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

[Livyjr]

"And the budget winner is?"

Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, April 3, 2007

As a former attorney general, Eliot Spitzer knows how to persuade a judge and jury to see the merits of his case.

But now that he is governor, he cannot rely on those skills to persuade the Legislature, or the average New Yorker, to see things his way.

There's a perception -- rightly or wrongly -- he didn't do as well as he should have with his first budget and, worse, that Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, proved to be the craftier negotiator.

Mr. Spitzer doesn't see it that way, of course, and for good reason.

He managed to institute two major reforms: major cost containment on Medicaid, and a historic change in the way school aid is distributed.

So why isn't he getting more credit for both?

One reason is that there were too many reminders of Albany's old ways -- three men in a room, messages of necessity, late-night votes, scarce details and special-interest politics -- that Mr. Spitzer had promised to end.

But another reason is that the governor's major goals are long-term ones, and the results aren't immediately apparent.

Until they are, they can't be fully measured in dollar terms.

But they are great beginnings.

If Medicaid costs are curbed, one of New York's most expensive programs will be tamed.

But it will take more than the $1 billion in cuts included in this budget.

It will require examining the program, what it pays for which services, and what services are no longer justified.

That is a long-term challenge.

Similarly, changing the school aid formula to direct more money to high-need districts will have to be insulated from the politics of old.

Regrettably, that didn't happen, as Mr. Bruno successfully pushed for more funds to be directed to affluent Long Island schools, where the Republicans hope to maintain their base.

That kind of self-interest politics is all too typical of Albany.

Yet this year, there was an even more cynical twist when it was discovered that the new formula would deny Westchester County schools a significantly higher share of state aid.

In the past, Mr. Bruno might have fought to get these districts more aid, just as he fought for Long Island districts.

But Westchester's longtime senator, Republican Nick Spano, lost to a Democratic challenger, and now they will pay the penalty.

How craven.

Mr. Bruno has been fighting budget battles for years, and he was ready for this one with the new governor.

While Mr. Spitzer wanted property tax relief to go mainly to middle-class homeowners, Mr. Bruno successfully argued for sending rebate checks directly to a bigger group of property owners.

Thus, the middle class will get less relief than Mr. Spitzer envisioned.

But Gov. Spitzer may well prove to be the more astute negotiator in the end.

In exchange for ceding Mr. Bruno some ground on Medicaid cuts, property relief and aid to Long Island schools, he managed to push through the fundamental reforms he wanted to put in place all along.

And now the framework for these reforms is there.

Yet the real test is to come next year, when Round 2 begins.

And when it does, it will behoove Mr. Spitzer to heed the advice of an old boxing pro, Kevin Rooney, who once famously advised Mike Tyson to start throwing punches "with mean intentions."

[Livyjr]

And along the way, certainly starting with young Andy Cuomo’s dad, Mario, as I recall it, a “new generation” started coming “into power” down there in Albany, and all of a sudden, constitutional process went right out the window, and back then, of course, there was really no way for “common people” to do much about it ….

Our voices had no way of being heard, even in our own communities, and there was no way that someone from Rensselaer County, where I am, would likely know what someone in Schenectady County was thinking, unless it so happened that one had family or relatives out that way …

So we were then powerless, because to “organize” people, you had to have means far beyond what the common person then had available, and so, constitutional process went out the window, and it was replaced by this farce which we have right now, today, and what has happened is that the farce has become, “THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN” ….

And those who “play the game”, as a part of their own livelihoods defend the game, especially Joe Bruno’s crowd over here, who in the words of Bruno “constituent consultant” Robert “BOBBY” Mirch in the TU local politics BLOG, consider politics a “blood sport” ….

http://blogs.timesunion.com/localpolitics/?p=15

Which it is over here, thanks to them, and we are where we are right now, with these politicians openly looting our state treasury, and then charging us for the looting they are doing by handing us the bill ….

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4301#comments

NY POST

"N.Y.'S BROKEN BANK"

By MICHAEL R. LONG

April 3, 2007 -- THE ink actually rubbed off the printed versions of the new budget bills handed to legislators as they were asked to vote on it.

Unfortunately, it's the rest of us that have to live with the stain - the outrageous state spending that this budget continues.

New Yorkers will pay for this budget - and their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will most likely pay as well.

Lawmakers have fought hard to keep spending at record levels - all the while telling us what great things they are doing for us.

And they'll assuredly add more spending when they return after their two-week vacation.

Headlines across the state salute the spending, when just a few days ago they called for less.

Now many are reading the fine print to find what's in the budget for them - as if it doesn't matter where the money is coming from, as long as it is coming to them.

My question: Why are they taking our money, just to give us part of it back?

It is far better management to cap the spending and let us keep our money, instead of sending a portion back to us . . . minus the costs of paper, postage and all the public employees who do the "handling."

Gov. Spitzer made promises during his campaign - and has failed to live up to them.

Earlier this year, he called for a spending hike of almost 8 percent; now that he's cut a deal with the Legislature, the not-quite-final-budget is up by nearly 9 percent - with another billion in capital projects coming in a different bill.

Pay raises for state judges and lawmakers may come, too.

Has anything really changed?

Well, not the behind-closed-doors process to reach budget agreement - the public still has no real chance to review the deal before it's rushed through.

And certainly not the spending.

The governor and Legislature continue to spend our money and tell us that they are doing what is good for us.

The governor proposed a tax deduction for those who send their children to private school.

It's nowhere to be found in this budget.

Parents pay state taxes that fund an education system they don't use, yet they can't get a $60 deduction on their taxes?

There are some positive steps.

The budget now includes member-item pork for all to see.

Now we, the taxpayers, must insist that member items are eliminated.

If a community-boxing academy is a positive force in the neighborhood, that neighborhood should be able provide the money.

The governor and Senate ignored the howls of the teachers unions and Speaker Sheldon Silver and doubled the number of charter schools.

Spitzer also found a way to reduce corporate-tax rates.

The governor may also have gotten some structural change in Medicaid reimbursements.

But Medicaid spending is still out of control, with New York spending approximately $47 billion a year, still more than California and Texas combined.

The devil is always in the details, and we don't have all of the details in this year's budget.

But the bottom line is certain:

At $122 billion or more, spending is still out of control - at a level that the taxpayers of New York won't be able to sustain.

How will the governor close the deficits, estimated by the Division of the Budget at $3.3 billion next year, $5.5 billion the year after and $7.3 billion in 2010-2011?

In a year when real change could have taken place, New Yorkers - and their children - are left with nothing to take to the bank.

Michael R. Long is the chairman of the state Conservative Party.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04032007/posto...ael_r__long.htm

[Livyjr]

And so …

Ulla, take my advice, get out of this state while you have a dime left to your name …

Go out to Oregon, the people out there are more independent in spirit than they are here, and a lot less cowardly, being the stock of pioneers themselves, and as a consequence, the government out there is not so cowardly, or unethical, or just plain worthless ….

And take as many young people with you when you go, as you can, because there is no real future for young people with integrity in this state so long as this HIGH-PRICED CHARADE down there in Albany continues year after year, as it is this year …

And so …

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4279#comments

NY POST

"OFF THE TRACKS - BUDGET DERAILS SPITZER'S REFORM DRIVE"

By JAMES TEDISCO

Spitzer: Turned out not to have the will to say, "No."

April 3, 2007 -- LAST November, Eliot Spitzer was elected with a large mandate to change the way business is done in Albany and to reform state government.

In his first 50 days, he was fulfilling that mandate - delivering significant workers' compensation reform, ethics reform and a civil-confinement law for the most dangerous sex predators.

But the budget process just knocked the reform train off the tracks.

This record $122 billion budget spends too much, borrows too much, taxes too much and reforms too little.

And the process of putting it together was even worse - behind closed doors and at the last minute.

Lawmakers were ultimately handed thousands of pages of budget-bill copy to read minutes before they were expected to vote.

The paper was literally hot off the press.

If ever an area of New York state government was in critical need of reform, it's in the fat and the farce of the budget process.

And it is in here that Gov. Spitzer stumbled on his promise of reform.

In his State of the State Address, Spitzer promised to "rein in spending," but his initial budget proposal increased spending by 6.3 percent over the prior year, more than twice the rate of inflation.

The governor had promised that he and lawmakers "will finally learn to say 'no' to budget requests we simply cannot afford[/u]."

I applauded then, and again on March 5, when he said:

"Until you've said 'no,' you haven't really figured out how to govern effectively."

Yet despite those bold declarations, he just allowed the legislature to stuff another $1 billion into an already bloated spending plan, which is projected to result in a $3.2 billion budget deficit next year.

So much for the hope that Spitzer would be strong enough to pull back the reins on the decades-long spending binge that has weakened New York's competitiveness.

Consider: New York's population is only 6 percent larger than Florida's, yet we spend 60 percent more.

Is it any wonder that Florida has a booming economy and no income taxes?

New York leads the nation in Medicaid spending; we spend more than twice the national average.

We lead the nation in per-pupil education spending.

We pay the highest state and local taxes in the nation.

We pay the highest gasoline taxes.

We have the second-highest state debt in the nation, behind much larger California.

But when it comes to job growth, we rank near the bottom.

