THE "PORK" IN NEW YORK, Thoughts of an older American on Constitutional Government in the USA Options

[Livyjr]

"Different view of the same facts"

Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Monday, March 12, 2007

Gov. Eliot Spitzer's push for transparency goes just so far, and Insurance Department spokesman David Neustadt is in the unique position of explaining why, after earlier saying why not.

The situation stems from an Appellate Division decision last week that overturned a 2005 lower court ruling in favor of former Insurance Superintendent Greg Serio, who said that the Liquidation Bureau, an arm of the Insurance Department, didn't have to open its books for an audit by former Comptroller Alan Hevesi.

Serio maintained that the bureau, which handles the assets of failed insurance companies, is a private entity not open to state auditors.

Spitzer's insurance superintendent, Eric Dinallo, plans to take the case to the Court of Appeals.

Spitzer, as attorney general, did not get in the middle of the dispute.

Taxpayers are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to two private law firms to represent the comptroller and department.

Neustadt, Hevesi's chief spokesman until the comptroller resigned in December amid a scandal, complained after the lower court ruling:

"We disagree with the decision and we intend to appeal ..."

"Our only goal here is to do the audit."

Neustadt, though, has since signed on as Dinallo's spokesman.

His take on Hevesi's appellate win:

"We're planning to appeal it."

Designating the bureau a state entity, he now says, would open the state to lawsuits from parties trying to get assets of the insurers in liquidation.

"Right now, the state has no liability ..."

"If you make it a state agency, there's a risk the state would be liable," he said.

"This is not an issue of transparency or accountability."

He said the department will hire an outside firm to independently audit the bureau and issue a public report.

Hefty cost of living

The Office of Court Administration's possible move to buy life insurance for retirement-age judges could cost more than $20 million a year.

Survivors of state employees who die before retiring don't get their pensions, but they do get a death benefit of three times the worker's salary.

OCA wants to give judges aged 55 to 76 an extra benefit: $1 million term life insurance to cover lost pensions should they die.

According to Diane D. Stuto, executive vice president of the Life Insurance Council of New York State, one of her member companies came up with some ballpark numbers: $4 million a year in premium costs if the average age of the jurists were 55, and $21 million if the average age is 68, which is closer to the actual number.

The number, she noted, might be lower in a competitive bid.

Contributor: Capitol bureau reporter James M. Odato. Got a tip? Call 454-5081 or e-mail ebenjamin@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

"New York aims for 'healthiest state' - Spitzer proposals target school, home, workplace for new ways to improve, maintain residents' health"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

First published: Monday, March 12, 2007

ALBANY -- Schools, homes and workplaces will become the site of new efforts to make New York the "the healthiest state," under proposals by Gov. Eliot Spitzer scheduled for release today.

The efforts, backed by $200 million in Spitzer's 2007-08 budget proposal, include:

Requiring "body mass index" reporting in schools, which calculates the ratio of height to weight.

New anti-smoking initiatives, including "aggressively promoting" stop-smoking treatments to New Yorkers in state-funded health programs for the poor and working poor.

Expanded access to the vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer.

Further targeting HIV/AIDS programs in minority communities.

Eliminating trans-fat products in state agencies' next food contracts.

Improving the training of cancer screeners.

Creating a home-visit program for new mothers in poor communities.

Encouraging physical fitness by state employees.

Reducing the use of toxic chemicals and toxic pest controls in public buildings and schools.

"Health problems block the learning of too many children," said state Education Commissioner Richard Mills, when told of Spitzer's general proposals.

"That's why the Regents and I have been advocating for stronger collaborations between educators and health providers, both at the state and local levels."

"I look forward to working with the governor on this critical issue."

Spitzer said it was part of his effort to alter the direction of health care, shifting the focus from facilities to patients and preventive care.

"For years, the health care debate has focused almost exclusively on institutions that deal with various health problems, such as HMOs, hospitals and nursing homes," said Spitzer, an avid runner whose first act of his administration was a dawn jog in Albany.

"By shifting focus to the prevention of disease, we can significantly improve public health and help bring exploding health care costs under control."

[Livyjr]

"New York aims for 'healthiest state' - Spitzer proposals target school, home, workplace for new ways to improve, maintain residents' health"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

First published: Monday, March 12, 2007

ALBANY -- Schools, homes and workplaces will become the site of new efforts to make New York the "the healthiest state," under proposals by Gov. Eliot Spitzer scheduled for release today.

Spitzer said it was part of his effort to alter the direction of health care, shifting the focus from facilities to patients and preventive care.

"For years, the health care debate has focused almost exclusively on institutions that deal with various health problems, such as HMOs, hospitals and nursing homes," said Spitzer, an avid runner whose first act of his administration was a dawn jog in Albany.

"By shifting focus to the prevention of disease, we can significantly improve public health and help bring exploding health care costs under control."

AND KEEPING UP WITH OUR EXPERIMENT IN DEMOCRACY ....

THAT IS BEING PLAYED OUT ....

AS WE SPEAK ...

IN THE WEB-EDITION OF THE ALBANY, NEW YORK TIMES UNION ...

IN RESPONSE TO THIS PRESS RELEASE BY NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR ELIOT "STEAMROLLER" SPITZER ....

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4019#comments

WE HAVE:

Comment by John Galt — March 12, 2007 @ 8:15 am

With respect to this GOVERNMENT BY INTERMINABLE, DEVOID-OF-REAL-SUBSTANCE PRESS RELEASES that is being jammed right on down OUR throats out here in the countryside by this “STEAMROLLER” Spitzer and his crowd of “SIXTY-ONE PERCENTERS” ….

Section 602.3(b)(3) of the New York State Public Health Law, WHICH HAS BEEN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT IN NEW YORK STATE SINCE JAN. 1, 1988, ALTHOUGH IGNORED BY THE STATE ITSELF, FOR POLITICAL REASONS RELATED TO APPEASING “SPECIAL INTEREST” GROUPS, STATES IN CLEAR AND EASILY UNDERSTANDABLE REGULATORY LANGUAGE that the New York State Health Commissioner SHALL approve county MUNICIPAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE PLANS based in part on:

3) health education and guidance, which shall include the use of information and education to modify or strengthen practices that will promote the public health and prevent illness.

Such activities SHALL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO ASSUME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for maintaining and improving their own health; increase their capacity to utilize appropriate health services; help them better control an illness they may have; and, provide information to stimulate community action on social and physical environmental factors that impact on health.

Now, out here in the countryside, that is what we do ….

WE ASSUME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OURSELVES, JUST AS OUR STATE LEGISLATURE INTENDED US TO DO, AND JUST AS WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE, TO BE TRUTHFUL, SINCE NEW YORK STATE GOVERNMENT, AND ESPECIALLY ITS STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, ARE SO UNRELIABLE ….

And Section 602.3(b)(4) of the New York State Public Health Law states in clear language that it is the RESPONSIBILITY of the State Health Commissioner to review county health plans for the following:

4) community health assessment, which shall include an analysis of community vital statistics and mortality and morbidity indices to detect the source of illnesses and diseases, particularly those of a carcinogenic and mutagenic nature, in order to prevent in an efficient manner as many persons as possible from contracting such illnesses and diseases and to assist in addressing other problems adversely affecting the public health.

And whether the “SKADDEN MAN” now in control of things down there in Albany realizes it, OR NOT, HIS JOB is to see that the NEW YORK STATE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW, as written above here, IS FAITHFULLY EXECUTED …

And if it were actually to be …

Well, hey, the “STEAMROLLER” would be stripped of all of these opportunities to SNOW US UNDER WITH INTERMINABLE PRESS RELEASES telling us a bunch of nothing …

BUT PERHAPS OUR DYSFUNCTIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM COULD BE GOTTEN BACK ON TRACK ….

Which is what we country folks want …

INSTEAD OF A BUNCH OF PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS “STEAMROLLER” …

TOUTING HIM AND HIS SELF-PROCLAIMED GREATNESS …

Which seem to ignore the fact that we already had these same public health “initiatives” now being put forth by this “STEAMROLLER’S” bloated PRESS DEPARTMENT, a long, long time ago ….

And so …

[Livyjr]

Comment by bm8631 — March 11, 2007 @ 12:15 pm

Maybe…

Mr. Galt…

Could stop posting…

Like this…

And maybe…

Connect an intelligent point…

All in one paragraph…

And Spitzer…

Was voted in…

By about 70% of the State of New York…

And still maintains about 70% of our support…

As…

What else…

Oh my god…

No…

Gasp…

A STEAMROLLER.

…

…

… Sarcasm.

Comment by John Galt — March 11, 2007 @ 3:39 pm

It is absolutely immaterial how many people voted for Eliot Spitzer for governor ….

Absolutely immaterial ….

Just as it is absolutely immaterial how many people now are “in like” ….

Or even “in love” ….

With “STEAMROLLER” Spitzer today ….

The irrefutable facts of the matter are that the New York State Constitution IS THE ORGANIC LAW of this state ….

And according to said ORGANIC LAW, the REAL JOB of this LORD CORNBURY REBORN “STEAMROLLER” SPITZER is very precisely defined ….

And very precisely LIMITED …

AND HE CANNOT JUST GO OUT AND WHIP UP SOME MOB OUT THERE INTO A FRENZY AGAINST SOME DEFINED SEGMENT OF OUR CITIZEN BODY LIKE THESE NURSES BECAUSE SOME ALLEGED SIXTY OR SEVENTY PERCENT OF A LITTLE OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE POLLED BY MAURICE the “MIRACLE MAN” CARROLL of QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY SAY THAT THEY ARE FOR THIS “STEAMROLLER” DOING IT, SUCH AS THIS bm8631 ABOVE HERE APPEARS TO BE ADVOCATING ….

