Thursday, November 30, 2006
Spitzer's Aim
The Politicker Azi Paybarah
Azi makes an interesting observation on Eliot's reform package and who the "target" audience really is...............andy
Eliot Spitzer seemed to have made it clear that his self-imposed reform package - not attending fund-raisers in Albany and capping contributions at $10,000, among other things - is intended to have the effect of politely shaming other lawmakers in Albany into following his example.
Here's what he said earlier today:
"What we are doing is trying to change the paradigm, and by changing the paradigm and leading by example and saying to the legislature, this is the way we believe state government should function."
Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno has already balked at the idea, and Sheldon Silver, as far as I can tell, is still formulating his reponse.
But Democratic consultant Evan Stavisky has an alternative take: that the proposals are intended chiefly to serve as a contrast with the practices of George Pataki, rather than as any implicit rebuke of Silver and the rank-and-file lawmakers who Spitzer actually has to work with.
"Some of the issues in there are unique to the executive branch. Its not directed at Shelly Silver. It's directed at George Pataki, who found new and innovative ways to enrich his cronies.
"The state legislature has been dysfunctional, but the Pataki administration has been disgraceful."
Azi makes an interesting observation on Eliot's reform package and who the "target" audience really is...............andy
Eliot Spitzer seemed to have made it clear that his self-imposed reform package - not attending fund-raisers in Albany and capping contributions at $10,000, among other things - is intended to have the effect of politely shaming other lawmakers in Albany into following his example.
Here's what he said earlier today:
"What we are doing is trying to change the paradigm, and by changing the paradigm and leading by example and saying to the legislature, this is the way we believe state government should function."
Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno has already balked at the idea, and Sheldon Silver, as far as I can tell, is still formulating his reponse.
But Democratic consultant Evan Stavisky has an alternative take: that the proposals are intended chiefly to serve as a contrast with the practices of George Pataki, rather than as any implicit rebuke of Silver and the rank-and-file lawmakers who Spitzer actually has to work with.
"Some of the issues in there are unique to the executive branch. Its not directed at Shelly Silver. It's directed at George Pataki, who found new and innovative ways to enrich his cronies.
"The state legislature has been dysfunctional, but the Pataki administration has been disgraceful."
Mondello Unplugged or Grumpy Old Men
Courtesy AP Bruno/MondelloElizabeth B(Capitol Confidential) got a kick out of Mondello and his wise cracks....for those of us living on the Island this stuff gets pretty old fast....here are a few Mondello quips....."I’m staying as county chair,” said Mondello, a transplant to Long Island from Brooklyn who has headed the Nassau County GOP for more than two decades. “That’s my base. Mrs. Mondello didn’t bring up baby Joey to be a dummy.” and another one “If you consider me an old white guy, that’s your problem, ’cause I’m not…My showing my cherub Italian face in Buffalo is not going to be the answer of everyone running to donate money and people to run for office in the Republican Party.” Actually the responses Eliabeth got to this blog entry are priceless.........."Did John “Jaspir” Nolan remember to attend the meeting? Bruno, 77, Mondello 68, Nolan 74 - sounds like the GOP is bringing in new blood alright. New qualifying invitees (50 yr olds) into AARP are referred to as “kids” in this party.
I’ll bet the Democrats are shaking in their boots. " and "Saw a few video clips of this on the news, thought for a moment that it was a scene from Jurassic Park. I didn’t realize there were no female dinosaurs. I guess that explains their extinction. " Could I make this stuff up??? andy
I’ll bet the Democrats are shaking in their boots. " and "Saw a few video clips of this on the news, thought for a moment that it was a scene from Jurassic Park. I didn’t realize there were no female dinosaurs. I guess that explains their extinction. " Could I make this stuff up??? andy
Kalikow may resign from MTA by June 2007
NewYorkBusiness.Com David Jones
"Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Peter Kalikow, who has been under pressure to step down by Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer, said Thursday that he may leave office as soon as the second quarter of 2007."
"During his campaign for governor, Mr. Spitzer said that he would try to force Mr. Kalikow out if he did not resign from the MTA on his own. MTA officials unavailable for immediate comment."
'Gene Russianoff, senior attorney at the Straphangers Campaign, said Mr. Kalikow's resignation would help make Mr. Spitzer more accountable."Whomever is governor is responsible for transit," said Mr. Russianoff. "Do I really want a situation where Spitzer can say,'I hate that service cut, but I can’t do anything about it?'"
Gene........this is Eliot's Show now...not Pataki's......do you think for a New York minute Eliot will tolerate any service cuts without his approval??? I don't think so..........andy
"Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Peter Kalikow, who has been under pressure to step down by Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer, said Thursday that he may leave office as soon as the second quarter of 2007."
"During his campaign for governor, Mr. Spitzer said that he would try to force Mr. Kalikow out if he did not resign from the MTA on his own. MTA officials unavailable for immediate comment."
'Gene Russianoff, senior attorney at the Straphangers Campaign, said Mr. Kalikow's resignation would help make Mr. Spitzer more accountable."Whomever is governor is responsible for transit," said Mr. Russianoff. "Do I really want a situation where Spitzer can say,'I hate that service cut, but I can’t do anything about it?'"
Gene........this is Eliot's Show now...not Pataki's......do you think for a New York minute Eliot will tolerate any service cuts without his approval??? I don't think so..........andy
Spitzer, Berger see more health cuts coming
Gannett News Service Jay Gallagher
"ALBANY _ The plan to cut to the state's health-care system proposed this week, while called harsh my some union leaders and hospital executives, represents merely a start on reductions that need to be made, the chairman of the commission that recommended the cuts said in an interview Thursday.Later, Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer disclosed that the savings from the plan to state taxpayers from the proposed closings is likely to be minimal. He reiterated that the "bloated system'' needs to be further cut."
"The cuts recommended by the commission, while reducing spending by about $800 million overall, will save only about $250 million in Medicaid costs, Spitzer said, with the rest going to the federal government and private insurers. Medicaid is the health-insurance plan for poor people that the federal government pays half of. The state pays just over one-third and local governments about 16 percent.So the state savings from the plan could be less than $100 million.That's a relative drop in the bucket for the $46 billion program, the most expensive of any state's."
