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

[Livyjr]

And finally ....

An attempt at balance ....

By the editors ....

Of the HEARST CORPORATION'S Albany, New York Times Union ....

And so ....

"Comptroller selection shows need for change"

Letters to the Editor, Albany, New York

First published: Monday, February 12, 2007

Continual harping on these pages and elsewhere about the selection process for a state comptroller misses the essential point.

You pick a state comptroller with the New York State Constitution you have, not the constitution you might like to have.

Many writers on this page are clearly unhappy that the state constitution vests this authority with the state Legislature.

Some express shock, shock that this might lead to politics playing a role.

Look again.

The office of state comptroller is an elected political position, one of only four statewide elective offices.

No shortage of alternatives to the constitution's current procedure can be conjured.

These should be debated, and hopefully a new procedure presented to the voters for amendment to the constitution.

For example, an appointed comptroller, as in this unusual circumstance, should not be allowed to serve four years before standing before the voters.

Meanwhile, it would have been best if the governor, the advisory panel and miscellaneous good government pundits had stayed out of the process.

Understanding the importance of the rule of law was hard won in Western civilization.

We should respect that, even if we don't quite trust the Legislature's judgment.

Time will tell on this last point.

WILLIAM C.

Rensselaer

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...sdate=2/12/2007

[Livyjr]

According to the New York State Constitution .....

The sole qualifications for COMPTROLLER of the State of New York ....

Have to do with residency .....

And minimum age .....

AND THAT IS THAT ....

ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....

HOWEVER ....

We never hear any mention of that ....

In the DIATRIBES ....

And SCREEDS ....

From the EDITORIAL PAGES .....

Of the HEARST CORPORATION'S Albany, New York Times Union ....

Decrying the constitutional right of New York State Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli .....

To be voted in as New York State COMPTROLLER ....

So long as he is over thirty years old ....

And has lived in the State of New York for five years before his election ....

And so ....

"Assembly members not interested in reform"

Letters to the Editor, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Anyone who really expected change and reform in Albany can now relax.

There simply won't be any.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Assembly Majority Leader Ron Canestrari and the rest of the Assembly have clearly indicated with their selection of Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli as state comptroller that their only interests are in politics and cronyism.

There is no concern for the public interest.

There is no obligation to fulfill a publicly made agreement.

There is no interest in having qualified persons hold public office.

We displaced a highly qualified, but occasionally morally challenged, individual for one who seemingly misses on most every count.

But then look at who selected him.

Did we really expect anything different?

And, two years from now, they will all be re-elected again.

Now, whose fault is that?

PHILIP D.

Rensselaer

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...sdate=2/14/2007

[Livyjr]

And speaking about inciting a MOB MENTALITY against the New York State Legislature ....

And newly-elected New York State COMPTROLLER Thomas DiNapoli ....

Who received a death threat ....

As a result of the MOB FRENZY ....

Whipped up against him ....

By "STEAMROLLER" Spitzer ....

We have ...

"'Steamroller' Spitzer has widespread support"

Business First of Buffalo - 3:01 PM EST Tuesday, February 13, 2007

New York State voters highly approve of the methods of Gov. Eliot Spitzer as he publicly challenges members of the state Legislature.

A poll released Tuesday by Quinnipiac University said 61 percent of voters surveyed agreed with the new governor's "Steamroller Style" while just 11 percent disagreed.

The high level of support crossed party lines with Democrats approving by 63 - 24 percent and Republicans by a 59 - 30 percent margin.

Also, men like Spitzer's tactics 64 - 23 percent, while women approve 57 - 25 percent.

"Flatten 'em, Gov!"

"New Yorkers agree with Gov. Eliot Spitzer that he's some kind of a steamroller - and they like it," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute of Connecticut.

The dispute between Spitzer and state representatives heightened in the past week when the Democrat-led Assembly brushed off the governor's choices for state comptroller.

The legislative body picked one of its own -- Thomas DiNapoli of Long Island-- to take over the comptroller's office left vacant by the resignation of convicted felon Alan Hevesi.

"When the steamroller ran out of gas -- legislators thumbing their noses at Spitzer and picking a controller he didn't want -- more New Yorkers sided with the governor."

"They thought the Legislature broke its word."

"But many voters don't seem to be following the controversy," Carroll said.

The poll noted voters disapprove of the job the state Legislature is doing by 48 - 31 percent.

The leaders of the respective legislative bodies are also looked upon unfavorably.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, gets a negative 28 - 37 percent score, while Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a Republican, gets a negative 25 - 39 percent rating.

The poll said it is among the lowest ratings for the two longtime leaders.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories...html?from_rss=1

[Livyjr]

Posted: Tuesday, 13 February 2007 11:02AM

"Poll: New Yorkers Like Spitzer 'Steamroller'"

ALBANY, NY (AP) -- Most New York voters like the notion of Gov. Eliot Spitzer as a self-described "steamroller'' when it comes to reforming government, a poll reported Tuesday.

Sixty-one percent of voters surveyed statewide by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute said they thought it was a good thing when told that Democrat Spitzer had called himself a steamroller who would roll over his opposition in his battle to change state government.

State Assembly Republican Minority Leader James Tedisco of Schenectady said recently that Spitzer made the comment to him in a heated telephone conversation.

Spitzer did not deny that account.

"Executive pugnacity gets high marks in all geographical areas,'' said Maurice Carroll, director of the Hamden, Conn.-based polling institute.

The poll comes as the new governor continues his battle with the Legislature over its election last week of state Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli as state comptroller.

In electing DiNapoli, lawmakers ignored the recommendations of a Spitzer-championed panel of former comptrollers - agreed to by legislative leaders - who had recommended choosing the new comptroller from a list of three candidates, none of them state lawmakers.

Thirty-five percent of those polled said they felt lawmakers had broken their word by selecting one of their own to replace Democrat Alan Hevesi as comptroller while 18 percent said the choice of DiNapoli was a legitimate exercise of legislative power.

Forty-eight percent of voters said they didn't know enough about the situation to have an opinion.

In fact, when voters were asked if they knew about the agreement between Spitzer and the legislative leaders about how to select a new comptroller, 62 percent said they weren't aware of the deal.

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.

Hevesi resigned from the comptroller's job in December after pleading guilty to a felony for using state employees as drivers and companions for his wife.

Spitzer has said DiNapoli is not qualified to be comptroller and legislative leaders showed a "stunning lack of integrity'' in selecting him.

Since the election of DiNapoli last week, Spitzer has been making stops across the state to promote his $120.6 billion state budget plan, and in the process has been attacking fellow Democrats who are members of the Assembly for backing DiNapoli.

While state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, has tried to calm the political waters, state Senate Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who sided with Silver to elect DiNapoli as comptroller, has taken Spitzer to task for his harsh comments about lawmakers.

"People who dictate, people who are tyrannical, they don't get results,'' Bruno said on Monday.

On Tuesday, Bruno planned to unveil a proposal to amend the state constitution and change state law to permit special statewide elections to fill vacancies for state comptroller or state attorney general.

The power to fill those posts now rests with the Legislature.

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

[Livyjr]

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 ....

"Spitzer, Legislature battle calms"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press
Last updated: 9:42 a.m., Sunday, February 18, 2007

ALBANY -- It was quite a couple weeks for Gov. Suozzi -- er, Spitzer.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer has apparently concluded -- for now -- getting in the face of the Legislature and individual lawmakers he sees as blocking reform of Albany's notorious status quo.

Over two weeks, the new governor took his fight to the home districts of lawmakers, often holding press conferences in the living rooms of New Yorkers who, a poll showed this week, overwhelmingly support his assault on the Legislature.

The effort hasn't been seen since, well, one of the guys Spitzer beat to become governor.

That would be Democrat Tom Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, who two years ago helped topple two incumbent state lawmakers -- one from his own party -- who he said helped block reform in Albany that was overtaxing residents.

Suozzi threatened to do the same as governor, until he was soundly defeated by Spitzer in the September primary.

"The Legislature says, 'We chose Spitzer and we got Suozzi,'" said Gerald Benjamin, a political scientist at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

"Nobody anticipated these events."

"Albany just sucks the life out of you, it's a quagmire," said Doug Muzzio, a politics professor at Baruch College, who also made the Suozzi comparison.

"So he may be right."

"You may have to be a steamroller."

Both, however, were critical of Spitzer's harsh rhetoric, including saying Assemblyman William Magnarelli of Syracuse, a fellow Democrat, "just raises his hand when he's told to and didn't ever stand up and say, 'Who's interest am I representing?'"

Spitzer won his historic share of the vote in November against Republican John Faso -- who also targeted the Legislature -- by campaigning as a reformer.

But Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and even Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno had said they looked forward to working with Spitzer on his plans to enact reform, revive the upstate economy, cut property taxes and better fund education while cutting health care waste.

"I told Eliot during the campaign, 80 percent of the people who are cheering for you may not be ready for the way you do it," said Lt. Gov. David Paterson, Spitzer's running mate.

The result was two weeks of unparalleled feuding and name-calling between the new governor and the entrenched leaders of the Assembly and Senate he hopes to shake up.

"I'm not going to worry about challenging those rules of etiquette when I think the public's interest demands it," Spitzer said.

"I look forward to doing it."

Ostensibly, the flash point was an agreement between Spitzer, Bruno and Silver to create an expert panel to name finalists for a new state comptroller, filling the vacancy of Alan Hevesi who resigned in an ethical scandal.