We do not have POPULAR GOVERNMENT here in New York State where this LORD CORNBURY AND HIS “CORNBURY RING” can do just as they please, CONSEQUENCES TO OTHERS BE DAMNED ….

Just because some out-of-state “NUMBERS DUDE” over there in Connecticut is willing to make the RIDICULOUS CLAIM that “MOST NEW YORKERS ARE FOR THIS STEAMROLLER” ….

When in reality …..

According to WCBS NEWSRADIO 880 ….

http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/233397.php?co...ontentId=324953

THE NUMBER IS ONLY IN ACTUALITY A LITTLE OVER 600 REAL PEOPLE …..

“Quinnipiac’s telephone poll of 1,049 voters was conducted Feb. 6-11 and has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.”

OUT OF MILLIONS OF ACTUAL PEOPLE ….

SUCH AS US DISABLED VETERANS OUT HERE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE, FOR EXAMPLE ….

WHOM MAURICE THE “NUMBERS MAN” FROM OVER THERE IN CONNECTICUT ……

COMPLETELY OVERLOOKED …

AND DISMISSED …

OUT OF HAND …

And so …

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4017#comments

DEMOCRACY IS WHAT DEMOCRACY IS ....

AND IT HAPPENS AS IT HAPPENS ...

And so ...

CONTINUING FROM THE WEB-EDTION OF THE ALBANY, NEW YORK TIMES UNION

Comment by topo gigio — March 11, 2007 @ 6:06 pm

BTW, Mr. Galt, your Lord Cornbury reference seems more than a little misplaced:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Hyde,_...rl_of_Clarendon

Annoying though Mr. Spitzer’s pugilistic style may be, I would by no means conclude from the small amount of time that he has been in office that Spitzer resembles Lord Cornbury:

“Cornbury came to be regarded in the historical literature as a moral profligate, sunk in corruption: possibly the worst governor Britain ever imposed on an American colony.

The early accounts claim he took bribes and plundered the public treasury.

Nineteenth century historian George Bancroft said that Cornbury illustrated the worst form of the English aristocracy’s “arrogance, joined to intellectual imbecility”.

Later historians characterize him as a “degenerate and pervert who is said to have spent half of his time dressed in women’s clothes”, a “fop and a wastrel”.

Do I sense perhaps a whiff of bigotry in your Lord Cornbury reference.

Perhaps a hatred of transvestites and/or folks of the gay persuasion or anyone not exactly like yourself?

Comment by John Galt — March 12, 2007 @ 6:20 am

Some hear what they want to hear …

And disregard the rest …

And then INVENT theories about others that are actually a reflection of their own internal “selves” …

Up here, in the countryside, Cornbury is famous for messing with the assembly …

Like the “STEAMROLLER” …

And for disenfranchising groups of people …

Taking away their “voice” in government …

Like the “STEAMROLLER” …..

LORD CORNBURY

In an attempt to escape from his problems, Cornbury fled to the colonies with Queen Anne’s blessing.

Immediately upon his arrival in New York in 1701, Anne appointed Cornbury as governor of New York.

Only one year later, in 1702, the Queen added the title of governor of New Jersey to Cornbury’s list of duties.

The populace of both New York and New Jersey would learn that Cornbury was not a fit governor, as he was unruly and for the most part indifferent to the needs of the people.

When he first arrived in New Jersey in 1703 the colony was rife with factional and political tension.

In what had earlier been a proprietorship of East and West Jersey, a group of political parties sought Hyde’s favor as they fought with each other over such things as land, money, power and religion.

Cornbury was indifferent to these issues, but he saw the possibility for personal gain, hence his poor reputation began.

Hyde gathered a group of politicians who shared his political sentiments, and they called themselves the “Cornbury Ring.”

Instead of simply allying himself with an existing faction, he created the Cornbury Ring.

It engaged in such corrupt activities as grabbing land and looting public funds.

Hyde and the Ring had an especially large grievance with the Quaker population, which dominated West Jersey politics.

The Ring tried to disenfranchise the Quakers, attempting to seize control of the assembly.

These unlawful tactics which Hyde resorted to were not successful, and the Cornbury Ring failed to control the assembly.

The Ring passed a number of bills that were designed to enhance Hyde’s fortunes, both financially and politically.

Looking at Viscount Cornbury’s governorship in New York, it is apparent that he was equally as corrupt as he was in his New Jersey legislation.

In New York, Hyde allied himself with the Anti-Leislerian party to secure gifts and a revenue.

He twice dismissed uncooperative assemblies, who were largely uncooperative because of his impossible demands.

http://cuhistory3057.tripod.com/hyde/id1.html

[Livyjr]

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4019#comments

Comment by John Galt — March 12, 2007 @ 8:15 am

With respect to this GOVERNMENT BY INTERMINABLE, DEVOID-OF-REAL-SUBSTANCE PRESS RELEASES that is being jammed right on down OUR throats out here in the countryside by this “STEAMROLLER” Spitzer and his crowd of “SIXTY-ONE PERCENTERS” ….

Section 602.3(b)(3) of the New York State Public Health Law, WHICH HAS BEEN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT IN NEW YORK STATE SINCE JAN. 1, 1988, ALTHOUGH IGNORED BY THE STATE ITSELF, FOR POLITICAL REASONS RELATED TO APPEASING “SPECIAL INTEREST” GROUPS, STATES IN CLEAR AND EASILY UNDERSTANDABLE REGULATORY LANGUAGE that the New York State Health Commissioner SHALL approve county MUNICIPAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE PLANS based in part on:

3) health education and guidance, which shall include the use of information and education to modify or strengthen practices that will promote the public health and prevent illness.

Such activities SHALL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO ASSUME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for maintaining and improving their own health; increase their capacity to utilize appropriate health services; help them better control an illness they may have; and, provide information to stimulate community action on social and physical environmental factors that impact on health.

Now, out here in the countryside, that is what we do ….

WE ASSUME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OURSELVES, JUST AS OUR STATE LEGISLATURE INTENDED US TO DO, AND JUST AS WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE, TO BE TRUTHFUL, SINCE NEW YORK STATE GOVERNMENT, AND ESPECIALLY ITS STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, ARE SO UNRELIABLE ….

"Spitzer: Senate is 'pandering' to health care lobbyists"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

Last updated: 2:13 p.m., Monday, March 12, 2007

ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer on Monday accused the Republican-led Senate of "pandering" to a powerful health care lobby that has long "twisted" legislation in Albany.

The Democratic governor also said the Senate majority's failure to pass its own version of spending bills threatens the chance of having a state budget in place by the April 1 start of the fiscal year.

He called the Senate's budget bills an extravagant response to an advertising and lobbying blitz by hospitals and a health care workers union.

Those groups would feel the brunt of Spitzer's proposal to cut health care spending by more than $1.2 billion.

"Their spending is both profligate, and their behavior pandering," Spitzer said, referring to the Senate's Republican majority.

"This is unfortunate."

There was no immediate comment from Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

Spitzer wants to restructure New York's health care system, which he claims taxpayers and patients can no longer afford.

He wants to redirect state health spending from hospitals -- a powerful interest in Albany -- to patients by creating more neighborhood clinics and boosting at-home care.

He said that will improve care and cut costs.

He applauded the Democrat-led Assembly for deciding on its budget bills on time under an agreement between the Legislature and Spitzer.

Although Spitzer said the Assembly also wants to spend too much -- restoring more than $200 million of Spitzer's cuts -- the governor said at least the Assembly is ready to negotiate a final state budget.

For the first time, Spitzer also publicly considered the possibility of breaking the state's two-year streak of on-time budgets after 20 years of annual failure.

"If we are where we are today, then we will have a serious conversation," Spitzer said.

"But right now, there is loads of time."

Spitzer also may have held out a carrot: He didn't reject a new pay raise proposal for lawmakers in a bill submitted by the Assembly.

The bill was first reported Monday by the New York Daily News.

"We have time go and we'll work together," Spitzer said.

The Senate worked through the weekend past a Friday night deadline so budget bills could be ready for votes early this week, under legislative rules.

The Senate proposals would add hundreds of millions of dollars, mostly to fund hospitals that are often top local employers.

The Healthcare Association of New York says Spitzer cuts on top of cuts planned by the Bush administration would mean a $9.9 billion loss to hospitals over five years.

The HANYS analysis states Bush would cut $7.5 billion over five years in federal funding while Spitzer's proposal would cut $2.4 billion to hospitals over five years.

Spitzer and legislative leaders recently agreed to a revenue forecast that would allow for $575 million in additional revenues beyond the $120.6 billion budget Spitzer proposed in January.

The Medicaid health care coverage for the poor costs New York $46 billion a year.

Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith said Bruno is wrong to seek substantial spending increases and he won't get help from his members against Spitzer.

"Bruno's got to know, it's a different dance," Smith said.

"No one is going to go for that."

[Livyjr]

Comment by bm8631 — March 11, 2007 @ 12:15 pm

And Spitzer…

Was voted in…

By about 70% of the State of New York…

And still maintains about 70% of our support…

As…

What else…

Oh my god…

No…

Gasp…

A STEAMROLLER.

…

…

… Sarcasm.

Comment by John Galt — March 11, 2007 @ 3:39 pm

It is absolutely immaterial how many people voted for Eliot Spitzer for governor ….

Absolutely immaterial ….