"Spitzer has said that far more needs to be cut to help pay for other spending in the state budget, including more cash for schools and a tax cut.'
Jay did a great job putting this story together... click here for the rest.......andy
"ALBANY _ The plan to cut to the state's health-care system proposed this week, while called harsh my some union leaders and hospital executives, represents merely a start on reductions that need to be made, the chairman of the commission that recommended the cuts said in an interview Thursday.Later, Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer disclosed that the savings from the plan to state taxpayers from the proposed closings is likely to be minimal. He reiterated that the "bloated system'' needs to be further cut."
"The cuts recommended by the commission, while reducing spending by about $800 million overall, will save only about $250 million in Medicaid costs, Spitzer said, with the rest going to the federal government and private insurers. Medicaid is the health-insurance plan for poor people that the federal government pays half of. The state pays just over one-third and local governments about 16 percent.So the state savings from the plan could be less than $100 million.That's a relative drop in the bucket for the $46 billion program, the most expensive of any state's."
"Spitzer has said that far more needs to be cut to help pay for other spending in the state budget, including more cash for schools and a tax cut.'
Jay did a great job putting this story together... click here for the rest.......andy
Spitzer gets high court nominee list; says race won't be factor
Newsday AP MICHAEL GORMLEY
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Eliot Spitzer says race won't be a factor when the governor-elect considers potential nominees to the state's highest court, which this year lost its only black judge. The list of nominees for the 14-year term released Thursday includes six state judges and one partner in a law firm. They are: Justice Richard Andrias of the Appellate Division in New York City; George Carpinello, a partner in an Albany law firm and a former professor at Albany Law School; Justice Steven W. Fischer of the Appellate Division in Queens; Justice Theodore T. Jones Jr. of the state Supreme Court in New York City; Justice Thomas E. Mercure of the Appellate Division in Albany; Judge Juanita Bing Newton of the state Court of Claims; and Justice James A. Yates of state Supreme Court in New York City. Click here for the rest of this article andy
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Eliot Spitzer says race won't be a factor when the governor-elect considers potential nominees to the state's highest court, which this year lost its only black judge. The list of nominees for the 14-year term released Thursday includes six state judges and one partner in a law firm. They are: Justice Richard Andrias of the Appellate Division in New York City; George Carpinello, a partner in an Albany law firm and a former professor at Albany Law School; Justice Steven W. Fischer of the Appellate Division in Queens; Justice Theodore T. Jones Jr. of the state Supreme Court in New York City; Justice Thomas E. Mercure of the Appellate Division in Albany; Judge Juanita Bing Newton of the state Court of Claims; and Justice James A. Yates of state Supreme Court in New York City. Click here for the rest of this article andy
Elizabeth B Capitol Confidential
Let me grab a few "quotes" from Bruno........
“…To me, perception is nonsense,” Bruno added. “People should have a right to support people for office, in whatever ways are honest, above-board and appropriate.”
Even though people(aka taxpayers) might get the wrong idea???
"Bruno noted that this is a democracy, and thus, people should have a right to support whoever they want, wherever they want. The focus, he said, should be on making sure everyone reports their campaign contributions, which is public information. He also said the suggestion that making contributions results in legislative action (otherwise known as pay-to-play) is “just wrong.”
yeah..right...have I got a bridge for you............maybe Bruno has been out of the country for the last few months....the taxpayers in this state are not in the mood for business as usual...they want change....real change..not just perceptions..but you need to start somewhere....except if you don't want to..........Spitzer gets it......Bruno is a slow learner....
"I don’t know the ramifications of what the governor-elect is talking about,” Bruno said. “But I know that we want to deal for real in reforms. We’re not going to deal in just the perception" .”
Hey Bruno.....read Spitzer's new ethics guidlines.......call Spitzer if you have any problems understanding them....I am sure he will make everything perfectly clear for you.....andy
Let me grab a few "quotes" from Bruno........
“…To me, perception is nonsense,” Bruno added. “People should have a right to support people for office, in whatever ways are honest, above-board and appropriate.”
Even though people(aka taxpayers) might get the wrong idea???
"Bruno noted that this is a democracy, and thus, people should have a right to support whoever they want, wherever they want. The focus, he said, should be on making sure everyone reports their campaign contributions, which is public information. He also said the suggestion that making contributions results in legislative action (otherwise known as pay-to-play) is “just wrong.”
yeah..right...have I got a bridge for you............maybe Bruno has been out of the country for the last few months....the taxpayers in this state are not in the mood for business as usual...they want change....real change..not just perceptions..but you need to start somewhere....except if you don't want to..........Spitzer gets it......Bruno is a slow learner....
"I don’t know the ramifications of what the governor-elect is talking about,” Bruno said. “But I know that we want to deal for real in reforms. We’re not going to deal in just the perception" .”
Hey Bruno.....read Spitzer's new ethics guidlines.......call Spitzer if you have any problems understanding them....I am sure he will make everything perfectly clear for you.....andy
Spitzer’s Unilateral Disarmament
Elizabeth Benjamin Capitol Confidential
I am going to give you the unedited story by Elizabeth..........it is worth the read.....Eliot is living up to his promises of reform and change...he is walking the walk..instead of just talking the talk....these changes are much needed and a step in the right direction....Eliot is the real deal...............andy
Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer today unveiled a sweeping package of executive reform actions that apply to himself, his immediate staff and LG-elect David Paterson to, as Spitzer put it: “set a tone, to set a message and to set an example.”
Chief among the reforms are self-imposed campaign finance limits; Spitzer and Paterson said they will voluntarily restrict the cash they accept from here on out.
“I have heard people say, “I cannot unilaterally disarm,’” Spitzer said. “We are doing that today.”
Neither Spitzer nor Paterson will accept contributions from individuals, partnerships, LLCs, unions, PACs or other non-corporate entities over $10,000. This is, Spitzer said, an 80 percent cut in the legal limit. Also, the governor and LG will not accept contribubtions from corporate subsidiaries if their parent companies have already given the $5,000 maximum.