Add in the high cost of living here, and it's no surprise that each year hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers leave the state for greener pastures and better opportunities.

According to the Empire Center for New York State Policy, more than 1.2 million New York residents have moved to other states since 2000 - the biggest such loss experienced by any state.

In the same period, state spending increased by more than $30 billion.

For these reasons, a majority of my Assembly Republican colleagues and I voted "No" on most of the budget.

I voted "No" on eight of the 10 budget bills (I voted for the education bills that included property-tax-rebate checks).

At some point, we need to be honest with ourselves - enough is enough.

We need a leaner, more efficient and less costly government.

We need to reduce the excessive tax burden on families and businesses so that we can create job opportunities and prosperity.

We don't need budgets that hike spending at rates more than three times the rate of inflation, as this one does.

Will the governor find the will next year to rein in taxes and spending?

New Yorkers who are contemplating packing up the U-Haul should first contact their elected officials and make their voices heard.

That may be our only hope.

James Tedisco is the Republican leader in the state Assembly.

tediscj@assembly.state.ny.us

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04032007/posto...mes_tedisco.htm

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK SUN

"Spitzer To Seek Tuition Deduction on the Rebound"

By JACOB GERSHMAN

Staff Reporter of the Sun

April 2, 2007

Governor Spitzer is aiming to rebound after a grueling budget battle, with plans under way to consolidate local government, to announce a commission on public higher education, and to push legislation — including his proposed $1,000 private school tuition tax deduction — that was excluded from the final budget.

The Spitzer administration is looking forward to resuming the governor's role as unfettered state executive after spending time as one man in a crowded negotiating room with a deadline hanging over his head.

The passage of the budget gives the administration some breathing room to allow newly staffed agencies to carry out policy directives that were put on hold during the months-long budget process, which ended during the weekend.

"Immediately, the staff is going to begin advancing an agenda … that has been partially consumed by budget negotiations," a spokeswoman for the governor, Christine Anderson, said.

"There's no break."

"It keeps going."

The centerpiece of the governor's agenda over the next several weeks is a rollout of the administration's plan to consolidate New York's sprawling local government, a decades-old problem for the Empire State that is one of the reasons New Yorkers pay higher local taxes than other Americans.

In his State of the State address, Mr. Spitzer said New York must "consolidate New York's multiple layers of local government — those 4,200 taxing jurisdictions that cost taxpayers millions each year in duplicative services and stand as yet another impediment to change."

Mr. Spitzer's special adviser and good friend, Lloyd Constantine, is in charge of the effort and has been in talks with counties about combining or dissolving towns and villages, merging or eliminating services, departments, and positions, and sharing buildings and equipment.

The plans could have an impact on everything from trash collection to school busing to property tax rates.

Next to reorganizing the bureaucracy of Medicaid, Mr. Spitzer's efforts to consolidate local government could be his most important first-term strategy to lower public costs.

Because the plan is outside the budget process, Mr. Spitzer will likely have more control over its outcome.

Administration officials say Mr. Spitzer is intent on picking up pieces of his executive budget that wound up on the cutting-room floor during negotiations with Senate and Assembly leaders.

Ms. Anderson said Mr. Spitzer would renew a push for a bill that would give families a $1,000-per-child tax deduction — worth on average $50 to $80 — to offset costs of private and parochial school tuition.

The measure was strongly backed by Edward Cardinal Egan, who came to Albany last month to urge its passage, arguing that parochial and private schools save the state money by educating hundreds of thousands of children.

"It is not a whole lot," Mr. Egan said during his visit, the Associated Press reported.

"But it is at least a statement of a beginning toward what is clearly justice."

Teachers unions are opposed to the tax deduction, saying its approval would put the state on a slippery slope toward tuition vouchers, siphoning state funds from the unionized public school system.

Administration officials say the governor will also try to breathe life back into his proposed expansion of the state Bottle Bill that would add nickel deposits to noncarbonated beverages and would require beverage companies to direct unclaimed deposits to the state's Environmental Protection Fund.

A number of Republican lawmakers have said the expanded bottle bill is essentially a tax on the companies.

The administration predicted that the deposits would annually add $100 million to state coffers and had factored the savings into its revenue forecasts.

With the final budget adding another $1 billion to next year's deficit, Mr. Spitzer is under pressure to come up with ways to close the increasing gap.

Mr. Spitzer is also preparing to announce a public higher education commission that will advise the administration on a new tuition policy for the State University of New York and the City University of New York and design benchmarks for comparing SUNY and CUNY to peer public institutions across the nation.

During his campaign, Mr. Spitzer pledged to transform the SUNY system, whose reputation he said didn't match up against other public university systems.

Ms. Anderson said Mr. Spitzer would eventually propose a bill legalizing gay marriage but the measure is not one of his immediate post-budget agenda priorities.

http://www.nysun.com/article/51607?page_no=1

[Livyjr]

NY DAILY NEWS

The Daily Politics

April 3, 2007

"The Daily Politics of the future"

The indefatigable Liz Benjamin has gone public with the good news: She will be taking over as full-time chief blogger of The Daily Politics as of next week.

Many of you will be familiar with her prolific work at Capitol Confidential, where she covers the Albany political scene like white on rice.

As she explains in her farewell post at CapCon, Liz plans to divide her time between Albany and New York City.

Errol Louis and I, who have been "filling in" as part-time bloggers since the departure of esteemed predecessor Ben Smith, are glad the DP will be in such capable hands -- and expect to keep on posting from time to time.

Posted by Bill Hammond at 3:47 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/

And from Elizabeth Benjamin at Capital Confidential:

Starting April 10, you can reach me at Ebenjamin@nydailynews.com. In the meantime, you can always drop a line at embenjamin2001@yahoo.com. The cell will remain the same: 518-424-0356.

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4307#comments

[Livyjr]

THE ALBANY PROJECT

"Revisiting Empire Zones"

by: MattK D1

Mon Apr 02, 2007 at 22:33:19 PM EDT

I came across an article posted a couple of weeks ago, shortly after DragonFlyEye's TAP diary on Empire Zones.

In this article, the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin notes, regarding the two companies that received the top two largest amounts of Empire Zone tax benefits in Broome and Tioga counties from 2003 to 2005:

Huron Real Estate Associates in Endicott received $20.2 million in Empire Zone tax breaks ...

Yet the company created 17 jobs during the period, equating to about $1.2 million for each new hire.

Endicott Interconnect Technologies received $8.8 million in tax credits and created 83 jobs.

Got that?

$1.2 million per realtor, for a total of 17 new real estate professionals.

I have seen elsewhere some Zone apologists argue that some tax breaks go into equipment that somehow will later magically transform the area's economy.

From what I've seen, most realtors are kitted out with a phone, a desk, a bad jacket, and a late model Lincoln or Olds.

Anyway, it gets worse.

In March 2006, Huron laid off 21 workers.

This translates a net loss of three jobs, or nearly $7 million per person fired.

Oh, did I mention it gets worse?

In August 2006, two maintenance workers who were not properly trained or informed by Huron about the heating system they were working on got killed when the pipes they were working on exploded.

But here's some good news!

Apparently the 10,000 gallons of anti-freeze that escaped through a broken pipe in a cooling system on the campus in January 2006 has degraded.

Actually, about half of that was contained.

It's the other half that seeped into the ground or washed down the storm sewer and into the river that degraded.

So aside from anything living that may have gotten poisoned as the thousands of gallons of ethylene glycol (refrigerant that can damage the heart, nerves and kidneys) made its fairly quick transformation to formaldehyde, then on to harmless elements, everything's cool.

And besides, the whole place is atop a 300-acre plume of subterranean chemicals left by previous tenants, IBM.

So what's a few thousand gallons of anti-freeze, here or there?

So, to sum up, $20.2 million in this area buys you three fired realtors, two dead maintenance workers, and ten thousand gallons of spilled anti-freeze on top of a toxic waste site.

We should be doing better than this.

http://www.thealbanyproject.com/showDiary....128?diaryId=618

[Livyjr]

And then, we got into Mario Cuomo, with his pet shill, Dr. Arnold Chartock, and then Pataki, and now this LORD AHURA MAZDA CORNBURY STEAMROLLER Spitzer ….

And along the way, certainly starting with young Andy Cuomo’s dad, Mario, as I recall it, a “new generation” started coming “into power” down there in Albany, and all of a sudden, constitutional process went right out the window, and back then, of course, there was really no way for “common people” to do much about it ….

Our voices had no way of being heard, even in our own communities, and there was no way that someone from Rensselaer County, where I am, would likely know what someone in Schenectady County was thinking, unless it so happened that one had family or relatives out that way …

So we were then powerless, because to “organize” people, you had to have means far beyond what the common person then had available, and so, constitutional process went out the window, and it was replaced by this farce which we have right now, today, and what has happened is that the farce has become, “THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN” ….

And those who “play the game”, as a part of their own livelihoods defend the game, especially Joe Bruno’s crowd over here, who in the words of Bruno “constituent consultant” Robert “BOBBY” Mirch in the TU local politics BLOG, consider politics a “blood sport” ….

http://blogs.timesunion.com/localpolitics/?p=15

Which it is over here, thanks to them, and we are where we are right now, with these politicians openly looting our state treasury, and then charging us for the looting they are doing by handing us the bill ….