Just as it is absolutely immaterial how many people now are “in like” ….

Or even “in love” ….

With “STEAMROLLER” Spitzer today ….

The irrefutable facts of the matter are that the New York State Constitution IS THE ORGANIC LAW of this state ….

And according to said ORGANIC LAW, the REAL JOB of this LORD CORNBURY REBORN “STEAMROLLER” SPITZER is very precisely defined ….

And very precisely LIMITED …

AND HE CANNOT JUST GO OUT AND WHIP UP SOME MOB OUT THERE INTO A FRENZY AGAINST SOME DEFINED SEGMENT OF OUR CITIZEN BODY LIKE THESE NURSES BECAUSE SOME ALLEGED SIXTY OR SEVENTY PERCENT OF A LITTLE OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE POLLED BY MAURICE the “MIRACLE MAN” CARROLL of QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY SAY THAT THEY ARE FOR THIS “STEAMROLLER” DOING IT, SUCH AS THIS bm8631 ABOVE HERE APPEARS TO BE ADVOCATING ….

We do not have POPULAR GOVERNMENT here in New York State where this LORD CORNBURY AND HIS “CORNBURY RING” can do just as they please, CONSEQUENCES TO OTHERS BE DAMNED ….

Just because some out-of-state “NUMBERS DUDE” over there in Connecticut is willing to make the RIDICULOUS CLAIM that “MOST NEW YORKERS ARE FOR THIS STEAMROLLER” ….

When in reality …..

According to WCBS NEWSRADIO 880 ….

http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/233397.php?co...ontentId=324953

THE NUMBER IS ONLY IN ACTUALITY A LITTLE OVER 600 REAL PEOPLE …..

“Quinnipiac’s telephone poll of 1,049 voters was conducted Feb. 6-11 and has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.”

OUT OF MILLIONS OF ACTUAL PEOPLE ….

SUCH AS US DISABLED VETERANS OUT HERE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE, FOR EXAMPLE ….

WHOM MAURICE THE “NUMBERS MAN” FROM OVER THERE IN CONNECTICUT ……

COMPLETELY OVERLOOKED …

AND DISMISSED …

OUT OF HAND …

And so …

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4017#comments

FROM THE WEB-EDITION OF THE ALBANY, NEW YORK TIMES UNION ...

Comment by bm8631 — March 12, 2007 @ 11:52 am

Actually, Galt, it’s not immaterial.

In this democracy, while you do have your own voice, the majority of the voices win.

The majority of the people, 69%, voted for Spitzer.

And the majority, around 70%, still support him, meaning they believe he’s doing the right thing.

That’s not steamrolling, per se, that’s called being on the side of the body public.

Maybe Spitzer is a steamroller, but guess what, 70% of NYS is riding his Steamroller platform.

The only ones getting in the way are the special interests who’ve unfairly profited all too long under the benchwarming Pataki.

I wouldn’t say the NYS Constitution doesn’t apply here, because it is a living document that applies to every NYS citizen’s life, but the Healthcare industry issue hasn’t brought the ire of the NYS Judiciary in relation to constitutional protections.

The issue here is that I, for one, wouldn’t want to be a patient at a hospital that has a reputation for being costly and underperforming.

I wouldn’t want to be a patient at a hospital whose nurses are “protected” in their job no matter how badly they do it.

At the same time — what is the healthcare lobby complaining about?

Some nurses and doctors will lose their jobs at these closing hospitals?

Guess what — those are the two most-employable professions in the United States!

They aren’t going to be unemployed for long.

Spitzer was right on with the term “crybaby.”

And your xenophobic use of the label “out-of-state ‘NUMBERS DUDE’” doesn’t help your case.

Obviously you’re not a big statistics buff, or you’d understand the Quinnipiac, who you referenced in your link, uses representative sampling, meaning a sample is taken to represent the NYS population as a whole, because it’d be too costly and too time consuming to ask EVERYONE in NYS whether they approve or disapprove of Spitzer.

So yes, in ACTUALITY around 630 people support Spitzer’s title of “Steamroller” in THAT POLL, but they are a representative sample of the entire NYS population, around 70% who support Spitzer in general.

But something tells me…

That you don’t like…

Stats…

That much…

PS…

… You just got owned.

Comment by John Galt — March 12, 2007 @ 5:25 pm

I have been doing a continuous poll of my own out here in the country ….

And I cannot find one person who thinks much of “STEAMROLLER” Spitzer, at all ….

Nor is there anyone out here who is moved very much at all by this MAURICE “THE NUMBER’S DUDE” CARROLL ….

And all of this “REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE” CRAP that he is peddling around here ….

THAT LAUGHINGLY PROCLAIMS AN UN-TRUTH ….

THAT BEING THAT “MOST” NEW YORKERS SOMEHOW LIKE “STEAMROLLER” SPITZER TRAMPLING ALL OVER OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ….

THE FACT IS THAT MAURICE “THE NUMBERS DUDE” CALLED 1049 HOUSEHOLDS AND GOT SOME SIX HUNDRED PEOPLE SOMEWHERE TO SAY THAT THEY ARE IN LIKE OR IN LOVE WITH THE THOUGHT OF ELIOT SPITZER AS A “STEAMROLLER” ….

AND THAT IS ALL THAT HE GOT …

AND THEN HE GOT HIS PAYCHECK …

AFTER SPOUTING SOME DRIVEL ….

ABOUT THIS “NUMBER” REPRESENTING MOST NEW YORKERS ….

WHEN IT DOESN’T REFLECT ANYONE I KNOW UP HERE ….

AND THAT INCLUDES A CONSIDERABLE PORTION OF THE VETERAN’S COMMUNITY OUT THERE …

WHO SEE ELIOT SPITZER AS NOTHING MORE …

THAN A PUFFED-UP FOOL ….

A “SKADDEN MAN” OUT OF HIS LEAGUE OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK CITY ….

WHERE YOU FIND THE NATIVES A LOT LESS TOLERANT OF EMPTY RHETORIC FROM SOME JUMPED-UP LAWYER FROM A RICH NEW YORK CITY “WHITE COLLAR CRIME” DEFENSE LAW FIRM …

And so …

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4017#comments

[Livyjr]

FROM THE WEB-EDITION OF THE ALBANY, NEW YORK TIMES UNION ...

Comment by bm8631 — March 12, 2007 @ 11:52 am

Actually, Galt, it’s not immaterial.

In this democracy, while you do have your own voice, the majority of the voices win.

The majority of the people, 69%, voted for Spitzer.

And the majority, around 70%, still support him, meaning they believe he’s doing the right thing.

That’s not steamrolling, per se, that’s called being on the side of the body public.

Maybe Spitzer is a steamroller, but guess what, 70% of NYS is riding his Steamroller platform.

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4017#comments

NY POST

"UNION'S TV BLITZ SOCKS GOV RATING"

By FREDRIC U. DICKER

March 12, 2007

ALBANY - Gov. Spitzer's enormous popularity with the voters has taken a "dramatic hit" because of a fierce TV campaign attacking his proposed cuts in health-care costs, a poll obtained yesterday by The Post shows.

Spitzer's "favorability" rating has dropped 21 percentage points - from 75 to 54 percent - in the past month, according to the survey, conducted for a group backed by hospital-workers union 1199 SEIU.

The poll also found only 28 percent of voters who know about Spitzer's efforts back his plan, while 29 percent are opposed.

A month ago, the union-backed poll found 37 percent in favor of Spitzer's plan and just 15 percent opposed.

"Our campaign is having dramatic effects on all key measures in the three weeks since the media campaign began," pollster Joel Benenson wrote to the health-care union.

Spitzer's proposed budget strips $1.2 billion from the state's Medicaid program, which the hospital-workers union and the Greater New York Hospitals Association claim will have a devastating impact on health-care services.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03122007/news/...c_u__dicker.htm

[Livyjr]

NY TIMES

"Rangel Tells State’s Delegation That Spitzer Is Too Combative"

By DANNY HAKIM and RAYMOND HERNANDEZ

Published: March 9, 2007

Representative Charles B. Rangel used a meeting yesterday between the state’s Congressional and legislative leaders in Washington to criticize Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s conduct, citing the governor’s hostile relationship with labor and hospital groups.

And in an interview afterward, Mr. Rangel suggested that the governor had an anger problem, naming a list of public officials with whom Mr. Spitzer has clashed recently over his proposed budget cuts in health care.

He also said that he and other members of the Congressional delegation did not want to be in the middle of a “food fight” between the governor and health care groups when the delegation is seeking to prevent federal health care cuts that President Bush has proposed.

“Anger and emotion will not help this delegation in trying to help our constituents,” said Mr. Rangel, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and, like Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat.

“We refuse to get involved in a food fight when what we need is health care.”

The meeting included members of New York’s Congressional delegation, including Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, both Democrats, and the leaders of the State Legislature: the Senate majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, a Republican, and the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, a Democrat.

Also in attendance were leaders of two interest groups that have been locked in a war of words, some of them said via television advertisements, with the governor: Dennis Rivera, president of 1199/S.E.I.U. United Healthcare Workers East, and Kenneth E. Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association.

Mr. Rangel, whose Congressional district includes many Upper Manhattan neighborhoods and parts of the Bronx, expressed dismay about a recent breakfast he attended, where Mr. Spitzer sharply criticized 1199 and the hospital association while officials from both were present.

A screen behind the governor at the Manhattan event flashed the words “Guardians of the Status Quo.”

“Personalizing this very serious budget problem we have only agitates people,” Mr. Rangel said.

