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

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK POST

"JOE FOE IN CROSSFIRE - PLOT PUTS QNS. POL IN ELIOT'S & GOP'S DOGHOUSE"

October 15, 2007 -- SENATE Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, a Queens Democrat caught last week plotting with Gov. Spitzer against the Senate Republican leader, is now under attack from both the governor and the GOP, insiders have told The Post.

Democratic sources said Spitzer became enraged after learning that Smith had admitted the governor's aides encouraged him to sic the Internal Revenue Service on Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno for possible income-tax evasion resulting from his possible misuse of a state helicopter.

Smith's admission - first to The Post and then in a public statement - contradicted Spitzer's claim that he wanted to put the earlier Dirty Tricks Scandal, in which aides to the governor used the State Police to gather purportedly damaging evidence against Bruno, behind him.

"Malcolm basically threw Spitzer in and totally undermined his public position that he just wanted to focus on government issues, not politics," said a source close to Smith.

"The governor wasn't happy about that at all because he was then forced to admit that he was involved, that he was again trying to get Bruno," the source continued.

Another Democrat contended the governor had angrily called Smith and "questioned his ability to remain as the minority leader."

Smith didn't return over a dozen telephone calls seeking comment.

Senate Republicans, meanwhile, quietly retaliated against Smith late last week by canceling service on six of the cellphones used by his top aides.

They also halted a construction project designed to enlarge the office of his press secretary, Curtis Taylor.

"I think they'll get the message that trying to damage Sen. Bruno isn't a smart thing to do," said a Senate source.

Senate Republicans are also sending out word that they're furious at prominent Albany lobbyist Patricia Lynch for hiring Spitzer's just-resigned communications director, Darren Dopp, who was suspended in July for his central role in the original Dirty Tricks Scandal.

"This is a guy who tried to kill us, and she hires him?" declared a senior Senate Republican.

fredric.dicker@nypost.com

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/news/...n_crossfire.htm

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Michael Goodwin

"Spitzer's obsession has him teetering on the edge"

Sunday, October 14th 2007, 4:00 AM

"Oh, no, he didn't," I thought as I read the first report that Gov. Spitzer plotted a new round of dirty tricks against a Republican rival.

But as each detail emerged, including a confession from one of the plotters and the draft of a letter to the Internal Revenue Service calling for a tax probe, the facts were undeniable.

"He did it."

"He did it again."

What's wrong with Eliot Spitzer?

The Democratic governor seems to have a political death wish, and if he keeps going this way, it'll be granted.

Following his wildly unpopular plan to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants - a top Dem called it the "third rail" of politics - the latest twist in the Eliot Mess has all of Albany scratching its head.

Asked if Spitzer needed a psychiatrist, one insider had another idea:

"Better get an exorcist."

Or at least Spitzer ought to upgrade his hit men.

Once again, his Dream Team acted like the gang that can't shoot straight.

The letter to the IRS, which was to be signed by three Democratic state senators - shame on them - was mistakenly sent to an ally of the target, Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno.

One of the chief plotters, Malcolm Smith of Queens, the Senate minority leader, then quickly called Bruno that night and confessed all.

Only in Albany, where every night is Amateur Night.

Still stuck in the public doghouse over Troopergate, the plot to get the State Police to improperly compile the travel records of Bruno and give them to a newspaper, Spitzer obviously hasn't learned anything.

While he publicly apologized after getting caught, the governor privately kept digging for dirt.

Once again, he was prepared to use law enforcement for the purely political aim of weakening Bruno.

Once again, his office claimed it was acting because of media interest.

"Media outlets have raised questions about the tax implications" of Bruno's use of state aircraft was how Spitzer's press office defended the move.

The statement admitted that "executive chamber staff and Senate staff" worked together to try to get the tax man's attention.

Press secretary Christine Anderson wouldn't answer when asked by reporters whether Spitzer himself was involved.

No need to - of course he was.

Just as he was with Troopergate - this is his MO.

He thinks he's still attorney general.

Dirty 'em up and then they'll have to settle.

Imagine if Republicans behaved that way - the civil liberties people would be filing lawsuits before breakfast.

Plot No. 2 looks similar to Plot No. 1 because it is.

Indeed, Plot No. 2 was even part of the original planning.

According to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's July 23 report that revealed Troopergate, in early June, William Howard, then the deputy secretary for Homeland Security, wrote an e-mail to Spitzer's chief of staff about Bruno, saying:

"The impending travel stuff implies more problems - particularly in the tax area, I think."

"I think the timing is right for that move."

It took them awhile, but they made that move.

So here we are again.

The rapid unraveling of Spitzer's tenure is starting to resemble another political collapse - Jim McGreevey's.

Like Spitzer, the New Jersey governor won in a landslide and was soon up to his neck in nonstop corruption scandals, lousy government and a shaky relationship with the truth.

When McGreevey finally quit 2-1/2 years after taking office, his party was looking for an alternative to replace him because two-out-of-three New Jersey voters opposed a second term.

Spitzer isn't that far gone yet, but in office less than 10 months, he's moving downhill faster and earlier than McGreevey did.

Unless he gets his act together, he could meet the same end and have the same legacy that a New Jersey political scientist pinned on the disgraced McGreevey.

"He wasted the governorship because of an enormous character flaw: not recognizing how he was trapped by his own dishonesty," David Rebovich, director of Rider University's Institute for New Jersey Politics, told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/col/goodwin/index.html

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Michael Goodwin

"Spitzer's obsession has him teetering on the edge"

Sunday, October 14th 2007, 4:00 AM

What's wrong with Eliot Spitzer?

The Democratic governor seems to have a political death wish, and if he keeps going this way, it'll be granted.

Following his wildly unpopular plan to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants - a top Dem called it the "third rail" of politics - the latest twist in the Eliot Mess has all of Albany scratching its head.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/col/goodwin/index.html

THE NEW YORK POST

"EVEN DEMS FEAR 'DIRTY TRICKS' FROM SPITZER"

By FREDRIC U. DICKER, State Editor

October 15, 2007 -- ALBANY - State Democrats are "increasingly distrustful" of Gov. Spitzer and fear he'll use the same dirty-trick tactics on them as he's used on Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a prominent Bronx Democrat charged yesterday.

"I believe there is a wide and growing dislike of the governor among legislators, who are increasingly distrustful of him," Assemblyman Michael Benjamin (D-Bronx) told The Post.

"His attacks on Sen. Bruno make many of us feel that if we crossed Spitzer, we could look forward to some of the same type of treatment."

"I'm very disappointed in him."

A spokeswoman for Spitzer declined to comment.

Benjamin also criticized Democratic Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith of Queens, who The Post revealed last week was secretly plotting with Spitzer to seek a tax-evasion investigation of Bruno by the Internal Revenue Service.

