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The State of the State: A Real Sad Story
By MICHAEL SCHENKLER
Follow me on Twitter @QueensTribune
I sat the other day with a member of the State Legislature. This one, I think, was one of the good guys.
My discussion with him went very much the way my discussion with many of the Assembly members and State Senators go.
We wind up talking about the job they are doing and the member points to some legislative initiatives, a batch of member items funding local groups, and some pretty progressive votes on some relatively easy issues to assert he (or she) is doing a good job.
I wind up talking State Budget and deficit, ethics, reapportionment, power of leadership, the culture of corruption and the best interests of the people of New York.
Like most of the good ones, after slight protestations that there is indeed a worthy record to be discussed and reviewed, last week’s guest moved pretty quickly to saying,
"You’re right." "I agree!"
Yes, he was one of the good ones. There are probably many good ones – but . . .
Collectively, the good ones allow the corrupt system to continue.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked. “I’m just one member and if I stood up and said what you are saying – the truth – I’d be ostracized and punished."
"I would be in disfavor of the Speaker; nothing in my District would be funded; and I’d probably be exiled to an office in some basement hallway."
Yup! All true!
He is absolutely right!
But it doesn’t change the facts or address the culture of corruption that permeates almost every phase of legislative life in Albany. You’ve read it here before and at least right now, I’m not going to enumerate the list of Albany ethical woes and the steps needed to correct them.
Nor am I going to provide the complete list of legislators and former legislators – starting with Joe Bruno, Anthony Semenerio, Brian McLaughlin and Hiram Monseratte, who have crossed the line of ethical behavior.
The list is very long and I fear includes many members who have yet to be accused or caught. But it seems that few can spend a lot of time in Albany before the sense of entitlement and culture of corruption causes them to become intoxicated with power. And then, whether it’s money, power or sex, moral and ethical standards do not apply and behavior is no longer bound by the codes that apply to others.
Those who have chosen public service as a career wind up with their hands out while they are screwing the public and others in Albany.
And if they don’t partake, they are mum. They look the other way while their colleagues rape, pillage and steal. Well, maybe they just play the system.
But it is clearly wrong, clearly unethical and what goes on should be illegal if it is not.
And every one of them knows the story.
Off the record, quietly, a number of them acknowledge it.
Most of them call for reform but only get the opportunity to vote for cosmetic change, which leadership controls.
And year after year, the self perpetuating body won’t change the rules to make the playing field even close to level. The campaign contributions, the gerrymandering, the use of State resources, the sycophantic and corrupt relations with lobbyists are business as usual and the incumbent legislature will not make a change.
Newcomers, through fear or consumption of the spoils, quickly become the incumbents who are the problem.
And the good guys (and gals) remain silent.
Sure the ineffective Governor, out of desperation, seeking a message that will resonate, has proposed some substantial ethical changes.
As a member for years and as minority leader of the State Senate, he never pointed the finger. Now he needs an issue and knows damn well any change requires the vote of the legislature and the real issues will never reach the floor. His reform calls appear to be as empty as most of the stuff that has marked his administration.
But that is the standard for Albany.
I said to my legislative guest, "I’ve considered opposing all incumbent State Legislators this year – a call to throw the bums out."
And he shook his head and said, "there are some very good people there -- people who care."
And I shook my head and said, "and they allow some very bad things to go on in Albany."
And thus, my friends and readers, we have the State of New York State -- a real sad story without a happy ending.
Anyone have a solution?
MSchenkler@QueensTribune.com
Michael Schenkler can be reached via this contact form.
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Albany’s Disappointing Year:
Fiscal Problems, Senate Squabble
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| Henry Stern
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By HENRY STERN
Last Tuesday, the legislature met in joint session to hear Governor Paterson’s State of the State address. As had been leaked, the governor made a series of reform proposals, dealing with ethics, conflicts of interest, public finance and term limits for legislators. He spoke at length on economic development proposals. His economic agenda in particular did not generate an enthusiastic response from lawmakers. The ideas sounded stale even if they were new; there was little about relieving the burdens of taxation or improving the state’s infrastructure. He emphasized increasing programs for minority and women business contractors, which has been an area of manipulation for some time.
We had urged the governor to make bold proposals, and to lead even if others would not follow. On the issue of ethics, he did just that. The reforms he advanced would be a great step forward in leveling the playing field in a way that would promote honest government. Unfortunately, we do not expect any significant reforms to emerge from the rogues’ gallery in the state Senate or the dutiful members of the Assembly. A number of one-house bills may emerge. These are bills that are passed by either the Senate or the Assembly but are considered dead on arrival in the other. One of their purposes is to allow legislators to be recorded as voting for reform, while secure in the knowledge that no reform legislation will be passed by both houses, which is a necessity before it can go to the governor for his signature or veto.
The financial crisis caused by the multi-billion dollar state deficit is, as has been said, the 800-pound gorilla in the room, which no one is quite ready to deal with. The state’s economic picture, although it appears to have stabilized, has not improved enough to provide sufficient tax revenues to close the budget gap. The remedies for the deficit are the same as those traditionally available: reduce expenditures, increase taxes, borrow money, and receive a larger federal subsidy cloaked as a stimulus package. The problem, of course, is that hardly anyone in Albany wants to lay off any employees, taxes are now the highest in the nation (and any increase will drive out the people on whom the burden would be increased), the law prohibits straight borrowing (so it would have to be done through a subterfuge), and we cannot now predict what the Obama administration will offer to local government, particularly in view of increasing Congressional resistance.
A financial shortfall does not usually have an instant immediate impact, like Katrina or a tsunami or 9/11. It is more like a slow garroting of the beleaguered city, state or private corporation leading to higher interest rates followed by inability to borrow money, increasing delay in paying bills, closing of satellite facilities, failing to follow costly new mandates because of lack of resources, freezing salaries or deferring wage increases, postponing capital construction, scaling back appropriations for cultural institutions now largely supported by the city, weeding out underperforming managers and employees, tightening the award of disability pensions, and reducing consultants contracts, particularly at the Department of Education. Not all of this would be bad. Some budget cuts are in fact beneficial, except to the person being cut.
But for agencies and taxpayers, these budget reduction exercises would be salutary, at least in part. Some should have been implemented earlier with the co-operation or initiative of the agencies involved.
The state fiscal year begins on April 1, which is the legal deadline for the adoption of a budget which must by law be ‘balanced,’ which really means it can’t be as far out of balance as the spenders would like it to be. The adoption of the state budget will be more difficult than usual this year because 1) at this point, expenses far exceed revenues, 2) this is an election year, with the Republicans appearing to rally from their low point last Spring, 3) the Senate is so closely divided that all 32 Democratic votes are required to take any action, 4) if Senator Monserrate is expelled, the Democrats lose their majority until a successor is elected to replace him.
That is the reason that even those Senate Democrats who have publicly demanded Monserrate’s removal may not insist on a vote on the matter, leaving it to Senator Sampson to bottle up a motion to expel the convicted girlfriend-dragger.
We are anxious to see what, if anything, the Legislature will do to prevent its reputation, already low, from sinking further. It is somewhat like last winter, when people wondered whether, if ever, the market would stop falling. One unintended consequence of their ethical lapses is to make Governor Paterson look better. Notice how Attorney General Cuomo has remained aloof from both the financial and the ethical issues embroiling the Legislature. If we were in his position, we might do the same thing, but at some point he will be called on, and we look forward to his entering the arena.
StarQuest@NYCivic.com
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Not4Publication.com by Dom Nunziato |
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