In addition, LLC contributions will be banned if the individual or entity who controls the LLC has already maxed out.
“It is right to say to the Legislature that we will lead by example,” Spitzer said. “We are not going to play by the same old rules because they are corrosive and the public has rightly said they want change.”
Had this rule applied during the campaign, Spitzer’s cash would have been dramatically curtailed from key donors like casino developer Richard Fields, for example.
Spitzer said he felt it was perfectly “appropriate” for him to have accepted big cash from LLCs during the campaign, since it was permitted under the current law. “What we are doing is trying to change the paradigm,” Spitzer said, adding that he plans to send some of these reforms to the Legislature in the form of program bills after he takes office.
Other highlights include:
A total gift ban that applies to all “at-will” gubernatorial employees as well as those at state agencies and authorities. This includes anything other than items of “nominal” value, Spitzer said, like cups of coffee and T-shirts, for example.
A two-year ban on former gubernatorial employees from lobbying any executive branch (not just the one they left).
No paid speeches for either the governor or the LG.
No appearances by either the governor or LG in taxpayer-funded commercials (”State commercials (such as “I Love NY” ads) featuring elected officials create the appearance that taxpayer dollars are being spent to benefit the political career of the elected official,” Spitzer’s press release reads. “This practice will end.”)
A ban on high-level employees running for state or federal office.
A prohibition on campaign contributions to the governor and LG from all at-will state employees.
No hosting or participation in fundraisers by either the governor or the LG in the Capital Region during the legislative session.
A prohibition on requiring people to change party enrollment to meet requirements of being appointed to a public post.
No hiring or contract official will be allowed to ask prospective employees or contractors about their party affiliation.
In addition, Spitzer plans to share as much information about the budget and expected revenues with both houses of the Legislature as early as possible. If all parties can’t reach a consensus on revenue projections, Spitzer said, he will defer to the state comptroller.
All member items will be set forth as separate line items in the budget.
AND, joy of joys, he will hold regular news conferences and interviews to “ensure that the public is informed and to promote a vigorous public debate on the issues;” start Web casting meetings of the MTA, the PSC and other state entities; have an “open door” policy for legislators; make the Executive Mansion and state Capitol more accessible to the public (and members of the press!).
In other words, the end of Fort Pataki may be near.
“We very much want to make the public corridors of the Capitol public corridors,” Spitzer said. “We will work very hard to do that.”
During the Q and A, Spitzer said he doesn’t plan to do any fundraising to pay for his inaugural celebration (a practice that got his predecessor, Gov. George Pataki, in hot water). He said he will use money left over in his campaign account to fund the festivities.
“I don’t want there to be any fundraising for this,” Spitzer said. “It creates all the wrong messages and imagry…There have been problems in the past. So, I see no reason to go anywhere near that.”
I am going to give you the unedited story by Elizabeth..........it is worth the read.....Eliot is living up to his promises of reform and change...he is walking the walk..instead of just talking the talk....these changes are much needed and a step in the right direction....Eliot is the real deal...............andy
Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer today unveiled a sweeping package of executive reform actions that apply to himself, his immediate staff and LG-elect David Paterson to, as Spitzer put it: “set a tone, to set a message and to set an example.”
Chief among the reforms are self-imposed campaign finance limits; Spitzer and Paterson said they will voluntarily restrict the cash they accept from here on out.
“I have heard people say, “I cannot unilaterally disarm,’” Spitzer said. “We are doing that today.”
Neither Spitzer nor Paterson will accept contributions from individuals, partnerships, LLCs, unions, PACs or other non-corporate entities over $10,000. This is, Spitzer said, an 80 percent cut in the legal limit. Also, the governor and LG will not accept contribubtions from corporate subsidiaries if their parent companies have already given the $5,000 maximum.
In addition, LLC contributions will be banned if the individual or entity who controls the LLC has already maxed out.
“It is right to say to the Legislature that we will lead by example,” Spitzer said. “We are not going to play by the same old rules because they are corrosive and the public has rightly said they want change.”
Had this rule applied during the campaign, Spitzer’s cash would have been dramatically curtailed from key donors like casino developer Richard Fields, for example.
Spitzer said he felt it was perfectly “appropriate” for him to have accepted big cash from LLCs during the campaign, since it was permitted under the current law. “What we are doing is trying to change the paradigm,” Spitzer said, adding that he plans to send some of these reforms to the Legislature in the form of program bills after he takes office.
Other highlights include:
A total gift ban that applies to all “at-will” gubernatorial employees as well as those at state agencies and authorities. This includes anything other than items of “nominal” value, Spitzer said, like cups of coffee and T-shirts, for example.
A two-year ban on former gubernatorial employees from lobbying any executive branch (not just the one they left).
No paid speeches for either the governor or the LG.
No appearances by either the governor or LG in taxpayer-funded commercials (”State commercials (such as “I Love NY” ads) featuring elected officials create the appearance that taxpayer dollars are being spent to benefit the political career of the elected official,” Spitzer’s press release reads. “This practice will end.”)
A ban on high-level employees running for state or federal office.
A prohibition on campaign contributions to the governor and LG from all at-will state employees.
No hosting or participation in fundraisers by either the governor or the LG in the Capital Region during the legislative session.
A prohibition on requiring people to change party enrollment to meet requirements of being appointed to a public post.
No hiring or contract official will be allowed to ask prospective employees or contractors about their party affiliation.
In addition, Spitzer plans to share as much information about the budget and expected revenues with both houses of the Legislature as early as possible. If all parties can’t reach a consensus on revenue projections, Spitzer said, he will defer to the state comptroller.
All member items will be set forth as separate line items in the budget.
AND, joy of joys, he will hold regular news conferences and interviews to “ensure that the public is informed and to promote a vigorous public debate on the issues;” start Web casting meetings of the MTA, the PSC and other state entities; have an “open door” policy for legislators; make the Executive Mansion and state Capitol more accessible to the public (and members of the press!).
