AFANY Newsleter Fall 2020

New York is Losing People

New York is continuing to see more people leave the state than entering. A major cause is the high level of taxes paid in NY.
A key cause of NY’s high taxes is the high level of pensions paid to many NY public employees who retire. The Empire Center reported 6,178 state and local government retirees in 2019 received pensions above $100,000/yr, with many over $200,000/yr. !
Pension costs are a key factor contributing to NY’s fiscal stress, likely requiring even higher NYS income & local property taxes.
Another problem for NYC is the increase in gun violence. As of Sept. 20, 2020, 1362 people were shot in 2020 and 209 people killed. In 2019, over the same time period, 674 were shot & 109 killed—about half those shot & killed in 2020. (NY Post, 9/21/20)

AFA of NY’s New 2021 President — Connell Friel

After serving 30 years as head of AFA of NY, Frank Russo will be passing the torch to Connell Friel in 2021. Connell has been AFA of NY’s VP for 13 years. Here’s his short bio & AFA of NY Support Statement:
“I hail from a large Catholic family and attended Our Lady Help of Christians grammar school in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, NY. For High School, I attended and graduated from Cathedral Preparatory Seminary in Brooklyn in 1977. I received my Bachelor of Science in Financial Management with a minor in English in 1982, and my MBA in Finance in 1986, both from St. John’s University in Jamaica, NY. I worked my early career in the banking industry but transitioned into Facilities Mgmt. after acquiring the requisite certifications & licenses to operate & manage large commercial buildings. I currently work as a Facilities Director at Stony Brook University.
Some 13 years ago, I was drawn to the American Family Association of NY when I became aware of their incredibly important work in defense of the family. I was extraordinarily impressed with the dedication and passion of Frank Russo, founder & Pres. of AFA of NY. For 30 years Frank & the AFA-NY have been advocating, and fighting for, the most important issues of our time. Some of these most important things are: the sanctity of marriage, the right of the pre-born to life, the right of school choice for parents, the right of the faithful to freedom of religion, and the right of taxpayers to a small, sensible, and unobtrusive government. It’s not an exaggeration to say, at this pivotal moment in salvation history, that all of these rights are under a withering attack. And it is more important than ever to vigorously oppose the evil forces trying to eradicate our Judeo-Christian heritage & values.”

Top Names for Babies in 2019

(source: ssa.gov)
Top 6 for boys: Top 6 for girls:
Liam, Noah, Olivia, Emma,
Oliver, William, Ava, Sophia,
Elijah, James Isabella, Charlotte

Key Moral Topics Discussed at
Presidential Convention

The subject of parental choice in education was brought up numerous times by various speakers at the Republican Presidential convention. Never before has the subject of school choice been discussed like this at a Presidential convention. The subject was not brought up at all at the Democratic convention, and this is probably because the Democrats oppose school choice, largely out of fear of the teacher unions, and they do not want minority voters to know this, since most minority voters are very much in favor of school choice.
Another subject brought up often at the Republican convention was “abortion vs. the right to life”. Sister Deirdre “Dede” Byrne of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary delivered a key talk portraying unborn children as “the largest marginalized group in the world.”
Sister Deirdre “Dede” Byrne, who went to Ground Zero on 9/11 to assist first responders, said “Trump was the most pro-life president the US has ever had.”(NY Post, 8/27/20)
There are now a dozen cases in our courts challenging “Roe v. Wade”, the 1973 US Supreme Court decision providing the “right to abortion” ( i.e., the right to kill an unborn child alive in the mother’s womb).
Now with the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we’ll either see Pres. Trump’s appointment of Judge Amy Coney Barrett as our new pro-life Supreme Court Justice, or if she is not confirmed by the US Senate, and our next President is Joe Biden, we’ll see a “pro-abortion rights” Justice named.

School Choice Getting $85M for Poor DC Students

U.S. Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, said they will award $85 million over 5 years for DC’s Opportunity Scholarship Program. This will allow low income parents in failing PS to pick a charter or private school of their choice. Records show 98% of Opportunity Scholarship students graduate from HS (vs. 69% of PS students), & 86% go to college. Over 90% of scholarship recipients are black/Hispanic, with avg. family incomes < $27,000/year.
Joe Biden’s kids went to private schools, but Biden has joined with Sen. Bernie Sanders in calling for elimination of this DC Scholarship Program. (WSJ editorial, 7/25/20).

Transgender Issue Growing

A recent ruling by our federal courts is raising the importance of the “transgender” issue. The court has ruled that a person is now entitled to enter the bathroom that he/she “thinks is the one that fits his/her gender”, not the actual biological gender one actually possesses. Instead, it’s the “gender you think you really are”! (WSJ, 8/27/20. pg. A2)