Danbury, CT- February 14, 2011– Author, Motivational Speaker, and former Radio Broadcaster Wayne Winsley has closed a deal with ScreenMagic Films to produce his unpublished novel, The Leprechaun Deception as a feature film.
Wayne Winsley, who began his twenty-year career in radio by showing up unannounced at a radio station with nothing more than a demo tape and a smile, has managed to land a movie deal for himself in much the same way.
In 2005, Winsley self-published a short first draft of his novel, The Leprechaun Deception, a suspense thriller featuring Connecticut FBI Agent Tony Grace. The book sold about ten copies. After completing two sequels, Winsley re-wrote The Leprechaun Deception and tried to publish it in the conventional manner using a literary agent and mainstream publisher. But finding an agent willing to represent his work proved to be much easier said than done and after a couple hundred rejection letters and emails, Winsley did what any frustrated, unpublished and unheard of author would do. He began shopping his manuscript to movie producers.
Enter ScreenMagic Films, an independent film production studio headquartered in Beverly Hills California. Company President Rick Jenkins says, “When it (The Leprechaun Deception) came across my desk I said this is hot, we need to grab this.” Jenkins adds that he is excited to transform the manuscript into a screenplay and begin filming. ScreenMagic also has an option to pick up the other two novels in the Tony Grace series, The Platinum Duplicity, and Delusion.
Winsley says he landed the movie deal the same way he has achieved everything else in his life. “When it comes to your dreams, never give up. You have to always be brave enough to fail.”
The Conservative Capitalist
The Conservative Capitalist
Monday, February 14, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
A telling silence from the Democratic Caucus in Hartford
Governor Dannel P. Malloy called Thursday for reducing the number of state agencies by 30 percent - from 81 to 57 agencies. A great start to the much needed re-structuring and streamlining of state government. And so far Republicans are nodding in agreement and saying that it is about time and there are no strenuous objections coming from Democrats in the State Legislature. All is sweetness and light.
Wait…what?
Didn’t Governor M. Jodi Rell propose the exact same thing? And before her, didn’t Governor John G. Rowland propose the exact same thing? Why yes, yes they did. And both times the Democrat dominated legislature soundly rejected those proposals.
Please pardon me a moment dear reader as I walk myself through this as if I’m a third grader.
As far back as least 2004, when the state’s fiscal condition was not nearly as dire as it is today, The Governor of the state made the case that state government was too big, too inefficient, and sucked up far too much money, and need to be streamlined. Democrats in the Connecticut legislature said “That’s a horrible idea.” and dismissed it. Yet in 2011 that very same idea is meeting no such objection, why not? What has changed? Ah, I see, the Governor making the proposal this time is a fellow democrat.
Could it possibly be that elected representatives, pledged to uphold the people’s interests sat on their hands and let the state fall off a financial cliff for no other reason than partisan politics? When you eliminate the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how unbelievable it may be to some, must be the truth.
If what I just outlined is the truth, it is the worst case of politics over people that I’ve seen in a long while and certainly a case with more disastrous consequences for the people those politicians are supposed to represent than I’ve seen in a long while.
But hey, don’t just take my word for it. Ask your Representatives and State Senators why they didn’t support this idea back when it would have really helped.
If they don’t have a good answer, remember that at the ballot box next time.
Wait…what?
Didn’t Governor M. Jodi Rell propose the exact same thing? And before her, didn’t Governor John G. Rowland propose the exact same thing? Why yes, yes they did. And both times the Democrat dominated legislature soundly rejected those proposals.
Please pardon me a moment dear reader as I walk myself through this as if I’m a third grader.
As far back as least 2004, when the state’s fiscal condition was not nearly as dire as it is today, The Governor of the state made the case that state government was too big, too inefficient, and sucked up far too much money, and need to be streamlined. Democrats in the Connecticut legislature said “That’s a horrible idea.” and dismissed it. Yet in 2011 that very same idea is meeting no such objection, why not? What has changed? Ah, I see, the Governor making the proposal this time is a fellow democrat.
Could it possibly be that elected representatives, pledged to uphold the people’s interests sat on their hands and let the state fall off a financial cliff for no other reason than partisan politics? When you eliminate the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how unbelievable it may be to some, must be the truth.
If what I just outlined is the truth, it is the worst case of politics over people that I’ve seen in a long while and certainly a case with more disastrous consequences for the people those politicians are supposed to represent than I’ve seen in a long while.
