This is my state

bjorn_skurj · March 4, 2010

I know Illinois is awful as well, but we here in The Empire State have gotta be setting some kind of record:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/33893_Page2.html

New York gone wild

By: Ben Smith and Glenn Thrush

March 4, 2010 04:57 AM EST

Once a source of national leaders of both political parties, New York state has descended into a bizarre, riveting spectacle of corruption and political debasement, with its governor facing calls to resign as well as new charges of accepting illicit perks and lying under oath, the dean of its congressional delegation giving up his gavel over corruption charges and another House member announcing he won’t run again amid allegations of sexual harassment.

And that was just yesterday.

The latest, dizzying episodes of political disgrace in New York follow a half-decade of disaster during which three top state politicians were forced out amid allegations of everything from large-scale theft to small-scale sexual indiscretions.

And while Republican leaders have drawn their share of blame (and indictments), New York is now effectively a one-party state. Its current scandals attach themselves to the dominant Democrats, and the riveting soap opera is feeding a narrative of corruption that threatens to deepen the party’s national woes and distract from the White House’s attempt to refocus the country on health care. And it also hastens a decades-long diminution of the state’s 20th-century pre-eminence, a rise powered by the reform-driven Roosevelt presidencies.

“I have never seen a situation in New York, in my entire life, where there are so many legislators who have turned out to be bums — and a couple of executives, too,” said former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, whose third term as mayor dissolved in a humbling scandal at the Parking Violations Bureau.

Albany’s political scandals are a diverse mix, but the current wave began when Alan Hevesi, the respected, professorial state comptroller, was accused first of using his staff for errands and then of selling access to New York’s giant pension fund. Eliot Spitzer followed, driven from office for paying for sex, but already dogged by charges he’d used the state police to spy on his top Republican foe.

That rival, New York Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a Republican, was next, indicted for allegedly taking bribes. Then on to Rangel, the dean of the congressional delegation and a worthy heir to the man he defeated for the seat, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., who was censured by Congress for corruption that included Caribbean trips. On Wednesday, Rangel stepped down from his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee after the House ethics committee found that he had broken House gift rules by accepting corporate-sponsored travel to the Caribbean.

Paterson, for his part, reportedly intervened in an aide’s domestic violence case and allegedly received free tickets to Yankees games, then lied about it to investigators.

Democrats have dominated the recent scandals, but the party owes its edge over the state’s frayed Republican Party largely to the fact that it has more members in office.

Two Republican congressmen left office in recent years amid ugly scandals: Rep. John Sweeney was defeated after his wife’s reports of domestic abuse became public; he’s now reportedly under investigation in a lobbying case. And Rep. Vito Fossella was forced out when a drunken-driving charge led to the discovery of his second, secret family.

In New York City, meanwhile, prosecutors just finished tending to one of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s top aides, Bernard Kerik, the former police commissioner, who was convicted on corruption charges. And the city has heard a steady drumbeat of lower-level indictments, with members of the state Assembly, state Senate and City Council marching to the courthouse on charges ranging from extortion to domestic violence.

At this point, only two of the six statewide elected officials, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, were actually elected to the positions they hold.

The hail of dropping shoes has shocked even the state’s blithest political operatives.

“It used to be, you could at least look across the river at New Jersey and feel good about yourself. Those days are gone,” mourned Kevin Sheekey, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s longtime political adviser, adding, “It’s going to get worse before it gets worse.”

New York loves to reflect on itself, and the city’s scholars say the core of its political problems is one that haunts old Democratic bastions everywhere: The old, vibrant, flawed Democratic machines have collapsed, but they haven’t really been replaced by anything.

“We’ve cut off our new sources of talent and basically kept young people out,” said Mitchell Moss, a professor of urban planning at New York University. “[Rep. Edolphus] Towns and [Former Rep. Major] Owens and Rangel were very tough on young African-American politicians. You had to be a blood relation to get anywhere.

“And the only way we had a woman [in statewide office] was Hillary Clinton coming in or [sen.] Kirsten Gillibrand getting appointed,” he said.

Rangel is a fixture of the Democratic establishment, one of a “gang of four” that dominated Harlem politics for decades. Paterson is the son of another of that group.

Their simultaneous fall “is the end of the Democratic machine,” said Vincent Cannato, a New York historian and biographer of the late Mayor John Lindsay.

One mark of the empty talent pool: The state’s elite have pinned their hopes on the appointed lieutenant governor, Richard Ravitch, to save the legislative sessions. Ravitch is 76, emerged from retirement to take the job and plans to return to private life in the fall.