"I'm disappointed in Sen. Smith for looking to intimidate one of his colleagues in the Legislature, whether it is someone on the other side of the aisle or not," Benjamin said.

"We shouldn't be looking to use governmental processes to score political points."

Benjamin's blast comes as several public and private polls show Spitzer's job-approval rating plummeting with voters, largely because of the Dirty Tricks Scandal - in which aides to the governor used the State Police to dig up purportedly damaging information on Bruno - and his efforts to grant driver's licenses to illegal aliens.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/news/...y_tricks_fr.htm

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Albany’s Prestidigitators"

Published: October 14, 2007

New York Senate Republicans have been busily fanning the last embers of the “Troopergate” investigation.

Their hearings on this matter are designed to reflect poorly on their most aggressive Democratic opponent, Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

But a recent story in The Times Union of Albany raised an interesting question: why are the politicians aiming their peashooters only at Mr. Spitzer?

It also raised the distinct possibility that Troopergate is designed mainly to distract the public from the seedy behavior of other politicians in Albany.

Since early summer, the headline issue has been whether Mr. Spitzer’s team forced state troopers to somehow manufacture or “create” documents for the media.

Those documents, from 2007, involved the lavish use for political purposes of state helicopters and state drivers by the Senate leader, Joseph Bruno, New York’s top elected Republican.

Using the state’s Freedom of Information Law, The Times Union has now pried loose another batch of documents from the State Police.

These new travel records deal with Mr. Bruno’s journeys during the Pataki administration.

Mr. Spitzer’s administration has been accused of abusing its power and using the State Police to spy on Mr. Bruno.

But travel records have obviously been kept as a matter of routine.

The difference between the Spitzer and Pataki administrations is that under the previous governor, they were also kept under lock and key.

Mr. Spitzer’s staff may have behaved clumsily.

But it is also possible that their efforts were far less sinister than Mr. Spitzer’s foes make them sound — that they were aimed chiefly at transparency by bringing to light records that should have been public all along.

Democrats who have grown increasingly weary of the long Republican investigation into Mr. Spitzer’s alleged misdeeds have suggested that their only recourse may be to start their own investigation of Mr. Bruno.

Let’s hope they don’t.

The matter should be left to the Commission on Public Integrity.

There is also a lot of far more important state business that needs the Legislature’s urgent attention.

At the same time, an intriguing idea is now gaining ground — that Mr. Spitzer’s real problem is that he’s not playing the old Albany game.

For one thing, he’s trying to oust Republicans who control one-third of the lawmaking process in New York — the State Senate.

There has long been a kind of unspoken truce that allows Democrats to control the Assembly and Republicans the Senate.

For another — and this is even more worrisome to some Albany regulars — Mr. Spitzer is trying to take away all the free candy that politicians from both parties have been enjoying for decades.

Given Mr. Spitzer’s announced intention to clean up Albany’s stables, the Troopergate hoopla begins to look like a warning shot from the old guard — play by our rules, they seem to be saying, or we will bring you down.

Legislators are planning to return soon to Albany, where a campaign finance reform agreement is still in limbo.

The reform is not perfect, but it is an improvement over the sloppy way campaign money is now handed out in New York.

Lawmakers should not let Troopergate or any other diversion distract them from more important tasks — like finally cutting off Albany’s golden spigot.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/opinion/...amp;oref=slogin

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Cuomo Pension Fund Inquiry Reaches Bank of Ireland Unit"

By DANNY HAKIM

Published: October 14, 2007

ALBANY, Oct. 12 — Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo’s office is investigating a well-connected American division of the Bank of Ireland as part of its inquiry into the New York State pension fund.

The division, Guggenheim Advisors, which is based in New York and caters to wealthy investors, has a board of paid advisers that includes Fred D. Thompson, the Republican presidential candidate and former Tennessee senator, and Lawrence B. Lindsey, a former economic adviser to President Bush.

There is no indication that either one is a subject of the investigation.

The Bank of Ireland, which says it is cooperating with the attorney general’s office, is also conducting an internal inquiry into the unit.

Two executives who run Guggenheim made large donations to the campaign of former Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi last year.

In early 2005, Guggenheim secured a $447 million investment from the fund.

In the same inquiry, a fund-raiser for Mr. Hevesi, Bill White, has been subpoenaed by the attorney general’s office.

Investigators are said to be trying to determine if Mr. White, who is the president of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan, solicited campaign contributions from executives of Guggenheim.

Calls to Guggenheim and the Bank of Ireland were referred to Brian Maddox, an outside spokesman for the bank in New York.

“Guggenheim Advisors is fully cooperating with the investigation of the attorney general’s office,” he said, adding that the bank was “undertaking its own internal investigation and has informed all relevant regulatory authorities.”

Efforts to reach Mr. Lindsey for comment were unsuccessful.

Todd Harris, a spokesman for Mr. Thompson, had no comment on the investigation.

Mr. Harris said that Mr. Thompson had not been to a board meeting since June.

“Fred Thompson is an inactive member of an advisory board where his role is to advise on issues related to national security,” he said.

Mr. White said, in an e-mail message, “I am voluntarily cooperating with the ongoing matter being reviewed by Mr. Cuomo’s office.”

He added, “It would be inappropriate for me to add anything further at this time.”

Bradley Simon, a lawyer for Mr. Hevesi, said that “Alan certainly has known Bill White for a long time.”

Mr. Simon said that Mr. White raised money for Mr. Hevesi’s campaigns, but that Mr. Hevesi had “no personal knowledge of Bill White having anything to do with pension fund business.”

For the past nine months, Mr. Cuomo’s office and the office of P. David Soares, the Albany County district attorney, have been pursuing a broad investigation into relations between the pension fund and companies that managed its money.

The state’s $154 billion fund is one of the world’s largest pools of investment capital, and investment firms can reap lucrative fees by managing even a small fraction of its assets.

For decades, investment firms have showered contributions on comptrollers, a practice that troubles government watchdog groups but is legal, except when it can be proved that investment business was given with the understanding that political contributions would follow.

Mr. Hevesi, a Democrat, won re-election last November but resigned on Dec. 22 when he pleaded guilty to a felony count for using state workers to chauffeur his ailing wife.

Now, investigators are scrutinizing a widening circle of his friends and aides.

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently began its own informal inquiry into oversight of the pension fund.

The two top executives of Guggenheim, Patrick T. Hughes and Loren M. Katzovitz, each made a $25,000 contribution to Mr. Hevesi last October, according to records maintained by the Board of Elections.

There are no other donations close to that size on record from either executive to a state political candidate, though both men have made significant contributions to several Republican candidates for federal office.

Guggenheim manages what is known as a “fund of funds” for the state pension fund — acting in effect as an intermediary by investing the $447 million in a variety of hedge funds.