“It doesn’t get people to the table in order to resolve the problems.”

Christine Anderson, a spokeswoman for the governor, said the budget included “historic investments in education and a move to patient centered health care.”

She added, “No amount of distortive rhetoric or advertising will cause the governor to back down from the core reforms and necessary reality check embodied in this budget.”

The two interest groups have been linking the state and federal cuts in their media campaign, referring to them as the “Bush-Spitzer” cuts.

But Mr. Rangel said he did not object so much to “what Spitzer is proposing, it’s how he’s proposing it.”

Mr. Rangel’s comments could increase political pressure on the governor to tone down his confrontational approach, if not scale back his proposed cuts.

And Republicans who control the State Senate are trying to make political hay of the issue.

Mrs. Clinton, according to people who were in attendance, did not take sides.

But she did joke that if the matter could not be settled now, she would “fix it” in 2009.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/09/nyregion...amp;oref=slogin

[Livyjr]

NY TIMES

"Rangel Tells State’s Delegation That Spitzer Is Too Combative"

By DANNY HAKIM and RAYMOND HERNANDEZ

Published: March 9, 2007

Representative Charles B. Rangel used a meeting yesterday between the state’s Congressional and legislative leaders in Washington to criticize Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s conduct, citing the governor’s hostile relationship with labor and hospital groups.

And in an interview afterward, Mr. Rangel suggested that the governor had an anger problem, naming a list of public officials with whom Mr. Spitzer has clashed recently over his proposed budget cuts in health care.

Mr. Rangel’s comments could increase political pressure on the governor to tone down his confrontational approach, if not scale back his proposed cuts.

On Sunday mornings up here ....

At 6:00 A.M. on WBKK FM, 97.7 FM ( http://www.wmht.org/radio/wbkk.php )

There is an interesting POLITICAL TALK SHOW .....

Featuring one of America's pre-eminent POLITICAL SCIENTISTS .....

The reknowned Dr. Alan Chartock ....

And this Sunday just gone by ....

Dr. Chartock took "STEAMROLLER" Spitzer to task on the air ....

AND RIGHTFULLY HE SHOULD HAVE ...

For the "STEAMROLLER'S" blatant attempts ....

TO USE THE MEDIA UP HERE ....

TO WHIP UP A MOB FRENZY ....

AGAINST THE MEMBERS OF THE NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY ....

THE PEOPLE'S REPRESENTATIVES UP HERE ....

AND NEWLY-ELECTED NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER THOMAS DINAPOLI ....

AN ATTEMPT BY THE "STEAMROLLER" .....

THAT RESULTED IN DEATH THREATS AGAINST MR. DINAPOLI ....

WHICH IS VIEWED BY THE PUBLIC UP HERE ...

AS THE "STEAMROLLER" INCITING MOB VIOLENCE AGAINST MR. DINAPOLI ....

A VERY SERIOUS BREACH OF OUR PEACE UP HERE ....

IN VIOLATION OF OUR CONSTITUTION ....

BY THE "STEAMROLLER" ....

And so ....

Comment by John Galt — March 11, 2007 @ 3:39 pm

It is absolutely immaterial how many people voted for Eliot Spitzer for governor ….

Absolutely immaterial ….

Just as it is absolutely immaterial how many people now are “in like” ….

Or even “in love” ….

With “STEAMROLLER” Spitzer today ….

The irrefutable facts of the matter are that the New York State Constitution IS THE ORGANIC LAW of this state ….

And according to said ORGANIC LAW, the REAL JOB of this LORD CORNBURY REBORN “STEAMROLLER” SPITZER is very precisely defined ….

And very precisely LIMITED …

AND HE CANNOT JUST GO OUT AND WHIP UP SOME MOB OUT THERE INTO A FRENZY AGAINST SOME DEFINED SEGMENT OF OUR CITIZEN BODY LIKE THESE NURSES BECAUSE SOME ALLEGED SIXTY OR SEVENTY PERCENT OF A LITTLE OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE POLLED BY MAURICE the “MIRACLE MAN” CARROLL of QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY SAY THAT THEY ARE FOR THIS “STEAMROLLER” DOING IT, SUCH AS THIS bm8631 ABOVE HERE APPEARS TO BE ADVOCATING ….

We do not have POPULAR GOVERNMENT here in New York State where this LORD CORNBURY AND HIS “CORNBURY RING” can do just as they please, CONSEQUENCES TO OTHERS BE DAMNED ….

Just because some out-of-state “NUMBERS DUDE” over there in Connecticut is willing to make the RIDICULOUS CLAIM that “MOST NEW YORKERS ARE FOR THIS STEAMROLLER” ….

When in reality …..

According to WCBS NEWSRADIO 880 ….

http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/233397.php?co...ontentId=324953

THE NUMBER IS ONLY IN ACTUALITY A LITTLE OVER 600 REAL PEOPLE …..

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4017#comments

"Spitzer, union agree to stop ads - Governor, SEIU/1199 call temporary truce in an attempt to reach a deal on contract"

By ELIZABETH BENJAMIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, March 13, 2007

ALBANY -- Even as debate over health care heated up at the Capitol Monday, key players in the battle quietly called a temporary truce.

SEIU/1199, the health care workers union, and its ally, the Greater New York Hospital Association, which have run television ads slamming Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposed Medicaid cost containments for almost a month, agreed to take the ads down -- at least temporarily -- starting today, according to a source familiar with the deal.

Spitzer, who has responded to the union and hospital ads with two of his own, including one that cast the health care industry as "crybabies," consented to do the same, an aide to the governor said.

The two sides agreed to "go dark" in hopes of creating a less charged environment in which to negotiate a possible deal.

Spitzer has called for trimming $1.3 billion worth of health care spending, including a freeze on Medicaid inflation rates, while directing dollars to preventative care and community-based clinics.

The health care industry has said Spitzer's plan will hurt already-struggling hospitals and nursing homes, costing the state jobs and degrading patients' quality of care.

Talks between legislative and executive staffers and representatives from the health care industry have been going in fits and starts for several weeks, legislative sources said.

But health care sources said their agreement to stop their ads would be taken as a "conciliatory" gesture that enabled "serious" negotiations to get underway.

A source close to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who last week called on all sides to stop the "name-calling," said it was the speaker who first floated the idea of the cease fire on the state's airwaves.

[Livyjr]

Reason Magazine

"Republicans and Al Sharpton, Living Together -- Mass Hysteria!"

David Weigel | March 12, 2007, 11:37am

When New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer made the move to the governor's office, small-government fans expected the worst from him.

Surprise #1: His first big proposal is to staunch Medicaid and Medicare fraud by cutting spending and freezing reimbursement rates.

Surprise #2: His biggest opponents are New York's worthless Republicans.

In the inverted politics of New York, a Democratic governor is advocating spending restraint while the Republican Party's top boss along with Messrs. Rangel and Sharpton have taken the side of the hospital industry in its battle against Mr. Spitzer.

The industry is demanding that lawmakers spend hundreds of millions of dollars to roll back cuts proposed by the governor, such as a temporary freeze on hospital and nursing home Medicaid reimbursement rates.

"It shows a lack of feeling to the elderly and people in need of care."

"… I propose finding another way to save the money, not at the cost of human beings."

"It just jeopardizes the elderly to a tremendous degree," he said.

So the hospital industry is paying for Al Sharpton's anti-Spitzer radio ads, and the Republicans are whining about how a liberal Democrat wants to leave old people on the street.

Spitzer's getting support from -- Surprise #3.

New York's Conservative Party.

"Spitzer's on target," the chairman of the Conservative Party in New York, Mr. Long, who owns a liquor store in Bay Ridge, said.

"I think he should be thinking to cut more."

"It has to be done because it's pretty hard for taxpayers to pay their bills as it is."

"Spending is really the cause of high taxes."

They all laughed last year when I suggested Spitzer was basically a federalist who'd piss off liberals with his government reforms.

New York's sclerotic state government is unlikely to make the boldest reforms Spitzer jaws about.

The groups that will do the most to elect him—unions, liberals, minority voters—will blanch at the compounds Spitzer wants to mix in the New York laboratory.

One cheer for Spitzer, so far.

http://www.reason.com/blog/show/119077.html

[Livyjr]

NY TIMES

February 26th, 2007 7:14 pm

With respect to young Andrew Cuomo’s alleged “landmark initiatives to fight government corruption” in the State of New York in 2007 …

I myself recall in 1986 his father, then-Governor Mario Cuomo, stating in a Governor’s Approval memorandum for ARTICLE 460 of the New York State Penal Law, which memorandum can be found in the New York State Legislative Annual -1986, at p.236, as follows:

“TEN YEARS AGO, a study by the Joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Investigations estimated the costs of white-collar crime at MORE THAN forty-four BILLION dollars”.

“The incidence of white-collar crime has not abated in the last decade; instead, it has spiraled ever-upward as economic crime has become increasingly profitable and sophisticated!”

“The effects of major economic crime can be devastating: THE WHOLE SOCIETY suffers as crimes against business become crimes against consumers.”

“GREEDY, WHITE-COLLAR PROFITEERS WILL NOT BE STOPPED until we adopt strong measures to stop them!”

And with respect to ARTICLE 460 of the New York State Penal Law, which is entitled ENTERPRISE CORRUPTION, that ARTICLE OF LAW being a part of TITLE X of the New York State Penal Law ….

Entitled ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT ….

The relevant part of that state law which pertains directly to this discussion in here ….

Is as follows:

S 460.00 Legislative findings.