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4301#comments

"Spitzer overture derails budget - Insiders say governor's attempt to get funds for legislative minorities stalls capital project plans"

By JAY JOCHNOWITZ, State editor, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Wednesday, April 4, 2007

ALBANY -- As state budget talks were going down to the wire, Gov. Eliot Spitzer threw an unheard-of idea on the table: borrow tens of millions of dollars and give them to legislators in the Senate and Assembly minorities for projects in their districts

Partly as a result of Spitzer's proposal -- by the standards of Albany tradition, political heresy -- a capital budget with about $1 billion in borrowing was left out of the final budget

For now, that means money for at least one key Spitzer initiative in Albany, and dozens of local economic development projects around the state, is on hold

Insiders from both sides of the political aisle said the money Spitzer wanted to give out -- at least $60 million for the Assembly Republicans and Senate Democrats -- was the Democratic governor's way of saying thanks for lawmakers' support.

Many of the lawmakers backed Spitzer's push for New York City Finance Commissioner Martha Stark to succeed former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi following a fraud scandal.

Insiders in both the governor's and legislative circles say Spitzer was grateful for support from Senate Democrats and promised them money for pet projects.

When Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco got wind of that, they say, the Schenectady Republican pointed out to Spitzer that 25 of the 41 members of his party supported Stark, too.

It was already known by mid-March that Spitzer was breaking with tradition and directly inviting minority lawmakers to submit requests for capital projects, a move that irritated Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, and Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick.

The two leaders were displeased anew when Spitzer proposed putting the money in the capital budget, insiders said.

"Shelly and Bruno both said no," said one senior legislative aide.

"That's crazy."

"We've never done it that way."

Bruno and Silver were also put off, legislative insiders said, at what one described as a "minuscule" share for their majority conferences.

An exact figure wasn't available -- the numbers and the key discussions all took place behind closed doors among the leaders in the final days of negotiating the 2007-08 budget -- but the senior aide said that compared with the governor's share, the leaders felt they were being offered "table scraps."

Further contributing to the breakdown was Spitzer's desire for a tax credit for private school tuitions -- which Silver strongly opposed -- and Silver's insistence that any talk of judicial pay raises also include the issue of increases for lawmakers.

Silver has denied linking those issues, though he has supported the idea of a commission to study pay raises for judges, legislators and other elected officials whose salaries are fixed by law.

Spitzer, several people familiar with the discussions said, offered to have a proposed commission on judicial pay hikes look at legislative salaries as well, if he got the tuition tax credit.

Silver rejected that, they said.

The delay in doing a capital budget puts on hold two $300 million funds Spitzer wanted.

One is said by insiders to be for "Sematech II," a high-tech computer chip center in Albany.

The other, people familiar with it said, had yet to be specified.

Jochnowitz can be reached at 454-5424 or by e-mail at jjochnowitz@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK SUN

"Spitzer To Seek Tuition Deduction on the Rebound"

By JACOB GERSHMAN

Staff Reporter of the Sun

April 2, 2007

Governor Spitzer is aiming to rebound after a grueling budget battle, with plans under way to consolidate local government, to announce a commission on public higher education, and to push legislation — including his proposed $1,000 private school tuition tax deduction — that was excluded from the final budget.

The Spitzer administration is looking forward to resuming the governor's role as unfettered state executive after spending time as one man in a crowded negotiating room with a deadline hanging over his head.

http://www.nysun.com/article/51607?page_no=1

NY SUN

"Spitzer is a subverter of our state government"

Reader comment on: Spitzer To Seek Tuition Deduction on the Rebound

Submitted by John Galt, Apr 4, 2007 07:59

As one of this state's many disabled combat veterans, and as one who was born here in NYS, and as one who has studied extensively about our state's history, it's Constitution, and its laws, so as to be a better, more-informed citizen, I find myself taking great exception to this statement in your newspaper that "the Spitzer administration is looking forward to resuming the governor's role as unfettered state executive".

In point of fact, NYS does not have an "unfettered state executive", and any assertions to the contrary by Christine Anderson or the Spitzer administration are simply empty statements that border on the seditious, a bold attempt by this "STEAMROLLER" and his crowd to subvert the processes of OUR state government, from which springs forth OUR democracy here in NYS, and this taking place right before our eyes, as was just the case with this bogus budget process, which was done in open violation of ART. VII of OUR state constitution, to be quite frank about the matter.

According to our own history, NYS has had long experience with "governors", going all the way back in time to the director general, who administered New Netherland under the Dutch from 1624 to 1664; and then the royal governors, including the infamous Lord Cornbury, who administered the colony under the British until 1776, at which time New York severed its ties forever with Great Britain when its representatives signed the Declaration of Independence, and thereby, gave us the blessings of freedom which we are to enjoy in this state to this day, and tomarrow as well, through the body of OUR state constitution.

As to the very limited office of governor in the State of New York, in April 1777, the Convention of Representatives of the State of New York (renamed the Fourth Provincial Congress) adopted the first State constitution, and New York's constitution of 1777 created the office of governor "to take care that the laws are faithfully executed" and right up to the present time, that is essentially all that the governor of the State of NY is given to do by the people of this state, through section 3 of ART. IV of our state constitution, and nowhere have we given him any authority at all to just willy-nilly step outside of the "law" and become "unfettered" with respect to dissolving our towns and villages here in up-state NY.

In point of fact, the forms of our local governments here in NYS are spelled out in great detail in OUR state constitution, and nowhere does OUR state constitution give this "STEAMROLLER" any authority to unilaterally combine or dissolve OUR towns and villages.

To the contrary, ARTICLE IX of OUR state constitution, entitled "Bill of rights for local governments", states in Section 1 as follows: "Effective local self-government and intergovernmental cooperation are purposes of the people of the state", and as "people of the state" outside of NYC, we disabled veterans especially take this constitutional language quite seriously, just as we do every other word that is written in our constitution, and after this budget fiasco, where the "STEAMROLLER" took our constitution and wadded it up into a litle ball and threw it into the trash, right before our eyes, as if it and we did not matter, our name for him has become "PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1" up here in the countryside, and rapidly, through the miracle of the internet, the word is now getting out that this "STEAMROLLER" Spitzer is the greatest threat to our democracy and constitutional way of life here in up-state NY that there has been since we gained our independence from Great Britain back in 1776.

And if this "STEAMROLLER" intends to persist in this misplaced belief of his that he really is "unfettered" as NYS governor; that he really is "entitled" to be outside of OUR laws, free to do as he pleases with respect to spitting on OUR constitution, as he just did with respect to the state budget, then it seems that we are in for some interesting times ahead, just as was the case back in the early-1700's, when the people of the state got together to have LORD CORNBURY himself removed as colonial governor for transgressing on our rights, and in this case, thanks to our constitution, we can simply start lobbying our state legislature to remove the "STEAMROLLER" from office for gross and abject failure to live up to his constitutional oath to "take care that the laws are faithfully executed", which starts with OUR organic law as it is spelled out in the entire body of the NYS Constitution.

And so ....

http://www.nysun.com/comments/18564

[Livyjr]

And if this "STEAMROLLER" intends to persist in this misplaced belief of his that he really is "unfettered" as NYS governor; that he really is "entitled" to be outside of OUR laws, free to do as he pleases with respect to spitting on OUR constitution, as he just did with respect to the state budget, then it seems that we are in for some interesting times ahead, just as was the case back in the early-1700's, when the people of the state got together to have LORD CORNBURY himself removed as colonial governor for transgressing on our rights, and in this case, thanks to our constitution, we can simply start lobbying our state legislature to remove the "STEAMROLLER" from office for gross and abject failure to live up to his constitutional oath to "take care that the laws are faithfully executed", which starts with OUR organic law as it is spelled out in the entire body of the NYS Constitution.

And so ....

http://www.nysun.com/comments/18564

"Web gives new forum to vox populi - Advocacy groups push views in the state as messages sometimes overwhelm legislators"

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

First published: Wednesday, April 4, 2007

ALBANY -- Sometime soon, Gov. Eliot Spitzer will receive a petition signed by thousands of people who oppose a plan to merge the State University of New York's Upstate Medical University Hospital with Crouse Memorial Hospital in Syracuse.

The fact that it's a petition is nothing unusual.

But the way it will be delivered -- via a Web page -- is.

It marks the latest development in the electronic arms race that advocacy groups are fighting.

As well as saving countless trees, the Web-based petition gets around the spam blockers that politicians have put up on their computer systems in recent years due to the barrages of automated e-mail letters from special interest groups.

Sponsored by United University Professions, the union representing SUNY employees, the petition (located at http://www.thepetitionsite.com; type "United University Professions" in the search box) urges Spitzer to abandon the Syracuse merger plan.

It includes an interactive feature that allows participants to sign their names and add personal comments, which supporters say lends a personal touch and lets the recipient know that participants aren't merely signing and passing along a scripted form letter.

The proposed merger between the SUNY and Crouse hospitals was recommended by the Berger Commission, which was created under former Gov. George Pataki to find ways to contain health care costs and cut down on excess hospital and nursing home beds.

Spitzer supports the Berger plan, but it has prompted protests from groups including unions that represent hospital and health care workers.