In other words, the end of Fort Pataki may be near.
“We very much want to make the public corridors of the Capitol public corridors,” Spitzer said. “We will work very hard to do that.”
During the Q and A, Spitzer said he doesn’t plan to do any fundraising to pay for his inaugural celebration (a practice that got his predecessor, Gov. George Pataki, in hot water). He said he will use money left over in his campaign account to fund the festivities.
“I don’t want there to be any fundraising for this,” Spitzer said. “It creates all the wrong messages and imagry…There have been problems in the past. So, I see no reason to go anywhere near that.”
Governor-Elect Lists Changes to be Made Once in Office
WSYR-TV News Channel 9
"Albany (WSYR-TV) - Governor-Elect Eliot Spitzer sent out a list of executive orders and voluntary actions he says his office will take once he becomes governor in January.
The following text is from a news release distributed by Governor-Elect Spitzer’s Office this morning:
EXECUTIVE ACTIONS
The following executive actions that will be instituted immediately upon the Governor-Elect and Lieutenant Governor-Elect taking office, either through voluntary actions or through the issuance of Executive Orders"
Here is a glimpse of what "Day One" is going to look like.............
Ethical Reforms
Ø Prohibit all at-will employees of the Governor's Office, the State agencies and the public authorities from receiving any gifts with more than nominal value.
Under current law, State employees may receive gifts up to $75. The proposed action will eliminate all such gifts. The only exceptions will be gifts of nominal value (e.g., a cup of coffee or a ceremonial plaque), and traditional non-politically related gifts (e.g. wedding gifts) where there is no appearance of an attempt to influence the employee.
Ø Prohibit former Governor’s Office employees from lobbying any Executive Branch agency for two years
The current two-year ban only prohibits a former State employee from lobbying the specific agency where the employee worked. Thus, an employee of the Governor’s Office who leaves State service can immediately begin to lobby any other Executive Branch agency, even agencies that the employee dealt with frequently while serving in the Governor’s Office. This proposed action will end that practice, and will ensure that Governor’s Office employees do not lobby any Executive Branch agency for two years.
Eliot means business here..the days of business as usual are over........for the rest of these upcoming changes...please click here andy
"Albany (WSYR-TV) - Governor-Elect Eliot Spitzer sent out a list of executive orders and voluntary actions he says his office will take once he becomes governor in January.
The following text is from a news release distributed by Governor-Elect Spitzer’s Office this morning:
EXECUTIVE ACTIONS
The following executive actions that will be instituted immediately upon the Governor-Elect and Lieutenant Governor-Elect taking office, either through voluntary actions or through the issuance of Executive Orders"
Here is a glimpse of what "Day One" is going to look like.............
Ethical Reforms
Ø Prohibit all at-will employees of the Governor's Office, the State agencies and the public authorities from receiving any gifts with more than nominal value.
Under current law, State employees may receive gifts up to $75. The proposed action will eliminate all such gifts. The only exceptions will be gifts of nominal value (e.g., a cup of coffee or a ceremonial plaque), and traditional non-politically related gifts (e.g. wedding gifts) where there is no appearance of an attempt to influence the employee.
Ø Prohibit former Governor’s Office employees from lobbying any Executive Branch agency for two years
The current two-year ban only prohibits a former State employee from lobbying the specific agency where the employee worked. Thus, an employee of the Governor’s Office who leaves State service can immediately begin to lobby any other Executive Branch agency, even agencies that the employee dealt with frequently while serving in the Governor’s Office. This proposed action will end that practice, and will ensure that Governor’s Office employees do not lobby any Executive Branch agency for two years.
Eliot means business here..the days of business as usual are over........for the rest of these upcoming changes...please click here andy
"LUCKY ELIOT" PART TWO
"Uh oh. We're better off than Eliot thought "
I think Bill forgot to take his meds this am.....the only state Bill is living in is the state of denial..........we had a few words to say over Newsday's original "lucky Eliot" editorial Day one, item one or "Lucky Eliot" more of the same here......
"The biggest problem facing Eliot Spitzer when he takes over as governor in January could be a shortage of big problems facing Eliot Spitzer.
Spitzer campaigned as the crusading politician who would finally slay Albany's dragons, including some genuine fire-breathers: a court order demanding billions more for public schools, out-of-control Medicaid spending, looming budget deficits and chronic gridlock in the Legislature.
"A crisis is a terrible thing to waste," was one of his favorite tag lines, often delivered with a wide grin.
But if the recent flurry of good news keeps up, Spitzer may be left without all that many dragons to slay."
Spitzer campaigned as the crusading politician who would finally slay Albany's dragons, including some genuine fire-breathers: a court order demanding billions more for public schools, out-of-control Medicaid spending, looming budget deficits and chronic gridlock in the Legislature.
"A crisis is a terrible thing to waste," was one of his favorite tag lines, often delivered with a wide grin.
But if the recent flurry of good news keeps up, Spitzer may be left without all that many dragons to slay."
Bill, I am sure Eliot will find something to do with all his spare time......andy
Snips N' Clips(Updated)
Eliot is still on the job with Reuter's Spitzer says targets Brooklyn mortgage fraud ring in the meantime The Times Union reports environmentalists want Eliot to spend more of the green stuff to fill state positions cut under Pataki's "leave no tree behind" program Advocates hope for more green In the "some people never learn" department The NY Times reports Grasso Seeks Removal of Judge in Excess-Pay Suit meanwhile back at the ranch....William Thompson is claiming auto insurance companies are ripping New Yorkers off with higher rates and wants Eliot to look into it per Daily News There auto be some relief is this guy running for City Mayor??? Newsday reports No 2007 rate hike in store for MTA but no guarantees after that....MTA Chief Kalikow seems to be whistling a different tune these days....humble, sincere,..he sounds like a real reformer....my sense is Spitzer is not buying any of it...meanwhile back at the track New dorms may be on track with NYRA tanking and Excelsior getting the nod from the state's Ad Hoc Committee on Racing ....everybody is waiting for Spitzer to make the final call.....place your bets......and Newsday thinks State should keep a close watch on emissions of greenhouse gases hopefully there won't be too much hot gas coming out of Albany's Final Legislative Session for 2006.......The Politicker speculates June O'Niell could be the next Democratic State Party Chair Spitzer, Silver and June O'Neill and Newsday assures us Mondello expected to win GOP post andy
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Spitzerblog Remembered!!!!!!!!
spitzerblog.com
a blog committed to electing eliot spitzer governor of new york state
a blog committed to electing eliot spitzer governor of new york state
These guys were wonderful to work with.........intelligent.....intense..dedicated and passionate about Eliot......and the best part of all....... mission accomplished.......andy
Spitzer and Pataki agree.........
