Good morning, America .....
And the candid world, as well ....
My name is Livyjr ....
And way back when ....
In the opening days of this forum .....
Right after the November 2004 elections, to be exact ....
I was reading a book entitled The Power of Many by Christian Crumlish ....
Who himself had experience with the use of the internet as a real professional "tool" for communications among separate and disparate groups of people in the world during the Dean Campaign ....
And one of the many points that he made to me in that book ....
Was the level of difficulty that the Dean campaign had in translating communications on the internet ....
INTO ACTION ....
Out there in the REAL WORLD ....
The world that we all exist in in our physical forms ....
As opposed to "in here" ....
Where we all are imaginary, in many senses .....
OTHER THAN OUR WORDS ....
On a piece of virtual paper .....
And being an older American myself ....
Although far from the oldest in here .....
Where at least two members are in their eighties ...
I have a lot of thoughts ....
ON WHERE OUR AMERICA is going ....
And by that, I don't mean with respect to how people look or dress or talk ....
Since those things are always changing, anyway ....
Rather, my concerns have to do with that thing called CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT ....
Here in OUR America .....
Which I do not believe ....
From my interactions with my fellow Americans over time ....
Is very well understood ....
And here ....
I mean the fact ....
(OR IS IT, REALLY?)
That OUR state and federal CONSTITUTIONS ....
ARE ACTUALLY LAWS .....
ORGANIC LAWS .....
That bind OUR governments .....
State and federal, as well as local ....
To certain STANDARDS OF CONDUCT .....
ON BEHALF OF US ....
The PEOPLE of OUR America .....
Today ....
If you went up to someone ....
And you said to them ....
"You know, we really are the government here in OUR America ..."
Many of them would immediately make warding gestures .....
As if you were the devil out to tempt them ....
And they would likely say, "LEAVE ME OUT OF THAT ..."
"I DON'T WANT TO BE INVOLVED ..."
And that would be that .....
Literally ....
End of the conversation ....
AND PERHAPS ....
As a result ....
THE END OF CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT ....
Here in OUR America ...
And perhaps, America .....
IT REALLY IS TIME FOR THAT, I SUPPOSE ......
PERHAPS THERE REALLY ARE TOO MANY OF US ....
FOR ANY OF US TO HAVE A SAY, ANYMORE ....
AND PERHAPS, AMERICA ....
WE REALLY DO NEED TO BE RULED ....
BY RULERS WITHOUT CONSTITUTIONAL CONSTRAINTS PLACED ON THEM ....
BY THE PEOPLE ...
SINCE WE JUST MAY BE TOO IGNORANT .....
TO PLAY ANY ROLE IN SELF-GOVERNMENT, ANYMORE ....
And so .....
That is the THEME of this particular thead .....
Which I am starting up at this time ....
Because I did not want to try and deal with this issue over in my Life in OUR America thread ....
Which is really concerned with the "flow" of life .....
Here in OUR America ....
And the world ....
As it is happening ...
And so .....
Is more dynamic ....
Than this thread intends to be ....
And so ....
In this thread ....
I am going to be taking news items from the State of New York ....
Where I reside ....
On the subject of GOVERNMENTAL REFORM ....
Which is THE SUBJECT today in the State of New York .....
WHICH IS ONE OF THE LEAST DEMOCRATIC STATES IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY ....
MORE RESEMBLING SOME EASTERN EUROPEAN NATION DURING THE 1930's and early-1940's ....
Romania or Hungary, perhaps ....
Than a MODERN AMERICAN STATE ....
WITH A CONSTITUTION ....
Intended to secure the BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY ...
To the people of the State ....
And so ....
Full Version: THE "PORK" IN NEW YORK
Pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53
And here is where my "thought-stream" in here will start .....
"Budget reform trims 'pork' - Spitzer unveils deal with legislative leaders to end secretive spending, make process more transparent"
By ELIZABETH BENJAMIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, January 17, 2007
ALBANY -- The state's top leaders on Tuesday announced a budget reform pact aimed at addressing years of criticism, and making spending -- including legislative 'pork' -- less secretive.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer said he and legislative leaders believe the changes "confront and deal with virtually all of the government reform proposals that have been out there proposed by good government groups over the years."
Under Spitzer's agreement with Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, there will be no unallocated lump sums of so-called "pork," state grants known as member items, included in the budget the governor will propose on Jan. 31.
All legislative grants to nonprofit organizations or other entities that traditionally received member items will be listed in the budget, detailing both where the money is going and for what purpose.
Whether or not the names of the legislators who requested an item will be made public was not addressed in this agreement, Spitzer said.
Last year, however, the Times Union won a lawsuit forcing the Legislature to reveal which lawmakers sponsored individual grants.
Traditionally, each house gets $85 million and the governor gets $30 million.
Spitzer said he will be giving up his share of member item money, although state agencies and authorities, most of which he controls, will continue to receive discretionary funds.
While cautioning that as an incoming administration "there has been limited time this year for us to get around the enormity of this budget," Spitzer said, "It is my pledge to the public that we will provide the maximum transparency possible."
Other changes under the deal:
If the governor and Legislature cannot reach an agreement on revenues by March 1, the state comptroller will come up with a figure that, by March 5, will be binding.
The current date for agreement on revenues is March 10.
There must be a schedule in place within 10 days of the governor's budget proposal for joint conference committee meetings.
The governor has 21 days, rather than 30, to submit budget amendments.
Legislators will be given a summary of amendments so they have some idea of what they're voting on beforehand.
The governor will be responsible for detailing in his budget proposal welfare and Environmental Protection Fund spending, something not currently done.
"Quick start" budget discussions will be required each November and quarterly meetings between the executive and legislative branches will be held thereafter.
Multiyear financial plans will detail the long-term impact of the budget on local governments.
"The shell game of burden shifting will not be allowed to continue," Spitzer said.
Bruno said some things the Senate has advocated are not being done, but called it "a tremendous step for openness, responsiveness, transparency" and "one of the most important things that we can do to open up the budget process."
"The people have a right to know where every dollar that comes in ... where that money goes," Bruno said.
"Ultimately, every dollar of taxpayers' money should be accounted for."
Silver said Assembly Democrats have been pushing for many of these changes for some time, but were stymied by Pataki's administration.
The agreement to itemize member items actually returns the process for budgeting this money to the pre-1999 practice.
That was the year when lawmakers, angered over former Gov. George Pataki's selective vetoes of member items, went the lump sum route in order to protect their funds.
Pataki was particularly harsh with Assembly Democrats' priorities.
"Clearly we need to move the budget process to the 21st century," Silver said.
"With this agreement I believe we are doing exactly that."
"Furthermore we are restoring the historic balance between the legislative and executive branches ... where we once dealt with vetoes and veto overrides we are now embracing consensus and respect."
One government watchdog praised the deal and the consensus that brought it about.
"This is an extension of a honeymoon that we hope never ends," said Barbara Bartoletti of the League of Women Voters.
"We'll see how the budget process proceeds under these reforms."
"It sounds good."
"Now they just have to live up to it."
Another observer, however, was less impressed, saying that conference committees typically only agreed to what leaders negotiated privately.
"In general, this list of items, while not objectionable, they're not sweeping, much less transformational," E.J. McMahon, an analyst at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, told Gannett News Service.
"If they're implying that they've fixed everything with these steps, it's a real disappointment."
Elizabeth Benjamin can be reached at 454-5081 or by e-mail at ebenjamin@timesunion.com.
"Budget reform trims 'pork' - Spitzer unveils deal with legislative leaders to end secretive spending, make process more transparent"
By ELIZABETH BENJAMIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, January 17, 2007
ALBANY -- The state's top leaders on Tuesday announced a budget reform pact aimed at addressing years of criticism, and making spending -- including legislative 'pork' -- less secretive.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer said he and legislative leaders believe the changes "confront and deal with virtually all of the government reform proposals that have been out there proposed by good government groups over the years."
Under Spitzer's agreement with Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, there will be no unallocated lump sums of so-called "pork," state grants known as member items, included in the budget the governor will propose on Jan. 31.
All legislative grants to nonprofit organizations or other entities that traditionally received member items will be listed in the budget, detailing both where the money is going and for what purpose.
Whether or not the names of the legislators who requested an item will be made public was not addressed in this agreement, Spitzer said.
Last year, however, the Times Union won a lawsuit forcing the Legislature to reveal which lawmakers sponsored individual grants.
Traditionally, each house gets $85 million and the governor gets $30 million.
Spitzer said he will be giving up his share of member item money, although state agencies and authorities, most of which he controls, will continue to receive discretionary funds.
While cautioning that as an incoming administration "there has been limited time this year for us to get around the enormity of this budget," Spitzer said, "It is my pledge to the public that we will provide the maximum transparency possible."
Other changes under the deal:
If the governor and Legislature cannot reach an agreement on revenues by March 1, the state comptroller will come up with a figure that, by March 5, will be binding.
The current date for agreement on revenues is March 10.
There must be a schedule in place within 10 days of the governor's budget proposal for joint conference committee meetings.
The governor has 21 days, rather than 30, to submit budget amendments.
Legislators will be given a summary of amendments so they have some idea of what they're voting on beforehand.
The governor will be responsible for detailing in his budget proposal welfare and Environmental Protection Fund spending, something not currently done.
"Quick start" budget discussions will be required each November and quarterly meetings between the executive and legislative branches will be held thereafter.
Multiyear financial plans will detail the long-term impact of the budget on local governments.
"The shell game of burden shifting will not be allowed to continue," Spitzer said.
Bruno said some things the Senate has advocated are not being done, but called it "a tremendous step for openness, responsiveness, transparency" and "one of the most important things that we can do to open up the budget process."
"The people have a right to know where every dollar that comes in ... where that money goes," Bruno said.
"Ultimately, every dollar of taxpayers' money should be accounted for."
Silver said Assembly Democrats have been pushing for many of these changes for some time, but were stymied by Pataki's administration.
The agreement to itemize member items actually returns the process for budgeting this money to the pre-1999 practice.
That was the year when lawmakers, angered over former Gov. George Pataki's selective vetoes of member items, went the lump sum route in order to protect their funds.
Pataki was particularly harsh with Assembly Democrats' priorities.
"Clearly we need to move the budget process to the 21st century," Silver said.
"With this agreement I believe we are doing exactly that."
"Furthermore we are restoring the historic balance between the legislative and executive branches ... where we once dealt with vetoes and veto overrides we are now embracing consensus and respect."
One government watchdog praised the deal and the consensus that brought it about.
"This is an extension of a honeymoon that we hope never ends," said Barbara Bartoletti of the League of Women Voters.
"We'll see how the budget process proceeds under these reforms."
"It sounds good."
"Now they just have to live up to it."
Another observer, however, was less impressed, saying that conference committees typically only agreed to what leaders negotiated privately.
"In general, this list of items, while not objectionable, they're not sweeping, much less transformational," E.J. McMahon, an analyst at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, told Gannett News Service.
"If they're implying that they've fixed everything with these steps, it's a real disappointment."
Elizabeth Benjamin can be reached at 454-5081 or by e-mail at ebenjamin@timesunion.com.
And for those of you who are just joining in here ....
By way of background .....
Because CONTEXT is important .....
It can be accurately said ......
Or stated .....
That the "path" to this thread ....
Comes in from many directions ....
ALL OF THEM FACTUAL ...
Which is to say ....
Backed up by some type of independent evidence ....
AND ALL OF THEM PUBLIC RECORD ....
In the State of New York ....
Which is to say ...
This thread is not based on supposition .....
Or innuendo ....
Statements made and conclusions drawn in this thread are done so based upon the record to be developed in here ....
And so ...
And one of those directions ....
Is stated in the public record ....
In the following recent news item ....
From the pages of the Albany, New York Times Union ....
The newspaper of record for the capital city of the State of New York ....
And so ....
Without further ado ...
"Feeding off taxpayers no crime, lawyer says - Cronyism, big spending called usual government practice at Strevell trial"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
Fanciullo asserted that the U.S. attorney's case against Strevell is full of allegations that should not be classified as federal crimes.
In his motion to dismiss the federal case, he suggested that by the prosecution's logic, state employees could be hauled to court for taking a sick day to play golf.
"According to the indictment it has become a felony to have a conflict of interest," says Fanciullo.
"Any 'dishonesty,' any state law violation, connected to employment, coupled with mailing or wire, becomes a federal felony."
Strevell is charged with nine counts of mail fraud and six counts of wire fraud.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
The institute's activities, revealed by the Times Union, became an embarrassment for Republican leaders who had supported it, including Bruno, R-Brunswick, Gov. George Pataki and his administration, and former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Strevell also allegedly doctored the record of a board vote that resulted in his pay rising by $95,000.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
In his motion to dismiss, Fanciullo attached a deposition from Chauncey Strevell saying he and two other members of the board, Jeffrey Pfiel and Georgette Mosbacher, voted to approve the raise.
He said the other two board members, including another Strevell brother, Felix, and Joseph Magno, abstained.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Lord, in her response to the court, said Fanciullo used "wildly hypothetical" situations to demonstrate unsuitable prosecutions.
She added that mail fraud is a legitimate charge because Strevell used the mail to conduct his alleged frauds.
M. Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at jodato@timesunion.com.
By way of background .....
Because CONTEXT is important .....
It can be accurately said ......
Or stated .....
That the "path" to this thread ....
Comes in from many directions ....
ALL OF THEM FACTUAL ...
Which is to say ....
Backed up by some type of independent evidence ....
AND ALL OF THEM PUBLIC RECORD ....
In the State of New York ....
Which is to say ...
This thread is not based on supposition .....
Or innuendo ....
Statements made and conclusions drawn in this thread are done so based upon the record to be developed in here ....
And so ...
And one of those directions ....
Is stated in the public record ....
In the following recent news item ....
From the pages of the Albany, New York Times Union ....
The newspaper of record for the capital city of the State of New York ....
And so ....
Without further ado ...
"Feeding off taxpayers no crime, lawyer says - Cronyism, big spending called usual government practice at Strevell trial"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
Fanciullo asserted that the U.S. attorney's case against Strevell is full of allegations that should not be classified as federal crimes.
In his motion to dismiss the federal case, he suggested that by the prosecution's logic, state employees could be hauled to court for taking a sick day to play golf.
"According to the indictment it has become a felony to have a conflict of interest," says Fanciullo.
"Any 'dishonesty,' any state law violation, connected to employment, coupled with mailing or wire, becomes a federal felony."
Strevell is charged with nine counts of mail fraud and six counts of wire fraud.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
The institute's activities, revealed by the Times Union, became an embarrassment for Republican leaders who had supported it, including Bruno, R-Brunswick, Gov. George Pataki and his administration, and former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Strevell also allegedly doctored the record of a board vote that resulted in his pay rising by $95,000.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
In his motion to dismiss, Fanciullo attached a deposition from Chauncey Strevell saying he and two other members of the board, Jeffrey Pfiel and Georgette Mosbacher, voted to approve the raise.
He said the other two board members, including another Strevell brother, Felix, and Joseph Magno, abstained.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Lord, in her response to the court, said Fanciullo used "wildly hypothetical" situations to demonstrate unsuitable prosecutions.
She added that mail fraud is a legitimate charge because Strevell used the mail to conduct his alleged frauds.
M. Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at jodato@timesunion.com.
Liv - I hope you will broaden this topic beyond New York. Thought you might find the following useful from Wikipedia:
Earmarks in public finance
In public finance, an earmark is a requirement that all or a portion of a certain source of revenue (such as a tax) must be devoted towards spending on a specific public expenditure. Earmarking bypasses the normal procedure where tax revenue is pooled in a general fund which is then distributed among separate spending programs.
For example, in the United Kingdom a tax on television licences is directly allocated to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Governments are often fond of earmarking, while public finance experts often criticize earmarking since it provides an avenue for corruption including kickbacks and because it reduces the discretion and flexibility of the government, which may lead to a loss in economic efficiency.
[edit] Earmarks in US spending legislation
In the United States legislative appropriations process, Congress has, within the powers granted under Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution, the power to direct the appropriations of money drawn from the treasury. This includes the power to earmark funds it appropriates (in other words, "to designate revenue") to be spent on specific named projects. The earmarking process is a regular part of the process of allocating funds within the federal government. Each of the appropriations subcommittees have their own practices for determining whether and what kind of projects they are willing to earmark, and each sets rules for how earmark requests are to be received from members, including setting deadlines and required format for submissions.
Allowing members of Congress to earmark funds has a variety of purposes. For the member of Congress, the earmark allows them to take credit for providing a project of interest to their constituents. Allowing earmarked projects is often a tool that Appropriations committee chairs use to ensure that they can secure and hold the votes of members of Congress to help their bill pass. An earmark directing specific projects to be funded allows agencies to bypass regulatory determinations over the matter, saving them administrative time and effort.
Earmarking differs from the broader appropriations process where Congress grants a lump sum to an agency to allocate according to the agency's legal authority, within the discretion allowed by law, according to the agency's internal budgeting process. Earmarks specifically direct the actions of federal agencies, obliging them to spend a portion of the budget on special projects as directed by Congress.
Earmarking is used for projects and spending directives large and small. The vast majority of earmarks are not controversial. However, some become controversial for their cost or the perceived frivolous nature of the project.
For example, in 2005, $223 million was earmarked by Senate Committee on Appropriations chair Ted Stevens (R-AK), to construct a bridge nicknamed the Bridge to Nowhere, to connect an Alaskan town of 8,900 to an island of 50 inhabitants (saving a short ferry ride). In the ensuing uproar the earmark was removed, but the Alaska government apparently still has the authority to spend the funds on the bridge if it so chooses. Also in 2005, Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) earmarked $574 million for the state of Hawaii.
Total earmarks for 2005: 15,000, costing $47 billion. The House Appropriations Committee receives about 35,000 individual spending requests per year.
On January 5, 2007, the House of Representatives passed a rule requiring congressmen to attach their names to their earmarks and certify that they have no financial interest in the provisions. On January 16 the Senate passed a similar measure.
[edit] Definitions
[edit] Congressional Research Service
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) notes that earmarks are often contained only in reports issued by House,Senate,and judicial Appropriations Committees before formal debate begins in the House or the Senate, rather than appearing in the actual legislation itself. This makes earmarking a non-transparent process that is difficult to quantify. The CRS points out that there is no widely agreed upon definition of an earmark, and that definitions tend to vary depending on the type of bill,
"often reflecting procedures established over time that may differ from one appropriation bill to another. For some bills, an earmark may refer to funds set aside within an account for a specified program, project, activity, institution, or location. In others, the application may reflect a more narrow set of directives to fund individual projects, locations, or institutions."
For example, when analysing agriculture appropriates, the CRS defines an earmark as "any designation in the annual appropriations act or accompanying conference report which allocates a portion of the appropriation for a specific project, location, or institution." However, it would be misleading to apply such a definition to defense appropriations, since it is normal practice to specify projects in substantial detail. The CRS therefore applies a narrower definition of earmarks when analysing defense appropriations, that only captures projects specified with more detail than ordinary.
[edit] Office of Management and Budget
According to the CRS, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
"uses a different definition of earmarks, namely specified funds for projects, activities, or institutions not requested by the executive, or add-ons to requested funds which Congress directs for specific activities."
[edit] Citizens Against Government Waste
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) considers 'earmark' to be an ambiguous and neutral term, and prefer to define 'pork' as "a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures". In their 2006 edition of the Congressional Pig Book, the group identified nearly 10,000 projects that met at least one of their seven conditions:
"Not specifically authorized; Not competitively awarded; Not requested by the President; Greatly exceeds the President’s budget request or the previous year’s funding; Not the subject of congressional hearings; or Serves only a local or special interest."
[edit] Examples
The CRS tracked earmarks from 1994 to 2005 in 13 categories, from Agriculture to Veterans Affairs. It did not provide a grand total of earmarks, since it applied a different definition for each category, and because of limitations in their methodology, most notably not taking into consideration earmarks contained only in reports from House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
As an example, federal appropriations for agriculture in 2005 totalled $16.8 billion, of which CRS counted at least 704 earmarks that came to $500 million, or 3% of total appropriations. These numbers are double the 1994 numbers: 313 earmarks for $219 million, or 1.5% of the total appropriations of $14.5 billion.
The New York Times reported on April 30, 2006 that $568.5 million of NASA's $16.6 billion budget for 2006 has been earmarked for "198 special interest items", up from a decade ago when only $74 million was earmarked for 6 items.
Earmarks in public finance
In public finance, an earmark is a requirement that all or a portion of a certain source of revenue (such as a tax) must be devoted towards spending on a specific public expenditure. Earmarking bypasses the normal procedure where tax revenue is pooled in a general fund which is then distributed among separate spending programs.
For example, in the United Kingdom a tax on television licences is directly allocated to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Governments are often fond of earmarking, while public finance experts often criticize earmarking since it provides an avenue for corruption including kickbacks and because it reduces the discretion and flexibility of the government, which may lead to a loss in economic efficiency.
[edit] Earmarks in US spending legislation
In the United States legislative appropriations process, Congress has, within the powers granted under Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution, the power to direct the appropriations of money drawn from the treasury. This includes the power to earmark funds it appropriates (in other words, "to designate revenue") to be spent on specific named projects. The earmarking process is a regular part of the process of allocating funds within the federal government. Each of the appropriations subcommittees have their own practices for determining whether and what kind of projects they are willing to earmark, and each sets rules for how earmark requests are to be received from members, including setting deadlines and required format for submissions.
Allowing members of Congress to earmark funds has a variety of purposes. For the member of Congress, the earmark allows them to take credit for providing a project of interest to their constituents. Allowing earmarked projects is often a tool that Appropriations committee chairs use to ensure that they can secure and hold the votes of members of Congress to help their bill pass. An earmark directing specific projects to be funded allows agencies to bypass regulatory determinations over the matter, saving them administrative time and effort.
Earmarking differs from the broader appropriations process where Congress grants a lump sum to an agency to allocate according to the agency's legal authority, within the discretion allowed by law, according to the agency's internal budgeting process. Earmarks specifically direct the actions of federal agencies, obliging them to spend a portion of the budget on special projects as directed by Congress.
Earmarking is used for projects and spending directives large and small. The vast majority of earmarks are not controversial. However, some become controversial for their cost or the perceived frivolous nature of the project.
For example, in 2005, $223 million was earmarked by Senate Committee on Appropriations chair Ted Stevens (R-AK), to construct a bridge nicknamed the Bridge to Nowhere, to connect an Alaskan town of 8,900 to an island of 50 inhabitants (saving a short ferry ride). In the ensuing uproar the earmark was removed, but the Alaska government apparently still has the authority to spend the funds on the bridge if it so chooses. Also in 2005, Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) earmarked $574 million for the state of Hawaii.
Total earmarks for 2005: 15,000, costing $47 billion. The House Appropriations Committee receives about 35,000 individual spending requests per year.
On January 5, 2007, the House of Representatives passed a rule requiring congressmen to attach their names to their earmarks and certify that they have no financial interest in the provisions. On January 16 the Senate passed a similar measure.
[edit] Definitions
[edit] Congressional Research Service
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) notes that earmarks are often contained only in reports issued by House,Senate,and judicial Appropriations Committees before formal debate begins in the House or the Senate, rather than appearing in the actual legislation itself. This makes earmarking a non-transparent process that is difficult to quantify. The CRS points out that there is no widely agreed upon definition of an earmark, and that definitions tend to vary depending on the type of bill,
"often reflecting procedures established over time that may differ from one appropriation bill to another. For some bills, an earmark may refer to funds set aside within an account for a specified program, project, activity, institution, or location. In others, the application may reflect a more narrow set of directives to fund individual projects, locations, or institutions."
For example, when analysing agriculture appropriates, the CRS defines an earmark as "any designation in the annual appropriations act or accompanying conference report which allocates a portion of the appropriation for a specific project, location, or institution." However, it would be misleading to apply such a definition to defense appropriations, since it is normal practice to specify projects in substantial detail. The CRS therefore applies a narrower definition of earmarks when analysing defense appropriations, that only captures projects specified with more detail than ordinary.
[edit] Office of Management and Budget
According to the CRS, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
"uses a different definition of earmarks, namely specified funds for projects, activities, or institutions not requested by the executive, or add-ons to requested funds which Congress directs for specific activities."
[edit] Citizens Against Government Waste
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) considers 'earmark' to be an ambiguous and neutral term, and prefer to define 'pork' as "a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures". In their 2006 edition of the Congressional Pig Book, the group identified nearly 10,000 projects that met at least one of their seven conditions:
"Not specifically authorized; Not competitively awarded; Not requested by the President; Greatly exceeds the President’s budget request or the previous year’s funding; Not the subject of congressional hearings; or Serves only a local or special interest."
[edit] Examples
The CRS tracked earmarks from 1994 to 2005 in 13 categories, from Agriculture to Veterans Affairs. It did not provide a grand total of earmarks, since it applied a different definition for each category, and because of limitations in their methodology, most notably not taking into consideration earmarks contained only in reports from House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
As an example, federal appropriations for agriculture in 2005 totalled $16.8 billion, of which CRS counted at least 704 earmarks that came to $500 million, or 3% of total appropriations. These numbers are double the 1994 numbers: 313 earmarks for $219 million, or 1.5% of the total appropriations of $14.5 billion.
The New York Times reported on April 30, 2006 that $568.5 million of NASA's $16.6 billion budget for 2006 has been earmarked for "198 special interest items", up from a decade ago when only $74 million was earmarked for 6 items.
Database: federally funded projects
Cutting pork
According to congressional aides, these are some of the local projects that likely will not be funded this year because Congress isn't expected to authorize the spending:
# $2.5 million for cancer treatment at University of Rochester Medical Center.
# $2 million the Monroe County Crime Lab.
# $1 million for Monroe County Water Authority.
# $1 million for ramp and safety improvements at the Greater Rochester International Airport.
# $500,000 for expansion of emergency room at Rochester General Hospital.
# $400,000 for Rochester Children's Zone.
# $400,000 for emergency room renovations at Unity Hospital (formerly Park Ridge Hospital).
What's at stake
Federal aid for local projects. Because of a crackdown in Congress on pork-barrel spending, some projects may not be funded this year.
Potential ban on earmarks may hurt; Rochester area could lose millions in funds
Joseph Spector
Staff writer
Post Comment
(January 20, 2007) — With a $250,000 federal grant, the Rochester Tooling and Machining Association hopes to train nearly 300 workers to help rebuild the region's manufacturing industry.
But the training will likely end later this year. Why? Federal money for the initiative is not expected to be reallocated under the new Democratic-controlled Congress.
As part of their plan to crack down on federal earmarks, known as pork-barrel spending, Democrats in Congress plan to put a moratorium on the controversial practice for the 2007 fiscal year, which began Jan. 1. That means many Rochester projects, like those across the country, may have to make do with millions of dollars less in federal aid this year.
"We're disappointed, and I think that when the Congress takes across-the-board actions like that, without looking at the specific impact, I think it does the community a disservice," said Kevin Kelley, the machining association's executive director.
The potential ban on earmarks, local officials said, means that institutions such as the cancer center at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the Monroe County Crime Lab may have to either hold off on some initiatives until next year, when aid could become available again, or tap other financial sources.
Yet there was hope Friday that the pet projects might be put back into the budget. Rep. David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said that while he opposes adding earmarks to the 2007 budget, he may be overruled by other lawmakers who might vote to include them.
"I am not for earmarks, and I expect that we will not have any," Obey said in an interview with Bloomberg News. "I can't promise because I don't know what ... the future holds. All I can tell you is what my goal is."
Nonetheless, many groups are preparing to wait until 2008 to seek aid again.
"We'll have to work with the delegation to see how things play out," said Peter Robinson, the Medical Center's vice president and chief operating officer. Republican Reps. James Walsh of Onondaga, Onondaga County, and Thomas Reynolds of Clarence, Erie County, said $2.5 million for the UR cancer center isn't expected to be allocated.
Federal aid can be critical for local initiatives. According to a Democrat and Chronicle investigation and database research, Monroe County has pulled in more than $800 million in federal aid over the past five years. The money has ranged from the large — such as $50 million or more each year for the National Institute for the Deaf — to the small, like $100,000 to the Jewish Family Services of Rochester in 2004.
Groups and politicians defend the federal aid, for everything from road construction to Strong Museum renovations, as vital for the local economy.
Robinson said UR doesn't object to greater scrutiny of earmarks because the university's projects are defendable.
New rules
Democrats in the House say that the new ethics reforms, which would affect the 2008 spending bills, are aimed at the abuse of federal spending that occurred when Republicans controlled both houses of Congress. The Senate passed similar measures earlier this week. "We're trying to straighten out a colossal mess," said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, who chairs the House Rules Committee.
But Republicans say Democrats should finish passing bills that were set for approval before the GOP-led Congress ended last year. The House passed all 11 spending bills last year, but the Senate only passed two before the session ended. So because both houses didn't approve the spending, the bills are expected to languish.
Walsh said the money should be approved because "these were fully vetted in the House. These are very, very responsible investments in health care, in public safety, in housing, in economic development. We gave a lot of thought to these."
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said earmarks should be voted on and debated individually to ensure more responsibility.
Still, some experts question whether proposed reforms will change Congress much. After all, lawmakers rely on the earmarks to curry favor with voters in their districts, some said.
"To a large degree, these reforms are cosmetic and it's not going to change the fundamental way Congress works or the incentives members of Congress have," said David Primo, a political science professor at the University of Rochester who is writing a book, Rules and Restraint: Government Spending and the Design of Institutions.
'Bridge to nowhere'
Since taking power, Democrats have been eager to enact ethical reforms that voters, according to exit polls, deemed the most important issue when they voted in November.
One of the first acts was to go after federal pork spending, a symbol of government ineffectiveness and largess. Even on the state level, new Gov. Eliot Spitzer has targeted money for pet projects given out by state legislators.
Typically added at the last minute to spending bills to benefit a lawmaker's home district, federal earmarks are often included secretly and sometimes for questionable projects.
The use of earmarks has led to major scandals. Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., was sent to prison last year after pleading guilty to bribery for steering aid to contractors with whom he had business dealings.
In the most famous recent case, Alaska officials pushed for more than $223 million to fund a bridge to an island with 50 people living on it. Labeled the "bridge to nowhere," the project was shelved last year.
Good-government groups have applauded recent reforms, which still need final approval by the Senate and House and then the president's signature.
Among the changes, lawmakers would have to disclose earmarks tucked into spending bills, be prohibited from trading votes for aid for hometown projects and certify that they would receive no personal financial benefit from the aid.
Experts say the reforms wouldn't end earmarks, which officials estimate only make up about 1 percent of overall federal discretionary spending, but would shine more light on the process.
"We don't think that just this legislation alone will get rid of the earmarks, but it will just bring more transparency to the process and hopefully really start to pry open the secretive world that is known as the House and Senate," said David Williams, vice president for Citizens for Government Waste, a private, nonpartisan group based in Washington.
Earmarks will be allowed back into spending bills for the 2008 fiscal year, but only after they are disclosed publicly, Slaughter said.
As for the $2 million she secured for the county's crime lab, county officials said the money won't be needed until next year anyway — after a study of the $24 million project is completed.
Rep. Randy Kuhl, R-Hammondsport, Steuben County, said he's concerned that money for transportation projects this year — such as for work on Interstate 86 through the Southern Tier — may be held up.
Kuhl voted for the reforms, but he said they don't go far enough to curb earmarks, which he labeled "budget busters."
"I see that there is a place for them, but the system has been totally abused and needs to be corrected," he said.
JSPECTOR@DemocratandChronicle.com
Cutting pork
According to congressional aides, these are some of the local projects that likely will not be funded this year because Congress isn't expected to authorize the spending:
# $2.5 million for cancer treatment at University of Rochester Medical Center.
# $2 million the Monroe County Crime Lab.
# $1 million for Monroe County Water Authority.
# $1 million for ramp and safety improvements at the Greater Rochester International Airport.
# $500,000 for expansion of emergency room at Rochester General Hospital.
# $400,000 for Rochester Children's Zone.
# $400,000 for emergency room renovations at Unity Hospital (formerly Park Ridge Hospital).
What's at stake
Federal aid for local projects. Because of a crackdown in Congress on pork-barrel spending, some projects may not be funded this year.
Potential ban on earmarks may hurt; Rochester area could lose millions in funds
Joseph Spector
Staff writer
Post Comment
(January 20, 2007) — With a $250,000 federal grant, the Rochester Tooling and Machining Association hopes to train nearly 300 workers to help rebuild the region's manufacturing industry.
But the training will likely end later this year. Why? Federal money for the initiative is not expected to be reallocated under the new Democratic-controlled Congress.
As part of their plan to crack down on federal earmarks, known as pork-barrel spending, Democrats in Congress plan to put a moratorium on the controversial practice for the 2007 fiscal year, which began Jan. 1. That means many Rochester projects, like those across the country, may have to make do with millions of dollars less in federal aid this year.
"We're disappointed, and I think that when the Congress takes across-the-board actions like that, without looking at the specific impact, I think it does the community a disservice," said Kevin Kelley, the machining association's executive director.
The potential ban on earmarks, local officials said, means that institutions such as the cancer center at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the Monroe County Crime Lab may have to either hold off on some initiatives until next year, when aid could become available again, or tap other financial sources.
Yet there was hope Friday that the pet projects might be put back into the budget. Rep. David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said that while he opposes adding earmarks to the 2007 budget, he may be overruled by other lawmakers who might vote to include them.
"I am not for earmarks, and I expect that we will not have any," Obey said in an interview with Bloomberg News. "I can't promise because I don't know what ... the future holds. All I can tell you is what my goal is."
Nonetheless, many groups are preparing to wait until 2008 to seek aid again.
"We'll have to work with the delegation to see how things play out," said Peter Robinson, the Medical Center's vice president and chief operating officer. Republican Reps. James Walsh of Onondaga, Onondaga County, and Thomas Reynolds of Clarence, Erie County, said $2.5 million for the UR cancer center isn't expected to be allocated.
Federal aid can be critical for local initiatives. According to a Democrat and Chronicle investigation and database research, Monroe County has pulled in more than $800 million in federal aid over the past five years. The money has ranged from the large — such as $50 million or more each year for the National Institute for the Deaf — to the small, like $100,000 to the Jewish Family Services of Rochester in 2004.
Groups and politicians defend the federal aid, for everything from road construction to Strong Museum renovations, as vital for the local economy.
Robinson said UR doesn't object to greater scrutiny of earmarks because the university's projects are defendable.
New rules
Democrats in the House say that the new ethics reforms, which would affect the 2008 spending bills, are aimed at the abuse of federal spending that occurred when Republicans controlled both houses of Congress. The Senate passed similar measures earlier this week. "We're trying to straighten out a colossal mess," said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, who chairs the House Rules Committee.
But Republicans say Democrats should finish passing bills that were set for approval before the GOP-led Congress ended last year. The House passed all 11 spending bills last year, but the Senate only passed two before the session ended. So because both houses didn't approve the spending, the bills are expected to languish.
Walsh said the money should be approved because "these were fully vetted in the House. These are very, very responsible investments in health care, in public safety, in housing, in economic development. We gave a lot of thought to these."
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said earmarks should be voted on and debated individually to ensure more responsibility.
Still, some experts question whether proposed reforms will change Congress much. After all, lawmakers rely on the earmarks to curry favor with voters in their districts, some said.
"To a large degree, these reforms are cosmetic and it's not going to change the fundamental way Congress works or the incentives members of Congress have," said David Primo, a political science professor at the University of Rochester who is writing a book, Rules and Restraint: Government Spending and the Design of Institutions.
'Bridge to nowhere'
Since taking power, Democrats have been eager to enact ethical reforms that voters, according to exit polls, deemed the most important issue when they voted in November.
One of the first acts was to go after federal pork spending, a symbol of government ineffectiveness and largess. Even on the state level, new Gov. Eliot Spitzer has targeted money for pet projects given out by state legislators.
Typically added at the last minute to spending bills to benefit a lawmaker's home district, federal earmarks are often included secretly and sometimes for questionable projects.
The use of earmarks has led to major scandals. Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., was sent to prison last year after pleading guilty to bribery for steering aid to contractors with whom he had business dealings.
In the most famous recent case, Alaska officials pushed for more than $223 million to fund a bridge to an island with 50 people living on it. Labeled the "bridge to nowhere," the project was shelved last year.
Good-government groups have applauded recent reforms, which still need final approval by the Senate and House and then the president's signature.
Among the changes, lawmakers would have to disclose earmarks tucked into spending bills, be prohibited from trading votes for aid for hometown projects and certify that they would receive no personal financial benefit from the aid.
Experts say the reforms wouldn't end earmarks, which officials estimate only make up about 1 percent of overall federal discretionary spending, but would shine more light on the process.
"We don't think that just this legislation alone will get rid of the earmarks, but it will just bring more transparency to the process and hopefully really start to pry open the secretive world that is known as the House and Senate," said David Williams, vice president for Citizens for Government Waste, a private, nonpartisan group based in Washington.
Earmarks will be allowed back into spending bills for the 2008 fiscal year, but only after they are disclosed publicly, Slaughter said.
As for the $2 million she secured for the county's crime lab, county officials said the money won't be needed until next year anyway — after a study of the $24 million project is completed.
Rep. Randy Kuhl, R-Hammondsport, Steuben County, said he's concerned that money for transportation projects this year — such as for work on Interstate 86 through the Southern Tier — may be held up.
Kuhl voted for the reforms, but he said they don't go far enough to curb earmarks, which he labeled "budget busters."
"I see that there is a place for them, but the system has been totally abused and needs to be corrected," he said.
JSPECTOR@DemocratandChronicle.com
QUOTE(Snuffysmith @ Jan 20 2007, 05:45 PM) 
Liv - I hope you will broaden this topic beyond New York ......
No, not initially, anyway, Snuf ....
For that would simply dilute and overwhelm at the same time .....
This is a subject that I have been thinking on for some thirty years now .....
Ever since I came back from Viet Nam, actually ......
Wondering what on earth had happened to OUR CONSTITUTIONAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT .....
Both here in the State of New York .....
And in the United States, as well ...
For each of us .....
Except for you, perhaps, Snuf .....
You being a resident of the DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ....
Each of us is subject to TWO CONSTITUTIONS ....
A STATE CONSTITUTION ...
And a FEDERAL CONSTITUTION ....
WHICH DOES NOT CREATE RIGHTS FOR US AS AMERICAN CITZENS ....
BUT TO THE CONTRARY ....
RECOGNIZES RIGHTS THAT THE CITIZENS OF THE ORIGINAL THIRTEEN STATES HAD AT THE TIME OF SEPARATION FROM ENGLAND .....
And so .....
In here ....
I am using this ISSUE OF "PORK" .....
To make a bigger demonstration ....
Which is how OUR CONSTITUTIONAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT ....
Here in the State of New York ....
IS BEING DISMANTLED .....
WHILE AT THE SAME TIME .....
RULE OF LAW IS BEING ABANDONED ....
WHILE WE, THE PEOPLE ....
ARE BEING SHUT OUT OF ACCESS TO OUR COURTS UP HERE ....
WHICH CUTS US OUT OF PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT ....
And so .....
Rather than bring in information about "PORK" from all over the United States .....
Which would take a lot of research on my part to properly develop .....
I want to go slow in here ....
And I want to develop this topic of CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT .....
WHICH IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK .....
SHOULD PRECLUDE "PORK" ....
IF IT WERE ADHERED TO ....
WHICH IT IS NOT .....
BECAUSE WE CITIZENS UP HERE ....
CANNOT GET INTO A COURT OF LAW ....
TO ENFORCE OUR CONSTITUTION UP HERE ....
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 09:28 AM)
Good morning, America .....
And the candid world, as well ....
My name is Livyjr ....
And way back when ....
In the opening days of this forum .....
Right after the November 2004 elections, to be exact ....
I was reading a book entitled The Power of Many by Christian Crumlish ....
Who himself had experience with the use of the internet as a real professional "tool" for communications among separate and disparate groups of people in the world during the Dean Campaign ....
And one of the many points that he made to me in that book ....
Was the level of difficulty that the Dean campaign had in translating communications on the internet ....
INTO ACTION ....
Out there in the REAL WORLD ....
The world that we all exist in in our physical forms ....
As opposed to "in here" ....
Where we all are imaginary, in many senses .....
OTHER THAN OUR WORDS ....
On a piece of virtual paper .....
And being an older American myself ....
Although far from the oldest in here .....
Where at least two members are in their eighties ...
I have a lot of thoughts ....
ON WHERE OUR AMERICA is going ....
And by that, I don't mean with respect to how people look or dress or talk ....
Since those things are always changing, anyway ....
Rather, my concerns have to do with that thing called CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT ....
Here in OUR America .....
Which I do not believe ....
From my interactions with my fellow Americans over time ....