Other scandals have been less predictable — or explicable. Spitzer’s fall was triggered by private vice. And Democrats in the White House and in Congress are deeply concerned about the fallout from allegations of sexual harassment directed at upstate Rep. Eric Massa by a male aide.

POLITICO broke the news of the charges Wednesday afternoon, which partially drowned out the White House’s attempt to focus on health care. The report, and the subsequent news that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer knew of the allegations, raised a troubling echo of the 2006 revelations about former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who dragged his party down with him in a scandal over inappropriate contact with House pages.

While Washington Democrats cast pained glances at New York, New York Republicans are seeking to capitalize on the situation. Massa’s vacant seat is a likely Republican pickup, and the gathering storm has endangered congressional Democrats in a delegation that is down to a sole Republican.

“If Gillibrand has a close race, Republicans could make three to five House seats very competitive in New York,” said Bill Cunningham, a former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio Wednesday released a Web video featuring a “Democrats’ Hall of Shame” and calling for “fundamental change.”

The havoc is likely to have an immediate and unpredictable effect on the state’s fiscal future, already imperiled by an $8 billion deficit. Rangel's forced exit saps New York of a major defender on the Hill and leaves the state without control of a marquee committee in the House — at a time when California Democrats including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman and Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller are already hogging the top slots.

The most powerful New Yorkers post-Rangel occupy far less lofty perches: Upstater Louise Slaughter runs the Rules Committee, a powerful post but one that leaves her outside the inner circle of leadership; eastern New York’s Towns runs the House oversight panel but is often a step behind the ranking Republican, Darrell Issa; and Brooklynite Nydia Velazquez is chairwoman of the Small Business Committee, which controls a relatively small budget.

The scandals have also badly damaged the state’s clout in Washington, according to Rep. Anthony Weiner, a Democrat from Brooklyn.

He said he saw an immediate demonstration of New York's reduced clout on Wednesday, when a delegation of 12 Democrats from the state called a meeting with Pelosi to address their concerns that the Senate version of the health reform bill would seriously shortchange the New York.

"You probably could have accomplished as much as we did with a call to Nancy [Pelosi] by Charlie Rangel," Weiner told POLITICO.

"Look, Charlie was a powerful voice for New York in a place where we badly need it,” Weiner added. “We're not powerless, but we're definitely less powerful than we were ... . It's bad."

It’s a Democrat, though, who seems best positioned to capitalize, at least for now, on his party’s collapse: Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, who has kept his nose clean and is currently investigating Paterson.

Veteran Village Voice investigative reporter Wayne Barrett, who has exposed a score of scandals in Albany and City Hall, said, “I’ve never seen anything like this." But he sees the possibility of stability looming on the political horizon, in the form of Cuomo, the state’s Prince Hal.

“Every power player in New York has been swept aside in what seems like an instant,” said Barrett. “Where does this all end?... I guess the only great hope is Cuomo.”

The High Heat · March 4, 2010

Your reps suck at not getting caught.

mountain bed · March 5, 2010

I know it sounds horrible, Dan - and it is, make no mistake about it. But two things:

1) ya still got Kirsten, and she's proving to be up to the task of being in the "upper house",imo. Her work on DADT is important, among others.

2)Why don't you come on out here and see what a REAL dipshit Governor is like. This pathetic little weasel we have makes Patterson look like a brilliant statesman. :ohwell

ih8music · March 5, 2010

At least you guys don't have an inept former action hero who can't even pronounce the name of the state sitting in your governor's mansion.

Good Old Neon · March 5, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=monyiOsoKxg

bleedorange · March 5, 2010

Y'all should come to Texas! Things are good down here!

mountain bed · March 6, 2010

Yeah, REAL DAMN GOOD!!! When are y'all gonna tell us to kiss your asses 'cuz Gov. Perry is taking you out of the U.S.? :cheers

bjorn_skurj · May 17, 2010

Press release I got today:

Assemblyman Ortiz Calls for Tax on Patrons of Sexually Oriented Clubs

Mr. Ortiz hopes to raise funds for victims of domestic abuse, child prostitution, and hate crimes.

(Albany, NY) – Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (Brooklyn-51 AD), applauds the recent rally in support of the “pole tax” by Illusions Gentleman's Club in Mineola, Long Island, New York. At a news conference on the steps of the Supreme Court Building in Mineola, the owner and exotic dancers of the Illusion Gentleman’s Club expressed their support for an entrance fee to the patrons of the club to raise money for the state.