"ALBANY, N.Y. -- Gov. George Pataki and his successor-to-be, Eliot Spitzer, urged the state Legislature on Wednesday to adopt without changes a state task force report calling for closing nine hospitals and seven nursing homes as part of a larger shake-up of the health care system across the state. " Newsday AP Pataki backs commission call to close, merge hospitals ..........and.........
Newsday's Developments in case of man shot by NYPD hours before his wedding "Gov. George Pataki and governor-elect Eliot Spitzer weighed in on the shooting, with both politicians saying they belived the shooting was excessive. "
andy
Newsday's Developments in case of man shot by NYPD hours before his wedding "Gov. George Pataki and governor-elect Eliot Spitzer weighed in on the shooting, with both politicians saying they belived the shooting was excessive. "
andy
The "3 Men In A Room" Saga Continues...One final time???
The New York Sun JACOB GERSHMAN
"Secret negotiations are under way between Governor Pataki and state lawmakers to hash out a last-minute deal that would give legislators a pay raise and would give the governor last-minute policy and development victories that could give him a boost at a moment when he is weighing a presidential run, several sources told The New York Sun.
Mr. Pataki and lawmakers have agreed to convene a special session in mid-December, ostensibly to hammer out an agreement on a civil confinement bill for sexual predators. Sources say talks between the governor and legislative leaders in the lead-up to the session have already extended far beyond that issue, and involve pay raises, an expansion of charter schools, judicial appointments, an appointment to the board of the City University of New York, and possibly an agreement on a plan to build Moynihan Station.
"They're dealing. How close or far apart I don't know, but they're dealing," said a source familiar with the legislative negotiations"
How secret can these meetings be if the Sun knows about them??? Isn't it ironic that the "3 Men in a Room" gang have a go at it..one final time. The problem with all of this..my BS Meter is going off...very loudly..........especially with Spitzer encourging pay hikes ...yeah that's what he needs...more expenses to deal with............my guess is..if you say things over and over again...people will start to believe them.........keep on dreaming..........Pataki being President....and I am going to win the MegaMillions Jackpot too..............and the New York Post tells us the doling out of taxpayer monies is not too kosher PIGS AND THEIR PORK Ya think Eliot has his work cut out for him??? to view "pork" list click here andy
"Secret negotiations are under way between Governor Pataki and state lawmakers to hash out a last-minute deal that would give legislators a pay raise and would give the governor last-minute policy and development victories that could give him a boost at a moment when he is weighing a presidential run, several sources told The New York Sun.
Mr. Pataki and lawmakers have agreed to convene a special session in mid-December, ostensibly to hammer out an agreement on a civil confinement bill for sexual predators. Sources say talks between the governor and legislative leaders in the lead-up to the session have already extended far beyond that issue, and involve pay raises, an expansion of charter schools, judicial appointments, an appointment to the board of the City University of New York, and possibly an agreement on a plan to build Moynihan Station.
"They're dealing. How close or far apart I don't know, but they're dealing," said a source familiar with the legislative negotiations"
How secret can these meetings be if the Sun knows about them??? Isn't it ironic that the "3 Men in a Room" gang have a go at it..one final time. The problem with all of this..my BS Meter is going off...very loudly..........especially with Spitzer encourging pay hikes ...yeah that's what he needs...more expenses to deal with............my guess is..if you say things over and over again...people will start to believe them.........keep on dreaming..........Pataki being President....and I am going to win the MegaMillions Jackpot too..............and the New York Post tells us the doling out of taxpayer monies is not too kosher PIGS AND THEIR PORK Ya think Eliot has his work cut out for him??? to view "pork" list click here andy
The bright promise of Eliot Spitzer
New York Daily News Editorial
Across left and right and center, through all social and economic groups, from Bay Ridge to Buffalo, there is hardly a New Yorker who believes state government has effectively served the public interest in a long, long time. Albany costs far too much and has done far too little about - well, you name it. Our factory-town capital manufactures two primary products: sky-high state and local taxes, and utter paralysis in the face of pressing needs.
Enter Eliot Spitzer.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate has soared in the polls by representing the promise of large, energetic, historic change to the sizable ranks of the fed-up. Their hopes are very well-placed. Spitzer is brainy, tough and passionate, and the Daily News looks forward to watching him get to work as an agent of change - on Day One, per his pledge.
Our sure-thing new governor has a grand vision. There will be no tax increases - none - in a Spitzer administration. Spending will be kept generally in line with inflation. There will be fair funding for New York City's schools and property tax relief across the state.
And the pay-to-play game - so long enjoyed by monied and connected insiders - is over. Albany's powerbrokers know this already. There's not much they can do about it. They're going to have to live with Gov. Spitzer.
As attorney general, the Harvard-trained Spitzer was an activist hurricane, most famously against corporate wrongdoing. Erring a time or two on the side of aggressiveness, he charged against rot long accepted as standard practice. He will certainly have endless opportunities to do the same, from his new chair in the executive office.
On the political spectrum, Spitzer is perhaps best described as pragamatist-Democrat, setting him apart from the hidebound orthodoxy of much of his own party. Socially liberal, he is far more results-oriented than ideological. So, yes to school choice and performance pay for teachers - both anathema to the teachers union - and yes to squeezing down the state's bloated health care system, and no to the unaffordable pension sweeteners that labor leaders muscle through the Legislature year after year.