But hey, don’t just take my word for it. Ask your Representatives and State Senators why they didn’t support this idea back when it would have really helped.
If they don’t have a good answer, remember that at the ballot box next time.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Malloy will show them the money but where will it go?
On Wednesday governor Dannel Malloy announced that the budget proposal he will deliver to the legislature next week will in fact include the $1.9 billion Education Cost Sharing program for 2011-12--the same funding level provided this fiscal year. Surrounding the Governor at the press conference were the mayors of three of the state’s largest cities, Pedro Segarra of Hartford, Bill Finch of Bridgeport and John DeStefano of New Haven. Three cities with some of the worst school systems in the state in terms of test scores, achievement, and just about any other yardstick you care to use.
Don’t get me wrong gentle reader, I neither bemoan nor begrudge these school systems getting the resources they so desperately need but I absolutely do have a problem with where those resources too often end up which not with the students.
As a speaker I am regularly inside high schools throughout Connecticut and I see first-hand what some schools have and other schools lack.
As a reporter, I’ve stood inside a Board of Ed. meeting in Bridgeport and watched as a Superintendant’s assistant, (yes I said assistant) earning a six-figure salary explained to parents that their children might have to ride the city bus to and from high school because there was no money for transportation.
I applaud Governor Malloy for making sure that our schools do not face the dramatic impact that a loss of those funds would have surely caused. On the other hand it will be interesting to see where he pulls the money from and who ultimately ends up holding the frayed end, but that is a tale for another time.
When it comes to our traditionally underperforming schools (that’s political speak for urban schools by the way) the money keeps pouring in and the achievement gap keeps getting wider. At some point someone might want to look closer at how to best use the money not just how to get the money.
But hey, what do I know, I’m just Connecticut’s Conservative Capitalist
Don’t get me wrong gentle reader, I neither bemoan nor begrudge these school systems getting the resources they so desperately need but I absolutely do have a problem with where those resources too often end up which not with the students.
As a speaker I am regularly inside high schools throughout Connecticut and I see first-hand what some schools have and other schools lack.
As a reporter, I’ve stood inside a Board of Ed. meeting in Bridgeport and watched as a Superintendant’s assistant, (yes I said assistant) earning a six-figure salary explained to parents that their children might have to ride the city bus to and from high school because there was no money for transportation.
I applaud Governor Malloy for making sure that our schools do not face the dramatic impact that a loss of those funds would have surely caused. On the other hand it will be interesting to see where he pulls the money from and who ultimately ends up holding the frayed end, but that is a tale for another time.
When it comes to our traditionally underperforming schools (that’s political speak for urban schools by the way) the money keeps pouring in and the achievement gap keeps getting wider. At some point someone might want to look closer at how to best use the money not just how to get the money.
But hey, what do I know, I’m just Connecticut’s Conservative Capitalist
Monday, February 7, 2011
The Estate Tax Debate: Democrats really do think it’s their money
Democrats really do think it’s their money
Once again the “Soak the rich” chorus is tuning in the State Legislature. Stand by for another effort by Democrats to raise the estate tax for those state residents unfortunate enough to die with any substantial coin on their person. And with a Democrat now in the Governor’s office that effort may well prove successful.
So, let me see if I’ve got this correctly. I write books, pretty good ones if I do say so myself. If the market agrees with me and people purchase my work and I manage build an estate of say, three million dollars before slipping this mortal coil. Some of my elected representatives feel that they have the right, yes the right to swoop in over my still-cooling carcass and say to my heirs, “Excuse us but there are people much more deserving of your father’s money than you so we’ll take as much as we like and you’ll be happy with whatever we let you keep.” That doesn’t sound like the America our founding fathers had in mind, at least not according to any history book that I’ve ever read. But that is exactly how State Democrats see it. In the words of Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven,
“Sparing wealthy estates from a return to tax levels they faced just two years ago should not be lawmakers' top priority.”
Really, is that because not sparing businesses in the state from escalating taxes and a generally hostile environment worked out so well for us? State Senator Looney, like so many Democrats, is laboring under the delusion that the people’s money is the government’s money so in tight fiscal times the government just needs to take more money from the people. And who better to plunder than dead rich people?
Quoting here from the CT Mirror, "The estate tax provides a tremendous amount of revenue for Connecticut," said Joachim Hero, a research analyst for Connecticut Voices for Children, a New Haven-based social services advocacy group and part of the Better Choices for Connecticut coalition pressing for a more progressive state tax system. Hero said recent studies "really challenge the assumption that (taxpayer) migration is strongly affected" by increasing estate taxes, adding that proximity to family and quality of life concerns are the key factors.”