Assemblyman Ortiz had been pushing for legislation A.7126 which establishes a ten dollar surcharge to the customers of any clubs offering nude and semi-nude entertainment in an effort to raise funds in part for the state and in part for a Crime Victims Fund. The bill will soon be introduced in the Senate by Senator Eric Adams. Several states have enacted or are considering "pole" taxes on strip club patrons or purchasers of pornography. In 2007, Texas introduced legislation which collects five dollars from patrons and since then has reportedly collected approximately thirteen million dollars.

“I commend the Illusions Gentleman’s Club and supporting their efforts. A tax on this type of establishments could generate significant funds New York State. A portion of the money generated would be dedicated to a crime victim’s fund which would be established under this legislation. The money raised would aide victims of domestic violence, hate crimes, human trafficking, and child prostitution. “Many non-sexually oriented businesses have cover charges at the door which do not deter patrons” stated Ortiz.

Duck-Billed Catechist · May 17, 2010

A tax on this type of establishments could generate significant funds New York State.

Are you going to put in a call to get a laid-off colleague work as a proofreader in exchange for favorable coverage?

The High Heat · May 17, 2010

Will the taxman accept his payment in the form of ten singles stuffed into his waistband?

Calexico · May 22, 2010

At least you guys don't have an inept former action hero who can't even pronounce the name of the state sitting in your governor's mansion.

Yeah, that's more than unfortunate. Most political entities are a step up on that guy. Even some of our inherently country bumpkins are better than AHNOLD.

bjorn_skurj · May 26, 2010

Taxpayer-funded orgy! :dancing

Senator Young Calls for Resignation of OCFS Commissioner Gladys Carrion

in Wake of Taxpayer-Funded Orgy at State Youth Facility

Senator will also conduct a hearing to further investigate the incident

as well as reports of increased violence against staff at state youth

facilities

ALBANY - State Senator Catharine Young (R,I,C-Olean) today called for

the immediate resignation of New York State Office of Children and Family

Services Commissioner Gladys Carrion for sanctioning a state

taxpayer-funded orgy that took place during a dance at a youth facility

that houses killers and other violent criminals. At least one underage

girl and a suspected prostitute were brought into the juvenile prison and

performed a lap dance and possibly, other sexual acts.

Senator Young also announced that she will be conducting a hearing in

Albany to further investigate the incident, as well as reports of violent

youths being released prematurely into less secure settings where they have

murdered and viciously assaulted community members, and of numerous attacks

by youths against OCFS staffers who work at state-run facilities.

"It is shocking and outrageous that teenage girls are being escorted

at the taxpayers' expense into youth prisons. These are gang members and

hardened criminals convicted as adults for violent crimes such as rape,

murder and armed robbery. They are being rewarded by having girls brought

to them for their personal entertainment, including sex acts," Senator

Young said.

"We have an unprecedented fiscal crisis in our state, and our

overburdened taxpayers are paying for this type of garbage? It's

deplorable," Senator Young said.

Currently, there are three state agency investigations into the

incident, which is six months old.

"We need action. Under Commissioner Carrion's direction, the entire

juvenile justice system is spinning out of control. As a direct result of

her radical policies, many innocent people are being hurt, or worse,"

Senator Young said.

The New York Post today reported on the outlandish "social" that took

place at Goshen Secure Center in Orange County on December 12, 2009. Girls

as young as 15 were transported into the prison to attend the dance with

convicted killers and other dangerous criminals. A lap dance was

videotaped by a surveillance camera and other sexual acts possibly were

committed.

One prison employee, Tony Collado, said that he was ordered to drive

two women invited to the dance in a state car from a street corner in

Albany to Goshen and back -- a distance of 230 miles round trip.

“My complaints to the higher-ups about what happened at this dance

were ignored. Things are spinning out of control at Goshen and I know other

facilities are having similar problems. I've been hit with phone receivers,

punched in the face on numerous occasions and some of my fellow workers

have been on the opposite end of much worse. What happened at this dance

was the last straw and I felt that coming forward was the right thing to

do. Both the staff and residents should not be exposed to this type of

stuff” said Mr. Collado.

Last summer, Senator Young paid an unannounced visit to a "social" at

the Brookwood Secure Center for youths in Columbia County and said she was

shocked to learn that the inmates were allowed to invite young women into

the facility for a dance.

Senator Young is the Chair of the Special Legislative Task Force on

Reform of the New York State Juvenile Justice System. The Task Force was

formed to address a growing concern by community members, youth facility

staff, and law enforcement officials who cited the closure of 14 youth

facilities and reporting centers throughout the state, along with

newly-implemented policies set forth by OCFS, as the reason for a spike in

youth violence.