Is very well understood ....
And here ....
I mean the fact ....
(OR IS IT, REALLY?)
That OUR state and federal CONSTITUTIONS ....
ARE ACTUALLY LAWS .....
ORGANIC LAWS .....
That bind OUR governments .....
State and federal, as well as local ....
To certain STANDARDS OF CONDUCT .....
ON BEHALF OF US ....
The PEOPLE of OUR America .....
Today ....
If you went up to someone ....
And you said to them ....
"You know, we really are the government here in OUR America ..."
Many of them would immediately make warding gestures .....
As if you were the devil out to tempt them ....
And they would likely say, "LEAVE ME OUT OF THAT ..."
"I DON'T WANT TO BE INVOLVED ..."
And that would be that .....
Literally ....
End of the conversation ....
AND PERHAPS ....
As a result ....
THE END OF CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT ....
Here in OUR America ...
And perhaps, America .....
IT REALLY IS TIME FOR THAT, I SUPPOSE ......
PERHAPS THERE REALLY ARE TOO MANY OF US ....
FOR ANY OF US TO HAVE A SAY, ANYMORE ....
AND PERHAPS, AMERICA ....
WE REALLY DO NEED TO BE RULED ....
BY RULERS WITHOUT CONSTITUTIONAL CONSTRAINTS PLACED ON THEM ....
BY THE PEOPLE ...
SINCE WE JUST MAY BE TOO IGNORANT .....
TO PLAY ANY ROLE IN SELF-GOVERNMENT, ANYMORE ....
And so .....
That is the THEME of this particular thead .....
Which I am starting up at this time ....
Because I did not want to try and deal with this issue over in my Life in OUR America thread ....
Which is really concerned with the "flow" of life .....
Here in OUR America ....
And the world ....
As it is happening ...
And so .....
Is more dynamic ....
Than this thread intends to be ....
And so ....
In this thread ....
I am going to be taking news items from the State of New York ....
Where I reside ....
On the subject of GOVERNMENTAL REFORM ....
Which is THE SUBJECT today in the State of New York .....
WHICH IS ONE OF THE LEAST DEMOCRATIC STATES IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY ....
MORE RESEMBLING SOME EASTERN EUROPEAN NATION DURING THE 1930's and early-1940's ....
Romania or Hungary, perhaps ....
Than a MODERN AMERICAN STATE ....
WITH A CONSTITUTION ....
Intended to secure the BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY ...
To the people of the State ....
And so ....
And the candid world, as well ....
My name is Livyjr ....
And way back when ....
In the opening days of this forum .....
Right after the November 2004 elections, to be exact ....
I was reading a book entitled The Power of Many by Christian Crumlish ....
Who himself had experience with the use of the internet as a real professional "tool" for communications among separate and disparate groups of people in the world during the Dean Campaign ....
And one of the many points that he made to me in that book ....
Was the level of difficulty that the Dean campaign had in translating communications on the internet ....
INTO ACTION ....
Out there in the REAL WORLD ....
The world that we all exist in in our physical forms ....
As opposed to "in here" ....
Where we all are imaginary, in many senses .....
OTHER THAN OUR WORDS ....
On a piece of virtual paper .....
And being an older American myself ....
Although far from the oldest in here .....
Where at least two members are in their eighties ...
I have a lot of thoughts ....
ON WHERE OUR AMERICA is going ....
And by that, I don't mean with respect to how people look or dress or talk ....
Since those things are always changing, anyway ....
Rather, my concerns have to do with that thing called CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT ....
Here in OUR America .....
Which I do not believe ....
From my interactions with my fellow Americans over time ....
Is very well understood ....
And here ....
I mean the fact ....
(OR IS IT, REALLY?)
That OUR state and federal CONSTITUTIONS ....
ARE ACTUALLY LAWS .....
ORGANIC LAWS .....
That bind OUR governments .....
State and federal, as well as local ....
To certain STANDARDS OF CONDUCT .....
ON BEHALF OF US ....
The PEOPLE of OUR America .....
Today ....
If you went up to someone ....
And you said to them ....
"You know, we really are the government here in OUR America ..."
Many of them would immediately make warding gestures .....
As if you were the devil out to tempt them ....
And they would likely say, "LEAVE ME OUT OF THAT ..."
"I DON'T WANT TO BE INVOLVED ..."
And that would be that .....
Literally ....
End of the conversation ....
AND PERHAPS ....
As a result ....
THE END OF CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT ....
Here in OUR America ...
And perhaps, America .....
IT REALLY IS TIME FOR THAT, I SUPPOSE ......
PERHAPS THERE REALLY ARE TOO MANY OF US ....
FOR ANY OF US TO HAVE A SAY, ANYMORE ....
AND PERHAPS, AMERICA ....
WE REALLY DO NEED TO BE RULED ....
BY RULERS WITHOUT CONSTITUTIONAL CONSTRAINTS PLACED ON THEM ....
BY THE PEOPLE ...
SINCE WE JUST MAY BE TOO IGNORANT .....
TO PLAY ANY ROLE IN SELF-GOVERNMENT, ANYMORE ....
And so .....
That is the THEME of this particular thead .....
Which I am starting up at this time ....
Because I did not want to try and deal with this issue over in my Life in OUR America thread ....
Which is really concerned with the "flow" of life .....
Here in OUR America ....
And the world ....
As it is happening ...
And so .....
Is more dynamic ....
Than this thread intends to be ....
And so ....
In this thread ....
I am going to be taking news items from the State of New York ....
Where I reside ....
On the subject of GOVERNMENTAL REFORM ....
Which is THE SUBJECT today in the State of New York .....
WHICH IS ONE OF THE LEAST DEMOCRATIC STATES IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY ....
MORE RESEMBLING SOME EASTERN EUROPEAN NATION DURING THE 1930's and early-1940's ....
Romania or Hungary, perhaps ....
Than a MODERN AMERICAN STATE ....
WITH A CONSTITUTION ....
Intended to secure the BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY ...
To the people of the State ....
And so ....
Good for you, Livyjr.
I have felt for a long, long time that you have the talent to sponsor and contribute to subjects such as this one. I do not know how much time you have, but if you do have the time, I feel certain that eventually you ought to consider Snuffy Smith's suggestion to expand this thread beyond New York. That's pretty big of me isn't it, volunteering your time and talent to do more.
Anyhow, I feel certain this thread will be a success.
I wish I felt as sure that our Congress would be as visionary and more statesmanlike as they profess to be. As the old song title
phrases it, " It seems to me, I've that song before "
Nevertheless, it is always better to be positive than negative, and I plan to follow and contribute to this thread as my time and energy permit.
Always with you -
A.B.
And to further "set the stage", as it were .....
For the initial direction that this thread would like to set off in ....
Some time back ....
In June of 2006 .....
I received an e-mail entitled Subject: SCARY - How Long Do We Have .....
And it goes like this ....
This is very interesting and a worth while read ....
The statistics on this are mind boggling!!!
About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in 1787 ...
Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh ....
Had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government."
"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."
"From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years."
"During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage .."
The e-mail then goes on with some alleged analysis from alleged Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St.Paul, Minnesota ....
And my response to the sender of this e-mail to me was that in America ....
At least at the federal level .....
BECAUSE OF THIS ....
WE DON'T HAVE A DEMOCRACY .....
WE HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC .....
And so .....
BUT DO WE REALLY, ANYMORE?
And what about at the state level?
And so ....
For the initial direction that this thread would like to set off in ....
Some time back ....
In June of 2006 .....
I received an e-mail entitled Subject: SCARY - How Long Do We Have .....
And it goes like this ....
This is very interesting and a worth while read ....
The statistics on this are mind boggling!!!
About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in 1787 ...
Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh ....
Had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government."
"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."
"From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years."
"During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage .."
The e-mail then goes on with some alleged analysis from alleged Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St.Paul, Minnesota ....
And my response to the sender of this e-mail to me was that in America ....
At least at the federal level .....
BECAUSE OF THIS ....
WE DON'T HAVE A DEMOCRACY .....
WE HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC .....
And so .....
BUT DO WE REALLY, ANYMORE?
And what about at the state level?
And so ....
QUOTE(Abu Beacon @ Jan 20 2007, 06:26 PM)
Nevertheless, it is always better to be positive than negative ......
A.B.
A.B.
Yes, Mr. A.B. ....
It is always better to be positive than negative ...
And it is better to inform .....
Than to simply complain ....
And so ...
As I have said before .....
I believe that OUR forefathers in LIBERTY knew history and human psychology quite well ...
And they certainly knew what they called TYRANNY ....
And I believe that what we have had handed down to us in the form of OUR state constitutions ....
At least in the thirteen original constitutions .....
Gives us the tools ....
To handle anything that might come along .....
As was identified by this Scottish history professor back in 1787 ....
BUT .....
That is dependent upon US ....
The PEOPLE ...
Knowing what it was that we inherited .....
Or had handed down to us ....
That being RESPONSIBILITY ....
Which is where this all might be breaking down .....
Our CONSTITUTIONAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT ....
Both here in the State of New York ....
And in the United States, as well ...
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 09:28 AM)
Good morning, America .....
And the candid world, as well ....
My name is Livyjr ....
And way back when ....
In the opening days of this forum .....
Right after the November 2004 elections, to be exact ....
I was reading a book entitled The Power of Many by Christian Crumlish ....
Who himself had experience with the use of the internet as a real professional "tool" for communications among separate and disparate groups of people in the world during the Dean Campaign ....
And one of the many points that he made to me in that book ....
Was the level of difficulty that the Dean campaign had in translating communications on the internet ....
INTO ACTION ....
Out there in the REAL WORLD ....
The world that we all exist in in our physical forms ....
As opposed to "in here" ....
Where we all are imaginary, in many senses .....
OTHER THAN OUR WORDS ....
And so ....
And the candid world, as well ....
My name is Livyjr ....
And way back when ....
In the opening days of this forum .....
Right after the November 2004 elections, to be exact ....
I was reading a book entitled The Power of Many by Christian Crumlish ....
Who himself had experience with the use of the internet as a real professional "tool" for communications among separate and disparate groups of people in the world during the Dean Campaign ....
And one of the many points that he made to me in that book ....
Was the level of difficulty that the Dean campaign had in translating communications on the internet ....
INTO ACTION ....
Out there in the REAL WORLD ....
The world that we all exist in in our physical forms ....
As opposed to "in here" ....
Where we all are imaginary, in many senses .....
OTHER THAN OUR WORDS ....
And so ....
QUOTE(Abu Beacon @ Jan 20 2007, 06:26 PM)
I do not know how much time you have, but if you do have the time, I feel certain that eventually you ought to consider Snuffy Smith's suggestion to expand this thread beyond New York.
That's pretty big of me isn't it, volunteering your time and talent to do more.
A.B.
That's pretty big of me isn't it, volunteering your time and talent to do more.
A.B.
And it is not so much a matter of my time that has me going slow in here to develop this topic .....
It is more a matter of what I perceive to be the LIMITATIONS of this forum to date ....
AND THAT IS NOT A CRITICISM OR CRITIQUE OR ATTACK ON THIS FORUM IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR MANNER .....
Rather, as I perceive it right now ....
WE ARE THE LIMITING FACTOR ....
US, the people who inhabit this space .....
And that has to do in part with the complexity of the world that we now find ourselves in ....
And it has to do with just how much extra information any of us can take in at any given moment in time ....
And so ....
I know that with myself ....
There are "bursts" or "quanta" of information that I can assimilate at any given point in time ....
Kind of like the relationship between the size of your own mouth ....
And the fork or spoon that you are given to feed yourself with ....
And with respect to issues such as this "PORK" ....
WHICH I SEE AS A SYMPTOM .....
Small bites work best ....
Which is to say ..
DISCRETE BITS OF INFORMATION ....
Fed in slowly ....
And then connected together over time ....
Otherwise, it is just too overwhelming ....
As would be the case with federal government "PORK" .....
Which presently eludes me ....
How that process actually works ...
And so ....
And what I really want to do in here ....
Is to cast any discussion in here ....
AGAINST A CONSTITUTIONAL BACKDROP ....
And there is where another necessary limitation enters in .....
And I personally think that we do ourselves a big disservice in here .....
TO IGNORE THE FACT ....
That while we are all "Americans" ......
In fact ....
BY OUR OWN SYSTEM ....
We are not all necessarily "equal" .....
Which is not to say that people in one state are better or worse than people in any other state ......
THAT IS NOT IMPUTED NOR IMPLIED ...
Rather, it goes to what is known as "STANDING" .....
For example ....
In the case of Mr. A.B. ...
Who I greatly respect .....
HE is out in Ohio ....
And has been there for awhile ....
AND BY OUR FEDERAL CONSTITUTION ....
Mr. A.B. is a citizen of the State of Ohio .....
And so ....
WITHIN THAT STATE .....
Mr. A.B. has rights and privileges that are spelled out in the Constitution and laws of the State of Ohio ....
WHERE I WOULD BE JUST A MEDDLER .....
In their affairs ....
Since I am myself a citizen of the State of New York ......
I don't have property in Ohio .....
I don't have "business interests" out there ....
AND SO .....
I have no "STANDING" to be meddling in the internal affairs of the State of Ohio ....
Or California ....
Or Arizona ....
Or Texas ....
And so .....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 06:33 PM)
And to further "set the stage", as it were .....
For the initial direction that this thread would like to set off in ....
Some time back ....
In June of 2006 .....
I received an e-mail entitled Subject: SCARY - How Long Do We Have .....
And it goes like this ....
This is very interesting and a worth while read ....
The statistics on this are mind boggling!!!
About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in 1787 ...
Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh ....
Had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government."
"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."
"From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years."
"During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage .."
The e-mail then goes on with some alleged analysis from alleged Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St.Paul, Minnesota ....
And my response to the sender of this e-mail to me was that in America ....
At least at the federal level .....
BECAUSE OF THIS ....
WE DON'T HAVE A DEMOCRACY .....
WE HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC .....
And so .....
BUT DO WE REALLY, ANYMORE?
And what about at the state level?
And so ....
For the initial direction that this thread would like to set off in ....
Some time back ....
In June of 2006 .....
I received an e-mail entitled Subject: SCARY - How Long Do We Have .....
And it goes like this ....
This is very interesting and a worth while read ....
The statistics on this are mind boggling!!!
About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in 1787 ...
Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh ....
Had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government."
"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."
"From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years."
"During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage .."
The e-mail then goes on with some alleged analysis from alleged Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St.Paul, Minnesota ....
And my response to the sender of this e-mail to me was that in America ....
At least at the federal level .....
BECAUSE OF THIS ....
WE DON'T HAVE A DEMOCRACY .....
WE HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC .....
And so .....
BUT DO WE REALLY, ANYMORE?
And what about at the state level?
And so ....
"Vast ethics power sought - New York's executive, legislative branches discuss creating single oversight agency"
By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press
First published: Friday, January 19, 2007
ALBANY -- High level legislative and executive branch officials are negotiating to create a single, far-reaching ethics agency that could break down jurisdictional walls that currently limit investigations, officials familiar with the talks said Thursday.
If the agency is created, it would mark a historic step toward reforming a state government culture derided for years by critics and government watchdog groups as unseemly, even corrupt.
The new agency would consolidate the state lobbying commission, which can only investigate lobbyists; the Ethics Commission, which can only investigate executive branch employees; and the Ethics Committee, which can only investigate lawmakers, according to the officials in the legislative and executive branches.
They spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of negotiations.
The "omnibus ethics bill" would also ban gifts for all state officials from lobbyists and others trying to influence decisions and laws in Albany and end paid honoraria for speeches.
In addition, the bill is expected to include further limits on the Albany's notorious "revolving door," in which a well-timed exit by legislative aides can place them in lucrative lobbying positions weeks later.
Lawmakers could also face a more strict ban on lobbying Albany after leaving office.
"If adopted as described, it would certainly be the biggest improvement in ethics in 20 years -- maybe in 200 years," said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group when told of the proposal.
He said, however, that the details including who would head the agency are critical for it to be effective.
Gerald Benjamin, a political scientist at the State University of New York at New Paltz, said the key will be to have a strong chief or commissioners lead the new entity.
"The idea of one rule for all is very important for New York ... this would show the Legislature stepping up to the plate," Benjamin said.
Spitzer has already applied the gift ban, limit on paid speeches and a limit on Albany's "revolving door" to executive branch employees.
The details aren't settled.
Earlier discussions included providing the new entity the power to enforce campaign finance laws, but that isn't expected in the final version.
Legislative leaders, however, have so far resisted turning over ethics investigations of lawmakers to a new agency under the executive branch, the officials said.
The consolidation could violate the state constitution's separation of powers, they argue.
But even consolidating the ethics and lobbying agencies into one more powerful agency would be historic for Albany, where smaller, isolated scandals are frequent but few cross the line between government branches.
Spitzer campaigned on a promise to clean up the state government culture in Albany, much of which he has said has an "aura of unseemliness."
A report by NYPIRG and the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law found 39 states have a single ethics commission for executive and legislative branches.
Horner said any constitutional concern about separation of powers is unfounded.
"The current system has to be scrapped," Horner said.
But he said the most important merger would be to combine the ethics watchdogs for the executive and legislative branches.
"The legislative ethics side is the weakest of all -- legislators meeting in secret to hear complaints against their colleagues," Horner said.
Negotiations continue into the form the new entity would take and who would head it.
Lobbying Commission Executive Director David Grandeau has had public disagreements with Spitzer, who represented the commission when he was attorney general.
Grandeau has also investigated lobbyists in cases involving Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno.
"If you're talking about merging with (Grandeau) in charge of it, I think that's a much better case," said Horner who along with other good-government groups have praised Grandeau's work and independence.
"I'm extremely supportive of any effort to strengthen the integrity units in New York state," Grandeau said.
He said he had discussed the idea with Spitzer's transition team in December, and the key would be to have the political powers agree to give up some power.
"The threat of termination affects the way you pursue integrity cases," Grandeau said.
"Spitzer names Pennsylvania official upstate development czar"
Associated Press
Last updated: 1:42 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has tapped an economic development official from Pennsylvania to head a new Buffalo office that will spearhead efforts to revive the upstate New York economy.
Daniel Gundersen joined Pennsylvania's economic development office as a top executive in 2003 and had worked previously in similar jobs in Maryland and Philadelphia, the Buffalo News reported in its Sunday edition.
Gundersen, 46, will become co-chairman of the state's Empire State Development Corp. and lead the upstate office, the governor told the newspaper in an interview.
The official announcement of the appointment is expected Monday in Buffalo.
Spitzer said he chose Gundersen from a large group of development experts after a national search.
He'll be paid $190,000 a year.
Reviving upstate was a major theme in Spitzer's successful run for governor last year and will be "the single most important test or failure" of his administration, he said.
Gundersen's job is "pure dedication to the upstate economy," Spitzer said, and he will have the power and resources to reverse the state's loss of young workers and the frustration of businesses facing high taxes and other competitive disadvantages.
"I have a deep appreciation for the problems."
"But I also have optimism that we can tackle these issues," said Gundersen, who has a master's degree in governmental administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
"He's a doer."
"There are lots of people who can talk and get the lingo."
"He actually gets the job done," said Spitzer.
Gundersen has been working as chief operating officer of Pennsylvania's $665 million economic development agency and was responsible for the state's overseas business development efforts.
Spitzer is also is hiring Kenneth A. Schoetz, who headed his Buffalo office while Spitzer was state attorney general, to be the agency's chief operating officer.
The new Buffalo office will work in tandem with the established Empire Development operation in Manhattan.
Associated Press
Last updated: 1:42 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has tapped an economic development official from Pennsylvania to head a new Buffalo office that will spearhead efforts to revive the upstate New York economy.
Daniel Gundersen joined Pennsylvania's economic development office as a top executive in 2003 and had worked previously in similar jobs in Maryland and Philadelphia, the Buffalo News reported in its Sunday edition.
Gundersen, 46, will become co-chairman of the state's Empire State Development Corp. and lead the upstate office, the governor told the newspaper in an interview.
The official announcement of the appointment is expected Monday in Buffalo.
Spitzer said he chose Gundersen from a large group of development experts after a national search.
He'll be paid $190,000 a year.
Reviving upstate was a major theme in Spitzer's successful run for governor last year and will be "the single most important test or failure" of his administration, he said.
Gundersen's job is "pure dedication to the upstate economy," Spitzer said, and he will have the power and resources to reverse the state's loss of young workers and the frustration of businesses facing high taxes and other competitive disadvantages.
"I have a deep appreciation for the problems."
"But I also have optimism that we can tackle these issues," said Gundersen, who has a master's degree in governmental administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
"He's a doer."
"There are lots of people who can talk and get the lingo."
"He actually gets the job done," said Spitzer.
Gundersen has been working as chief operating officer of Pennsylvania's $665 million economic development agency and was responsible for the state's overseas business development efforts.
Spitzer is also is hiring Kenneth A. Schoetz, who headed his Buffalo office while Spitzer was state attorney general, to be the agency's chief operating officer.
The new Buffalo office will work in tandem with the established Empire Development operation in Manhattan.
"Pataki to drop state-funded security - Former governor's protection paid for by taxpayers to be transferred to private force"
Associated Press
First published: Saturday, January 20, 2007
ALBANY -- Former Gov. George Pataki has asked the State Police to phase out the taxpayer-financed security detail that aides had requested be supplied once he left office, a spokesman said Friday.
"Governor Pataki has requested the State Police to begin the phase-out of his temporary security detail," said David Catalfamo.
"The former governor has been consulting with private security firms to evaluate and meet his needs on a going-forward basis."
A telephone call to State Police asking how soon they might end the protection was responded to by Spitzer spokesman Paul Larrabee, who wouldn't discuss plans for phasing out the security detail.
Pataki left office Dec. 31 after three four-year terms as governor.
He decided in mid-2005 not to seek re-election last year.
He is eyeing a run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.
In authorizing the continued protection for Pataki, state officials had said that over the past decade there were 146 "high risk" threats -- a designation used when there is "a threat of death or harm" -- made against the governor.
Twenty-five of the 146 incidents involved death threats, according to a State Police review.
The transitional security detail had been approved through the end of January at which time the need for it was to have been reviewed.
While such continued security had not been provided for recent past governors in New York, it was provided on a temporary basis for former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani when he left office at the end of 2001 just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that brought down the World Trade Center towers.
Associated Press
First published: Saturday, January 20, 2007
ALBANY -- Former Gov. George Pataki has asked the State Police to phase out the taxpayer-financed security detail that aides had requested be supplied once he left office, a spokesman said Friday.
"Governor Pataki has requested the State Police to begin the phase-out of his temporary security detail," said David Catalfamo.
"The former governor has been consulting with private security firms to evaluate and meet his needs on a going-forward basis."
A telephone call to State Police asking how soon they might end the protection was responded to by Spitzer spokesman Paul Larrabee, who wouldn't discuss plans for phasing out the security detail.
Pataki left office Dec. 31 after three four-year terms as governor.
He decided in mid-2005 not to seek re-election last year.
He is eyeing a run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.
In authorizing the continued protection for Pataki, state officials had said that over the past decade there were 146 "high risk" threats -- a designation used when there is "a threat of death or harm" -- made against the governor.
Twenty-five of the 146 incidents involved death threats, according to a State Police review.
The transitional security detail had been approved through the end of January at which time the need for it was to have been reviewed.
While such continued security had not been provided for recent past governors in New York, it was provided on a temporary basis for former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani when he left office at the end of 2001 just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that brought down the World Trade Center towers.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 22 2007, 07:10 AM)
"Spitzer names Pennsylvania official upstate development czar"
Associated Press
Last updated: 1:42 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has tapped an economic development official from Pennsylvania to head a new Buffalo office that will spearhead efforts to revive the upstate New York economy.
Daniel Gundersen joined Pennsylvania's economic development office as a top executive in 2003 and had worked previously in similar jobs in Maryland and Philadelphia, the Buffalo News reported in its Sunday edition.
Gundersen, 46, will become co-chairman of the state's Empire State Development Corp. and lead the upstate office, the governor told the newspaper in an interview.
Gundersen's job is "pure dedication to the upstate economy," Spitzer said, and he will have the power and resources to reverse the state's loss of young workers and the frustration of businesses facing high taxes and other competitive disadvantages.
Associated Press
Last updated: 1:42 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has tapped an economic development official from Pennsylvania to head a new Buffalo office that will spearhead efforts to revive the upstate New York economy.
Daniel Gundersen joined Pennsylvania's economic development office as a top executive in 2003 and had worked previously in similar jobs in Maryland and Philadelphia, the Buffalo News reported in its Sunday edition.
Gundersen, 46, will become co-chairman of the state's Empire State Development Corp. and lead the upstate office, the governor told the newspaper in an interview.
Gundersen's job is "pure dedication to the upstate economy," Spitzer said, and he will have the power and resources to reverse the state's loss of young workers and the frustration of businesses facing high taxes and other competitive disadvantages.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 05:04 PM)
"Feeding off taxpayers no crime, lawyer says - Cronyism, big spending called usual government practice at Strevell trial"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
Fanciullo asserted that the U.S. attorney's case against Strevell is full of allegations that should not be classified as federal crimes.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
The institute's activities, revealed by the Times Union, became an embarrassment for Republican leaders who had supported it, including Bruno, R-Brunswick, Gov. George Pataki and his administration, and former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
Fanciullo asserted that the U.S. attorney's case against Strevell is full of allegations that should not be classified as federal crimes.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
The institute's activities, revealed by the Times Union, became an embarrassment for Republican leaders who had supported it, including Bruno, R-Brunswick, Gov. George Pataki and his administration, and former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
QUOTE(Snuffysmith @ Jan 20 2007, 05:45 PM)
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) considers 'earmark' to be an ambiguous and neutral term, and prefer to define 'pork' as "a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures".
For all of you just stopping in for the first time .....
This is a new thread ....
Which has just started up ....
And it is just now beginning to "get its feet under it" ....
And so ...
This poster humbly asks for your patience ....
As I pull together the background for this thread ....
And WHY NOW?
Why start this thread now?
And that answer is because up here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York ....
We have just had an apparent change in government .....
One regime apparently leaving ....
That being George Pataki .....
And a new regime just coming in ....
That being Pataki's former Attorney General Eliot "Big EL" Spitzer .....
And so ....
The time to start tracking is now ....
When the "snow" is fresh ....
And the tracks are therefore more easily discernable ....
As we country folks up here might say ....
And in many ways ...
The original thoughts that lead to this time and place ....
Begin back in or around 1965 ....
Or 1966 ....
With the words to a song as follows:
There's something happening here ....
What it is ain't exactly clear ....
There's a man with a gun over there ....
TELLING ME I'VE GOT TO BEWARE ...
Now .....
Since that time ....
When I had just graduated from high school ....
AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN ....
SCHOOLED IN THIS NATION'S HISTORY ....
FROM THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE FORWARD .....
There has been a lot of water over the dam, so to speak, here in OUR America .....
WHICH IT IS .....
"OUR" AMERICA ....
The America of its PEOPLES ....
Which is not the exclusive "property" or "possession" of CZARS who answer to no one at all and self-styled ROYAL GOVERNORS and such ....
WHO CAN TAKE A PAIR OF SCISSORS TO OUR CONSTITUTIONS ....
AND CUT THEM UP INTO DOILIES ....
THAT WHEN LOOKED AT CLOSELY ....
SEEM TO RESEMBLE THE IMAGE ....
OF A CLOSED FIST .....
WITH ITS KNUCKLES FACING US ....
AND ITS MIDDLE FINGER RAISED ....
RIGHT IN OUR FACES ....
And now ....
Well, I'm over sixty ....
And still wearing jeans ....
And I wonder .....
WHAT IS IT THAT IS GOING ON HERE .....
Where OUR constitutional form of government in this country ...
And in this state .....
Seem to be going to dust .....
BECOMING MORE AND MORE WORTHLESS BY THE DAY .....
WITHOUT A SQUAWK .....
WITHOUT A COMPLAINT ....
And so .....
Rather than sit out here alone in the hinterlands of civilization ....
Wondering about this ....
And pondering all of this ....
WHICH I PERSONALLY SEE AS A CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENT AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN ....
Well ....
Let's just say that I have started up this thread ....
As an experiment .....
IN DEMOCRACY .....
To see where it goes .....
Which always can be nowhere at all ....
That does happen to internet threads, all the time ....
And so ....
The one thing that I would ask ...
Is please do not construe this thread as being solely about New York State ....
If you are from another state here in OUR America ........
For while it is true that I will be primarily focusing on doings and happenings in the State of New York ....
The thread itself appears in here ....
Because as this one post above concerning this CZAR that "Big EL" Spitzer has just brought in from Pennsylvania demonstrates ....
IN SOME WAY .....
We are all inter-connected .....
And that is really what the thread intends to explore .....
That inter-connectedness .....
AND THE ISSUE ....
OF WHETHER OUR INDIVIDUAL STATE CONSTITUIONS ....
ALONG WITH OUR FEDERAL CONSTITUTION ....
HAVE BECOME IMPEDIMENTS ....
TO TRADE AND COMMERCE ....
AND SO MUST BE DISMANTLED ....
AND SCRAPPED ....
BY THESE "CZARS" .....
OVER WHOM WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL WHATSOEVER AS CITIZENS ....
"CZARS" WHO ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO NO ONE AND NOTHING ....
BUT MONIED INTERESTS ....
WHO WISH OUR LAWS AND CONSTITUTIONS TO BE GONE ....
FOR THEIR BETTERMENT ....
EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT NOT EVEN BE AMERICAN CITIZENS ....
AT ALL ....
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 22 2007, 07:10 AM)
"Spitzer names Pennsylvania official upstate development czar"
Associated Press
Last updated: 1:42 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has tapped an economic development official from Pennsylvania to head a new Buffalo office that will spearhead efforts to revive the upstate New York economy.
Gundersen's job is "pure dedication to the upstate economy," Spitzer said, and he will have the power and resources to reverse the state's loss of young workers and the frustration of businesses facing high taxes and other competitive disadvantages.
Associated Press
Last updated: 1:42 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has tapped an economic development official from Pennsylvania to head a new Buffalo office that will spearhead efforts to revive the upstate New York economy.
Gundersen's job is "pure dedication to the upstate economy," Spitzer said, and he will have the power and resources to reverse the state's loss of young workers and the frustration of businesses facing high taxes and other competitive disadvantages.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 22 2007, 08:26 AM)
There's something happening here ....
What it is ain't exactly clear ....
There's a man with a gun over there ....
TELLING ME I'VE GOT TO BEWARE ...
What it is ain't exactly clear ....
There's a man with a gun over there ....
TELLING ME I'VE GOT TO BEWARE ...
QUOTE(Livyjr @ May 29 2005, 04:37 PM)
From The Avalon Project at Yale Law School.
The Lillian Goldman Law Library in Memory of Sol Goldman
The Constitution of New York : April 20, 1777
IN CONVENTION OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THIS STATE OF NEW YORK,
Kingston, 20th April, 1777.
Whereas the many tyrannical and oppressive usurpations of the King and Parliament of Great Britain on the rights and liberties of the people of the American colonies had reduced them to the necessity of introducing a government by congresses and committees, as temporary expedients, and to exist no longer than the grievances of the people should remain without redress;
And whereas the congress of the colony of New York did, on the thirty-first day of May now last past, resolve as follows, viz:
"Whereas the present government of this colony, by congress and committees, was instituted while the former government, under the Crown of Great Britain, existed in full force, and was established for the sole purpose of opposing the usurpation of the British Parliament, and was intended to expire on a reconciliation with Great Britain, which it was then apprehended would soon take place, but is now considered as remote and uncertain;
"And whereas many and great inconveniences attend the said mode of government by congress and committees, as of necessity, in many instances, legislative, judicial, and executive powers have been vested therein, especially since the dissolution of the former government by the abdication of the late governor and the exclusion of this colony from the protection of the King of Great Britain;
"And whereas the Continental Congress did resolve as followeth, to wit:
" 'Whereas His Britannic Majesty, in conjunction with the lords and commons of Great Britain, has, by a late act of Parliament, excluded the inhabitants of these united colonies from the protection of his Crown;
and whereas no answers whatever to the humble petition of the colonies for redress of grievances and reconciliation with Great Britain has been, or is likely to be, given, but the whole force of that kingdom, aided by foreign mercenaries, is to be exerted for the destruction of the good people of these colonies;
and whereas it appears absolutely irreconcilable to reason and good conscience for the people of these colonies now to take the oaths and affirmations necessary for the support of any government under the Crown of Great Britain, and it is necessary that the exercise of every kind of authority under the said Crown should be totally suppressed, and all the powers of government exerted under the authority of the people of the colonies for the preservation of internal peace, virtue, and good order, as well as for the defense of our lives, liberties, and properties, against the hostile invasions and cruel depredations of our enemies:
Therefore,
" 'Resolved, That it be recommended to the respective assemblies and conventions of the United colonies, where no government sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs has been hitherto established, to adopt such government as shall, in the opinion of the representatives of the people, best conduce to the happiness and safety of their constituents in particular, and America in general.'
Document Information
The Avalon Project : The Constitution of New York : April 20, 1777
The document is located at this URL : http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/ny01.htm.
The document was last corrected for conversion errors or the markup was updated on: 05/29/2005 16:31:14
The Lillian Goldman Law Library in Memory of Sol Goldman.
127 Wall Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06520
The Lillian Goldman Law Library in Memory of Sol Goldman
The Constitution of New York : April 20, 1777
IN CONVENTION OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THIS STATE OF NEW YORK,
Kingston, 20th April, 1777.
Whereas the many tyrannical and oppressive usurpations of the King and Parliament of Great Britain on the rights and liberties of the people of the American colonies had reduced them to the necessity of introducing a government by congresses and committees, as temporary expedients, and to exist no longer than the grievances of the people should remain without redress;
And whereas the congress of the colony of New York did, on the thirty-first day of May now last past, resolve as follows, viz:
"Whereas the present government of this colony, by congress and committees, was instituted while the former government, under the Crown of Great Britain, existed in full force, and was established for the sole purpose of opposing the usurpation of the British Parliament, and was intended to expire on a reconciliation with Great Britain, which it was then apprehended would soon take place, but is now considered as remote and uncertain;
"And whereas many and great inconveniences attend the said mode of government by congress and committees, as of necessity, in many instances, legislative, judicial, and executive powers have been vested therein, especially since the dissolution of the former government by the abdication of the late governor and the exclusion of this colony from the protection of the King of Great Britain;
"And whereas the Continental Congress did resolve as followeth, to wit:
" 'Whereas His Britannic Majesty, in conjunction with the lords and commons of Great Britain, has, by a late act of Parliament, excluded the inhabitants of these united colonies from the protection of his Crown;
and whereas no answers whatever to the humble petition of the colonies for redress of grievances and reconciliation with Great Britain has been, or is likely to be, given, but the whole force of that kingdom, aided by foreign mercenaries, is to be exerted for the destruction of the good people of these colonies;
and whereas it appears absolutely irreconcilable to reason and good conscience for the people of these colonies now to take the oaths and affirmations necessary for the support of any government under the Crown of Great Britain, and it is necessary that the exercise of every kind of authority under the said Crown should be totally suppressed, and all the powers of government exerted under the authority of the people of the colonies for the preservation of internal peace, virtue, and good order, as well as for the defense of our lives, liberties, and properties, against the hostile invasions and cruel depredations of our enemies:
Therefore,
" 'Resolved, That it be recommended to the respective assemblies and conventions of the United colonies, where no government sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs has been hitherto established, to adopt such government as shall, in the opinion of the representatives of the people, best conduce to the happiness and safety of their constituents in particular, and America in general.'
Document Information
The Avalon Project : The Constitution of New York : April 20, 1777
The document is located at this URL : http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/ny01.htm.
The document was last corrected for conversion errors or the markup was updated on: 05/29/2005 16:31:14
The Lillian Goldman Law Library in Memory of Sol Goldman.
127 Wall Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06520
And by way of some official history, here .....
From the Archives of the State of New York ....
On who the governor of the State of New York is really supposed to be .....
According to OUR New York State Constitution ...
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Office of Governor
Current Functions.
The governor, as chief executive officer of the State, is responsible for ensuring that the laws of the State are carried out.
The governor exercises executive power and authority over the administrative machinery of State government, including all departments, divisions, offices, bureaus, and commissions established by constitutional provision or by statute.
The governor acts as commander-in-chief of the State's military and naval forces; directs to the legislature an annual message concerning the condition of the State; recommends action to the legislature and approves or vetoes actions proposed by the legislature; convenes extraordinary sessions of the legislature, or of the senate only, when necessary; appoints, and may remove, heads of most State departments; prepares annually for the legislature a comprehensive State budget; and may grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons to persons convicted of crimes (other than treason or impeachment cases).
Organizational History.
New York's first constitution in 1777, and subsequent constitutions of 1821, 1846, and 1894, vested supreme executive power and authority in a governor.
Colonial precedents for a governor as executive officer were the director general, who administered New Netherland under the Dutch from 1624 to 1664; and the royal governor, who administered the colony under the British until 1776.
In April 1777, the Convention of Representatives of the State of New York (renamed the Fourth Provincial Congress) adopted the first State constitution, and two months later George Clinton was elected first governor of New York State.
New York's constitution of 1777 created the office of governor "to take care that the laws are faithfully executed" and "to transact all necessary business with the officers of government."
The governor was required to report on the condition of the State at each legislative session, could convene the legislature in special session, prorogue it, and recommend matters for legislative consideration.
The governor was designated commander-in-chief of the armed forces and could grant reprieves and pardons to persons convicted of crimes other than treason and murder.
The constitution provided for the election of the governor by freeholders for a three-year term, with no limit placed on the number of terms an individual might serve.
Executive power was restricted by means of a system of checks and balances, including the legislature, a Council of Appointment, and a Council of Revision.
The Council of Appointment, consisting of the governor and four senators elected annually by the assembly, selected nonelective public officials except those otherwise provided for in the constitution.
The Council of Revision, made up of the governor, the chancellor of the State's equity courts, and the justices of the supreme court, exercised a veto power over bills passed by the legislature, but a two-thirds vote of both houses of the legislature could override a veto.
Both councils were abolished by the second State constitution of 1821.
The legislature assumed the power of electing major government officials (the comptroller, attorney general, secretary of state, state engineer, and treasurer), but the governor retained the power to appoint other state officials with the consent of the senate.
Veto power was now vested in the governor alone.
The governor could no longer prorogue the legislature, and his term of office was reduced from three to two years.
The power to grant pardons and reprieves was amended to exclude only treason and impeachment cases.
The other powers and duties of the governor were retained as they were described in the first constitution.
The third (1846) State constitution continued the governor's powers and duties as defined in the second constitution.
Constitutional amendments in 1874 increased the term of office to three years, allowed the governor to veto individual items in appropriation bills, and provided that extraordinary sessions of the legislature could consider only matters recommended by the governor.
The fourth State constitution was approved by the voters in 1894 and remains today as the basic legal document of New York government.
It continued previous constitutional definitions of the governor's powers and duties, but reduced the term of office to two years.
By the early twentieth century the executive branch of State government had grown to include nearly 200 administrative departments, boards, and commissions.
Constitutional amendments in 1925 and 1927 significantly consolidated these administrative offices and expanded the power of the executive office.
A 1925 amendment reduced the number of elective officials to four -- governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller, and attorney general (the latter two were first made elective posts by the 1846 constitution) -- and provided for the consolidation of all administrative agencies into not more than twenty State departments.
One of the authorized departments was the Executive Department.
Two laws (1926, Chapter 546, and 1928, Chapter 676) defined the organization and duties of the Executive Department.
It serves as the administrative department of the governor, and through it the governor supervises the activities of all other constitutional departments.
The governor was authorized to establish, consolidate, or abolish additional executive department divisions and bureaus, and many such offices have been created or eliminated by executive order or statute since 1928.
In 1927, a constitutional amendment specified that the heads of all departments other than Audit and Control, Law, Education, and Agriculture and Markets be appointed by the governor with the consent of the senate, and that department heads may be removed by the governor as prescribed by law.
Another amendment in 1927 required all departments to submit annually to the governor itemized estimates of necessary appropriations and required the governor then to submit to the legislature an executive budget containing a complete plan of proposed expenditures and estimated revenues.
In 1937, a constitutional amendment increased the governor's term of office to four years.
The governor and immediate executive office staff, consisting of the secretary to the governor, counsel to the governor, press secretary, appointments officer, and other administrative advisors and assistants, have been generally referred to (both before and after reorganization) as the executive chamber.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 22 2007, 07:10 AM)
"Spitzer names Pennsylvania official upstate development czar"
Associated Press
Last updated: 1:42 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has tapped an economic development official from Pennsylvania to head a new Buffalo office that will spearhead efforts to revive the upstate New York economy.