In other words “They won’t leave, they like it here. So it doesn’t matter if we steal their money.” That kind of blatant classism is right at the top of the long list of things I find detestable about the liberal philosophy. How one arrives at the belief that one is absolutely entitled to money earned by others is beyond me. But then, I’m a Conservative Capitalist.
Once again the “Soak the rich” chorus is tuning in the State Legislature. Stand by for another effort by Democrats to raise the estate tax for those state residents unfortunate enough to die with any substantial coin on their person. And with a Democrat now in the Governor’s office that effort may well prove successful.
So, let me see if I’ve got this correctly. I write books, pretty good ones if I do say so myself. If the market agrees with me and people purchase my work and I manage build an estate of say, three million dollars before slipping this mortal coil. Some of my elected representatives feel that they have the right, yes the right to swoop in over my still-cooling carcass and say to my heirs, “Excuse us but there are people much more deserving of your father’s money than you so we’ll take as much as we like and you’ll be happy with whatever we let you keep.” That doesn’t sound like the America our founding fathers had in mind, at least not according to any history book that I’ve ever read. But that is exactly how State Democrats see it. In the words of Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven,
“Sparing wealthy estates from a return to tax levels they faced just two years ago should not be lawmakers' top priority.”
Really, is that because not sparing businesses in the state from escalating taxes and a generally hostile environment worked out so well for us? State Senator Looney, like so many Democrats, is laboring under the delusion that the people’s money is the government’s money so in tight fiscal times the government just needs to take more money from the people. And who better to plunder than dead rich people?
Quoting here from the CT Mirror, "The estate tax provides a tremendous amount of revenue for Connecticut," said Joachim Hero, a research analyst for Connecticut Voices for Children, a New Haven-based social services advocacy group and part of the Better Choices for Connecticut coalition pressing for a more progressive state tax system. Hero said recent studies "really challenge the assumption that (taxpayer) migration is strongly affected" by increasing estate taxes, adding that proximity to family and quality of life concerns are the key factors.”
In other words “They won’t leave, they like it here. So it doesn’t matter if we steal their money.” That kind of blatant classism is right at the top of the long list of things I find detestable about the liberal philosophy. How one arrives at the belief that one is absolutely entitled to money earned by others is beyond me. But then, I’m a Conservative Capitalist.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Our Northern Border is like Social Security
As I write this I am hunkered down in a hotel room with a view of the snow covered, St. Lawrence River and beyond it, Canada. So it is ironic, to me anyway, that this is the week that Senator Joseph Lieberman speaks out about the atrocious lack of security along or northern border. I yelled about this very issue for years when I hosted my radio program. I feel like Bruce Willis in the first Die Hard movie “Welcome to the party pal!”
Lieberman says the security along the northern border of the United States is “absolutely alarming” and leaves the American public “grossly unprotected.” He’s right.
The sad truth is that our problem with our northern border is just like our problem with Social Security. Everyone knows that something must to be done but most of our leaders chose to ignore it because the solution involves a lot of hard work, time, and money, and the situation hasn’t reached the catastrophic stage yet so they feel we have time.
But rest assured, the day after someone walks across one of the four thousand virtually unprotected miles of our northern border and blows something up, the question on the lips of many will be, “How did we let this happen?” We are letting it happen right now by not making border security a priority in the north as well as in the south.
Former President George W. Bush made his case for preemptive military action by saying, “”If you wait until the threat is eminent it’s too late.” He was right.
Let us not wait until we see smoke on the horizon before taking preemptive measures to protect our borders.
Lieberman says the security along the northern border of the United States is “absolutely alarming” and leaves the American public “grossly unprotected.” He’s right.
The sad truth is that our problem with our northern border is just like our problem with Social Security. Everyone knows that something must to be done but most of our leaders chose to ignore it because the solution involves a lot of hard work, time, and money, and the situation hasn’t reached the catastrophic stage yet so they feel we have time.
But rest assured, the day after someone walks across one of the four thousand virtually unprotected miles of our northern border and blows something up, the question on the lips of many will be, “How did we let this happen?” We are letting it happen right now by not making border security a priority in the north as well as in the south.
Former President George W. Bush made his case for preemptive military action by saying, “”If you wait until the threat is eminent it’s too late.” He was right.
Let us not wait until we see smoke on the horizon before taking preemptive measures to protect our borders.
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