The Legislature -- which had the sole constitutional power to fill the vacancy -- was to pick from among the finalists.

It didn't.

Both sides blamed each other for ethical breaches.

But that conflict was fueled by Spitzer's effort in a special election he forced that reduced further the Republican majority in the Senate.

It was also linked to a lack of agreement on some Spitzer priorities, including campaign finance reform that would strike at the heart of Albany's political class.

"I'm impressed."

"He's not afraid to go out and call it like he sees it," said Brian Casey, a 59-year-old retired cop and a Republican from the Albany suburb of Colonie.

On Tuesday, his son's house was the latest stop in Spitzer's tour to sell his budget and criticize recalcitrant lawmakers in their home districts.

"I would think that's one of the reasons he's in office -- he listened to the people," Casey said.

Editorials, letters to the editor and Tuesday's Quinnipiac University poll backed him up.

"It was personal and that was a grave mistake," said Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, a Westchester Democrat.

He was one of the leading candidates for comptroller that the Spitzer-backed expert panel didn't recommend.

He said Spitzer went too far when he said lawmakers who chose a popular assemblyman for comptroller were not only wrong, but sheep.

"This is not group therapy," Brodsky said.

"He is entitled to his views, but when he personalizes things or is wrong, we'll say so."

But more important than who won -- both sides argue they did -- the feud, for New Yorkers, appears to mean critical reforms are back on track, if on wobbly wheels.

Bruno even delivered Valentine's Day roses on Wednesday to Spitzer, a day after he called the governor a "bully," and to Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon.

Talks to cut billions of dollars in property taxes and to turn agreements on ethics and budget reforms into laws are progressing.

"He's gotten the attention of a jackass by hitting it with a two- by-four," said Muzzio.

"But I think he needs to step back."

"You don't want to become Gov. Psycho."

Spitzer, Silver and Bruno say it's time to move on.

"A certain amount of reality is setting in," said political science Professor Robert McClure of Syracuse University's Maxwell School.

"They understand a certain amount of give and take, even if unduly harsh, is part of the program and doesn't necessarily sour business.

"However," he added, "I also think most politicians never forget."

end quotes

NOR DO WE CITIZENS UP HERE ....

WHO STAND FOR THE CONSTITUTION ....

AND CONSTITUTIONAL LAW AND ORDER ....

WHO ARE SICK AND TIRED ....

OF WATCHING THIS "STEAMROLLER" SPITZER ....

AND HIS MOB .....

MAKE A MOCKERY OF IT ....

And so ...

[Livyjr]

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

We The People of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our Freedom, in order to secure its blessings, DO ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE III - Legislature

Section 1. The legislative power of this state shall be vested in the senate and assembly.

§ 11. For any speech or debate in either house of the legislature, the members shall not be questioned in any other place.

§ 18. The members of the legislature shall be empowered, upon the presentation to the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly of a petition signed by two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the legislature, to convene the legislature on extraordinary occasions to act upon the subjects enumerated in such petition.

http://www.senate.state.ny.us/lbdcinfo/senconstitution.html

Posted: Tuesday, 13 February 2007 11:02AM

"Poll: New Yorkers Like Spitzer 'Steamroller'"

ALBANY, NY (AP) -- Most New York voters like the notion of Gov. Eliot Spitzer as a self-described "steamroller'' when it comes to reforming government, a poll reported Tuesday.

Sixty-one percent of voters surveyed statewide by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute said they thought it was a good thing when told that Democrat Spitzer had called himself a steamroller who would roll over his opposition in his battle to change state government.

State Assembly Republican Minority Leader James Tedisco of Schenectady said recently that Spitzer made the comment to him in a heated telephone conversation.

Spitzer did not deny that account.

"Executive pugnacity gets high marks in all geographical areas,'' said Maurice Carroll, director of the Hamden, Conn.-based polling institute.

Spitzer has said DiNapoli is not qualified to be comptroller and legislative leaders showed a "stunning lack of integrity'' in selecting him.

Since the election of DiNapoli last week, Spitzer has been making stops across the state to promote his $120.6 billion state budget plan, and in the process has been attacking fellow Democrats who are members of the Assembly for backing DiNapoli.

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

AND HERE IS A TASTE ....

OF WHAT HAPPENS ....

IN A CORRUPT EMPIRE ....

WHERE THE CITIZENS THEMSELVES ....

HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT IS OR MEANS ....

AND THEN GET WHIPPED UP ...

INTO A SNARLING FRENZY ....

BY A "CAUDILLO" ....

LIKE "STEAMROLLER" ELIOT SPITZER ....

THE SELF-PROCLAIMED "VOICE OF THE PEOPLE" ....

IN THE CORRUPT EMPIRE OF NEW YORK ....

WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS THIS THREAD IS RUNNING, TO BE TRUTHFUL ....

AS I PERSONALLY DO NOT LIKE LIVING IN A STATE OF "WAR" ....

HERE IN MY OWN HOME STATE .....

A WAR CAUSED BY EXPLOITATION OF IGNORANCE ....

BY "CAUDILLOS" LIKE "STEAMROLLER" ELIOT SPITZER ...

And so ....

"Letter threatens new comptroller - Police probe message that also mentioned Assembly Speaker Silver"

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Wednesday, February 14, 2007

ALBANY -- Less than a week after taking office, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on Tuesday received a threatening letter that named both him and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, spokesmen for DiNapoli and State Police said.

A comptroller's office employee who opened the envelope discovered a white powder and immediately informed a supervisor, comptroller spokesman Dan Weiller said.

The supervisor called police just after 9 a.m.

A transcript of the note referred to DiNapoli's election by the Legislature, rather than by the public.

"You weren't elected by the people," it said.

"I see you walking by the capitol."

"Forgive me, I'm so depressed."

"I'm going to give you the Huey Long treatment."

"Do you know who he was?"

"I was a marksman in the army."

"Two shots that's all."

"Please forgive me -- I'm so depressed."

"Silver has got to go too."

The threat comes during a political battle between Gov. Spitzer and lawmakers over the Legislature's election last week of DiNapoli, an assemblyman, as comptroller.

Yellow journalism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hearst placed his newspapers at the service of the Democrats during the 1900 presidential election.

He later campaigned for his party's presidential nomination, but lost much of his personal prestige when columnist Ambrose Bierce and editor Arthur Brisbane published separate columns months apart that called for the assassination of McKinley.

When McKinley was shot on September 6, 1901, the Republican press went livid, accusing Hearst of driving Leon Czolgosz to the deed.

Hearst did not know of Bierce's column and claimed to have pulled Brisbane's after it ran in a first edition, but the incident would haunt him for the rest of his life and all but destroyed his presidential ambitions.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism"

From pp.368,369 of I ROSE LIKE A ROCKET - The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt by Paul Grondahl ......

ROOSEVELT ISSUED A CALL TO BATTLE AGAINST ANARCHY, THE AUTHORS OF ITS NIHILISTIC TRACTS, AND THOSE WHO SUPPORTED THE PHILOSOPHY OF LAWLESSNESS.

"WE SHOULD WAR WITH RELENTLESS EFFICIENCY NOT ONLY AGAINST ANARCHISTS, BUT AGAINST ALL ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SYMPATHIZERS WITH ANARCHISTS."

"MOREOVER, EVERY SCOUNDREL LIKE HEARST AND HIS SATELLITES WHO FOR WHATEVER PURPOSES APPEALS TO AND INFLAMES EVIL HUMAN PASSION, HAS MADE HIMSELF ACCESSORY BEFORE THE FACT TO EVERY CRIME OF THIS NATURE, AND EVERY SOFT FOOL WHO EXTENDS A MAUDLIN SYMPATHY HAS DONE LIKEWISE."

Roosevelt was alluding to Hearst's newspapers' relentless attacks on President McKinley's policies and on the politician personally.

HEARST'S JOURNAL REACHED A NADIR IN ITS BARRAGE AGAINST MCKINLEY IN APRIL 1901, SHORTLY BEFORE MCKINLEY'S SECOND INAUGURATION, BY EDITORIALIZING IN FAVOR OF POLITICAL ASSASSINATION.

"IF BAD INSTITUTIONS AND BAD MEN CAN BE GOT RID OF ONLY BY KILLING, THEN THE KILLING MUST BE DONE."

The scorn heaped upon Hearst was swift and overwhelming from Republican-affiliated newspapers, which blamed the publisher's editorials for spurring the assassin to pull the trigger against the president.

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 and informative 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 ....

In the presence of Albany, New York Times Union STAFF WRITER JAMES ODATO .....

FOR PLACING THE LIFE OF NEWLY-ELECTED NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER THOMAS DINAPOLI IN JEOPARDY .....

BY MAKING A BLATANT MEDIA APPEAL TO WHAT DR. CHARTOCK REFERRED TO .....

IN MY RECOLLECTION OR PARAPHRASE OF IT, ANYWAY ....

AS DANGEROUS AND UNSTABLE FRINGE ELEMENTS ...

IN MODERN SOCIETY ....

WHO CAN BE EASILY INCITED .....

BY A DEMAGOGUE ....

LIKE "STEAMROLLER" SPITZER .....

TO DO HARM ....

TO AN INDIVIDUAL LIKE THOMAS DINAPOLI ....

"STEAMROLLER" Spitzer as a MODERN-DAY WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST .....

SEEKING OUT HIS OWN MODERN-DAY LEON CZOLGOSZ ....