The legislature (of the State of New York) finds and determines as follows:

Organized crime in New York state involves highly sophisticated, complex and widespread forms of criminal activity.

The diversified illegal conduct engaged in by organized crime, rooted in the illegal use of force, fraud, and corruption, constitutes a major drain upon the state’s economy, costs citizens and businesses of the state billions of dollars each year, and threatens the peace, security and general welfare of the people of the state.

Organized crime continues to expand its corrosive influence in the state through illegal enterprises engaged in such criminal endeavors as the theft and fencing of property, the importation and distribution of narcotics and other dangerous drugs, arson for profit, hijacking, labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion and bribery, the illegal disposal of hazardous wastes, syndicated gambling, trafficking in stolen securities, insurance and investment frauds, and other forms of economic and social exploitation.

The money and power derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors is increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises and to corrupt our democratic processes.

As to how this now-20-year-old law applies directly to CORRUPTION of OUR state government here in New York, a quick perusal of S 460.10 of the New York State Penal Law provides as follows in the “Definitions”:

The following definitions are applicable to this article.

2. “Enterprise” means either an enterprise as defined in subdivision one of section 175.00 of this chapter or criminal enterprise as defined in subdivision three of this section.

Going over to Section 175 of the New York State Penal Law, we have:

ARTICLE 175 OFFENSES INVOLVING FALSE WRITTEN STATEMENTS

S 175.00 Definitions of terms.

The following definitions are applicable to this article:

1. “Enterprise” means any entity of one or more persons, corporate or otherwise, public or private, engaged in business, commercial, professional, industrial, eleemosynary, social, political or governmental activity.

SO ….

IF an “enterprise” in the State of New York means “any entity” of one or more persons, engaged in “POLITICAL or GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITY”, it would certainly appear that back in 1986, then-New York State Governor Mario Cuomo gave his son Andrew all the tools that Andrew Cuomo can now use to clean this corruption out of OUR government that was identified by the New York State Legislature way back in 1976 ……

Being Governor Cuomo’s son, surely young Andrew Cuomo must be aware of this legacy that his father left to the PEOPLE of the State of New York in the form of this law, and hopefully, young Andrew will have the gumption to overcome some 20 years of inertia here in the state by starting to finally enforce this law against those who are corrupting our government in New York State ….

One can hope, anyway …

— Posted by Livyjr

http://empirezone.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/0...-town/#comments

Comment by John Galt — March 8, 2007 @ 7:36 am

Twenty-one years ago ….

Young Andrew Cuomo’s father, Mario, got right up on the PRESS BANDWAGON, as young Andrew, the son, is doing now ….

And he told us people out here how life in New York State was going to be better, YADA, YADA, YADA, because of HIS Enterprise Corruption Law ….

And then, like everything that comes out of Albany in the name of “reform”, as soon as the press conference was over, that law went right into the trash barrel ….

And the politicians went back to trying to find and get some of that MORE THAN forty-four BILLION dollars that a study by the Joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Investigations estimated in 1976 was floating around out there, JUST LOOKING FOR A HOME ….

MORE THAN FORTY-FOUR BILLION DOLLARS …

And that was in 1976 ….

So the question arises, WHAT EVER DID HAPPEN TO ALL THAT MONEY?l

For it didn’t go into someone’s trash, is my thought on it, anyway …..

And if one studies history ….

And John Galt has been known to do that ….

One finds that CORRUPTION in NYS began to increase after 1976 ….

Especially in “IRON DUKE” Joe Bruno’s personal fiefdom of Rensselaer County ….

Where the “old DUKE” is indeed all the “law” there is ….

And the serfs had damn well better know the difference, or else ….

Which brings us to the FBI ….

Who were allegedly sent running and yipping and ki-yiying like whipped dogs with their tails between their legs back to Albany back in 1989 for looking too closely into “BIG JOE” Bruno’s personal affairs over here ….

Which does not make us feel very trusting of the FBI or the Office of the U.S. Attorney over here today ….

Where in the article “Feds follow cash trail - Authorities examine whether payments to Bruno’s consulting firm were bid to gain influence” by BRENDAN J. LYONS published Friday, December 22, 2006 ….

POWERHOUSE RENSSELAER COUNTY REPUBLICAN LAWYER AND MOUTHPIECE E. STEWART JONES CAN BE SEEN CLEARLY THREATENING THE U.S. ATTORNEYS ALLEGEDLY LOOKING INTO “BIG JOE’S” BUSINESS ONCE AGAIN:

“Mr. Abbruzzese’s and Sen. Bruno’s rights have been trampled on here,” Jones said.

“That could have adverse consequences for those responsible when this investigation runs its course.”

While in an article entitled “Bruno defends his dealings - ‘We’ve followed the letter of the law,’ says Senate GOP majority leader” by JAMES M. ODATO published Saturday, December 23, 2006 …..

The “IRON DUKE” himself is quoted as follows:

“Bruno framed the situation differently, calling the investigation ‘more a media event’.”

MORE A MEDIA EVENT ….

So …

Put two-and-two together, the way we do “math” over here ….

And we don’t see a thing happening ….

Just like the last time ….

In 1989, when the FBI Special Agent digging around over here in connection with a federal HOBBS ACT investigation got his “*** scorched” for looking too closely at “BIG JOE” Bruno’s affairs ….

So …

WHERE DID WE SAY THAT MORE THAN $44 BILLION WENT TO, AGAIN?

The money and power that young Andrew Cuomo’s father Mario told us back in 1986 was being derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors that was increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises ….

AND TO CORRUPT OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES ….

AS THEY MOST DEFINITELY ARE TODAY ….

One wonders if young Andrew Cuomo might have heard father Mario speculate on any of that around the dinner table way back when ….

WHICH WOULD THEN GIVE HIM A “LEG-UP” ON FINDING THIS CORRUPTION THAT IS CORRUPTING OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES HERE IN NEW YORK STATE TODAY ….

SO THAT HE CAN FINALLY ERADICATE IT ….

AS FATHER MARIO FAILED TO DO ….

BACK IN 1986 ….

Perhaps because there was just too much illicit money in play back then …..

To put a stop to the game ….

Because if there is one thing that a politician’s pocket never ceases to be fond of ….

IT IS A WHOLE BIG PILE OF MONEY ….

SUCH AS MORE THAN $44 BILLION …

THAT WAS ALREADY IN PLAY BACK IN 1976 ….

And so …

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=3969#comments

FROM THE WEB-EDITION OF THE ALBANY, NEW YORK TIMES UNION ...

A “SKADDEN MAN” OUT OF HIS LEAGUE OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK CITY ….

WHERE YOU FIND THE NATIVES A LOT LESS TOLERANT OF EMPTY RHETORIC FROM SOME JUMPED-UP LAWYER FROM A RICH NEW YORK CITY “WHITE COLLAR CRIME” DEFENSE LAW FIRM …

And so …

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4017#comments

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Website www.skadden.com

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates (a.k.a. "Skadden, Arps", "Skadden", or "SASM&F"), founded in 1948, is one of the largest and wealthiest law firms in the world.

The firm's better-known alumni include New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer.

With US$1.61 billion in annual revenue, Skadden is the largest law firm in the U.S. in terms of revenue.

The firm has held this position for nine years running and in 1999 became the first law firm to exceed US$1 billion in annual revenue.

Its revenue also makes Skadden the third largest law firm in the world, behind two U.K. firms.

In terms of the number of attorneys, Skadden is the largest law firm in the state of New York, the fifth largest in the United States, and the eighth largest in the world.

Skadden ranks 216th on Forbes's list of the largest U.S.-based private companies.

Practice areas

The firm specializes in the following areas of law:

White collar crime

Notable alumni

In addition to numerous professors and partners, both at Skadden and other firms, some of the more notable former Skadden attorneys include:

Eliot Spitzer, Governor of the State of New York, and his wife, Silda Wall Spitzer

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skadden%2C_Arps%2C_Slate%2C_Meagher_%26_Flom"

FROM THE WEB-EDITION OF THE ALBANY, NEW YORK TIMES UNION

First Lady Silda Wall will join ESDC’s co-chairs Pat Foye (downstate) and Dan Gundersen (upstate) at the Executive Mansion at a 2 p.m. reception for the Tourism Industry Coaltion to unveil a new “I Love New York” Web site.

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/index.php?paged=2

[Livyjr]

NY TIMES

Op-Ed Contributor

"The Legislature You Don’t Know"

By RICHARD L. BRODSKY

Published: March 4, 2007

A successful legislature will do three things well: pass laws; provide ordinary people access to power and enable them to influence decisions; and, most important, check abuse of executive power.

By those standards, New York’s Legislature is doing well.

The Legislature has always measured up to the second goal: offering access to ordinary New Yorkers.

In individual districts, and in the Capitol, members are available and omnipresent.

People who will never speak to a governor easily meet with their senators and Assembly members, and democracy functions in their name.

Richard L. Brodsky, a Democrat, represents Westchester in the State Assembly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/opinion/...amp;oref=slogin

FROM THE WEB-EDITION OF THE ALBANY, NEW YORK TIMES UNION

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4050#comments

Comment by John Galt — March 13, 2007 @ 5:13 pm

Right over here, across the Hudson River from Albany, in “IRON DUKE” Joe Bruno’s own personal fiefdom of Rensselaer County …

We had a disabled Viet Nam veteran who had been rehabilitated from a nasty head wound as a public health engineer …

And he got to digging around, at the behest of then-New York State Health Commissioner Dr. David Axelrod into MISFEASANCE, MALFEASANCE and GROSS NEGLIGENCE in the Rensselaer County Department of Health, which was REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED at that time according to a TU article by reporter Tim O’Brien on October 12, 1988 …

And in the course of that investigation, in or about the summer of 1988, this engineer began the process of bringing charges against the “IRON DUKE” himself for alleged Public Health Law violations, misdemeanors, in connection with the “IRON DUKE’S” Windfield Subdivision on Bulson Road in Brunswick, New York …

And the “IRON DUKE” had the engineer slapped silly …

BANG!

