Friends,

This past Saturday we had a great meeting with a packed hall of American patriots at the Kingston Tea Party in Lake Katrine, New York. The energy and excitement were evident and a great exchange was had during a Q&A session. We’ll be providing a few videos of the event here for those who missed it.

The first video is a portion of my address where I talk about the importance of the tea party movement in America.

Check back in coming days as we’ll include some other video clips for you.

This week the White House is rolling out a budget carrying a staggering $3.8 trillion price tag, producing a greater than $1.5 trillion dollar deficit. This will be added on to the mountain of debt currently burdening taxpayers as well as our children and grandchildren. This proposal represents more of the same fiscal irresponsibility we’ve seen coming from Washington as they attempt to spend their way out of the mess they have spent us into. It is now more clear than ever that the Obama administration, along with their Democrat allies in Congress, lack the will required to cut waste, improve efficiency and develop the bold ininitiatives required to put our nation’s fiscal house back in order. Here in our district, Maurice Hinchey has shown himself to be tone deaf when it comes to the dangers posed by this reckless spending. Last year, Mr. Hinchey’s only complaint about the so-called stimulus package was that it failed to spend enough money. We need fresh leadership in Washington to break this disastrous cycle of spending, and sooner rather than later.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

George Phillips, candidate for Congress in New York’s 22nd district, released the following statement regarding the proposed relocation of trials for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 terrorists to Newburgh, New York.

“The ongoing debate over where to hold trials for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-conspirators seems to keep shifting from one bad idea to another. It was inappropriate for the Obama administration to originally suggest civilian trials in New York City and moving the venue up to our district is certainly no better. This is not a question of who is or isn’t capable of providing the necessary security and facilities. Mayor Valentine is a dedicated public servant and I’m confident that his intentions are nothing but the best. But the fact remains that these terrorists do not merit a civilian trial in any location. Congress has already provided for and approved a system of military tribunals where these enemy combatants can receive the full measure of due process appropriate for the ongoing war on terror, and this is how we should proceed.

“The question becomes far more personal for us here in the 22nd district now that Newburgh has been offered as an alternate venue. I believe Assemblyman Marc Molinaro was correct in his response. Maurice Hinchey has suggested that he is considering the proposal and that it might be appropriate and effective. I’m not sure what more information Mr. Hinchey needs. Shipping these terrorists into our area for a full civilian trial with all the trimmings is clearly not worth whatever imagined benefit he may see coming from it. After the catastrophe which we very nearly experienced on Christmas day, one would think that Maurice Hinchey would realize that we’re still at war.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

George Phillips, candidate for Congress in New York’s 22nd district, released the following statement in response to the President’s State of the Union address on January 28, 2010.

“President Obama’s State of the Union address was delivered in his typical, eloquent fashion, and it is encouraging to hear that he has finally realized what so many Americans have known for some time. The real concerns of our citizens today are the need to stimulate job growth and reign in the reckless spending we’ve witnessed during this administration thus far. Unfortunately, a temporary spending freeze which affects such a tiny portion of the budget is a small step in the correct direction. While saving $250B over ten years is a nice idea, it fails to carry much weight in an environment where Congress is running up a roughly $200B deficit each and every month. The President simply failed to offer a bold enough vision to rein in spending and create jobs. The real solution is to be found in broad tax cuts for small businesses and individual Americans which will get this country going again.

The following press release was issued from the Phillips for Congress campaign today.

George Phillips, candidate for Congress in New York’s 22nd Congressional District, today released the following statement in support of landowner groups rallying in Albany to support safe exploration of natural gas resources in New York.

“Today, Advocates for Natural Gas Exploration and coalitions of landowners from around the state are meeting in Albany to express their support for the safe exploration for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale deposits. These concerned citizens have my full support and their frustration is understandable.  We are sitting on some of the richest deposits of this safe, clean energy source in the nation, but bureaucratic red tape continues to dog the process of development. New York already provides for some of the most stringent environmental protection measures and groundwater regulations in the nation. Other parts of the country are capitalizing on similar resources, seeing benefits in the form of financial windfalls and job creation.

“New York residents are in need of precisely this sort of advantage, yet it continues to be delayed by government interference, such as the proposed FRAC Act, introduced in Congress by Maurice Hinchey. Development of domestic energy supplies is not only an issue affecting jobs and economic prosperity, but of national security as well. Albany needs to listen to these concerned citizens and look at the facts, rather than the myths surrounding hydraulic fracturing. I am determined to keep the federal government out of this process, which would unnecessarily delay progress for years.  Maurice Hinchey’s bill is a job-killer for the region and is only standing in the way of economic recovery and job creation.”

In a brief video statement, George Phillips and his family offer their congratulations, prayers and best wishes to Scott Brown and his family as they prepare to travel to Washington to serve the people of Massachusetts.  The video is available here.

Friends,

Several new videos are now available online at our YouTube channel from the January 14, 2010 campaign kickoff event in Kingston, New York. Attendance was much larger than anticipated and a fine time was had by all. Please follow the links below for the latest videos.

Campaign Kickoff Speech by George Phillips

John Faso endorses George Phillips for Congress

George Phillips answers questions on health care reform

George Phillips answers questions on Cap and Trade

Friends,

On Tuesday, Jan. 12, we officially kicked off our campaign for Congress with a great event held at Brothers 2 Restaurant in Endwell, New York. Attendance was excellent, with a full slate of elected officials from the area as well as plenty of supporters. For those who missed it, below are a few videos from the event. (Links go to YouTube videos.)

George Phillips Introduces his Wife, Diana and their son, George

The Full Announcement Speech by George Phillips

A great statement of support from Gerry Moore.

Friends,

We have two important campaign events coming up.

After a year of hard work in 2009 across the 22nd Congressional District, George Phillips will officially announce his intention to run for Congress in 2010.

Binghamton Area Announcement

Friends,

As families around the nation welcome in the new year it is fitting that one of our resolutions should be a renewed commitment to ensure the security of our nation in an increasingly dangerous world. The attempted bombing of a fully loaded plane on Christmas Day stands as a stark reminder of a vital job which remains unfinished by the White House and our Congressional leadership. While our legislature continues to battle over expanding the role of the federal government in the private lives of citizens, malicious forces around the globe are still conspiring to do our nation harm.

Some Democratic leaders choose to treat this as an isolated law enforcement incident while others, such as Maurice Hinchey, simply remain silent, pretending that we are no longer at war with a cunning, shadowy global enemy. Our limited intelligence resources must be expanded, better organized and rededicated to identifying threats such as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab before they achieve catastrophic success in their goals.

With these things in mind, my family and I would like to wish everyone a happy, prosperous, healthy, and most of all, safe and secure New Year.