TO DO PHYSICAL HARM ....

TO THOMAS DINAPOLI ....

Or so I heard the message, anyway ....

AND RIGHTFULLY THIS DR. ALAN CHARTOCK SHOULD HAVE DONE .......

Taken Eliot Spitzer to task ....

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 ....

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

IN VIOLATION OF OUR CONSTITUTION ....

BY THE "STEAMROLLER" ....

And so ....

I don't know .....

How they do things .....

Down there in the State of Connecticut ....

Where this Mr. Maurice Carroll comes from .....

The same Maurice Carroll .....

Who is director .....

Of the Hamden, Conn.-based Quinnipiac University polling institute .....

IN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT ....

Which recently did a POLL ....

Allegedly for the SPITZER CAMP .....

WHICH QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL .....

FROM THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT .....

ALLEGEDLY SHOWED ....

THAT SOME SIXTY PERCENT OF ALLEGED NEW YORKERS ....

LIKE THE FACT OF NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR .....

BEING A "STEAMROLLER" .....

TO CRUSH ANY OPPOSITION TO SPITZER'S AGENDA ....

IN THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE ....

DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION .....

MAKES NO SUCH PROVISION .....

FOR ELIOT SPITZER AS GOVERNOR TO DO SO .....

WHICH IS TO SAY ....

ACCORDING TO THIS MAURICE CARROLL

SOME SIXTY PERCENT OF ALLEGED NEW YORKERS .....

ARE IN FAVOR OF ELIOT SPITZER .....

ACTING IN VIOLATION OF HIS OATH TO UPHOLD THE NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....

WHICH IS TO SAY ....

ACCORDING TO THIS QUINNIPIAC POLL COMMISSIONED BY THE SPITZER CAMP ....

SOME SIXTY PERCENT OF ALLEGED NEW YORKERS ....

ARE IN FAVOR OF NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR ELIOT SPITZER ....

FAILING TO SEE THAT THE LAWS OF THE STATE ....

STARTING WITH OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....

ARE FAITHFULLY UPHELD .....

WHICH CONSTITUTES AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL ....

AND THEREFORE .....

AN IMPERMISSABLE BREACH ....

OF THE PUBLIC'S PEACE IN THE STATE ....

By ELIOT SPITZER ......

IN VIOLATION OF HIS OATH OF OFFICE HERE IN NEW YORK STATE ....

And so ....

I have been conducting my own POLL up here .....

AND I FIND .....

THAT TEN OUT OF TEN NEW YORK STATE CITIZENS THAT I HAVE POLLED ....

ARE FIRMLY AGAINST NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR ELIOT SPITZER .....

ACTING IN CONTEMPT OF THE PROVISIONS OF OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....

BY INTERFERING IN THE ACTIVITIES .....

OF OUR NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE .....

BY TRYING TO "STEAMROLL" .....

THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE .....

AS IF HE WERE A ROYAL GOVERNOR ....

AND THIS A COLONIAL ASSEMBLY ....

THAT HE COULD PROROGUE .....

AND DICTATE TO ....

WHICH HE CANNOT ....

ACCORDING TO OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....

WHICH IS NOT SET ASIDE ....

BY MOBS ....

AND QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLLS .....

And so ....

With respect to this following statement from the DIRECTOR of the QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLLING INSTITUTE ....

"Executive pugnacity gets high marks in all geographical areas,'' said Maurice Carroll, director of the Hamden, Conn.-based polling institute.

MY INFORMATION .....

IS THAT HE IS DEAD WRONG .....

UP HERE IN UPSTATE NEW YORK .....

OUTSIDE OF CONNECTICUT AND NEW YORK CITY .....

THIS EXECUTIVE PUGNACITY OF ELIOT SPITZER'S .....

THAT PUT THE LIFE AND INDEPENDENCE OF NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER THOMAS DINAPOLI IN JEOPARDY .....

IS QUITE ILL-THOUGHT-OF .....

AND IS DEEMED TO BE GROUNDS .....

FOR A TRIAL ACCORDING TO OUR CONSTITUTION ....

AS TO MR. SPITZER'S CONTINUED FITNESS ....

TO SERVE IN OFFICE ....

AFTER ACTING INTENTIONALLY ....

TO PLACE THE LIFE ....

OF ANOTHER ELECTED OFFICIAL IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....

IN JEOPARDY ....

BECAUSE THAT ELECTED OFFICIAL WAS SOMEONE OTHER THAN WHO ELIOT SPITZER WANTED IT TO BE ....

AS IF SOME QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL .....

AND THE MOBS INCITED BY IT ...

GAVE ELIOT SPITZER SOME RIGHT ....

TO DICTATE TO OUR NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE .....

WHO IT SHOULD REWARD HIM WITH .....

TO SERVE IN THIS OR THAT ELECTIVE OFFICE ....

HERE IN NEW YORK STATE ....

WHICH IS NOT CONNECTICUT ....

And so ....

[Livyjr]

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

We The People of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our Freedom, in order to secure its blessings, DO ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE III - Legislature

Section 1. The legislative power of this state shall be vested in the senate and assembly.

§ 11. For any speech or debate in either house of the legislature, the members shall not be questioned in any other place.

http://www.senate.state.ny.us/lbdcinfo/senconstitution.html

Posted: Tuesday, 13 February 2007 11:02AM

"Poll: New Yorkers Like Spitzer 'Steamroller'"

ALBANY, NY (AP) -- Most New York voters like the notion of Gov. Eliot Spitzer as a self-described "steamroller'' when it comes to reforming government, a poll reported Tuesday.

Sixty-one percent of voters surveyed statewide by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute said they thought it was a good thing when told that Democrat Spitzer had called himself a steamroller who would roll over his opposition in his battle to change state government.

"Executive pugnacity gets high marks in all geographical areas,'' said Maurice Carroll, director of the Hamden, Conn.-based polling institute.

The poll comes as the new governor continues his battle with the Legislature over its election last week of state Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli as state comptroller.

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.

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

"Spitzer, Legislature battle calms"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press
Last updated: 9:42 a.m., Sunday, February 18, 2007

ALBANY -- The result was two weeks of unparalleled feuding and name-calling between the new governor and the entrenched leaders of the Assembly and Senate he hopes to shake up.

"I'm not going to worry about challenging those rules of etiquette when I think the public's interest demands it," Spitzer said.

"I look forward to doing it."

Editorials, letters to the editor and Tuesday's Quinnipiac University poll backed him up.

From pp.189-191 of I ROSE LIKE A ROCKET - The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt by Paul Grondahl ......

In New York State, the SPOILS SYSTEM dated back to the ALBANY REGENCY in the early decades of the nineteenth century.

THE POWERFUL ALBANY REGENCY, CONSIDERED THE COUNTRY'S ORIGINAL POLITICAL MACHINE, COUNTED PRESIDENT MARTIN VAN BUREN, OF KINDERHOOK, NEW YORK, AND NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD FOUNDER ERASTUS CORNING, OF ALBANY, AMONG ITS MEMBERS.

THE SUCCESSFUL ALBANY TEMPLATE WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE NATION'S CAPITAL BY PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON FOR HIS FEDERAL APPOINTMENTS.

The SPOILS SYSTEM was called by a former Civil Service commissioner "AN INEVITABLE PRODUCT OF THE UNION OF DISCRETIONARY APPOINTMENTS WITH PARTY GOVERNMENT .....WITH ELECTIONS LARELY CONTROLLED BY PERSONAL AND VENAL MOTIVES."

(TEDDY) ROOSEVELT'S GOAL (as a newly-appointed member of the Federal Civil Service Commission in the administration of President Benjamin Harrison in 1889) WAS TO DESTROY THE SPOILS SYSTEM WITH AN AGGRESSIVE AND RELENTLESS ATTACK.

IT PREVENTS "DECENT MEN" FROM TAKING PART IN POLITICS AND "DEGENERATES INTO A MERE CORRUPT SCRAMBLE FOR PLUNDER."

*******************

Just one month after taking office, Roosevelt took the lead in issuing a scathing report that concluded that civil service examinations were characterized by great laxity, negligence, and fraud; that members of the Civil Service Board ridiculed the act they were supposed to enforce; that one of the employees of the commission should be removed and prosecuted for criminal violation of the law after cheating to get the job.

*******************

ROOSEVELT ROOTED OUT SCORES OF NEWSPAPER EDITORS WHO HAD BEEN PUT ON THE GOVERNMENT PAYROLL FOR SUPPORTING HARRISON'S CAMPAIGN WITH FAVORABLE EDITORIALS AND POSITIVE COVERAGE.

[Livyjr]

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 and informative 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 ....

In the presence of Albany, New York Times Union STAFF WRITER JAMES ODATO .....

FOR USING THE MEDIA UP HERE ....

TO PLACE THE LIFE OF NEWLY-ELECTED NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER THOMAS DINAPOLI IN JEOPARDY .....

BY MAKING A BLATANT MEDIA APPEAL TO WHAT DR. CHARTOCK REFERRED TO .....

IN MY RECOLLECTION OR PARAPHRASE OF IT, ANYWAY ....

AS DANGEROUS AND UNSTABLE FRINGE ELEMENTS ...

IN MODERN SOCIETY ....

WHO CAN BE EASILY INCITED .....

BY A DEMAGOGUE ....

LIKE "STEAMROLLER" SPITZER .....

