Category: News and Opinion

Taxpayer Funded Campaign Staff for Incumbent State Legislators

|

I couldn't let a recent Daily News article pass without comment. Earlier we heard that many of those collecting signatures to get incumbent state legislators on the ballot were either staff members employed by those legislators, or employees of non-profits primarily or exclusively funded via grants from those legislators. Now today we hear that legislative staff members also served as campaign treasurers, a difficult job involving a lot of paper and use of a state computer program. No wonder those legislators don't see complicated ballot access and campaign finance rules as a problem. Evidently it isn't enough for them to collect money from lobbyists to fund their campaigns, and sell their votes in office for access to member items they hand out as if they were Santa Claus. They also expect, back door, for taxpayers to fund their signature collectors and campaign treasurers.

MTA Student Passes: Time To Cut the Cord?

|

It was only about a decade ago that former Governor George Pataki and MTA head Virgil Conway, who were loading the agency with billions in debt so their generation could have things they didn’t have to pay for (with some getting more than others), generously decided that the half fare for senior citizens on subways, buses and trains would be available 24/7. As I recall, the federal government had required that such discounts be available in off peak hours. And now, as all those debts come due (and not just at the MTA), the agency is proposing to eliminate school passes for NYC school children, no matter how poor they are. The senior discounts, which are available no matter how affluent someone over 65 is, of course, would remain untouched. A two-part decision just like all the rest.

No doubt there will be lots of tut-tutting about this, by the rationalizers and hypocrites. On TV I just saw former state legislator Stringer, who generously voted for all those debts, all those pension enhancements, all those diversions of funds to more powerful interests, all those grasps at funds by his generation, saying how terrible it was. Perhaps this will be seen as a gambit to cut actual education at the schools further, and shift the money to the MTA. Except that as a result of the 25/55 pension deal of two years ago, education is eventually going to be slashed as much as transit service in any event. So perhaps Mayor Bloomberg might decide to stop going along with the propaganda and use this as “teachable moment.” And instead of going through the motions of a deal that makes the children even worse off but pretends to help them, instead back an all out effort to substitute bicycles for transit for the city’s school children.

The Word “Reform” Should Be Banned from Albany

|

“Governor David A. Paterson today signed into law pension reform legislation that will provide more than $35 billion in long-term savings to New York taxpayers over the next thirty years.” So cutting the pay of future public employees is described as a reform. But enriching the pay, after the past, of past and current public employees was also described as a reform. As most people use the word, one of these was in fact a robbery.

So what does reform mean in Albany? Adjusting the standard of living and quality of life of different groups of people, particularly different generations of people, to more accurately reflect the fact that some people matter and some people don’t?

Generation Greed Tells the Big Lie

|

Capital Confidential is reporting that people can watch live footage of Tier V being signed, with much cheering. I hope that some honest TV news organization will pair this footage with file footage of George Pataki signing the massive pension enhancement bill in 2000. And report that the latter is what older generations gave to themselves, and the former is a decision to make younger people worse off to pay for it. One of many such decisions.

The State Budget office, according to this source, has a budget calculator showing how much money will be saved by cutting the pensions of future public employees. Those savings will not be felt for years. But there is no such calculator showing the cost of past unearned retroactive pension enhancements, enhancements that were described, if they were described at all, as costing zero. Almost all of the state legislators who voted for Tier V also voted for and will personally benefit from those enhancements, including Governor Paterson (when he was a State Senator). Cutting benefits for future generartions is the politician's and union's share of shared sacrifice, they will likely say while our taxes soar and services are gutted. And unlike the "savings" from Tier V in the calculator, the cost of what they have done includes New York City.

Removing People From Politics

|

Attorney Richard Emery hosted a fundraising party for State Senator Eric Schneiderman last week.

Blair Horner of NYPIRG, complained to Liz Benjamin of the Daily News about this because Emery is a member of the State Commission on Public Integrity, even though the Commission does NOT have jurisdiction over the Senate.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2009/12/horner-public-integrity-and-fu.html#more

"We believe members of the commission should be removed from politics, as pure as Caesar’s wife," Horner told me. "I don't think it's against the law, I just think it's a terrible mistake for someone who plays a quasi-judicial role over the lobbying industry to be out raising money for Democrats."

