purposes, or cave in on Democrat principles and support the oil industry?  (I’ll bet she caves to support oil.  Reelection and power come before principles.) 

If she caves, will the climate change media hypocrites give her a pass and say, in effect, that climate change doesn’t happen in Texas, so it’s okay to drill.  (I’ll bet they give her a pass.)

And how about 2nd Amendment rights in Texas?  Texans have been a bit sensitive about those rights.  But the government of Texas is now controlled by a party that hates 2nd Amendment rights and many of its more radical members in the ‘Social Democrats of America’ wing of that party want to do away with 2A.

By the way, I opened by saying there are two effective deterrents against the radical Democrat agenda.  The other is the Supreme Court, but there may be issues there.  More on that in another e mail.

 On another front, New York has had two governors resign in the last sixteen years.  Perhaps we should pay more attention to Lieutenant Governors?  Can anyone name the Lieutenant Governor Elect?

Adrienne Adams.  Lifelong New York City resident.  Former Speaker of the NY City Council and unsuccessful candidate for NYC Mayor in 2025, where she got 4% of the primary vote.  Is she well versed in the needs of upstate New York…if she knows there is an upstate New York?

An Omen  by Tom Reynolds

Below is an excerpt from an email.  It’s an omen of things to come . . .

November 4, 2026

…as we close out the day, I wanted to share an update on what this victory means for the future of gun safety.

Gun safety won big at the ballot box, and the results are still rolling in:

• 2,044+ Gun Sense Candidates elected nationwide

• 500+ Moms Demand Action volunteers stepped up to run

• 250+ Moms Demand Action volunteers won their races, with more races left to call

This is what sustained grassroots power looks like.

With last night's results, we took another giant step toward establishing our volunteers as a political powerhouse for years to come.

This is the gun safety movement we've worked so hard for. Let's keep this momentum going. Donate to Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. With your support, we can leverage our election momentum to hit the ground running in our fight to end gun violence and save lives by helping to pass stronger gun laws, defend against gun extremism, and protect our communities.

John Feinblatt

AFFORDABILITY  by Tom Reynolds

Affordability is the big issue in this year’s election and one party seems to blame President Trump for all problems in that area.  However, a deeper look would indicate something different; the party complaining has the worst affordability record.  Asking them to fix the issue is like asking Doctor Kevorkian to be your family doctor.

All the below figures are for the ‘lower 48.’

                                    Gasoline Prices for Regular Gas October 31st

Per Triple AAA**   

Highest Price

California $5.91

Nevada $5.24;

Washington $5.21

Oregon $4.80

Illinois $4.74

Utah $4.57

Michigan $4.57

Idaho $4.56

Arizona $4.44

Pennsylvania $4.44

Wyoming $4.37

New York $4.35      (We’re only #12, so we’ll have to try harder)

Remember when Democrats, as a way to save the planet, said they wanted to raise prices to Europe’s level?

Success!

Note: California’s restrictions on refineries drags many neighboring states into gasoline price purgatory, although the prices in these states are much lower than in California

Lowest Price

Texas $3.36

North Carolina $3.39

Georgia $3.59

South Carolina $3.68

Louisianna $3.72

Tennessee $3.73

Alabama $3.75

Mississippi $3.79

Tax collections per capita

Per the Tax Foundation*

Highest

District of Columbia ($15,009),

New York ($12,506),

North Dakota ($9,834),

Hawaii ($9,758),

Connecticut ($9,388), and

 New Jersey ($9,178).

Note: North Dakota produces a lot of oil, taxed at the well-head, and have a small population. So, the tax burden on the populace is actually low.

New York has a lot of Natural Gas but has virtually no well heads to tax so the tax burden on the populace is high.

Lowest

Mississippi ($4,868),

Tennessee ($4,912),

 Alabama ($4,950),

 South Carolina ($4,984),

 Arizona ($5,006).

