FaFNY Political Action Group -
The Web Page for Information for Political Action for Fathers and Families in New York to make an informed decision. FaFNY-PAG expends no funds for or against any candidate for public office but provides information on candidates and office holders, ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES, based upon a litmus test of supporting or opposing America's families and parental and individual civil rights.
Click the "Election 2006" banner to find out who is
running in your district!
Review the Legislative Report Card Here.
We asked the question of the NYS Legislators: What are you going to do about it and when are you going to do it!
Other than a few pro family legislators, the silence was deafening. So it has become plainly clear that to achieve any reform in New York State that the families of New York State are going to have to DEMAND that the NYS Legislature do something. We demand that this broken system of blocked legislation and partisan inaction be reformed. For problems with the NYS Legislature and to learn why they do nothing see The Brennan Center Report "The New York State Legislative Process: An Evaluation and Blueprint for Reform". Mr. Randall L. Dickinson FaFNY-PAC Director summed it up with his statement, "The NYS Courts, Governor's and various Legislatures have done nothing for families since the Carey administration and each blames the other for the inaction. It's time that we, as citizens and voters, reminded our elected representatives that this is a REPRESENTATIVE government and that we vote out those politicians who have done nothing for children and families regardless of the cause for their inaction." To this end;
The Fathers and Families Political Action Group has been formed.
FaFNY PAG has been formed to provide educational materials for an informed decision to allow the fathers and families in New York State to voice their opinions and join together in support of pro family legislators. FaFNY PAG is not part of or beholden to any political party or candidate. We endorse candidates, not on party affiliation, but on the issues and the actions of a particular legislator/candidate for public office. If your legislator or candidate is not listed here then we are including them in the "mug wumps", those who show up to collect their paychecks but can't be bothered to do any work on behalf of fathers, families and children.
We encourage individual to pass out to candidates and encourage candidates to fill out our candidate questionnaire and submit it for consideration for their support by New York's families.
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January 10, 2005
Dear Father and Family Supporter;
I have received many requests from many people on “who do I vote for or where does my legislator stand? Here are my thoughts on this issue.
First and foremost is the fact that you register and VOTE. Legislators keep track of information on voters and they listen to those who vote.
Second is that you convey to your legislator what issues are important to you. Myself, I vote for a candidate for their support for father and family issues. Not guns, abortion, war, jobs, the economy – FAMILY CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES. This is my number one issue. As an example, in the last Presidential election I voted for Badnarik on the Libertarian line because he spoke out on the issues. If either the Democrats or the Republicans want my vote they can speak to my issues, not tell me how the other candidate is worse, and they can win my vote. Until such time as both democrats and republicans alike, family MEN and those that support them, begin to put family issues first and foremost, instead of voting for the “least evil” candidate or the one who has the “chance to win” then neither major party, or even minor parties, will begin to speak of our issues.
The issue which decided the this past national election was "family value" issues. FaFNY has been saying this for years. FaFNY has made available for your use a candidate questionnaire. The time is now for you to download a copy, and together with a personal letter (template here) and send it to your elected representatives and ask where they stand on these issues. Then pick up the phone and call them and ask them, What are you going to do about it and when are you going to do it!.
We have sent the candidate questionnaire to legislators and are in the process of rating the NYS Legislators. We ask for your assistance in this endeavor and would appreciate your input.
Sincerely, Jim Hays, FaFNY-PAG
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December 10, 2004
Family advocates:
With the recent elections now behind us, it may be time to take stock of their outcomes and the implications for non-custodial parents and their families. While the results may not have been all we might have hoped for, the important thing to keep in perspective is that we gained substantially simply by our participation in the process alone. Even more importantly, however, we can legitimately claim credit for having had an influence in those races where we targeted our resources.
· Susan John was forced to work harder and spend more money to hold onto her Assembly seat in her race against Mike Slattery in Rochester
· Judge Paul Czajka came perilously close to losing his position on the bench in Columbia County
· Assemblyman Michael Benjamin of the Bronx learned that committee votes against family and matrimonial law reform are not closed-door affairs and that the word can travel like wildfire and can threaten the political prospects of those who choose to ignore the fact
· Advocates for fathers and families demonstrated their availability to participate in the political campaigns of those who support family and matrimonial law reform, such as Assemblyman Steve Kaufman’s bid for a vacant Senate seat in Westchester County
· Last but not least, Senator Nancy Lorraine Hoffman was defeated in her race against David Valesky, in part because she lost the support of non-custodial parents by refusing to respond to efforts to engage her in any meaningful dialogue on the issue of family and matrimonial law.
While the lesson learned here should be obvious, it should also be emphasized that our participation in these most recent elections was merely a “dry run”, and one organized well into the cycle, at that. We should all be looking now to the future, and beginning to focus our attention on the elections coming up in two years. With that long to prepare, there is every reason to be confident we will have an even greater impact in November of ’06 …, if we take advantage of the opportunity, that is. Getting a jump on it early will be the key.
The Coalition of Fathers and Families New York PAG, will be developing and distributing lists of those elected reps. who support family and matrimonial law reform and those who do not. It should be noted that those who attempt to simply ignore the issues and hope that they just go away before having to define their positions - as Nancy Lorraine Hoffman did -, will be listed as unsupportive of non-custodial parents and their families.
In the mean time, two names that have already appeared as targets to oppose in the next election are none other than U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton and New York Attorney General Elliott Spitzer. While it is being widely speculated that Senator Clinton will be the Democratic Party’s candidate for President of the United States in 2008, she still has to be re-elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. Senator Clinton has consistently opposed any reforms perceived by her as being favorable to men generally. She has been one of the leading voices in the witch-hunt for so-called “deadbeat dads”, and has called for ever-increasingly more confiscatory and punitive child support standards. She has refused to participate in any meaningful dialogue with representatives of New York’s 2.5 million non-custodial parents and their families. Indeed, she refuses to even meet with them.
Senator Hillary Clinton can only be described as anti-father, anti-male, and anti-family. New York’s family advocates will have an opportunity to let her know just exactly how they feel about her and what they think of her position vis a vis reform of family and matrimonial law, when they go to the polls in 2006. Let’s make this one count!
As for Elliott Spitzer, he announced today that he intends to be the Democratic Party’s candidate for Governor of New York in 2006. Attorney General Spitzer has recently demonstrated his support for non-custodial parents by arranging to have their class-action law suite for violation of their Constitutional right to raise their children without the interference of the state dismissed. Seems he considers the rights of parents to sue for more “equitable” custody and/or visitation arrangements for their own children to be “frivolous”. Non-custodial parents and their families, in turn, have an obligation to demonstrate to Mr. Spitzer at the polls in 2006 that they consider his bid to become governor of New York equally as “frivolous”!
Sincerely, Randall L. Dickinson FaFNY Legislative Coordinator