Guggenheim has earned $3.2 million in fees since it began managing money for the pension fund in February 2005, according to the comptroller’s office.

The Bank of Ireland purchased a majority stake in Guggenheim in February 2006, after the firm won the business from the pension fund but before the political contributions were made.

Little had surfaced previously about the relationship between Mr. Hevesi and Mr. White.

Mr. White, however, has long been an associate of the Fisher family, who started the Intrepid museum and have financed it over the years.

The family and its Fisher Brothers development company were major donors to Mr. Hevesi, who for decades held city and state offices.

Hank Morris, Mr. Hevesi’s former political director, has been linked to six businesses known as placement agents that reaped millions of dollars in fees by arranging deals between the pension fund and investment firms.

Mr. Soares’s investigators have sought to determine whether Jack Chartier, who was Mr. Hevesi’s chief of staff, used his official position to obtain a loan for a friend, the actress Peggy Lipton, from an investment firm that manages pension fund assets.

Also, a brokerage firm run by Mr. Hevesi’s elder son, Daniel, has been subpoenaed in Mr. Cuomo’s inquiry.

The firm, Praetorian Securities, acts as a placement agent, but Daniel Hevesi’s lawyer has said that it did no business with the state pension fund and that her client did nothing improper.

Alan Hevesi raised money prodigiously from investment firms, and several prominent firms made donations to his younger son, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi of Queens.

Dennis Tompkins, a spokesman for the current comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, declined to comment on the inquiries but said that steps had been taken to improve oversight of the pension fund.

“We have a new policy that Comptroller DiNapoli implemented that will increase disclosure and prevent the conflicts of interest,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/nyregion...amp;oref=slogin

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS DAILY POLITICS BLOG:

Ben Bernacke was on FOX radio news this morning up here in APPALACHIA ...

And his comment was that housing is going to be a "DRAG" on the American economy well into next year ...

And up this way, all you have to do to know that is to take a short drive and look around at the number of "for sale" signs there are out there on fancy houses up this way with "PRICE REDUCED" plastered all over the "for sale" sign ...

And thus is coming to an end a LONG-RUNNING SCAM by land speculators here in NYS that was pouring worthless properties out on the market by the barrel-full with the direct aid and assistance of, make that collusion and connivance of the professional engineering community in NYS, the NYS Department of Health, the county health departments, town planning boards, banks, and Eliot Spitzer, when he was NYS AG ...

You reap what you sow, folks ....

And sometimes, you are forced to have to choke down the bitter seeds of what someone else has sown around you ....

And here we are today ....

PAIN is coming, if you happen to be the one "invested" heavily in those worthless propertiees ...

And so ...

Posted by: John Galt | October 16, 2007 6:06 AM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...d_ends_107.html

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS DAILY POLITICS BLOG:

Down here in NYC, in the files of the federal 2d Circuit Court of Appeals, there is a 600+ page OFFICIAL RECORD filed there in or about November of 2005 in connection with this ON-GOING LAND SCAM in Rensselaer County by silver-tongued lawyer Tommy O'Connor, brother to former NYS Lt. Gov. Mary O'Connor Donohue, on behalf of Joe "LAND SPECULATOR" Bruno's Rensselaer County in upstate NY, and its REPUBLICAN County Executive Kathleen "JOE'S GIRL" Jimino ....

At p. 190 of that OFFICIAL RECORD (Appeal #05-2133-CV), is an official Federal Bureau of Investigation report dictated on March 16, 1989 by an FBI special agent involved in a federal Hobbs Act investigation of public corruption in Rensselaer County ...

In the 3rd paragraph on p. 190, that FBI special agent stated as follows with respect to this LAND SCAM, to wit:

"According to [name deleted], the results of the State's investigation were that New York State laws were not being followed by the Rensselaer County Health Department, Rensselaer County laws were not being followed by the Rensselaer County Health Department, and there was very little 'enforcement activity' even in the face of illegal sales."

"According to [name deleted], the object of any county health department (in the state of New York) is to protect the public, and not to facilitate developers, or development."

"In the case of Rensselaer County, it appears that the Rensselaer County Health Department was in business to facilitate developers and development rather than to protect the public!"

end quotes

Yes, indeed ....

An interesting sentiment, anyway ....

PROTECT THE PUBLIC ...

But that is all it is, despite OUR Constitution and OUR state laws ...

For IF the "state" really started acting in accordance with all of those laws that require it to protect the public, POLITICIANS like Joe Bruno would be deprived of a big source of their "outside" income ...

As would the professional engineers who can make good money here in NYS by simply affixing their seal to a document stating that the land does meet code requirements when that is an outright lie ...

And so ...

Sorry about that "reality check" so early in here this morning ...

But that is the way it goes ....

For a long-running SCAM like this one to persist, there had to be an endless stream of SUCKERS, which there has been ...

And there had to be a law enforcement community which was willing to turn its back and look another way ....

Which we have in place here in NYS, and well-entrenched it is ...

And so ...

Posted by: John Galt | October 16, 2007 6:44 AM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...d_ends_107.html

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS DAILY POLITICS BLOG:

Ah, yes ...

The FAMOUS RENSSELAER COUNTY LAND SCAM!

And now ...

Well, as we countryfolks learned when we were maybe one or two days old, THE CHICKENS ALWAYS COME BACK TO THE ROOST ...

And so it is today here in upstate NY where land prices are now plummeting ...

AND ...

One of the key "PLAYAHS" back then (1989) in the "COVER-OVER" of this SCAM is now running for Rensselaer County District Attorney with the BLESSING and ENDORSEMENT of Eliot "BULLDAWG" Spitzer's Working Families Party ...

That "PLAYAH" being former Chief Assistant Rensselaer County District Attorney Rich McNally, ESQUIRE ...

And so ...

Posted by: John Galt | October 16, 2007 7:08 AM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...d_ends_107.html

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS DAILY POLITICS BLOG:

And yes, folks ...

Rich McNally's role in this RENSSELAER COUNTY LAND SCAM is at least partially documented in these same FBI records that I am quoting from in here this morning ...

And to give credit where credit is due, Rich McNally is one of the "PLAYAHS" up here who did YEOMAN SERVICE to the LAND DEVEOPMENT COMMUNITY being "SERVICED" by the CORRUPT Rensselaer County Department of Health by getting "THE RUG" pulled back over this MESS up here in 1989 ...

So that the SCAM could continue unabated ...

Which brings us right to this present moment in time ...

Where CORRUPTION PROTECTOR Rich McNally is now "stepping up to the plate" to collect his REWARD for past services rendered ...

As the ANNOINTED ONE of "BULLDAWG" Spitzer, upstate Congressman Mike McNulty, upstate Assemblyman Ron Canestrari and the Working Families Party ...

To be the next Rensselaer County District Attorney ...