TO DO HARM ....

TO AN INDIVIDUAL LIKE THOMAS DINAPOLI ....

"STEAMROLLER" Spitzer as a MODERN-DAY WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST .....

SEEKING OUT HIS OWN MODERN-DAY LEON CZOLGOSZ ....

TO DO PHYSICAL HARM ....

TO THOMAS DINAPOLI ....

Or so I heard the message, anyway ....

AND RIGHTFULLY THIS DR. ALAN CHARTOCK SHOULD HAVE DONE .......

Taken Eliot Spitzer to task ....

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 ....

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

IN VIOLATION OF OUR CONSTITUTION ....

BY THE "STEAMROLLER" ....

And so ....

AND HERE IS A TASTE ....

OF WHAT HAPPENS ....

WHEN FRINGE ELEMENTS OF SOCIETY ....

GET WHIPPED UP ...

INTO A SNARLING FRENZY ....

BY A "CAUDILLO" ....

LIKE "STEAMROLLER" ELIOT SPITZER ....

THE SELF-PROCLAIMED "VOICE OF THE PEOPLE" ....

IN THE CORRUPT EMPIRE OF NEW YORK ....

And so ....

"Letter threatens new comptroller - Police probe message that also mentioned Assembly Speaker Silver"

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Wednesday, February 14, 2007

ALBANY -- Less than a week after taking office, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on Tuesday received a threatening letter that named both him and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, spokesmen for DiNapoli and State Police said.

A comptroller's office employee who opened the envelope discovered a white powder and immediately informed a supervisor, comptroller spokesman Dan Weiller said.

The supervisor called police just after 9 a.m.

A transcript of the note referred to DiNapoli's election by the Legislature, rather than by the public.

"You weren't elected by the people," it said.

"I see you walking by the capitol."

"Forgive me, I'm so depressed."

"I'm going to give you the Huey Long treatment."

"Do you know who he was?"

"I was a marksman in the army."

"Two shots that's all."

"Please forgive me -- I'm so depressed."

"Silver has got to go too."

The threat comes during a political battle between Gov. Spitzer and lawmakers over the Legislature's election last week of DiNapoli, an assemblyman, as comptroller.

And while we are on the subject raised this past Sunday morning ...

By the eminent POLITICAL SCIENTIST ....

Dr. Alan Chartock ....

CONCERNING MEMBERS ....

OF THE FRINGE ELEMENTS OF SOCIETY ...

WHO CAN BE INCITED ....

BY DEMAGOGUES .......

LIKE ELIOT "STEAMROLLER" SPITZER ....

TO DO VIOLENCE ....

TO A DULY ELECTED PUBLIC OFFICIAL IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....

SUCH AS COMPTROLLER THOMAS DINAPOLI ....

Let us return ....

To the pages ....

Of I ROSE LIKE A ROCKET - The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt by Paul Grondahl ......

For a further example ....

Of what the eminent Dr. Chartock was referring to ....

When he issued this warning to this James Odato of the Albany, New York Times Union ....

And "STEAMROLLER" SPITZER ....

ABOUT THE FORCES OUT THERE IN SOCIETY ....

WHICH "STEAMROLLER" SPITZER ....

WAS SEEKING TO PROVOKE ....

AGAINST THOMAS DINAPOLI ....

THROUGH EDITORIALS, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND A QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL ...

Where we have ....

From pp.187-88 of I ROSE LIKE A ROCKET - The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt by Paul Grondahl ......

(Teddy) Roosevelt's job was to uphold the Civil Service Act, established by the Pendleton Act of 1883.

It had been a long time coming and resonated strongly with President Harrison.

His grandfather, President William Henry Harrison, the first WHIG elected to the presidency, had been inaugurated on March 4, 1841.

IN HIS INAUGURAL ADDRESS, GIVEN ON A COLD, WINDY MARCH DAY, HE VOWED NOT TO EMPLOY PATRONAGE TO ENHANCE HIS AUTHORITY.

Exactly one month later, exhausted by the intense and insatiable demands of a flood of office seekers and a grueling social schedule, afflicted by pneumonia possibly caught at the inauguration, on April 4, 1841, he became the first president to die in office.

THE PENDLETON ACT WAS MUCH MORE IMMEDIATELY TRIGGERED BY ANOTHER PRESIDENTIAL DEATH, THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JAMES A. GARFIELD IN 1881 BY A DISGRUNTLED JOB SEEKER, CHARLES J. GUITEAU.

GUITEAU WAS A FAILED UTOPIAN IN THE ONEIDA COLONY, A LAWYER, AND A RELIGIOUS JOURNALIST WHO HANDED OUT AROUND REPUBLICAN HEADQUARTERS IN 1880 PRIVATELY PRINTED COPIES OF A DERANGED SPEECH IN WHICH HE CLAIMED TO BE ENTITLED TO A DIPLOMATIC POST AFTER GARFIELD'S VICTORY.

REBUFFED REPEATEDLY BY THE WHITE HOUSE AND STATE DEPARTMENT DURING CONTENTIOUS FIGHTS FOR POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS IN THE ADMINISTRATION, GUITEAU RECEIVED WHAT HE BELIEVED WAS A MESSAGE FROM GOD THAT THE NEW PRESIDENT MUST BE ELIMINATED IN ORDER TO RESCUE THE FAILING REPUBLIC.

GUITEAU SHOT GARFIELD IN THE BACK AT POINT-BLANK RANGE IN THE BALTIMORE AND POTOMAC RAILROAD STATION WITH A .44-CALIBER IVORY-HANDLED REVOLVER.

"I AM A STALWART," THE ASSASSIN SAID UPON HIS ARREST.

'ARTHUR IS NOW PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES."

[Livyjr]

And as the HEARST CORPORATION'S Albany, New York Times Union keeps up with its efforts ....

To whip up ...

A MOB FRENZY ....

Against the members of the New York State Legislature ....

Who would not act as RUBBER-STAMPS ....

For the CAUDILLO ....

Eliot "STEAMROLLER" Spitzer .....

By REWARDING the CAUDILLO ....

In violation of the provisions of OUR New York State Constitution ....

With his hand-picked successor ....

To Comptroller Alan Hevesi .....

We have ...

"Voters, put a Republican in DiNapoli's old seat"

Letters to the Editor, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, February 20, 2007

I was totally dismayed by the actions of the state Legislature in the replacement of Alan Hevesi with Thomas DiNapoli.

The true heroes are the legislators who had the courage to vote contrary to their party's line.

I expect they now have offices in broom closets in Oswego.

Perhaps there is only one action that has a slim hope of driving the desire for reform through to the Legislature: Mr. DiNapoli's Assembly seat needs to be filled by someone with a Republican label.

It's up to the voters in his Long Island district to help convince the Old Guard that we want a change in the way the New York government operates.

Hopefully, they can put the desire for reform ahead of any historic party loyalty and give the Legislature an object lesson.

JIM A.

Schenectady

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...sdate=2/20/2007

[Livyjr]

And as the HEARST CORPORATION'S Albany, New York Times Union keeps up with its efforts ....

To whip up ...

A MOB FRENZY ....

Against the members of the New York State Legislature ....

Who would not act as RUBBER-STAMPS ....

For the CAUDILLO ....

Eliot "STEAMROLLER" Spitzer .....

By REWARDING the CAUDILLO ....

In violation of the provisions of OUR New York State Constitution ....

With his hand-picked successor ....

To Comptroller Alan Hevesi .....

We have ...

"Assemblyman reneged on promises to voters"

Letters to the Editor, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, February 20, 2007

I was certainly not surprised by the state Legislature's appointment of Thomas DiNapoli as comptroller, but I am disappointed in my assemblyman, Tim Gordon.

I contacted Mr. Gordon before the vote to urge him to vote for a qualified candidate.

I was hopeful that Mr. Gordon, who ran as an independent, might live up to his campaign promises, which included reforming government to "bring more accountability" and standing up for what he believes in.

He also promised to "work with Eliot Spitzer from Day One to reform state government."

Mr. Gordon is not off to a good start.

He has quickly become part of the problem he was promising to reform.

Disappointing, but not surprising.

JAMES M.

Troy

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...sdate=2/20/2007

[Livyjr]

And by way of some official history, here .....

From the Archives of the State of New York ....

On who the governor of the State of New York is really supposed to be .....

According to OUR New York State Constitution ...

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Office of Governor

Current Functions.

The governor, as chief executive officer of the State, is responsible for ensuring that the laws of the State are carried out.

Organizational History.

New York's constitution of 1777 created the office of governor "to take care that the laws are faithfully executed" and "to transact all necessary business with the officers of government."

The governor was required to report on the condition of the State at each legislative session, could convene the legislature in special session, prorogue it, and recommend matters for legislative consideration.

Executive power was restricted by means of a system of checks and balances, including the legislature, a Council of Appointment, and a Council of Revision.

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

We The People of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our Freedom, in order to secure its blessings, DO ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE III - Legislature

Section 1. The legislative power of this state shall be vested in the senate and assembly.

§ 9. A majority of each house shall constitute a quorum to do business.

Each house shall determine the rules of its own proceedings, and be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members; shall choose its own officers; and the senate shall choose a temporary president and the assembly shall choose a speaker.

§ 11. For any speech or debate in either house of the legislature, the members shall not be questioned in any other place.

§ 13. The enacting clause of all bills shall be "The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows," and no law shall be enacted except by bill.