Los Gusanos

|

Yes, yes, it is important to elect some new State Senators who favor the right of same sex couples to get married. I’ve written several columns explaining why.

As I’ve also explained, the way to pass same sex marriage is to pick up eight more votes in the State Senate. For perfectly understandable reasons though, LGBT political activists seem more focused upon extracting vengeance upon erstwhile allies who screwed them than they are on targeting the races that would get the job done.

Joe Bruno: A Reaction

|

I have two responses to the conviction of Joe Bruno on two counts for petty corruption. First, if Joe Bruno is guilty they all are (or rather since Joe Bruno is guilty they all are). And second, considering what this generation of state legislators have done to the common future of the state and anyone who will be living in it, this is the equivalent of convicting Al Capone for tax evasion rather than murder. While petty corruption is annoying, there is a limit to the extent it is damaging. Far more damage has been done by deals and non-decisions for which no one has been put on trial. I never cared about the helicopter rides, etc. The problem was and is the transfer of resources from everyone in the future (now the present) to provide unearned privileges to those manipulating the system in the present (now the past), all without any public accounting or debate, all hidden, all lied about.

Generation Greed’s Last Chance for Redemption

|

New York’s retired and near-retired public employees, who (like top corporate executives) have been among the few people becoming better off over the past two decades, just decided to make future generations of public employees worse off to pay for what they have seized for themselves by enacting a Tier V. They will now claim this is their share of “shared sacrifice,” which is of course a lie, because they have sacrificed nothing. You will see who is sacrificed, as public services are cut and taxes continue to rise. Which is why I don’t vote for Democrats in New York City, or any incumbents in New York State. They are the parties of the exploitive over-privileged.

In Washington, meanwhile, some members of Generation Greed are prepared to face the reality of what they have done. They know if the cost of the Medicare program for those over 65 isn’t cut, and it continues to be paid for mostly by borrowing (only hospitals are paid for by the Medicare tax), Medicare will not be available for younger generations when they themselves become old. And unless the federal government is willing to do something, other than subsidize employer-provided insurance for those who have it with a regressive tax break that is worth more they more you earn and the more you get, younger generations may not make it to 65. The national Republicans, the official political party of the divorced deadbeat dad, have jumped in to defend unlimited and unquestioned spending on today’s seniors, and oppose doing anything for those coming after, which is why I won’t vote for them, either. So what will be the result? My odds: Generation Greed is Generation Greed because it’s greediest members have won every time.

Councilmember Darlene Mealy(#41): learning from a close political victory; unlike councilmember Dr. Kendall Stewart (#45).

|

To some elected officials, a win is a win, is a win, is a win: no matter how close. And then they move on to their next term in office, learning very little from victory and arrogantly paying no heed to the warning signs. Ostensibly, lame duck councilmember Dr. Kendall Stewart (#45), fell victim to this political mentality recently (more on that later).

It appears however, that NYC council member Darlene Mealy is somewhat different. She recently overcame spirited challenges from former councilwoman Tracey Boyland, Tulani Kinard (endorsed by both Al Sharpton and Charles Barron), and activist Anthony Herbert. For the sake of full disclosure, let me also state that Mrs. Kinard was also endorsed here by yours truly. I have known both Tulani and her husband (Stan) for many years now, and have worked with them on many political initiatives. They are both educators and activists (political and cultural) who have paid lots of dues in the continuing struggles of colored folks.

Where Do We Go From Here?

|

From a blogger’s perspective, the one good result in the wake of the defeat of marital equality is the wealth of opportunity. There are so many possible angles just begging to be explored.

Some gay activists are now busy outing an allegedly gay State Senator who voted against marital equality. This has proven problematic in that though there have been many who have been “reamed” by the character in question, most of that activity seems to have taken place in a political context rather than a “romantic” one.

And even among those who’ve engaged in “romantic” liaisons with the pol in question, there is apparently not one person who isn’t too embarrassed to admit to it.