Task force members have pointed to a number of incidents around the

state as examples of disturbing emerging trends in relation to violent

youths and residential services. Last June, 24-year-old Renee Greco, an

employee at a community youth home in Lockport, New York, was brutally

beaten to death by two teenage residents who had been prematurely released

from more secure state facilities.

In February 2009, 23-year-old Rochester Police Officer Anthony

DiPonzio was shot in the head by a juvenile who was AWOL from a private

residential community placement.

A worker at the state-operated Tryon Residential Center in Johnstown,

New York suffered a stroke and died a month after he was struck in the head

with a wooden club by a youth. Months after the incident, several

employees sought and obtained orders of protection so they could come to

work.

“In my over 17 years at the District Attorney’s Office, I have

watched well intentioned policies evolve to protect residents from

excessive use of force by staff members, and these models may appear good

on paper,” Fulton County District Attorney Louise Sira said. “While I am

not an expert in child psychology, I am ever mindful of the fact that these

youths are in placement for violent offenses, and the execution of the

models currently in place has resulted in a marked increase in violence on

staff.”

Senator Young submitted a Freedom of Information Law request to OCFS

last November regarding increased gang membership of residents, violent

incidents in facilities by residents and staff assaults, but has been

stonewalled by agency officials. Assembly Member Rory Lancman recently

released a report that found OCFS workplace injury rates among the highest

of any state agency, and that workers' compensation incident rates at

state-operated youth residential facilities have increased by 33 percent in

the past year. The report further concluded that Commissioner Carrion and

the OCFS administration have neglected workplace safety as part of the

agency's policy changes which has increasingly put staff at risk.

CSEA President Danny Donohue, “Under Commissioner Gladys Carrion’s

tenure we have seen an aggressive lip service for reform while action has

consisted of undermining services and employees by failing to provide

adequate training, resources and other help – she has failed the youth, she

has failed the staff and she has failed the taxpayers.”

“This latest report of an administration-facilitated sex party is

outrageous and offensive in every way and demonstrates her reform

philosophy is also totally misguided,” Donohue said. “Coupled with last

week’s Assembly report detailing the increasing risk to staff in OCFS

facilities, it is clear the Commissioner must go.”

Kenneth Brynien, President of the New York State Public Employees

Federation (PEF), said “Rest assured, Commissioner Carrion will once again

point the finger at members of her own staff rather than take

responsibility for her actions. It was Carrion who showed extraordinarily

bad judgment by promoting a party for juveniles who have been confined for

criminal offenses.

“This is another example of the failed policies of Commissioner

Carrion which have also led to increased violent situations for youths and

staff at facilities across the state,” Brynien added. “PEF has been

documenting injuries to our members at OCFS facilities and has repeatedly

reached out to the commissioner and governor for policy changes. Clearly

the sex party is the last straw and Carrion must be held accountable.”

Members of the Task Force include Senators Joseph Robach, George

Maziarz, Hugh Farley, William Larkin, Michael Nozzolio, John Bonacic and

Marty Golden.

Senator Bill Larkin (R,C- Cornwall-on-Hudson) said, "The allegations

raised in today's New York Post article are some of the most shocking I've

heard in a long time. It is unconscionable that an event like this was

allowed to take place in a state facility, much less at the taxpayers'

expense. The Office of Children and Family Services must be held

accountable for their actions and I look forward to their attendance at our

Task Force hearing to explain how things deteriorated to this level," said

Larkin.

Senator Hugh T. Farley (R,C – Schenectady) said, “Policy changes,

and a lack of leadership, have endangered both the staff and the residents

at OCFS facilities. Many hard-working staff feel abandoned and betrayed by

the leadership at OCFS. Also, I remain alarmed by the proposed downsizing

of facilities and the unrealistic policy shift toward less secure community

residences. These residences will not provide the services and oversight

that are needed, and they raise troubling concerns for the communities that

will be affected.”

Senator Marty Golden (R,C,I – Brooklyn) said, “The Office of Children

and Family Services is like the Wild West. There are no guidelines, rules,

or respect for the Law. Only by having Commissioner resign right now, can

we restore integrity to an agency who is responsible for the supervision of

some of New York State’s most hardened juvenile criminals. We can only

“clean up Dodge,” by bringing in a new sheriff – a new commissioner,” said

Senator Marty Golden.