§ 14. No bill shall be passed or become a law unless it shall have been printed and upon the desks of the members, in its final form, at least three calendar legislative days prior to its final passage, unless the governor, or the acting governor, shall have certified, under his or her hand and the seal of the state, the facts which in his or her opinion necessitate an immediate vote thereon, in which case it must nevertheless be upon the desks of the members in final form, not necessarily printed, before its final passage; nor shall any bill be passed or become a law, except by the assent of a majority of the members elected to each branch of the legislature; and upon the last reading of a bill, no amendment thereof shall be allowed, and the question upon its final passage shall be taken immediately thereafter, and the ayes and nays entered on the journal.

§ 18. The members of the legislature shall be empowered, upon the presentation to the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly of a petition signed by two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the legislature, to convene the legislature on extraordinary occasions to act upon the subjects enumerated in such petition.

http://www.senate.state.ny.us/lbdcinfo/senconstitution.html

And while we are on the subject raised this past Sunday morning ...

By the eminent POLITICAL SCIENTIST ....

Dr. Alan Chartock ....

CONCERNING MEMBERS ....

OF THE FRINGE ELEMENTS OF SOCIETY ...

WHO CAN BE INCITED ....

BY DEMAGOGUES .......

LIKE ELIOT "STEAMROLLER" SPITZER ....

TO DO VIOLENCE ....

TO A DULY ELECTED PUBLIC OFFICIAL IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....

SUCH AS COMPTROLLER THOMAS DINAPOLI ....

"Did voters really expect change from members of the state Legislature?"

Letters to the Editor, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, February 20, 2007

I must respond to your two editorials of Feb. 9.

In "Regrets? We have a few," the Times Union's feigned naivete is incredibly unbelievable.

You must share the blame for what has happened.

What did you expect?

You have observed Sheldon Silver long enough to experience the ruthless control he exerts over his legislators.

You also know that his governance and largess do not extend to anything that he can't control.

Hooray for Eliot Spitzer for pointing out to the voters what actually happens when they send a "reform" Democrat to the Assembly to represent them.

In your editorial, "The true reformers," it was admirable for you to list the legislators who did not vote for Thomas DiNapoli.

I wonder why you did not list the local legislators who did?

Could it be because the Times Union would have been embarrassed to find that the list contained most of the candidates it endorsed in the last election?

Locally, the question must be asked: Where was the reform representation and independence of those darlings of the left and the liberal press, Assemblymen Tim Gordon and Bob Reilly?

They campaigned so virtuously on the obvious myth that they would be a voice for change in Albany.

And both were glowingly endorsed by your newspaper.

They were, of course, found among nearly all the other Democrats -- in Sheldon Silver's pocket.

Some voice for change.

I fervently hope that both the voters in those Assembly districts and the Times Union editorial board will remember their names and their actions come re-election time.

FRED B. H.

Albany

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...sdate=2/20/2007

[Livyjr]

"Spitzer's Senate choice wins - Victory in Nassau County for governor's handpicked candidate is a blow to Bruno"

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

First published: Wednesday, February 7, 2007

ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer's handpicked candidate appeared to have won a tight Long Island special election Tuesday that could affect the balance of power in the Republican-controlled state Senate and enhance the new governor's political clout.

Spitzer is at war with the Assembly Democratic majority over selecting a replacement for former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who resigned in December after pleading guilty to a felony charge of defrauding the government after using state employees as aides to his wife.

The Assembly Democrats are poised to defy Spitzer's wishes today by rejecting three comptroller candidates selected by a screening panel and making one of their own members the state's top auditor.

"There could be no more fundamental dichotomy than the clear voice of the public calling out for reform and the failure of certain leaders to heed that call," Spitzer said Tuesday night.

"I am here as the voice of the people...and my patience with leaders who fail to heed that call has run its course."

Asked whether he meant that there would be repercussions for the Assembly Democrats if they go ahead with their comptroller plans, Spitzer said he had just been "making an observation."

"Spitzer, Legislature battle calms"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press
Last updated: 9:42 a.m., Sunday, February 18, 2007

ALBANY -- Editorials, letters to the editor and Tuesday's Quinnipiac University poll backed him up.

"Spitzer, Legislature battle calms"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press
Last updated: 9:42 a.m., Sunday, February 18, 2007

ALBANY -- "He's gotten the attention of a jackass by hitting it with a two- by-four," said Muzzio.

"But I think he needs to step back."

"You don't want to become Gov. Psycho."

And so ....

I have been conducting my own POLL up here .....

AND I FIND .....

THAT TEN OUT OF TEN NEW YORK STATE CITIZENS THAT I HAVE POLLED ....

ARE FIRMLY AGAINST NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR ELIOT SPITZER .....

ACTING IN CONTEMPT OF THE PROVISIONS OF OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....

BY INTERFERING IN THE ACTIVITIES .....

OF OUR NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE .....

BY TRYING TO "STEAMROLL" .....

THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE .....

AS IF HE WERE A ROYAL GOVERNOR ....

AND THIS A COLONIAL ASSEMBLY ....

THAT HE COULD PROROGUE .....

AND DICTATE TO ....

WHICH HE CANNOT ....

ACCORDING TO OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....

WHICH IS NOT SET ASIDE ....

BY MOBS ....

AND QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLLS .....

And so ....

According to the New York State Constitution .....

The sole qualifications for COMPTROLLER of the State of New York ....

Have to do with residency .....

And minimum age .....

AND THAT IS THAT ....

ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....

HOWEVER ....

We never hear any mention of that ....

In the DIATRIBES ....

And SCREEDS ....

From the EDITORIAL PAGES .....

Of the HEARST CORPORATION'S Albany, New York Times Union ....

Decrying the constitutional right of New York State Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli .....

To be voted in as New York State COMPTROLLER ....

So long as he is over thirty years old ....

And has lived in the State of New York for five years before his election ....

And so ....

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

As Revised, with Amendments Adopted by the Constitutional Convention of 1938 and Approved by vote of the People on November 8, 1938.

As Amended and in Force January 1, 2002, but with November 2003 results included

We The People of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our Freedom, in order to secure its blessings, DO ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE V - Officers and Civil Departments

Section 1. The comptroller and attorney-general shall be chosen at the same general election as the governor and hold office for the same term, and shall possess the qualifications provided in section 2 of article IV.

The legislature shall provide for filling vacancies in the office of comptroller and of attorney-general.

http://www.senate.state.ny.us/lbdcinfo/senconstitution.html

And as the New York City-based HEARST CORPORATION....

CONTINUES TO PREACH ....

THE GOSPIL OF ENVY, HATRED AND UNREST .....

HERE IN THE CORRUPT EMPIRE OF NEW YORK ....

DICTATING to us ....

THE CITZENS OF THIS STATE ....

How OUR government here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of NEW YORK MUST FUNCTION ....

IN ITS VIEW, ANYWAY ....

DESPITE OUR STATE CONSTITUTION ....

We have ....

"In state politics, the hits just keep on coming"

Letters to the Editor, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, February 20, 2007

I read your front-page article Feb. 8 regarding the Legislature's appointment of Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli as the new state comptroller.

It appears that Mr. DiNapoli has no more experience to bring to the job of comptroller than I would.

His only relevant experience is that he works with the men and women who voted him into his new job.

If this is not a new low in state government ethics, I'm not sure what would be.

I wonder why they saw fit to exclude the three qualified candidates suggested by the independent panel.

My only remaining problem is who to be mad at: the Legislature that once again proves it cares nothing for the proper running of the state and its finances, or the people who decided it was a good idea to re-elect Alan Hevesi to begin with.

STUART M.

Voorheesville

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...sdate=2/20/2007

[Livyjr]

And finally ....

A voice of reason ....

"Give DiNapoli chance to prove he's qualified"

Letters to the Editor, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, February 20, 2007

I am disappointed your paper continues to write negative things about our new state comptroller.

Process aside, it is your main job to report the news, not shape it.

I would urge you to spend the next three years observing and reporting on the job that Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli does, and then allow the voters to decide whether he was a qualified candidate for the office.

LORRIE S.

West Sand Lake

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...sdate=2/20/2007

[Livyjr]

EXECUTIVE BRANCH IN NEW YORK STATE GOVERNMENT

Colonial precedents for a governor as executive officer were the director general, who administered New Netherland under the Dutch from 1624 to 1664; and the royal governor, who administered the colony under the British until 1776.

"Give DiNapoli chance to prove he's qualified"

Letters to the Editor, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, February 20, 2007

I am disappointed your paper continues to write negative things about our new state comptroller.

Process aside, it is your main job to report the news, not shape it.

LORRIE S.

West Sand Lake

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...sdate=2/20/2007

"Spitzer prepares to take over after 12 years of Republican rule"

By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 11:02 a.m., Saturday, December 30, 2006

ALBANY -- Calling himself "the new CEO of the state," Eliot Spitzer says he has a "sense of excitement and anticipation" as he prepares to take over as New York's 54th governor on New Year's Day.

That doesn't mean there aren't tough times ahead for the man who gained fame by taking on powerful Wall Street interests as the state's hard-charging attorney general, Spitzer told The Associated Press in a wide-ranging interview on the eve of his elevation to New York's top state government job.

"You don't run for an office like this without preparing yourself for both the enormity of it and the difficulty of it, but that doesn't mean you don't break out in a cold sweat sometimes," the millionaire lawyer from New York City told the AP.