It should come as no surprise, then, that merger opponents would launch a petition drive.

Decades ago, such petitions would be painstakingly gathered by volunteers who hit the streets with paper and pen.

Then came the era of mass faxes, followed by e-blasts, or mass e-mails meant to influence lawmakers on a given topic.

In New York, the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities brought E-blasting to a new level in 2004 when it got students and parents to send 1.4 million messages to the governor and lawmakers urging them not to cut the popular college Tuition Assistance Program.

The cuts were avoided and CICU officials say part of the success was due to the electronic messages, including some 40,000 from parents of students who threatened to vote against those who would cut TAP.

But the e-blasts eventually revealed a downside, according to CICU President Abraham Lackman.

As more groups used the technique, lawmakers found their e-mail inboxes clogged.

"It's a little overwhelming," agreed Tim Gordon, I-Bethlehem, a freshman Assemblyman who sometimes marvels at the sheer volume of e-mail he gets from interest groups.

On Tuesday, he said, he missed a lunch cancellation note, which was lost in the mass of daily messages.

E-blasts can be downright annoying for lawmakers who use hand held devices like BlackBerries.

On busy days, they can vibrate and ring non-stop incessantly, added Lackman.

"They were used to a world where they would get between 50 and 100 e-mails a day," said Lackman, who spent years as secretary of the Legislature's Senate Finance Committee.

"But some days the BlackBerry would be buzzing (non-stop)."

The result: many of these e-mails are now blocked, filtered or just ignored.

Web petitions, though, can come in the form of a single e-mail and can get around the spam blockers that identify, isolate or even stop mass e-mails.

Spam, of course, is in the eye of the beholder, and Spitzer spokesman Marc Violette stressed that the governor's office uses spam blockers that allow legitimate message to get through.

Still, there is an element of gamesmanship here, with advocacy groups constantly looking for ways to stand out and grab a politician's attention, without being so annoying that their message is blocked or ignored.

"It's always a battle," said Toby Berkowitz, interim dean of Boston University's School of Communications, who has followed electronic communications.

UUP spokeswoman Denyce Duncan Lacy said her union still uses mass e-mails, but the interactive Web site represents yet another approach.

Since it was launched late last month, over 2,800 people had signed the petition as of Tuesday afternoon.

To help gather support, she said, the petition is working with Facebook, the student social networking Web site.

Facebook users who live in the 27 counties served by the medical center can see a link that allows them to sign the petitions as well.

"Those students may either be potential patients or potential medical school students," said Duncan Lacy.

And, she added, "We're not killing as many trees."

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

[Livyjr]

NY SUN

"Spitzer is a subverter of our state government"

Reader comment on: Spitzer To Seek Tuition Deduction on the Rebound

Submitted by John Galt, Apr 4, 2007 07:59

As one of this state's many disabled combat veterans, and as one who was born here in NYS, and as one who has studied extensively about our state's history, it's Constitution, and its laws, so as to be a better, more-informed citizen, I find myself taking great exception to this statement in your newspaper that "the Spitzer administration is looking forward to resuming the governor's role as unfettered state executive".

In point of fact, NYS does not have an "unfettered state executive", and any assertions to the contrary by Christine Anderson or the Spitzer administration are simply empty statements that border on the seditious, a bold attempt by this "STEAMROLLER" and his crowd to subvert the processes of OUR state government, from which springs forth OUR democracy here in NYS, and this taking place right before our eyes, as was just the case with this bogus budget process, which was done in open violation of ART. VII of OUR state constitution, to be quite frank about the matter.

According to our own history, NYS has had long experience with "governors", going all the way back in time to the director general, who administered New Netherland under the Dutch from 1624 to 1664; and then the royal governors, including the infamous Lord Cornbury, who administered the colony under the British until 1776, at which time New York severed its ties forever with Great Britain when its representatives signed the Declaration of Independence, and thereby, gave us the blessings of freedom which we are to enjoy in this state to this day, and tomarrow as well, through the body of OUR state constitution.

As to the very limited office of governor in the State of New York, in April 1777, the Convention of Representatives of the State of New York (renamed the Fourth Provincial Congress) adopted the first State constitution, and New York's constitution of 1777 created the office of governor "to take care that the laws are faithfully executed" and right up to the present time, that is essentially all that the governor of the State of NY is given to do by the people of this state, through section 3 of ART. IV of our state constitution, and nowhere have we given him any authority at all to just willy-nilly step outside of the "law" and become "unfettered" with respect to dissolving our towns and villages here in up-state NY.

In point of fact, the forms of our local governments here in NYS are spelled out in great detail in OUR state constitution, and nowhere does OUR state constitution give this "STEAMROLLER" any authority to unilaterally combine or dissolve OUR towns and villages.

http://www.nysun.com/comments/18564

"April 4, 2007 - New York Voters Say 'Steamroller' Has Sputtered, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; More Say State Budget Deal Was Too Costly"

New York State voters give Gov. Eliot Spitzer a 48 - 27 percent approval rating, with 25 percent undecided, and say 47 - 36 percent that his "Steamroller Style" is good for the people, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

These numbers are down from a 61 - 11 percent approval for Gov. Spitzer in a February 13 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University, when voters said 61 - 24 percent that the "Steamroller Style" was good for the people.

In today's survey, 47 percent of voters say the steamroller tactic contributes to legislative gridlock, while 23 percent say the tactic is working.

Voters give legislative leaders very low marks, a split 30 - 30 percent approval for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and a negative 27 - 34 percent for Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

The State Legislature gets a negative 34 - 43 percent score.

Spitzer allowed the Legislature to put too much spending back in the budget, 33 percent of voters say, while 30 percent say the Governor reached a fair compromise.

"There's nothing like a knock-down, drag-out New York State budget battle to take the steam out of even the most vigorous steamroller."

"Budget stories dominated the media and Gov. Eliot Spitzer's job approval numbers sagged, " said Maurice Carroll, Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"On the budget, did Gov. Spitzer cave or win a 'fair compromise?' Slightly more voters say he gave away too much."

"The Governor is still some sort of steamroller, New Yorkers think, but they doubt that the tactic is working."

"Men still think it's a good idea."

"Women, less so," Carroll added.

Other legislators are more involved in the budget process, 36 percent of New York State voters say, while 32 percent say the practice continues of "three men in a room" making all the decisions.

"Remember how, during the campaign for governor, we heard that Albany's infamous 'rule of three' would end?"

"A lot of New Yorkers think it's still in place," Carroll said.

Voters approve 45 - 30 percent of the way Spitzer is handling the state budget, but disapprove 46 - 31 percent of the way he is handling health care.

Of the 81 percent of voters who heard at least a little about Spitzer's proposed restructuring of health care funding, 39 percent oppose it while 36 percent support it.

And voters say 64 - 28 percent that proposed cuts or freezes in health care spending will endanger the quality of health care.

Ads attacking Spitzer's health care proposals were seen by 72 percent of New Yorker State voters, but only 39 percent of that group believe the ads, while 46 percent say the ads misrepresent the issue.

And voters say 39 - 26 percent that Sen. Bruno was catering to hospital lobbyists rather than trying to protect health care when he challenged Spitzer on the budget cuts.

Voters approve 53 - 17 percent of the job State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is doing, compared to 42 - 16 percent February 13.

From March 28 - April 2, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,548 New York State voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percent.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and nationwide as a public service and for research.

For more data -- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x271.xml, or call (203) 582-5201.

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1284.xml?Releas...;&strTime=0

[Livyjr]

"April 4, 2007 - New York Voters Say 'Steamroller' Has Sputtered, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; More Say State Budget Deal Was Too Costly"

"The Governor is still some sort of steamroller, New Yorkers think, but they doubt that the tactic is working."

"Men still think it's a good idea."

"Women, less so," Carroll added.

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1284.xml?Releas...;&strTime=0

TU ITEM: Interestingly, or perhaps fickly, voters didn’t like Spitzer’s “steamroller” approach, but on the flip side they said he gave away too much.

Whether this downturn lasts for a governor who came in with historic support is another matter.

Comment by John Galt — April 4, 2007 @ 2:36 pm:

JOHN GALT REPLIES: Here is an interesting perspective from the NY TIMES EMPIRE ZONE this morning on those very thoughts expressed by the TU right above here, this same morning:

April 4th, 2007 9:01 am: Thanks for the heads-up on the state’s infamous “Empire Zone” program, which has been spreading its tentacles throughout upstate NY without us citizens having any real knowledge of what is going on in our own communities up here with respect to what this program means to our futures as state taxpayers.

And this is all very disturbing to us older folks on fixed and limited incomes, who end up year after year having our property taxes jacked up by ten or twenty percent while these BID-NESSES get an essentially free ride, at our expense.