Where Rich can continue to protect the law-breakers ...

By maliciously prosecuting those in Rensselaer County who might think to make a peep in public about the CORRUPTION ...

And so ...

Well done, Rich ...

You are a REAL AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY in here this morning ...

And so ...

Posted by: John Galt | October 16, 2007 7:25 AM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...d_ends_107.html

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS DAILY POLITICS BLOG:

With respect to the role that former Chief Assistant Rensselaer County District Attorney and present-day ANNOINTED ONE Rich McNally played in the COVER-OVER of this LAND SCAM back in 1989 and after ...

Page 190 of that OFFICIAL RENSSELAER COUNTY RECORD filed with the federal 2d Circuit Court of Appeals down here in NYC continues with the FBI special agent recounting as follows with respect to his prior statement that "it appears that the Rensselaer County Health Department was in business to facilitate developers and development rather than to protect the public", to wit:

"Regarding the instance concerning Algonquin Estates, the realty subdivision wherein the original map was falsified ...."

end quotes

Here, folks, is evidence of the commission of a Class "E" felony in the State of NY that was verified first by the NYS Dept. of Health AND then in its turn by the federal Bureau of Investigation ...

And at p. 191 of what I will call the "TOMMY REPORT" to the federal 2d Circuit Court of Appeals in November of 2005, this same FBI special agent had this to say about the "disposition" of that case involving this felony:

"After discovering that this map had been falsified, Rensselaer County apparently made no request of the Rensselaer County District Attorney's Office to investigate this act and further apparently made no effort to report this transgression to the New York State Education Department which certifies licensed professionals such as [redacted]."

"Additionally, it appears that the Rensselaer County Attorney (REPUBLICAN Robert A. Smith, ESQUIRE) failed to put together a formal legal notice to withdraw the plan."

"In [redacted] view, it appears that the County did 'nothing' regarding this situation but advised [redacted] they were trying to "work it out with the developer."

"[redacted] advised that the State Health Department investigation determined that one [redacted] had written a memo to [redacted] on October 25, 1988, citing the Algonquin Estate Phase 2 problem of the falsified map."

"It appears then that the county has had knowledge of this situation since October 1988 but failed to take any action against the engineer, surveyor, or developer involved."

end quotes

Which of course, is all true ...

INSTEAD ...

In October of 1988, REPUBLICAN Rensselaer County Executive John L. Buono appeared live on TV Channel 13 down in Albany on the 6 O'CLOCK news and "reported" that the principal investigator who had uncovered and documented this SCAM and felony had "gone crazy" and was considered to be dangerous ...

And that Buono had suspended him from his position as Rensselaer County Associate Public Health Engineer ....

And here we are today, folks ...

One long unbroken line from there to here ....

And now ...

Well, hey ...

Yes, the chickens always do come home to roost ....

And now, they are ...

And so ...

Posted by: John Galt | October 16, 2007 8:04 AM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...d_ends_107.html

[Livyjr]

"Poll: New Yorkers oppose Spitzer's license plan"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

Last updated: 5:22 p.m., Monday, October 15, 2007

ALBANY -- Armed with results of the first poll on Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposal to make it easier for illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses, Senate Republicans on Monday sought to delay the policy's implementation and warned they could dismantle it in budget negotiations beginning in January.

But Spitzer, who said he can start the policy in December without the Legislature, was undeterred by a Senate hearing in which his Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner was cross-examined without break for four hours.

"The policy change is critical to ensuring the safety and security of New Yorkers and the governor would never abdicate this foremost obligation simply to appease those peddling fear and hatred," Spitzer spokeswoman Christine Anderson said after the hearing.

Seventy-two percent of voters in Monday's Siena College poll said they were opposed to "the governor's plan to allow undocumented immigrants to get New York driver's licenses."

Twenty-two percent of those polled supported the plan of the once widely popular governor, according to the Siena Research Institute.

Spitzer's DMV Commissioner David J. Swarts defended the plan Monday as a way to get hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants already in New York into the state data base.

Spitzer said that will make the streets safer for drivers, reduce auto insurance rates, and provide a better tool for law enforcement and homeland security to track illegal immigrants.

He noted several homeland security and law enforcement experts support it.

"Fear is a major element in the misrepresentation of this issue," Swarts told senators.

He described Republicans' criticism as "hysterical rhetoric" that was "deliberately misstated."

The New York Immigration Coalition accused the Senate Republicans of loading the hearing, billed as the first of several, with opponents of Spitzer's plan.

Coalition Executive Director Chung-Wha Hong called it a "hateful anti-immigrant agenda."

The poll also found Spitzer, elected in November with a record share of the vote, has taken a big hit in his popularity and approval.

He scored his lowest numbers yet during the last three months of political conflict with the Senate's Republican majority.

Fifty-four percent of those polled said they had a favorable opinion of the governor, while 36 percent view him unfavorably and 10 percent didn't know or had no opinion.

That's down from 75 ercent approval in January.

"The voters' message to the governor is clear: `No, no, no,'" Siena spokesman Steven Greenberg said.

"Opposition to the Spitzer proposal is intense, with 41 percent strongly opposing it and only 7 percent strongly supporting it."

Although three years from facing re-election, the numbers to Spitzer are "very important from an ability to use the bully pulpit and the powers of persuasion," Greenberg said.

Spitzer blamed the numbers on a "misunderstanding of the facts."

"It's what happens when you govern and make tough decisions and you do things that you believe are right and don't govern based on polls, which is never what I've done," Spitzer said at a separate event in the Albany suburb of Colonie.

"When I was attorney general, for all eight years I brought cases that people said, 'Oh you're crazy to do it.'"

"'You're bringing cases against major institutions.'"

"And I did and they were screaming and shouting," he said.

"At the end of the day, when what you do is right, I have confidence that the public will be supportive and I'm sure that will happen."

Republicans who forced the public hearing on Spitzer's plan weren't persuaded.

"For the sake of good public policy, halt the program now," said Sen. Thomas Libous, a Binghamton Republican in concluding the hearing.

"At this rate, if we don't have good discussion, I can see the budget ending up in December of next year -- maybe."

The 2007-08 budget is due April 1.

But Swarts told senators that the administration would likely need the Legislature's approval to buy some of the new anti-fraud technology in Spitzer's plan.

Swarts said added revenue will surpass the initial cost.

In a related move, the state on Sept. 24 stopped noting "temporary visitor" on driver's licenses issued to immigrants on temporary visas because the license would remain valid as many as six or seven years after a visa could expire, Swarts said.

State officials noted this is one of many ways illegal immigrants have always held or secured driver's licenses.

Republican senators said Monday that putting drivers' licenses in the hands of illegal immigrants will lead to using the document to vote.

Although a driver's license is supposed to only prove identity, not citizenship, it is often used to prove legal residence and can lead to other documents such as was done by several terrorists in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the senators argued.