Gundersen, 46, will become co-chairman of the state's Empire State Development Corp. and lead the upstate office, the governor told the newspaper in an interview.
Associated Press
Last updated: 1:42 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has tapped an economic development official from Pennsylvania to head a new Buffalo office that will spearhead efforts to revive the upstate New York economy.
Gundersen, 46, will become co-chairman of the state's Empire State Development Corp. and lead the upstate office, the governor told the newspaper in an interview.
If you were to come to the State of New York ....
And if you were to conduct a poll ....
By going into different coffee shops and eateries and such .....
And asking people therein about the EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION .....
* WHAT IS IT?
* WHAT DOES IT DO?
* HOW MUCH INDEBTEDNESS HAS IT HEAPED ON THE BACKS OF NEW YORK STATE TAXPAYERS?
* WHO OVERSEES ITS OPERATIONS?
* DO THE CHAIRMEN SIGN OATHS OF OFFICE SWEARING TO UPHOLD THE CONSTUTION AND LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK?
It is my bet .....
That you would not find a soul .....
Who could answer any of those questions ....
And yet .....
OBVIOUSLY .....
There is something out there in the State of New York .....
Called the EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION .....
Because New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer has just tapped someone from the State of Pennsylvania to be one of the CO-CHAIRMEN of it ....
Where this Pennsylvanian Mr. Gundersen will have "the power" and resources to reverse the state's loss of young workers and the frustration of businesses facing high taxes and other competitive disadvantages ......
Which is considerable POWER, indeed .....
WHICH ELIOT SPITZER SEEMS TO CREATED OUT OF THIN AIR .....
DESPITE OUR LAWS ....
AND DESPITE OUR STATE CONSTITUTION ....
And that is part of why this thread is now running ....
Because this thing of "PORK" is really an attitude .....
On the part of our elected officials .....
Here in this state .....
That they are beyond the operation of the law, themselves .....
And so .....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 22 2007, 06:21 PM)
And that is part of why this thread is now running ....
Because this thing of "PORK" is really an attitude .....
On the part of our elected officials .....
Here in this state .....
That they are beyond the operation of the law, themselves .....
And so .....
Because this thing of "PORK" is really an attitude .....
On the part of our elected officials .....
Here in this state .....
That they are beyond the operation of the law, themselves .....
And so .....
"PORK" is a STATE OF MIND .....
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
"I CAN DO WHATEVER I PLEASE ..."
"NOBODY CAN TOUCH ME ..."
"I AM AN ELECTED OFFICIAL ..."
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
And so it is ....
Here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York ....
"Hudson alderman arrested - 23-year-old majority leader faces identity theft and forgery charges"
By BRENDAN J. LYONS, Senior writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Tuesday, January 23, 2007
HUDSON -- A 23-year-old Hudson alderman who allegedly used city-issued credit cards to buy drinks at bars, purchase airline tickets and subscribe to an online dating service was arrested Monday by State Police investigators, authorities said.
The arrest of Quintin E. Cross -- a majority leader who was elected to the City Council at age 18 -- concluded a five-month investigation that began last summer when the scheme began to unravel, police said.
Cross is accused of running up about $20,000 in illicit charges between March and July.
The credit cards he allegedly used were issued to Mayor Richard Tracy, Police Chief Ellis C. Richardson and the city of Hudson.
Cross obtained the three cards, and permission to use them, for a government-related conference in Colorado last spring, according to State Police.
But investigators say Cross held onto the cards and continued using them for things such as cash advances, personal car payments, theater tickets and to buy his relatives airfare and hotel rooms for an out-of-state reunion.
The allegations became public knowledge, and the Register-Star newspaper in Hudson had published copies of some of Cross' restaurant and bar receipts while police were investigating, authorities said.
The publicity did not immediately derail Cross' political career.
At last month's Common Council meeting, he led the pledge of allegiance and prayer, voted on a variety of matters and took part in an executive session at which board members discussed a police contract behind closed doors.
Last week, State Police obtained a search warrant to collect evidence from Cross' apartment at 253 State St. in Hudson.
On Sunday night, he was arrested after returning from a vacation in North Carolina.
"He had a 'crazy summer' is how he termed it," said Senior Investigator Gary Mazzacano.
"At one point he forged the mayor's signature on (city) letterhead to have the credit card bills redirected to his home address instead of to City Hall."
"... He made no attempt whatsoever to pay anything back."
In addition to grand larceny, Cross faces additional felony counts for allegedly misdirecting money to the credit companies from two municipal bodies, Hudson Development Corp. and Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency.
Cross has been a board member for those groups.
"He's been very involved in city government, in different committees ... kind of a high-profile young man," Mazzacano said.
Cross was arraigned Monday afternoon in Greenport Town Court on six felony charges of falsifying business records, identity theft, forgery and grand larceny.
He also was charged with misdemeanor counts of official misconduct, unlawful possession of personal identification information and fraudulently obtaining a signature.
Town Justice Robert Brenzel ordered Cross held at Columbia County jail on $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond.
Cross is due back in town court at 4 p.m. Monday.
Brendan J. Lyons can be reached at 454-5547 or by e-mail at blyons@timesunion.com.
When one reads through history ....
What one finds missing .....
Generally ....
IS US ......
The PEOPLE ....
Generally ....
We are just listed as the "masses" ....
Or the "crowd of people" ......
Or the "mob" ....
As in the case of Rome, during the latter days of its Republic ....
Before civil war brought an end to that forever for the people of Rome .....
And as these things work out ....
My "namesake", if you will, that being Livy .....
Just happened to be there at the end of the Roman Republic ....
He saw it all go down, so to speak ...
And Livy's contribution to OUR knowledge today ....
ALONG WITH OUR CONSTITUTIONAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT .....
WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT US FROM A REPEAT OF THE "ROMAN EXPERIENCE" ......
Was to simply write things down as they were happening ....
So that down the road ....
And here we are talking some two thousand years later ....
People like us, in here right now, could be informed ....
As to what came before ....
FORE-WARNED IS FORE-ARMED .....
Or so they say .....
And I find that I am much like Livy in that regard ....
This penchant of mine to "write things down" ....
To track the course of OUR own history, as it were ....
So as to be able to leave some clues for future generations as to what was going on with us ....
"Back then" .....
Which is "now", of course, for us ....
Those of us who are in the "here and now", right now ....
And so .....
Years ago, before I knew of things like this computer forum ....
Which did not yet exist, in any event ....
I would actually read newspapers .....
And I would track trends and developments ....
By clipping news items ....
And by maintaining a file of them ....
Which I could refer back to ....
When people around me would be scratching their heads ....
And wondering ...
"HOW ON EARTH DID WE GET TO HERE?"
And I would pull out some news clippings ....
And I would show people these news clippings ....
And I would say, "IT WAS ALWAYS RIGHT OUT IN PLAIN SIGHT, AFTERALL ..."
"IT NEVER WAS A SECRET .."
And people would respond, "WELL, I DON'T RECALL ANY OF THIS ..."
To which I would reply, "WELL, I DIDN'T MAKE UP THOSE NEWS ITEMS RIGHT THERE IN YOUR OWN HAND ..."
And there it would be .....
FAIT ACCOMPLI .....
Because we, THE PEOPLE, are just too busy with the running of OUR own lives ....
To be able to do OUR jobs as citizens of a REPUBLIC that depends on an informed, and minimally educated electorate .....
TO MAINTAIN THAT REPUBLIC ....
In the face of what always seem to be HISTORIC FACTORS or FORCES that cause the demise of REPUBLICS like OURS .....
And so .....
When you come into this thread .....
You will find at any given time that it is several concurrent themes, all running side-by-side, in here .....
CITIZENSHIP will be in here ....
HISTORY will be in here ....
LAWS, RULES and REGULATIONS will appear in here from time to time ....
And it is my hope ....
That this thread will be interesting ....
To those of you out there, who like me, CHERISH what our forefathers and foremothers have handed down to us .....
Here in OUR America ....
And I would also hope that this thread will stimulate an interest ....
BY YOU ....
In your own form of government ....
IN YOUR OWN STATE ....
Because the better we are in OUR DUTIES as American citizens ....
THE STRONGER AND MORE STABLE OUR REPUBLIC WILL BE ...
AND REMAIN ....
And so .....
At this point ....
I wish to thank CommonGroundCommonSense for the use of this space .....
And I wish to thank all of you who have come by here to date ....
To give this thread a "kick", so to speak .....
To get it out of the starting blocks ....
And on its way down the road ....
And so ...
What one finds missing .....
Generally ....
IS US ......
The PEOPLE ....
Generally ....
We are just listed as the "masses" ....
Or the "crowd of people" ......
Or the "mob" ....
As in the case of Rome, during the latter days of its Republic ....
Before civil war brought an end to that forever for the people of Rome .....
And as these things work out ....
My "namesake", if you will, that being Livy .....
Just happened to be there at the end of the Roman Republic ....
He saw it all go down, so to speak ...
And Livy's contribution to OUR knowledge today ....
ALONG WITH OUR CONSTITUTIONAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT .....
WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT US FROM A REPEAT OF THE "ROMAN EXPERIENCE" ......
Was to simply write things down as they were happening ....
So that down the road ....
And here we are talking some two thousand years later ....
People like us, in here right now, could be informed ....
As to what came before ....
FORE-WARNED IS FORE-ARMED .....
Or so they say .....
And I find that I am much like Livy in that regard ....
This penchant of mine to "write things down" ....
To track the course of OUR own history, as it were ....
So as to be able to leave some clues for future generations as to what was going on with us ....
"Back then" .....
Which is "now", of course, for us ....
Those of us who are in the "here and now", right now ....
And so .....
Years ago, before I knew of things like this computer forum ....
Which did not yet exist, in any event ....
I would actually read newspapers .....
And I would track trends and developments ....
By clipping news items ....
And by maintaining a file of them ....
Which I could refer back to ....
When people around me would be scratching their heads ....
And wondering ...
"HOW ON EARTH DID WE GET TO HERE?"
And I would pull out some news clippings ....
And I would show people these news clippings ....
And I would say, "IT WAS ALWAYS RIGHT OUT IN PLAIN SIGHT, AFTERALL ..."
"IT NEVER WAS A SECRET .."
And people would respond, "WELL, I DON'T RECALL ANY OF THIS ..."
To which I would reply, "WELL, I DIDN'T MAKE UP THOSE NEWS ITEMS RIGHT THERE IN YOUR OWN HAND ..."
And there it would be .....
FAIT ACCOMPLI .....
Because we, THE PEOPLE, are just too busy with the running of OUR own lives ....
To be able to do OUR jobs as citizens of a REPUBLIC that depends on an informed, and minimally educated electorate .....
TO MAINTAIN THAT REPUBLIC ....
In the face of what always seem to be HISTORIC FACTORS or FORCES that cause the demise of REPUBLICS like OURS .....
And so .....
When you come into this thread .....
You will find at any given time that it is several concurrent themes, all running side-by-side, in here .....
CITIZENSHIP will be in here ....
HISTORY will be in here ....
LAWS, RULES and REGULATIONS will appear in here from time to time ....
And it is my hope ....
That this thread will be interesting ....
To those of you out there, who like me, CHERISH what our forefathers and foremothers have handed down to us .....
Here in OUR America ....
And I would also hope that this thread will stimulate an interest ....
BY YOU ....
In your own form of government ....
IN YOUR OWN STATE ....
Because the better we are in OUR DUTIES as American citizens ....
THE STRONGER AND MORE STABLE OUR REPUBLIC WILL BE ...
AND REMAIN ....
And so .....
At this point ....
I wish to thank CommonGroundCommonSense for the use of this space .....
And I wish to thank all of you who have come by here to date ....
To give this thread a "kick", so to speak .....
To get it out of the starting blocks ....
And on its way down the road ....
And so ...
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 23 2007, 08:01 AM)
"PORK" is a STATE OF MIND .....
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
"I CAN DO WHATEVER I PLEASE ..."
"NOBODY CAN TOUCH ME ..."
"I AM AN ELECTED OFFICIAL ..."
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
And so it is ....
Here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York ....
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
"I CAN DO WHATEVER I PLEASE ..."
"NOBODY CAN TOUCH ME ..."
"I AM AN ELECTED OFFICIAL ..."
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
And so it is ....
Here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York ....
"Upstate fares poorly in the battle for brains - Spitzer aide faces hurdles revitalizing economy as many educated young people are lured elsewhere"
By MICHAEL HILL, Associated Press
First published: Tuesday, January 23, 2007
ALBANY -- Take a job in Albany or Boston?
Jason Hnatko didn't think twice.
The 2005 Cornell University graduate picked Malcolm Pirnie's Boston office over the environmental firm's Latham branch.
While the 23-year-old Ivy Leaguer grew up near Albany, the pull of a big city by the ocean was too much to pass up.
"Any night you can do anything that you want," Hnatko said.
"If I want to go to an art gallery, I can."
"If I want to go to a jazz concert, I can."
"If I want to go to a major music show, I can."
The exodus of educated young people like Hnatko is one of many big problems in upstate New York.
Daniel Gundersen, Gov. Eliot Spitzer's new economic development czar for the upstate areas, will face a daunting mix of issues from housing to taxes to business costs to the perception that the area is falling behind other parts of the country.
Gundersen, formerly an economic development official in Pennsylvania and Maryland, will become co-chairman of the state's Empire State Development Corp.
He was appointed Monday by Spitzer, who made reinvigorating the upstate economy a campaign theme, at one point comparing the region to Appalachia.
"It's a pretty big eye-opener when you go to other states, especially in the Southeast," said Richard Huftalen, president of the McIntosh Box & Pallet Co., which has five manufacturing plants upstate.
"The economic activity that's going on there makes our sales guys salivate."
"I mean, there's new construction going around every corner and different projects going around all over the place, and we don't see that."
Politicians from both major parties have promised to revitalize upstate New York, with mixed results.
Some of the biggest issues bedeviling policy makers: People: Cities across upstate New York are shrinking.
Census estimates released last month showed New York lost 225,766 people to other states last year.
County-by-county breakdowns have yet to be released, but analysts expect they will again show growth in the New York City area coupled with losses in many upstate areas, especially cities.
Upstate New York's largest cities have all posted population losses since 1990.
Many of the departing people, like Hnatko, are between 20 and 34, which is a sign of economic double trouble.
That not only creates a brain drain of young workers crucial for a vibrant economy, but the aging population left behind requires more services from the government.
Hnatko, who was the salutatorian of his high school in Greene County, said he misses upstate "sometimes, when I pay my rent."
Taxes: New York's combined state and local tax burden perennially ranks among the highest in the nation.
Property taxes routinely top the list of homeowner complaints around the state.
But in some upstate areas, high property taxes are coupled with low home values.
So a downstate resident might pay $7,000 in property taxes, but her home is worth $540,000.
In Niagara County, the median property tax is $2,576 and the median home value is $91,600.
Taxes are higher there as a percentage of home value.
Niagara County is No. 1 nationwide for taxes as a percent of home value, according to the Tax Foundation.
The advocacy group includes eight other upstate counties among the top 10 nationwide in that category.
Spitzer has promised to introduce a property tax cut aimed at middle class homeowners.
Jobs and business: Upstate New York was once packed with factories, from the mills of Buffalo to the locomotive works in Schenectady.
Those jobs dried up slowly after World War II.
The number of upstate manufacturing jobs in November was 336,000, a 22 percent drop from 2000, according to the Public Policy Institute, a research group affiliated with The Business Council of New York State Inc.
While there have been gains in other sectors such as health care and education, economist Richard Deitz of the Buffalo branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York notes there has been little overall job growth upstate in the past 15 years.
The lag is often blamed on the state's business climate.
Electricity prices, natural gas costs and taxes can all run high in New York.
A manufacturers' survey released this month by the Federal Reserve's Buffalo branch listed workers' compensation costs as the No. 1 complaint, followed by state taxes.
Although Kodak has cut back dramatically in Rochester, optics and imaging businesses have taken root in the city and the nearby Finger Lakes.
Eastern New York is starting to make good on its Tech Valley nickname with a nanotech facility in Albany and possibly a multibillion-dollar computer chip manufacturing plant in Saratoga County.
Upstate New York remains loaded with colleges and universities.
That could be crucial if, as Deitz believes, upstate New York needs to have a skilled work force ready to fill jobs at every level.
"The future seems to be about knowledge and brain power," Deitz said.
"It doesn't mean just the highest echelon of the educated work force; ... it can also apply to those with a high school diploma."
"There's a lot of room for that segment of the work force to also become higher skilled."
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 22 2007, 08:26 AM)
There's something happening here ....
What it is ain't exactly clear ......
What it is ain't exactly clear ......
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 23 2007, 08:01 AM)
"PORK" is a STATE OF MIND .....
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
"I CAN DO WHATEVER I PLEASE ..."
"NOBODY CAN TOUCH ME ..."
"I AM AN ELECTED OFFICIAL ..."
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
And so it is ....
Here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York ....
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
"I CAN DO WHATEVER I PLEASE ..."
"NOBODY CAN TOUCH ME ..."
"I AM AN ELECTED OFFICIAL ..."
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
And so it is ....
Here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 05:04 PM)
"Feeding off taxpayers no crime, lawyer says - Cronyism, big spending called usual government practice at Strevell trial"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
Fanciullo asserted that the U.S. attorney's case against Strevell is full of allegations that should not be classified as federal crimes.
Strevell is charged with nine counts of mail fraud and six counts of wire fraud.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
Fanciullo asserted that the U.S. attorney's case against Strevell is full of allegations that should not be classified as federal crimes.
Strevell is charged with nine counts of mail fraud and six counts of wire fraud.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 23 2007, 08:01 AM)
"Hudson alderman arrested - 23-year-old majority leader faces identity theft and forgery charges"
By BRENDAN J. LYONS, Senior writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Tuesday, January 23, 2007
HUDSON -- A 23-year-old Hudson alderman who allegedly used city-issued credit cards to buy drinks at bars, purchase airline tickets and subscribe to an online dating service was arrested Monday by State Police investigators, authorities said.
The arrest of Quintin E. Cross -- a majority leader who was elected to the City Council at age 18 -- concluded a five-month investigation that began last summer when the scheme began to unravel, police said.
Cross is accused of running up about $20,000 in illicit charges between March and July.
The credit cards he allegedly used were issued to Mayor Richard Tracy, Police Chief Ellis C. Richardson and the city of Hudson.
Cross obtained the three cards, and permission to use them, for a government-related conference in Colorado last spring, according to State Police.
"He had a 'crazy summer' is how he termed it," said Senior Investigator Gary Mazzacano.
"At one point he forged the mayor's signature on (city) letterhead to have the credit card bills redirected to his home address instead of to City Hall."
"... He made no attempt whatsoever to pay anything back."
In addition to grand larceny, Cross faces additional felony counts for allegedly misdirecting money to the credit companies from two municipal bodies, Hudson Development Corp. and Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency.
Cross has been a board member for those groups.
By BRENDAN J. LYONS, Senior writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Tuesday, January 23, 2007
HUDSON -- A 23-year-old Hudson alderman who allegedly used city-issued credit cards to buy drinks at bars, purchase airline tickets and subscribe to an online dating service was arrested Monday by State Police investigators, authorities said.
The arrest of Quintin E. Cross -- a majority leader who was elected to the City Council at age 18 -- concluded a five-month investigation that began last summer when the scheme began to unravel, police said.
Cross is accused of running up about $20,000 in illicit charges between March and July.
The credit cards he allegedly used were issued to Mayor Richard Tracy, Police Chief Ellis C. Richardson and the city of Hudson.
Cross obtained the three cards, and permission to use them, for a government-related conference in Colorado last spring, according to State Police.
"He had a 'crazy summer' is how he termed it," said Senior Investigator Gary Mazzacano.
"At one point he forged the mayor's signature on (city) letterhead to have the credit card bills redirected to his home address instead of to City Hall."
"... He made no attempt whatsoever to pay anything back."
In addition to grand larceny, Cross faces additional felony counts for allegedly misdirecting money to the credit companies from two municipal bodies, Hudson Development Corp. and Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency.
Cross has been a board member for those groups.
For years and years and years, now .....
Going back and back in time .....
Back into the last century ....
And the one before that .....
The 1800's .....
The PEOPLE of the State of New York ....
Have had a problem with CORRUPTION in OUR state government .....
And none of this, of course, is any kind of secret .....
It is more a story that people in other parts of the United States do not know .....
Because it is not happening where they are .....
AND UP UNTIL THIS COMPUTER FORUM .....
It is a story that has received no real media attention ...
THE MEDIA BEING A PART OF THE PROBLEM .....
And so .....
Here we are today ....
In this FORUM .....
And it is indeed a whole new day for those of us up here in the State of New York who have been literally WITHOUT A VOICE these last so many years ....
A VOICE IN WHAT GOES ON IN OUR COMMUNITIES ....
A VOICE IN WHAT GOES ON IN OUR STATE .....
And that is not at all by accident ......
To the contrary .....
IT IS BY INTENT ....
AND DESIGN ....
And so .....
We are without a voice in OUR state government up here for several reasons .....
Which boil down to either two .....
Or one, depending upon how you view the situation .....
AND THAT IS POWER, AND MONEY ....
Which feed each other .....
At least here in the State of New York ....
TO OUR DETRIMENT, THOSE OF US WHO ARE THE TAX-PAYING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, UP HERE IN THIS STATE .....
Those who profess to be OUR assemblymen and state senators up here ......
DO NOT ACTUALLY REPRESENT OUR INTERESTS .....
Partly because of the rules of the New York State Senate and Assembly which vest all of the power in the hands of two people .....
Which stifles any input that WE, THE PEOPLE might have, assuming that we actually had someone in there trustworthy and not already compromised to make input on OUR behalf ....
And largely because they simply do not have the time, they tell us, to be looking out for any concerns we might have ......
BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO BUSY RAISING MONEY FOR THEIR NEXT BID FOR THEIR NEXT OFFICE .....
Which brings us back to "PORK" ......
And why "PORK" is as much of an attitude, as it is anything else .....
A "SYMPTOM" of an UNDERLYING STRUCTURAL PROBLEM in OUR constitutional form of government here in the State of New York ......
WHICH HAS BEEN HELD TO BE ONE OF THE MOST DYSFUNCTIONAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE WHOLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA .....
And so .....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 05:04 PM)
"Feeding off taxpayers no crime, lawyer says - Cronyism, big spending called usual government practice at Strevell trial"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
The institute's activities, revealed by the Times Union, became an embarrassment for Republican leaders who had supported it, including Bruno, R-Brunswick, Gov. George Pataki and his administration, and former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Strevell also allegedly doctored the record of a board vote that resulted in his pay rising by $95,000.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
The institute's activities, revealed by the Times Union, became an embarrassment for Republican leaders who had supported it, including Bruno, R-Brunswick, Gov. George Pataki and his administration, and former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Strevell also allegedly doctored the record of a board vote that resulted in his pay rising by $95,000.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
The "PORK-OCRACY" of the State of New York in action .....
FOR ITS INTENDED PURPOSE ....
OF ENRICHING THE POLITICALLY-CONNECTED .....
AT OUR EXPENSE ....
And so ...
"Bruno facing FBI scrutiny - Federal investigators are looking into the outside business interests of state Senate majority leader"
By JAMES M. ODATO and RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, December 20, 2006
ALBANY -- Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno on Tuesday acknowledged he is being investigated by the FBI for what he described as his "outside business interests."
One person familiar with the situation, who would not say whether he has been contacted by federal agents, said the investigation appears to include Bruno and a business partner and friend of the Republican leader -- Jared Abbruzzese.
Bruno, in an abruptly called late afternoon news conference at the Capitol, revealed the probe and said he learned last spring it was going on.
He said subpoenas have been issued, and he did not believe he was the target of the inquiry.
"I have nothing to hide," Bruno said.
"They are going into background over the past five or six years."
Bruno added that he has hired William Dreyer, an Albany lawyer and former federal prosecutor.
The New York State Republican Campaign Committee paid Dreyer's firm about $2,400 between July and November.
Abbruzzese, of Loudonville, could not be reached Tuesday.
His attorney, Stephen Coffey, a former Albany County prosecutor, said he is "not aware of Abbruzzese being involved in any federal investigation or prosecution."
But told of Bruno's revelations, he said it "makes sense ... they're looking at anybody involved with Senator Bruno."
John Pikus, the FBI's special agent in charge in Albany, declined comment, referring questions to the office of U.S. Attorney Glenn T. Suddaby.
Calls to the U.S. attorney's office in Albany and Syracuse were not returned late Tuesday.
Paul Larrabee, a spokesman for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, said he could not comment on the legality of member-item grants going to for-profit organizations.
Asked repeatedly over the past week, Larrabee said he couldn't offer an opinion on the matter because "it's just not a priority at this time."
Abbruzzese, a horse owner, is involved in numerous ventures, including at least one that has received $500,000 in discretionary grants, called member items, directed by Bruno.
The two have several ties, including land development, plane rides and thoroughbred horses.
Abbruzzese is part of a group called Empire Racing Associates, which bid on the state's racing franchise that officials, including Bruno, plan to award within the next year.
Abbruzzese led the effort to raise $3 million to fund the organization this spring.
He also is under state investigation for furnishing his aircraft to Bruno for political and fundraising trips.
Bruno owns or has interests in several businesses, including Capital Business Consultants, a firm he started at his Brunswick home after he sold his telecommunications company in 1990.
Bruno has refused to name any of his various business partners or clients.
He wouldn't say if the federal inquiry involved Evident Technologies Inc., a Troy-based high-tech firm that Bruno sent $500,000 in member items to between 2001 and 2004, according to records the Senate made public recently following a Times Union lawsuit seeking the documents.
The two $250,000 grants were extremely unusual because member items almost never go to for-profit companies such as Evident.
Abbruzzese was co-chairman of Evident.
His business partner, Wayne Barr, who was Bruno's appointee on the New York Racing Association, is a director.
Investment firms run by Abbruzzese and Barr helped arrange financing for Evident.
The firms, which included Dove Interests and Niskayuna Development LLC, were able to purchase Evident stock in 2002 and 2004 at deep discounts from the price for private investors, according to a confidential preliminary offering memo obtained by the Times Union.
Bruno's financial disclosure forms with the Legislature show he purchased shares in a security company, Tejas, around 2004.
Tejas employed Barr and Abbruzzese and was associated with the Evident stock offering.
In addition to Bruno's member-item money going to Evident, Empire State Development Corp., the state's economic development arm, gave the company another $525,000.
Abbruzzese's right to discounted Evident stock came from helping set up the Empire State Development money, according to the confidential memo.
Also, Abbruzzese is being investigated by the state Lobbying Commission for lending Bruno his private plane on several trips, including one to a fundraiser and a tour of several Kentucky horse farms that Barr arranged.
Bruno's spokesmen have said the senator's campaign committee paid for the trips.
Abbruzzese and Barr also have contributed generously to political campaign committees controlled by Bruno, including the one Dreyer is getting paid from.
Several years ago, Abbruzzese's wife, Sherrie, purchased a plot of land from a group in which Bruno held a 25 percent stake, First Grafton Corp.
Bruno was a principal of First Grafton until 1992, when his investment in the development group was placed in a trust.
First Grafton dissolved last year when another group purchased the lots.
Bruno's son, Kenneth Bruno, a former lobbyist who represented racing interests, also was a First Grafton homeowner.
Bruno didn't appear to be visibly distressed during Tuesday's brief news conference, although he said he was angered by what he termed "illegal" leaks to the media about the FBI probe.
"I am sharing this because there have been leaks, which I believe are totally illegal ... and rather than have the speculation out there, I believed it was appropriate for me to share generally what is going on," said Bruno.
Bruno said the probe against him won't uncover wrongdoing.
"We haven't done anything wrong."
"I am confident of that," he said adding that "I have filed everything that I have to file," with the legislative ethics committees regarding outside interests.
"My life has been in business and I have always said that I would earn my living outside the Legislature ... people have a right to other interests."
Asked about his business dealings by the Times Union a few months ago, Bruno said he would only disclose such financial information if he became governor.
"Until then, I am obeying the law and I am filing and responsive to the law and I'm going to stay there with that," he said.
"Everything that I do is appropriate and legal and goes by the ethics counsels and everybody else that can take a look at my life."
Bruno said he doesn't believe the inquiry will affect his ability to serve as majority leader -- a post to which he recently was re-elected.
Senate Republicans were apparently in the dark about the FBI probe when they unanimously tapped Bruno to serve another two years as leader.
According to one insider, Bruno informed his colleagues shortly before the news conference Tuesday.
Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at jodato@timesunion.com.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Apr 7 2005, 05:25 PM)
Today, I went down to the local law library, which is in the County Courthouse building, down the road a ways from where I live, because I wanted to go back to the "source", if you will, on this "Enterprise Corruption" law in the State of New York that is under discussion in here ....
I don't know about other states in the union, but in New York State, for a law to "be on the books", there has to be some kind of paper trail that determines how it got there, and it is that "paper trail" that judges are supposed to look at, when rendering decisions on what a law really means.
So, the book I wanted at the law library was the New York State Legislative Annual for the year 1986, which is when this particular law became added to the New York State Penal Law.
Now, 1986 is a significant year in connection with this case of ours, for a lot of reasons, and it is interesting, in retrospect, to look at the juxtaposition of these various "events", to see how they lead us right up to this present moment in time, where we now are, here in this tiny bit of OUR America that is the County of Rensselaer in the alleged corrupt EMPIRE STATE of New York!
Consider for a moment, if you will, in forming your own thoughts about the contents of this thread, these words of the then-DEMOCRATIC Governor of the State of New York in 1986 concerning New York State's "HISTORY" of corruption as it stood right exactly then:
"TEN YEARS AGO, a study by the Joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Investigations estimated the costs of white-collar crime at MORE THAN forty-four BILLION dollars".
"The incidence of white-collar crime has not abated in the last decade; instead, it has spiraled ever-upward as economic crime has become increasingly profitable and sophisticated!"
"The effects of major economic crime can be devastating: THE WHOLE SOCIETY suffers as crimes against business become crimes against consumers."
"GREEDY, WHITE-COLLAR PROFITEERS WILL NOT BE STOPPED until we adopt strong measures to stop them!"
- Governor's Approval memorandum, New York State Legislative Annual -1986, p.236
SO!
According to the Governor of New York State himself, the Hon. Mario Cuomo, at that time, BY 1976, the cost of WHITE-COLLAR crime in just New York State alone was already MORE THAN forty-four BILLION dollars, and it was just spiraling upwards and upwards, with no end in sight, unless, of course, WE, the PEOPLE of the State were to somehow stop it, and how was that to be done?
Now, think on this for a moment, if you will:
WHEN, not if, BUT WHEN you have white-collar crime in a state, any state, to the extent of $44 BILLION, how exactly is that happening?
And by that, what I really mean is WHO IN THE HELL IS NOT LOOKING, or doing their job at preventing this kind of crime, TO THIS MAGNITUDE?
And more to the point, WHY ARE THEY NOT LOOKING, or doing their job of preventing crime of this magnitude from occurring in the first place?
Is a "BLIND EYE" being bought and paid for, here, perhaps?
And if so, HOW can that be countered?
And when the sum of money is so big as was the case in New York State by 1976, $44 BILLION, ABSENT A COMPLETE AND TOTAL TOP-TO-BOTTOM house-cleaning of the whole of government itself, CAN ANYTHING AT ALL BE DONE, because the truth of the matter is that corruption, or crime of this magnitude cannot happen without inside help .....
Rhetorically speaking, if you're a white-collar thief to the tune of $44 BILLION, and you are "operating" in a state like New York State where the politicians allegedly are for sale, and you want to stay in business, HOW MANY CORRUPT POLITICIANS CAN YOU BUY for $44 BILLION to enable you to do so?
And hypothetically speaking, IF YOU DO buy these alleged corrupt politicians, WHICH SERVICES of theirs are you really buying, BESIDES their own "BLIND EYES"?
And so, here is the "backdrop" for this story that I am telling in here of one small group of citizens in the State of New York who chose not to bury their heads in the sand, and pretend that all was right with the world, but, instead, decided to study the law themselves, and to learn how this had all come to pass, this corruption, or crime IN OUR LIVES, that was already by 1976 up to $44 BILLION!
And so ....
I don't know about other states in the union, but in New York State, for a law to "be on the books", there has to be some kind of paper trail that determines how it got there, and it is that "paper trail" that judges are supposed to look at, when rendering decisions on what a law really means.
So, the book I wanted at the law library was the New York State Legislative Annual for the year 1986, which is when this particular law became added to the New York State Penal Law.
Now, 1986 is a significant year in connection with this case of ours, for a lot of reasons, and it is interesting, in retrospect, to look at the juxtaposition of these various "events", to see how they lead us right up to this present moment in time, where we now are, here in this tiny bit of OUR America that is the County of Rensselaer in the alleged corrupt EMPIRE STATE of New York!
Consider for a moment, if you will, in forming your own thoughts about the contents of this thread, these words of the then-DEMOCRATIC Governor of the State of New York in 1986 concerning New York State's "HISTORY" of corruption as it stood right exactly then:
"TEN YEARS AGO, a study by the Joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Investigations estimated the costs of white-collar crime at MORE THAN forty-four BILLION dollars".
"The incidence of white-collar crime has not abated in the last decade; instead, it has spiraled ever-upward as economic crime has become increasingly profitable and sophisticated!"
"The effects of major economic crime can be devastating: THE WHOLE SOCIETY suffers as crimes against business become crimes against consumers."
"GREEDY, WHITE-COLLAR PROFITEERS WILL NOT BE STOPPED until we adopt strong measures to stop them!"
- Governor's Approval memorandum, New York State Legislative Annual -1986, p.236
SO!
According to the Governor of New York State himself, the Hon. Mario Cuomo, at that time, BY 1976, the cost of WHITE-COLLAR crime in just New York State alone was already MORE THAN forty-four BILLION dollars, and it was just spiraling upwards and upwards, with no end in sight, unless, of course, WE, the PEOPLE of the State were to somehow stop it, and how was that to be done?
Now, think on this for a moment, if you will:
WHEN, not if, BUT WHEN you have white-collar crime in a state, any state, to the extent of $44 BILLION, how exactly is that happening?
And by that, what I really mean is WHO IN THE HELL IS NOT LOOKING, or doing their job at preventing this kind of crime, TO THIS MAGNITUDE?
And more to the point, WHY ARE THEY NOT LOOKING, or doing their job of preventing crime of this magnitude from occurring in the first place?
Is a "BLIND EYE" being bought and paid for, here, perhaps?
And if so, HOW can that be countered?
And when the sum of money is so big as was the case in New York State by 1976, $44 BILLION, ABSENT A COMPLETE AND TOTAL TOP-TO-BOTTOM house-cleaning of the whole of government itself, CAN ANYTHING AT ALL BE DONE, because the truth of the matter is that corruption, or crime of this magnitude cannot happen without inside help .....
Rhetorically speaking, if you're a white-collar thief to the tune of $44 BILLION, and you are "operating" in a state like New York State where the politicians allegedly are for sale, and you want to stay in business, HOW MANY CORRUPT POLITICIANS CAN YOU BUY for $44 BILLION to enable you to do so?
And hypothetically speaking, IF YOU DO buy these alleged corrupt politicians, WHICH SERVICES of theirs are you really buying, BESIDES their own "BLIND EYES"?
And so, here is the "backdrop" for this story that I am telling in here of one small group of citizens in the State of New York who chose not to bury their heads in the sand, and pretend that all was right with the world, but, instead, decided to study the law themselves, and to learn how this had all come to pass, this corruption, or crime IN OUR LIVES, that was already by 1976 up to $44 BILLION!
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 2 2007, 06:26 PM)
"It's time for New York to lead the nation again by bringing integrity and effective solutions back to state government."
This is quite an interesting comment right above here by the newly sworn-in Attorney General of the State of New York ......
Mr. Andrew Cuomo ....
Who is himself the son of the former Governor of the State of New York, Mario Cuomo .....
Who was the Governor of the State of New York .....
In 1991 ....
Who took it upon himself to ALTER the New York State Mined Land Reclamation Law ......
WITHOUT ANY PUBLIC NOTICE OR REVIEW .....
At the behest of the EMPIRE STATE CONCRETE AND AGGREGATE PRODUCERS' ASSOCIATION .....
A politically powerful "SPECIAL INTEREST" group in the State of New York ....
TO EXCLUDE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN THE REVIEW PROCESS .....
OF APPLICATIONS ....
BY ESCAPA MEMBERS ....
TO CONDUCT MINERAL EXTRACTION OPERATIONS ....
IN OR PROXIMATE TO EXISTING RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
IN VIOLATION OF OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION .....
A move on the part of former-New York State Governor Mario Cuomo .....
In 1991 ....
That went a very long distance towards DESTROYING INTEGRITY IN GOVERNMENT in the State of New York .....
THE DESTROYED INTEGRITY .....
THAT SON ANDREW .....
NOW NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL .....
SO LOUDLY BEMOANS .....
In the pages of the Albany, New York TIMES UNION article above here from December 31, 2006 ......
WHICH IS WHAT THIS THREAD IS ABOUT .....
IN LARGE PART .....
THE DESTRUCTION OF INTEGRITY IN GOVERNMENT ....
IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
AND THE CRUSHING OF DISSENT .....
BY THOSE WHOM NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ANDREW CUOMO WOULD NOW CALL UPON TO BE "WHISTLE-BLOWERS" .....
TO FIGHT CORPORATE FRAUD IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK .....
IS ANDREW CUOMO MOCKING US HERE?
That is the question that is on the minds of the citizens of the State of New York up here in the Albany, New York area .....
Who have been witnessing this DECLINE .....
This INTENTIONAL TRASHING of INTEGRITY in government ......
BY THE "GOVERNMENT" OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK ITSELF ......
BEGINNING BACK IN 1988 .....
WHEN THEN-NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR MARIO CUOMO'S NEW YORK STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT STOOD IDLY BY ......
AS A HEALTH OFFICER IN RENSSELAER COUNTY IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK HAD HIS PROFESSIONAL REPUTATION DESTROYED .....
ALONG WITH HIS HEALTH AND WELL-BEING .....
AFTER THE RENSSELAER COUNTY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL .....
OFFERED REPUBLICAN RENSSELAER COUNTY EXECUTIVE JOHN L. BUONO $80,000 .....
IN THE SPRING OF 1988 .....
IN THE PRESENCE OF A "REPRESENTATIVE" OF THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ....
TO "GET RID" OF THIS HEALTH OFFICER ....
BECAUSE HE WAS ACTING WITH INTEGRITY .....
AND THEY DID NOT WANT THAT ...
And so .....
This is quite an interesting comment right above here by the newly sworn-in Attorney General of the State of New York ......
Mr. Andrew Cuomo ....
Who is himself the son of the former Governor of the State of New York, Mario Cuomo .....
Who was the Governor of the State of New York .....
In 1991 ....
Who took it upon himself to ALTER the New York State Mined Land Reclamation Law ......
WITHOUT ANY PUBLIC NOTICE OR REVIEW .....
At the behest of the EMPIRE STATE CONCRETE AND AGGREGATE PRODUCERS' ASSOCIATION .....
A politically powerful "SPECIAL INTEREST" group in the State of New York ....
TO EXCLUDE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN THE REVIEW PROCESS .....
OF APPLICATIONS ....
BY ESCAPA MEMBERS ....
TO CONDUCT MINERAL EXTRACTION OPERATIONS ....
IN OR PROXIMATE TO EXISTING RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
IN VIOLATION OF OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION .....
A move on the part of former-New York State Governor Mario Cuomo .....
In 1991 ....
That went a very long distance towards DESTROYING INTEGRITY IN GOVERNMENT in the State of New York .....
THE DESTROYED INTEGRITY .....
THAT SON ANDREW .....
NOW NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL .....
SO LOUDLY BEMOANS .....
In the pages of the Albany, New York TIMES UNION article above here from December 31, 2006 ......
WHICH IS WHAT THIS THREAD IS ABOUT .....
IN LARGE PART .....
THE DESTRUCTION OF INTEGRITY IN GOVERNMENT ....
IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
AND THE CRUSHING OF DISSENT .....
BY THOSE WHOM NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ANDREW CUOMO WOULD NOW CALL UPON TO BE "WHISTLE-BLOWERS" .....
TO FIGHT CORPORATE FRAUD IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK .....
IS ANDREW CUOMO MOCKING US HERE?
That is the question that is on the minds of the citizens of the State of New York up here in the Albany, New York area .....
Who have been witnessing this DECLINE .....
This INTENTIONAL TRASHING of INTEGRITY in government ......
BY THE "GOVERNMENT" OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK ITSELF ......