And he's much closer to the get-smart-things-done middle than is his Republican challenger. John Faso, a onetime assemblyman from upstate Kinderhook, distinguished himself as a legislator. Faso is an able and knowledgeable man, one who has a record of breaking ranks to vote against particularly egregious fiscal measures. But his primary prescription for the state boils down to calling for deep tax cuts - including a completely wrongheaded elimination of New York's estate tax - without explaining which programs and services he would slash to come up with the dough to pay for the cuts. At the same time, he's not at all keen on upping school aid to meet the state's court-ordered obligation to provide the city's children with the education they deserve.
But there is hardly a point to weighing Faso's résumé. Spitzer has the goods and he is clearly unstoppable, the nearest thing to a force of nature as has come along in years. On the first day of January, Gov. Spitzer will bring to Albany new attitude - "Everything changes," as he puts it - and new intentions. At the top of the agenda, his first budget proposal, due in late January, will test his mettle against that of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who are both quite set in their ways after 12 years each in their posts. But, armed with a popular mandate, he'll be well positioned to break the gridlock on numerous fronts:
To get control of runaway Medicaid spending by eliminating fraud, trimming unnecessary services and revamping health care delivery.
To rewrite New York's overly complicated, unfair school funding formulas to direct the money where it's most needed.
To put the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on sounder financial footing while pushing through major projects like the Second Ave. subway.
To address upstate's dire economic plight while also making all of New York more business-friendly with, for example, aggressive workers' compensation system reforms.
And to at last, and very importantly, bring meaningful accountability to Albany by winning campaign finance and ethics reforms, along with nonpartisan redistricting that would introduce competitiveness to legislative elections.
We have no doubt that Day One will be every bit the flurry of action Spitzer promises it will be.
And we're confident that so will Day Two, Day Three and the days beyond.
We are looking foward to Eliot's Day One as well......thus Spitzer's_Day_One Blog.............andy
Across left and right and center, through all social and economic groups, from Bay Ridge to Buffalo, there is hardly a New Yorker who believes state government has effectively served the public interest in a long, long time. Albany costs far too much and has done far too little about - well, you name it. Our factory-town capital manufactures two primary products: sky-high state and local taxes, and utter paralysis in the face of pressing needs.
Enter Eliot Spitzer.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate has soared in the polls by representing the promise of large, energetic, historic change to the sizable ranks of the fed-up. Their hopes are very well-placed. Spitzer is brainy, tough and passionate, and the Daily News looks forward to watching him get to work as an agent of change - on Day One, per his pledge.
Our sure-thing new governor has a grand vision. There will be no tax increases - none - in a Spitzer administration. Spending will be kept generally in line with inflation. There will be fair funding for New York City's schools and property tax relief across the state.
And the pay-to-play game - so long enjoyed by monied and connected insiders - is over. Albany's powerbrokers know this already. There's not much they can do about it. They're going to have to live with Gov. Spitzer.
As attorney general, the Harvard-trained Spitzer was an activist hurricane, most famously against corporate wrongdoing. Erring a time or two on the side of aggressiveness, he charged against rot long accepted as standard practice. He will certainly have endless opportunities to do the same, from his new chair in the executive office.
On the political spectrum, Spitzer is perhaps best described as pragamatist-Democrat, setting him apart from the hidebound orthodoxy of much of his own party. Socially liberal, he is far more results-oriented than ideological. So, yes to school choice and performance pay for teachers - both anathema to the teachers union - and yes to squeezing down the state's bloated health care system, and no to the unaffordable pension sweeteners that labor leaders muscle through the Legislature year after year.
And he's much closer to the get-smart-things-done middle than is his Republican challenger. John Faso, a onetime assemblyman from upstate Kinderhook, distinguished himself as a legislator. Faso is an able and knowledgeable man, one who has a record of breaking ranks to vote against particularly egregious fiscal measures. But his primary prescription for the state boils down to calling for deep tax cuts - including a completely wrongheaded elimination of New York's estate tax - without explaining which programs and services he would slash to come up with the dough to pay for the cuts. At the same time, he's not at all keen on upping school aid to meet the state's court-ordered obligation to provide the city's children with the education they deserve.
But there is hardly a point to weighing Faso's résumé. Spitzer has the goods and he is clearly unstoppable, the nearest thing to a force of nature as has come along in years. On the first day of January, Gov. Spitzer will bring to Albany new attitude - "Everything changes," as he puts it - and new intentions. At the top of the agenda, his first budget proposal, due in late January, will test his mettle against that of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who are both quite set in their ways after 12 years each in their posts. But, armed with a popular mandate, he'll be well positioned to break the gridlock on numerous fronts:
To get control of runaway Medicaid spending by eliminating fraud, trimming unnecessary services and revamping health care delivery.
To rewrite New York's overly complicated, unfair school funding formulas to direct the money where it's most needed.
To put the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on sounder financial footing while pushing through major projects like the Second Ave. subway.
To address upstate's dire economic plight while also making all of New York more business-friendly with, for example, aggressive workers' compensation system reforms.
And to at last, and very importantly, bring meaningful accountability to Albany by winning campaign finance and ethics reforms, along with nonpartisan redistricting that would introduce competitiveness to legislative elections.
We have no doubt that Day One will be every bit the flurry of action Spitzer promises it will be.
And we're confident that so will Day Two, Day Three and the days beyond.
We are looking foward to Eliot's Day One as well......thus Spitzer's_Day_One Blog.............andy
Various Reactions To Bitter Meds Prescribed by State Commission
Newsday has Long Island Hospitals downsizing Major surgery recommended and possible closings of major hospitals across the state Concern at Cabrini while their Editorial Reworking NY hospitals thinks something needs to be done.............Elizabeth B(Capitol Confidential) has her Berger Commission Responses while Azi(The Politicker) The state nurses' union doesn't like the Berger Commission's recommendations. The Daily News has their own....... Code blue for hosps You can read the entire report here...........andy
Kessel's fate as chairman is up to Spitzer
Newsday Rick Brand
"When Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer appeared at a $1,000-a-head fundraiser at the Glen Oaks Country Club last month, he not only thanked his fundraisers who brought in $300,000, but, according to a witness, also singled out an official he jokingly praised "for keeping the lights on" across Long Island.That official, Richard Kessel, 56, whose tenure has survived both Democratic and Republican governors, faces another judgment day as the chairman of the Long Island Power Authority because he serves at the pleasure of the governor."