And these continuing revelations about this “Empire Zone” program and its abuses at our expense are made all that much more disturbing to those of us in upstate NY who are property-tax payers by language in an article in THE NEW YORK SUN entitled “Spitzer To Seek Tuition Deduction on the Rebound” by JACOB GERSHMAN, Staff Reporter of the Sun, dated April 2, 2007, wherein is stated:

“The Spitzer administration is looking forward to resuming the governor’s role as unfettered state executive after spending time as one man in a crowded negotiating room with a deadline hanging over his head.”

http://www.nysun.com/article/51607?page_no=1

“Unfettered”, according to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, means “FREE, UNRESTRAINED”, which we countryfolks up here translate as “TOTALLY LAWLESS” with respect to this “STEAMROLLER” and his crowd, especially after this just-concluded budget go-round, where this “STEAMROLLER” took OUR state Constitution and very openly wadded it up into a little ball and threw it out the window, spitting in our faces as citizens of this state in the process, which we will remember for some time to come, measured in years, and not minutes or seconds, as his crowd assumes will be the case.

Up here in upstate NY, this “STEAMROLLER” has just earned himself the title of “PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1″ for trashing our state constitution during this budget fiasco, and putting this “Empire Zone” project into hands of this lawless, unfettered “STEAMROLLER” spells financial disaster for us, the property-tax payers of this state.

And so …

Thank you for the public service that you are performing here in this BLOG, which serves to keep us countryfolks informed as to what is going on “behind-the-scenes” here in NYS, in a way that we have never had made available to us before the advent of these BLOGS with the embedded links.

And so …

— Posted by Livyjr

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

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4310#comments

[Livyjr]

“Unfettered”, according to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, means “FREE, UNRESTRAINED”, which we countryfolks up here translate as “TOTALLY LAWLESS” with respect to this “STEAMROLLER” and his crowd, especially after this just-concluded budget go-round, where this “STEAMROLLER” took OUR state Constitution and very openly wadded it up into a little ball and threw it out the window, spitting in our faces as citizens of this state in the process, which we will remember for some time to come, measured in years, and not minutes or seconds, as his crowd assumes will be the case.

Up here in upstate NY, this “STEAMROLLER” has just earned himself the title of “PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1″ for trashing our state constitution during this budget fiasco, and putting this “Empire Zone” project into hands of this lawless, unfettered “STEAMROLLER” spells financial disaster for us, the property-tax payers of this state.

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

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4310#comments

"Gov. Spitzer's actions worthy of an 'Attaboy!'"

Letters to the Editor, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Monday, April 2, 2007

Having barely crossed the threshold to his office, Eliot Spitzer has alienated Joseph Bruno, Sheldon Silver, Fred LeBrun and now Senate Republicans "Senate GOP attacks Spitzer" (March 23).

The common thread to these criticisms is that Spitzer doesn't negotiate nicely, that he wants things his own way, that he is "in a war mode" (Sen. Dean Skelos).

As one of the New York voters whose overwhelming majority gave him a mandate last November, I say "Attaboy!"

When the bipartisan of the dysfunctional political establishment and especially the pork brokers Silver and Bruno become apoplectic at a chief executive who won't engage in politics-as-usual, residents of New York, the state with the fattest medicaid bill, the emptiest hospital beds, and the most aversive tax environment for small businesses, are getting what they hoped for when they elected him.

JEFFREY D., M.D.

Wynantskill

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...wsdate=4/2/2007

[Livyjr]

NY DAILY NEWS

The Daily Politics

April 3, 2007

"The Daily Politics of the future"

The indefatigable Liz Benjamin has gone public with the good news: She will be taking over as full-time chief blogger of The Daily Politics as of next week.

Many of you will be familiar with her prolific work at Capitol Confidential, where she covers the Albany political scene like white on rice.

As she explains in her farewell post at CapCon, Liz plans to divide her time between Albany and New York City.

Errol Louis and I, who have been "filling in" as part-time bloggers since the departure of esteemed predecessor Ben Smith, are glad the DP will be in such capable hands -- and expect to keep on posting from time to time.

Posted by Bill Hammond at 3:47 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/

Posted by: John Galt | April 4, 2007 5:38 PM:

I am one of a community of disabled Viet Nam combat veterans in upstate NY who has been following Elizabeth Benjamin's reporting on issues of importance to our small community since way back in 2004, and her story entitled "New Yorkers make do in off-peak slots" from the Thursday, July 29, 2004 Albany, New York Times Union is still one of our personal favorites, for the "signal" to us from the Kerry Campaign that it contained in the following words:

"Why some New Yorkers received coveted speaking roles while others remained on the sidelines was something of a mystery."

"Meanwhile, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who built a national reputation fighting Wall Street corruption and flew to Mexico to endorse Kerry when President Bush's campaign attacked Kerry for his ties to 'special interests', wasn't tapped to speak."

"This fact caused a brief uproar when it was reported that Schumer used his clout to block the attorney general from speaking, the political explanation being that the two are considered possible rivals for the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial nomination."

"Schumer has insisted he had nothing to do with Spitzer's absence behind the podium."

Actually, to shed some further light on that mystery, one of the members of our disabled veterans' community up here had posted the following request to keep "STEAMROLLER" Spitzer off the podium at the DNC in the now-defunct John Kerry Forum, where it was acknowledged by the veterans who were working on the Kerry Campaign, and we were intently following EB's reporting on that convention to see what the results would be, and when we read her report, our day was made ...

And because of her work since then, we will follow her over to here:

Dear Mr. Kerry:

I am an honorably-discharged, twice-wounded, fully disabled Viet Nam war veteran who is a life member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the D.A.V., the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Tri-County Viet Nam Veterans in the Albany, New York area.

In that capacity, as an honorably-discharged, fully disabled Viet Nam combat veteran, I am asking you personally on behalf of all other disabled veterans in this area of the State of New York who must rely upon the integrity of the medical health and public health fields in the State of New York to not allow New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer an opportunity to speak at the podium of the Democratic National Convention on the grounds that he is pandering to partisan political interests in the State of New York by countencing blatant acts of discrimination against a disabled veteran in the State of New York who has been working to expose corruption in county government in the capital district area of State of New York.

Presently, Mr. Kerry, as this appeal is being written to you personally in this community forum, New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is actively engaged in defending in Federal District Court for the Northern District of New York what can only be termed blatant acts of discrimination and retaliation against this disabled Viet Nam veteran in New York State by Republicans in the State of New York who wish to permanently suppress this individual and his testimony to the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning Hobbs Act corruption involving Republicans in the Capital District area of the State of New York.

To stifle that testimony and evidence, in August of 2001, in the weeks before 9-11, as the record shows, this disabled veteran was the victim of what has become known in the Albany, New York area of the State of New York, as a "psychiatric takedown".

A "psychiatric takedown" is a defensive political manuver by which the Republicans in the capital district area of New York State have a witness against them removed by the vehicle of having a "pet doctor" sign a psychiatric arrest warrant for the individual which directs the New York State Police to take the individual into custody and transport them to the secure mental health facility of a local hospital, for psychiatric "care and treatment".

In this manner, the witness is removed, their crediblity is destroyed and their effectiveness as professional witnesses on behalf of the public health of the community is robbed forever.

In this case, the victim, in addition to being a disabled veteran, was also the local public health engineer, who had previously been commended in writing for his integrity by the New York State Health Commissioner.

In March of 1989, based upon an investigation conducted by this local public health engineer, the State Health Commissioner, a well-respected medical doctor named David Axelrod, declared that the public health and environment in our county was threatened by an inordinate amount of sewage system failures which were the legacy of ten years worth of negligence in the Environmental Health Division of the State Health Department itself.

A March 1989 Federal Bureau of Investigation report confirmed these findings by Dr. Axelrod, and further noted that the Republicans in charge of the county had no intention of cleaning up the corruption, and that to cover matters over after the Axelrod Report, the Republicans had removed the public health engineer from his position on grounds that his Viet Nam combat service had rendered him a threat to society.

Thus, ten years of corruption in the environmental health programs of the state public health services in the Capital District area of the State of New York was covered over as if it had never existed, and thus, has flourished up until this time.

In August of 2001, to prevent this same individual from coming forth with videotape evidence demonstrating that these corrupt public health practices have flourished to this day in the capital district area of the State of New York, the Republicans attempted a "psychiatric takedown", and the result has been disastrous for this individual personally, and all fully disabled veterans who would rely upon this individual for his integrity and expertise in the public health field to boot.

Presently, New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, by and through his New York State Department of Law, is defending the actions of a New York State Veterans' Service officer who made alleged false statements to the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York in connection with the false arrest of this honorably-discharged, decorated veteran on mental health grounds.

Because of those false statements, which are still being defended by Eliot Spitzer at this time in the State of New York, despite conclusive evidence to the contrary in his possession, including a graphic videotape portrayal of a violent physical assault on this individual intended to deter him from appearing in court in connection with the matter, this disabled veteran has been branded in the State of New York as a dangerous mental patient with no opportunity afforded him whatsoever at due process to either confront or combat this theft of this person's real identity as an honorable professional person of good standing in the community.

In the face of all of this, which is known to the veterans' community in capital district area of the State of New York, to then allow Eliot Spitzer to stand up at your side and speak at the Democratic National Convention would be an abomination, a travesty, as far as the protection of the rights of the disabled to equal protection of law goes, and well as the public health protection of the disabled veteran population of the State of New York.

For the disabled veterans population of this area, from a civil rights and equal protection of law for the disabled perspective, having Eliot Spitzer standing by your side at the Democratic National Convention would be just like having George W. Bush or George Pataki themselves standing there.