BEGINNING BACK IN 1988 .....
WHEN THEN-NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR MARIO CUOMO'S NEW YORK STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT STOOD IDLY BY ......
AS A HEALTH OFFICER IN RENSSELAER COUNTY IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK HAD HIS PROFESSIONAL REPUTATION DESTROYED .....
ALONG WITH HIS HEALTH AND WELL-BEING .....
AFTER THE RENSSELAER COUNTY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL .....
OFFERED REPUBLICAN RENSSELAER COUNTY EXECUTIVE JOHN L. BUONO $80,000 .....
IN THE SPRING OF 1988 .....
IN THE PRESENCE OF A "REPRESENTATIVE" OF THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ....
TO "GET RID" OF THIS HEALTH OFFICER ....
BECAUSE HE WAS ACTING WITH INTEGRITY .....
AND THEY DID NOT WANT THAT ...
And so .....
"'Pork' reforms touted - Cuomo's steps require grant recipients to reveal links to state lawmakers"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Tuesday, January 23, 2007
ALBANY -- Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on Monday unveiled a new certification process for all state grants, known as member items, before lawmakers can hand them out.
Cuomo's disclosure and accountability program is an effort to crack down on a system that has bred increasing suspicion and criticism because of its susceptibility to conflicts of interest or corruption.
"Today's a different day," Cuomo said Monday.
"We are going to do business in a different way."
The certification requirements call for more reporting from recipients of the "pork-barrel" grants.
Among the things they will have to reveal are connections to lawmakers, and the public purpose of the grants.
Member items go largely to nonprofit organizations that provide some sort of community service.
The system is controlled by the legislative leaders, who can decide which pet projects get funding.
While it reinforces the leaders' power, oversight of how individual members use the grants has been spotty.
Last week Gov. Eliot Spitzer and legislative leaders agreed to the reforms, which include the detailing of all budget spending, including pork-barrel grants.
Under Cuomo's reform, his office can block any proposed grant, based on the information the proposed grantee provides, or refuses to.
Disclosure will be required of any business or financial interest between the sponsoring lawmaker and the proposed recipient.
The recipient must also answer four questions to help the attorney general judge its standing, such as whether the recipient has violated state contracts in the past or has felons for officers.
Finally, the recipient must declare if the grant would be used for a public purpose.
The certifications will be necessary for any of the member items to be granted, including those that have not yet been executed from this year's batch of 6,000, totaling $200 million, Cuomo said.
The initiative comes as several lawmakers have been indicted or subjected to criminal investigation over their use of member items in recent years.
Sen. Efrain Gonzalez Jr. and former Assemblyman Brian M. McLaughlin, both New York City Democrats, were charged in federal indictments with using tens of thousands of dollars in member item grants funneled to nonprofit organizations for personal expenses.
Both men have denied wrongdoing.
Federal investigators are also reviewing the granting of $500,000 by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, to a private company in his district, Troy-based Evident Technologies Inc.
Evident is owned partly by a business associate and friend of Bruno.
The senator has said he welcomes the probe and has not violated any laws.
Cuomo declined to name any particular grants that he finds troubling.
He also would not say whether he thought his predecessor, Spitzer, should have more aggressively monitored member items during his eight-year tenure as attorney general. '
Spitzer became governor this year.
"There have been serious questions raised about member items; it's a recent phenomena," Cuomo said, adding that his initiative follows Spitzer's gubernatorial promise to improve disclosure and ethics in Albany.
The certification process was hailed by some watchdogs as a good step toward improving the process.
"From my time in Albany, I'm not opposed to member items, but I do think the more light that is shined on them, the more likely the public interest is served," said Paul Shechtman, chairman of both the state Ethics Commission and the Temporary State Commission on Lobbying.
"There's a reason there are speed traps on the Thruway," said Blair Horner, legislative director for the New York Public Interest Research Group.
"There has been such a track record on member items and scandals, it's important that someone is paying attention."
The program comes as Bruno, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, and Spitzer agree member items should be itemized in state budgets from now on.
On Monday, the Legislature passed a bill calling for spelling out how each dollar in the state budget would be used.
The Senate also calls for eliminating the Public Authority Control Board which is used to screen capital project borrowing.
"The Assembly is supportive of the attorney general's proposals and believes he should apply them to all state contracts," said Charles Carrier, a spokesman for Silver.
In recent months, Assembly Democrats have beefed up their internal oversight of member items.
A Bruno spokesman had no comment.
While most lawmakers want to have grant funds to sprinkle in their district, a few say member items should be a thing of the past.
"I don't think member items are a legitimate form of budgeting," said Assemblyman William Parment, D-Jamestown.
He said if the Legislature declares a program is needed, then groups across the state should get a chance to competitively apply for appropriations.
"One of the reasons we are finding our budgets growing is we are funding things that are desirable but not necessary," he said.
James M. Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at jodato@timesunion.com.
And please pardon my absence in here this morning ....
This is a new thread ....
And I am going slowly in here ....
Getting my thoughts organized ....
So that the thread is comprehensible ....
And educational, as well ....
Or so it is hoped, anyway ....
And of course, that burden is on me to have it be so ....
And so .....
This thread in many ways is an outgrowth of a thread that has been running since April of 2005 over in the judicial section of this forum ....
A thread that began when this federal District Court Judge Gary L. Sharpe assigned to this Felix Strevell federal criminal case above here ....
Made a ruling that has severely limited OUR rights as citizens in this state to access OUR courts ....
To seek redress of OUR grievances .....
Against the State of New York and its political subdivisions ....
AND POLITICALLY-CONNECTED PERSONS IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
WHO HAVE BEEN GRANTED "PROTECTED PERSON" STATUS .....
By elected officials in the State of New York .....
THROUGH WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE "PATRONAGE SYSTEM" UP HERE ....
Where elected officials become PATRONS of those whom they wish to have as their coterie .....
DESPITE OUR CONSTITUTION AND LAWS TO THE CONTRARY .....
And this brings us back around to this subject of "PORK" ....
And political power in the State of New York .....
One more time .....
As I said in my opening statement in here .....
As of January first of this year .....
OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION HAS COME UNDER UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK .....
By those who were recently elected in this State .....
This being primarily former-New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for the purposes of this thread right now .....
Along with now-New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo ....
Both of whom are alleged in this thread to be doing an "end-run-around" the provisions of OUR New York State Constitution ....
An EN PASSANT move if you will ....
Where the PAWN is taken ....
By passing it by ....
And in this case ....
That PAWN being taken .....
By Mr. Spitzer ....
Allegedly on behalf of the New York State Business Council .....
IS OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....
Which the New York State Business Council views as an IMPEDIMENT to its own goals .....
Of having New York State be the best place in the whole world to do business ....
BECAUSE THERE IS NO REGULATION ....
Which takes us right back to the days of such business luminaries in this state as Jay Gould .....
And what were called the "ROBBER BARONS" ....
And so ...
This is a new thread ....
And I am going slowly in here ....
Getting my thoughts organized ....
So that the thread is comprehensible ....
And educational, as well ....
Or so it is hoped, anyway ....
And of course, that burden is on me to have it be so ....
And so .....
This thread in many ways is an outgrowth of a thread that has been running since April of 2005 over in the judicial section of this forum ....
A thread that began when this federal District Court Judge Gary L. Sharpe assigned to this Felix Strevell federal criminal case above here ....
Made a ruling that has severely limited OUR rights as citizens in this state to access OUR courts ....
To seek redress of OUR grievances .....
Against the State of New York and its political subdivisions ....
AND POLITICALLY-CONNECTED PERSONS IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
WHO HAVE BEEN GRANTED "PROTECTED PERSON" STATUS .....
By elected officials in the State of New York .....
THROUGH WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE "PATRONAGE SYSTEM" UP HERE ....
Where elected officials become PATRONS of those whom they wish to have as their coterie .....
DESPITE OUR CONSTITUTION AND LAWS TO THE CONTRARY .....
And this brings us back around to this subject of "PORK" ....
And political power in the State of New York .....
One more time .....
As I said in my opening statement in here .....
As of January first of this year .....
OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION HAS COME UNDER UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK .....
By those who were recently elected in this State .....
This being primarily former-New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for the purposes of this thread right now .....
Along with now-New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo ....
Both of whom are alleged in this thread to be doing an "end-run-around" the provisions of OUR New York State Constitution ....
An EN PASSANT move if you will ....
Where the PAWN is taken ....
By passing it by ....
And in this case ....
That PAWN being taken .....
By Mr. Spitzer ....
Allegedly on behalf of the New York State Business Council .....
IS OUR NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....
Which the New York State Business Council views as an IMPEDIMENT to its own goals .....
Of having New York State be the best place in the whole world to do business ....
BECAUSE THERE IS NO REGULATION ....
Which takes us right back to the days of such business luminaries in this state as Jay Gould .....
And what were called the "ROBBER BARONS" ....
And so ...
And continuing on ....
With what may very well be a GREAT BIG FLIM-FLAM up here .....
In the State of New York ....
We have ....
"Leaders make government ethics reform deal"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
Last updated: 12:56 p.m., Wednesday, January 24, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer and legislative leaders today announced the components of a new law that merges the ethics and lobbying commissions while setting ironclad gift bans and new penalties for violations.
Standing beside Spitzer at a press conference, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno promised passage of the measures this session.
The legislation calls for creation of a Commission on Public Integrity.
The law will:
End gifts from lobbyists and their clients including travel or lodging expenses except for things of nominal value.
Prohibit gifts from non-lobbyists of more than nominal value if it might appear they're to influence the official.
Close the opportunity for legislative staff members from lobbying the Legislature for two years, effective Dec. 31, 2008.
End the practice of getting paid for speeches.
Outlaw hiring or giving contracts to relatives.
Bar agency heads from becoming a candidate for office unless they resign.
End use of taxpayer funds used for ads for any government official or candidate for elected office local, state or federal.
Spitzer said the legislation includes the biggest reforms in decades, but some government reform groups and minority representatives of the legislators complained that the deal should have been crafted in public or with greater transparency.
New York Public Interest Research Group Legislative Director Blair Horner said he worries that the lobbying commission will be weakened by the merger with the ethics commission.
Spitzer suggested a stronger entity and his aides say Lobbying Commission Executive Director David Grandeau is a front-runner to lead the new commission.
The law does not bring the Legislative Ethics Committee into the comprehensive integrity unity but makes it a commission with nine appointees of the Legislature; four lawmakers and five non-legislative employees, replacing an eight-person body that consists of legislators only.
With what may very well be a GREAT BIG FLIM-FLAM up here .....
In the State of New York ....
We have ....
"Leaders make government ethics reform deal"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
Last updated: 12:56 p.m., Wednesday, January 24, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer and legislative leaders today announced the components of a new law that merges the ethics and lobbying commissions while setting ironclad gift bans and new penalties for violations.
Standing beside Spitzer at a press conference, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno promised passage of the measures this session.
The legislation calls for creation of a Commission on Public Integrity.
The law will:
End gifts from lobbyists and their clients including travel or lodging expenses except for things of nominal value.
Prohibit gifts from non-lobbyists of more than nominal value if it might appear they're to influence the official.
Close the opportunity for legislative staff members from lobbying the Legislature for two years, effective Dec. 31, 2008.
End the practice of getting paid for speeches.
Outlaw hiring or giving contracts to relatives.
Bar agency heads from becoming a candidate for office unless they resign.
End use of taxpayer funds used for ads for any government official or candidate for elected office local, state or federal.
Spitzer said the legislation includes the biggest reforms in decades, but some government reform groups and minority representatives of the legislators complained that the deal should have been crafted in public or with greater transparency.
New York Public Interest Research Group Legislative Director Blair Horner said he worries that the lobbying commission will be weakened by the merger with the ethics commission.
Spitzer suggested a stronger entity and his aides say Lobbying Commission Executive Director David Grandeau is a front-runner to lead the new commission.
The law does not bring the Legislative Ethics Committee into the comprehensive integrity unity but makes it a commission with nine appointees of the Legislature; four lawmakers and five non-legislative employees, replacing an eight-person body that consists of legislators only.
QUOTE(Snuffysmith @ Jan 20 2007, 05:45 PM)
Liv - I hope you will broaden this topic beyond New York.
QUOTE(Abu Beacon @ Jan 20 2007, 06:26 PM)
Good for you, Livyjr.
I do not know how much time you have, but if you do have the time, I feel certain that eventually you ought to consider Snuffy Smith's suggestion to expand this thread beyond New York.
A.B.
I do not know how much time you have, but if you do have the time, I feel certain that eventually you ought to consider Snuffy Smith's suggestion to expand this thread beyond New York.
A.B.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Dec 30 2006, 07:06 PM)
"Spitzer prepares to take over after 12 years of Republican rule"
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 11:02 a.m., Saturday, December 30, 2006
ALBANY -- Calling himself "the new CEO of the state," Eliot Spitzer says he has a "sense of excitement and anticipation" as he prepares to take over as New York's 54th governor on New Year's Day.
That doesn't mean there aren't tough times ahead for the man who gained fame by taking on powerful Wall Street interests as the state's hard-charging attorney general, Spitzer told The Associated Press in a wide-ranging interview on the eve of his elevation to New York's top state government job.
"You don't run for an office like this without preparing yourself for both the enormity of it and the difficulty of it, but that doesn't mean you don't break out in a cold sweat sometimes," the millionaire lawyer from New York City told the AP.
"There's an enormous amount to be done, so we'd better put on our body armor," he said.
"The stakes are big and the battles will be tough."
Spitzer, a Democrat, easily beat former state Assembly Republican Minority Leader John Faso Nov. 7 to win the office being vacated by George Pataki, who after three, four-year terms is eyeing a run for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.
Spitzer faces the same divided state Legislature that the last Democratic governor, Mario Cuomo, and Pataki dealt with -- a Republican-led Senate and a Democratic-controlled state Assembly.
The notoriously gridlocked Legislature in 2004 earned the title of the nation's most dysfunctional.
Spitzer said he believes he can work with Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, but he also says he will reach beyond them to rank-and-file lawmakers to move his agenda.
"All elected officials deserve to be heard," Spitzer said.
While there has been speculation Spitzer's ascendancy could lead to the ouster of Bruno or Silver -- or both -- the governor-elect said he won't assist any overthrows in the short term.
"There are no proxy battles planned right now," he said.
"To continue the metaphor, I guess we had our proxy vote on November 7 and we got a new CEO."
"There is a new CEO of the state and I'm going to run the state with my partners."
Nonetheless, Spitzer made it clear he plans to be the senior partner, saying he would "certainly do what a governor is supposed to do, which is to take the helm and say here are the priorities."
Spitzer said the biggest impediment is simply trying to change the status quo given the power of special interests in New York, including those inside and outside government.
"It's not that dissimilar from a corporate setting -- an executive who may not be performing well yet is often very difficult to unseat," he said.
"What I will lay out in the inaugural address on Monday as well as in the State of the State (address on Wednesday) will really focus on the twin arguments that government needs to be changed and the economy needs to be revitalized," he told the AP.
And while Spitzer's campaign slogan was "On day one, everything changes," he said Friday, "You can't pick too many battles, too many overarching objectives."
As part of his grand plan, Spitzer said he would push for new limits on Medicaid spending that already consumes more than $45 billion of the state's $115 billion budget, improve the state's education system and deal with the costs of doing business in New York state by overhauling the workers' compensation and unemployment insurance systems.
He said he will stick to his campaign pledge not to raise taxes.
"We cannot, as a state, afford to raise taxes now because we would lose our competitive position with respect to other states, nations and economies which we're competing with," he said.
Spitzer said he was open to entreaties from county officials that they be allowed to raise cigarette taxes to raise money.
"We'll look at it for the counties, but the state is not raising taxes," he said.
Spitzer was to take the official oath of office shortly before midnight Sunday in a private ceremony at the Executive Mansion in Albany.
A more formal inaugural ceremony, including his formal address, was scheduled for noon outside the Capitol on New Year's Day.
The outdoor ceremony, the state's first, was a contrast to a glitzy show put on by Pataki on New Year's Day 1995 as he filled an Albany sports arena with music, pomp and a celebrity audience that included radio shock jock Howard Stern.
For guests to the Spitzer inauguration, there was going to be plenty of New York's cuisine.
The Anchor Bar was bringing its famous chicken wings from Buffalo, while the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse was offering up its ribs and pulled pork.
There was to be cheesecake from Junior's in Brooklyn, spiedies (skewer-roasted beef cubes) from Lupo's in Binghamton and even the "garbage plate" -- a hot dog or hamburger heaped with home fries, macaroni salad, baked beans and meat sauce -- from Nick Tahou's in Rochester.
Spitzer also planned a 5 p.m. concert at Albany's Times Union Center arena featuring James Taylor and Natalie Merchant.
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 11:02 a.m., Saturday, December 30, 2006
ALBANY -- Calling himself "the new CEO of the state," Eliot Spitzer says he has a "sense of excitement and anticipation" as he prepares to take over as New York's 54th governor on New Year's Day.
That doesn't mean there aren't tough times ahead for the man who gained fame by taking on powerful Wall Street interests as the state's hard-charging attorney general, Spitzer told The Associated Press in a wide-ranging interview on the eve of his elevation to New York's top state government job.
"You don't run for an office like this without preparing yourself for both the enormity of it and the difficulty of it, but that doesn't mean you don't break out in a cold sweat sometimes," the millionaire lawyer from New York City told the AP.
"There's an enormous amount to be done, so we'd better put on our body armor," he said.
"The stakes are big and the battles will be tough."
Spitzer, a Democrat, easily beat former state Assembly Republican Minority Leader John Faso Nov. 7 to win the office being vacated by George Pataki, who after three, four-year terms is eyeing a run for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.
Spitzer faces the same divided state Legislature that the last Democratic governor, Mario Cuomo, and Pataki dealt with -- a Republican-led Senate and a Democratic-controlled state Assembly.
The notoriously gridlocked Legislature in 2004 earned the title of the nation's most dysfunctional.
Spitzer said he believes he can work with Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, but he also says he will reach beyond them to rank-and-file lawmakers to move his agenda.
"All elected officials deserve to be heard," Spitzer said.
While there has been speculation Spitzer's ascendancy could lead to the ouster of Bruno or Silver -- or both -- the governor-elect said he won't assist any overthrows in the short term.
"There are no proxy battles planned right now," he said.
"To continue the metaphor, I guess we had our proxy vote on November 7 and we got a new CEO."
"There is a new CEO of the state and I'm going to run the state with my partners."
Nonetheless, Spitzer made it clear he plans to be the senior partner, saying he would "certainly do what a governor is supposed to do, which is to take the helm and say here are the priorities."
Spitzer said the biggest impediment is simply trying to change the status quo given the power of special interests in New York, including those inside and outside government.
"It's not that dissimilar from a corporate setting -- an executive who may not be performing well yet is often very difficult to unseat," he said.
"What I will lay out in the inaugural address on Monday as well as in the State of the State (address on Wednesday) will really focus on the twin arguments that government needs to be changed and the economy needs to be revitalized," he told the AP.
And while Spitzer's campaign slogan was "On day one, everything changes," he said Friday, "You can't pick too many battles, too many overarching objectives."
As part of his grand plan, Spitzer said he would push for new limits on Medicaid spending that already consumes more than $45 billion of the state's $115 billion budget, improve the state's education system and deal with the costs of doing business in New York state by overhauling the workers' compensation and unemployment insurance systems.
He said he will stick to his campaign pledge not to raise taxes.
"We cannot, as a state, afford to raise taxes now because we would lose our competitive position with respect to other states, nations and economies which we're competing with," he said.
Spitzer said he was open to entreaties from county officials that they be allowed to raise cigarette taxes to raise money.
"We'll look at it for the counties, but the state is not raising taxes," he said.
Spitzer was to take the official oath of office shortly before midnight Sunday in a private ceremony at the Executive Mansion in Albany.
A more formal inaugural ceremony, including his formal address, was scheduled for noon outside the Capitol on New Year's Day.
The outdoor ceremony, the state's first, was a contrast to a glitzy show put on by Pataki on New Year's Day 1995 as he filled an Albany sports arena with music, pomp and a celebrity audience that included radio shock jock Howard Stern.
For guests to the Spitzer inauguration, there was going to be plenty of New York's cuisine.
The Anchor Bar was bringing its famous chicken wings from Buffalo, while the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse was offering up its ribs and pulled pork.
There was to be cheesecake from Junior's in Brooklyn, spiedies (skewer-roasted beef cubes) from Lupo's in Binghamton and even the "garbage plate" -- a hot dog or hamburger heaped with home fries, macaroni salad, baked beans and meat sauce -- from Nick Tahou's in Rochester.
Spitzer also planned a 5 p.m. concert at Albany's Times Union Center arena featuring James Taylor and Natalie Merchant.
And once again ....
Good morning, America ....
And the candid world as well ....
Welcome to this thread ....
Which is just beginning ...
And so ....
Might be a bit confusing at first ....
As to what it is that we are talking about in here ....
And where it is that we are going ....
WHICH IS REALLY GOING TO BE DETERMINED, IN LARGE PART, BY WHAT GOES ON IN THE WORLD, ITSELF ....
As time marches on ....
And more specifically ....
WHY?
Why this thread on "PORK" in New York ....
When this is in reality an international forum ....
With people from all over the world and the United States stopping in and contributing ....
Each in his or her own way ....
WHY SHOULD ANYBODY BE INTERESTED IN WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE CORRUPT EMPIRE OF NEW YORK ....
When they do not live here .....
And don't intend to live here ....
And have no family or property or loved ones in this CORRUPT EMPIRE ....
And for that answer ....
I would go right up to this article above here from the Albany, New York TIMES UNION ....
Where newly-elected New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer makes this following statement, to wit:
"We cannot, as a state, afford to raise taxes now because we would lose our competitive position with respect to other states, nations and economies which we're competing with," he said.
WITH RESPECT TO OTHER STATES, NATIONS AND ECONOMIES WHICH WE'RE COMPETING WITH ......
To which I say, "HHHHhhhhhmmmmmm, ah, I see ...."
Other STATES .....
That New York State is competing with ....
WOULD BE THOSE STATES .....
WHERE YOU PEOPLE ....
WhO DON'T LIVE IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK .....
HAPPEN TO LIVE ....
AND WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT ....
AND WHETHER WE KNOW IT OR NOT .....
NEW YORK STATE, at least according to newly-elected governor Eliot Spitzer ....
IS COMPETING WITH YOUR STATE ....
AND THAT HAS IMPLICATIONS AND RAMIFICATIONS FOR US BOTH ....
AGAIN ....
WHETHER WE KNOW ABOUT IT ....
OR NOT ....
AND WHEN YOU FACTOR IN ELIOT SPITZER'S STATEMENT THAT NEW YORK STATE IS COMPETING AGAINST OTHER NATIONS AS WELL ....
WHICH CARRIES WITH IT THE IMPLICATION THAT NEW YORK STATE IS A "STAND-ALONE NATION" .....
NOT A PART OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ....
BUT IN DIRECT COMPETITION WITH THE OTHER STATES OF THE UNITED STATES .....
Well .....
Let's just say that to this older American .....
THERE ARE SOME RED FLAGS BEING RAISED HERE .....
All over the place, actually .....
WITH RESPECT TO OUR CONSTITUTIONAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT ....
BOTH HERE IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
AND IN THE UNITED STATES, AS WELL .....
And it is for this reason ....
THIS ALLEGED COMPETITION BETWEEN THE CORRUPT EMPIRE OF NEW YORK ....
AND THE REST OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ....
AS WELL AS THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD ....
That this thread about New York ....
Makes its way into this particular forum .....
And so .....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Apr 7 2005 @ 05:25 PM)
Today, I went down to the local law library, which is in the County Courthouse building, down the road a ways from where I live, because I wanted to go back to the "source", if you will, on this "Enterprise Corruption" law in the State of New York that is under discussion in here ....
I don't know about other states in the union, but in New York State, for a law to "be on the books", there has to be some kind of paper trail that determines how it got there, and it is that "paper trail" that judges are supposed to look at, when rendering decisions on what a law really means.
So, the book I wanted at the law library was the New York State Legislative Annual for the year 1986, which is when this particular law became added to the New York State Penal Law.
Now, 1986 is a significant year in connection with this case of ours, for a lot of reasons, and it is interesting, in retrospect, to look at the juxtaposition of these various "events", to see how they lead us right up to this present moment in time, where we now are, here in this tiny bit of OUR America that is the County of Rensselaer in the alleged corrupt EMPIRE STATE of New York!
Consider for a moment, if you will, in forming your own thoughts about the contents of this thread, these words of the then-DEMOCRATIC Governor of the State of New York in 1986 concerning New York State's "HISTORY" of corruption as it stood right exactly then:
"TEN YEARS AGO, a study by the Joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Investigations estimated the costs of white-collar crime at MORE THAN forty-four BILLION dollars".
"The incidence of white-collar crime has not abated in the last decade; instead, it has spiraled ever-upward as economic crime has become increasingly profitable and sophisticated!"
"The effects of major economic crime can be devastating: THE WHOLE SOCIETY suffers as crimes against business become crimes against consumers."
"GREEDY, WHITE-COLLAR PROFITEERS WILL NOT BE STOPPED until we adopt strong measures to stop them!"
- Governor's Approval memorandum, New York State Legislative Annual -1986, p.236
SO!
According to the Governor of New York State himself, the Hon. Mario Cuomo, at that time, BY 1976, the cost of WHITE-COLLAR crime in just New York State alone was already MORE THAN forty-four BILLION dollars, and it was just spiraling upwards and upwards, with no end in sight, unless, of course, WE, the PEOPLE of the State were to somehow stop it, and how was that to be done?
Now, think on this for a moment, if you will:
WHEN, not if, BUT WHEN you have white-collar crime in a state, any state, to the extent of $44 BILLION, how exactly is that happening?
And by that, what I really mean is WHO IN THE HELL IS NOT LOOKING, or doing their job at preventing this kind of crime, TO THIS MAGNITUDE?
And more to the point, WHY ARE THEY NOT LOOKING, or doing their job of preventing crime of this magnitude from occurring in the first place?
Is a "BLIND EYE" being bought and paid for, here, perhaps?
And if so, HOW can that be countered?
And when the sum of money is so big as was the case in New York State by 1976, $44 BILLION, ABSENT A COMPLETE AND TOTAL TOP-TO-BOTTOM house-cleaning of the whole of government itself, CAN ANYTHING AT ALL BE DONE, because the truth of the matter is that corruption, or crime of this magnitude cannot happen without inside help .....
Rhetorically speaking, if you're a white-collar thief to the tune of $44 BILLION, and you are "operating" in a state like New York State where the politicians allegedly are for sale, and you want to stay in business, HOW MANY CORRUPT POLITICIANS CAN YOU BUY for $44 BILLION to enable you to do so?
And hypothetically speaking, IF YOU DO buy these alleged corrupt politicians, WHICH SERVICES of theirs are you really buying, BESIDES their own "BLIND EYES"?
And so, here is the "backdrop" for this story that I am telling in here of one small group of citizens in the State of New York who chose not to bury their heads in the sand, and pretend that all was right with the world, but, instead, decided to study the law themselves, and to learn how this had all come to pass, this corruption, or crime IN OUR LIVES, that was already by 1976 up to $44 BILLION!
And so ....
I don't know about other states in the union, but in New York State, for a law to "be on the books", there has to be some kind of paper trail that determines how it got there, and it is that "paper trail" that judges are supposed to look at, when rendering decisions on what a law really means.
So, the book I wanted at the law library was the New York State Legislative Annual for the year 1986, which is when this particular law became added to the New York State Penal Law.
Now, 1986 is a significant year in connection with this case of ours, for a lot of reasons, and it is interesting, in retrospect, to look at the juxtaposition of these various "events", to see how they lead us right up to this present moment in time, where we now are, here in this tiny bit of OUR America that is the County of Rensselaer in the alleged corrupt EMPIRE STATE of New York!
Consider for a moment, if you will, in forming your own thoughts about the contents of this thread, these words of the then-DEMOCRATIC Governor of the State of New York in 1986 concerning New York State's "HISTORY" of corruption as it stood right exactly then:
"TEN YEARS AGO, a study by the Joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Investigations estimated the costs of white-collar crime at MORE THAN forty-four BILLION dollars".
"The incidence of white-collar crime has not abated in the last decade; instead, it has spiraled ever-upward as economic crime has become increasingly profitable and sophisticated!"
"The effects of major economic crime can be devastating: THE WHOLE SOCIETY suffers as crimes against business become crimes against consumers."
"GREEDY, WHITE-COLLAR PROFITEERS WILL NOT BE STOPPED until we adopt strong measures to stop them!"
- Governor's Approval memorandum, New York State Legislative Annual -1986, p.236
SO!
According to the Governor of New York State himself, the Hon. Mario Cuomo, at that time, BY 1976, the cost of WHITE-COLLAR crime in just New York State alone was already MORE THAN forty-four BILLION dollars, and it was just spiraling upwards and upwards, with no end in sight, unless, of course, WE, the PEOPLE of the State were to somehow stop it, and how was that to be done?
Now, think on this for a moment, if you will:
WHEN, not if, BUT WHEN you have white-collar crime in a state, any state, to the extent of $44 BILLION, how exactly is that happening?
And by that, what I really mean is WHO IN THE HELL IS NOT LOOKING, or doing their job at preventing this kind of crime, TO THIS MAGNITUDE?
And more to the point, WHY ARE THEY NOT LOOKING, or doing their job of preventing crime of this magnitude from occurring in the first place?
Is a "BLIND EYE" being bought and paid for, here, perhaps?
And if so, HOW can that be countered?
And when the sum of money is so big as was the case in New York State by 1976, $44 BILLION, ABSENT A COMPLETE AND TOTAL TOP-TO-BOTTOM house-cleaning of the whole of government itself, CAN ANYTHING AT ALL BE DONE, because the truth of the matter is that corruption, or crime of this magnitude cannot happen without inside help .....
Rhetorically speaking, if you're a white-collar thief to the tune of $44 BILLION, and you are "operating" in a state like New York State where the politicians allegedly are for sale, and you want to stay in business, HOW MANY CORRUPT POLITICIANS CAN YOU BUY for $44 BILLION to enable you to do so?
And hypothetically speaking, IF YOU DO buy these alleged corrupt politicians, WHICH SERVICES of theirs are you really buying, BESIDES their own "BLIND EYES"?
And so, here is the "backdrop" for this story that I am telling in here of one small group of citizens in the State of New York who chose not to bury their heads in the sand, and pretend that all was right with the world, but, instead, decided to study the law themselves, and to learn how this had all come to pass, this corruption, or crime IN OUR LIVES, that was already by 1976 up to $44 BILLION!
And so ....
And setting some GROUND RULES in here .....
FOR MYSELF ....
Just so you know ....
I myself am a "citizen" of the State of New York ....
Having been born here some sixty years ago, now ......
And so .....
When it comes to citizenship responsibilities .....
MINE ARE DEFINED BY THE CONSTITUTION AND LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK .....
And so .....
I do not make "value judgments" about what is going on in any other state of the United States in here ......
Because I am not a citizen of any of those other states ....
And so, have no basis or "STANDING" to comment or criticize .....
Which is why I am refraining at this time from talking about "PORK" in any other state ....
BECAUSE BY THE VALUES OF THE CITIZENS OF THOSE STATES ....
IT MIGHT NOT BE ....
And so be that .....
THAT IS THEIR RIGHT .....
And so .....
AND LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR AT THIS TIME .....
THAT I AM NOT A "CONSPIRACY THEORIST" ....
NOR AM I SUBJECT TO PARANOID DELUSIONS ....
"'THEY' ARE OUT TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD ..."
To the contrary ....
When I talk about CORRUPTION in the State of New York .....
I AM GOING TO THE SOURCE ....
WHICH IS THE OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE STATE, ITSELF ....
Such as this BILL MESSAGE from then-New York State Governor Mario Cuomo above here in 1986 .....
And to further "flesh that out" .....
THE ALLEGATION THAT NEW YORK STATE HAS A PROBLEM WITH CORRUPTION .....
Let us go ....
For the moment .....
To ARTICLE 460 ....
Of the New York State Penal Law ....
Which is entitled ENTERPRISE CORRUPTION ...
That ARTICLE OF LAW being a part of TITLE X of the New York State Penal Law ....
Entitled ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT ....
And the relevant part of that state law which pertains directly to this discussion in here ....
Is as follows:
S 460.00 Legislative findings.
The legislature (of the State of New York) finds and determines as follows:
Organized crime in New York state involves highly sophisticated, complex and widespread forms of criminal activity.
The diversified illegal conduct engaged in by organized crime, rooted in the illegal use of force, fraud, and corruption, constitutes a major drain upon the state's economy, costs citizens and businesses of the state billions of dollars each year, and threatens the peace, security and general welfare of the people of the state.
Organized crime continues to expand its corrosive influence in the state through illegal enterprises engaged in such criminal endeavors as the theft and fencing of property, the importation and distribution of narcotics and other dangerous drugs, arson for profit, hijacking, labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion and bribery, the illegal disposal of hazardous wastes, syndicated gambling, trafficking in stolen securities, insurance and investment frauds, and other forms of economic and social exploitation.[/size]
The money and power derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors is increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises and to corrupt our democratic processes.
end quotes
SO!
THE MONEY AND POWER OF ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK STATE IS BEING USED TO CORRUPT OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES HERE IN NEW YORK STATE!
WHICH IS ONE BIG PART OF WHY THIS THREAD IS RUNNING IN HERE ....
And that statement by the New York State Legislature about OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES HERE IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK BEING CORRUPTED then leads us to this following question:
IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK, BY ITS OWN LAWS, CAN "GOVERMENT" ITSELF BE CONSIDERED AN ENTERPRISE THAT CAN BE "CORRUPT"?
And for the purposes of this thread ....
That is a good and necessary question ....
SO ....
Let's find the answer, and quickly, as time is of the essence here!
From a quick perusal of S 460.10 of the New York State Penal Law, we have as follows from the "Definitions":
The following definitions are applicable to this article.
2. "Enterprise" means either an enterprise as defined in subdivision one of section 175.00 of this chapter or criminal enterprise as defined in subdivision three of this section.
And going over to Section 175 of the New York State Penal Law, we have:
ARTICLE 175 OFFENSES INVOLVING FALSE WRITTEN STATEMENTS
S 175.00 Definitions of terms.
The following definitions are applicable to this article:
1. "Enterprise" means any entity of one or more persons, corporate or otherwise, public or private, engaged in business, commercial, professional, industrial, eleemosynary, social, political or governmental activity.
SO ....
IF an "enterprise" in the State of New York means "any entity" of one or more persons, engaged in "POLITICAL or GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITY", it would certainly appear that that answer is YES .....
And so .....
GROUND ZERO ....
In this discussion on "GOVERNMENT PORK" ....
HERE IN THE CORRUPT EMPIRE OF NEW YORK ....
WHICH IS COMPETING WITH YOUR STATE, OUT THERE ....
AND YOUR ECONOMY ...
WHETHER YOU KNOW ABOUT IT ....
OR NOT ....
And so ....
QUOTE(Snuffysmith @ Jan 20 2007, 05:45 PM)
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) considers 'earmark' to be an ambiguous and neutral term, and prefer to define 'pork' as "a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures".
And there is where we are in this thread .....
For those of you who might be just stopping by here for the first time ....
Wondering what it is that this thread is all about ....
.....IN CIRCUMVENTION OF ESTABLISHED BUDGETARY PROCEDURES .....
"PORK" .....
IS POWER .....
"This is what the Constitution requires ..."
"But this is what we are going to do, instead ..."
"And nobody can stop us ..."
WHICH IS TRUE .....
At least up here in the State of New York ....
Where citizen access to what should be OUR court system .....
Is being stripped from us in a variety of ways ....
All of which have us "OUTSIDE" the "SYSTEM" ....
When we are supposed to be controlling the "SYSTEM", instead .....
THROUGH THE ENFORCEMENT OF OUR CONSTITUTION .....
IN THOSE SAME COURTS OF LAW .....
And so .....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 23 2007, 08:01 AM)
"PORK" is a STATE OF MIND .....
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
"I CAN DO WHATEVER I PLEASE ..."
"NOBODY CAN TOUCH ME ..."
"I AM AN ELECTED OFFICIAL ..."
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
And so it is ....
Here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York ....
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
"I CAN DO WHATEVER I PLEASE ..."
"NOBODY CAN TOUCH ME ..."
"I AM AN ELECTED OFFICIAL ..."
"I AM BEYOND THE LAW ..."
And so it is ....
Here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 05:04 PM)
"Feeding off taxpayers no crime, lawyer says - Cronyism, big spending called usual government practice at Strevell trial"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
Fanciullo asserted that the U.S. attorney's case against Strevell is full of allegations that should not be classified as federal crimes.
Strevell is charged with nine counts of mail fraud and six counts of wire fraud.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Strevell also allegedly doctored the record of a board vote that resulted in his pay rising by $95,000.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
Fanciullo asserted that the U.S. attorney's case against Strevell is full of allegations that should not be classified as federal crimes.
Strevell is charged with nine counts of mail fraud and six counts of wire fraud.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Strevell also allegedly doctored the record of a board vote that resulted in his pay rising by $95,000.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 25 2007, 07:21 PM)
.....IN CIRCUMVENTION OF ESTABLISHED BUDGETARY PROCEDURES .....
And as of this morning .....
The "PORK-O-CRACY" in the State of New York appears to be quite alive .....
And doing very well for itself ....
As it feels it should ....
After all ....
PUBLIC SERVICE ....
SHOULD NOT BE ABOUT SERVING THE PUBLIC ...
RATHER ...
IT IS ABOUT GETTING INTO THE PUBLIC'S PANTS POCKETS ....
AND LIVING HERE ....
Making your own life better ...
At their expense ...
Like rats in a farmer's corn crib ....
Or weevils in the flour ....
And so ....
"Lifetime perk draws scrutiny - Lawmaker says members of state boards may have erred in giving themselves health coverage benefit"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Friday, January 26, 2007
ALBANY -- Board members of two state agencies charged with helping create affordable housing in New York voted last year to use state funds to give themselves and their spouses lifetime health insurance, according to board members.
The six-member Housing Finance Agency and the eight-member New York State Mortgage Association boards gave themselves the benefits as a payback for service, said former Sen. Howard C. Nolan, an appointee of the comptroller's office to the SONYMA board.
He said the benefit seemed reasonable given the unpaid service board members provide the state, and the need to "attract quality people."
However, a lawmaker who oversees public authorities said the benefit may be an illegal bonus for board members who are not supposed to be compensated.
"It's an apparent violation of the laws creating SONYMA which do not permit compensation," said Assembly Corporations Committee Chairman Richard Brodsky, D-White Plains.
Brodsky said he was unaware of the health benefit vote until a reporter told him about it this week.
He promised his committee will be "looking at it very seriously."
Priscilla Alomodovar, Gov. Eliot Spitzer's choice to lead the housing agencies, said she is looking into the legal basis upon which the boards of the agencies gave themselves the health care benefits.
The board yesterday appointed her to lead the agencies.
She said she may ask the boards to rescind their resolutions.
No money had been paid on premiums yet, she said.
Nolan said the boards voted for lifetime health insurance.
It would be comparable to health coverage under the Empire Plan, which covers state employees, but it will be for whatever plan the retired member chooses, according to Leonard Weinstock, another SONYMA member who voted for the benefit.
Only board members with a decade of service are eligible, Nolan and Weinstock said.
SONYMA will pick up the cost.
"A lot of people won't serve unless they get a touch of the hat," said Nolan, who represented Albany County in the Senate.
He started on the SONYMA board in 1995, just after leaving the Senate and four years after Gov. Mario Cuomo ended stipends for board members for all the public authorities and state agency boards amid a recession and budget crisis.
Nolan sharply criticized Cuomo's act.
"It meant almost nothing to the budget," Nolan said, saying he voted against Cuomo's "showboating."
Nolan estimated the cost of the coverage at $3,000 annually, although he noted that his real estate company, which helps manage two shopping plazas he owns, provides its employees coverage at $365 a month for individuals and $920 a month for families.
Nolan, 74, added that his wife has health insurance through her employer and probably won't retire for a decade.
The SONYMA board includes ex-officio members of government, including the tax commissioner and budget director, who apparently aren't eligible for the health coverage.
Andrew Eristoff, a former tax commissioner, said he delegated the SONYMA board work to an aide, but recalled seeking guidance from Gov. George Pataki's staff on what to do on the health care benefit vote.
"It was very controversial," Eristoff said.
"I was uncomfortable with some of the proposals."
"We ended up doing what the governor's office recommended."
"The issue was brewing for a while."
"As I recall things were amended to be a lot more palatable."