Richie is a very likeable guy who has done a decent job as chairman of Lipa...but it is Spitzer's ball and bat now....my sense is..some changes will have to be made at Lipa...communication issues have recently popped up and need to be addressed.......for some background Got the wires crossed and our original post Little light is shed on Kessel shift andy
"When Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer appeared at a $1,000-a-head fundraiser at the Glen Oaks Country Club last month, he not only thanked his fundraisers who brought in $300,000, but, according to a witness, also singled out an official he jokingly praised "for keeping the lights on" across Long Island.That official, Richard Kessel, 56, whose tenure has survived both Democratic and Republican governors, faces another judgment day as the chairman of the Long Island Power Authority because he serves at the pleasure of the governor."
Richie is a very likeable guy who has done a decent job as chairman of Lipa...but it is Spitzer's ball and bat now....my sense is..some changes will have to be made at Lipa...communication issues have recently popped up and need to be addressed.......for some background Got the wires crossed and our original post Little light is shed on Kessel shift andy
SUNY Seeks to Increase Tuition and Staff
New York Times AP Story
ALBANY, Nov. 28 (AP) — Tuition would increase by about 4 percent at most State University of New York campuses next fall under a budget proposal released Tuesday. Tuition is now $4,350 a year.
The SUNY Board of Trustees approved a request for an additional $239.8 million, or 12 percent, in state spending. The plan totals almost $2.22 billion and calls for hiring more full-time faculty members and $123 million in initiatives.
The proposal for the 2007-8 fiscal year has a long way to go. Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer will consider the plan in creating his executive budget in January. His proposal will go to the Legislature. The state budget has an April 1 fiscal deadline.
ALBANY, Nov. 28 (AP) — Tuition would increase by about 4 percent at most State University of New York campuses next fall under a budget proposal released Tuesday. Tuition is now $4,350 a year.
The SUNY Board of Trustees approved a request for an additional $239.8 million, or 12 percent, in state spending. The plan totals almost $2.22 billion and calls for hiring more full-time faculty members and $123 million in initiatives.
The proposal for the 2007-8 fiscal year has a long way to go. Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer will consider the plan in creating his executive budget in January. His proposal will go to the Legislature. The state budget has an April 1 fiscal deadline.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Spitzer: “One Step In The Process”
Elizabeth Benjamin Capitol Confidential
Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer issued a very measured response to the Berger commission report, noting that as the commission itself acknowledges, the recommended closures and consolidations are:
“…but one step in the process and must be considered as an important element of a broader plan to fundamentally restructure New York’s healthcare system.”
Spitzer reiterated something he often said on the campaign trail, that fixing the “broken” health care system would “require hard decisions, sacrifice and leadership.”
He then said that he is reviewing the report and will soon say whether “as governor” he would send it to the Legislature.
This is an interesting choice of words, since it is Gov. George Pataki, not Spitzer, who is charged with sending the report to the Legislature by Dec. 5. The Legislature is supposed to act on the report it receives by either approving it or rejecting it in full by Dec. 31.
BUT!
The Legislature, I’m told, has the power to delay its decision simply by passing a bill “notwithstanding” the commission deadline.
AND!
Spitzer made it clear during the campaign that while he support the concept of closing some hospitals in order to so-called “right-size” the healthcare system, he would not necessarily consider himself beholden to anything passed in the waning days of his predecessor.
“I would like not to have my hands bound by a report which we have not been able to influence and which would then be passed in the last days and adopted in the last days of the administration that for 11 1 / 2 years has failed to provide any significant leadership in the area of health care,” Spitzer said in May.
Remember, too, that LG-elect David Paterson sponsored a bill that sought to push back the Berger commission deadline from Dec. 1 to March 1, 2007. It wasn’t successful, but it made clear Team Spitzer’s desire to have the next governor - not the current governor - control the outcome.
So, the bottom line here is: All things are possible, even when they seem hidebound.
Good job Elizabeth....it should be the next governor controlling the outcome...after all..it is Spitzer's Day One...not Pataki's..............andy
Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer issued a very measured response to the Berger commission report, noting that as the commission itself acknowledges, the recommended closures and consolidations are:
“…but one step in the process and must be considered as an important element of a broader plan to fundamentally restructure New York’s healthcare system.”
Spitzer reiterated something he often said on the campaign trail, that fixing the “broken” health care system would “require hard decisions, sacrifice and leadership.”
He then said that he is reviewing the report and will soon say whether “as governor” he would send it to the Legislature.
This is an interesting choice of words, since it is Gov. George Pataki, not Spitzer, who is charged with sending the report to the Legislature by Dec. 5. The Legislature is supposed to act on the report it receives by either approving it or rejecting it in full by Dec. 31.
BUT!
The Legislature, I’m told, has the power to delay its decision simply by passing a bill “notwithstanding” the commission deadline.
AND!
Spitzer made it clear during the campaign that while he support the concept of closing some hospitals in order to so-called “right-size” the healthcare system, he would not necessarily consider himself beholden to anything passed in the waning days of his predecessor.
“I would like not to have my hands bound by a report which we have not been able to influence and which would then be passed in the last days and adopted in the last days of the administration that for 11 1 / 2 years has failed to provide any significant leadership in the area of health care,” Spitzer said in May.
Remember, too, that LG-elect David Paterson sponsored a bill that sought to push back the Berger commission deadline from Dec. 1 to March 1, 2007. It wasn’t successful, but it made clear Team Spitzer’s desire to have the next governor - not the current governor - control the outcome.
So, the bottom line here is: All things are possible, even when they seem hidebound.
