Politicians are never hesitant to speak of “traditional family values”. What do we really mean by values and why do they matter? I believe myself blessed to have had the privilege of growing up in a home possessed of these values. My very first job was shining shoes in my father’s barber shop in Coney Island. And I learned my first life lesson there: True ‘self-esteem’ comes from achievement, no matter how modest it may be.

My formal education was delivered by master teachers, first at Brooklyn Preparatory High School and then Fordham University, both then prestigious Jesuit institutions...back when the Jesuits were still Catholic! I went on to teach in the NYC public school system for 34 years where I was twice bestowed the honor of ‘Teacher of the Year’ for then District 23 in Brownsville. The last several years I worked in the district as a Curriculum and Staff Developer, helping less experienced teachers better serve their students.

I was attracted to the Conservative Party from the very beginning. It is genuinely serious about changing the policies that are quite literally destroying the traditional family. Why should the awarding of welfare benefits, for example, penalize a two parent family that is trying to stay together? Does our present tax code truly reflect a genuine commitment to the family? Did you know that the deadly AIDS virus is small enough to pass through a condom? Our kids need to be told and taught the truth!

I have space enough to conclude with a quote from the mission statement of my party: “A material society bankrupt of morals, culture, values, and simple human decency will not prosper. If we do not teach our children the value of family, work, respect for life, and the fundamental knowledge of the difference between right and wrong, we will leave them with a debt far greater than any monetary burden they will carry for our mistakes.”


(Statement reprinted as supplied by the candidate.)

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