Electricity – Residential Price

Per the US Energy Information Administration ***

Highest Electric rates

California 33.61¢/kWh)

Maine 32.41¢/kWh;                                   Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Member

Massachusetts 30.49¢/kWh;                 Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Member

New York 29.90¢/kWh;                           Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Member

Rhode Island 28.29¢/kWh;                     Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Member

New Hampshire 26.60¢/kWh;                Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Member

New Jersey 25.19¢/kWh).                       Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Member

Many Northeastern states that have joined the “Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative” to intentionally drive up their electricity prices.

Success!

Lowest electric rates

Louisiana 12.72¢/kWh;

Nevada 12.77¢/kWh;

Utah 13.12¢/kWh;

North Dakota 13.41¢/kWh;

Tennessee 13.71¢/kWh;

Idaho 13.73¢/kWh;

Nebraska 13.78¢/kWh;

Kentucky 13.81¢/kWh;

Wyoming 14.36¢/kWh;

Oklahoma 14.35¢/kWh;

Arkansas 14.33¢/kWh.

* State and Local Tax Collections Per Capita by State, 2026

** AAA Fuel Prices

*** Electric Power Monthly - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Voting Twice  by Tom Reynolds

When we vote for a legislator, we are voting for two people: the candidate and the leader of the candidate’s party.  If elected, the candidate helps his / her party to become the majority and, thus, the leader of that majority party also becomes the leader of that legislative body.

Why is the leadership so important?

The word democracy gets thrown around, a lot.  But in legislative bodies, once the leader is chosen, they have enormous power.  Very little - if anything - gets done without their approval.  They can stop a popular bill, in its tracks.  Oppose them and a legislator risks the leader’s powerful wrath, both financially and politically.

In the federal and New York State Senates, the leader is called Majority leader.  In the federal House and New York Assembly, the leader is called the Speaker.

Below are the current party leaders in the four main legislative bodies; they are in line to take the leadership position - if their party becomes the majority.  These are the people you will also be voting for – or against. 

Senate Majority Leader

Republican   John Thune                                      South Dakota

Democrat     Charles Schumer                            New York City

House Speaker

Republican   Mike Johnson                                  Louisianna   

Democrat     Hakeem Jeffries                             New York City

New York Senate Majority Leader

Republican   Robert Ortt                                      Tonawanda, New York

Democrat     Andrea Stewart-Cousins              Westchester, New York

New York Assembly Speaker

Republican   Ed Ra                                                 Franklin Square, New York

Democrat     Carl Heastie                                      New York City

Notice anything?  The Democrat leadership are all from the New York City area!  If Democrats win the majorities, New York City will control both our state and our national legislatures. 

If you think New York City’s Comrade Mamdani is a threat now, wait until both the state and federal government are throwing money and power to him.    

If you are a Democrat Socialist of America, that’s wonderful.

If you like our Constitution, that’s not so good.

Keep this in mind when you decide whether or not to bother voting in this year’s off year election.  It’s not so “off year.”  Whether or not New York City and Comrade Mamdani gain control of the state and the nation is at stake.

The bigger picture  by Tom Reynolds

For their own benefit, politicians like to phrase issues in a narrow way that ignores the bigger picture; a picture that often tells another story.  Here are some examples of narrow views and then the related bigger pictures that rarely get publicized.

Every time there is a shooting, it gets extensive coverage in the media.

Guns also used defensively.  On September 2, 2026, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) posted, “The report…indicates a range of 500,000 to 2.5 million defensive gun uses each year.”

Affordability is a major issue in the coming election. 

            Per the U S Bureau of Labor statistics, the Consumer Price Index rose:

• 7.62% from 2017 to 2020 (Trump)      1.91% per year
• 21.4% from 2021 to 2024 (Biden)        5.35% per year
• 7.41% from 2025 to 2026 (Trump)      3.70% per year

And remember, the increase does not go away but is included in the next year’s base.

A major driver of the current inflation is the War in Iran.  Some political candidates say we should withdraw from Iran and use the money in America.  The idea of withdrawing from Iran gets some support when people fill their gas tank. 

What’s the dollar value of this of Iran not having a nuclear weapon and deciding to impose a fee on every ship going through the Strait of Hormuz?  How safe would you feel if Iran could again fund terrorists around the world?  