Driver's licenses, however, haven't been used to prove citizenship to vote.

To register to vote a person signs an affidavit, subject to prosecution for perjury, that he or she is a U.S. citizen, said Lee Daghlian, a spokesman for the state Board of Elections.

A driver's license is used to confirm identity at the polls.

Sen. Vincent Leibell, a Dutchess County Republican, opened the hearing by putting Spitzer's proposal in the context of the Sept. 11 attacks.

"We realize New York and American were asleep," he said.

"We resolved we'd never be so unprepared again."

Under the plan, Leibell said, "Osama bin Laden could get a license."

"I think we'd catch that one right away," Swarts said, in an attempt at humor that fell flat with Republicans.

"As a columnist said, at least we'd know where he was."

Siena polled 620 registered voters by phone between Oct. 7-10.

The poll has a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points.

------

AP writers Jessica Pasko and Valerie Bauman contributed to this report from Colonie and Albany.

[Livyjr]

"Drivergate comes to a boil before Troopergate has simmered"

By FRED LeBRUN, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Eliot Spitzer's strategy for pulling himself out of the soup certainly strains the intellect.

Here he is, plummeting in the polls over Troopergate, and what does he do?

Make himself warm and fuzzy, and try to win back his wavering support?

Not a chance.

Instead, he grabs a brick and tosses it through a window to create another mess, Drivergate.

A mess that is infuriating the public.

Arguably, Troopergate was not of his creation, at least initially, but rather the result of potentially overzealous staff work.

When the dust settles over this over-hyped issue, we may even find the staff work was merely zealous, and not all that far out of line.

That remains to be determined, primarily by the state's public integrity commission.

But the latest uproar, loosening requirements so illegal aliens can obtain New York state driver's licenses, is a pure Eliot Spitzer invention.

Why this issue?

Why now?

If we look at the initial public opinion results -- devastating poll numbers -- it would appear whatever the plan was, it didn't work.

The latest Siena poll on Monday shows 72 percent of New Yorkers are not with Eliot over his eliminating Social Security numbers from the license application process.

Yet he remains belligerently defiant that he's right and the majority is wrong, and that those who are against him are either right-wingers, or morons, or morally corrupt, or anti-immigrant and a host of other pejoratives.

Furthermore, he may sue county clerks who refuse to go along.

It's Eliot Spitzer threatening to prosecute the world, governing with an iron fist.

No matter how strongly he feels about the issue, Spitzer didn't have to take this immigration issue on now.

Not while we're all waiting for the integrity police to issue what is expected to be the determining word on Troopergate.

And if he really wanted to sway New Yorkers to his counter-intuitive position, that loosening standards for illegals actually makes us safer, then he should have launched a persuasive education and propaganda campaign first to do just that: persuade us.

He could have enlisted the help of the allies he keeps referring to in the security world who approve of his idea.

The governor could have gone through at least a show of considering other opinions and all the criticisms he's hearing now before implementing his radical departure in New York's official policy toward illegal aliens.

Instead, for reasons that to defy logic, he issued a proclamation with little notice and no preparation for New York's citizens.

I was first made aware of the change by Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola a day before it was made public, and he had only learned about it less than 48 hours before.

Merola is one of the 52 county clerks in the state who act as agents of the Department of Motor Vehicles and issue licenses.

This was all done in hurry-up mode.

More than 20 of the state's county clerks, including Merola, have said they would defy the governor on this, which is bound to raise a nasty legal confrontation.

On its face, the governor is obviously correct that county clerks can't choose which state laws to enforce.

But there is the question that Spitzer's executive order may be out of sync with looming federal laws over national identification requirements, driven by homeland security considerations.

In addition, the state Senate, in open warfare with the governor, has said it might stall any funding necessary to implement Spitzer's changes.

So all Governor Spitzer has managed to accomplish with Drivergate is to broaden the pool irritated with him.

Plus, give the state Senate a legitimate issue to pound the governor over.

Curiously, the governor has also chosen to depict those who oppose him as whipped up by Bush Administration thinking, which is particularly galling for those of us who have had no use for George W. Bush or his administration from the very beginning.

At any rate, this all belies the obvious: Why would a super smart guy like Eliot Spitzer trip himself up yet again?

A possibility was raised by Quinnipiac University pollster Mickey Carroll that maybe Spitzer was looking to create a distraction from Troopergate.

If so, he succeeded.

Then there's the old political conventional wisdom that the governor is raising this unpopular issue in the first year of his term so the public will forget about it by re-election time.

Only time will tell if that's another miscalculation, but I have a hunch it is.

LeBrun can be reached at 454-5453 or by e-mail at flebrun@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

"Guilty plea over town gravel - Businessman admits providing false information for Stephentown records"

By BOB GARDINIER, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, October 16, 2007

STEPHENTOWN -- A Nassau businessman has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges for providing false information on town records regarding gravel purchases, and charges against others are possible.

Russ Freeman of Russ Freeman Excavating Inc., which regularly performs work for the Stephentown Highway Department, pleaded guilty in Town Court last week to one count of second-degree offering a false instrument for filing.

Freeman was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, said John Milgrim, spokesman for the state attorney general's office, which prosecuted the case.

A year ago, state investigators took records from the town clerk's office, the office of highway Superintendent Neil Gardner and from Freeman's offices in Nassau, sources familiar with the investigation said.

Milgrim said the investigation is continuing and further charges against others are possible, though he refused to say what part, if any, Gardner may have played.

Freeman and Gardner were not available for comment.

Town Supervisor Michael Angley has said that a problem became apparent in 2005 when a North Stephentown landowner came to a Town Board meeting complaining that he was not paid for gravel the town and Freeman mined from a pit on his land.

The state told the town that the mine was not permitted.

Freeman had sent a bill to the town in the amount of $30,715 for sand and gravel, but the town refused to pay after discovering the mine was illegal, Angley said.

[Livyjr]

EDUCATION FOR FREEDOM - LESSON PLANS FOR TEACHING THE FIRST AMENDMENT

First Principles

The First Amendment applies to all Americans.

Our nation affirms the truth of inalienable rights for all, working for more than 200 years to make the ideals expressed in the First Amendment a reality in the lives of all Americans.

These rights were so important to early citizens and their leaders, many states refused to ratify the Constitution of the United States without the promise of amendments that would protect individual rights.

Here are some “First Principles” to help you and your students to interpret these eloquent 45 words and understand how they influence our daily lives.

1. The First Amendment affirms the freedom of the individual.

American government is based upon the concept that all human beings are born with certain rights or freedoms.

The First Amendment guards these rights by prohibiting the government from denying citizens their rights.

The government does not give us our rights.

Its role is to guard the rights that we already have.

We, as individuals, have freedom of conscience.