"There's an enormous amount to be done, so we'd better put on our body armor," he said.

"The stakes are big and the battles will be tough."

Spitzer said he believes he can work with Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, but he also says he will reach beyond them to rank-and-file lawmakers to move his agenda.

"All elected officials deserve to be heard," Spitzer said.

While there has been speculation Spitzer's ascendancy could lead to the ouster of Bruno or Silver -- or both -- the governor-elect said he won't assist any overthrows in the short term.

"There is a new CEO of the state and I'm going to run the state with my partners."

Nonetheless, Spitzer made it clear he plans to be the senior partner, saying he would "certainly do what a governor is supposed to do, which is to take the helm and say here are the priorities."

"Spitzer's Senate choice wins - Victory in Nassau County for governor's handpicked candidate is a blow to Bruno"

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

First published: Wednesday, February 7, 2007

ALBANY -- "I am here as the voice of the people...and my patience with leaders who fail to heed that call has run its course."

And by way of some official history, here .....

From the Archives of the State of New York ....

On who the governor of the State of New York is really supposed to be .....

TO COUNTER THIS CRAP ....

BEING DISHED OUT ....

BY THE CAUDILLO ....

ELIOT "THE (obscenities deleted) STEAMROLLER" SPITZER ....

THAT HE IS THE CEO OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....

WHO IS THE "SENIOR PARTNER" ......

AS IF THIS IS A "CORPORATE STATE" UP HERE ....

WITH ELIOT "THE (obscenities deleted) STEAMROLLER" SPITZER ....

AS ITS "DIRECTOR GENERAL" ....

AS OPPOSED TO ITS CONSTITUTIONALLY-DEFINED ....

AND LIMITED .....

GOVERNOR ...

WE HAVE ....

According to OUR New York State Constitution ...

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Office of Governor - Current Functions.

The governor, as chief executive officer of the State, is responsible for ensuring that the laws of the State are carried out.

Organizational History.

New York's constitution of 1777 created the office of governor "to take care that the laws are faithfully executed" and "to transact all necessary business with the officers of government."

The governor was required to report on the condition of the State at each legislative session, could convene the legislature in special session, prorogue it, and recommend matters for legislative consideration.

Executive power was restricted by means of a system of checks and balances, including the legislature, a Council of Appointment, and a Council of Revision.

"Spitzer, Legislature battle calms"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press
Last updated: 9:42 a.m., Sunday, February 18, 2007

ALBANY -- "You don't want to become Gov. Psycho."

"Odds And Ends"

February 20, 2007 at 6:52 pm by Elizabeth Benjamin

Gov. Eliot Spitzer resumes his “Bringing the Budget Home” tour tomorrow in Niagara Falls - home to Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte (a Democrat who voted in favor of making Tom DiNapoli state comptroller) and Sen. George Maziarz (a Republican who sided with Spitzer and voted against DiNapoli).

At this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether Spitzer will have a change of heart and return to bashing members over the head in their respective districts.

DelMonte was on his hit list at the outset …

Stay tuned.

[Livyjr]

"Spitzer responds to opposition like a spoiled kid"

Letters to the Editor, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Wednesday, February 21, 2007

I'll admit it: As the sheriff of Wall Street, Eliot Spitzer won my respect, but now he's going too far.

While "cleaning up Albany" is a laudable goal, it looks more like Spitzer is interested in cleaning up his opposition.

First, let's look at the recent appointment of Tom DiNapoli as comptroller.

Spitzer has decried this incident, complaining the "lawmakers aren't interested in reform."

So, wait, let me get this -- Spitzer is mad because the democratically elected Assembly followed the procedure outlined in the state Constitution over the Spitzer-defined process that would have brought a Spitzer-friendly fiscal watchdog to office.

Being accountable while bringing about reforms?

Spitzer wanted none of that.

Now comes word in the Feb. 12 edition of the Times Union that Spitzer wants to either convert or appoint to administrative posts two Republicans in order to tear down the 33-29 Republican majority that voters elected at the same time they called for the steamroller.

Under Pataki, the Democrat-led Assembly served as a check on the Republicans, but Spitzer will have none of this opposition on his watch; he's a steamroller, after all.

While public opinion seems to favor Spitzer's steamrolling side, a look in between the headlines shows that Spitzer's vision of reform is one in which everyone agrees with him:

They appoint his comptroller, they put his party in the majority and they certainly don't challenge his authority.

Call me old-fashioned, but I'm not a fan of "reforms" that make the Legislature into "bobbleheads for Spitzer."

These "reforms" might be right up there with Stalin's Five-Year Plans, but, last I checked, debates and balances of power were still part of American democracy.

GREGORY Y.

Albany

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...sdate=2/21/2007

[Livyjr]

"'Steamroller' Spitzer has widespread support"

Business First of Buffalo - 3:01 PM EST Tuesday, February 13, 2007

New York State voters highly approve of the methods of Gov. Eliot Spitzer as he publicly challenges members of the state Legislature.

A poll released Tuesday by Quinnipiac University said 61 percent of voters surveyed agreed with the new governor's "Steamroller Style" while just 11 percent disagreed.

"Flatten 'em, Gov!"

"New Yorkers agree with Gov. Eliot Spitzer that he's some kind of a steamroller - and they like it," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute of Connecticut.

The dispute between Spitzer and state representatives heightened in the past week when the Democrat-led Assembly brushed off the governor's choices for state comptroller.

The legislative body picked one of its own -- Thomas DiNapoli of Long Island-- to take over the comptroller's office left vacant by the resignation of convicted felon Alan Hevesi.

"When the steamroller ran out of gas -- legislators thumbing their noses at Spitzer and picking a controller he didn't want -- more New Yorkers sided with the governor."

"They thought the Legislature broke its word."

"But many voters don't seem to be following the controversy," Carroll said.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories...html?from_rss=1

Posted: Tuesday, 13 February 2007 11:02AM

"Poll: New Yorkers Like Spitzer 'Steamroller'"

ALBANY, NY (AP) -- "Executive pugnacity gets high marks in all geographical areas,'' said Maurice Carroll, director of the Hamden, Conn.-based polling institute.

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

"Odds And Ends"

February 20, 2007 at 6:52 pm by Elizabeth Benjamin

Gov. Eliot Spitzer resumes his “Bringing the Budget Home” tour tomorrow in Niagara Falls - home to Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte (a Democrat who voted in favor of making Tom DiNapoli state comptroller) and Sen. George Maziarz (a Republican who sided with Spitzer and voted against DiNapoli).

At this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether Spitzer will have a change of heart and return to bashing members over the head in their respective districts.

DelMonte was on his hit list at the outset …

Stay tuned.

"When governor comes calling, does he listen? - Spitzer's home visits may burnish his image, but they have little impact on policy"

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Thursday, February 15, 2007

How do you get Gov. Eliot Spitzer to come to your house?

You don't call his advisers.

They call you.

For them to be interested, first off, your demographic profile needs to fit the message of the day.

It also helps not to have a vicious pet or a criminal record; yes, the governor's staff checks these kinds of things beforehand.

Snarling dogs or, say, Hells Angels as neighbors don't make for the kind of public relations the governor is looking for in his "Bringing Home the Budget" tour.

Tuesday's visit to the Colonie home of Tom and Jackie Casey and their 4-month-old daughter, Marin, was a case in point.

Tom Casey said a longtime friend, Amanda Vennard, works in state Sen. Neil Breslin's office, and she told him the governor was looking for a young family to visit.

The Caseys, it seems, fit squarely into the category of people who would benefit from the governor's property tax cut.

Tom is a teacher at Colonie Central High School.

Jackie is a hair stylist.

They worry about college savings for Marin.

And they fret about property taxes.

The family lives in a modest brick duplex in an unassuming neighborhood off Central Avenue, and pays about $4,000 a year in property taxes.

The Caseys aren't particularly political: he's a Republican, she's unaffiliated and didn't even vote in the last gubernatorial election.

Tom's dad, Brian, is a retired Colonie police officer and a Republican, too, although he said that label stops at the voting booth.

During Spitzer's visit, the governor exhibited his people skills, chatting amiably with the family about topics such as NASCAR and the robotics club that Tom advises.

The conversation resembled a campaign appearance in Iowa or New Hampshire.

"He's taking a page from presidential politics," said Richard Flanagan, a political science professor at the College of Staten Island, who said home visits were popularized in the Empire State by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer.

Spitzer spokesman Paul Larrabee said there is no set schedule or number of homes the governor plans to visit during his budget tour.

He had considered making a trip to western New York on Wednesday, but the heavy snow put those plans on hold.

It's unlikely that the Caseys or other families Spitzer has visited in Baldwinsville, Endicott and Westchester are having a lot of influence on policy formulation.

The governor relies on his circle of advisors and experts, said Jeff Stonecash, a Syracuse University political science professor.

"Does the governor hear anything that he doesn't know from lengthy analysis?"

"I doubt it," said Stonecash.

But home visits can humanize a politician and could burnish Spitzer's image as a governor who will go to the people in his fight against the status quo, as he calls it.

Also, the upbeat tone of Tuesday's visit may have countered his recent bitter spat with the Legislature over the selection of a new state comptroller.

"Spitzer to be photographed smiling is a good thing these days," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Karlin can be reached at 454-5758 or by e-mail at rkarlin@timesunion.com.

end quotes

"He's taking a page from presidential politics," said Richard Flanagan, a political science professor at the College of Staten Island, who said home visits were popularized in the Empire State by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer .....