It would make a mockery of all of your promises to the disabled veterans of America to help us have dignity in our own communities, despite our combat-related disabilities, equal to that enjoyed by Max Cleland in his own community in the United States.

Help us prove to America that despite our disabilities, which are often disfiguring, or totally disabling as far as being effective in modern society, that disabled combat veterans are citizens of America too, and that despite our disabilities, we deserve the protection of law in America too.

Help us make this point by keeping Eliot Spitzer off the podium at the DNC.

Thank you on behalf of the disabled veterans of the Capital District area of the State of New York in the United States of America for considering this request.

I remain, sincerely and respectfully, a patriotic disabled American veteran.

Livyjr

http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/for...njamin&st=0

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...of_the_futu.php

[Livyjr]

NEW YORK OBSERVER

"News Flash: Albany Never Changes - Spitzers come and go, but Seminerios are forever"

By Azi Paybarah

Given all the recent talk of bringing change to Albany, Governor Eliot Spitzer’s humbling budget compromise after a prolonged and highly public battle with the State Legislature may have come as a surprise to some people.

But at least one official says he always knew what was going to happen.

Meet Anthony Seminerio, a 72-year-old Democratic Assemblyman from Queens who is about to enter his third decade in the Legislature.

“Eliot may wish he had another way, but there’s only one way the budget is ever going to get done, son,” said Mr. Seminerio, sitting by himself in the Assembly chambers Saturday night, hours before the budget deadline.

“It’s three people, each getting a piece of the pie, and that’s it.”

That would be Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno and the Governor.

Like always.

In a speech to business leaders during his campaign for Governor last year, Mr. Spitzer said dismissively that the state’s legislative leaders had fallen into the habit of passing “faith-based budget[s].”

Last week, in order to pass his own budget by the April 1 deadline, Mr. Spitzer met privately with Mr. Bruno and Mr. Silver—behind closed doors—and agreed to restore millions of dollars in Medicaid reductions.

He also added millions in state education spending to high-performing school districts represented by a bloc of Republican State Senators on Long Island.

In the end, the lean, mean budget that Mr. Spitzer had originally proposed—insisting it was vital for the economic well-being of the state—had been expanded by about a billion dollars.

“I don’t know if he learned anything,” Mr. Seminerio said.

“I can’t speak for the Governor."

"I think maybe he understands the process a little better."

"I think, like everything else, he’ll learn."

"You know what I’m saying."

"He’ll learn."

"And it’s not that he did anything wrong."

"He thought the process should be done one way, and he thought, you know, he could accomplish it."

"And now I think he must understand—I can’t speak for him, certainly; you know he’s a brilliant man."

"I can’t speak for him—but I think he understands now that, hey, you have to sit down, and it’s a give-and-take.”

Waving his left arm in the air toward the empty room, Mr. Seminerio added:

“The only thing that ever changes in Albany are the faces."

"The system stays intact.”

http://observer.com/20070409/20070409_Azi_..._newsstory4.asp

[Livyjr]

NEW YORK OBSERVER

"News Flash: Albany Never Changes - Spitzers come and go, but Seminerios are forever"

By Azi Paybarah

Meet Anthony Seminerio, a 72-year-old Democratic Assemblyman from Queens who is about to enter his third decade in the Legislature.

“Eliot may wish he had another way, but there’s only one way the budget is ever going to get done, son,” said Mr. Seminerio, sitting by himself in the Assembly chambers Saturday night, hours before the budget deadline.

“It’s three people, each getting a piece of the pie, and that’s it.”

“I don’t know if he learned anything,” Mr. Seminerio said.

“I can’t speak for the Governor."

"I think maybe he understands the process a little better."

"I think, like everything else, he’ll learn."

"You know what I’m saying."

"He’ll learn."

"And it’s not that he did anything wrong."

"He thought the process should be done one way, and he thought, you know, he could accomplish it."

"And now I think he must understand—I can’t speak for him, certainly; you know he’s a brilliant man."

"I can’t speak for him—but I think he understands now that, hey, you have to sit down, and it’s a give-and-take.”

Waving his left arm in the air toward the empty room, Mr. Seminerio added:

“The only thing that ever changes in Albany are the faces."

"The system stays intact.”

http://observer.com/20070409/20070409_Azi_..._newsstory4.asp

FROM THE NY TIMES EMPIRE ZONE BLOG:

April 5th, 2007 8:27 am

“The only thing that ever changes in Albany are the faces.” [The Politicker]

Having just read this piece in the NY Observer in its entirety, as an independent upstate NY-er, it is my thought this morning that this Anthony Seminerio, a 72-year-old Democratic Assemblyman from Queens who is about to enter his third decade in the Legislature, became quite comfortable himself many, many years ago with being just “another piece of meat for sale” down there in Albany, just another kewpie doll on the shelf, waiting to see who would take it home that evening, and if the money was right, which it eventually always is for people like this Mr. Seminerio, he would be more than willing to SELL OUT his constitutents and our Constitution, so long as he got something in exchange “for his pocket”, as the long-term politicians like this Mr. Seminerio say to justify their actions, when they do sell us out, for a dime or a dollar, whatever it takes ….

Everything that is wrong down there in Albany, and in NYS, as a direct consequence, is stated concisely in that NY Observer piece, in the smug words of this Mr. Seminerio …

And once again, as an upstate reader, thanks for the heads-up, elsewise, we would likely not have come across this article, as the NY Observer is not something that we would normally never even see out here in the countryside outside of NYC ….

And so …

— Posted by Livyjr

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

[Livyjr]

NEW YORK OBSERVER

"News Flash: Albany Never Changes - Spitzers come and go, but Seminerios are forever"

By Azi Paybarah

Given all the recent talk of bringing change to Albany, Governor Eliot Spitzer’s humbling budget compromise after a prolonged and highly public battle with the State Legislature may have come as a surprise to some people.

But at least one official says he always knew what was going to happen.

Meet Anthony Seminerio, a 72-year-old Democratic Assemblyman from Queens who is about to enter his third decade in the Legislature.

“Eliot may wish he had another way, but there’s only one way the budget is ever going to get done, son,” said Mr. Seminerio, sitting by himself in the Assembly chambers Saturday night, hours before the budget deadline.

“It’s three people, each getting a piece of the pie, and that’s it.”

http://observer.com/20070409/20070409_Azi_..._newsstory4.asp

NY TIMES EMPIRE ZONE

April 4, 2007, 6:58 pm

"Spitzer: ‘I Won on Every Issue’"

By Michael Cooper

As our friends at The Daily Politics are reporting, Gov. Eliot Spitzer spent a half million dollars of his own money on television commercials rebutting the omnipresent ones that 1199 and the Greater New York Hospital Association aired to scale back the proposed Medicaid reductions.

The governor contributed the money to his campaign account, which paid for the ads, an aide to the governor said.

Governor Spitzer, meanwhile, continued his tour around the state, in which he is declaring victory on his first budget.

After speaking about the new state budget with a family in the Rochester suburb of Chili, Mr. Spitzer was asked about Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno’s comments claiming victory since its passage.

“The only person I know who should be gloating is the taxpayer in the state of New York, because I won on every issue,” Mr. Spitzer said.

“If he’s gloating, he misunderstands what happened."

"Healthcare reform, education reform, property-tax reform, fiscal discipline –- these are the issues I fought for and these are the issues I won.”

Asked at another stop about the budget process, which he had vowed would be more open but which ended up once more with the governor and legislative leaders meeting in private, Mr. Spitzer conceded that it had not gone as planned.

“By the time we got to the middle of March, we fought these very tough battles and I said, ‘We want an on-time budget,” he said.

“And we went into a room.”

He added:

“Next year, we’ll try to have a more open process."

"I said, ‘This isn’t the process we’d like,’ but at the same time, it was imperative to get an on-time budget that made needed changes.”

2 comments so far...

1. April 4th, 2007 9:42 pm

What New York’s new governor has “won” is distance, public distrust and public disappointment.

After running against “the mess in Albany,” he has made it worse by adding a degree of incivility that elicits sheer disgust.

His ideas are vacuous reflections of special interest ideology — most clearly in his regurgitation of the HMO propagandist’s phrase book.

Listen to him.

Look at him.

Read his words.

He is a profoundly dysfunctional and abusive creature.

— Posted by asnet

2. April 5th, 2007 6:48 am

About the only thing that I can add to this post above concerning what “STEAMROLLER” Spitzer has “won” are the words “utter contempt” …

Eliot Spitzer has “won” our sheer and utter contempt for openly and intentionally flouting our laws and violating our constitution in the very short time that he has held the office of governor of NYS, especially with this budget BID-NESS, where he is seen as a looter of our state treasury, robbing from us, just like a thief, to buy up portions of our state legislature, and here, “Sell-out” Jimmy Tedisco’s bunch comes to mind, so as to be able to further subvert the processes of our government here in NYS, which serves to strip our democracy from us …

Which is likely what this “STEAMROLLER” means to himself when he tells himself that he won anything at all …

And, oh yes, lest I forget, he has also won the sobriquet of “PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1″ up here in upstate NY, because he has made it incandescently clear that he intends to subvert our government even further, that this is just the start, folks, which makes him the biggest danger our government and our democracy faces here in NY, bar none …

Eliot Spitzer must live in some small fantasyland inside his own head, where life is beautiful all the time, and the masses all bow down and prostrate themselves before his penumbra and radiance as if he were the reincarnation of Ahura Mazda or some such Persian god, if he actually thinks that he has won anything at all here in upstate NY with these budget shenanigans …

And so ….