Religious liberty, or freedom of conscience, protects the beliefs of everyone, not just those of recognized faith communities.

We are free to worship —or not to worship — as we choose.

The government may not tell us what church, synagogue, mosque or temple to attend or whether, where and how we should pray.

As individuals, our ideas and beliefs are our own.

We are free to develop and express our thoughts.

Through our free press, we have access to a vast range of information.

We may criticize our government if we see fit to do so.

Judgments about ideas are for individuals to make, not for government to decree.

The First Amendment guarantees we may associate with people and join groups of our own choosing.

We may ask or lobby the government to correct certain wrongs or support our beliefs.

2. Free expression is the foundation — the cornerstone — of democracy.

The First Amendment is based on the premise that people who can freely share information (especially about their government) will be informed and able to make sound choices about what leaders to elect, what forms of government they want, what laws to enact.

The freedom to exchange information about the government enables people to seek alternatives to bad government.

3. The First Amendment tells the government to keep its “hands off” our religion, our ideas, our ability to express ourselves.

“Congress shall make no law …” means that as far as possible the government may not interfere with our fundamental rights.

The government may not pass laws that take away our First Amendment freedoms or that force us to express ideas — including religious beliefs — that we do not embrace.

But the First Amendment is not absolute.

“No law” does not mean “absolutely no law.”

For instance, human sacrifice cannot be permitted in the name of freedom of conscience.

The Supreme Court has affirmed that some limits must be placed on our freedoms.

The government, for example, may regulate the time, place and manner, but not regulate solely on the basis of the content of our beliefs, ideas, and expressions.

We may need to hold a permit before we march in support of a particular cause, but we should not have to worry about the government telling us we have no right to believe in that cause or express that idea.

4. Other people have rights, too.

The First Amendment is based upon the conviction that all human beings have inalienable rights.

Our commitment to rights is inseparably linked to our civic responsibility to guard those rights for all others.

When faced with unpopular views or unrefined speech, members of the public may ask, “Why doesn't the government do something about that?”

The answer?

Neither government nor a majority of the public has the authority to stop an unpopular idea.

Because the First Amendment belongs to everyone — to each individual — it encourages us to respect the right of others to hold their viewpoints and religious beliefs.

The First Amendment protects minority viewpoints and helps us to understand that limiting the rights of some people may eventually limit the rights of all.

5. When rights collide, government must balance them.

Sometimes the government plays a role in balancing our rights.

When two rights collide, tension and controversy may result.

What happens, for example, when a person's right to a fair trial conflicts with our right to learn if a fair trial is actually taking place through accounts reported in our free press?

What happens when an individual’s right to personal privacy conflicts with the free flow of information?

The government (through the courts) may make decisions that protect both rights to the fullest extent possible.

In addition to knowing where government officials draw the line when regulating expression, it is important to understand who may and may not control what we say or write or perform.

Public school administrators are government officials and, like city officials, have both power and limits regarding regulation of expression.

Although students do not give up their First Amendment rights when they come to school, the United States Supreme Court has determined that school officials may restrict students’ rights if the administrators determine that exercising those rights would interfere with the school’s mission of educating its students.

However, as government officials, they may not control or censor expression to the degree that a private organization or family might.

The First Amendment does not apply to private school officials.

6. The First Amendment helps us make choices.

In the “marketplace of ideas,” we may choose which views to support and which ones to reject.

When all ideas are allowed to flourish, we — as individuals — may decide what ideas and concepts to question, embrace or reject.

First Amendment advocates say it best: The antidote to distasteful or hateful speech is not censorship, but more speech.

http://www.freedomforum.org/packages/first...tPrinciples.htm

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS DAILY POLITICS BLOG:

Originally, topo, yes, this matter started out as an investigation pursuant to the Rules of the NYS Board of Regents as they pertain to licensed professional engineers and surveyors, specifically, section 29.3(a)(1), to wit:

§ 29.3 General provisions for design professions.

Unprofessional conduct shall also include, in the professions of architecture and landscape architecture, engineering and land surveying:

1. being associated in a professional capacity with any project or practice known to the licensee to be fraudulent or dishonest in character, or not reporting knowledge of such fraudulence or dishonesty to the Education Department;

end quotes

Had that investigation been allowed to go its course, none of this discussion would be taking place in here, at all ...

But that investigation, topo, was derailed ...

Here are the facts as determined by a federal judge in Albany in 2005, and yes, Eliot Spitzer was involved in the matter at that time, so he and the State of New York are aware of these facts, and THESE FACTS WERE NEVER IN DISPUTE:

III. FACTS:

On May 22, 2001, Jeffey Pelletier was issued a sewage system construction permit by the County of Rensselaer.

On July 7 (2001), PLAINTIFF conducted an investigation of defendants Aiken (engineer) and McGrath’s “deliberate falsification of inspection data and fraudulent submissions” resulting in the issuance of the Pelletier permit.

During PLAINTIFF'S investigation, Pelletier assaulted him.

On August 9 (2001), defendant Reiter (Rensselaer County Director of Veterans’ Services) warned PLAINTIFF to “back off” the Pelletier investigation because he (Pelletier) was a “protected person” in the county.

On August 17 (2001), defendant Jimino (Rensselaer County Executive) allegedly phoned PLAINTIFF threatening to harm him if he did not stop his investigation.

Thereafter, he claims that Jimino conspired with Cybulski (County Director of Community Services) to obtain a fraudulent involuntary commitment order and a medical certification from Samaritan Hospital.

end quotes

Jeffrey Pelletier WAS A "PROTECTED PERSON" in Rensselaer County, and the engineer and surveyor were as well ...

That is an UNDISPUTED FACT ...

And as Mike implies, that is POLITICAL REALITY in upstate NY, DESPITE ANY LAWS OR REGULATIONS to the contrary ...

THE SELLING OF PROTECTION FROM THE LAW IN NYS IS JOE BRUNO'S BUSINESS ...

And however it was accomplished, Jeffrey Pelletier was able to "PROCURE" from a doctor in Troy, NY a fraudulent certification that stated, falsely, that the engineer was a dangerous mental patient with a criminal history who required "TREATMENT" in a secure mental facility at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, New York ...

Without ever seeing this engineer, the doctor prescribed treatment for him, anyway ....

In this big STEROIDS BUST by the Albany County DA, that same conduct by other doctors was considered a felony ...

BUT NOT IN THIS CASE ...

And Eliot Spitzer became involved right at the outset, right after the incarceration occurred, through Lisa Ullman, when, pursuant to the NYS Mental Hygiene Law, the engineer tried to find out who the doctor was and who else was involved ....

That is when the COVER-UP began at the state level ...

So what started out as a "local dispute" quickly escalated ...