State Senator John Bonacic (R,I,C - Mt. Hope) said "The repeated,

shocking, and sometimes tragic incidents occurring at OCFS facilities

demonstrate a culture of incompetence by the agency administration. Rank

and file employees at these facilities often work in the fear of either

physical or other job related threat. We need to overhaul OCFS starting at

the top."

State Senator Mike Nozzolio (R,C – Fayette) said, “During these

difficult economic times, while our hardworking taxpayers are struggling to

make ends meet, it is simply unconscionable that taxpayer dollars are being

wasted on outrageous and illegal entertainment for violent felons. The

ineffective new policies that have been implemented at OCFS are clearly

more concerned with the luxuries of convicted criminals than protecting

staff and taxpayers. Because of these irresponsible policy changes, crime

rates will undoubtedly increase and the safety of our communities will be

jeopardized. We must correct this dangerous mistake before even more

tragedy occurs.”

Senator Dale M. Volker (R,C,I – Depew) said, "It is crystal clear

that this is a state agency that is spiraling out -of-control and placing

its residents and state personnel in danger," said Senator Dale M. Volker.

"There is a systematic failure going on at these state youth detention

facilities and drastic action is needed immediately. If nothing is done,

more murders, more sex offenses, and more illegal behavior will take place.

The taxpayers are paying for this dysfunction within our secure youth

detention facilities, and we must demand accountability right away. The

job of rehabilitating these young people is so very important. If we fail

them now, we fail them later in life as they may again be in contact with

the criminal justice system down the road."

bjorn_skurj · June 4, 2010

New York State Assembly affirms oneness of humanity

ALBANY -- All people are inseparably linked by an inner oneness, the New York State Assembly affirmed in a resolution that also recognized the "noble" work of the global Humanity's Team movement.

The non-binding resolution, K1391, brought to the Assembly floor by state Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston, passed unanimously May 24.

It is believed to be the first U.S. government resolution passed by a state legislative body affirming the oneness of humanity and the interconnectedness of all life.

"All people share the world together with all of life," the resolution said.

"Science has established and sages have declared for millennia that life is a unified whole with multiple dimensions and expressions," it said, observing that science has also established that these multiple dimensions and expressions "complement each other and are an inherent part of life's underlying unity."

"It is of the utmost and urgent importance to the common interests of the entire State of New York, the United States of America and the international community to strengthen the ideals of unity, diversity, harmony and compassion within and among all nations and peoples," the resolution declared.

The resolution also recognized the accomplishments of Humanity's Team, a global movement that sees most chronic and acute world problems as traceable to a single root cause -- the illusion of separation from other people, from the earth and from the rest of life.

By contrast, Humanity's Team sees an acknowledgment and embrace of humanity's inner unity, or oneness, as the key to solving the problems.

"Would the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have occurred if humanity recognized we are all one?" Humanity's Team Worldwide Coordinating Director Steve Farrell asked. "Would we tolerate accelerated global warming, extreme poverty and hunger, and gender inequality? Would we fight each other under the banner of organized religion and in the name of God?"

Four days before receiving the Assembly recognition, the council delivered a global petition to the United Nations signed by more than 50,000 people from 168 countries appealing to the world body to declare an annual global Oneness Day recognizing humanity's inner unity.

Veteran U.N. envoy Anwarul K. Chowdhury, who received the petition on behalf of the U.N. Culture of Peace initiative, said a sustainable world at peace would only exist after humanity realizes, announces and experiences that we are all one.

"I believe that unless we have that sense of solidarity among the peoples of the world, all our efforts of peace and security will go nowhere," Chowdhury, a former undersecretary-general and high representative of the United Nations, said at an indoor ceremony at U.N. headquarters in front of the Chagall Peace Window.

The proposed Oneness Day -- which Humanity's Team and supporters say they hope, with U.N. member state support, will become a General Assembly resolution -- would provide opportunities for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts demonstrating unity, diversity, harmony and compassion on a shared date, comparable to what happens on Earth Day.

"The awareness that even with our differences we are all one -- and the creation of behavioral codes and international agreements reflecting this awareness -- would shift the political, economic and spiritual reality so humanity can finally realize the dream it has had since time immemorial of a world living in peace, harmony and happiness," Farrell said.

The Assembly resolution said, "When an organization of such noble aims and accomplishments is brought to our attention, it should be recognized and applauded by all the citizens of this great Empire State."

The Humanity's Team Global Council -- the movement's central executive committee, made up of country coordinators from around the world -- was holding an annual meeting at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz during the Assembly vote. New Paltz is in Cahill's 101st Assembly District.

bjorn_skurj · June 4, 2010