Weinstock, a retired lawyer serving as Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's designee, said the idea first came up in late 2002.
It was studied and officially voted on in late 2005 with a confirming resolution last year.
The benefit, he said, calls for individuals upon retirement to apply for their own insurance privately and be reimbursed by SONYMA because the Empire plan can't be used by the retirees.
He said lawyers for SONYMA deemed it "appropriate."
"If people put in the time and they perform their duties diligently ... there is no reason why the directors who meet the benchmarks -- a minimum of 10 years of service -- should not get health benefits no different from what they received while they were active members of the board," he said.
In 1998, the Legislature provided health benefits for active board members, he said.
SONYMA Chairman Joseph Strasberg did not return calls.
Said Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, who last year tried to stop Strasberg's reappointment as a gubernatorial designee because he serves as a lobbyist for the rental and development industry, said the benefit sounds like a very valuable perk.
"I have to say I'm fairly shocked," she said.
"It's the first I've heard of this."
"It leads me to the question how many of these other boards is this going on at."
A spokesman for the Division of Budget, whose director had a vote in the matter, said the benefit for HFA and SONYMA board members is a matter best discussed with those boards.
James M. Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at jodato@timesunion.com.
QUOTE(Snuffysmith @ Jan 20 2007, 05:45 PM)
Liv - I hope you will broaden this topic beyond New York.
QUOTE(Abu Beacon @ Jan 20 2007, 06:26 PM)
I do not know how much time you have, but if you do have the time, I feel certain that eventually you ought to consider Snuffy Smith's suggestion to expand this thread beyond New York.
A.B.
A.B.
QUOTE(Snuffysmith @ Jan 20 2007, 05:45 PM)
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) considers 'earmark' to be an ambiguous and neutral term, and prefer to define 'pork' as "a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures".
QUOTE(Snuffysmith @ Jan 20 2007, 05:48 PM)
Database: federally funded projects - Cutting pork
According to congressional aides, these are some of the local projects that likely will not be funded this year because Congress isn't expected to authorize the spending:
# $2.5 million for cancer treatment at University of Rochester Medical Center.
# $2 million the Monroe County Crime Lab.
# $1 million for Monroe County Water Authority.
# $1 million for ramp and safety improvements at the Greater Rochester International Airport.
# $500,000 for expansion of emergency room at Rochester General Hospital.
# $400,000 for Rochester Children's Zone.
# $400,000 for emergency room renovations at Unity Hospital (formerly Park Ridge Hospital).
According to congressional aides, these are some of the local projects that likely will not be funded this year because Congress isn't expected to authorize the spending:
# $2.5 million for cancer treatment at University of Rochester Medical Center.
# $2 million the Monroe County Crime Lab.
# $1 million for Monroe County Water Authority.
# $1 million for ramp and safety improvements at the Greater Rochester International Airport.
# $500,000 for expansion of emergency room at Rochester General Hospital.
# $400,000 for Rochester Children's Zone.
# $400,000 for emergency room renovations at Unity Hospital (formerly Park Ridge Hospital).
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 06:04 PM)
No, not initially, anyway, Snuf ....
For that would simply dilute and overwhelm at the same time .....
For that would simply dilute and overwhelm at the same time .....
I'm a slow thinker, actually .....
Not prone to making hasty decisions ....
As a rule .....
And so .....
I have been giving a lot of thought to Snuffysmith's two posts above .....
As well as Mr. A.B.'s sentiments .....
And I have just realized, today ....
That in this thread .....
Which is really about CONSTITUTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS, as much as anything .....
We simply cannot compare what is called "PORK" ....
At the federal level ....
To what is called "PORK in NEW YORK" .....
In this thread .....
BECAUSE WE ARE TALKING TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SETS OF RELATIONSHIPS .....
And OUR rights as American citizens are indeed tied up in both of those relationships ....
BUT DIRECTLY IN ONE ....
That being the relationship between US ....
And OUR "states" ......
Mr. A.B. and the state of Ohio ......
jeffmoskin and the state of California ....
Myself and the state of New York ....
AND INDIRECTLY IN THE OTHER .....
That being in the relationship ....
OF OUR INDIVIDUAL STATES ....
WHICH ARE US, THE CITIZENS OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL STATES ....
WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT .....
OF OUR UNION ....
THAT BEING THE "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" .....
And so ......
In discussing what would be called "FEDERAL PORK" .....
It is my thought right now .....
THAT THAT WOULD ENTAIL A DIFFERENT SET OF VALUES .....
Than come into play .....
When the "PORK" is at the state level .....
And this is because OUR RIGHTS as individuals in OUR home states ....
ARE DETERMINED BY OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR INDIVIDUAL STATES .....
OR MORE TO THE POINT ....
HOW OUR INDIVIDUAL STATES THEMSELVES .....
BY AND THROUGH THEIR ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS .....
MIGHT VIEW THAT RELATIONSHIP .....
WITH US ....
THE CITIZENS OF THE SEPARATE STATES ....
And so ....
I wanted to get that written down in here ....
Even though it might be an incomplete thought .....
As of yet ....
Because once written down in here ....
It is a thought expressed ...
That can then be further developed ....
With facts and examples ....
To flesh it all out ....
And make it comprehensible ....
SINCE WE ARE ON THE SEARCH IN HERE FOR COMMON GROUND .....
And above all ....
COMMON SENSE ....
Which has to be grounded in some reality .....
That does not constantly shift ....
LIKE SAND ....
IN THE DESERT ....
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 26 2007, 07:41 AM)
And as of this morning .....
The "PORK-O-CRACY" in the State of New York appears to be quite alive .....
And doing very well for itself ....
As it feels it should ....
After all ....
PUBLIC SERVICE ....
SHOULD NOT BE ABOUT SERVING THE PUBLIC ...
RATHER ...
IT IS ABOUT GETTING INTO THE PUBLIC'S PANTS POCKETS ....
AND LIVING HERE ....
Making your own life better ...
At their expense ...
Like rats in a farmer's corn crib ....
Or weevils in the flour ....
And so ....
The "PORK-O-CRACY" in the State of New York appears to be quite alive .....
And doing very well for itself ....
As it feels it should ....
After all ....
PUBLIC SERVICE ....
SHOULD NOT BE ABOUT SERVING THE PUBLIC ...
RATHER ...
IT IS ABOUT GETTING INTO THE PUBLIC'S PANTS POCKETS ....
AND LIVING HERE ....
Making your own life better ...
At their expense ...
Like rats in a farmer's corn crib ....
Or weevils in the flour ....
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 22 2007, 08:26 AM)
There's something happening here ....
What it is ain't exactly clear ....
There's a man with a gun over there ....
TELLING ME I'VE GOT TO BEWARE ...
What it is ain't exactly clear ....
There's a man with a gun over there ....
TELLING ME I'VE GOT TO BEWARE ...
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 09:28 AM)
And here ....
I mean the fact ....
That OUR state and federal CONSTITUTIONS ....
ARE ACTUALLY LAWS .....
ORGANIC LAWS .....
That bind OUR governments .....
State and federal, as well as local ....
To certain STANDARDS OF CONDUCT .....
ON BEHALF OF US ....
The PEOPLE of OUR America .....
I mean the fact ....
That OUR state and federal CONSTITUTIONS ....
ARE ACTUALLY LAWS .....
ORGANIC LAWS .....
That bind OUR governments .....
State and federal, as well as local ....
To certain STANDARDS OF CONDUCT .....
ON BEHALF OF US ....
The PEOPLE of OUR America .....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 22 2007, 07:10 AM)
"Spitzer names Pennsylvania official upstate development czar"
Associated Press
Last updated: 1:42 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has tapped an economic development official from Pennsylvania to head a new Buffalo office that will spearhead efforts to revive the upstate New York economy.
Gundersen's job is "pure dedication to the upstate economy," Spitzer said, and he will have the power and resources to reverse the state's loss of young workers and the frustration of businesses facing high taxes and other competitive disadvantages.
Associated Press
Last updated: 1:42 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2007
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has tapped an economic development official from Pennsylvania to head a new Buffalo office that will spearhead efforts to revive the upstate New York economy.
Gundersen's job is "pure dedication to the upstate economy," Spitzer said, and he will have the power and resources to reverse the state's loss of young workers and the frustration of businesses facing high taxes and other competitive disadvantages.
And reporting in this morning ....
From the PORK-O-CRACY of New York ....
Where young people with any sense at all ....
Get out while they can .....
With the advice of older people like me ....
Telling them ....
That until THE PEOPLE of the State of New York State ....
WAKE UP ...
AND COME TO THEIR SENSES ....
And finally clean out the putrid, politically-inbred mess that resides down there in the HALLS OF POWER in Albany, New York ....
The GOVERNOR'S OFFICE .....
THE STATE ASSEMBLY ....
AND THE STATE SENATE .....
ALL OF WHICH ARE INHABITED BY PETULANT CHILDREN ....
This is not the place to try and make a life ....
BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE STABLE OR COMPETENT OR HONEST GOVERNMENT UP HERE ....
WHICH WILL IMPACT ADVERSELY ON THEM .....
ALWAYS HAVING THE HAND OF THE "STATE" IN THEIR POCKET ....
BLEEDING THEM ....
WHILE PROVIDING NO PROTECTION ....
FOR THEIR HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELL-BEING ....
And so ...
"A showdown looming"
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Saturday, January 27, 2007
Assembly Democrats vented their anger Friday over a screening panel's decision to exclude their colleagues from a list of eligible state comptroller candidates and said they're giving serious thought to breaking ranks with Gov. Eliot Spitzer over the job.
In what could become a battle between the state's top two Democrats, Assembly members said they felt "rolled" by the three-member panel and, more specifically, by Spitzer himself.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, worked the phones, trying to gauge whether there is support in his conference for ignoring the panel's list and tapping a legislator to be comptroller, which has been his preference all along.
A Spitzer aide said Silver and Spitzer spoke by phone, and described the call as "cordial," although the speaker did register his "frustration" over the panel's decision.
Silver has said the panel did not fulfill its duty because it recommended three rather than five candidates, which was its original charge.
Spitzer on Friday told The New York Times he expected the Legislature to "pick among the three," adding:
"That's the way it should be."
Several Assembly members said they received calls Friday from top Spitzer aides who insisted the governor did nothing to influence the panel's decision.
But the lawmakers remained unconvinced, especially given Spitzer's clear preference for someone from outside the Legislature to fill the office vacated by former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi.
Hevesi resigned last year after pleading guilty to a felony fraud charge related to his use of public employees as aides to his wife.
"People are angry," said Assemblyman Keith Wright, D-Harlem.
"I know it's a cold day, but you can see steam coming out of people's ears."
The state constitution gives the Legislature, not the governor, the power to fill the vacancy in the comptroller's office.
But Assembly Democrats could have difficulty reaching a consensus if they try to appoint one of their own.
Five legislators interviewed for the job last week.
One, Alexander "Pete" Grannis, a Manhattan Democrat, was tapped by Spitzer for Environmental Conservation commissioner.
But at least three of the four others -- Thomas DiNapoli, of Great Neck; Richard Brodsky, of Westchester; and Joseph Morelle, of Rochester -- said they still consider themselves in the running.
The fourth, Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, D-Brooklyn, did not return a call for comment.
"It's not over yet," DiNapoli said.
"Tuesday is going to be a real soul-searching day for the conference."
"It's hard to predict where it ends up, but I don't think it's by any means a settled question as to who's going to emerge."
It will take 107 votes of the 212-seat Legislature to elect the next comptroller.
Silver has 107 members, including Grannis.
Assemblyman John Lavelle, D-Staten Island, died Wednesday following a stroke.
It's likely Silver will have to seek support from outside his conference -- either from the Assembly Republican minority or the Senate -- if he wants to buck Spitzer.
Brodsky said the Assembly members' chances with the screening panel were low because of the conventional wisdom that the Legislature is a dysfunctional mess, a view Spitzer perpetuated with pledges to "clean up" Albany.
"None of this would have happened if we weren't swimming in an ocean in which we're viewed in the most unhealthy way," Brodsky said.
Given the possibility that the Assembly Democrats won't be able to agree on one of their own to be comptroller, they may end up picking from among the three candidates recommended Thursday by the panel.
Assembly members gave the worst chances to William Mulrow, a Bronxville financier who lost the 2002 Democratic primary for the comptroller's office to Hevesi.
Mulrow is viewed as a friend of Spitzer's, and thus is not viewed kindly at this moment by Assembly Democrats.
The selection of New York City Finance Commissioner Martha Stark would fill all four of the state's top elected posts with New York City residents -- something upstate legislators might dislike.
Some speculated Stark would be championed by the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucus because she is the only African-American on the short list.
But Assemblyman Darryl Towns, D-Brooklyn, the caucus' new chairman, said the group "right now is standing with the conference."
"We're waiting to get together and make a determination on what we're going to do," Towns said.
"We had a process, and things have changed."
"The process yielded questionable results."
"Now we need to come back together and determine where we're going."
Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman could, by default, emerge as a consensus candidate.
He impressed a number of lawmakers with his interview last week, although he is virtually unknown outside his home county and is thus seen as unlikely to win in the 2010 statewide election.
The fight over the comptroller's office comes as Spitzer prepares to release his first executive budget Wednesday, and is pledging to cut Medicaid costs.
This sets him on a collision course with a number of powerful special interests, particularly the healthcare workers union SEIU/1199, which has strong allies in the Legislature.
Adding to Spitzer's troubles with the Legislature is a Feb. 6 special election he forced on Long Island that could affect the balance of power in the GOP-controlled state Senate.
"People are angrier right now than I ever remember them being at (former Republican Gov.) George Pataki," said one Assembly Democrat who asked to remain anonymous.
"Right now, they're acting like they'd rather screw this guy back more than anything else in the world."
Benjamin can be reached at 454-5081 or by e-mail at ebenjamin@timesunion.com.
QUOTE(Abu Beacon @ Jan 20 2007, 06:26 PM)
Anyhow, I feel certain this thread will be a success.
A.B.
A.B.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 27 2007, 07:37 AM)
"A showdown looming"
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Saturday, January 27, 2007
Assembly Democrats vented their anger Friday over a screening panel's decision to exclude their colleagues from a list of eligible state comptroller candidates and said they're giving serious thought to breaking ranks with Gov. Eliot Spitzer over the job.
In what could become a battle between the state's top two Democrats, Assembly members said they felt "rolled" by the three-member panel and, more specifically, by Spitzer himself.
Brodsky said the Assembly members' chances with the screening panel were low because of the conventional wisdom that the Legislature is a dysfunctional mess, a view Spitzer perpetuated with pledges to "clean up" Albany.
"None of this would have happened if we weren't swimming in an ocean in which we're viewed in the most unhealthy way," Brodsky said.
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Saturday, January 27, 2007
Assembly Democrats vented their anger Friday over a screening panel's decision to exclude their colleagues from a list of eligible state comptroller candidates and said they're giving serious thought to breaking ranks with Gov. Eliot Spitzer over the job.
In what could become a battle between the state's top two Democrats, Assembly members said they felt "rolled" by the three-member panel and, more specifically, by Spitzer himself.
Brodsky said the Assembly members' chances with the screening panel were low because of the conventional wisdom that the Legislature is a dysfunctional mess, a view Spitzer perpetuated with pledges to "clean up" Albany.
"None of this would have happened if we weren't swimming in an ocean in which we're viewed in the most unhealthy way," Brodsky said.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 26 2007, 07:41 AM)
"Lifetime perk draws scrutiny - Lawmaker says members of state boards may have erred in giving themselves health coverage benefit"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Friday, January 26, 2007
ALBANY -- Board members of two state agencies charged with helping create affordable housing in New York voted last year to use state funds to give themselves and their spouses lifetime health insurance, according to board members.
The six-member Housing Finance Agency and the eight-member New York State Mortgage Association boards gave themselves the benefits as a payback for service, said former Sen. Howard C. Nolan, an appointee of the comptroller's office to the SONYMA board.
He said the benefit seemed reasonable given the unpaid service board members provide the state, and the need to "attract quality people."
"A lot of people won't serve unless they get a touch of the hat," said Nolan, who represented Albany County in the Senate.
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Friday, January 26, 2007
ALBANY -- Board members of two state agencies charged with helping create affordable housing in New York voted last year to use state funds to give themselves and their spouses lifetime health insurance, according to board members.
The six-member Housing Finance Agency and the eight-member New York State Mortgage Association boards gave themselves the benefits as a payback for service, said former Sen. Howard C. Nolan, an appointee of the comptroller's office to the SONYMA board.
He said the benefit seemed reasonable given the unpaid service board members provide the state, and the need to "attract quality people."
"A lot of people won't serve unless they get a touch of the hat," said Nolan, who represented Albany County in the Senate.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Dec 30 2006 @ 07:06 PM)
"Spitzer prepares to take over after 12 years of Republican rule"
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 11:02 a.m., Saturday, December 30, 2006
ALBANY -- Calling himself "the new CEO of the state," Eliot Spitzer says he has a "sense of excitement and anticipation" as he prepares to take over as New York's 54th governor on New Year's Day.
Spitzer faces the same divided state Legislature that the last Democratic governor, Mario Cuomo, and Pataki dealt with -- a Republican-led Senate and a Democratic-controlled state Assembly.
The notoriously gridlocked Legislature in 2004 earned the title of the nation's most dysfunctional.
While there has been speculation Spitzer's ascendancy could lead to the ouster of Bruno or Silver -- or both -- the governor-elect said he won't assist any overthrows in the short term.
"There is a new CEO of the state and I'm going to run the state with my partners."
Nonetheless, Spitzer made it clear he plans to be the senior partner, saying he would "certainly do what a governor is supposed to do, which is to take the helm and say here are the priorities."
Spitzer said the biggest impediment is simply trying to change the status quo given the power of special interests in New York, including those inside and outside government.
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 11:02 a.m., Saturday, December 30, 2006
ALBANY -- Calling himself "the new CEO of the state," Eliot Spitzer says he has a "sense of excitement and anticipation" as he prepares to take over as New York's 54th governor on New Year's Day.
Spitzer faces the same divided state Legislature that the last Democratic governor, Mario Cuomo, and Pataki dealt with -- a Republican-led Senate and a Democratic-controlled state Assembly.
The notoriously gridlocked Legislature in 2004 earned the title of the nation's most dysfunctional.
While there has been speculation Spitzer's ascendancy could lead to the ouster of Bruno or Silver -- or both -- the governor-elect said he won't assist any overthrows in the short term.
"There is a new CEO of the state and I'm going to run the state with my partners."
Nonetheless, Spitzer made it clear he plans to be the senior partner, saying he would "certainly do what a governor is supposed to do, which is to take the helm and say here are the priorities."
Spitzer said the biggest impediment is simply trying to change the status quo given the power of special interests in New York, including those inside and outside government.
For many years now ....
We, the people who reside up here in the State of New York ....
Have been forced to watch this CHARADE that goes on down there in Albany, New York .....
The CHARADE that calls itself ....
MOCKINGLY ....
And CONDESCENDINGLY ....
OUR state government up here ....
AND IT IS INDEED A MOCKERY ....
Ranking as one of the most corrupt and inept governments in the United States of America ....
If not the world ....
And so ....
WHAT TO DO ABOUT THAT .....
Is the thought that is on the minds of many of us up here in this CORRUPT PORK-O-CRATIC EMPIRE .....
Where ....
As former New York State Senator Howard C. Nolan ....
Who represented Albany County in the New York State Senate .....
SO APTLY PUT IT ....
"A lot of people won't serve unless they get a touch of the hat" ......
Which "practice" former State Senator Nolan says ....
Fulfills the need
To "attract quality people" .....
And of course .....
THAT IS FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE .....
Which for many, many years up here ....
HAS BEEN THE ONLY PERSPECTIVE THAT GETS A VOICE PUT TO IT .....
And so ....
WHAT TO DO?
And the answer to that question is elusive, actually ....
Which brings me to Mr. A.B.'s statement above here ....
Concerning whether or not this thread might be what Mr. A.B. calls a "success" ....
I give a lot of thought to that, actually ....
When I come in here to this forum .....
Not the thought of "success", so much .....
Because I don't think in that term myself, when I start a thread .....
But more in the terms of "BEING PRODUCTIVE" in here ....
Which means not wasting my time ....
BY WASTING YOUR TIME ....
With things that are fleeting ....
Or transient ....
Or immaterial to YOUR LIFE ....
Just because they might be an issue in mine .....
And so .....
JUDGEMENT .....
Which means MEASURING ONE'S WORDS ....
So as to not repel readers away from what is being discussed herein .....
And that is a balancing act, as I see it .....
Out here in real life ....
If there is such a thing, anymore ....
In this day and age of "REALITY TV" ....
I am a real person ....
With the range of emotions and such that seem to encumber us down here on this earth of OURS ...
While we are here ....
And I have been here in the State of New York ....
Since my birth in 1946 ....
So that by now ....
Having traveled a bit ....
And having seen how things go in other parts of the United States of America ....
I believe that I have a basis of comparison in here .....
Between other states ....
And New York State ....
THAT FAVORS THOSE OTHER STATES GREATLY ....
OVER NEW YORK STATE .....
And to be very truthful ....
Out there in real life ....
I really do counsel young people to GET THE HELL OUT OF NEW YORK STATE ....
BECAUSE IT IS A CORRUPT ****-HOLE .....
And that is not going to change anytime soon ....
SINCE THE CAUSE OF THAT CORRUPTION ....
REMAINS FIRMLY ENTRENCHED DOWN THERE IN ALBANY .....
Despite this last election up here .....
Which simply re-arranged some of the seating arrangement of the "PLAYAHS" ....
As they are called by the wags in the know up here .....
And so ...
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 09:28 AM)
Good morning, America .....
And the candid world, as well ....
My name is Livyjr ....
And way back when ....
In the opening days of this forum .....
Right after the November 2004 elections, to be exact ....
I was reading a book entitled The Power of Many by Christian Crumlish ....
Who himself had experience with the use of the internet as a real professional "tool" for communications among separate and disparate groups of people in the world during the Dean Campaign ....
And one of the many points that he made to me in that book ....
Was the level of difficulty that the Dean campaign had in translating communications on the internet ....
INTO ACTION ....
Out there in the REAL WORLD ....
And so .....
And the candid world, as well ....
My name is Livyjr ....
And way back when ....
In the opening days of this forum .....
Right after the November 2004 elections, to be exact ....
I was reading a book entitled The Power of Many by Christian Crumlish ....
Who himself had experience with the use of the internet as a real professional "tool" for communications among separate and disparate groups of people in the world during the Dean Campaign ....
And one of the many points that he made to me in that book ....
Was the level of difficulty that the Dean campaign had in translating communications on the internet ....
INTO ACTION ....
Out there in the REAL WORLD ....
And so .....
In his book The Power of Many .....
The author, Christian Crumlish, who was involved with the Dean campaign in the run-up to the 2004 presidential elections ....
Here in OUR America ....
Talked about the difficulties the Dean campaign encountered in trying to translate communications over the internet .....
Which reaches only a limited number of people here in America ....
As does any media output ....
Into some kind of positive action out there in the real world ....
Where all of us actually live our lives ....
And in one section of the book .....
He describes having DEANIACS out in California writing letters to potential voters in Iowa .....
Telling those potential voters in Iowa ....
Why those people in California liked Howard Dean ....
And therefore ....
Why those potential voters in Iowa should like Howard Dean, as well .....
And not surprisingly .....
THAT EFFORT DID NOT SUCCEED ....
And being a country person myself ....
I could just picture in my mind ....
Some Iowa hog farmer .....
Going out to his mailbox ....
And finding therein a letter to him .....
With a California return address on it .....
And upon opening it .....
Finding a message therein ....
To the effect of "HEY, DUDE, YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW ME, BUT I THINK HOWARD DEAN IS JUST THE GINCHIEST AND HE'S REAL COOL, TOO, HE KNOWS WHEN THE SURF IS UP, AND HE'S NOT AFRAID TO HANG TEN, AND HE LIKES RAP, AND EMINEM, AND HE HAS RAPPORT WITH YOUNG PEOPLE, AND I THINK HE WOULD MAKE A REAL GOOD PRESIDENT, SO WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS TO VOTE FOR HIM AND THEN EVERYTHING WILL BE RIGHT IN AMERICA ..."
And there the Iowa hog farmer would be ......
Holding that letter and envelope in his calloused hands .....
Turning it over and over .....
Looking at the words .....
Looking at the return address .....
Maybe scratching his head .....
Wondering what the "ginchiest" really is ....
And how to actually measure that .....
And wondering how being the "ginchiest" .....
Makes someone into a good president for America ....
Just because he likes rap .....
And so .....
COMMUNICATIONS ......
America is a very big place ....
Over three thousand miles across .....
With a band of people concentrated on the east coast .....
With their concerns and values .....
And another band of people concentrated on the west coast .....
Again with their own values and concerns ....
And then there are the people in between .....
Another band on the east side of the Missippi River ....
And on the west side as well ....
WITH VALUES AND CONCERNS THAT ARE IMPOSED UPON THEM ....
BY CLIMATE ....
AND TERRAIN ....
And modes and methods of making a living ....
That differ from how people in other parts of the country live .....
And so .....
Measuring "success" in computer forums like this ....
Is presently elusive to me ....
MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE NEWNESS OF THIS METHOD OF COMMUNICATION ....
WHICH I VIEW AS AN EXPERIMENT IN DEMOCRACY .....
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 23 2007, 07:56 PM)
"'Pork' reforms touted - Cuomo's steps require grant recipients to reveal links to state lawmakers"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Tuesday, January 23, 2007
ALBANY -- The initiative comes as several lawmakers have been indicted or subjected to criminal investigation over their use of member items in recent years.
Sen. Efrain Gonzalez Jr. and former Assemblyman Brian M. McLaughlin, both New York City Democrats, were charged in federal indictments with using tens of thousands of dollars in member item grants funneled to nonprofit organizations for personal expenses.
Federal investigators are also reviewing the granting of $500,000 by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, to a private company in his district, Troy-based Evident Technologies Inc.
Evident is owned partly by a business associate and friend of Bruno.
Cuomo declined to name any particular grants that he finds troubling.
He also would not say whether he thought his predecessor, Spitzer, should have more aggressively monitored member items during his eight-year tenure as attorney general. '
Spitzer became governor this year.
"There have been serious questions raised about member items; it's a recent phenomena," Cuomo said, adding that his initiative follows Spitzer's gubernatorial promise to improve disclosure and ethics in Albany.
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Tuesday, January 23, 2007
ALBANY -- The initiative comes as several lawmakers have been indicted or subjected to criminal investigation over their use of member items in recent years.
Sen. Efrain Gonzalez Jr. and former Assemblyman Brian M. McLaughlin, both New York City Democrats, were charged in federal indictments with using tens of thousands of dollars in member item grants funneled to nonprofit organizations for personal expenses.
Federal investigators are also reviewing the granting of $500,000 by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, to a private company in his district, Troy-based Evident Technologies Inc.
Evident is owned partly by a business associate and friend of Bruno.
Cuomo declined to name any particular grants that he finds troubling.
He also would not say whether he thought his predecessor, Spitzer, should have more aggressively monitored member items during his eight-year tenure as attorney general. '
Spitzer became governor this year.
"There have been serious questions raised about member items; it's a recent phenomena," Cuomo said, adding that his initiative follows Spitzer's gubernatorial promise to improve disclosure and ethics in Albany.
And by way of some background ....
As to the genesis of this thread ......
"Funds blocked amid scandal - Silver halts payments to nonprofit after a lawmaker is accused of racketeering"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Friday, October 20, 2006
ALBANY -- Indicted Assemblyman Brian M. McLaughlin steered tens of thousands of dollars in member items to a nonprofit group in Flushing that was supposed to buy sports equipment for a Little League baseball team, according to court and state records.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, rushed to block any further state payments to the Electchester Athletic Association Inc., his aide Charles Carrier said Thursday.
Silver's move followed an indictment earlier this week accusing McLaughlin, a seven-term Democrat, of misappropriating $95,000 from the organization after directing state grants to it over the years.
Carrier said he cannot say who sponsored the member-item funds to the sports group in Electchester, a community of affordable housing units built with funds advanced by Local 3 of the International Union of Electrical Workers, which McLaughlin has headed.
The housing project is in the district of Democratic Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn.
Her chief of staff, Michael Simanowitz, said she sent small grants of about $2,000 a year to the group.
McLaughlin, an Assembly member since 1992, was indicted Tuesday.
He faces 43 counts including racketeering and money laundering.
He allegedly stole from his campaign fund, raided the Electchester nonprofit, took payouts from contractors and misused $2.2 million for a variety of personal expenses.
McLaughlin pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan Wednesday.
His office did not return calls Thursday.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, Michael Garcia, alleged in the 186-page indictment that McLaughlin misappropriated state funds from the Electchester Athletic Association by diverting money intended for a Little League baseball program.
According to state comptroller's records, Electchester Athletic Association received five member-item grants since 2002 $21,400.
Another $15,600 member-item grant to the group is pending from the Assembly Democrats, according to the Office of Children & Family Services, which is administering the grants.
Silver stopped further payment on the grant, Carrier said, but agency spokesman Brian Marchetti was unsure if that had been done.
Marchetti said the pending member item is supposed to be used for sports supplies.
The federal indictment against McLaughlin represents the biggest list of felony charges in memory against a sitting lawmaker.
McLaughlin announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election.
Investigators say McLaughlin embezzled, stole and converted money for uses such as building a home, paying for a luxury car for his wife, cash for female friends and wedding expenses for his son.
He also allegedly created no-show jobs in the Assembly so that he could enrich himself with more state paychecks.
McLaughlin, the indictment says, created two fictitious posts on his Assembly staff and misappropriated more than $35,000 from the state by pocketing a share of the salary for one of the purported employees.
He also allegedly submitted false claims for reimbursement of daily expenses for time in Albany when he was not actually in town.
The indictment says families of children who took part in Electchester sports programs paid fees to participate, and the group held fundraisers to support the teams.
McLaughlin added to the nonprofit's treasury by securing member-item grants, the indictment says.
For some of the money, the EAA produced sponsorship forms to solicit contributions.
The forms thanked contributors and concluded with the message:
"A child in sports stays out of the courts!"
Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at jodato@timesunion.com.
And some more background ....
On the PORK-O-CRACY ....
Up here ....
In the CORRUPT EMPIRE ....
Of New York ....
"A town's grateful concession to pork"
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Monday, October 9, 2006
State Sen. Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno has a baseball stadium named for him in Troy, a broadcast control room at WMHT's North Greenbush headquarters and a bust bearing his likeness at Albany International Airport.
And he almost had a sports field concession stand named in his honor.
Almost.
This latest edifice complex tale has a familiar theme: pork barrel spending and honors to a politician who gives out taxpayer money.
Between 2000 and 2002 Bruno secured $40,000 for the town of Brunswick, which used the money for improvements to its sports complex and programs.
Some went to expand the concession stand used during Brunswick Bulldogs football games.
Bulldog supporters planned to mount a plaque honoring the senator, and discussed naming the concession stand after him, according to a person familiar with the team.
But apparently, a scheduling conflict prevented Bruno from attending the team's annual pep rally/bonfire on Sept. 22.
The plaque never went up.
At this point the stories diverge, depending on whom one asks, on whether the Bulldogs were miffed that Bruno missed the rally.
"We understood."
"At some point we will put the plaque up," said one person connected with the affair, adding, "Joe Bruno has been good to us."
But another source, also at the rally, said some were displeased, all the more because they felt Bruno's office had pressured them to name something after their hometown senator.
It's no secret, he said, that "Joe would like to have something named after him in Brunswick."
Bruno spokesman Kris Thompson called that notion "ridiculous."
"We don't solicit people to put names on buildings or anything else of that sort," said Thompson.
"This is about the kids, it's not about naming rights."
Contributors: Capitol bureau reporters Rick Karlin and James M. Odato. Got a tip? Call 454-5424 or e-mail jjochnowitz@ timesunion.com.
On the PORK-O-CRACY ....
Up here ....
In the CORRUPT EMPIRE ....
Of New York ....
"A town's grateful concession to pork"
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Monday, October 9, 2006
State Sen. Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno has a baseball stadium named for him in Troy, a broadcast control room at WMHT's North Greenbush headquarters and a bust bearing his likeness at Albany International Airport.
And he almost had a sports field concession stand named in his honor.
Almost.
This latest edifice complex tale has a familiar theme: pork barrel spending and honors to a politician who gives out taxpayer money.
Between 2000 and 2002 Bruno secured $40,000 for the town of Brunswick, which used the money for improvements to its sports complex and programs.
Some went to expand the concession stand used during Brunswick Bulldogs football games.
Bulldog supporters planned to mount a plaque honoring the senator, and discussed naming the concession stand after him, according to a person familiar with the team.
But apparently, a scheduling conflict prevented Bruno from attending the team's annual pep rally/bonfire on Sept. 22.
The plaque never went up.
At this point the stories diverge, depending on whom one asks, on whether the Bulldogs were miffed that Bruno missed the rally.
"We understood."
"At some point we will put the plaque up," said one person connected with the affair, adding, "Joe Bruno has been good to us."
But another source, also at the rally, said some were displeased, all the more because they felt Bruno's office had pressured them to name something after their hometown senator.
It's no secret, he said, that "Joe would like to have something named after him in Brunswick."
Bruno spokesman Kris Thompson called that notion "ridiculous."
"We don't solicit people to put names on buildings or anything else of that sort," said Thompson.
"This is about the kids, it's not about naming rights."
Contributors: Capitol bureau reporters Rick Karlin and James M. Odato. Got a tip? Call 454-5424 or e-mail jjochnowitz@ timesunion.com.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 05:04 PM)
And for those of you who are just joining in here ....
By way of background .....
Because CONTEXT is important .....
It can be accurately said ......
Or stated .....
That the "path" to this thread ....
Comes in from many directions ....
ALL OF THEM FACTUAL ...
Which is to say ....
Backed up by some type of independent evidence ....
AND ALL OF THEM PUBLIC RECORD ....
In the State of New York ....
Which is to say ...
This thread is not based on supposition .....
Or innuendo ....
Statements made and conclusions drawn in this thread are done so based upon the record to be developed in here ....
And so ...
And one of those directions ....
Is stated in the public record ....
In the following recent news item ....
From the pages of the Albany, New York Times Union ....
The newspaper of record for the capital city of the State of New York ....
And so ....
Without further ado ...
"Feeding off taxpayers no crime, lawyer says - Cronyism, big spending called usual government practice at Strevell trial"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
Fanciullo asserted that the U.S. attorney's case against Strevell is full of allegations that should not be classified as federal crimes.
In his motion to dismiss the federal case, he suggested that by the prosecution's logic, state employees could be hauled to court for taking a sick day to play golf.
"According to the indictment it has become a felony to have a conflict of interest," says Fanciullo.
"Any 'dishonesty,' any state law violation, connected to employment, coupled with mailing or wire, becomes a federal felony."
Strevell is charged with nine counts of mail fraud and six counts of wire fraud.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
The institute's activities, revealed by the Times Union, became an embarrassment for Republican leaders who had supported it, including Bruno, R-Brunswick, Gov. George Pataki and his administration, and former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Strevell also allegedly doctored the record of a board vote that resulted in his pay rising by $95,000.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
In his motion to dismiss, Fanciullo attached a deposition from Chauncey Strevell saying he and two other members of the board, Jeffrey Pfiel and Georgette Mosbacher, voted to approve the raise.
He said the other two board members, including another Strevell brother, Felix, and Joseph Magno, abstained.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Lord, in her response to the court, said Fanciullo used "wildly hypothetical" situations to demonstrate unsuitable prosecutions.
She added that mail fraud is a legitimate charge because Strevell used the mail to conduct his alleged frauds.
M. Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at jodato@timesunion.com.
By way of background .....
Because CONTEXT is important .....
It can be accurately said ......
Or stated .....
That the "path" to this thread ....
Comes in from many directions ....
ALL OF THEM FACTUAL ...
Which is to say ....
Backed up by some type of independent evidence ....
AND ALL OF THEM PUBLIC RECORD ....
In the State of New York ....
Which is to say ...
This thread is not based on supposition .....
Or innuendo ....
Statements made and conclusions drawn in this thread are done so based upon the record to be developed in here ....
And so ...
And one of those directions ....
Is stated in the public record ....
In the following recent news item ....
From the pages of the Albany, New York Times Union ....
The newspaper of record for the capital city of the State of New York ....
And so ....
Without further ado ...
"Feeding off taxpayers no crime, lawyer says - Cronyism, big spending called usual government practice at Strevell trial"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
Fanciullo asserted that the U.S. attorney's case against Strevell is full of allegations that should not be classified as federal crimes.
In his motion to dismiss the federal case, he suggested that by the prosecution's logic, state employees could be hauled to court for taking a sick day to play golf.
"According to the indictment it has become a felony to have a conflict of interest," says Fanciullo.
"Any 'dishonesty,' any state law violation, connected to employment, coupled with mailing or wire, becomes a federal felony."
Strevell is charged with nine counts of mail fraud and six counts of wire fraud.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
The institute's activities, revealed by the Times Union, became an embarrassment for Republican leaders who had supported it, including Bruno, R-Brunswick, Gov. George Pataki and his administration, and former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Strevell also allegedly doctored the record of a board vote that resulted in his pay rising by $95,000.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
In his motion to dismiss, Fanciullo attached a deposition from Chauncey Strevell saying he and two other members of the board, Jeffrey Pfiel and Georgette Mosbacher, voted to approve the raise.
He said the other two board members, including another Strevell brother, Felix, and Joseph Magno, abstained.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Lord, in her response to the court, said Fanciullo used "wildly hypothetical" situations to demonstrate unsuitable prosecutions.
She added that mail fraud is a legitimate charge because Strevell used the mail to conduct his alleged frauds.
M. Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at jodato@timesunion.com.
The other day ....
I heard George W. Bush say ....
On FOX News .....
That .....
The "STATE OF OUR UNION WAS STRONG" ......
And I was curious about that, to be truthful .....
WHAT HIS "YARDSTICK OF MEASUREMENT" WAS .....
And of course, in a superficial media event such as that was ....
WE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ....
Could not expect to hear any substantiation of that allegation .....
From George W. Bush ...
And so ......
WHAT REALLY, THEN, IS OUR "UNION" .....
AND IS IT "STRONG" .....
OR IS IT ACTUALLY ROTTING FROM WITHIN ....
AND LIKE A FISH ....
FROM THE HEAD DOWN .....
IS OUR UNION REALLY STRONG .....
WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ....
IS INDICTING PUBLIC OFFICIALS ....
IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
FOR USING THEIR ELECTED POSITIONS .....
TO ROB THE PUBLIC TILL?
I WONDER HOW GEORGE W. BUSH WOULD RESPOND TO THAT QUESTION ....
IF HE WERE TO BE PRESSED ON THIS POINT ....
BY THE PRESS?
WHEN WE HAVE ALLEGED CORRUPT STATES IN OUR UNION ....
SUCH AS NEW YORK ....
WHICH IS ALLEGEDLY IN COMPETITION .....
WITH OTHER STATES IN THE UNION ....
WHICH ARE APPRENTLY CORRUPT AS WELL ....
HOW ON EARTH DOES THAT MAKE THE "STATE OF OUR UNION" STRONG?
That is something that just seems to be beyond the ability of us simple country folks up here to understand ....
To "winkel out", as it were ....
HOW IT IS GOOD FOR AMERICA TO HAVE WITHIN ITS UNION ....
ALLEGED CORRUPT STATES LIKE NEW YORK .....
Where in the FEDERAL NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK ....
Right here in its CAPITAL of Albany, New York ....
A Bush-appointee FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT JUDGE ....
Named Gary L. Sharpe .....
IS BEING ASKED ....
TO PLACE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SEAL OF APPROVAL ....
ON CORRUPTION IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
AS AN ACCEPTABLE GOVERNMENTAL PRACTICE .....
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 28 2007, 03:55 PM)
The other day ....
I heard George W. Bush say ....
On FOX News .....
That .....
The "STATE OF OUR UNION WAS STRONG" ......
And I was curious about that, to be truthful .....
WHAT HIS "YARDSTICK OF MEASUREMENT" WAS .....
And of course, in a superficial media event such as that was ....
WE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ....
Could not expect to hear any substantiation of that allegation .....
From George W. Bush ...
And so ......
WHAT REALLY, THEN, IS OUR "UNION" .....
AND IS IT "STRONG"?
I heard George W. Bush say ....
On FOX News .....
That .....
The "STATE OF OUR UNION WAS STRONG" ......
And I was curious about that, to be truthful .....
WHAT HIS "YARDSTICK OF MEASUREMENT" WAS .....
And of course, in a superficial media event such as that was ....
WE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ....
Could not expect to hear any substantiation of that allegation .....