And of course he is .....

FROM THE STATE HOUSE ....

TO THE WHITE HOUSE ....

Is the MANTRA ....

Of the Spitzer CAMP .....

And as they proved this last election .....

THEY ARE IN IT ....

AND THEY ARE IN IT TO WIN ....

And so .....

[Livyjr]

Gotham Gazette - http://www.gothamgazette.com/article//20050704/202/1472

"Surrogate's Court And Why It Should Go"

by Gary Tilzer

04 Jul 2005

In 1977, Edward Koch ran for mayor, attacking the Democratic machine.

Soon after his election, though, Koch did what most reform politicians do after defeating a machine: make a deal with it.

Though Koch set up panels to screen candidates for judgeships, presumably based on merit, as time went on, the erstwhile reformers became more and more dependent on contributions and support from the machine politicians and the law firms that benefit from Surrogate patronage.

Since then, Koch himself – along with other prominent politicians, including former Governor Mario Cuomo -- has been the beneficiary of the Surrogate's Court.

Koch, for example, received $77,000 for a guardianship in 2001 and 2002, according to the New York Observer.

"I'm on the list of people who are qualified," Koch told the Observer.

"They're very careful to prevent [the court] from being used as a trough."

Today, every candidate who runs for Surrogate pledges to make "reforms" and end the court's patronage.

Once elected, they do nothing.

This is so widespread that it hardly even counts as irony that a New York Times editorial in 1996 endorsed the now-fired Surrogate Feinberg with the words:

"Justice Feinberg has promised reforms ranging from a panel to screen appointments and recommend changes in how the place is run, down to keeping the office open at lunchtime as a convenience to the public."

http://www.gothamgazette.com/print/1472

"Judge selection method reviewed - U.S. Supreme Court will decide legality of New York nominating system for state judges"

By MICHELE MORGAN BOLTON, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Wednesday, February 21, 2007

ALBANY -- The nation's highest court will decide this fall whether New York's system for nominating state Supreme Court justices is legal.

Until then, a federal court order to replace judicial nominating conventions with open primary elections will likely be delayed.

That means keeping in place for at least another election a convention system that critics say allows political party leaders to unconstitutionally "arrogate to themselves a choice that belongs to the people.''

Delegates to the 80-year-old convention process are publicly elected, but candidates are chosen by Democratic and Republican party bosses in closed-door deals.

The state Constitution is clear that voters, not unelected political leaders, must choose nominees for the Supreme Court bench, said Frederick A.O. Schwarz Jr., senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School, which brought the case, Lopez Torres v. New York State Board of Elections.

Schwarz said he hoped the case will "end forever New York's sham party boss system.''

State Board of Elections spokesman Lee Daghlian said staff attorneys were "stunned'' to hear the case would be heard.

The board plans to quickly petition for a stay that would leave the judicial nomination system as is until the high court rules on the case, Daghlian said.

Earlier this year, Gov. Eliot Spitzer described the convention system as "the last vestige of real patronage in the political party structure,'' and he proposed a constitutional amendment to change the judicial selection process.

But that requires passage by two separately elected state Legislatures and a public referendum, which would take at least until 2009.

The state Assembly and Senate judiciary committees both have held hearings on reform.

Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, D-Brooklyn, has called for screening panels made up of members of nonpartisan organizations to review judicial candidates.

She also proposed a public financing bill.

Sen. John A. DeFrancisco, a Syracuse Republican, sponsored a bill that would allow for party nominations but also let anyone not selected seek a place on the ballot by petition.

Even if a stay is in place, lawmakers must stay the course for change, DeFrancisco said:

"It's a closed system that is subject to substantial abuses and closes doors except for the anointed ones.''

Brennan Center statistics show that five of the state's 12 judicial districts including the third, which covers the Capitol Region had 81 authorized seats on the Supreme Court bench, but no minority justices.

On Tuesday, Mark Alcott, the president of the state's 72,000-member bar association, reaffirmed his commitment to merit selection of judges.

"We endorsed that system long before the Lopez Torres case, and it remains the process most likely to produce a qualified, independent, diverse judiciary,'' he said.

Judicial selection has been an issue in New York for years, but nothing has been done in the 30 years since the system of selecting Court of Appeals judges was altered, said Luke Bierman.

is a national expert on the judicial process and the Fellow in Government Law and Policy at Albany Law School's Government Law Center.

Even if the high court reverses the decision that nominating conventions are unconstitutional, that doesn't mean it's a good process, he said.

The governor and the state judiciary, with input from business and civic organizations, should consider the next steps, he said.

"These judges are the ones who are deciding custody, taxes and other issues, and we should take a strong interest in what they do, and how they get there,'' Bierman said.

Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at 434-2403 or by e-mail at mbolton@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

From pp.189-191 of I ROSE LIKE A ROCKET - The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt by Paul Grondahl ......

In New York State, the SPOILS SYSTEM dated back to the ALBANY REGENCY in the early decades of the nineteenth century.

THE POWERFUL ALBANY REGENCY, CONSIDERED THE COUNTRY'S ORIGINAL POLITICAL MACHINE, COUNTED PRESIDENT MARTIN VAN BUREN, OF KINDERHOOK, NEW YORK, AND NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD FOUNDER ERASTUS CORNING, OF ALBANY, AMONG ITS MEMBERS.

THE SUCCESSFUL ALBANY TEMPLATE WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE NATION'S CAPITAL BY PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON FOR HIS FEDERAL APPOINTMENTS.

The SPOILS SYSTEM was called by a former Civil Service commissioner "AN INEVITABLE PRODUCT OF THE UNION OF DISCRETIONARY APPOINTMENTS WITH PARTY GOVERNMENT .....WITH ELECTIONS LARELY CONTROLLED BY PERSONAL AND VENAL MOTIVES."

(TEDDY) ROOSEVELT'S GOAL (as a newly-appointed member of the Federal Civil Service Commission in the administration of President Benjamin Harrison in 1889) WAS TO DESTROY THE SPOILS SYSTEM WITH AN AGGRESSIVE AND RELENTLESS ATTACK.

IT PREVENTS "DECENT MEN" FROM TAKING PART IN POLITICS AND "DEGENERATES INTO A MERE CORRUPT SCRAMBLE FOR PLUNDER."

"Trying to fly under the radar - Contributors find $99 limit to campaign contributions won't always guarantee anonymity"

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Monday, October 16, 2006

ALBANY -- The $99 contribution has long been an open secret in the world of campaign finance.

Candidates don't have to reveal the names of people who give less than $100 to their campaigns, making the $99 gift a way to give while remaining anonymous.

But several dozen supporters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer --state workers who openly acknowledge they gave those contributions specifically to conceal their political leanings -- found it doesn't always work that way.

The story of the Capital Region's $99 contributors is as much about the state capital's political culture and its spoils system as it is about money.

It's a culture with long memories, and one in which political loyalty can trump competence in the workplace.

It also offers a window on a less-publicized side of political fundraising:

Rather than big-name, $1,000-a-plate political donors or well-paid state commissioners and deputies, these $99 contributors include some of the state's faceless bureaucrats, or "worker bees," as one donor, Linda Hunt, described them.

They wanted to show their support for Spitzer, but were well aware they are still working under a Republican governor.

Among the contributors on the list are people who lost high-profile jobs after Pataki took office in 1995.

Spitzer's July financial disclosure lists at least two dozen people, all in the Capital Region, who have made $99 contributions this year.

Most came in February, which they say was during a house party for Spitzer supporters.

While house parties don't necessarily rake in heaps of cash, they're a good way to energize grass-roots organizers who can help get out the vote on Election Day.

Among the 80 party attendees who raised about $8,000 were lawyers, administrators and career civil servants, according to the host.

A number of smaller contributions -- $25, $50 and $75 -- also are included in the disclosure form.

Many of those are from the Capital Region as well.

Spitzer, the current attorney general, has a commanding lead both in the polls and in fundraising over his Republican opponent, John Faso, a former Assembly minority leader.

Faso's July filings contained no $99 contributions.

There's a catch to the anonymity of the $99 contribution: If the same donor gives another contribution of even $1 more, it has to be disclosed.

Spitzer spokeswoman Christine Anderson said that's why the $99 donors were listed.

"Once they go over the $100 threshold, we have to report," she said.

The fact that second-time donors would give $99, rather than another amount, suggests they believed that those contributions would be secret.

Donors contacted by the Times Union expressed surprise, and concern, that their names had been made public.

"People are very sensitive about all of it," said Leslie Knauf, who in the early 1990s was director of business development for the state Thruway Authority but now works for the state's bill drafting operation.

She was among several who attended a house party hosted by Inez Haettenschwiller, a lawyer with the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

Haettenschwiller said she was told that names of those who gave less than $100 would not appear on a contributors list.

"We did have a fear of retaliation, and the people we were targeting for the party were public employees," she said.

Haettenschwiller said her political sympathies were no secret in her job, and she has had no problems because of them.

The reason for the sensitivity is clear, said others.

The Capital Region is home to many people who lost their jobs or went from executive positions to civil service posts after Pataki replaced Democrat Mario Cuomo in 1995.

"They wanted my job," said Paul Rickard, another $99 donor, and former Halfmoon Democratic chairman.

He was removed as a spokesman for the Department of Taxation and Finance soon after Pataki arrived.