— Posted by Livyjr

http://empirezone.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/0...ssue/#more-1854

[Livyjr]

NY DAILY NEWS BLOG

"Justice delayed"

With all the hoopla about passage of the state budget, an important piece of unfinished business scarcely got mentioned -- the fact the governor and legislature failed, once again, to bump up salaries for the state's 1,200 judges, who have not had in raise in over eight years.

The lagging pay is the result of a classic Albany deadlock: the legislators who must approve a pay raise for judges have insisted that it be linked to their own salary levels, which haven't changed.

Here are excerpts from a letter to the New York Law Journal sent by Dennis Duggan, a Family Court judge in Albany:

The state's judges have had three raises in the last 28 years.

As a result of inflation, a judge who has dedicated the last 30 years of his or her professional life to the judiciary has lost almost $500,000 in current dollars.

I have lost about $110,000 to inflation.

My salary is now $25,000 less in current dollars than it was in 1998.

It is as if I have worked an entire year for free.

... It is worth mentioning that the most dysfunctional Legislature in America has saddled our judges with the most dysfunctional court system in America.

Our chief judge has dedicated her judicial career to court reform only to be met by complete disregard by the Legislature.

... My experience is that each of us has a great deal of regard for our individual legislators, but their performance as a collective body is pathetic.

Truth, transparency and merit are virtues long absent from New York's legislative process.

When is the last time you remember an important public policy matter being openly, honestly and respectfully debated on the floor of our Senate or Assembly?

Everything is wheeled and dealed and horse traded and spun by each side to the paint where George Orwell merges with Alice in Wonderland.

It is a cruel irony, indeed, that our Constitution sets April 1 for the budget deadline.

As a co-equal branch of government, to say that the state's judges are angry and disgusted beyond measure is an understatement.

It is fair to ask what kind of employer would let his workers go for more than eight years without a raise?

Who would treat their employees with such disregard?

Words are the currency of the judiciary and they now fail us when trying to describe the magnitude of our despondency over the way we have been treated by another co-equal branch of government.

Posted by Errol Louis on April 4, 2007 9:00 AM

Comments:

Without getting into a debate as to whether any judge in NYS is worth a dime, let alone a hundred grand or better, section 1 of ARTICLE VII of our state Constitution, which you would think this Judge Denny Duggan would know better than most fifth graders out here in the countryside in upstate NY, states in plain and simple language which surely this Denny Duggan could comprehend that:

Section 1. For the preparation of the budget, the head of each department of state government, except the legislature and judiciary, shall furnish the governor such estimates and information in such form and at such times as the governor may require, copies of which shall forthwith be furnished to the appropriate committees of the legislature.

*****

Itemized estimates of the financial needs of .... the judiciary, approved by the court of appeals and certified by the chief judge of the court of appeals, shall be transmitted to the governor not later than the first day of December in each year for inclusion in the budget without revision but with such recommendations as the governor may deem proper.

Copies of the itemized estimates of the financial needs of the judiciary also shall forthwith be transmitted to the appropriate committees of the legislature.

Now, I don't know about anyone else in here, but those words in OUR organic law are quite simple and understandable to me, so there is really where any inquiry into this matter of judicial salaries must start, as I see it, anyway ...

Did Chief Judge Judith Kaye actually ever do this, furnish the governor with certified itemized estimates of the financial needs of the judiciary, approved by the court of appeals not later than the first day of December of 2006 for inclusion in the budget for 2007 without revision by the governor?

IF the Court of Appeals did approve itemized estimates of the financial needs of the judiciary not later than the first day of December of 2006 for inclusion in the budget for 2007 without revision by the governor, did they in fact include pay raises for the various judges?

In this whining, crying tear-jerking piece above here by this Judge Denny Duggan, he is strangely silent on that issue, which has me wondering why ....

And that brings us down to sect. 4 of ART. VII, wherein is stated:

§ 4. The legislature may not alter an appropriation bill submitted by the governor except to strike out or reduce items therein, but it may add thereto items of appropriation provided that such additions are stated separately and distinctly from the original items of the bill and refer each to a single object or purpose.

None of the restrictions of this section, however, shall apply to appropriations for the legislature or judiciary.

Such an appropriation bill shall when passed by both houses be a law immediately without further action by the governor, except that appropriations for the legislature and judiciary and separate items added to the governor's bills by the legislature shall be subject to approval of the governor as provided in section 7 of article IV.

And sect. 7 of ART. IV states:

§ 7. Every bill which shall have passed the senate and assembly shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor; if the governor approve, he or she shall sign it; but if not, he or she shall return it with his or her objections to the house in which it shall have originated, which shall enter the objections at large on the journal, and proceed to reconsider it.

If after such reconsideration, two-thirds of the members elected to that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent together with the objections, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered; and if approved by two-thirds of the members elected to that house, it shall become a law notwithstanding the objections of the governor.

In all such cases the votes in both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the members voting shall be entered on the journal of each house respectively.

If any bill shall not be returned by the governor within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him or her, the same shall be a law in like manner as if he or she had signed it, unless the legislature shall, by their adjournment, prevent its return, in which case it shall not become a law without the approval of the governor.

No bill shall become a law after the final adjournment of the legislature, unless approved by the governor within thirty days after such adjournment.

If any bill presented to the governor contain several items of appropriation of money, the governor may object to one or more of such items while approving of the other portion of the bill.

In such case the governor shall append to the bill, at the time of signing it, a statement of the items to which he or she objects; and the appropriation so objected to shall not take effect.

If the legislature be in session, he or she shall transmit to the house in which the bill originated a copy of such statement, and the items objected to shall be separately reconsidered.

If on reconsideration one or more of such items be approved by two-thirds of the members elected to each house, the same shall be part of the law, notwithstanding the objections of the governor.

All the provisions of this section, in relation to bills not approved by the governor, shall apply in cases in which he or she shall withhold approval from any item or items contained in a bill appropriating money.

Now, there is THE PROCESS for considering the issues of judicial pay raises in NYS spelled out in very specific detail, and one would think that if fifth-graders out here in the countryside can understand this language, and discourse about it at length, that a couple of real hot-shot, big-time lawyers like "STEAMROLLER" Spitzer and Judge Denny Duggan would be able to understand it as well ....

And if Judge Denny Duggan could understand this constitutional language which as a judge he has a duty to uphold, one would think that in his piece above, he would have been informing us as to how the constitutional budgeting process went way off track this year, so that we citizens out here would have been better informed, instead of whining and crying about all the money he is not making as a judge in NYS, which really doesn't move countryfolks living on $20,000 or less out here in the countryside all that very much ...

And so ...

Posted by: John Galt | April 5, 2007 2:54 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...e_delayed_1.php

[Livyjr]

"Investigation sought of appointee's claims - Working Families Party, Democrats want city probe of phone message"

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

First published: Thursday, April 5, 2007

TROY -- The Working Families Party joined three Democratic City Council members Wednesday night in demanding a city investigation into a former Republican political appointee's allegations that she was forced to record a telephone attack message at City Hall during the 2005 city elections.

Working Families members collected 250 to 300 letters of support from the community for an investigation into Colleen Regan's accusations, said Pat Pafundi, chairwoman of the party's Rensselaer County Club.

About 20 Working Families supporters stood behind Pafundi at a news conference outside City Hall, holding up placards to spell "INTEGRITY" in capital letters.

The two-party coalition wants Council President Henry Bauer to authorize an investigation into the alleged use of city equipment by Public Works Commissioner Robert Mirch and two other city officials in recording the call.

They also demanded that any city employee found guilty be fired.

"Part of what we expect from our elected officials is accountability to the people they represent," Pafundi said before the letters were to be presented to the City Council.

Mirch and city officials said there is no truth to Regan's allegations.

"All of Colleen Regan's accusations are 100 percent false," Mirch said after attending the news conference.

District Attorney Patricia DeAngelis has requested a special prosecutor be appointed to investigate the matter.

County Judge Patrick McGrath has not yet announced a decision.

The allegations stem from an affidavit by Colleen Regan, who alleges she was sexually harassed while she was an aide for the Rensselaer County Legislature's Republican majority and lost her job after rejecting sexual advances by her supervisor.

Regan has filed a claim with the state Division of Human Rights.

Regan, a former Sand Lake Republican supervisor, claims Mirch drove her in a city truck to City Hall.

Mirch is the legislature's majority leader and does political consulting work.

Regan further maintains that at City Hall, Mirch took her into an office where the two other city officials were and had her record a telephone message that was used to attack Democratic Councilman William Dunne in the 2005 council elections.

Regan said she recorded the message under the name of Tonya.

"We're calling for our president of the council, Henry Bauer, to conduct an open investigation," said Councilman Clem Campana, who is supported by fellow Democrats Dunne and Peter Ryan.

Regan's allegations have led to the matter being labeled "Intimigate" and "Tonyagate" on Web sites dealing with local politics.

The accusations have also drawn counterclaims about ethics from city Republicans.