You’re gone!

And he was ….

And when the Federal Bureau of Investigation came sniffing around in 1989 in connection with all of that business, the local word is that they got sent back to Albany like whipped dogs, howling and yipping and ki-yiying, with their tails tucked between their legs, allegedly for sniffing too close to the “IRON DUKE” ….

So when we think of the New York State Legislature after reading Assemblyman Brodsky’s empty article in the New York Times ….

We think of how the “IRON DUKE”, a member of that Legislature at the time, was able to simply reach right out and crush this disabled veteran like a Coors beer can and fling him out the open window and into the ditch besides the road ….

With no one saying a word about it …

A lot of power that New York State Legislature gave to “IRON DUKE” Joe Bruno that would let him get away with that …

Is our thought on that matter …

A LOT OF POWER, INDEED ….

And this wasn’t any kind of secret …

This all happened right out in the clear light of day …

With TV cameras there capturing the whole thing for posterity sake ….

And then, in August of 2001, Rensselaer County effected a FINAL SOLUTION against this same engineer by having a local political doctor issue an INVOLUNTARY PSYCHIATRIC COMMITMENT ORDER for this engineer, SIGHT-UNSEEN ….

Which would be a violation of the law if it wasn’t being done for POLITICAL RETALIATION purposes ….

Because once again this engineer was digging around where his nose just didn’t belong, according to Rensselaer County …

So they had him snatched right out of the lobby of the Stratton VA Hospital on August 22, 2001 based on a FRAUDULENT INVOLUNTARY COMMITMENT ORDER signed by that political doctor over there in Troy, despite the fact that he did not know this engineer from Adam, never having ever seen him, before committing him ….

And they had the engineer placed into involuntary psychiatric confinement ….

And that was the end of the engineer ….

And no one in the New York State Legislature ever raised an eyebrow about that ….

IT IS A PERK OF THE POSITION, AFTER ALL …

And this Mr. Brodsky cannot deny that ….

MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE being able to have POLITICAL ENEMIES removed at the drop of a hat, like that …

After all, it is actually when “STEAMROLLER” Spitzer became the “STEAMROLLER” ….

Long before he “STEAMROLLED” Jim Tedisco just recently ….

When he “STEAMROLLED” this disabled veteran in 2005 and kept him out of federal court ….

By having his assistant attorney generals do some HINKY stuff with the evidence ….

Like burying a sworn affidavit of an Albany Police officer who was an eye-witness to this unlawful confinement …

And still, none of that bothered anyone in the New York State Legislature ….

And so ….

There’s our thoughts on that Brodsky NY TIMES article ….

Empty as it was ….

And so …

[Livyjr]

AP New York

"Bruno uses Senate GOP campaign funds to cover legal bills"

By MARC HUMBERT, AP Political Writer

March 13, 2007, 2:12 PM EDT

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno tapped the state Senate GOP's campaign fund from July through November to cover legal bills stemming from a federal probe of his activities, a review of state records showed Tuesday.

The move came as Bruno was keeping news of the probe from his Senate colleagues and the public.

Bruno has since had his own campaign committee reimburse the Senate Republican Campaign Committee for more than $2,400 in payments made to the Dreyer Boyajian law firm, said Bruno spokesman Mark Hansen.

The reimbursement has yet to show up in campaign filings from the Committee to Re-Elect Senator Bruno, the majority leader's own committee.

Hansen said the reimbursement would show up in the July filing.

The GOP Senate campaign committee is controlled by Bruno.

He went public with an announcement about the investigation in late December after learning the news media knew about it.

It was then that it became known that Bruno had hired defense attorney William Dreyer, a former federal prosecutor.

The ongoing federal investigation involves Bruno's private dealings with business associates and friends and the flow of state funds to companies with ties to those business associates and friends.

Bruno has denied any wrongdoing.

Hansen said the general Senate GOP campaign committee funds were initially used to pay the Dreyer firm because the original request from federal investigators was for information related to Bruno's efforts to raise money for committee.

He said there was no intention to obscure any link between the funds and Bruno's legal problems.

After it later became clear the inquiry was not specifically focused on those efforts, Bruno decided to reimburse the committee, his aide said.

The use of state campaign funds for legal defense purposes by New York politicians has long been controversial, but is permitted when the investigation is "related to the political campaign or the holding of public office," according to a 1989 opinion from the state Board of Elections.

In 2004, when then-state Sen. Guy Velella was battling bribery charges, he used campaign funds and donations from the campaign committees of Bruno and other GOP senators to help pay his legal bills.

Velella, a Bronx Republican, eventually went to jail after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiring to accept bribes.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/new...egion-apnewyork

[Livyjr]

"Senate GOP tailors budget - Republican version of spending plan would restore Medicaid cuts the governor insists on"

By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, March 13, 2007

ALBANY -- Senate Republicans vehemently defied Gov. Eliot Spitzer's restructuring of state health care funding Monday and unveiled an alternative to the governor's budget plan that restores more than half the cuts to Medicaid the governor says are essential to begin easing the burden from the state's biggest spending area.

Spitzer characterized the Senate plan as "profligate" and "pandering" to influential health care lobbies.

Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick, called Spitzer's restructuring unacceptable and turned up the heat on Senate Democrats to join in preventing havoc on the economy and vital health care services.

Besides bringing back $740 million of the $1.3 billion Spitzer wanted to spare the state from paying to nursing homes and hospitals, the Senate Republicans' budget plan "redirects" more than $1 billion differently than Spitzer's plan.

The health care additions, the Senate said, would add up to $544 million because of savings they plan elsewhere.

The Senate Republicans' call to put more money in the budget placed them in the position of being cast as spendthrifts.

Their plan is based on many speculative revenues they said would make nearly $5 billion available for budgeting.

That will help them pay for the $1.037 billion in additions while refusing $818 million in revenue enhancing policies Spitzer wants by closing corporate tax loopholes, taxing hospitals and nursing homes and expanding the bottle law to include non-carbonated beverage containers.

The extra money includes $575 million Spitzer already agreed will likely be available after negotiations with the Legislature earlier this month.

But the Senate GOP also books another $800 million, assuming that the state will gain valuable stock from a health insurance company allowed to convert to a publicly traded entity.

The Senate budget planners also expect more money from taxes on Native American smoke shops, lottery sales, cracking down on Medicaid fraud, federal aid and unspent sums in various state programs.

The Senate would also rely on $1.2 billion in reserves and $500 million in additional surplus from this year's budget.

"This reflects an utter failure to confront hard decisions . . . a failure to confront the necessary shift of health care funding away from institutions and toward patients," Spitzer said in a harsh analysis of the Senate plan.

He applauded Assembly Democrats for passing budget bills Monday on time and offering a fair response to his budget plan.

However, the Assembly budget actually would add $647 million to his budget figure, for a $121.6 billion plan.

Senate GOP members say their budget would match the $120.6 billion level of spending Spitzer proposes, after calculating cuts and adds and use of newfound funds.

The Senate would abolish some of Spitzer's spending initiatives, including $69.5 million for judges' pay raises and $600 million in two lump sums for economic development -- $300 million for a vague job expansion program and $300 million for a semiconductor research and development center somewhere in the state.

The Assembly kept the $300 million for the R&D facility but whacked the other pot.

The Assembly's budget adds $321 million in state funds for hospitals, restoring inflationary adjustments to state aid for hospitals and nursing homes, and killing a .35 percent tax on gross receipts to hospitals.

The Senate restored that spending and much more, including in areas such as graduate medical education and worker retraining.

"We respect this governor and his great desire for reform . . . but what is before us is not health care reform," Bruno said during a Senate debate over Spitzer's health care budget.

"This pain, this is suffering, this is depravation of services . . ."

"We're not talking politics."

Bruno and his colleagues in the GOP conference sought to pressure Senate Democrats, who have been supporting Spitzer's reform agenda, singling out individual minority members to ask them point blank how they could support Spitzer's cuts and deny their district's hospitals specific sums of funding.

The Assembly budget plans were passed in the two chambers Monday and the Senate was expected to pass its budget package today, including a health care resolution instead of a health care bill.

The actions will allow the Legislature to set up a series of joint legislative conference committees this week and next.

The goal is to achieve a legislative budget deal with the governor by April 1, the start of the 2007-2008 fiscal year.

Numerous testy and personal exchanges in the Senate showed that the public negotiations may not go in a friendly manner.

"Andrea Stewart-Cousins," Sen. Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton, said to the first-term Democratic senator from Yonkers who beat veteran Republican Nick Spano, "if Sen. Spano were here he'd be fighting for Westchester Medical, fighting for $9 million . . ."

"The change is we have a Democratic governor."

"Your views on health care have changed in the last 12 months."

"You'd rather take these health care cuts for political reasons."

Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, said the Republicans are trying to calculate whether they have the votes to override a veto of a legislative budget that brings back health care dollars while also gaining some clips to use against Democrats at election time.

He said his conference will stay with Spitzer.

A battle over how to provide and account for tax relief to property taxpayers was evident.

Spitzer wants to spend $1.1 billion on breaks for middle-income people.