Rickard had civil service seniority and was able to get a job at the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

The turnover was particularly rapid at the start of Pataki's administration, Rickard recalled.

He says top officials swept through state agencies seeking to get rid of Democrats who didn't have civil service protection.

"They were fairly vindictive folks, especially when they first came in," said Rickard, adding that the pace slowed over the years.

Now, he said, with Spitzer running far ahead of Faso, "I've had people ask if they can register as Democrats again."

Pataki spokesman Michael Marr said it was "outrageous" to suggest state employees feel they have to worry about retribution because of politics.

"Is there an example of anybody getting in trouble for being a Democrat?" he asked, stressing that he doesn't recall any incidents in which people were targeted for their affiliations.

Still, even some Republicans say fear of political retribution -- by both parties -- runs deep for those who support an individual rather than toe the party line.

"I think that's the case everywhere," said Tom Marcelle, a lawyer who has dealt with election law and who has served as a Republican town board member in Bethlehem.

When he was running in 2001, Marcelle said he got his share of $99 contributions from people who liked him but, because they were Democrats or had ties to the area's Democratic machine, didn't want to publicize that they were supporting a Republican.

Such concerns, Marcelle believes, become magnified in the Capitol, or in statewide races where high-paying appointed jobs and lucrative contracts can be at stake.

"The reality is that the culture in Albany, the political culture, is that we have a rich tradition of retaliation for dissent," said Marcelle.

Rick Karlin can be reached at 454-5758 or by e-mail at rkarlin@timesunion.com.

"GOP fundraiser under investigation - Soares' office probes complaint that Assembly staffers were pressured to attend pricey event"

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

First published: Thursday, February 22, 2007

ALBANY -- Albany County District Attorney David Soares is looking into a complaint that Assembly Republicans pressed staffers to attend a political fundraiser with a ticket price equal to 1 percent of their annual salaries, a source familiar with the probe confirmed.

The investigation, which was first reported Wednesday by the Daily News, was sparked by an anonymous letter from someone who professed to have inside knowledge of the fundraising effort.

The fundraiser was an annual event hosted by the Assembly minority at The RiverFront Bar & Grill, a floating restaurant at Corning Preserve.

The News reported that a printed invitation to the event called for a contribution of $125, but that number was crossed out and one equal to 1 percent of the recipient's salary was written in.

The source familiar with the district attorney's investigation said the probe is in a nascent stage.

Assemblyman Tom Kirwan, R-Newburgh, told the News he had been called by Soares' chief investigator, Chris D'Alessandro, to discuss allegations that the Assembly GOP pressures staffers to make contributions and use personal or vacation time to work on political campaigns.

Bill Sherman, chief of staff for Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, said Tedisco has not been contacted by Soares' office.

While staffers are invited to some fundraising events, their attendance is never mandatory, Sherman said, and they are not required to contribute part of their salary to the GOP political operation or volunteer for campaign work.

"We invite staff to a variety of events," Sherman said.

"Senior staff might give a little bit more."

"But that is absolutely not expected as a condition of employment."

"It never has been, and it never will be."

"We do ask people who believe in our cause to contribute," Sherman continued, "including staff."

No one has ever been disciplined or lost their job for refusing to do political work or make contributions, Sherman said.

It has long been widely believed in the Capitol that staffers who work for elected officials are told their jobs are riding on their bosses' political success, so they must work to keep them in power.

But Assemblyman Ronald Canestrari, D-Cohoes, who heads the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee, said Wednesday that no one who works for the majority is pressured to volunteer for campaigns or give part of their salary.

"It's outrageous," Canestrari said.

Staffers are invited to an annual end-of-the-session event that costs $125 per person, he said, but they are not required to attend.

"We have never done anything like that, nor would we," he said.

Elizabeth Benjamin can be reached at 454-5081 or by e-mail at ebenjamin@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

"Bruno's son shares office with racing lobbyist - Kenneth R. Bruno law practice is located in same suite as advocate for state track franchise"

By BRENDAN J. LYONS Senior writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Thursday, February 22, 2007

ALBANY -- The younger son of Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno shares an office with the lobbyist for one of four groups that are vying for New York's lucrative horse racing franchise.

Kenneth R. Bruno's one-man law practice is located in the same downtown suite as Frederico G. Polsinelli Jr., the registered lobbyist for Capital Play, an Australian consortium that is pressuring the Legislature to consider its bid for the franchise.

Bruno's father has publicly called on the state to consider the firm's bid, even though Capital Play had been disqualified for missing a deadline.

Sen. Bruno, R-Brunswick, was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

He is in Palm Beach this week for for a campaign fundraiser that was hosted Wednesday evening at Donald Trump's estate, Mar-A-Lago.

His spokesman, Mark Hansen, said Bruno has asked that all four racing bids be considered and he has not publicly supported one group over another.

"The senator's primary interest is having the strongest racing industry possible in the state of New York, and he is welcoming all positive ideas to have a good, strong racing industry," Hansen said, adding he "was not even aware" that Kenneth Bruno and Polsinelli share an office suite.

"I don't know that it really plays any role in anything," Hansen said.

Kenneth Bruno, a former Rensselaer County district attorney, drew attention in May 2003 when he abruptly quit his prosecutor's job to become a lobbyist.

In January 2005, amid criticism that his lobbying posed a conflict because of his father's powerful senatorial position, Kenneth Bruno closed his lobbying business and opened a private law practice.

The New York Racing Association, Empire Racing, Excelsior Racing Associates and Capital Play all are seeking to take over the state's horse racing franchise when NYRA's contract expires at the end of this year.

A committee created by former Gov. George Pataki to review the proposals formally recommended Excelsior on Wednesday.

Despite its earlier elimination, Capital Play received new life Wednesday when a spokesman for Gov. Eliot Spitzer told the Associated Press his administration is not bound by the Pataki committee's recommendation.

Late Wednesday afternoon, there was no one available at the second-floor office suite occupied by Polsinelli and Kenneth Bruno.

The office is located inside the Steuben Athletic Club building at the corner of Steuben Place and North Pearl Street.

Despite sharing a suite, Bruno lists his address as "1 Steuben Place" while Polsinelli's company, Polsinelli Public Affairs, lists an address of "74 North Pearl St.," records show.

It's not clear how long Kenneth Bruno and Polsinelli have shared the suite.

Polsinelli, whose sole lobbying client is Capital Play, formerly worked in the Legislature for Senate Racing Committee Chairman William Larkin, R-New Windsor.

In September 2006, a month after leaving his $23,320-a-year legislative job, Polsinelli landed a contract as Capital Play's lobbyist.

Earlier that year, Kenneth Bruno closed his lobbying business, Albany Strategies, amid speculation he may have been garnering consideration for his clients from his father's position.

His client list included heavyweights such as Cablevision, Magna Entertainment and Yonkers Raceway.

Karl O'Farrell, Capital Play's chief executive officer, was not available for comment late Wednesday.

But he issued a statement earlier in the day saying his consortium's $1.8 billion bid is nearly $1 billion higher than any competing bid.

J. Lyons can be reached at 454-5547 or by e-mail at blyons@timesunion.com.

end quotes

Hhhhmmmmm.....

Interesting ......

And a bit of GROSS HYPOCRISY, as well .....

On the part of the CAUDILLO .....

"STEAMROLLER" Spitzer ....

A committee created by former Gov. George Pataki to review the proposals formally recommended Excelsior on Wednesday .....

Despite its earlier elimination, Capital Play received new life Wednesday when a spokesman for Gov. Eliot Spitzer told the Associated Press his administration is not bound by the Pataki committee's recommendation ......

What is that saying about "SAUCE FOR THE GOOSE ..."

We here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE ....

Are supposed to heed ....

The CAUDILLO's cries .....

About the New York State Legislature ....

NOT GIVING HIM WHAT HE WANTED .....

FROM HIS SPECIAL COMMISSION ....

TO PICK A NEW STATE COMPTROLLER ....

BUT ....

WE SHOULD IGNORE HIM ....

IGNORING ....

THE CHOICE OF ANOTHER SPECIAL COMMISSION ....

SET UP ....

BY THE PRIOR HOLDER ....

OF HIS OFFICE .....

To which I say, "Hhhhmmmmm ...."

"YEAH, RIGHT, 'STEAMROLLER' " ....

And so ....

[Livyjr]

"Spitzer adds $18 million in funding to budget plan"

Associated Press

First published: Thursday, February 22, 2007

ALBANY -- Additions to Gov. Eliot Spitzer's 2007-08 state budget proposal would provide more money for Medicaid patients, raises for county prosecutors and funding for computers at private schools.

Spitzer made the changes to his $120.6 billion budget proposal Wednesday, within the 21-day deadline he adopted to make additions under a budget reform agreement with legislative leaders.

In all, the half-dozen additions total an additional $18 million, but new revenue forecasts exceed the additional costs by $50 million.

Spitzer proposes putting the $50 million into the "rainy day reserve fund" to compensate for drops in revenues and economic downturns.

The additions would include money for:

$6 million to restore personal care services to Medicaid health care recipients, to match the current year's funding.

$1 million to the state Defenders Association to match the current funding.

$1.1 million to cover the cost of salary increases for district attorneys in counties statewide.

$6.2 million to provide funding for computer hardware to private and parochial schools.

$1 million to coordinate research and talks to reform the worker's compensation system.

$1.4 million for a Web site to give consumers prescription drug retail prices in New York state.