And now, we are here discussing it, because to me, anyway, this particular case gets right to the heart of what the ALBANY CULTURE OF RETALIATION AND RETRIBUTION is really all about, and this case serves to put a spotlight on Eliot Spitzer's role in MAINTAINING AND ACTUALLY STRENGTHENING THAT CULTURE ...

Which then serves to put a spotlight on his subsequent public statements that he is in Albany to "clean up" corruption ...

Which I think, based on the UNDISPUTED FACTS in this particular case is a bunch of BULL **** ...

YOU DO NOT CLEAN UP CORRUPTION IN ALBANY BY VIGOROUSLY AND ZEALOUSLY DEFENDING THAT SAME CORRUPTION ...

YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE SELLING OF PROTECTION FROM THE LAW BY ZEALOUSLY DEFENDING THOSE WHO SELL THAT PROTECTION!

Which has Mike and I now chatting back and forth about that, with you as a neutral observor ...

And everyone else in here, as well, as a "jury" so to speak, in this "COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION" that is this OPEN UNCENSORED BLOG ...

A true GOD-SEND to us common citizens in here who are without a voice in upstate NY ...

And so ...

Posted by: John Galt | July 30, 2007 8:02 AM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...itz.html?page=2

"Funding cut called political punishment - Tedisco claims Spitzer is penalizing Schenectady health clinic in GOP district"

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

First published: Thursday, October 18, 2007

ALBANY -- A Schenectady health clinic for the poor may be the latest casualty in the escalating battle between Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Republican lawmakers.

Funding cuts have long been weapons of choice in the Capitol's partisan wars.

But Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco said Spitzer has taken the art of political retaliation to a new level by cutting $100,000 from a health clinic for the poor in a Republican-held district in Schenectady.

"The governor has really stepped over the line," Tedisco said a day after learning that money he requested for the financially strapped Schenectady Free Health Clinic had been eliminated.

He said thousands of low-income Schenectady residents depend on the clinic's free care.

It is hardly the first time one of Albany's leaders has been accused of cutting funding for political reasons.

Republican Gov. George Pataki infuriated Assembly Democrats in 1998 when he axed $1.6 billion of their spending and borrowing items.

Over the past year, Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno's office has pulled back local grants for two Long Island and Westchester districts where Democrats seized longtime Republican seats.

The cut in Schenectady was just outside Tedisco's district in an area represented by one of his Republican colleagues, George Amedore Jr., who won a special election this summer.

It also came amid a high-profile battle over Spitzer's plan to allow illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses.

Tedisco has emerged as the opposition's point man, appearing on national TV shows blasting the plan and calling the governor "Illegal Eliot."

Spitzer's cut also comes just days after the Times Union reported that Tedisco was researching a legislative proposal, which, if passed, could allow for a recall of the governor.

The driver's license plan, enacted by Spitzer last month, is the latest flash point between the governor and Republicans in the Legislature.

"This is payback," said Tedisco.

"And this is governance with a vengeance."

Spitzer spokesman Jeffrey Gordon countered that Tedisco and other lawmakers knew the governor was changing the way local grants, known as member items, were allocated and they could have asked for the funding during the budget process but instead waited until August.

"They had ample opportunity to secure funding for this and they did not attempt to do so," Gordon said.

In past years, the health clinic got money from a discretionary fund controlled by the state health commissioner.

But as part of what he said was an effort to make spending more transparent, Spitzer, who took office in January, did away with these multimillion-dollar pots of money controlled by agency heads and put them in the state budget as line items.

The governor said he would use money left over from 2006 to fund some requests from local lawmakers, which is what Tedisco sought in August, after he realized the clinic's traditional funding source no longer existed.

Even though the request came late in the year, Tedisco said, he was led to believe he'd get the money.

As proof, he released a Sept. 6 e-mail from the governor's office to Tedisco stating that "we're prepared to process this project along with the other items."

The other items included additional grants requested by Tedisco, including $90,000 for a bicentennial celebration in Ballston Spa; $10,000 to buy boats for the Scotia Glenville Rowing Association; and $50,000 toward an elevator at the Italian American Heritage Association.

None of the items, totaling $482,548, was approved for funding.

When he asked what happened, Tedisco's chief of staff, Bill Sherman, said Spitzer's Budget Director Paul Francis told him "that was the decision of this administration."

The health clinic operates on an annual budget of about $700,000, said Executive Director Bill Spolyar.

Local retired doctors donate their services, and most of the expenses are for medication and malpractice insurance.

He wasn't familiar with the combative budget politics but said the clinic is starting to solicit charitable donations and still hoping the state funding will come through.

"We're hopeful that's going to happen," he said.

Karlin can be reached at 454-5758 or by e-mail at rkarlin@timesunion.com. Capitol bureau reporter James M. Odato contributed to this story.

[Livyjr]

"Spitzer to Senate: See you in court"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

Last updated: 6:24 p.m., Thursday, October 18, 2007

ALBANY -- Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer expects to spend up to $400,000 in state money to oppose a subpoena from the Senate's Republican majority looking into an alleged political plot, a Spitzer spokesman confirmed Thursday.

"The subpoena raises a lot of very important separation of power issues which both we and the Senate agree should be resolved in court," said Spitzer spokesman Jeffrey Gordon.

"We have mutually agreed to a briefing schedule so that the matter can be resolved in an appropriate timeframe."

The spending was first reported Thursday by the New York Daily News.

The Republican-led Senate had previously announced that it planned to spend up to $500,000, also in state money, to hire a Washington public integrity attorney to press the case against the Spitzer administration.

Bruno has accused Spitzer staffers of using state police for political espionage to track his whereabouts in Manhattan on days he legally mixed meeting with lobbyists with Republican fundraisers.

A month later, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo found two Spitzer aides acted improperly, although no illegally, in planning to hurt Bruno by compiling the records and releasing them to a reporter who requested them.

In September, Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares found no misconduct and no evidence of a plot to smear Bruno.

The state Public Integrity Commission and the Senate's investigations committee continue to investigate.

The conflict has ground Albany negotiations and legislative action to a halt since June, when talks on several major policy proposals fell through.

[Livyjr]

"GOP accuses Spitzer of blocking $740,000 in aid"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

Last updated: 6:14 p.m., Thursday, October 18, 2007

ALBANY -- Assembly Republican leader James Tedisco on Thursday accused of Democratic Gov. Eliot of Spitzer of retaliating against 21 more Republican Assembly members over Tedisco's criticism of the governor.

Tedisco said Spitzer has yanked grants totaling more than $740,000 for projects in lawmakers' districts including a walkway for a senior center, volunteer fire companies, food pantries, and schools as well as a free clinic in his own Schenectady County district.

Spitzer spokesman Jeffrey Gordon, however, said $405,583 in grants to 19 community groups was cut as part of Spitzer's previously announced plan to fund only "member items" that were approved before Jan. 1, when Spitzer took office.