From George W. Bush ...
And so ......
WHAT REALLY, THEN, IS OUR "UNION" .....
AND IS IT "STRONG"?
When I was young .....
Here in OUR America ....
OUR UNION ....
And here, perhaps an older American like Mr. A.B. can bear this out ....
Bear out the fact that my mind is not slipping on me ....
As I enter my older age .....
Or that I am not delusional in here ....
Or out of my wits .....
Or addle-pated .....
OUR UNION .....
Only had within it ....
48 states ....
And not the fifty of today .....
When I was young ....
And here again ...
Perhaps Mr. A.B. can bear witness to this .....
Neither Alaska ....
Nor Hawaii ......
WERE AMERICAN STATES ....
AND THUS ....
THEY WERE NOT A PART OF OUR UNION .....
And so .....
Being an American state .....
Is not simply an automatic thing .....
Which is something that I was taught as a young American .....
BY TEACHERS WHO WERE OF MR. A.B.'S GENERATION ....
WHO WERE THERE IN OUR SCHOOLS .....
TO TEACH US ABOUT OUR CONSTITUTIONS ....
BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL .....
AND OUR FORM OF GOVERMENT ....
WHICH IS NOT A DEMOCRACY ....
AND NEVER WAS INTENDED TO BE ....
RATHER, IT IS OUR CONSTITUTIONAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT ....
THAT IS SUPPOSED TO ALLOW DEMOCRACY TO FLOURISH OVER HERE ....
WITHIN THE LIMITS ESTABLISHED BY OUR CONSTITUTIONS .....
BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL .....
And so .....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 25 2007, 08:09 AM)
When I talk about CORRUPTION in the State of New York .....
I AM GOING TO THE SOURCE ....
WHICH IS THE OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE STATE, ITSELF ....
Such as this BILL MESSAGE from then-New York State Governor Mario Cuomo above here in 1986 .....
And to further "flesh that out" .....
THE ALLEGATION THAT NEW YORK STATE HAS A PROBLEM WITH CORRUPTION .....
Let us go ....
For the moment .....
To ARTICLE 460 ....
Of the New York State Penal Law ....
Which is entitled ENTERPRISE CORRUPTION ...
That ARTICLE OF LAW being a part of TITLE X of the New York State Penal Law ....
Entitled ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT ....
And the relevant part of that state law which pertains directly to this discussion in here ....
Is as follows:
S 460.00 Legislative findings.
The legislature (of the State of New York) finds and determines as follows:
Organized crime in New York state involves highly sophisticated, complex and widespread forms of criminal activity.
The diversified illegal conduct engaged in by organized crime, rooted in the illegal use of force, fraud, and corruption, constitutes a major drain upon the state's economy, costs citizens and businesses of the state billions of dollars each year, and threatens the peace, security and general welfare of the people of the state.
Organized crime continues to expand its corrosive influence in the state through illegal enterprises engaged in such criminal endeavors as the theft and fencing of property, the importation and distribution of narcotics and other dangerous drugs, arson for profit, hijacking, labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion and bribery, the illegal disposal of hazardous wastes, syndicated gambling, trafficking in stolen securities, insurance and investment frauds, and other forms of economic and social exploitation.[/size]
The money and power derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors is increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises and to corrupt our democratic processes.
end quotes
SO!
THE MONEY AND POWER OF ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK STATE IS BEING USED TO CORRUPT OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES HERE IN NEW YORK STATE!
WHICH IS ONE BIG PART OF WHY THIS THREAD IS RUNNING IN HERE ....
And so ....
I AM GOING TO THE SOURCE ....
WHICH IS THE OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE STATE, ITSELF ....
Such as this BILL MESSAGE from then-New York State Governor Mario Cuomo above here in 1986 .....
And to further "flesh that out" .....
THE ALLEGATION THAT NEW YORK STATE HAS A PROBLEM WITH CORRUPTION .....
Let us go ....
For the moment .....
To ARTICLE 460 ....
Of the New York State Penal Law ....
Which is entitled ENTERPRISE CORRUPTION ...
That ARTICLE OF LAW being a part of TITLE X of the New York State Penal Law ....
Entitled ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT ....
And the relevant part of that state law which pertains directly to this discussion in here ....
Is as follows:
S 460.00 Legislative findings.
The legislature (of the State of New York) finds and determines as follows:
Organized crime in New York state involves highly sophisticated, complex and widespread forms of criminal activity.
The diversified illegal conduct engaged in by organized crime, rooted in the illegal use of force, fraud, and corruption, constitutes a major drain upon the state's economy, costs citizens and businesses of the state billions of dollars each year, and threatens the peace, security and general welfare of the people of the state.
Organized crime continues to expand its corrosive influence in the state through illegal enterprises engaged in such criminal endeavors as the theft and fencing of property, the importation and distribution of narcotics and other dangerous drugs, arson for profit, hijacking, labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion and bribery, the illegal disposal of hazardous wastes, syndicated gambling, trafficking in stolen securities, insurance and investment frauds, and other forms of economic and social exploitation.[/size]
The money and power derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors is increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises and to corrupt our democratic processes.
end quotes
SO!
THE MONEY AND POWER OF ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK STATE IS BEING USED TO CORRUPT OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES HERE IN NEW YORK STATE!
WHICH IS ONE BIG PART OF WHY THIS THREAD IS RUNNING IN HERE ....
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 26 2007, 07:41 AM)
"Lifetime perk draws scrutiny - Lawmaker says members of state boards may have erred in giving themselves health coverage benefit"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Friday, January 26, 2007
ALBANY -- Board members of two state agencies charged with helping create affordable housing in New York voted last year to use state funds to give themselves and their spouses lifetime health insurance, according to board members.
The six-member Housing Finance Agency and the eight-member New York State Mortgage Association boards gave themselves the benefits as a payback for service, said former Sen. Howard C. Nolan, an appointee of the comptroller's office to the SONYMA board.
He said the benefit seemed reasonable given the unpaid service board members provide the state, and the need to "attract quality people."
However, a lawmaker who oversees public authorities said the benefit may be an illegal bonus for board members who are not supposed to be compensated.
"It's an apparent violation of the laws creating SONYMA which do not permit compensation," said Assembly Corporations Committee Chairman Richard Brodsky, D-White Plains.
"A lot of people won't serve unless they get a touch of the hat," said Nolan, who represented Albany County in the Senate.
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Friday, January 26, 2007
ALBANY -- Board members of two state agencies charged with helping create affordable housing in New York voted last year to use state funds to give themselves and their spouses lifetime health insurance, according to board members.
The six-member Housing Finance Agency and the eight-member New York State Mortgage Association boards gave themselves the benefits as a payback for service, said former Sen. Howard C. Nolan, an appointee of the comptroller's office to the SONYMA board.
He said the benefit seemed reasonable given the unpaid service board members provide the state, and the need to "attract quality people."
However, a lawmaker who oversees public authorities said the benefit may be an illegal bonus for board members who are not supposed to be compensated.
"It's an apparent violation of the laws creating SONYMA which do not permit compensation," said Assembly Corporations Committee Chairman Richard Brodsky, D-White Plains.
"A lot of people won't serve unless they get a touch of the hat," said Nolan, who represented Albany County in the Senate.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 20 2007, 05:04 PM)
"Feeding off taxpayers no crime, lawyer says - Cronyism, big spending called usual government practice at Strevell trial"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
The institute's activities, revealed by the Times Union, became an embarrassment for Republican leaders who had supported it, including Bruno, R-Brunswick, Gov. George Pataki and his administration, and former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Strevell also allegedly doctored the record of a board vote that resulted in his pay rising by $95,000.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, January 18, 2007
ALBANY -- A defense lawyer for the Rensselaer County entrepreneur whose organization got more than $1 million in member item grants directed by Sen. Joseph L. Bruno is arguing in federal court that dishonesty isn't necessarily a federal offense.
William P. Fanciullo, lawyer for J. Felix Strevell, the former director of the now-defunct Institute for Entrepreneurship, also said that Strevell's actions, including putting relatives on the state payroll, were normal practices in government.
The case before U.S. District Court Justice Gary L. Sharpe centers on Strevell's lavish spending on himself and on parties that honored lawmakers who helped him get public money.
Among its funding sources, the institute received two $500,000 discretionary grants, known as member items, through Bruno in 1999 and 2001.
Strevell allegedly misused some of the $8 million in mostly taxpayer funds raised by the institute during his reign from 1998 to 2001, when he and his brother, Chauncey, the former chief operating officer, abruptly quit.
While at the institute, Strevell hired friends, relatives of powerful Republicans, his daughter and his daughter's boyfriend.
He also used institute funds to purchase clothing and trips for himself and family members.
The institute's activities, revealed by the Times Union, became an embarrassment for Republican leaders who had supported it, including Bruno, R-Brunswick, Gov. George Pataki and his administration, and former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park.
Prosecutors say Strevell, a former state bureaucrat, manipulated the system to set up the nonprofit institute as an offshoot of state government.
He worked to improperly enrich himself and his family, the indictment says, receiving a base salary of $225,000 plus $24,000 for a housing stipend, trips for family members and merchandise for his personal use, including a $64,000 recreational vehicle.
Strevell also allegedly doctored the record of a board vote that resulted in his pay rising by $95,000.
Fanciullo said Strevell's management of the institute followed normal and accepted practices of government, including the hiring of kin, and that the salary vote was legitimate.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Dec 30 2006 @ 07:06 PM)
"Spitzer prepares to take over after 12 years of Republican rule"
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 11:02 a.m., Saturday, December 30, 2006
ALBANY -- Calling himself "the new CEO of the state," Eliot Spitzer says he has a "sense of excitement and anticipation" as he prepares to take over as New York's 54th governor on New Year's Day.
"There is a new CEO of the state and I'm going to run the state with my partners."
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 11:02 a.m., Saturday, December 30, 2006
ALBANY -- Calling himself "the new CEO of the state," Eliot Spitzer says he has a "sense of excitement and anticipation" as he prepares to take over as New York's 54th governor on New Year's Day.
"There is a new CEO of the state and I'm going to run the state with my partners."
And while we are on that subject of limits ....
And Constitutions ....
And OUR laws which flow from them ....
TO PRESERVE OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES .....
IN OUR CONSTITUTIONAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT OVER HERE ...
VERSUS "PEOPLE OF QUALITY" ....
IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR ELIOT SPITZER'S "PARTNERS" ....
WHO WON'T SERVE ....
UNLESS THEY GET ....
A "TOUCH OF THE HAT" .....
We have ....
"Bruno used campaign cash for hotel on Florida trip - Senator had dubbed it a 'vacation', which, watchdogs say, raises questions about the expenditure"
By BRENDAN J. LYONS Senior writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Monday, January 29, 2007
ALBANY -- Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno used state-regulated campaign funds to pay for his stay at an exclusive south Florida hotel last year, during a three-day trip he has described as "a vacation."
His staff, too, initially insisted the trip was private.
However, state law makes "the personal use of contributions received by a candidate or political committee" a crime "if such personal use is unrelated to a political campaign or the holding of a public office or party position."
Bruno's claim that the trip was a private vacation raises questions about his use of campaign money to help pay for it.
Last week, Bruno and his staff refused to answer additional questions or discuss details of the senator's visit to Florida.
The junket is one of many issues being examined by federal authorities as they sift through Bruno's private business dealings and personal relationships as part of an investigation that sources said is focusing on whether his influence was for sale.
As the Times Union reported Jan. 14, Bruno flew to Palm Beach County, Fla., last January aboard the private jet of his friend and business associate, Jared E. Abbruzzese, whose records also have been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury.
Initially, Bruno's office characterized the senator's travel as a "private trip," saying it had no connection to his role as a public official.
Their position changed days later after the Times Union subsequently began asking about public records showing Bruno's use of campaign funds to pay for lodging.
His staff then said a portion of the senator's vacation had involved "meetings and talks with potential campaign contributors."
They have declined to provide any details about those meetings and have declined to identify the potential contributors.
A periodic report filed last July with the state Board of Elections shows the Committee to Re-Elect Senator Bruno paid $1,319.84 to The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach at the end of Bruno's three-night stay.
The expenditure is among hundreds made each year from the campaign account, which has made millions available to the senator in recent years.
Like the campaign war chests of many elected officials, the money comes from a variety of contributors, including political action committees, private donors, wealthy business people and corporations.
There is little monitoring of how campaign funds are spent, according to government watchdog groups.
It's up to the State Board of Elections to decide whether Bruno's use of campaign funds during his vacation would violate that law, but legislative directors for two government watchdog groups said the expenditure makes clear that New York's campaign finance laws are at best vague, and often not enforced.
"Generally speaking, our view is a campaign contribution should only be used for campaign issues," said Blair Horner, legislative director at the New York Public Interest Research Group.
"You essentially have a system of self-regulation."
"... It shouldn't be Senator Bruno's decision on what's appropriate."
A federal grand jury has subpoenaed the business records of both Abbruzzese and Bruno as part of an ongoing investigation.
Abbruzzese is one of only several business associates of Bruno whose financial records have been subpoenaed.
The subpoenaed information includes records from the Palm Beach trip, although the three-day outing is not said to be a primary focus of the probe, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation.
Bruno disputes any assertion he may have broken the law and has pledged to cooperate in the ongoing investigation.
In a related matter, the state Lobbying Commission is investigating whether Abbruzzese is an unregistered lobbyist who may have tried to influence state government.
The state panel also has obtained flight records from the Palm Beach trip.
While in Florida, Bruno played two days of golf at an exclusive private course, visited a high-class strip club, and went to Gulfstream Park horse track aboard a private helicopter, a round-trip flight that cost about $5,000, according to knowledgeable sources and an official briefed on the investigations.
The 12-minute helicopter flight also was arranged by Abbruzzese, through Richmor Aviation, a flight-services company that manages his aircraft and private flights.
The group stayed at the racetrack for about five hours before flying back to their hotel, sources said.
On Jan. 12, a Bruno spokesman declined comment on the senator's Florida visit, saying it was a private trip that did not involve Bruno's role as a public official.
Two days later, after a Times Union story disclosed details about the interest authorities have in the Florida junket, the senator's spokesman, John McArdle, told the New York Daily News:
"It was a private trip, and we're not going to discuss anything he does in his private life that doesn't affect what he does as a public official."
Then, on Jan. 18, when pressed about Bruno's use of campaign funds at the hotel, and his activities while there, Bruno's office responded:
"... a fundraiser was scheduled in Florida the following month, (and) a portion of the trip did involve meetings and talks with potential campaign contributors about supporting the Senate majority."
In a local radio interview that same day, Bruno criticized the Times Union's report and said he had not "had a vacation in 35 years."
Beyond those statements, Bruno's office would only say the senator "properly reports all required information."
The state Board of Elections does not investigate campaign expenditures unless a campaign committee officer requests an opinion or a formal complaint is lodged.
In general, it is up to individual committees to determine whether their expenditures follow the rules.
"The answer really depends on what is happening and is it furthering what the statute requires, either the holding of the public office or the running for public office," said Robert Brehm, a spokesman for the state Board of Elections.
Federal authorities and the state Lobbying Commission have used subpoenas and letters to obtain information on the Palm Beach trip and flights from Richmor Aviation.
The Palm Beach trip is one of several that Bruno, R-Brunswick, took with Abbruzzese or aboard Abbruzzese's aircraft.
Bruno's campaign has paid for some of the flights, but the Palm Beach trip and the helicopter flight apparently are not reflected in any public records.
Months after the Florida trip, Abbruzzese became a director and investor with Empire Racing Associates, one of three consortiums vying for the franchise to run New York's horse racing tracks.
He severed that relationship after the federal investigation was disclosed.
Another person who accompanied Bruno on his vacation was Joseph Torani, who is the Senate Republicans' appointee to the New York Racing Association's Oversight Committee.
Torani, managing partner at a financial and consulting firm in Colonie, had been on the oversight committee for five months when he went to Palm Beach with Bruno, Abbruzzese and a physician who has treated Bruno.
The four men are friends, and Bruno and Abbruzzese have mutual business interests, according to a knowledgeable source.
Federal authorities also are exploring why one of Abbruzzese's companies allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to Bruno's private consulting business.
Barbara Bartoletti, legislative director for New York State League of Women Voters, said the state's campaign finance laws are in need of a major overhaul.
Bruno's use of campaign funds on a vacation is questionable, she said, because he arguably declared it a private trip in connection with the private flights, golf, meals and racetrack outing, but a matter of political business for the sake of his lodging.
"They can't have it all ways," Bartoletti said.
"This is where all this gets so convoluted, and lots of it is because we don't have a bright shining line in the sand that separates what you do as a private citizen and what you do as an elected representative."
It's not the first time Bruno's use of campaign funds has drawn interest.
In 2001, the Board of Elections declined to investigate Bruno's use of more than $4,300 in campaign funds for extermination services, landscaping, and to buy a swimming pool cover at his property in Brunswick.
Bruno said he has used the area for political events.
Another time, thousands from Bruno's campaign funds were used to cover the cost of an aide's trip to Italy with the senator during a vacation.
Government watchdog groups filed complaints over the spending, but they said campaign laws are too vague and allow lawmakers unbridled discretion in how the money is used.
J. Lyons can be reached at 454-5547 or by e-mail at blyons@timesunion.com.
A changing story
The office of the Senate majority leader refuses to identify campaign contributors met during a 2006 Florida junket.
Jan. 12:
Bruno's office declines to discuss the trip publicly.
His spokesman confirms that Bruno is not commenting about the issue because it was a private vacation.
Jan. 14: A Times Union story discloses details about Bruno's trip to West Palm Beach aboard a private jet.
Jan. 14: Bruno spokesman John McArdle tells the Daily News:
"It was a private trip, and we're not going to discuss anything he does in his private life that doesn't affect what he does as a public official."
Jan. 18: In response to questions about Bruno's use of campaign funds and other issues, McArdle issues the following statements:
"Senator Bruno's trip to Florida did not involve government-related business or his role as a public official.
Given that a fundraiser was scheduled in Florida the following month, a portion of the trip did involve meetings and talks with potential campaign contributors about supporting the Senate majority."
"Again, as the trip was private and did not involve his role as a public official, we are not commenting on details of the trip beyond matters that Senator Bruno has publicly discussed."
Jan. 18: In a radio interview with the bureau chief of the New York Post, Bruno said the January trip may have coincided with a fundraiser involving Donald Trump, who hosted a fundraiser for Bruno in February 2006, nearly six weeks after the Palm Beach trip.
"I was on a two-day tournament at Greg Norman's golf course with people."
"... I believe we did a fundraiser that night when I was down there."
"There's nothing, nothing illegal," Bruno told WROW (590 AM).
"Nothing wrong about what was done."
"Absolutely nothing."
"The paper [Times Union] is sensationalizing like the biggest tabloid, trying to make some big expose."
"What was the expose?"
"That I hadn't had a vacation for 35 years?"
"When I went down there for a couple of days, frankly, I was happy to catch a break."
"We combined it with fundraising because that's more my style."
Jan. 23: Bruno's office declines to answer additional questions.
Spokesman Mark Hansen issues a statement:
"John McArdle made it quite clear in the e-mail on January 18th ..."
"In response to your questions about expenses for the trip, Senator Bruno properly reports all required information."
"That completely clarifies your questions."
end quotes
WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT "PORK" ....
HERE IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK .....
WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST A PART OF THE PIG ....
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE WHOLE HOG ....
CHARACTERIZED .....
BY THESE PEOPLE OF QUALITY .....
WAY ABOVE US COMMON FOLKS IN THE SOCIAL ORDER, OF COURSE ....
WHO WON'T "SERVE" .....
UNLESS THEY GET ....
"A TOUCH OF THE HAT" .....
WHICH IS A PHRASE WITH MANY MEANINGS ....
WITH ONE OF THEM BEING THE "TUG OF THE FORELOCK" .....
OR A TOUCH OF THE FINGER ....
TO THE BRIM OF THE HAT ...
AS A SIGN OF DEFERENCE ....
TO THEM ....
THESE "PEOPLE OF QUALITY" .....
FROM US ....
THE COMMON FOLKS ....
AS IF THIS WERE SOME FEUDALISTIC SOCIETY THAT WE ARE LIVING IN UP HERE ....
WITH THEM BEING THE "LORDS OF THE MANOR" ....
AND US THE SERFS ....
And so ...
And a bit more news ....
About how the PORK-O-CRACY operates .....
Up here ....
In the CORRUPT EMPIRE .....
Of NEW YORK .....
Where it is "GO ALONG TO GET ALONG" .....
Or ...
"LEAVE YOUR INTEGRITY AT THE DOOR ..."
"IF YOU WANT TO PLAY THE GAME ..."
"GET YOURSELF SOME BOODLE ..."
"IF YOU'LL JUST MAKE NICE TO THE PEOPLE OF QUALITY ..."
"YOU KNOW ..."
"GIVE THEM A TOUCH OF THE HAT ..."
"AND THEY WILL GIVE YOU SOME CANDY IN RETURN ..."
From out of OUR pockets, of course ...
THE TAXPAYERS .....
Because that is what we are here for, after all ....
TO BE THE "CASH COWS" .....
OFF OF WHICH THE WHOLE HOGS ....
OR "PORKERS" .....
FEED ....
And so ....
"Writers on NYRA to-pay list"
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Monday, January 29, 2007
The New York Racing Association has long been known for treating reporters who cover NYRA races warmly.
A new bankruptcy filing from NYRA shows the friendliness extends beyond free lunches.
Among NYRA's unsecured creditors are turf writers, most of whom also write about NYRA's management, who are on the staffs of major daily newspapers or are regular correspondents.
The writers have been getting $50 appearance fees from NYRA, which operates the Saratoga, Aqueduct and Belmont tracks, for talking about what's in their columns and handicapping horses on NYRA's TV network broadcast nationwide.
The list includes two track writers for Long Island's Newsday, two for the New York Post, two for the New York Daily News and one each from the Daily Gazette in Schenectady, the Troy Record and the Times Union of Albany (Matt Graves, who is a retired staffer).
Two of the writers, Paul Moran of Newsday, owed $250, and Ed Fountaine of the Post, owed $200, said they send the money to charities involving retired jockeys or horses.
The filing also shows Paul Vandenburgh, a WROW-AM 590 talk show host and manager who frequently has NYRA officials on his program, is owed $300; NYRA says it was for a "remote" of his show at the track.
Vandenburgh said the $300 is his standard "talent fee" when his station does a live broadcast from the premises of a business.
Contributors: Capitol bureau reporter James M. Odato and State Editor Jay Jochnowitz. Got a tip? Call 454-5424 or e-mail jjochnowitz@timesunion.com.
end quotes
A TALENT FEE?
HHHhhhhmmmmmm .......
Maybe me and Mr. A.B. are missing out on something here ......
This "TALENT FEE" bid-ness .....
Let's see .....
We've both been posting in here for a couple of years now ...
Which must qualify us as TALENTS now .....
And let's see .....
At $300 per "performance" ......
Well ....
Mr. A.B. .....
You up to a trip to Florida with me .....
We'll hit some race tracks .....
Play some golf with Greg Norman .....
I'll pass on the high-priced strip club, myself ....
And I believe Mr. A.B. will as well .....
But with all that "APPEARANCE MONEY" in our warchests in here .....
Me and Mr. A.B. will both be sporting brand-new executive jets to ferry us around .....
And so ....
BOY, ISN'T THIS BEING A "PORKER" A REAL COOL DEAL ......
And so ....
About how the PORK-O-CRACY operates .....
Up here ....
In the CORRUPT EMPIRE .....
Of NEW YORK .....
Where it is "GO ALONG TO GET ALONG" .....
Or ...
"LEAVE YOUR INTEGRITY AT THE DOOR ..."
"IF YOU WANT TO PLAY THE GAME ..."
"GET YOURSELF SOME BOODLE ..."
"IF YOU'LL JUST MAKE NICE TO THE PEOPLE OF QUALITY ..."
"YOU KNOW ..."
"GIVE THEM A TOUCH OF THE HAT ..."
"AND THEY WILL GIVE YOU SOME CANDY IN RETURN ..."
From out of OUR pockets, of course ...
THE TAXPAYERS .....
Because that is what we are here for, after all ....
TO BE THE "CASH COWS" .....
OFF OF WHICH THE WHOLE HOGS ....
OR "PORKERS" .....
FEED ....
And so ....
"Writers on NYRA to-pay list"
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Monday, January 29, 2007
The New York Racing Association has long been known for treating reporters who cover NYRA races warmly.
A new bankruptcy filing from NYRA shows the friendliness extends beyond free lunches.
Among NYRA's unsecured creditors are turf writers, most of whom also write about NYRA's management, who are on the staffs of major daily newspapers or are regular correspondents.
The writers have been getting $50 appearance fees from NYRA, which operates the Saratoga, Aqueduct and Belmont tracks, for talking about what's in their columns and handicapping horses on NYRA's TV network broadcast nationwide.
The list includes two track writers for Long Island's Newsday, two for the New York Post, two for the New York Daily News and one each from the Daily Gazette in Schenectady, the Troy Record and the Times Union of Albany (Matt Graves, who is a retired staffer).
Two of the writers, Paul Moran of Newsday, owed $250, and Ed Fountaine of the Post, owed $200, said they send the money to charities involving retired jockeys or horses.
The filing also shows Paul Vandenburgh, a WROW-AM 590 talk show host and manager who frequently has NYRA officials on his program, is owed $300; NYRA says it was for a "remote" of his show at the track.
Vandenburgh said the $300 is his standard "talent fee" when his station does a live broadcast from the premises of a business.
Contributors: Capitol bureau reporter James M. Odato and State Editor Jay Jochnowitz. Got a tip? Call 454-5424 or e-mail jjochnowitz@timesunion.com.
end quotes
A TALENT FEE?
HHHhhhhmmmmmm .......
Maybe me and Mr. A.B. are missing out on something here ......
This "TALENT FEE" bid-ness .....
Let's see .....
We've both been posting in here for a couple of years now ...
Which must qualify us as TALENTS now .....
And let's see .....
At $300 per "performance" ......
Well ....
Mr. A.B. .....
You up to a trip to Florida with me .....
We'll hit some race tracks .....
Play some golf with Greg Norman .....
I'll pass on the high-priced strip club, myself ....
And I believe Mr. A.B. will as well .....
But with all that "APPEARANCE MONEY" in our warchests in here .....
Me and Mr. A.B. will both be sporting brand-new executive jets to ferry us around .....
And so ....
BOY, ISN'T THIS BEING A "PORKER" A REAL COOL DEAL ......
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 14 2007, 09:26 AM)
AHHHHHH ........
THE "GOOD LIFE" .....
If you are a powerful REPUBLICAN politician .....
Who holds the lives of the PEOPLE of the State of New York ...
In your IRON GRIP ...
And you can CRUSH them at will ....
As OUR "IRON DUKE" .....
The POWERFUL Joe Bruno can .....
And so .....
BIG BOY'S NIGHT OUT HERE, is all, folks .....
Nothing to worry about ....
Just go back home ...
Get back down in your basements ......
AVERT YOUR EYES .....
DON'T QUESTION ....
WHAT YOUR BETTERS ARE UP TO ....
A LIFE OF PRIVILEGE .....
IS A PRIVILEGED LIFE, AFTER ALL ....
And so ....
THE "GOOD LIFE" .....
If you are a powerful REPUBLICAN politician .....
Who holds the lives of the PEOPLE of the State of New York ...
In your IRON GRIP ...
And you can CRUSH them at will ....
As OUR "IRON DUKE" .....
The POWERFUL Joe Bruno can .....
And so .....
BIG BOY'S NIGHT OUT HERE, is all, folks .....
Nothing to worry about ....
Just go back home ...
Get back down in your basements ......
AVERT YOUR EYES .....
DON'T QUESTION ....
WHAT YOUR BETTERS ARE UP TO ....
A LIFE OF PRIVILEGE .....
IS A PRIVILEGED LIFE, AFTER ALL ....
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 29 2007, 07:46 AM)
WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT "PORK" ....
HERE IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK .....
WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST A PART OF THE PIG ....
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE WHOLE HOG ....
CHARACTERIZED .....
BY THESE PEOPLE OF QUALITY .....
WAY ABOVE US COMMON FOLKS IN THE SOCIAL ORDER, OF COURSE ....
WHO WON'T "SERVE" .....
UNLESS THEY GET ....
"A TOUCH OF THE HAT" .....
WHICH IS A PHRASE WITH MANY MEANINGS ....
WITH ONE OF THEM BEING THE "TUG OF THE FORELOCK" .....
OR A TOUCH OF THE FINGER ....
TO THE BRIM OF THE HAT ...
AS A SIGN OF DEFERENCE ....
TO THEM ....
THESE "PEOPLE OF QUALITY" .....
FROM US ....
THE COMMON FOLKS ....
AS IF THIS WERE SOME FEUDALISTIC SOCIETY THAT WE ARE LIVING IN UP HERE ....
WITH THEM BEING THE "LORDS OF THE MANOR" ....
AND US THE SERFS ....
And so ...
HERE IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK .....
WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST A PART OF THE PIG ....
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE WHOLE HOG ....
CHARACTERIZED .....
BY THESE PEOPLE OF QUALITY .....
WAY ABOVE US COMMON FOLKS IN THE SOCIAL ORDER, OF COURSE ....
WHO WON'T "SERVE" .....
UNLESS THEY GET ....
"A TOUCH OF THE HAT" .....
WHICH IS A PHRASE WITH MANY MEANINGS ....
WITH ONE OF THEM BEING THE "TUG OF THE FORELOCK" .....
OR A TOUCH OF THE FINGER ....
TO THE BRIM OF THE HAT ...
AS A SIGN OF DEFERENCE ....
TO THEM ....
THESE "PEOPLE OF QUALITY" .....
FROM US ....
THE COMMON FOLKS ....
AS IF THIS WERE SOME FEUDALISTIC SOCIETY THAT WE ARE LIVING IN UP HERE ....
WITH THEM BEING THE "LORDS OF THE MANOR" ....
AND US THE SERFS ....
And so ...
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 29 2007, 07:46 AM)
"Bruno used campaign cash for hotel on Florida trip - Senator had dubbed it a 'vacation', which, watchdogs say, raises questions about the expenditure"
By BRENDAN J. LYONS Senior writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Monday, January 29, 2007
ALBANY -- Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno used state-regulated campaign funds to pay for his stay at an exclusive south Florida hotel last year, during a three-day trip he has described as "a vacation."
In a radio interview with the bureau chief of the New York Post, Bruno said the January trip may have coincided with a fundraiser involving Donald Trump, who hosted a fundraiser for Bruno in February 2006, nearly six weeks after the Palm Beach trip.
"I was on a two-day tournament at Greg Norman's golf course with people."
"... I believe we did a fundraiser that night when I was down there."
"There's nothing, nothing illegal," Bruno told WROW (590 AM) [PAUL VANDENBURG].
"Nothing wrong about what was done."
"Absolutely nothing."
"The paper [Times Union] is sensationalizing like the biggest tabloid, trying to make some big expose."
"What was the expose?"
"That I hadn't had a vacation for 35 years?"
"When I went down there for a couple of days, frankly, I was happy to catch a break."
"We combined it with fundraising because that's more my style."
By BRENDAN J. LYONS Senior writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Monday, January 29, 2007
ALBANY -- Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno used state-regulated campaign funds to pay for his stay at an exclusive south Florida hotel last year, during a three-day trip he has described as "a vacation."
In a radio interview with the bureau chief of the New York Post, Bruno said the January trip may have coincided with a fundraiser involving Donald Trump, who hosted a fundraiser for Bruno in February 2006, nearly six weeks after the Palm Beach trip.
"I was on a two-day tournament at Greg Norman's golf course with people."
"... I believe we did a fundraiser that night when I was down there."
"There's nothing, nothing illegal," Bruno told WROW (590 AM) [PAUL VANDENBURG].
"Nothing wrong about what was done."
"Absolutely nothing."
"The paper [Times Union] is sensationalizing like the biggest tabloid, trying to make some big expose."
"What was the expose?"
"That I hadn't had a vacation for 35 years?"
"When I went down there for a couple of days, frankly, I was happy to catch a break."
"We combined it with fundraising because that's more my style."
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 14 2007, 09:26 AM)
"Palm Beach trip probed - Vacation, including a visit to a strip club, part of the Bruno-Abbruzzese inquiry"
By BRENDAN J. LYONS Senior writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Sunday, January 14, 2007
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- New York's legislative leaders had been in session only a few days last year when Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno quietly left town for a vacation in Florida.
It was Jan. 11, a Wednesday, and a bitter political debate over sexual offender laws was unfolding as Bruno boarded the private jet of his friend, Jared E. Abbruzzese, a Loudonville multimillionaire.
The two-day excursion included an expensive round of golf at an exclusive course, The Medalist, designed by Australian golf legend Greg Norman.
The day would end with Abbruzzese bankrolling the senator's visit to a strip club.
On the drive back from the golf course, the men pulled into Rachel's, a high-class strip club and steakhouse in the heart of West Palm Beach.
There, patrons are greeted by overly polite valets who spend much of their time parking Range Rovers and customized BMWs driven by an almost exclusively male clientele.
Inside, $40 steaks and $90 bottles of wine are delivered by bow-tied waiters in a darkened four-star atmosphere.
On two stages in the center of the club, female performers, some fully nude, move fluidly under pulsing strobe lights while tunes from rockers such as Tom Petty and Jimi Hendrix pierce the air.
For those seeking a closer encounter, the women, many resembling Playboy centerfolds, offer private lap dances -- at a $20 minimum -- on a leather-covered bench near a secluded spot in the back.
Bruno's two-day vacation, including the night at Rachel's, was bankrolled by Abbruzzese, sources told the Times Union.
Bruno, 77, declined repeated requests for comment on the Palm Beach trip.
His staffers said he considers the vacation a private matter and no one's business.
Abbruzzese, according to a source close to him, disputes any assertion he was trying to buy Bruno's influence.
"I have a deep love for the man," Abbruzzese has said in describing their relationship, according to a knowledgeable source.
Sometime after the investigation began, according to sources involved in the case, Bruno placed several telephone calls to U.S. Attorney Glenn T. Suddaby, the top federal prosecutor in New York's Northern District.
The investigation is being headed by Suddaby's office and the FBI.
Bruno's spokesman disputes that account of the calls.
"Senator Bruno made one call to the U.S. Attorney's office when he was informed that they were conducting an inquiry," said John McArdle, director of communications for Senate Republicans.
"He did so to offer his complete and total cooperation."
"He did not call anyone repeatedly."
Suddaby declined comment, citing a policy not to discuss pending investigations.
By BRENDAN J. LYONS Senior writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Sunday, January 14, 2007
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- New York's legislative leaders had been in session only a few days last year when Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno quietly left town for a vacation in Florida.
It was Jan. 11, a Wednesday, and a bitter political debate over sexual offender laws was unfolding as Bruno boarded the private jet of his friend, Jared E. Abbruzzese, a Loudonville multimillionaire.
The two-day excursion included an expensive round of golf at an exclusive course, The Medalist, designed by Australian golf legend Greg Norman.
The day would end with Abbruzzese bankrolling the senator's visit to a strip club.
On the drive back from the golf course, the men pulled into Rachel's, a high-class strip club and steakhouse in the heart of West Palm Beach.
There, patrons are greeted by overly polite valets who spend much of their time parking Range Rovers and customized BMWs driven by an almost exclusively male clientele.
Inside, $40 steaks and $90 bottles of wine are delivered by bow-tied waiters in a darkened four-star atmosphere.
On two stages in the center of the club, female performers, some fully nude, move fluidly under pulsing strobe lights while tunes from rockers such as Tom Petty and Jimi Hendrix pierce the air.
For those seeking a closer encounter, the women, many resembling Playboy centerfolds, offer private lap dances -- at a $20 minimum -- on a leather-covered bench near a secluded spot in the back.
Bruno's two-day vacation, including the night at Rachel's, was bankrolled by Abbruzzese, sources told the Times Union.
Bruno, 77, declined repeated requests for comment on the Palm Beach trip.
His staffers said he considers the vacation a private matter and no one's business.
Abbruzzese, according to a source close to him, disputes any assertion he was trying to buy Bruno's influence.
"I have a deep love for the man," Abbruzzese has said in describing their relationship, according to a knowledgeable source.
Sometime after the investigation began, according to sources involved in the case, Bruno placed several telephone calls to U.S. Attorney Glenn T. Suddaby, the top federal prosecutor in New York's Northern District.
The investigation is being headed by Suddaby's office and the FBI.
Bruno's spokesman disputes that account of the calls.
"Senator Bruno made one call to the U.S. Attorney's office when he was informed that they were conducting an inquiry," said John McArdle, director of communications for Senate Republicans.
"He did so to offer his complete and total cooperation."
"He did not call anyone repeatedly."
Suddaby declined comment, citing a policy not to discuss pending investigations.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 29 2007, 08:07 AM)
"Writers on NYRA to-pay list"
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Monday, January 29, 2007
The New York Racing Association has long been known for treating reporters who cover NYRA races warmly.
A new bankruptcy filing from NYRA shows the friendliness extends beyond free lunches.
The filing also shows Paul Vandenburgh, a WROW-AM 590 talk show host and manager who frequently has NYRA officials on his program, is owed $300; NYRA says it was for a "remote" of his show at the track.
Vandenburgh said the $300 is his standard "talent fee" when his station does a live broadcast from the premises of a business.
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Monday, January 29, 2007
The New York Racing Association has long been known for treating reporters who cover NYRA races warmly.
A new bankruptcy filing from NYRA shows the friendliness extends beyond free lunches.
The filing also shows Paul Vandenburgh, a WROW-AM 590 talk show host and manager who frequently has NYRA officials on his program, is owed $300; NYRA says it was for a "remote" of his show at the track.
Vandenburgh said the $300 is his standard "talent fee" when his station does a live broadcast from the premises of a business.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Dec 30 2006 @ 07:06 PM)
"Spitzer prepares to take over after 12 years of Republican rule"
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 11:02 a.m., Saturday, December 30, 2006
ALBANY -- Calling himself "the new CEO of the state," Eliot Spitzer says he has a "sense of excitement and anticipation" as he prepares to take over as New York's 54th governor on New Year's Day.
"There is a new CEO of the state and I'm going to run the state with my partners."
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 11:02 a.m., Saturday, December 30, 2006
ALBANY -- Calling himself "the new CEO of the state," Eliot Spitzer says he has a "sense of excitement and anticipation" as he prepares to take over as New York's 54th governor on New Year's Day.
"There is a new CEO of the state and I'm going to run the state with my partners."
And when in Section 460.00 of the New York State Penal Law ....
Entitled "Legislative findings" ......
It is stated that:
The legislature (of the State of New York) finds and determines the money and power derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors is increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises and to corrupt our democratic processes ......
It was quite easy for them to make that finding .....
The "WHOLE HOGS" and "PORKERS" down there ....
Especially the part about "CORRUPTING OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES ..."
BECAUSE ALL THEY HAD TO DO ....
TO MAKE THAT FINDING ....
WAS TO LOOK RIGHT AT THEMSELVES .....
THE ONES WHO ARE IN THERE ....
SELLING US OUT ....
ALONG WITH OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES ....
TO THE HIGHEST BIDDERS .....
REGARDLESS OF WHERE THOSE HIGH BIDDERS ARE FROM ....
SO LONG AS THEY HAVE THE GEETUS .....
TO "PAY THE FREIGHT" .....
BUY THEMSELVES SOME INFLUENCE ....
WHICH IS ALBANY, NEW YORK'S ONLY REAL "PRODUCT" .....
OUT THERE ON THE MARKET ....
And so ....
"Minority parties toil in the dark - Going is tough for Democrats in Senate, Republicans in Assembly"
By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press
First published: Monday, January 29, 2007
ALBANY -- The Legislature's mostly silenced minority parties so far this year have tried to change legislative rules, alter the way the budget is negotiated, even to sweeten a tax-cut proposal to include renters.
But as in past years, the proposals will mostly be fodder for campaign fliers back home, not legislation in Albany.
While leaders of majority parties in both houses -- Democrats in the Assembly and Republicans in the Senate -- wield great power in what proposals become law, there is little chance for a minority party measure to even get to a floor debate.
Without a majority leader's consent, it's harder to get a bill to the floor in Albany than in any state legislature in the country, concluded the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law in a 2004 report that deemed New York's Legislature the worst in the nation.
"The minorities, Mr. Smith and myself, are left out," said Republican Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, referring to Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, a Queens Democrat.
"We don't want anything special, just to let our ideas get aired."
"It's absolutely an embarrassment for the people of this state," Smith said.
"They can't even have representatives with the ability to get a bill on the floor of the Senate."
