Perhaps familiarity breeds contempt, and perhaps I’ve been too hard on them, but it appears that not everyone shares the dim view of New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno that most editorial boards, think tanks, and blog posters in New York State have. While researching for another post I came upon a press release from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Evidently, Silver and Bruno will be honored for their exemplary work at the group’s Annual Meeting in Boston August 5th to 9th. The press release cites the recent improvement in the way the legislature operates, including two on-time budgets in a row (now three), along with their “commitment to democracy, sound public policy, and an efficient legislative process.” The group’s website is here http://www.ncsl.org/, but if you have trouble finding the press release I have additional florid praise after the break. All I can say is take this with a grain of salt: this is an organization of and for state legislators and their staffs, and may have just wanted to do the two men of the room a favor in the wake of the Brennan Center report and other indignities.
APRIL FOOL!