Senate Republicans call for across-the-board rebate checks totaling $2.6 billion in the first year, growing to $3.4 billion in the second year.

The Senate budget would also add $338 million for education, $116 million for higher education, $22 million for transportation and $22 million for human services.

The Assembly plan adds $62.3 million more for higher education and $50 million to redevelop urban areas.

All three plans, including Spitzer's, would fund stem cell research, although the Senate wants to set up panels to award $1 billion over 10 years while Spitzer calls for a new corporation to control the funding.

James M. Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at jodato@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

"County executive targets tax burden - Kathy Jimino, in annual address, emphasizes need for economic development"

By KENNETH C. CROWE II, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Wednesday, March 14, 2007

TROY -- Rensselaer County must encourage economic development in an effort to expand the tax base to ease the tax burden placed on homeowners, County Executive Kathy Jimino said in her state of the county address Tuesday night.

While offering compliments to county departments for efforts to deliver services in a cost-effective manner, Jimino said new businesses are needed to provide a source of income and jobs in the county.

"As a community, we must all realistically tackle the mission of funding programs in a cost-effective manner by increasing and broadening our tax base by attracting and retaining families and businesses through responsible, community sensitive development," Jimino said.

"That is the only way that our taxes can be kept reasonable," Jimino told the County Legislature.

County property taxes are a concern for political leaders after county taxes were increased by 15 percent for 2007.

County property taxes have gone up every year since 2002.

The county wants to attract new companies, Jimino said.

At the same time, it is assisting county farmers and seeking to expand tourism.

Beginning this morning, Jimino is conducting a series of breakfast meetings with businesses around the county to spark economic development.

The Rensselaer Regional Chamber of Commerce is co-sponsoring the meetings.

Democratic Minority Leader Virginia O'Brien said she was glad to hear Jimino's comments about tourism and the breakfast meetings.

The county departments have not been as successful in performance planning as a way to save money as the county executive would like people to believe, O'Brien said.

Jimino emphasized that the county is committed to fiscal austerity.

She reminded the legislature that the county's rainy day fund to meet future budget expenses is depleted.

Jimino urged the county's towns and cities to work with the Rensselaer County Industrial Development Agency on updating their master plans so that there is a clear vision of what is zoned for commercial use.

In February, the city of Troy's proposed zoning changes were not compatible with a slaughterhouse proposed by Natural Processing Inc. at the Fritz Helmbold Inc. property on Industrial Road.

The Troy City Council enacted a moratorium to prevent construction of a slaughterhouse.

Jimino's staff is working with Natural Processing to find another location in the county for the kosher meat processing plant.

Kenneth C. Crowe II can be reached at 454-5084 or by e-mail at kcrowe@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

FROM THE WEB-EDITION OF THE ALBANY, NEW YORK TIMES UNION ....

Assemblyman Brodsky says: “Maybe it will help everybody if we get a civil dialogue going instead of these stereotypes.”

Comment by John Galt — March 14, 2007 @ 8:56 am

AN OPEN LETTER TO NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLYMAN RICHARD BRODSKY

Civil dialogue, Mr. Assemblyman Brodsky, in OUR society here in New York State, DOES NOT and CANNOT happen when one party, the “GOVERNMENT”, i.e. New York State Senator “BIG JOE” Bruno and “STEAMROLLER” Spitzer, has both the RIGHT and the PRIVILEGE to place a telephone call to a political medical doctor at a CORPORATE HOSPITAL in Troy, New York to secure a “PICK-UP” ORDER so that the State Police can send a team to pick up this person for transport to a secure CORPORATE mental facility in Troy, New York for incarceration and “GENTLING” at the literal drop of a hat, no questions asked, by anyone, at all, because that individual has chosen to stand up for the Constitution and OUR laws, which, Mr. Assemblyman Brodsky, ARE REALLY WHAT MAKE THIS COUNTRY A BEACON OF LIBERTY ….

And not the New York State Assembly, as you maintain …

WHEN A CITIZEN OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, ANY CITIZEN, CAN BE LITERALLY “SNATCHED RIGHT OUT OF THEIR TRACKS” BY THE POLICE FOR INCARCERATION IN A SECURE MENTAL FACILITY BASED ON WHAT BY LAW IS A FALSE INSTRUMENT BACKED UP BY THE STATE OF NEW YORK ITSELF, THEN IT IS INDEED A LAUGHABLE PROPOSITION TO ASSUME AND STATE TO US THAT WE HAVE ANY “LIBERTY” LEFT TO US AT ALL, JUST BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE WHAT CALLS ITSELF AN “ASSEMBLY”, OF WHICH YOU, MR. ASSEMBLYMAN, ARE A MEMBER, COWBOY BOOTS UP ON THE DESK, AND ALL ….

WITHOUT ACCESS TO EQUAL JUSTICE, MR. ASSEMBLYMAN BRODSKY, HERE IN NEW YORK STATE, TO PROTECT US COMMON CITIZENS FROM “STEAMROLLING” NY STATE SENATORS AND A POWER-HUNGRY FORMER NYS ATTORNEY GENERAL ON-THE-MAKE WHO IS NOW GOVERNOR “STEAMROLLER”, WHEN WE CHOOSE TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED, WHICH IS BOTH OUR RIGHT AND OUR DUTY AS CITIZENS OF THIS STATE, WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO US TO HAVE YOU DOWN THERE IN ALBANY, POSING FOR “PUFF-PIECE” PHOTOS OF YOURSELF AND YOUR COWBOY BOOTS, WHILE TELLING US THAT IT IS TIME TO END “STEREOTYPES”?

IF YOU ARE FOR ENDING STEREOTYPES, MR. ASSEMBLYMAN BRODSKY, AND IF YOU ARE FOR NEW YORK STATE ACTUALLY BECOMING A REAL “BEACON OF LIBERTY” …

THEN PLEASE, GET YOUR COWBOY BOOTS BACK DOWN OFF OF YOUR DESK, AND GET YOUR *** UP OUT OF YOUR CHAIR, AND GO DOWN TO THIS “STEAMROLLER’S” OFFICE DOWN THERE IN ALBANY, AND DEMAND TO KNOW WHY THE “STEAMROLLER” HAD HIS ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERALS BURY SWORN TESTIMONY FROM AN ALBANY POLICE OFFICER CONCERNING THE UNLAWFUL IMPRISONMENT OF A NEW YORK STATE CITIZEN WHO IS FOR “CIVIL DIALOGUE IN NYS WITHOUT THE SPECTER OF CIVIL CONFINEMENT LOOMING LARGE IN THE BACKGROUND” WHEN THE DIALOGUE IS ONE OF OPPROBRIUM FOR OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS INSTEAD OF APPROBATION …

AND THEN DEMAND OF THE “STEAMROLLER”, PURSUANT TO Section 63(8) of ARTICLE 5 of the New York State EXECUTIVE LAW:

“Whenever in his judgment the public interest requires it, the attorney-general may, with the approval of the governor, and when directed by the governor, shall, inquire into matters concerning the public peace, public safety and public justice ….”

THAT THIS BURIED EVIDENCE, INCLUDING FBI RECORDS OF MISFEASANCE, MALFEASANCE AND GROSS NEGLIGENCE IN THE STATE AND RENSSELAER COUNTY DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH ALLEGEDLY INVOLVING RENSSELAER COUNTY’S “IRON DUKE” JOE BRUNO, ALONG WITH THE TESTIMONY OF A NEW YORK STATE POLICE INVESTIGATOR STATIONED IN KENNETH BRUNO’S OFFICE OF THE RENSSELAER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN AUGUST OF 2001 BE “RE-SURFACED” ….

BROUGHT BACK TO THE “SUNSHINE”, OR LIGHT OF DAY, AS IT WERE ….

AND THEN MAKE A DEMAND ON OUR BEHALF AS NYS CITIZENS, PURSUANT TO NYS EXECUTIVE LAW section 63(12) ….

“Whenever any person shall engage in repeated fraudulent or illegal acts or otherwise demonstrate persistent fraud or illegality in the carrying on, conducting or transaction of business, the attorney general may apply, in the name of the people of the state of New York, to the supreme court of the state of New York, on notice of five days, for an order enjoining the continuance of such business activity …”

THAT THIS POLITICAL DOCTOR AND CORPORATE HOSPITAL IN TROY, NEW YORK BE PERMANENTLY ENJOINED FROM ISSUING FRAUDULENT INVOLUNTARY PSYCHIATRIC COMMITMENT ORDERS TO THE NEW YORK STATE POLICE TO APPREHEND OUR CITIZENS OVER HERE WHO ARE FOR “TRUE LIBERTY” AND THE LAW HERE IN NYS …

And then, Mr. Assemblyman Brodsky, PERHAPS YOU MIGHT BE JUST A LITTLE MORE BELIEVABLE TO THE PUBLIC-AT-LARGE HERE IN NYS WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR COOING SOUNDS TO THE MEDIA ABOUT “BEACONS OF LIBERTY” …

ELSEWISE, TO US, YOU ARE JUST ONE MORE SELF-SERVING ELECTED PUBLIC OFFICIAL DOWN THERE IN ALBANY, RIDING THE GRAVY TRAIN UNTIL YOU CAN RETIRE, FANCY COWBOY BOOTS THAT WE CANNOT AFFORD UP ON YOUR DESK DOWN THERE, HAND HELD OUT FOR YOUR OWN PAYCHECK, WHILE OUR LIBERTY ALL BUT DISAPPEARS OUT HERE …

THANKS TO THIS “STEAMROLLER” WHOM OUR ASSEMBLY MINORITY APPEARS TO BE KOW-TOWING TO, AS THE ACTIONS OF THIS JIM TEDISCO OF LATE REVEAL …

WHICH MAKES THE NYS ASSEMBLY ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS TO US …

And so …

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4050#comments

TO SEND A MESSAGE TO NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLYMAN RICHARD BRODSKY REGARDING YOUR OWN VIEWS OF WHAT IS CONTAINED IN THIS OPEN LETTER, SIMPLY CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK, WHERE YOU WILL SEE UNDER HIS PICTURE A BOX THAT SAYS "SEND MESSAGE", AND IT IS JUST THAT EASY TO MAKE YOUR VIEWS AS A CITIZEN KNOWN CONCERNING THIS MATTER:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/?i...L&chamber=H

[Livyjr]

"State budget talks stuck, Spitzer-union ads resume"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

Last updated: 6:23 p.m., Wednesday, March 14, 2007

ALBANY -- On Tuesday, legislative leaders were expected to start negotiating the Legislature's state budget proposal.