Still, the minority party proposals are worth watching because they aren't always ignored.
Albany's majority parties have long a tradition of occasionally adopting proposals first pushed by minority party lawmakers.
On Monday, Tedisco's Republican proposal to join the governor and majority leaders in the Senate and Assembly in negotiating a state budget was defeated.
In a press release, Tedisco said ignoring the minority party lawmakers disenfranchises the millions of New Yorkers who live in their districts.
"It's pathetic," he said.
end quotes
YES ....
IT IS PATHETIC ....
HERE IS GEORGE W. BUSH SPENDING BILLIONS OF OUR TAX DOLLARS .....
ALLEGEDLY PROMOTING DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ....
THE END OF "STRONGMAN RULE" OVER THERE ....
WHEN WE DON'T HAVE DEMOCRACY ....
RIGHT HERE IN THE CORRUPT EMPIRE OF NEW YORK .....
RIGHT HERE IN THE GOOD OLD US of A .....
BECAUSE OF "STRONGMAN RULE" ....
And so ...
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 29 2007, 08:07 AM)
"Writers on NYRA to-pay list"
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Monday, January 29, 2007
The New York Racing Association has long been known for treating reporters who cover NYRA races warmly.
A new bankruptcy filing from NYRA shows the friendliness extends beyond free lunches.
The filing also shows Paul Vandenburgh, a WROW-AM 590 talk show host and manager who frequently has NYRA officials on his program, is owed $300; NYRA says it was for a "remote" of his show at the track.
Vandenburgh said the $300 is his standard "talent fee" when his station does a live broadcast from the premises of a business.
end quotes
A TALENT FEE?
HHHhhhhmmmmmm .......
Maybe me and Mr. A.B. are missing out on something here ......
This "TALENT FEE" bid-ness .....
Let's see .....
We've both been posting in here for a couple of years now ...
Which must qualify us as TALENTS now .....
And let's see .....
At $300 per "performance" ......
Well ....
Mr. A.B. .....
You up to a trip to Florida with me .....
We'll hit some race tracks .....
Play some golf with Greg Norman .....
I'll pass on the high-priced strip club, myself ....
And I believe Mr. A.B. will as well .....
But with all that "APPEARANCE MONEY" in our warchests in here .....
Me and Mr. A.B. will both be sporting brand-new executive jets to ferry us around .....
And so ....
BOY, ISN'T THIS BEING A "PORKER" A REAL COOL DEAL ......
And so ....
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Monday, January 29, 2007
The New York Racing Association has long been known for treating reporters who cover NYRA races warmly.
A new bankruptcy filing from NYRA shows the friendliness extends beyond free lunches.
The filing also shows Paul Vandenburgh, a WROW-AM 590 talk show host and manager who frequently has NYRA officials on his program, is owed $300; NYRA says it was for a "remote" of his show at the track.
Vandenburgh said the $300 is his standard "talent fee" when his station does a live broadcast from the premises of a business.
end quotes
A TALENT FEE?
HHHhhhhmmmmmm .......
Maybe me and Mr. A.B. are missing out on something here ......
This "TALENT FEE" bid-ness .....
Let's see .....
We've both been posting in here for a couple of years now ...
Which must qualify us as TALENTS now .....
And let's see .....
At $300 per "performance" ......
Well ....
Mr. A.B. .....
You up to a trip to Florida with me .....
We'll hit some race tracks .....
Play some golf with Greg Norman .....
I'll pass on the high-priced strip club, myself ....
And I believe Mr. A.B. will as well .....
But with all that "APPEARANCE MONEY" in our warchests in here .....
Me and Mr. A.B. will both be sporting brand-new executive jets to ferry us around .....
And so ....
BOY, ISN'T THIS BEING A "PORKER" A REAL COOL DEAL ......
And so ....
And here ....
I can just hear Mr. A.B. telling me .....
To forget the corporate jets and all that .....
And fees for signing my name to things .....
That aren't true .....
Using my name and reputation ....
To propagate lies ......
To benefit one man .....
At the expense of a community depending upon my personal integrity .....
He'll remind me that I was offered the opportunity before .....
And I turned it down .....
Come what may ....
I'll take the blows ......
And Mr. A.B. would be right about that .....
Yes ....
I was offered the opportunity to scam people in the State of New York ......
On behalf of Senator Joe Bruno ....
Back in 1988 ....
By signing my name ....
To a declaration ....
That "Big Joe's" land met the State Public Health Law regulations .....
For residential development ....
For sale ....
To the unsuspecting public .....
When in fact ....
It did not .....
And I knew the difference .....
And so .....
And continuing on in here ....
With the news ....
From the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York .....
The PORK-O-CRACY ....
Where the law and constitution are a mockery ....
And the "PLAYAHS" do as they please .....
Because they have the "POWER" .....
Or the right lobbyist, anyway ....
And so .....
"Lobbyist's actions draw scrutiny - Commission court filing cites donations made by James B. Crane II"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Tuesday, January 30, 2007
ALBANY -- The state Lobbying Commission is investigating an Albany lobbying firm that made thousands of dollars in political donations for clients but did not declare them in disclosure forms, according to state court papers filed Monday.
The firm, Powers, Crane & Co., which has since split into two separate lobbying firms, tried to bill client Duane Reade Inc. for the 2003 expenses, according to the papers in state Supreme Court in Albany County.
The court papers say lobbyist-lawyer James B. Crane II made thousands of dollars in political donations and may have needed to report them as lobbying expenses or campaign donations.
The state also alleges Crane may have violated a $74.99 limit on gifts to public officials by taking Senate Republican staff members to dinner.
And it questions whether Crane billed clients for campaign contributions even though a contribution may not actually have been made on the client's behalf.
Election law prohibits a donor other than the actual contributor from making payments to a campaign and bars a campaign from taking money sent to it indirectly through another entity, the filing by the state attorney general's office says.
The filing is a motion to compel Crane to honor a subpoena.
A court hearing is set for Feb. 28.
Lobbying Commission Executive Director David Grandeau said he could not talk about the case.
Crane, whose firm is now called Crane & Vacco LLC, could not be reached and his lawyer, William Dreyer, would not comment.
end quotes
The "Vacco" name in the LOBBYING FIRM Crane & Vacco, of course, is former New York State Attorney General Dennis "HUH, WHAT'S GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION?" Vacco .....
And that says quite a bit, actually ....
About why .....
After all these years ....
We still have CORRUPT government here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York ......
You get in there to a position like New York State Attorney General .....
And you use your "power" to NOT PROSECUTE in the right cases ....
So that the right people get to walk away .....
And of course, they remember you .....
And in return ....
THEY MAKE NICE TO YOU ....
That old "ONE HAND WASHES THE OTHER" bid-ness ...
Or as Dennis Vacco would have it ......
"HEY, I SCRATCHED YOUR BACK WHEN YOU NEEDED IT, AND I NEED SOME CANDY, NOW, AND SO ..."
And so ...
With the news ....
From the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York .....
The PORK-O-CRACY ....
Where the law and constitution are a mockery ....
And the "PLAYAHS" do as they please .....
Because they have the "POWER" .....
Or the right lobbyist, anyway ....
And so .....
"Lobbyist's actions draw scrutiny - Commission court filing cites donations made by James B. Crane II"
By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Tuesday, January 30, 2007
ALBANY -- The state Lobbying Commission is investigating an Albany lobbying firm that made thousands of dollars in political donations for clients but did not declare them in disclosure forms, according to state court papers filed Monday.
The firm, Powers, Crane & Co., which has since split into two separate lobbying firms, tried to bill client Duane Reade Inc. for the 2003 expenses, according to the papers in state Supreme Court in Albany County.
The court papers say lobbyist-lawyer James B. Crane II made thousands of dollars in political donations and may have needed to report them as lobbying expenses or campaign donations.
The state also alleges Crane may have violated a $74.99 limit on gifts to public officials by taking Senate Republican staff members to dinner.
And it questions whether Crane billed clients for campaign contributions even though a contribution may not actually have been made on the client's behalf.
Election law prohibits a donor other than the actual contributor from making payments to a campaign and bars a campaign from taking money sent to it indirectly through another entity, the filing by the state attorney general's office says.
The filing is a motion to compel Crane to honor a subpoena.
A court hearing is set for Feb. 28.
Lobbying Commission Executive Director David Grandeau said he could not talk about the case.
Crane, whose firm is now called Crane & Vacco LLC, could not be reached and his lawyer, William Dreyer, would not comment.
end quotes
The "Vacco" name in the LOBBYING FIRM Crane & Vacco, of course, is former New York State Attorney General Dennis "HUH, WHAT'S GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION?" Vacco .....
And that says quite a bit, actually ....
About why .....
After all these years ....
We still have CORRUPT government here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of New York ......
You get in there to a position like New York State Attorney General .....
And you use your "power" to NOT PROSECUTE in the right cases ....
So that the right people get to walk away .....
And of course, they remember you .....
And in return ....
THEY MAKE NICE TO YOU ....
That old "ONE HAND WASHES THE OTHER" bid-ness ...
Or as Dennis Vacco would have it ......
"HEY, I SCRATCHED YOUR BACK WHEN YOU NEEDED IT, AND I NEED SOME CANDY, NOW, AND SO ..."
And so ...
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 25 2007, 08:09 AM)
To the contrary ....
When I talk about CORRUPTION in the State of New York .....
I AM GOING TO THE SOURCE ....
WHICH IS THE OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE STATE, ITSELF ....
Such as this BILL MESSAGE from then-New York State Governor Mario Cuomo above here in 1986 .....
And to further "flesh that out" .....
THE ALLEGATION THAT NEW YORK STATE HAS A PROBLEM WITH CORRUPTION .....
Let us go ....
For the moment .....
To ARTICLE 460 ....
Of the New York State Penal Law ....
Which is entitled ENTERPRISE CORRUPTION ...
That ARTICLE OF LAW being a part of TITLE X of the New York State Penal Law ....
Entitled ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT ....
And the relevant part of that state law which pertains directly to this discussion in here ....
Is as follows:
S 460.00 Legislative findings.
The legislature (of the State of New York) finds and determines as follows:
Organized crime in New York state involves highly sophisticated, complex and widespread forms of criminal activity.
The diversified illegal conduct engaged in by organized crime, rooted in the illegal use of force, fraud, and corruption, constitutes a major drain upon the state's economy, costs citizens and businesses of the state billions of dollars each year, and threatens the peace, security and general welfare of the people of the state.
Organized crime continues to expand its corrosive influence in the state through illegal enterprises engaged in such criminal endeavors as the theft and fencing of property, the importation and distribution of narcotics and other dangerous drugs, arson for profit, hijacking, labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion and bribery, the illegal disposal of hazardous wastes, syndicated gambling, trafficking in stolen securities, insurance and investment frauds, and other forms of economic and social exploitation.[/size]
The money and power derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors is increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises and to corrupt our democratic processes.
end quotes
SO!
THE MONEY AND POWER OF ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK STATE IS BEING USED TO CORRUPT OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES HERE IN NEW YORK STATE!
WHICH IS ONE BIG PART OF WHY THIS THREAD IS RUNNING IN HERE ....
And so ...
When I talk about CORRUPTION in the State of New York .....
I AM GOING TO THE SOURCE ....
WHICH IS THE OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE STATE, ITSELF ....
Such as this BILL MESSAGE from then-New York State Governor Mario Cuomo above here in 1986 .....
And to further "flesh that out" .....
THE ALLEGATION THAT NEW YORK STATE HAS A PROBLEM WITH CORRUPTION .....
Let us go ....
For the moment .....
To ARTICLE 460 ....
Of the New York State Penal Law ....
Which is entitled ENTERPRISE CORRUPTION ...
That ARTICLE OF LAW being a part of TITLE X of the New York State Penal Law ....
Entitled ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT ....
And the relevant part of that state law which pertains directly to this discussion in here ....
Is as follows:
S 460.00 Legislative findings.
The legislature (of the State of New York) finds and determines as follows:
Organized crime in New York state involves highly sophisticated, complex and widespread forms of criminal activity.
The diversified illegal conduct engaged in by organized crime, rooted in the illegal use of force, fraud, and corruption, constitutes a major drain upon the state's economy, costs citizens and businesses of the state billions of dollars each year, and threatens the peace, security and general welfare of the people of the state.
Organized crime continues to expand its corrosive influence in the state through illegal enterprises engaged in such criminal endeavors as the theft and fencing of property, the importation and distribution of narcotics and other dangerous drugs, arson for profit, hijacking, labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion and bribery, the illegal disposal of hazardous wastes, syndicated gambling, trafficking in stolen securities, insurance and investment frauds, and other forms of economic and social exploitation.[/size]
The money and power derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors is increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises and to corrupt our democratic processes.
end quotes
SO!
THE MONEY AND POWER OF ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK STATE IS BEING USED TO CORRUPT OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES HERE IN NEW YORK STATE!
WHICH IS ONE BIG PART OF WHY THIS THREAD IS RUNNING IN HERE ....
And so ...
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 29 2007, 08:59 AM)
And when in Section 460.00 of the New York State Penal Law ....
Entitled "Legislative findings" ......
It is stated that:
The legislature (of the State of New York) finds and determines the money and power derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors is increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises and to corrupt our democratic processes ......
It was quite easy for them to make that finding .....
The "WHOLE HOGS" and "PORKERS" down there ....
Especially the part about "CORRUPTING OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES ..."
BECAUSE ALL THEY HAD TO DO ....
TO MAKE THAT FINDING ....
WAS TO LOOK RIGHT AT THEMSELVES .....
THE ONES WHO ARE IN THERE ....
SELLING US OUT ....
ALONG WITH OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES ....
TO THE HIGHEST BIDDERS .....
REGARDLESS OF WHERE THOSE HIGH BIDDERS ARE FROM ....
SO LONG AS THEY HAVE THE GEETUS .....
TO "PAY THE FREIGHT" .....
BUY THEMSELVES SOME INFLUENCE ....
WHICH IS ALBANY, NEW YORK'S ONLY REAL "PRODUCT" .....
OUT THERE ON THE MARKET ....
And so ....
Entitled "Legislative findings" ......
It is stated that:
The legislature (of the State of New York) finds and determines the money and power derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors is increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises and to corrupt our democratic processes ......
It was quite easy for them to make that finding .....
The "WHOLE HOGS" and "PORKERS" down there ....
Especially the part about "CORRUPTING OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES ..."
BECAUSE ALL THEY HAD TO DO ....
TO MAKE THAT FINDING ....
WAS TO LOOK RIGHT AT THEMSELVES .....
THE ONES WHO ARE IN THERE ....
SELLING US OUT ....
ALONG WITH OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES ....
TO THE HIGHEST BIDDERS .....
REGARDLESS OF WHERE THOSE HIGH BIDDERS ARE FROM ....
SO LONG AS THEY HAVE THE GEETUS .....
TO "PAY THE FREIGHT" .....
BUY THEMSELVES SOME INFLUENCE ....
WHICH IS ALBANY, NEW YORK'S ONLY REAL "PRODUCT" .....
OUT THERE ON THE MARKET ....
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Apr 3 2005, 03:40 PM)
Friday, December 12, 2003:
"Fund-raiser nets Spitzer $2 million - luncheon for likely gubernatorial candidate attracts hedge fund managers, lawyers"
by Matthew Cox, Bloomberg News:
New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer collected more than $2 million at a political fund-raiser, with hedge fund managers and LAWYERS among the big donors, and said HE COULD ACCEPT CAMPAIGN FUNDS FROM THE INVESTMENT COMMUNITY WITHOUT COMPROMISING HIS ENFORCEMENT ROLE.
Spitzer, the leader of investigations into Wall Street conflicts of interest and mutual fund trading, has said he is interested in running for governor in 2006.
Though he hasn't officially declared his candidacy, Thursday's fund-raiser was Spitzer's biggest ever.
His investigations of "certain aspects of the securities market doesn't mean there can't be or shouldn't be contributions from anybody within that sector, any more than it would mean because we bring consumer-type cases, no consumer manufacturer could contribute," Spitzer told reporters.
He said his campaign committee has "a very careful vetting process" to avoid accepting gifts from donors under scrutiny by his office.
A Spitzer campaign aide who declined to be identified said hedge funds, LAWYERS AND THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY were among his LEADING SOURCES of campaign MONEY.
The luncheon at the Sheraton New York Hotel drew hedge fund manager Daniel Nir of Gracie Capital LP, who with his wife, Jill Braufman, donated $50,000 in June; Cablevision President James Dolan; Miramax Film Corp. co-chairman Harvey Weinstein, and Melvyn Weiss, one of several lawyer donors who has sued securities firms for investors based on Spitzer's investigations.
"There are a lot of hedge funds that have not been trading the way the naughty ones have," said Roy Smith, a professor of finance at New York University.
"THEY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE MR. SPITZER INVESTIGATE ALL THEIR COMPETITION that's been too aggressive."
Spitzer's investigative work "gives investors a sense that someone's keeping an eye on what's in their best interest," said donor George Fox, founder of Titan Advisors, a hedge fund consultant.
Cynthia Darrison, managing director of the Spitzer campaign committee, said that the event attended by nearly 700 people generated more than $2 million.
"This is meant as a preemptive strike" with 35 months to go until the election, said Douglas Muzzio, professor of public affairs at Baruch College in New York.
"He's saying 'I can raise huge amounts of money.'"
end quotes
Yes, he certainly can.
But by "selling" what?
Or "who", perhaps?
"Fund-raiser nets Spitzer $2 million - luncheon for likely gubernatorial candidate attracts hedge fund managers, lawyers"
by Matthew Cox, Bloomberg News:
New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer collected more than $2 million at a political fund-raiser, with hedge fund managers and LAWYERS among the big donors, and said HE COULD ACCEPT CAMPAIGN FUNDS FROM THE INVESTMENT COMMUNITY WITHOUT COMPROMISING HIS ENFORCEMENT ROLE.
Spitzer, the leader of investigations into Wall Street conflicts of interest and mutual fund trading, has said he is interested in running for governor in 2006.
Though he hasn't officially declared his candidacy, Thursday's fund-raiser was Spitzer's biggest ever.
His investigations of "certain aspects of the securities market doesn't mean there can't be or shouldn't be contributions from anybody within that sector, any more than it would mean because we bring consumer-type cases, no consumer manufacturer could contribute," Spitzer told reporters.
He said his campaign committee has "a very careful vetting process" to avoid accepting gifts from donors under scrutiny by his office.
A Spitzer campaign aide who declined to be identified said hedge funds, LAWYERS AND THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY were among his LEADING SOURCES of campaign MONEY.
The luncheon at the Sheraton New York Hotel drew hedge fund manager Daniel Nir of Gracie Capital LP, who with his wife, Jill Braufman, donated $50,000 in June; Cablevision President James Dolan; Miramax Film Corp. co-chairman Harvey Weinstein, and Melvyn Weiss, one of several lawyer donors who has sued securities firms for investors based on Spitzer's investigations.
"There are a lot of hedge funds that have not been trading the way the naughty ones have," said Roy Smith, a professor of finance at New York University.
"THEY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE MR. SPITZER INVESTIGATE ALL THEIR COMPETITION that's been too aggressive."
Spitzer's investigative work "gives investors a sense that someone's keeping an eye on what's in their best interest," said donor George Fox, founder of Titan Advisors, a hedge fund consultant.
Cynthia Darrison, managing director of the Spitzer campaign committee, said that the event attended by nearly 700 people generated more than $2 million.
"This is meant as a preemptive strike" with 35 months to go until the election, said Douglas Muzzio, professor of public affairs at Baruch College in New York.
"He's saying 'I can raise huge amounts of money.'"
end quotes
Yes, he certainly can.
But by "selling" what?
Or "who", perhaps?
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Nov 2 2006, 07:30 AM)
"Improving the Business Climate"
by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
New York State Business Council, Bolton's Landing, NY
[As Prepared for Delivery]
September 21, 2006
Thank you, Peter, for that kind introduction, and thank you all for inviting me here today.
I want to recognize Dan Walsh and thank him for his leadership over the past 18 years as President and CEO of the Business Council.
Dan, you have been an outstanding advocate for New York's private-sector business community, and you will be missed.
I also want to welcome Ken Adams as the Business Council's new President.
Ken, I look forward to working with you to make New York the best place to do business in the world.
As Governor, I will ensure that the Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform places renewed focus on breaking the regulatory logjam in the State's permitting process for new development.
http://www.spitzerpaterson.com/main.cfm?ac...&s=spitzer3
by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
New York State Business Council, Bolton's Landing, NY
[As Prepared for Delivery]
September 21, 2006
Thank you, Peter, for that kind introduction, and thank you all for inviting me here today.
I want to recognize Dan Walsh and thank him for his leadership over the past 18 years as President and CEO of the Business Council.
Dan, you have been an outstanding advocate for New York's private-sector business community, and you will be missed.
I also want to welcome Ken Adams as the Business Council's new President.
Ken, I look forward to working with you to make New York the best place to do business in the world.
As Governor, I will ensure that the Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform places renewed focus on breaking the regulatory logjam in the State's permitting process for new development.
http://www.spitzerpaterson.com/main.cfm?ac...&s=spitzer3
"Municipal court reforms sought - Bar association president advocates for requiring town, village justices to be lawyers"
By MICHELE MORGAN BOLTON, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Tuesday, January 30, 2007
ALBANY -- Legislation requiring the state's 2,300 town and village justices to be lawyers would preserve the court system's integrity, the president of the state bar association said Monday.
Currently, only 28 percent are lawyers, said Mark Alcott, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The public hearing followed a state comptroller's audit last fall that revealed missing money and other problems, and newspaper stories on the often poorly trained, but politically connected, judges.
It also came after state Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye unveiled a $10 million reform package to tighten financial control and court security while broadening education and training in the municipal courts.
"The behavior of a few questionable judges has raised some concerns," state Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, said last week.
"Some would like to see these courts abolished."
"I disagree."
"However, I believe we need to look at ways to improve them."
After Monday's testimony, he said: "Many of the witnesses agree that we need to look at ways to preserve and improve these courts in our communities."
Alcott said hair-waxing technicians undergo 75 hours of training to pass certification exams, but local justices needed just one week of training up to this year.
Kaye's plan calls for two weeks.
These judges hear more than 2 million cases a year and collect more than $210 million in fines.
It wasn't clear Monday what would happen to existing judges who aren't lawyers if the law passes, but a bar association spokesman said legislation would be worked out to ensure minimal disruption while shifting to lawyer judges.
Since 1978, the state Commission on Judicial Conduct has issued 634 public decisions, of which 448 were against town and village justices, said commission chief counsel Robert Tembeckjian, who also spoke at the hearing.
While he said it t isn't fair to say lower-court judges are more likely to be disciplined than others, Tembeckjian said that of the 152 cases serious enough to warrant removal from judicial office, 115 were against justices in the lowest courts.
And of the 6,611 full-scale investigations from 1975 to 2005, 4,033 were against lower-court jurists, he said.
"This 30-year statistical profile indicates that complaints of misconduct against town and village justices are more likely to have merit, warrant investigation and result in punishments than complaints against judges of higher courts," he said.
Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at 434-2403 or by e-mail at mbolton@timesunion.com.
end quotes
AND THE VERY LAST THING WE NEED ....
IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
IS TO HAVE LAWYERS ....
PRACTICING AS ATTORNEYS ....
IN OUR TOWNS ....
ALSO SERVING AS JUDGES ....
IN OUR TOWN COURTS UP HERE ....
THAT IS WHERE THE PROTECTION RACKET IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK BEGINS ....
IF YOU WANT TO BE PROTECTED ....
AND THE LAWYER IN YOUR TOWN ....
IS ALSO THE TOWN JUDGE ....
WELL ...
YOU "HOOK" UP WITH HIM ....
AS YOUR LAWYER ...
PAY HIM A HEFTY RETAINER ....
AND THEN ....
WELL ...
AS THEY SAY UP HERE ....
IN THE CORRUPT STATE OF NEW YORK ....
WITH ITS 72,000 LAWYERS ....
WHO CAN MAKE "DISBURSEMENTS" ON YOUR BEHALF ....
"YOU ARE GOLDEN" ....
YOU HAVE YOUR "PROTECTION" ....
BECAUSE THE LAWYER WHO IS ALSO THE TOWN JUDGE ....
IS FOR SALE ...
AS A LAWYER ....
ACCORDING TO THE BAR ASSOCIATION ITSELF ....
THAT LAWYER'S ALLEGIANCE .....
IS NOT TO THE LAW ....
NOR IS IT TO OUR CONSTITUTION ....
IT IS TO THE CLIENT'S MONEY ....
AND THAT IS ALL ....
"RENTED PENCILS", AS THEY CALL THEMSELVES ....
"WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT THEM TO SAY?"
IF YOU HAVE THE BUCKS TO BUY HIS "SERVICES" ....
TO A LAWYER ....
MONEY IS VERY IMPORTANT, AFTER ALL ....
And so ....
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Oct 25 2006, 07:50 AM)
SPIZER LOSES BIG COURT BATTLE IN STATE OF NEW YORK ....
ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE SOUGHT TO KEEP STATE SPENDING DATA A "SECRET" TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ....
PUBLIC INTEREST WINS OUT OVER GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION ...
READ ALL ABOUT IT ...
"Court: Lift shroud on pork - Times Union wins ruling ordering state leaders to reveal secret spending"
By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, October 25, 2006
A state judge ordered Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on Tuesday to turn over to the Times Union the names of lawmakers who sponsored member items -- known as pork barrel grants and projects.
The discretionary cash comes out of a $200 million pool of public funds within the state budget.
The newspaper took the state Legislature's two most powerful leaders to court earlier this year, accusing them of violating the state Freedom of Information Law by illegally concealing the names of lawmakers who distribute millions in taxpayer money on pet projects.
The Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-ruled Assembly divvy up $170 million -- $85 million each -- in taxpayer revenue each year and sign a confidential deal with the governor, who gets another $30 million to spend.
"It's a great day for New Yorkers," said Eve Burton, general counsel for the Hearst Corp., which owns the Times Union.
"The decision brings us back to the fundamental principles of democracy," said Burton, who argued the case two months ago.
"Voters are entitled to know how their representatives are choosing to use taxpayer dollars."
Spokesmen for Bruno, Silver and the attorney general's office, which represented the leaders, would not say whether there would be an appeal.
Darren Dopp, spokesman for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, said as the Democratic candidate for governor, Spitzer has made his personal views on the need for transparency on member items clear.
But Dopp could not comment on the lawsuit due to "attorney-client privilege."
"We had a role to fulfill, and we continue to have a role to fulfill," he said.
Asked how Spitzer would advise the state on the question of appealing, Dopp declined to comment, saying the attorney general will "consult with the client as to what the next step will be."
ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE SOUGHT TO KEEP STATE SPENDING DATA A "SECRET" TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ....
PUBLIC INTEREST WINS OUT OVER GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION ...
READ ALL ABOUT IT ...
"Court: Lift shroud on pork - Times Union wins ruling ordering state leaders to reveal secret spending"
By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, October 25, 2006
A state judge ordered Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on Tuesday to turn over to the Times Union the names of lawmakers who sponsored member items -- known as pork barrel grants and projects.
The discretionary cash comes out of a $200 million pool of public funds within the state budget.
The newspaper took the state Legislature's two most powerful leaders to court earlier this year, accusing them of violating the state Freedom of Information Law by illegally concealing the names of lawmakers who distribute millions in taxpayer money on pet projects.
The Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-ruled Assembly divvy up $170 million -- $85 million each -- in taxpayer revenue each year and sign a confidential deal with the governor, who gets another $30 million to spend.
"It's a great day for New Yorkers," said Eve Burton, general counsel for the Hearst Corp., which owns the Times Union.
"The decision brings us back to the fundamental principles of democracy," said Burton, who argued the case two months ago.
"Voters are entitled to know how their representatives are choosing to use taxpayer dollars."
Spokesmen for Bruno, Silver and the attorney general's office, which represented the leaders, would not say whether there would be an appeal.
Darren Dopp, spokesman for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, said as the Democratic candidate for governor, Spitzer has made his personal views on the need for transparency on member items clear.
But Dopp could not comment on the lawsuit due to "attorney-client privilege."
"We had a role to fulfill, and we continue to have a role to fulfill," he said.
Asked how Spitzer would advise the state on the question of appealing, Dopp declined to comment, saying the attorney general will "consult with the client as to what the next step will be."
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Dec 30 2006, 06:27 PM)
"Spitzer faces scandal-scarred state government"
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 10:52 a.m., Saturday, December 30, 2006
ALBANY -- In the week before Christmas, New York's state comptroller pleaded guilty to a felony and resigned the office to which he had just been re-elected.
A day earlier, the Republican leader of the state Senate announced he was under investigation by the FBI.
The week before that, a state senator from the Bronx, Democrat Efrain Gonzalez Jr., pleaded not guilty to charges that he was using charity groups in a scheme to steal more than $400,000 in state money.
In October, a powerful state Assembly member and major labor leader, Brian McLaughlin of Queens, was indicted on racketeering charges, accused of stealing more than $2.2 million.
In July, state Assemblywoman Diane Gordon was arraigned on bribery charges after prosecutors said they videotaped the Brooklyn Democrat demanding a developer build her a $500,000 house in return for her assistance on a land deal.
Questionable ethics, corruption and plain old thievery have become the hot topics at the state Capitol as state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer prepares to take over as New York's 54th governor.
"It's not a whiff, it's a stench," said Lee Miringoff, head of Marist College's Institute for Public Opinion.
"Stench is the word I would use."
"In the last few years, it's been unprecedented," said government watchdog Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group.
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 10:52 a.m., Saturday, December 30, 2006
ALBANY -- In the week before Christmas, New York's state comptroller pleaded guilty to a felony and resigned the office to which he had just been re-elected.
A day earlier, the Republican leader of the state Senate announced he was under investigation by the FBI.
The week before that, a state senator from the Bronx, Democrat Efrain Gonzalez Jr., pleaded not guilty to charges that he was using charity groups in a scheme to steal more than $400,000 in state money.
In October, a powerful state Assembly member and major labor leader, Brian McLaughlin of Queens, was indicted on racketeering charges, accused of stealing more than $2.2 million.
In July, state Assemblywoman Diane Gordon was arraigned on bribery charges after prosecutors said they videotaped the Brooklyn Democrat demanding a developer build her a $500,000 house in return for her assistance on a land deal.
Questionable ethics, corruption and plain old thievery have become the hot topics at the state Capitol as state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer prepares to take over as New York's 54th governor.
"It's not a whiff, it's a stench," said Lee Miringoff, head of Marist College's Institute for Public Opinion.
"Stench is the word I would use."
"In the last few years, it's been unprecedented," said government watchdog Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group.
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Dec 20 2006, 09:08 AM)
"Bruno facing FBI scrutiny - Federal investigators are looking into the outside business interests of state Senate majority leader"
By JAMES M. ODATO and RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, December 20, 2006
ALBANY -- Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno on Tuesday acknowledged he is being investigated by the FBI for what he described as his "outside business interests."
One person familiar with the situation, who would not say whether he has been contacted by federal agents, said the investigation appears to include Bruno and a business partner and friend of the Republican leader -- Jared Abbruzzese.
Bruno, in an abruptly called late afternoon news conference at the Capitol, revealed the probe and said he learned last spring it was going on.
He said subpoenas have been issued, and he did not believe he was the target of the inquiry.
"I have nothing to hide," Bruno said.
"They are going into background over the past five or six years."
Bruno added that he has hired William Dreyer, an Albany lawyer and former federal prosecutor.
The New York State Republican Campaign Committee paid Dreyer's firm about $2,400 between July and November.
Paul Larrabee, a spokesman for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, said he could not comment on the legality of member-item grants going to for-profit organizations.
Asked repeatedly over the past week, Larrabee said he couldn't offer an opinion on the matter because "it's just not a priority at this time."
By JAMES M. ODATO and RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, December 20, 2006
ALBANY -- Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno on Tuesday acknowledged he is being investigated by the FBI for what he described as his "outside business interests."
One person familiar with the situation, who would not say whether he has been contacted by federal agents, said the investigation appears to include Bruno and a business partner and friend of the Republican leader -- Jared Abbruzzese.
Bruno, in an abruptly called late afternoon news conference at the Capitol, revealed the probe and said he learned last spring it was going on.
He said subpoenas have been issued, and he did not believe he was the target of the inquiry.
"I have nothing to hide," Bruno said.
"They are going into background over the past five or six years."
Bruno added that he has hired William Dreyer, an Albany lawyer and former federal prosecutor.
The New York State Republican Campaign Committee paid Dreyer's firm about $2,400 between July and November.
Paul Larrabee, a spokesman for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, said he could not comment on the legality of member-item grants going to for-profit organizations.
Asked repeatedly over the past week, Larrabee said he couldn't offer an opinion on the matter because "it's just not a priority at this time."
And tuning in once again ...
From the UNDEMOCRACTIC PORK-O-CRACY .....
Here in the CORRUPT EMPIRE of NEW YORK ....
Where we have petty politics, as usual .....
Put children into your state government ....
And then you will have a childish government ....
Which this one sure seems to be up here ....
ALONG WITH PETTY, MEAN AND VINDICTIVE ....
And so ...
"Comptroller selection feud deepens - Power struggle over Hevesi replacement could lead to showdown between legislators and Spitzer"
By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, January 31, 2007
ALBANY -- A growing number of Assembly members appear ready to buck Gov. Eliot Spitzer and elect a new state comptroller from their own ranks rather than one of the three finalists recommended by a special panel Spitzer helped create.
What remains to be seen, though, is which Assembly member will be elected, when that may happen and what the fallout may be, especially between Spitzer and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
The speaker, with his 106 Assembly Democrats, controls the biggest chunk of legislative votes but falls one short of a majority of the combined Senate and Assembly, which would jointly vote for the new comptroller.
If the Legislature chooses an Assembly member rather than the three choices fielded by the panel, it could mark the first major defeat for the new governor, who persuaded lawmakers to appoint the special panel in the first place.
Last week the panel, which includes former state comptrollers Carl McCall and Ned Regan and former a New York City comptroller, Harrison Goldin, forwarded a list of three preferred finalists.
The state needs to fill the seat vacated last month by former Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who stepped down following a scandal over having state workers chauffeur his wife.
The panelists recommended Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman, New York City Finance Commissioner Martha Stark and financier William Mulrow.
Those choices prompted a backlash from lawmakers, who objected to exclusion of assemblymen who also want the job.
They include Tom DiNapoli, D-Great Neck; Richard Brodsky, D-Elmsford; Joseph Morelle, D-Rochester; and Felix Ortiz, D-New York.
A fifth, Alexander "Pete" Grannis, fell out of the running when Spitzer tapped him as Environmental Conservation commissioner.
Spitzer's panelists, said Silver, "ignored some of the most qualified people."
"Disqualification of five people (assemblymen) merely because of service in the Legislature is absurd," added Brodsky.
DiNapoli, widely viewed as the front-runner, added that the idea of a screening panel "didn't make a whole lot of sense," while Morelle said veering from the panel's list will likely be "one of many times over the years when we're going to exercise our independent judgment."
There are downsides, though, to going against the newly elected governor, who was swept into office on a reform platform and still enjoys high poll ratings.
Lawmakers could be viewed as part of an old guard unwilling to go along with the governor's agenda to clean up state government.
On the other hand, lawmakers don't have to run for re-election for another two years and the comptroller battle may be long forgotten by then.
And, Brodsky stressed, despite their admittedly poor public image, lawmakers are concerned about separation of powers in their insistence in not ceding to the governor's wishes.
Other observers say lawmakers may also want one of their own in order to free up a chairmanship or other key position that would be vacated if an assemblyman leaves for the comptroller's job.
This phenomenon, known as "churn," is appealing to ambitious lawmakers looking to move up the legislative ladder.
The Legislature is not unanimously against Spitzer.
Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, said Tuesday he wanted his conference to choose from among the panel's finalists, since that was the understanding lawmakers had with the governor early on.
"When you have an agreement, you keep it," he said.
Karlin can be reached at 454-5758 or by e-mail at rkarlin@timesunion.com.
James M. Odato and Elizabeth Benjamin of the Capitol bureau contributed to this story.
end quotes
There are downsides, though, to going against the newly elected governor, who was swept into office on a reform platform?
AND BY WAY OF CORRECTING THIS BIT OF PURE PUFFERY RIGHT ABOVE HERE FROM THE PAGES OF THE ALBANY, NEW YORK TIMES UNION .....
Eliot Spitzer does not have a real REFORM PLATFORM .....
Because Eliot IS "OLD ALBANY" if anyone is ....
Having been REPUBLICAN George Pataki's CHIEF LAWYER these last so many years ....
And Eliot Spitzer was NOT SWEPT INTO OFFICE .....
As this GUSHER ....
Or PUFFMEISTER ....
From the Albany, New York TIMES UNION would have us all believe .....
THE EFFORT UP HERE ...
WAS TO SWEEP AS MANY REPUBLICANS AS POSSIBLE ....
OUT OF OUR STATE GOVERNMENT .....
EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM HAD THAT BEEN POSSIBLE ....
Which it wasn't ....
Because people like REPUBLICAN "BIG JOE" Bruno ran unopposed ....
And so ...
Got in there on their own vote ....
And out of that effort on OUR part .....
ELIOT SPITZER IS WHO WE WERE LEFT WITH ...
HE IS NOT WHO WE WANTED ...
BECAUSE AS THE FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL ...
SPITZER WAS THE CHIEF DEFENDER ...
OF EVERYTHING THAT IS STILL WRONG IN ALBANY ....
INCLUDING SHELLIE SILVERS AND "BIG JOE" BRUNO ....
And so ...
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 21 2007, 07:40 PM)
"Vast ethics power sought - New York's executive, legislative branches discuss creating single oversight agency"
By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press
First published: Friday, January 19, 2007
ALBANY -- High level legislative and executive branch officials are negotiating to create a single, far-reaching ethics agency that could break down jurisdictional walls that currently limit investigations, officials familiar with the talks said Thursday.
If the agency is created, it would mark a historic step toward reforming a state government culture derided for years by critics and government watchdog groups as unseemly, even corrupt.
The new agency would consolidate the state lobbying commission, which can only investigate lobbyists; the Ethics Commission, which can only investigate executive branch employees; and the Ethics Committee, which can only investigate lawmakers, according to the officials in the legislative and executive branches.
They spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of negotiations.
Spitzer campaigned on a promise to clean up the state government culture in Albany, much of which he has said has an "aura of unseemliness."
"I'm extremely supportive of any effort to strengthen the integrity units in New York state," Grandeau said.
He said he had discussed the idea with Spitzer's transition team in December, and the key would be to have the political powers agree to give up some power.
"The threat of termination affects the way you pursue integrity cases," Grandeau said.
By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press
First published: Friday, January 19, 2007
ALBANY -- High level legislative and executive branch officials are negotiating to create a single, far-reaching ethics agency that could break down jurisdictional walls that currently limit investigations, officials familiar with the talks said Thursday.
If the agency is created, it would mark a historic step toward reforming a state government culture derided for years by critics and government watchdog groups as unseemly, even corrupt.
The new agency would consolidate the state lobbying commission, which can only investigate lobbyists; the Ethics Commission, which can only investigate executive branch employees; and the Ethics Committee, which can only investigate lawmakers, according to the officials in the legislative and executive branches.
They spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of negotiations.
Spitzer campaigned on a promise to clean up the state government culture in Albany, much of which he has said has an "aura of unseemliness."
"I'm extremely supportive of any effort to strengthen the integrity units in New York state," Grandeau said.
He said he had discussed the idea with Spitzer's transition team in December, and the key would be to have the political powers agree to give up some power.
"The threat of termination affects the way you pursue integrity cases," Grandeau said.
"Ethics bill delayed over technicality - Assembly committee discussion of legislation waits on outcome of three-way negotiations"
By ELIZABETH BENJAMIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, January 31, 2007
ALBANY -- Legislation to overhaul state ethics rules and create a new Commission on Public Integrity hit a snag Tuesday and was pulled off the agendas of three Assembly committees.
The Assembly Ways & Means, Codes and Government Operations committees all were supposed to take up the legislation Tuesday afternoon, but did not.
A spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said negotiations are taking place among the governor's office, the Democrat-controlled Assembly and the Republican-led Senate to fix a "technical problem" in the legislation.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer and legislative leaders disclosed a deal last week to merge the lobbying and ethics commissions into a new Public Integrity Commission, run by a board controlled by the governor.
This aspect of the deal drew criticism from some good-government groups and lobbyists, who noted that the executive would have power over the entity charged with policing his own agencies and authorities.
