Blog

Thank You

Dear Friends,

Since beginning my listening tour one year ago, I have had the privilege of developing relationships with individuals from every corner of our community.  From Greenwich to Shelton, Norwalk to Redding, we have worked to advance the classic yankee conservative principles that mean so much in our lives.  Looking back, I can say proudly that together, we have had a meaningful impact not only on the political discourse, but on the trajectory of governance in and well beyond the bounds of Connecticut's 4th Congressional District.  

Over the past few weeks, however, it has become clear to me that there are other candidates in this race who are better funded to defeat Jim Himes in November and, therefore, promote in Washington the principles for which I am fighting.  For this reason, I have made the very difficult decision to end my candidacy for the United States Congress.

I would like to thank my supporters, volunteers, and staff for their tireless dedication, endless commitment, and unwavering support.  You have been absolutely incredible and made this decision very hard.  Know that as I transition from my role as candidate to other capacities in public service, you will always have a friend in me.

As this campaign draws to a close, I would like my younger supporters in particular to hold their heads high and be proud of what they have accomplished.  A clear message has been sent to Washington that we will not stand idly by as the principles upon which our country was founded are eroded and as irresponsible policies force our generation further into debt.

Moving forward, I ask that you support the other candidates in this race with the same passion and vigor that you have put forward for me.  In any primary, it can be easy to give in to the idea that other candidates are opponents.  Ultimately, however, we are all united behind a common set of ideals.  Please continue working toward our goal of a freer and more prosperous Fairfield County and America by helping them get elected, as I will.

Again, thank you and God bless,

Will Gregory

Meet Will

Speak with Will at the Republican Club of Darien Saturday morning at 8:30 am and at the 4th CDRO at the Norwalk Inn at 10:30.

Meet & Greet

Come meet Will at Sacred Heart University's candidates' day!  Tuesday, April 13th from 1-3 pm.  University Commons, SHU.

Statement on the NPR

Will Gregory issued the following statement in response to the Obama Administration's release of the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review, which sets forth U.S. nuclear policy and strategy for a period of five to ten years.  The Review states that the U.S. will not use nuclear weapons against either non-nuclear states or states that have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and are in compliance with their treaty obligations.  This review changes the U.S. policy of deliberate ambiguity in military dealings, a tool historically used to deter foreign aggression.

"I am greatly concerned that the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review represents a misguided approach to managing America's security.  While I appreciate the Administration's decision to preserve the nuclear triad and their refusal to completely disavow the presence of our security deterrent, I am troubled by the abrupt change in policy this review represents.  By publicly announcing that we have removed any strategic military option from the table in response to an attack - including those using chemical and biological weapons, weapons of mass destruction - we have handicapped ourselves against potential adversaries and removed a threat of force integral to deterring attacks against America."

"It is my greatest hope that we will never even have to contemplate using nuclear force - I too support the long-range goal of creating a world free of nuclear weapons.  Given the evolving patchwork of international security threats we face, however, I believe it is imprudent and potentially reckless to forswear the use of any weapon in any particular scenario."

"At present, Iran continues to ignore the world community's calls to halt its development of nuclear weapons and delivery systems and North Korea demonstrates little willingness to engage with its neighbors.  While this review stops short of eliminating the nuclear deterrent against these two countries, it sends a clear message that our resolve in ever following through has not only splintered, but dissolved.  Such a signal erodes the threat of force a nuclear arsenal exists to provide."

The House Armed Services Committee is slated to hold a hearing on the Nuclear Posture Review with key Administration officials after Congress returns from its spring recess.

Happy Easter!

Wishing everyone a very happy Easter!

Himes Backs Pelosicare

Jim Himes yesterday announced he will vote 'yes' with Nancy Pelosi on Sunday's healthcare vote.  This bill will hurt middle-class families, our economy, and the quality of care we receive.  I implore him to reconsider and take the side of the American people, who clearly oppose such legislation.

Simply put, this bill consolidates power and redistributes resources, but fails to improve and increase access to healthcare.  It will centralize decision-making in Washington, bureaucratize the medical industry, and diminish the market mechanisms necessary to keep healthcare costs in check.  It also raises taxes significantly during a severe recession and will further burden small businesses (60 percent of which are filed through small business owners), upon whom we must rely to create jobs and drive our economy out of this downturn.

That, however, is to say nothing of the appalling tactics Pelosi and Himes are using to force this legislation down our throats.  This approach could only generously be called underhanded and is an insult to the constitution and the common sense of the American people.  

We deserve more from our elected officials.  The voters of Fairfield County sent Mr. Himes and Washington a clear message in the 2009 municipal elections: change course.  If he chooses to ignore his constituents once again, I'd recommend he start taking photos of the capitol now.  After all, he'll need something to remember the place by after November.

Our country needs real reform.  There is indeed common ground  that can be found.  These areas should be used as the foundation for collaboration on a truly bipartisan bill that will help drive down healthcare costs and lift economic impediments which prevent many hardworking individuals from gaining access to high-quality care.  

I have proposed that we reform tort law to reduce malpractice premiums that artificially inflate costs that are passed along to patients, lift unnecessary barriers to competition between states, and examine ways in which civil society organizations can help provide care to those in greatest need (i.e.- tax credits to doctors for providing pro-bono care).  While not comprehensive, these actions can be taken now and will allow us to move forward to address the issue of costs and access in a way that neither diminishes the classic freedoms or market-based system of our country, nor promotes centralized government control of resources or a culture of entitlement.

I have lived and required hospital care in one of the primary countries used a model for this legislation.  Having been thrown in a year-long queue for knee surgery, I know first-hand the consequences of having my healthcare rationed by government bureaucrats.  I am gravely concerned about what we will be facing in the future if this bill passes.