More than $300,000 worth of projects that Tedisco referred to are still being reviewed, Gordon said.

The grants cut in Tedisco's district includes $90,000 to the village of Ballston Spa for its bicentennial celebration, $10,000 for updated boats for the Scotia-Glenville Rowing Association, $11,000 for two youth football leagues, $25,000 for rubber mulch for a playground at a school, and $11,748 for a tractor for the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County, according to the list provided by the Spitzer administration.

Other state grants cut were $50,000 for an elevator for the American Italian Heritage Association, $10,000 for the Canandaigua Police Department, $10,000 for the Canandaigua Police Department, and thousands for pagers and safety equipment for volunteer fire companies.

The grants that lawmakers call member items have long been criticized by good-government groups as pork-barrel spending by incumbent to curry favor with local voters and donors, sometimes for questionable public benefit.

Lawmakers emphasize that many go to health and social programs.

"My message to Gov. Spitzer is, don't take out your frustration over my opposition to your plan to give illegal aliens driver's licenses on the millions of men and women our conference represents," Tedisco said in a press release.

Tedisco said he believes the funding was cut because of his criticism of Spitzer's plan to make it easier for illegal immigrants to receive drivers' licenses.

Tedisco told reporters Osama bin Laden would celebrate Spitzer's plan.

Spitzer defends the plan, saying it would increase security by making streets safer, reducing insurance premiums, and tracking hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants consistent with the findings of the 9/11 Commission.

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS DAILY POLITICS BLOG:

And while you are on the subject of "funky stuff" topo, I just came across a "Political Message From Attorney General Eliot Spitzer" circa 3/8/99 which was posted at http://www.oag.state.ny.us/message.html and was likely prepared using NYS personnel and resources ....

It starts as follows:

We live in an age of increasing skepticism about government.

The reasons for this are clear: People have been turned off by scandals, excessive partianship and negativity.

I am determined to change this sentiment.

end quotes

Interesting words, topo ....

In light of what has been going on with the Spitzer administration since DAY ONE descended down on us here in NYS, with the ascension of this "BULLDAWG" Spitzer to the office of governor ...

So that we now live in an age of even more skepticism about government than existed back in 1999 ....

Because we have been totally turned off by scandals in the Spitzer adminstration, coupled with excessive partianship by the Spitzer administration ...

And so ...

Posted by: John Galt | October 20, 2007 8:08 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...111.html?page=2

This post has been edited by Livyjr: Oct 21 2007, 03:05 PM

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS DAILY POLITICS BLOG:

A POLITICAL MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK STATE FROM NYS AG ELIOT SPITZER, CIRCA 3/8/99, PREPARED USING NEW YORK STATE RESOURCES, INCLUDING THE NYS AG WEBSITE TO BROADCAST THIS POLITICAL MESSAGE:

We live in an age of increasing skepticism about government.

The reasons for this are clear: People have been turned off by scandals, excessive partianship and negativity.

In addition, people often view government as a hindrance rather than a help in their daily lives.

I am determined to change this sentiment.

I am convinced that the Attorney General's Office can make an important difference in people's lives, and actually help restore public confidence in government.

To achieve this goal, I have identified two key priorities during the first year of my administration.

First, I must bring together a staff of legal professionals unquestioned for their credentials, integrity and commitment to public service.

The Attorney General's Office in New York once enjoyed such a reputation, but in recent years the stature of the office has been diminished somewhat by the perception that political affiliation was a factor in the appointment process.

This was wrong.

I believe the Attorney General's staff should be known not as a Republican team or a Democratic team but as an independent, creative and aggressive "people's team".

In this regard, I invite you to review the credentials of the appointments I have made so far to the Attorney General's staff.

You can review this information by clicking on the Attorney General's Bulletins and Reports section below.

My second priority is to ensure that the Attorney General's office has a clearly defined mission and that it functions as effectively as possible.

The office actually has dozens of operational units covering issues ranging from criminal law enforcement to consumer protection to civil rights.

My challenge is to ensure that each of these units is focused on the issues that matter most to working men and women throughout New York.

Therefore, I will restructure and refocus the Attorney General's office to achieve three broad goals:

1. Protecting and Strengthening the Family

2. Improving the Quality of Life in Our Communities

3. Ensuring the Integrity of Public institutions

By emphasisizng these basic goals, I am convinced that we will make rapid progress in becoming the finest public interest law organization in the nation, and that the Attorney General will rightfully be known as "the People's Lawyer."

The pages that follow will describe the specific programs and services designed to benefit all New Yorkers.

I urge you to review the information and to take advantage of any and all assistance available to you.

Finally, but most importantly, if there is a matter that is not represented in the menu above, or if you would like to express a concern or comment, please do not hesitate to Contact the Attorney General.

Very truly yours, Eliot Spitzer

Posted by: John Galt | October 21, 2007 8:41 AM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...111.html?page=2

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS DAILY POLITICS BLOG:

And speaking of THE DEPARTMENT OF ONCE WE HAD IT AND NOW WE APPARENTLY DON'T, topo ...

What jumped right out of that 1999 Spitzer POLITICAL MESSAGE above here and slapped me right across the face, in the light of young Andy Cuomo's actions or lack thereof in connection with his "investigation" of TROOPERGATE, is this following sentence from the mouth and pen of Spitzer himself in 1999, to wit:

The office actually has dozens of operational units covering issues ranging from criminal law enforcement to consumer protection to civil rights.

end quotes

According to Eliot Spitzer in an official NYS AG COMMUNIQUE circa 3/8/99, the office of the NYS AG then had an OPERATIONAL UNIT covering criminal law enforcement ....

THAT WAS 1999 ...

Now, today, in 2007, somehow, young Andy Cuomo seems to no longer have that OPERATIONAL UNIT ....

SO?

Where did it go?

Is it really still there, only young Andy Cuomo doesn't know about it?

Is it really still there, and young Andy Cuomo does know about it, but he doesn't want us to know about it, lest we wonder why he didn't have this OPERATIONAL UNIT in play in the botched-up TROOPERGATE investigation conducted by his office?

Young Andy lost it, somehow, and he doesn't remember where he put it?

Or did Eliot Spitzer do away with it when he became governor?

Or did the Legislature take it away, which is to say Joe Bruno?

I mean, obviously, if this OPERATIONAL UNIT covering criminal law enforcement still existed in the office of the NYS AG, certainly young Andy Cuomo would have brought them in to play in connection with his limited investigation of TROOPERGATE ....

Which investigation was greatly hampered because young Andy Cuomo had no authority to investigate criminal wrongdoing by the SPITZER-ITES in connection with TROOPERGATE ...

And so ...

Posted by: John Galt | October 21, 2007 4:51 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...111.html?page=3