The agreement also included the addition of non-government members to the Legislative Ethics Committee, which has oversight over lawmakers, gifts of more than nominal value to lawmakers and officials, and honoraria for speeches.
end quotes
And when they say this legislation was pulled to "FIX" a "TECHNICAL PROBLEM" .....
What they are talking about .....
IS HOW TO GUT THE LEGISLATION .....
SO THAT IT IS ACTUALLY WORTHLESS ....
TO US ....
THE CITIZENS OF THIS STAE ....
AND THEY GUT THE LEGISLATION ....
BY PUTTING IN LANGUAGE .....
THAT MAKES THE LEGISLATION ACTUALLY INOPERABLE, AFTERWARDS ....
WHICH IS A REAL SLICK TRICK .....
THESE LAWYERS IN OUR "GUMMINT" UP HERE ....
HAVE BEEN EMPLOYING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW ...
AND AT LEAST SINCE 1976 .....
TO KEEP CORRUPTION IN POWER UP HERE ....
TO OUR DETRIMENT ...
WHICH IS WHY WE WANT NO LAWYERS AS JUDGES IN OUR TOWN COURTS UP HERE .....
AS THAT WOULD GIVE THEM ALMOST ABSOLUTE POWER .....
OVER US ....
TO STIFLE OUR DISSENT TOTALLY ...
AND TO KEEP THE "PROTECTION RACKET" UP HERE GOING ...
SINCE THAT IS WHERE THE MONEY IS ...
FOR THEM ....
And so ...
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Oct 25 2006 @ 07:50 AM)
"Court: Lift shroud on pork - Times Union wins ruling ordering state leaders to reveal secret spending"
By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, October 25, 2006
A state judge ordered Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on Tuesday to turn over to the Times Union the names of lawmakers who sponsored member items -- known as pork barrel grants and projects.
The discretionary cash comes out of a $200 million pool of public funds within the state budget.
The newspaper took the state Legislature's two most powerful leaders to court earlier this year, accusing them of violating the state Freedom of Information Law by illegally concealing the names of lawmakers who distribute millions in taxpayer money on pet projects.
The Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-ruled Assembly divvy up $170 million -- $85 million each -- in taxpayer revenue each year and sign a confidential deal with the governor, who gets another $30 million to spend.
"It's a great day for New Yorkers," said Eve Burton, general counsel for the Hearst Corp., which owns the Times Union.
"The decision brings us back to the fundamental principles of democracy," said Burton, who argued the case two months ago.
"Voters are entitled to know how their representatives are choosing to use taxpayer dollars."
By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, October 25, 2006
A state judge ordered Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on Tuesday to turn over to the Times Union the names of lawmakers who sponsored member items -- known as pork barrel grants and projects.
The discretionary cash comes out of a $200 million pool of public funds within the state budget.
The newspaper took the state Legislature's two most powerful leaders to court earlier this year, accusing them of violating the state Freedom of Information Law by illegally concealing the names of lawmakers who distribute millions in taxpayer money on pet projects.
The Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-ruled Assembly divvy up $170 million -- $85 million each -- in taxpayer revenue each year and sign a confidential deal with the governor, who gets another $30 million to spend.
"It's a great day for New Yorkers," said Eve Burton, general counsel for the Hearst Corp., which owns the Times Union.
"The decision brings us back to the fundamental principles of democracy," said Burton, who argued the case two months ago.
"Voters are entitled to know how their representatives are choosing to use taxpayer dollars."
Many of the reasons that this thread is running .....
Can be found ....
In this Albany, New York TIMES UNION article right above here .....
In the little window .....
And perhaps the PREMIER reason .....
Is this statement by this lawyerette for the Hearst Corporation ....
Which owns the Albany, New York TIMES UNION .....
That "Voters are entitled to know how their representatives are choosing to use taxpayer dollars ......"
TO BE CORRECT ....
The statement should have read ....
"THE CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK are entitled to know how their representatives are choosing to use taxpayer dollars ......"
BECAUSE THOSE REPRESENTATIVES IN QUESTION .....
SHELDON SILVERS, AND "BIG JOE" BRUNO .....
ARE NOT REPRESENTATIVES OF THE VOTERS .....
Which would be clearly discriminatory if it were to be so .....
THEY ARE THE ALLEGED REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK ...
And that includes those citizens who did not vote ...
Unless of course, we are to admit to having a discriminatory system up here in the State of New York ....
AND SINCE WE ACTUALLY DO .....
Well ....
That is why this thread is running, to be truthful .....
TO CAST SOME LIGHT ON THIS SUBJECT .....
FROM THE STANDPOINT .....
OF A CITIZEN OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK .....
WHO IS A TAXPAYER ....
AND WHO IS ALSO ENFRANCHISED TO VOTE IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
BY THE NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....
NOT THE HEARST CORPORATION ...
WHICH CORPORATION IS A MEMBER OF THE NEW YORK STATE BUSINESS COUNCIL .....
WHICH LOBBYING GROUP IS HOSTILE ....
TO THE NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION ....
AS AN IMPEDIMENT ....
TO DOING BUSINESS IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
AND WHICH CORPORATION IS PURSUING ITS OWN AGENDA IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK .....
IN THE NAME OF CORPORATE PROFITS ....
FOR ITSELF .....
AN AGENDA THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO ....
WITH PRESERVING THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF THE CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
AND NOT THE ALBANY, NEW YORK TIMES UNION ......
WHICH IS THE HEARST CORPORATION'S STALKING HORSE .....
IN THE STATE CAPITAL OF NEW YORK .....
ASSISTING IT ....
IN PUTTING FORTH THAT AGENDA ....
AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS ....
And so ......
And of course .....
Through Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt .....
Who started out his political career ....
As an Assemblyman in the New York State Legislature ....
William Randolph Hearst .....
And his Hearst Corporation newspapers .....
Play a somewhat prominent role ....
In both New York State history .....
And politics, as well ....
And this role is mentioned .....
In an excellent history ....
Of Teddy Roosevelt's early years in politics ....
Entitled I ROSE LIKE A ROCKET - The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt by Paul Grondahl, himself a staff writer for the Albany, New York TIMES UNION .....
And one particular vignette from that book ....
Or perhaps INCIDENT is the better word ....
Involving William Randolph Hearst .....
AND THE MURDER ....
OR ASSASSINATION ....
Of a United States president ....
Might be ILLUSTRATIVE .....
Of how we citizens up here .....
View the Albany, New York TIMES UNION
As something to be wary of .....
In our midst .....
As a HEARST CORPORATION STALKING HORSE ....
And without further ado ....
From pp.368,369 of I ROSE LIKE A ROCKET - The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt by Paul Grondahl ......
Roosevelt (Teddy Roosevelt, then vice president of the United States, September 1901) shared none of McKinley's (President William McKinley, who lay dying from an anarchist assassin's bullet) feelings of forgiveness toward the assassin.
"It was in the most naked way an assault not on power, not on wealth, BUT SIMPLY AND SOLELY UPON FREE GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT BY THE COMMON PEOPLE, BECAUSE IT WAS GOVERNMENT AND BECAUSE IT YET STOOD FOR ORDER AS WELL AS FOR LIBERTY," Roosevelt wrote.
Three days later, in a letter to Lodge (Henry Cabot Lodge), Roosevelt railed against the anarchistic climate of the times that led to the unthinkable act on the part of Czolgosz, whom he called a "Judas-like dog" and wanted to punish in the most severe way.
*****
Roosevelt expressed incredulity to Lodge about how "it did not seem possible that just at this time in just this country, and in the case of this particular president, any human being could be so infamous a scoundrel, so crazy a fool as to attempt to assassinate him."
ROOSEVELT ISSUED A CALL TO BATTLE AGAINST ANARCHY, THE AUTHORS OF ITS NIHILISTIC TRACTS, AND THOSE WHO SUPPORTED THE PHILOSOPHY OF LAWLESSNESS.
"WE SHOULD WAR WITH RELENTLESS EFFICIENCY NOT ONLY AGAINST ANARCHISTS, BUT AGAINST ALL ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SYMPATHIZERS WITH ANARCHISTS."
"MOREOVER, EVERY SCOUNDREL LIKE HEARST AND HIS SATELLITES WHO FOR WHATEVER PURPOSES APPEALS TO AND INFLAMES EVIL HUMAN PASSION, HAS MADE HIMSELF ACCESSORY BEFORE THE FACT TO EVERY CRIME OF THIS NATURE, AND EVERY SOFT FOOL WHO EXTENDS A MAUDLIN SYMPATHY HAS DONE LIKEWISE."
Roosevelt was alluding to Hearst's newspapers' relentless attacks on President McKinley's policies and on the politician personally.
HEARST'S JOURNAL REACHED A NADIR IN ITS BARRAGE AGAINST MCKINLEY IN APRIL 1901, SHORTLY BEFORE MCKINLEY'S SECOND INAUGURATION, BY EDITORIALIZING IN FAVOR OF POLITICAL ASSASSINATION.
"IF BAD INSTITUTIONS AND BAD MEN CAN BE GOT RID OF ONLY BY KILLING, THEN THE KILLING MUST BE DONE."
The scorn heaped upon Hearst was swift and overwhelming from Republican-affiliated newspapers, which blamed the publisher's editorials for spurring the assassin to pull the trigger against the president.
GROUPS BEGAN BOYCOTTING HEARST'S PAPERS AND THE PUBLISHER RECEIVED DEATH THREATS.
HEARST TRIED TO EXTRACT HIMSELF FROM THE MAELSTROM BY CLAIMING HE PULLED THE OFFENSIVE EDITORIAL AFTER READING IT IN THE FIRST EDITION - AN ASSERTION MADE LONG AFTER THE FACT AND UNVERIFIED.
IN ANY EVENT, HE HAD SENT AN EMISSARY TO APOLOGIZE PERSONALLY TO PRESIDENT MCKINLEY AFTER THE EDITORIAL GENERATED A CONTROVERSY.
BUT THE DAMAGE WAS DONE.
ONE MAGAZINE EDITORIALIZED, "AS FOR HEARST PERSONALLY .... HE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN THE DEGRADED, UNCLEAN THING THAT HE IS, SHUNNED BY EVERY HONEST CITIZEN, AND FOR WHOSE WANDERING FEET THERE SHALL BE NO RESTING PLACE WHERE THE AMERICAN FLAG RISES AND FALLS ON THE BREEZE."
THE SCANDAL FORCED HEARST TO RETREAT FROM ELECTORAL POLITICS AND DOGGED THE PUBLISHER THE REST OF HIS DAYS.
THERE WAS NO LOVE LOST ON THE PART OF ROOSEVELT, WHO HAD DESPISED HEARST SINCE HARVARD.
"HE PREACHES THE GOSPIL OF ENVY, HATRED AND UNREST," ROOSEVELT WROTE OF HEARST.
"HE CARES NOTHING FOR THE NATION, NOR FOR ANY CITIZEN IN IT ..."
"HE IS THE MOST POTENT SINGLE INFLUENCE FOR EVIL WE HAVE IN OUR LIFE."
Through Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt .....
Who started out his political career ....
As an Assemblyman in the New York State Legislature ....
William Randolph Hearst .....
And his Hearst Corporation newspapers .....
Play a somewhat prominent role ....
In both New York State history .....
And politics, as well ....
And this role is mentioned .....
In an excellent history ....
Of Teddy Roosevelt's early years in politics ....
Entitled I ROSE LIKE A ROCKET - The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt by Paul Grondahl, himself a staff writer for the Albany, New York TIMES UNION .....
And one particular vignette from that book ....
Or perhaps INCIDENT is the better word ....
Involving William Randolph Hearst .....
AND THE MURDER ....
OR ASSASSINATION ....
Of a United States president ....
Might be ILLUSTRATIVE .....
Of how we citizens up here .....
View the Albany, New York TIMES UNION
As something to be wary of .....
In our midst .....
As a HEARST CORPORATION STALKING HORSE ....
And without further ado ....
From pp.368,369 of I ROSE LIKE A ROCKET - The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt by Paul Grondahl ......
Roosevelt (Teddy Roosevelt, then vice president of the United States, September 1901) shared none of McKinley's (President William McKinley, who lay dying from an anarchist assassin's bullet) feelings of forgiveness toward the assassin.
"It was in the most naked way an assault not on power, not on wealth, BUT SIMPLY AND SOLELY UPON FREE GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT BY THE COMMON PEOPLE, BECAUSE IT WAS GOVERNMENT AND BECAUSE IT YET STOOD FOR ORDER AS WELL AS FOR LIBERTY," Roosevelt wrote.
Three days later, in a letter to Lodge (Henry Cabot Lodge), Roosevelt railed against the anarchistic climate of the times that led to the unthinkable act on the part of Czolgosz, whom he called a "Judas-like dog" and wanted to punish in the most severe way.
*****
Roosevelt expressed incredulity to Lodge about how "it did not seem possible that just at this time in just this country, and in the case of this particular president, any human being could be so infamous a scoundrel, so crazy a fool as to attempt to assassinate him."
ROOSEVELT ISSUED A CALL TO BATTLE AGAINST ANARCHY, THE AUTHORS OF ITS NIHILISTIC TRACTS, AND THOSE WHO SUPPORTED THE PHILOSOPHY OF LAWLESSNESS.
"WE SHOULD WAR WITH RELENTLESS EFFICIENCY NOT ONLY AGAINST ANARCHISTS, BUT AGAINST ALL ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SYMPATHIZERS WITH ANARCHISTS."
"MOREOVER, EVERY SCOUNDREL LIKE HEARST AND HIS SATELLITES WHO FOR WHATEVER PURPOSES APPEALS TO AND INFLAMES EVIL HUMAN PASSION, HAS MADE HIMSELF ACCESSORY BEFORE THE FACT TO EVERY CRIME OF THIS NATURE, AND EVERY SOFT FOOL WHO EXTENDS A MAUDLIN SYMPATHY HAS DONE LIKEWISE."
Roosevelt was alluding to Hearst's newspapers' relentless attacks on President McKinley's policies and on the politician personally.
HEARST'S JOURNAL REACHED A NADIR IN ITS BARRAGE AGAINST MCKINLEY IN APRIL 1901, SHORTLY BEFORE MCKINLEY'S SECOND INAUGURATION, BY EDITORIALIZING IN FAVOR OF POLITICAL ASSASSINATION.
"IF BAD INSTITUTIONS AND BAD MEN CAN BE GOT RID OF ONLY BY KILLING, THEN THE KILLING MUST BE DONE."
The scorn heaped upon Hearst was swift and overwhelming from Republican-affiliated newspapers, which blamed the publisher's editorials for spurring the assassin to pull the trigger against the president.
GROUPS BEGAN BOYCOTTING HEARST'S PAPERS AND THE PUBLISHER RECEIVED DEATH THREATS.
HEARST TRIED TO EXTRACT HIMSELF FROM THE MAELSTROM BY CLAIMING HE PULLED THE OFFENSIVE EDITORIAL AFTER READING IT IN THE FIRST EDITION - AN ASSERTION MADE LONG AFTER THE FACT AND UNVERIFIED.
IN ANY EVENT, HE HAD SENT AN EMISSARY TO APOLOGIZE PERSONALLY TO PRESIDENT MCKINLEY AFTER THE EDITORIAL GENERATED A CONTROVERSY.
BUT THE DAMAGE WAS DONE.
ONE MAGAZINE EDITORIALIZED, "AS FOR HEARST PERSONALLY .... HE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN THE DEGRADED, UNCLEAN THING THAT HE IS, SHUNNED BY EVERY HONEST CITIZEN, AND FOR WHOSE WANDERING FEET THERE SHALL BE NO RESTING PLACE WHERE THE AMERICAN FLAG RISES AND FALLS ON THE BREEZE."
THE SCANDAL FORCED HEARST TO RETREAT FROM ELECTORAL POLITICS AND DOGGED THE PUBLISHER THE REST OF HIS DAYS.
THERE WAS NO LOVE LOST ON THE PART OF ROOSEVELT, WHO HAD DESPISED HEARST SINCE HARVARD.
"HE PREACHES THE GOSPIL OF ENVY, HATRED AND UNREST," ROOSEVELT WROTE OF HEARST.
"HE CARES NOTHING FOR THE NATION, NOR FOR ANY CITIZEN IN IT ..."
"HE IS THE MOST POTENT SINGLE INFLUENCE FOR EVIL WE HAVE IN OUR LIFE."
"I'M A $@#%%*&&*^^%$@???*&&%$#@* STEAMROLLER, BABY ...."
- Threatening and POMPOUS statement allegedly made to New York State Assemblyman James "JIM" Tedisco by self-styled DICTATOR of New York Eliot Spitzer, as reported to WGY CLEARCHANNELS AM 810 by New York Assemblyman James "JIM" Tedisco, February 1, 2007 and verified by Spitzer in the same news broadcast
- Threatening and POMPOUS statement allegedly made to New York State Assemblyman James "JIM" Tedisco by self-styled DICTATOR of New York Eliot Spitzer, as reported to WGY CLEARCHANNELS AM 810 by New York Assemblyman James "JIM" Tedisco, February 1, 2007 and verified by Spitzer in the same news broadcast
"Spitzer already having difficulties with Legislature"
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 2:02 p.m., Wednesday, January 31, 2007
ALBANY -- If this is the honeymoon, just imagine what Gov. Eliot Spitzer's marriage with the New York Legislature is going to be like once they get the bags unpacked.
Already, Democrat Spitzer, who took office New year's Day, is at war with state Senate Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno over a special election on Long Island and with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a fellow Democrat, over the selection of a new state comptroller.
And, on Wednesday, Spitzer proposed a state budget that calls for reining in the growth of state spending on health care -- increases that have largely been fueled by lawmakers seeking to protect the flow of money to local doctors, hospitals and nursing homes.
If that weren't enough, on the morning of his budget presentation, the New York Post reported that Spitzer recently had a heated conversation with state Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco during which the governor, using an obscenity, called himself a "steamroller" who would "roll over you and anybody else."
"We had a little bit of heated discussion," the Schenectady County Republican told The Associated Press later Wednesday.
Tedisco refused to divulge exactly what was said -- "I don't kiss and tell" -- but said, "I've heard that type of language before."
"I'm an old athlete."
"I respect his aggressiveness," added Tedisco, a star basketball player while at Union College.
Even before he unveiled his full budget, Spitzer gave some previews, including a proposal to overhaul the education aid formula that could mean a lower percentage share of money for wealthy suburban districts that tend to be represented by members of the GOP's Senate majority.
"Does that mean there may be a battle?" Spitzer had said.
"You bet."
"It's fine."
"We welcome it."
"He's very astute," was Bruno's response.
The Spitzer budget plan has all sorts of possible flash points for lawmakers, including his call for expanding the bottle deposit law to cover non-carbonated beverages, limiting property tax cuts to middle-class homeowners and a proposed $1.5 billion bond act to fund stem-cell research.
The possible budget fight emerged as Spitzer and Bruno were already exchanging political blows over the Feb. 6 special election on Long Island for a Senate seat long held by the GOP even though the district now has a Democratic enrollment edge.
Spitzer lured away the Republican incumbent, Michael Balboni, with an administration job.
Should Democrats win the seat, Bruno's already declining majority would be cut to 33-29.
Meanwhile, Spitzer and Silver are at odds over who the Legislature should elect to fill out the almost four-year term of Democrat Alan Hevesi as comptroller.
Hevesi resigned in December after being caught up in a scandal over his use of state employees as drivers for his wife.
Silver wants a Democratic Assemblyman to get the job while Spitzer wants one of three candidates -- all non-legislators -- recommended by a special panel.
"It's a battle of titans," said state Sen. Serphin Maltese, a Queens Republican who said it looks like whatever honeymoon the new governor had is effectively over.
"It's natural that it was going to happen eventually."
"I'm just amazed that it was so early."
"The bloom is off the rose," Tedisco told Albany's WROW-AM radio when asked about the Spitzer-Silver battle.
"One or the other is going to lose, big-time."
Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf, who helped run Spitzer's first successful campaign for state attorney general in 1998, said the tension between the governor and the Legislature shouldn't have come as a surprise, given the events and Spitzer's personality.
"There is more at stake earlier and, because of those events, the governor doesn't have a honeymoon and the Legislature has to do what it has to do to make sure it stays relevant with a highly popular governor," Sheinkopf said.
Spitzer won more than two-thirds of the vote, a showing his camp has portrayed as a historic mandate for change.
Also, Spitzer came into office with a reputation as being a hard-nosed battler.
One ex-Wall Street executive, John Whitehead, said in 2005 that as attorney general, Spitzer called and threatened him.
Spitzer denied making threats but did not deny talking tough with Whitehead and others over the years.
Sheinkopf said Spitzer will have to adjust.
"There's always a learning curve when you're a former prosecutor becoming an elected official who is not a prosecutor," he said.
"The facts are, in New York state government, you've got to deal with the Legislature."
"There's a built-in system of checks and balances the same way there is in the federal government."
"The president can't always get his way and the governor can't always get his way."
Tedisco said he was willing to cut Spitzer some slack.
"Hopefully, he'll have a balance of aggressiveness and compromise and cordiality," the GOP leader told the AP.
"It's only 31 days, so he's got a long way to go."
"He'll learn as he goes, as we all have."
"He better."
------
AP Writer Mark Johnson in Albany contributed to this report.
------
Marc Humbert has covered New York politics for The Associated Press for more than 25 years. He can be reached via e-mail at: mhumbert(at)ap.org.
end quotes
There's a built-in system of checks and balances in the State of New York ....
The same way there is in the federal government ....
BECAUSE THE STATE OF NEW YORK'S CONSTITUTION PRE-DATES THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION ....
AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FORMED BY THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION ...
BY SOME TEN YEARS ....
AND THERE ARE CHECKS AND BALANCES IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT .....
BECAUSE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IN THE THIRTEEN ORIGINAL STATES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ....
WOULD NOT ACCEPT A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ....
THAT WAS LESS THAN THE GOVERNMENTS THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA HAD FORMED ....
BY CONSTITUTIONAL DECREE ....
IN THEIR OWN STATES ....
AND "BATTLE OF TITANS", MY EYE ....
IT'S A BATTLE OF TWO POMPOUS PIP-SQUEAKS IS WHAT IT IS ....
TWO SPOILED AND PETULANT CHILDREN ....
SPITZER AND SILVERS ......
And so ...
By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press
Last updated: 2:02 p.m., Wednesday, January 31, 2007
ALBANY -- If this is the honeymoon, just imagine what Gov. Eliot Spitzer's marriage with the New York Legislature is going to be like once they get the bags unpacked.
Already, Democrat Spitzer, who took office New year's Day, is at war with state Senate Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno over a special election on Long Island and with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a fellow Democrat, over the selection of a new state comptroller.
And, on Wednesday, Spitzer proposed a state budget that calls for reining in the growth of state spending on health care -- increases that have largely been fueled by lawmakers seeking to protect the flow of money to local doctors, hospitals and nursing homes.
If that weren't enough, on the morning of his budget presentation, the New York Post reported that Spitzer recently had a heated conversation with state Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco during which the governor, using an obscenity, called himself a "steamroller" who would "roll over you and anybody else."
"We had a little bit of heated discussion," the Schenectady County Republican told The Associated Press later Wednesday.
Tedisco refused to divulge exactly what was said -- "I don't kiss and tell" -- but said, "I've heard that type of language before."
"I'm an old athlete."
"I respect his aggressiveness," added Tedisco, a star basketball player while at Union College.
Even before he unveiled his full budget, Spitzer gave some previews, including a proposal to overhaul the education aid formula that could mean a lower percentage share of money for wealthy suburban districts that tend to be represented by members of the GOP's Senate majority.
"Does that mean there may be a battle?" Spitzer had said.
"You bet."
"It's fine."
"We welcome it."
"He's very astute," was Bruno's response.
The Spitzer budget plan has all sorts of possible flash points for lawmakers, including his call for expanding the bottle deposit law to cover non-carbonated beverages, limiting property tax cuts to middle-class homeowners and a proposed $1.5 billion bond act to fund stem-cell research.
The possible budget fight emerged as Spitzer and Bruno were already exchanging political blows over the Feb. 6 special election on Long Island for a Senate seat long held by the GOP even though the district now has a Democratic enrollment edge.
Spitzer lured away the Republican incumbent, Michael Balboni, with an administration job.
Should Democrats win the seat, Bruno's already declining majority would be cut to 33-29.
Meanwhile, Spitzer and Silver are at odds over who the Legislature should elect to fill out the almost four-year term of Democrat Alan Hevesi as comptroller.
Hevesi resigned in December after being caught up in a scandal over his use of state employees as drivers for his wife.
Silver wants a Democratic Assemblyman to get the job while Spitzer wants one of three candidates -- all non-legislators -- recommended by a special panel.
"It's a battle of titans," said state Sen. Serphin Maltese, a Queens Republican who said it looks like whatever honeymoon the new governor had is effectively over.
"It's natural that it was going to happen eventually."
"I'm just amazed that it was so early."
"The bloom is off the rose," Tedisco told Albany's WROW-AM radio when asked about the Spitzer-Silver battle.
"One or the other is going to lose, big-time."
Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf, who helped run Spitzer's first successful campaign for state attorney general in 1998, said the tension between the governor and the Legislature shouldn't have come as a surprise, given the events and Spitzer's personality.
"There is more at stake earlier and, because of those events, the governor doesn't have a honeymoon and the Legislature has to do what it has to do to make sure it stays relevant with a highly popular governor," Sheinkopf said.
Spitzer won more than two-thirds of the vote, a showing his camp has portrayed as a historic mandate for change.
Also, Spitzer came into office with a reputation as being a hard-nosed battler.
One ex-Wall Street executive, John Whitehead, said in 2005 that as attorney general, Spitzer called and threatened him.
Spitzer denied making threats but did not deny talking tough with Whitehead and others over the years.
Sheinkopf said Spitzer will have to adjust.
"There's always a learning curve when you're a former prosecutor becoming an elected official who is not a prosecutor," he said.
"The facts are, in New York state government, you've got to deal with the Legislature."
"There's a built-in system of checks and balances the same way there is in the federal government."
"The president can't always get his way and the governor can't always get his way."
Tedisco said he was willing to cut Spitzer some slack.
"Hopefully, he'll have a balance of aggressiveness and compromise and cordiality," the GOP leader told the AP.
"It's only 31 days, so he's got a long way to go."
"He'll learn as he goes, as we all have."
"He better."
------
AP Writer Mark Johnson in Albany contributed to this report.
------
Marc Humbert has covered New York politics for The Associated Press for more than 25 years. He can be reached via e-mail at: mhumbert(at)ap.org.
end quotes
There's a built-in system of checks and balances in the State of New York ....
The same way there is in the federal government ....
BECAUSE THE STATE OF NEW YORK'S CONSTITUTION PRE-DATES THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION ....
AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FORMED BY THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION ...
BY SOME TEN YEARS ....
AND THERE ARE CHECKS AND BALANCES IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT .....
BECAUSE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IN THE THIRTEEN ORIGINAL STATES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ....
WOULD NOT ACCEPT A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ....
THAT WAS LESS THAN THE GOVERNMENTS THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA HAD FORMED ....
BY CONSTITUTIONAL DECREE ....
IN THEIR OWN STATES ....
AND "BATTLE OF TITANS", MY EYE ....
IT'S A BATTLE OF TWO POMPOUS PIP-SQUEAKS IS WHAT IT IS ....
TWO SPOILED AND PETULANT CHILDREN ....
SPITZER AND SILVERS ......
And so ...
QUOTE(Livyjr @ Jan 25 2007, 08:09 AM)
ARTICLE 460, New York State Penal Law ....
ENTERPRISE CORRUPTION ...
TITLE X of the New York State Penal Law, ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT ...
S 460.00 Legislative findings.
The legislature (of the State of New York) finds and determines as follows:
Organized crime in New York state involves highly sophisticated, complex and widespread forms of criminal activity.
The diversified illegal conduct engaged in by organized crime, rooted in the illegal use of force, fraud, and corruption, constitutes a major drain upon the state's economy, costs citizens and businesses of the state billions of dollars each year, and threatens the peace, security and general welfare of the people of the state.
Organized crime continues to expand its corrosive influence in the state through illegal enterprises engaged in such criminal endeavors as the theft and fencing of property, the importation and distribution of narcotics and other dangerous drugs, arson for profit, hijacking, labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion and bribery, the illegal disposal of hazardous wastes, syndicated gambling, trafficking in stolen securities, insurance and investment frauds, and other forms of economic and social exploitation.
The money and power derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors is increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises and to corrupt our democratic processes.
end quotes
SO!
THE MONEY AND POWER OF ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK STATE IS BEING USED TO CORRUPT OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES HERE IN NEW YORK STATE!
WHICH IS ONE BIG PART OF WHY THIS THREAD IS RUNNING IN HERE ....
And so ....
ENTERPRISE CORRUPTION ...
TITLE X of the New York State Penal Law, ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT ...
S 460.00 Legislative findings.
The legislature (of the State of New York) finds and determines as follows:
Organized crime in New York state involves highly sophisticated, complex and widespread forms of criminal activity.
The diversified illegal conduct engaged in by organized crime, rooted in the illegal use of force, fraud, and corruption, constitutes a major drain upon the state's economy, costs citizens and businesses of the state billions of dollars each year, and threatens the peace, security and general welfare of the people of the state.
Organized crime continues to expand its corrosive influence in the state through illegal enterprises engaged in such criminal endeavors as the theft and fencing of property, the importation and distribution of narcotics and other dangerous drugs, arson for profit, hijacking, labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion and bribery, the illegal disposal of hazardous wastes, syndicated gambling, trafficking in stolen securities, insurance and investment frauds, and other forms of economic and social exploitation.
The money and power derived by organized crime through its illegal enterprises and endeavors is increasingly being used to infiltrate and corrupt businesses, unions and other legitimate enterprises and to corrupt our democratic processes.
end quotes
SO!
THE MONEY AND POWER OF ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK STATE IS BEING USED TO CORRUPT OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES HERE IN NEW YORK STATE!
WHICH IS ONE BIG PART OF WHY THIS THREAD IS RUNNING IN HERE ....
And so ....
And while we are on the subject ....
Of why caring parents ....
And adults ....
Strongly urge ....
Their off-spring .....
Or young people that they are mentors for .....
TO GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS CORRUPT EMPIRE UP HERE ....
WHERE INTEGRITY IN GOVERNMENT .....
IS CRUSHED ....
WITH THE USE OF FORCE AND VIOLENCE, WHEN NECESSARY .....
WHILE THOSE WITHOUT INTEGRITY ADVANCE ....
We have ....
From STRONGMAN Eliot "SQUAREJAW" Spitzer's CAPITAL CITY of Albany, New York, as follows .....
"Ex-official accused of bank heist - Former public works commissioner charged in Albany holdup"
By ANNE MILLER, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, January 31, 2007
ALBANY -- A former city public works commissioner with a criminal record spanning two decades was arrested Tuesday and charged with robbing a State Street bank, police said.
Kevin V. Byng, 46, allegedly entered the Key Bank at 60 State St. at 9:10 a.m. Monday, gave the teller a note and left with cash.
U.S. marshals arrested him at the Stardust Motel in Schenectady.
Byng was arraigned Tuesday and sent to Albany County jail without bail.
According to state prison records, he was paroled in July on another felony charge.
Despite his record, Byng was given a job by Mayor Jerry Jennings.
That eventually led to his position as public works department supervisor.
While problems plagued his tenure with the city, his true fall from grace took less than two weeks in June 1995.
He led police on two cocaine-fueled chases through Albany, entered court-ordered detox, left detox without court approval and fled to New York City, where he ultimately was arrested.
In all, Byng has served four prison terms.
He was in prison from 1987 until 1988 for attempted robbery.
From 1996 to 1998, he went away for forgery.
He also was imprisoned from 2000 to 2003 for burglary for stealing his brother's antique train collection.
Eighteen months after his release, he returned to prison on forgery-related charges.
He was paroled in July.
end quotes
As we would have it ....
Those of us who are CITIZENS up here ....
And not just "voters" .....
IT WAS BECAUSE OF HIS RECORD ....
THAT HE WAS GIVEN A JOB BY ALBANY, NEW YORK MAYOR JERRY JENNINGS .....
FOR HAVING AN ALREADY ESTABLISHED CRIMINAL RECORD .....
PRETTY MUCH GUARANTEES .....
THAT HE WOULD NOT SHY AWAY FROM CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES ....
WHICH THEN MAKES HIM COMPLETELY TRUSTWORTHY ....
TO THE POLITICIANS UP HERE ....
WHO HUNT DOWN ....
AND DESTROY ....
INTEGRITY ...
WHEREVER THEY CAN FIND IT ....
AND THAT STARTS WITH ELIOT "SQUAREJAW" SPITZER .....
THE MAN WITH THE POWER ....
TO HAVE INCARCERATED .....
IN A SECURE CORPORATE PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY .....
IN TROY, NEW YORK ....
ANYONE THAT HE PLEASES .....
AND ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH INTEGRITY ....
TO BREAK THEM .....
THIS POWER GRANTED TO "SQUAREJAW" SPITZER .....
BY A FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT JUDGE ....
RIGHT DOWN THERE IN ALBANY, NEW YORK ....
APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH ....
FOR THE PURPOSE ....
OF GUTTING OUR STATE CONSTITUTION ...
And so ...
Ah ....
Life in the CORRUPT EMPIRE OF NEW YORK .....
Wherever you look ....
INCOMPETENCE, INEPTNESS AND CORRUPT OR QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES GREET YOU ....
And so .....
Young people leave this state ....
Hopefully to find another state in this UNION of OURS .....
With more integrity .....
And competence ....
In its governing bodies ....
And so .....
"Board tries to nullify $82,000 check - Council says supervisor had no authority to make water project payment"
By BOB GARDINIER, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, January 31, 2007
NORTH GREENBUSH -- The Town Board majority has voted to rescind a check for about $82,000 for water district work, alleging the town supervisor improperly dispensed it to a contractor without getting board approval.
Supervisor Mark Evers, though, said the issue is a political attack on him for problems with a huge water project that began before he took office.
On Dec. 15, Evers had a town employee write a check for $82,333.92 to pay Casale Excavation for work the company is doing to finish Water District 14.
The disbursement was made a day after a Town Board meeting when one of the routine matters was to approve a list of payments -- called an abstract -- to be made by the town.
The entry was not on the list reviewed by elected officials that night, it was later determined.
New York state law requires that a voucher be shown to the Town Board before payments are made, officials have said.
Evers, a Conservative at odds at times with the majority Democrats, told the Times Union for a Jan. 10 story that the item was on the abstract and seen and approved by the board.
A day later he recanted that statement and said it was not on the list for board approval.
He said this week that he assumed the expenditure was on the list reviewed by the town board.
If the expenditure was on the abstract, the majority would have denied payment.
"We wish to make it clear that had the payment been included in the abstract, we would have voted to remove the payment upon the advice of the town attorney," majority Democrat Richard Fennelly said in a prepared statement.
Last fall, elected officials aired concerns that the $6.4 million project, the largest water district in town, had racked up about $600,000 in cost overruns, a figure now that could be closer to $800,000.
Fennelly said the town attorney, Josh Sabo, has repeatedly told the board it should not approve any more payments exceeding the approved $6.4 million contract because it would not be lawful without a public hearing, authorization by the Town Board and approval by the state comptrollers office.
Evers said he does not want work on the project to stop so near its end.
"The real issue here is, what will the contractor do if we stop paying him?" Evers said.
"We have people waiting for water, and we can't have the contractor walking off the job."
"It's a public safety issue as well."
"The system includes fire hydrants."
Evers said the reasons for cost overruns were items on the project estimates that had to be changed.
In some cases, more pipe had to be laid because expected easements for shorter routes did not pan out.
Original estimates on how much rock crews needed to cut through along pipelines was low, as well, Evers said.
The board majority has called for an investigation by the state comptroller's office into the check as well as the cost overruns of the water project.
Gardinier can be reached at 454-5696 or by e-mail at bgardinier@timesunion.com.
end quotes
New York state law requires that a voucher be shown to the Town Board before payments are made, officials have said ......
BUT .....
SINCE THE LAW .....
IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
IS NOTHING BUT A GREAT BIG JOKE .....
WELL .....
POLITICS AS USUAL IS WHAT GOVERNS, INSTEAD .....
AND BECAUSE WE ARE SHUT OUT OF OUR COURTS UP HERE ....
SO THAT NO ONE CAN DO A THING ABOUT ANY OF THIS CRAP .....
THESE COST OVER-RUNS AND SUCH .....
MAKE THE CONCEPT OF PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THESE PROPOSALS A REAL JOKE, AS WELL .....
And so .....
YOUNG PEOPLE ....
TAKE HEED .....
IF YOU ARE NOT FROM HERE ....
THEN FOR YOUR OWN GOOD .....
STAY OUT ....
UNLESS YOU ARE CORRUPT YOURSELF, OF COURSE .....
IN WHICH CASE ....
THE CORRUPT EMPIRE OF NEW YORK ....
IS THE PLACE FOR YOU TO BE ....
And so ...
Life in the CORRUPT EMPIRE OF NEW YORK .....
Wherever you look ....
INCOMPETENCE, INEPTNESS AND CORRUPT OR QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES GREET YOU ....
And so .....
Young people leave this state ....
Hopefully to find another state in this UNION of OURS .....
With more integrity .....
And competence ....
In its governing bodies ....
And so .....
"Board tries to nullify $82,000 check - Council says supervisor had no authority to make water project payment"
By BOB GARDINIER, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Wednesday, January 31, 2007
NORTH GREENBUSH -- The Town Board majority has voted to rescind a check for about $82,000 for water district work, alleging the town supervisor improperly dispensed it to a contractor without getting board approval.
Supervisor Mark Evers, though, said the issue is a political attack on him for problems with a huge water project that began before he took office.
On Dec. 15, Evers had a town employee write a check for $82,333.92 to pay Casale Excavation for work the company is doing to finish Water District 14.
The disbursement was made a day after a Town Board meeting when one of the routine matters was to approve a list of payments -- called an abstract -- to be made by the town.
The entry was not on the list reviewed by elected officials that night, it was later determined.
New York state law requires that a voucher be shown to the Town Board before payments are made, officials have said.
Evers, a Conservative at odds at times with the majority Democrats, told the Times Union for a Jan. 10 story that the item was on the abstract and seen and approved by the board.
A day later he recanted that statement and said it was not on the list for board approval.
He said this week that he assumed the expenditure was on the list reviewed by the town board.
If the expenditure was on the abstract, the majority would have denied payment.
"We wish to make it clear that had the payment been included in the abstract, we would have voted to remove the payment upon the advice of the town attorney," majority Democrat Richard Fennelly said in a prepared statement.
Last fall, elected officials aired concerns that the $6.4 million project, the largest water district in town, had racked up about $600,000 in cost overruns, a figure now that could be closer to $800,000.
Fennelly said the town attorney, Josh Sabo, has repeatedly told the board it should not approve any more payments exceeding the approved $6.4 million contract because it would not be lawful without a public hearing, authorization by the Town Board and approval by the state comptrollers office.
Evers said he does not want work on the project to stop so near its end.
"The real issue here is, what will the contractor do if we stop paying him?" Evers said.
"We have people waiting for water, and we can't have the contractor walking off the job."
"It's a public safety issue as well."
"The system includes fire hydrants."
Evers said the reasons for cost overruns were items on the project estimates that had to be changed.
In some cases, more pipe had to be laid because expected easements for shorter routes did not pan out.
Original estimates on how much rock crews needed to cut through along pipelines was low, as well, Evers said.
The board majority has called for an investigation by the state comptroller's office into the check as well as the cost overruns of the water project.
Gardinier can be reached at 454-5696 or by e-mail at bgardinier@timesunion.com.
end quotes
New York state law requires that a voucher be shown to the Town Board before payments are made, officials have said ......
BUT .....
SINCE THE LAW .....
IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ....
IS NOTHING BUT A GREAT BIG JOKE .....
WELL .....
POLITICS AS USUAL IS WHAT GOVERNS, INSTEAD .....
AND BECAUSE WE ARE SHUT OUT OF OUR COURTS UP HERE ....
SO THAT NO ONE CAN DO A THING ABOUT ANY OF THIS CRAP .....
THESE COST OVER-RUNS AND SUCH .....
MAKE THE CONCEPT OF PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THESE PROPOSALS A REAL JOKE, AS WELL .....
And so .....
YOUNG PEOPLE ....
TAKE HEED .....
IF YOU ARE NOT FROM HERE ....
THEN FOR YOUR OWN GOOD .....
STAY OUT ....
UNLESS YOU ARE CORRUPT YOURSELF, OF COURSE .....
IN WHICH CASE ....
THE CORRUPT EMPIRE OF NEW YORK ....
IS THE PLACE FOR YOU TO BE ....
And so ...
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