Thank You: Emergency Crews and First Responders

This past weekend Fairfield County experienced some of the most extreme wind and rain we've seen in decades.  Driving north on the Merritt Parkway Saturday night, I recall wondering why there weren't any cars coming the other direction.  After looking closer, I counted six fully grown trees lying across the highway, before taking the first exit off I could find.  Prior to reaching this exit, however, I had to drive over the top of a pine and through the what was left of an oak.  SUVs may not be carbon-friendly, but they sure have their moments!

What I saw on the backroads, however, was no different.  Trees stood draped over powerlines, traffic lights were out for miles on end, and entire blocks were left without power.

To make the roads navigable and restore power to the thousands of homes impacted would have been a nearly impossible feat.  Yet, that is exactly what our emergency crews and first responders did.  Before the winds had even subsided, police, city and town responders, and electrical workers were hard at work clearing the streets, restoring power, and assisting those injured in the course of the storm.  

When I saw the Merritt the next day, sure enough, it was flowing just like any other Sunday.  While there is still much work to do, our local service people have done an incredible job and deserve our praise and appreciation.

To them, I say thank you.

Dave will be missed

Last night, Fairfield County lost a good friend.  On his way back from an RTM meeting, Dave Roberson, Chairman of the Greenwich DTC passed in a car accident.

While Dave and I came from different parties and philosophical perspectives, he was one of the first people to reach out and welcome me to the local political scene.  Whether it was at healthcare town hall meetings in Norwalk and Bridgeport, or small gatherings in Greenwich, Dave always went out of his way to say hello, ask how things were going, and share ideas.  Simply put, he was a thoughtful person who cared about others.

Dave will certainly be missed.

Healthcare Summit

This morning, I decided to start off my day right!  Naturally, I popped on the news and tuned in for the week’s best dose of political theater – the “bipartisan” healthcare summit.

As curious about the event as I am passionate about healthcare, I listened intently as our country’s least popular politicians grandstanded to their hearts’ content.

Before long, however (slightly over an hour), I gave in to the urge I felt after little more than a minute in, and turned off the tv.  There’s only so much spin a guy can endure.  Let me take a moment to offer my perspective on this hour.

The show started off with the president striding into the meeting room at Blair House and going around the perimeter of the squared set of tables, each complete with microphones.  He looked each person eye, shook their hand, shot off a cheeky grin, and provided two prompt pats on the back.

He then sat down and delivered a very well rehearsed opening statement – and I don’t mean that condescendingly, it was clear his team had worked meticulously on calculating just the right type of body language and, in my opinion, it came out well. 

Senator Alexander then gave an adequate opening statement on behalf of the Republicans.  The kicker, however, came at the end of his talk.  After stating the desire of the Republicans to work toward a bipartisan healthcare reform bill, he began citing Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and a younger Senator Obama in their principled opposition to the Republican use of Budget Reconciliation to pass Bush’s Presidential nominees through the Senate process.  One Senator Reid had even said, only a few years ago, that a ‘majoritarian system of governance in the Senate would mean the end of the United States Senate as an institution’ (please note that this is not the exact quote, but rather my best attempt at recalling it).  Alexander then asked that it be immediately agreed upon that the use of budget reconciliation would not be used to force through healthcare.

After Pelosi and Reid concluded their statements, which could generously be called objectionable, Obama offered a response.  After several minutes, however, he had succeeded in saying nothing at all.  I didn’t even know it was possible to speak for so long and have it mean nothing!  The absence of an answer was all the answer the American people needed to hear.  It was made abundantly clear that if Obama, Pelosi, and Reid don’t get everything they want, they will ignore the will of the American people, as illustrated through grassroots protests, elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, as well as now ubiquitous polls.

Interestingly, any point after which Democrats concluded objectionable remarks, to which Republicans seemed eager to respond, Obama used his power as emcee to control the floor and filibuster a Republican rebuttal.  Only after enough time had passed for anyone to recall the points of contention, he would hand over the mic.

From the hour that I observed, the Republicans should have spoken up (doing so respectfully of course), and not merely rolled over when Obama persistently cut them off.

Overall, I got the impression that while Republicans should be criticized for their own political theater, the Democratic leadership took it to a whole new level.  The show Obama, Pelosi, and Reid put on had more choreography than Broadway musical and more weaving [to say nothing of the dodging] than a sweater.  Only a few minutes in, it was abundantly clear that the organizers of this summit had only one thing on their minds: ramming this bill through, regardless of the consequences or the will of the American people.

No wonder only 10 percent of Americans think Congress is doing a good job.  We need better in Washington and it’s not going to come unless we make it happen ourselves.  Onward to November!

CPAC

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) came to a close yesterday in Washington, DC. 

I’m proud to say I was in attendance and participated in what was one of the clearest demonstrations that there is true passion in America for the principles of individual liberty, freedom of enterprise, fiscal discipline, and self-determination.

For those who didn’t have the opportunity to witness the event first-hand, the best way I could describe the atmosphere is with one simple word: “energy”.

While the conservative movement includes a great diversity of perspectives and positions, the more than 10,000 activists, experts, public servants, students, and average citizens in attendance found clear commonality in the belief that we must reverse government encroachment into our lives, rein in out-of-control government spending, and promote free-market solutions to our nation’s economic challenges.

For those people who, over the past year or so, felt like they were the only ones fed up with politicians – from both sides of the aisle – that presented government as the answer to all of our problems and recklessly burdened our future generations with massive debt and deficits, I can tell you that you are not alone!