Instead, the Assembly's Democratic majority said an agreement on revenues struck almost two weeks ago with the Senate and Gov. Eliot Spitzer had to be negotiated all over again, repeating a first step with less than three weeks before a final state budget is due.

Meanwhile, Spitzer's counter-punching broadcast ads against a health care worker union and hospital group fighting his budget cuts will resume as early as Thursday.

Ads by the Service Employees Union Local 1199 and the Greater New York Hospital Association resumed Wednesday after a brief run earlier this month.

In the union-hospital ad, the Rev. Al Sharpton, a Democrat and civil rights leader, said that with health maintenance organizations getting "excessive profits ... it's unreal to me that Gov. Spitzer would pick on underpaid nurses and health care workers in order to meet his bottom line."

Sharpton isn't paid for the ads, said Brian Conway of the GNYHA/1199 SEIU Healthcare Education Project.

The group may also produce new ads in the "substantial buy," Conway said.

Spitzer called those adds "misleading, false and fatuous" to create fear and "hysteria."

Spitzer plans to air new ads, paid for through his campaign funds, as early as Thursday.

Spitzer seeks more than $1.2 billion in cuts to health care spending, mostly annual aid to hospitals and nursing homes staffed by SEIU 1199 members.

Spitzer seeks to "pivot" the system he said taxpayers can no longer afford to focus more on at-home care and less expensive community health centers that would emphasize preventive care.

He said too much health care is currently handled in hospital emergency rooms, when it is most expensive, and his reforms will improve care while insuring millions more children.

Spitzer said the health lobbyists' ad campaign won't effect him as he prepares to negotiate his $120.6 billion budget proposal with what is expected to be $1 billion or more additions and changes by the Legislature.

But those negotiations, scheduled to begin Tuesday, aren't imminent.

"We have a Senate who has spent a lot more than everybody else," said Charles Carrier, spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

"Until the three parties can agree to a range of revenues and say what we can deal with, I don't see any general budget conference committees meeting."

He said the Senate Republicans' budget proposal is $3 billion above Spitzer's executive budget -- far in excess of the agreed-upon revenues.

Senate Republicans would restore Spitzer's health care cuts to hospitals and nursing homes in their districts back home, which are often the biggest employer.

The Senate would also resume tax rebate checks not included in Spitzer's budget.

The Senate GOP would triple the checks funded by part of the current surplus, to about $500 to $600 to most taxpayers and $800 to over $1,000 to senior citizens.

But the Senate Republicans don't count that $2.6 billion total as an expense in their budget.

Spitzer and the Assembly do.

"The result would be ruinous ... and colossally misdirected," Spitzer said of the Senate Republicans' proposal.

He said their budget would create multibillion deficits in coming years.

"It's ridiculous," said John McArdle, spokesman for Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

"How do they count income tax refunds?"

"They don't count that as spending."

"It's crazy."

"It's no different and we feel very strongly about the rebate checks."

McArdle also said the Senate budget is only about $1 billion more than Spitzer's Jan. 31 budget proposal, which is well within the norm for negotiations in Albany.

"We don't have to go back to square one," McArdle said.

The budget is due by the April 1 start of the fiscal year.

[Livyjr]

AND HERE IS AN IMPORTANT VICTORY FOR US TAXPAYERS HERE IN NEW YORK STATE ....

WHERE EVERYTHING IS A "STATE SECRET" ....

WHEN IT COMES TO WHERE OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE DISAPPEARING TO .....

INTO WHOSE POCKETS THEY ARE FLOWING ....

IN THE FORM OF "PORK" ....

And CORPORATE WELFARE ....

And so ...

"Judge orders NY to release Empire Zone tax break information"

Associated Press

Last updated: 12:53 p.m., Wednesday, March 14, 2007

ALBANY -- New York state has released details about how much it gives businesses in Empire Zone tax breaks after losing a court battle to keep the information secret, the Post-Standard of Syracuse reported Wednesday.

The newspaper -- saying there was no legal reason to keep the data from the public -- sued for access to records that had been denied by the state for years.

The state estimated $558 million in breaks will go this year to the 9,667 businesses in the program, which is intended to boost employment in New York.

The newspaper requested the information under the state's Freedom of Information Law in August 2005, when Republican Gov. George Pataki controlled the Department of Economic Development.

Then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer defended Pataki's decision not to release the data.

As governor, Spitzer has decided not to appeal.

State Supreme Court Justice Leslie Stein ruled in the newspaper's favor on Feb. 8, rejecting the state's argument that releasing the records would divulge business trade secrets.

The judge said the state failed to show how the disclosure of tax credits would disadvantage businesses.

The judge also said tax law does not apply in this case because the records are collected by the Department of Economic Development, not the Department of Taxation and Finance.

The records are not tax returns, the judge said.

The state turned over records this week showing how much each company claimed in tax credits for 2003, 2004 and 2005, the most recent years available.

The Post-Standard has published several reports in recent years on companies taking millions of dollars in tax breaks without necessarily creating jobs and sometimes without moving into New York.

Economic development officials working for Spitzer said two weeks ago they are reviewing Pataki-era aid packages granted under the Empire Zone program.

They said 30 percent of job creation and retention targets weren't met by companies that received state assistance.

[Livyjr]

"Bruno And Spitzer Have A Blowout"

March 14, 2007 at 7:01 pm by Elizabeth Benjamin

The already-contentious budget negotiations probably weren’t helped much by the expletive-laden blowout this morning between Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

During the fight, Bruno, a Brunswick Republican, said Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens; is “so far up (the governor’s a**) he can’t see,'’ according to several sources.

Both sides confirmed the fight, which occurred in Spitzer’s office on the Capitol’s second floor, but refused to say exactly what was said or what sparked the exchange.

One source described the clash as a “screaming match,” during which both the governor and the senator “lost it.”

Bruno spokesman John McArdle said the conversation ”did get heated and was meant to clear the air.'’

He said Spitzer and Bruno “could have left on better terms,'’ and they haven’t spoken since the fight.

Spitzer spokeswoman Christine Anderson said the characterizations from Bruno’s office about the exchange were “unfortunate and untrue.”

She said Spitzer “urged Mr. Bruno to reconsider using certain language when speaking about his colleagues in the Legislature.”

A source said Spitzer told Bruno he would “not tolerate” the use of profanity in his office when discussing other lawmakers.

This from the man who once described himself to Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, as a “f***ing steamroller” who would “roll over you and anybody else.”

To say that the relationship between Spitzer and Bruno has been strained this week is probably putting it much too mildly - and the week isn’t even over yet

Over the past three days, Spitzer has called the Senate Republicans “profligate” for their budget, which restores all his Medicaid cuts - and then some - and said their plan is both “colossally misdirected” and relies on accounting worse than Enron’s.

A source who spoke to the senator said Bruno was angry with Spitzer for agreeing to a truce (now over) in his TV ad airwar with SEIU/1199 and GNYHA while continuing to slam the Senate Republicans for siding with the healthcare industry.

The trouble Wednesday started in the morning when Bruno gave an interview to WROW AM-590, during which he accused Spitzer of “politicizing this whole budget” and said Smith and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, is “joined at the hip'’ with the governor.

Then Spitzer retaliated by not inviting Bruno to the meeting with the family of the woman who was killed by a Level 3 sex offender prior to the civil confinement bill signing ceremony.

The fight occurred after the ceremony was over.

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/

[Livyjr]

FROM THE WEB-EDITION OF THE ALBANY, NEW YORK TIMES UNION ....

UPDATE: The Post’s Fred Dicker, who hosts “Live from the State Capital,” asked Bruno to debate Spitzer, who has slammed the Senate Republicans for adding millions of dollars worth of spending to his budget, on the air.

When Bruno declined, Dicker suggested the senator is “afraid” of Spitzer, to which Bruno replied:

Bruno said Spitzer “robs Peter to pay Paul, puts one county against another county, and that is plain wrong.”

He declined Dicker’s invitation to debate the governor on the radio, saying Spitzer’s ratings “are slipping already, and I do not want to be a party to him slipping anymore.”

When Dicker suggested Bruno is “afraid” of Spitzer, the majority leader replied:

“Fred, you know that I am not afraid of anything."

"I’m too old to be afraid."

"I’ve lived too long to be afraid."

"People don’t run me over with steamrollers."

"I am who I am."

"I’m going to be 78 years old next year (sic)."

"I haven’t been run over yet."

"I haven’t been knocked on my ass yet, and I am not going to be by this guy or anybody else.”

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/