The modern sporting rifle (AR15) is continually called an ‘assault rifle’ or a ‘weapon of war.’

            Per an FBI report in 2023:

• More people are killed by hands and feet than ALL rifles 
• More people are killed by blunt instruments than ALL rifles
• More people are killed by sharp instruments than ALL rifles.

The idea of Medicare-for-All gets a lot of support from certain candidates and constituencies.

Shouldn’t we get rid of the Billions of fraud in the Medicaid, SNAP and other government programs before we dangle a bigger pot of money in front of criminals who are salivating at the thought of another huge government debacle?

Politicians justify their anti 2nd Amendment efforts as making citizens safer, especially children in schools.

Every school shooting since the ‘Gun Free School Zone Act’ was finalized in 1996 has been in a Gun Free Zone.

In movies, “silencers” go poof poof when shot.

            Most unsuppressed gunshots range between 180 decibels to 140 decibels

Silencers / suppressors reduce noise from between 40 decibels to 20 decibels

A Jackhammer is 135 decibels

That aint poof poof.

Governor Hochul credited her “strategic investments” for record‑low crime, especially murders; “We continue to deliver measurable results with record low crime across New York.”

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Gun related homicides:

2000-2019               Were between 10,800 to 14,600 each year

2020                          19,384          (Covid)

2021                          20,958           (Covid)

2022                          19,651

2023                          17,927

2024                          15,364

2025                          12,850

Does anyone besides me see a relationship between the increase in homicides during the heavy Covid years and then the decrease in homicides as we get further away from Covid? 

Hochul’s Number One  by Tom Reynolds

The Cato Institute is a libertarian organization that advocates policies that advance "individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace". They typically advocate diminished government intervention in domestic, social, and economic policies and decreased military and political intervention worldwide.

The Cato Institute’s 2026 “Freedom in the 50 States” list ranks U S states on their support for and protection of both economic freedom and personal freedom across a wide range of issues. 

New York state ranked 49th in the nation for overall freedoms*.  (Remind me, how many states are there?)

Cato also graded governors on how well or poorly they have advanced both economic and personal liberty in their states

In spite being held back by New York State only being rated 49th, Kathy Hochul was able to overcome that disadvantage; Hochul was ranked the worst state leader in the US for protecting constituents’ freedoms at number 50.*

Hochul’s office brushed off the Cato study, disputing its “ideas of freedom.”

Of the top 15 governors, 13 are Republicans while Democrats dominated the worst lists of both states and governors.

Cato is an unapologetically Libertarian organization.  Historically, Republicans are labelled Conservatives while Democrats are labelled Liberals.

Internationally, Cato’s Human Freedom Index (HFI) is a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. This annual index uses 87 distinct indicators of personal & economic freedom and represents 98 percent of the world’s population, which covers 165 jurisdictions.  (The most recent year for which sufficient data are available is 2023.) The index ranks jurisdictions over a span beginning in 2000.

Of the top 15, the USA ranks 15th and Canada ranks 13th making the highest levels of freedom in North America.  Other high ranked areas are Western Europe, and Oceania.

The other 13 highly ranked are low population countries and only Australia has a large land mass.

The lowest levels on the HFI are in the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia.

Women-specific freedoms, as measured by five indicators in the index, are strongest in North America, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe and are least protected in the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia.

The next time the U S A or western civilization are criticized by the left, just tell them to: go to Cato.”

* Results and Summary | Cato Institute

**Human Freedom Index 2025 | Cato Institute

The Bloodbath that Never Came  by Tom Reynolds

The Second Amendment Foundation put out a study entitled ‘The Bloodbath that Never Came.’ 

After New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, Garland v. Cargill (the bump-stock decision), the spread of “constitutional” carry, the elimination of the National Firearms Act tax on certain arms and the recent Department of Justice and ATF actions, groups including Brady, Everytown, Giffords and March For Our Lives, along with elected officials, warned of bloodshed.  Instead, violent crimes and murder rates dropped.