Mirch distributed a news release from Republican Councilman Mark Wojcik asking for an investigation of a vote by Campana that transferred a parcel on Third Street to the Red Front restaurant where Campana's wife works.

The entire City Council voted 9 to 0 on Sept. 7, 2006, for the transfer.

City and county Democrats said the Republicans are trying to diffuse the Regan allegations by making this claim and others.

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

[Livyjr]

"Investigation sought of appointee's claims - Working Families Party, Democrats want city probe of phone message"

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

First published: Thursday, April 5, 2007

TROY -- The Working Families Party joined three Democratic City Council members Wednesday night in demanding a city investigation into a former Republican political appointee's allegations that she was forced to record a telephone attack message at City Hall during the 2005 city elections.

Regan's allegations have led to the matter being labeled "Intimigate" and "Tonyagate" on Web sites dealing with local politics.

Comment by devtob — April 5, 2007 @ 3:22 pm

The “bizarre local story” has been reported on for more than a week at the Troy paper and on Troy Polloi.

Typically, it shows Boss Bruno’s gang abusing their staff, using public property for campaign purposes, and lying to win elections.

Maybe this time they won’t get away with it.

comment by John Galt — April 5, 2007 @ 4:18 pm

Ah, the segue …

Thanks, devtob!

I have right here before me right now a 609-page public record, APPENDIX FOR APPELLEES JIMINO, CYBULSKI, HOLT, AYERS, CHAMPAGNE, REITER, MCGRATH AND AIKEN, which is on file as a public record with the Office of the NY Attorney General, Rensselaer County and the 2d Circuit Court of Appeals in NYC in Matter of Plante, P.E. v. KATHLEEN JIMINO, Renss. Co. Exec. et. al. in a very similar type of situation of the alleged improper use of Renss. Co. employees to intimidate individuals in Rensselaer County for partisan political purposes connected with “holding power” in Rensselaer County, and at pp.600,01 of that APPENDIX, one finds the following facts stated by federal District Court Judge Gary L. Sharpe on Mar. 31, 2005, which language should be quite instructive and illuminating to devtob and other interested readers in here, as well:

III. FACTS:

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

On July 7 (2001), Plante 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 Plante’s investigation, Pelletier assaulted him.

On August 9 (2001), defendant Reiter (Rensselaer County Director of Veterans’ Services) warned Plante 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 Plante 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

The “fraudulent involuntary commitment order” issued to Rensselaer County on 8-22-01 is found at p.272 of that APPENDIX, and at p.455 of that APPENDIX, there is a letter to Plante from Renss. Co. Court Judge Hon. Patrick McGrath, dated July 13, 2004, wherein is stated:

This will acknowledge the court’s receipt of your letter dated July 9, 2004, and the attachments thereto, all of which I have reviewed.

Needless to say, your allegations are disturbing, especially as they encompass potential federal, as well as state, criminal charges, in that they include, among others, an allegation of false imprisonment in a federal facility, Stratton VA Hospital.

end quotes

Keeping in mind that just this morning, on WGY news, we heard reports that a doctor involved in that Albany Co. steroids business could get several years in prison for the felony of issuing a prescription without ever having seen the patients, in this case, where the doctor at Samaritan Hospital issued the involuntary commitment order sight unseen, wherein he prescibed “treatment” for Plante in a secure mental facility at Samaritan Hospital, Tommy O’Connor, Judge Mary Donohue’s brother, along with Eliot Spitzer and “Donny Bob” Ford of the politically-connected and powerful Albany law firm of Thuillez, Ford and Gold Johnson got everybody involved, including the doctor, a FREE PASS, despite anything that Judge McGrath might have had to say about it as a criminal court judge in Rensselaer County ….

A FREE PASS, devtob ….

It’s alright to do this kind of stuff in Rensselaer County to “protect” a “protected person”, and when Republicans are involved, as they definitely were in this case, devtob, from whom do you think this level of “protection” is procured?

And how?

And when it is “alright” for Republican Kathleen Jimino to have a Rensselaer County citizen tossed into a secure mental facility with a literal snap of her fingers, despite any laws in NYS to the contrary, do you really think anything is going to come of anything going on down there in the Renss. Co. Office Bldg. right now, press releases from these various politicians calling for investigations aside?

I know I certainly don’t, having been an “observer” myself for some long time now of how the “blood sport” of Republican politics is played over here in Rensselaer County …

And so …

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4320#comments

[Livyjr]

Keeping in mind that just this morning, on WGY news, we heard reports that a doctor involved in that Albany Co. steroids business could get several years in prison for the felony of issuing a prescription without ever having seen the patients, in this case, where the doctor at Samaritan Hospital issued the involuntary commitment order sight unseen, wherein he prescibed “treatment” for Plante in a secure mental facility at Samaritan Hospital, Tommy O’Connor, Judge Mary Donohue’s brother, along with Eliot Spitzer and “Donny Bob” Ford of the politically-connected and powerful Albany law firm of Thuillez, Ford and Gold Johnson got everybody involved, including the doctor, a FREE PASS, despite anything that Judge McGrath might have had to say about it as a criminal court judge in Rensselaer County ….

http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=4320#comments

NEW YORK SUN

"Health Battle Hits Spitzer in Polls, Pocket"

By JACOB GERSHMAN

Staff Reporter of the Sun

April 5, 2007

ALBANY — Governor Spitzer took a hit financially and politically in his budget battle against the hospital industry.

Mr. Spitzer spent $3 million of his campaign money and $500,000 of his personal wealth on television ads defending his budget in an effort to counter a well-financed attack campaign waged by the state's largest health care employees' union and a major hospital association.

A spokeswoman for the governor, Christine Anderson, said the ad buy depleted the governor's campaign account, which had stood at $2.9 million in mid-January.

Mr. Spitzer's ad buy was an unusual tactic for a sitting New York governor and demonstrated his willingness to strike back hard at special interest groups that attack him.

It is even less common for a governor to put his personal money behind a policy matter.

A half a million dollars is not small change for the governor.

Mr. Spitzer, a son of a wealthy Manhattan real estate developer, is a multimillionaire, but is not in the same league of wealth as Mayor Bloomberg, a billionaire.

The Spitzer administration had hoped the ads would soften the blow landed by the hospital industry, which was spending millions of dollars on television ads, rallies, mailings, canvassing, and lobbying to drive down the governor's poll numbers and gain support in the Legislature.

One memorable ad by the hospital union and association featured a frail elderly woman saying, "Governor Spitzer, I want you to look at me."

"And when you cut health care, I want my face to be in front of you."

"Remember me."

The administration did not want to follow in the footsteps of Governor Pataki, who responded less forcefully to attack campaigns by the industry and suffered greatly in the polls as a result.

New poll data released yesterday show that despite Mr. Spitzer's efforts, hospital groups succeeded in draining some of the governor's popularity among voters.

Since mid-February, Mr. Spitzer's approval rating has fallen to 48% from 61%, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll, which also found that only 31% of New York voters approve of the way Mr. Spitzer is handling health care.

While Mr. Spitzer has insisted that he won't let poll numbers influence his policy decisions, he has also sought to leverage public opinion in his battles with the Legislature, such as when he has criticized uncooperative legislators during trips to their home districts.

Both Mr. Spitzer and the hospital groups have declared victory in the aftermath of last week's budget deal.

The governor proposed to cut $329.6 million from hospitals in his executive budget but agreed to restore $157.6 million in the final budget, according to figures provided by the governor's office.

Mr. Spitzer also agreed to restore 67.5% of his proposed nursing home cuts.

Despite the restorations, the Medicaid budget is increasing by less than 1%, according to the administration, a significant slowdown in growth caused both by cost-saving measures and cuts in the budget and by the fact that a greater share of Medicaid pharmacy costs are being covered by Medicare.

Spitzer officials insist that the biggest victories will be felt in the long term, including provisions in the budget that redistribute hundreds of millions of dollars to health care providers serving the largest number of Medicaid patients and which allow the governor to overhaul procedure reimbursement rates that have become outdated and fail to reflect actual costs.

Mr. Spitzer has ample time to replenish his campaign coffers before the next gubernatorial election, which is 3 1/2 years away.

But Mr. Spitzer will not be able to afford such a large-scale campaign next year in the event of another clash with a special interest group without an aggressive fund-raising effort.

The hospital employees union and the hospital association can better afford to mount another campaign.

The union, 1199 SEIU, and the Greater New York Hospital Association, had amassed about $65 million in a political action fund before launching their campaign and used up a fraction of the pot.

(The groups spent $4.5 million by the end of February, according to lobby records.)

The governor, however, has made it trickier to raise large sums of cash quickly, announcing when he took office that he was imposing on himself a number of campaign finance restrictions.

He said he would no longer accept individual campaign contributions of more than $10,000, an amount that is less than one-fifth of the state legal limit during an election cycle.

He also said that going forward he would not take advantage of loose campaign finance regulations that allow donors to exceed contribution limits by funneling money through multiple LLCs.

Mr. Spitzer spent $33 million in the governor's race, about 10 times more than his Republican opponent, John Faso.

Mr. Spitzer's use of his personal money to pay for the ad buy was first reported yesterday by the Daily News's political blog.

http://www.nysun.com/article/51854?page_no=1