Here is a link to the study showing 85 gloom and doom predictions that did not come true:

The Bloodbath That Never Came — Failed Gun Control Predictions

New York Debates  by Tom Reynolds

There were three recent debates regarding New York statewide races.  I thought they were supposed to consist of: Hernandez versus DiNapoli for State Comptroller; Komatireddy versus James for State Attorney General; and Blakeman versus Hochul for Governor.  But after watching the debates, I was wrong. 

Donald Trump is going to be a very busy man the next two years.  In addition to being President - according to Hochul - Trump must be her opponent for governor and - according to James - Trump must be her opponent for Attorney General.  Both Hochul and James could not stop referencing Trump in the debates.

Someone, less kind than I, might believe that these two incumbents do not want to run on their records, so they needed to tie their opponents into ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ (TDS) to build up enthusiasm amongst their allies.  In addition, I doubt if many would deny that Hochul and James were not blessed with an abundance of charisma, so their potential allies were not left screaming with enthusiasm after hearing them debate.  That would explain their frequent forays into ‘TDS’.

Part of the Attorney General debate focused on the prosecution of crime.  Several times, James referred to the need for compassion for the criminal but neglected to mention compassion for the victim of the crime.  James seems to put compassion ahead of the law.

Komatireddy also ripped into James over the amount of fraud taking place in New York.  James countered that her office has shifted its focus to bigger targets.  With billions in fraud, I’d believe James could assign some of her staff of hundreds of lawyers to going after all kinds of fraud.

In a debate lacking in humor, the high point came when Letitia James struggled to name a former NY Attorney General that she admired.  Komatireddy quipped that James “only admires herself.”

Actually, there was another laughable moment when James said, “Politics stops at the door in my office.”    

The Blakeman versus Hochul debate took an unusual early turn; I thought immigration was a federal responsibility, but Hochul’s sanctuary policies as well as her hatred of ICE have made it into a state issue.

I wrote, last week, about Hochul prejudging the Cornell rape case.  What I did not know, and Blakeman pointed out, was that Hochul is a trustee of Cornell University and did not act until it became a hot political issue.

Hochul answered an energy question by blaming Trump, the Iran war and stalled federal approvals. Blakeman turned that around saying: ‘…Donald Trump didn’t raise utility rates 48 times. You did. Donald Trump didn’t increase our utility bills by 50% since you became governor… You gave $150 back to people in a rebate in an election year… when you’ve raised the average bill $4,000 a year.'

By contrast, Donald Trump was not a major player in the NY Comptroller debate between Hernandez and DiNapoli.

The candidates differed on DiNapoli’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.  Hernandez characterized those considerations as political and argued that pension decisions should focus on financial returns.  DiNapoli seemed to agree that the DEI decisions were political as he did not defend them as investment strategies but rather as fighting what he perceives as discrimination.

Fraud was also an issue in this debate with DiNapoli being in office during the latest major fraud issues.

Hernandez pointed put $850,000 in campaign contributions from law firms representing the state pension fund, suggesting possible “pay‑to‑play” influence. DiNapoli denied any wrongdoing.

Hernandez made it clear that he opposes Gov. Kathy Hochul's data center moratorium.  "We can't just put a moratorium in place and basically just hit the brakes for a year…This technology's moving so fast, a year is a lifetime in this technology sector."

The person who gained the most from these debates was Saritha Komatireddy as Letitia James acted like she would rather be anywhere but there.  It is generally acknowledged that Saritha put on a knowledgeable and aggressive performance. 

The question is, how many people watched the debates?

New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman will face off in their only scheduled debate on

Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 7:00 PM

Debate Details

• Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2026
• Time: 7:00 PM EDT
• Location: Spectrum News NY1 studios in Chelsea, New York City
• Co-Moderators: Spectrum News political anchors Errol Louis and Susan Arbetter
• How to Watch: Broadcast live on Spectrum News affiliates across New York, Optimum, via the Spectrum app, and streamed on Spectrum's YouTube channel