Good job Elizabeth....it should be the next governor controlling the outcome...after all..it is Spitzer's Day One...not Pataki's..............andy
Mondello Is In....sort of.........
Elizabeth B has Mondello unopposed for NYS Republican Chair It's no contest for GOP position Onondaga County GOP Chairman Bob Smith could vote Thursday, but he said he won't make the trip. "There's no reason to expend the time or the gas or the tolls to come to Albany for a coronation," he said. Sounds like sour grapes to me..come on Bob.....don't be that way..........andy
Camp Spitzer
Capitol Confidential Elizabeth Benjamin
Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer, who made it clear during the campaign that he planned to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Gov. George Pataki, and forgo relocating his family to the executive mansion, has purchased a $4 million home in Columbia County, Gannett News Service reports.
Spitzer bought a farmhouse and 160 acres in the town of Pine Plains - the same property on which he has been renting the guest house with his wife, Silda Wall, and their three daughters for the past 12 years.
Spitzer spokeswoman Christine Anderson said governor-elect plans to use the house as a weekend retreat. His Manhattan apartment in a building owned by his father will continue to be his primary residence, although he will spend some nights at the mansion in Albany.
Spitzer’s daughters will continue to attend the Manhattan private schools in which they are now enrolled.
Former Gov. Mario Cuomo was the last New York governor to live full-time in the mansion on Eagle Street, which has been primarily used as a part-time residence and for social events since his departure at the end of 1984.
Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer, who made it clear during the campaign that he planned to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Gov. George Pataki, and forgo relocating his family to the executive mansion, has purchased a $4 million home in Columbia County, Gannett News Service reports.
Spitzer bought a farmhouse and 160 acres in the town of Pine Plains - the same property on which he has been renting the guest house with his wife, Silda Wall, and their three daughters for the past 12 years.
Spitzer spokeswoman Christine Anderson said governor-elect plans to use the house as a weekend retreat. His Manhattan apartment in a building owned by his father will continue to be his primary residence, although he will spend some nights at the mansion in Albany.
Spitzer’s daughters will continue to attend the Manhattan private schools in which they are now enrolled.
Former Gov. Mario Cuomo was the last New York governor to live full-time in the mansion on Eagle Street, which has been primarily used as a part-time residence and for social events since his departure at the end of 1984.
Chuck And Eliot Break Bread
Hospitals await study(Updated)
Newsday
"State commission to release report that could recommend closure of health care facilities that are fiscally strapped or have too few patients"
"Although it has hardly been a household name, the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century after today is likely to be as hot a topic statewide as former Secretary of State James Baker's Iraq Study Group is nationally.The commission, created by Gov. George Pataki and the State Legislature, has been working for more than a year on recommendations on which, if any, of the state's more than 200 hospitals should be closed. Today it is scheduled to release its findings, which experts say could have a profound effect on delivery of health care in the state."
Elizabeth B(Capitol Condifendtial) has all the early dirt with her A.M. Roundup - Hospital Closing Edition ...............Azi(The Politicker) thinks this lobbyist didn't earn their big payday..Victory Memorial(Brooklyn) is closing anyway??? Strong Lobbyist, Weak Result and.......
"The Berger Commission will recommend closing five hospitals in New York City and four more statewide, according to The Times and The Sun.
They are: St. Vincent's Midtown Hospital and Cabrini Medical Center in Manhattan; Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn; New York Westchester Square Medical Center in the Bronx; and Parkway Hospital in Queens.
Stephen Berger, the commission's chairman and David Sandman say that closing hospitals is just one step, and that reimbursement policies must also be fixed."
stay tuned....more to come..........andy
"State commission to release report that could recommend closure of health care facilities that are fiscally strapped or have too few patients"
"Although it has hardly been a household name, the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century after today is likely to be as hot a topic statewide as former Secretary of State James Baker's Iraq Study Group is nationally.The commission, created by Gov. George Pataki and the State Legislature, has been working for more than a year on recommendations on which, if any, of the state's more than 200 hospitals should be closed. Today it is scheduled to release its findings, which experts say could have a profound effect on delivery of health care in the state."
Elizabeth B(Capitol Condifendtial) has all the early dirt with her A.M. Roundup - Hospital Closing Edition ...............Azi(The Politicker) thinks this lobbyist didn't earn their big payday..Victory Memorial(Brooklyn) is closing anyway??? Strong Lobbyist, Weak Result and.......
"The Berger Commission will recommend closing five hospitals in New York City and four more statewide, according to The Times and The Sun.
They are: St. Vincent's Midtown Hospital and Cabrini Medical Center in Manhattan; Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn; New York Westchester Square Medical Center in the Bronx; and Parkway Hospital in Queens.
Stephen Berger, the commission's chairman and David Sandman say that closing hospitals is just one step, and that reimbursement policies must also be fixed."
stay tuned....more to come..........andy
And now comes the hard part
Times Union Fred LeBrun
"For Eliot Spitzer, getting elected governor was the easy part.
With Day One looming, governance is all uphill from here. Steeply, with a load on his back.No incoming governor in memory has had as many great expectations heaped on him as Eliot Spitzer -- from all sides. Eliot will surely save New York, is the sum of them. In reality, he would have to be superhuman to meet half those expectations. "
Eliot will get the job done...nobody ever said this was going to be easy....what people are forgetting....to quote Tom Suozzi "it takes teamwork to make the dream work" Eliot has a proven track record to attract the best minds to help him achieve his goals.....
The Post has some ideas of how to boost New York's Economy in ELIOT & NY'S ECONOMY and also has Eliot at odds with Schumer and Bloomberg over Sarbanes-Oxley law SARBOX-ING MATCH
SPITZER RESISTING PUSH FOR REGULATION ROLLBACK while Newsday wants to wait till Spitzer is in office to tackle the sex offender issue Don't rush to legislate Andy
"For Eliot Spitzer, getting elected governor was the easy part.
With Day One looming, governance is all uphill from here. Steeply, with a load on his back.No incoming governor in memory has had as many great expectations heaped on him as Eliot Spitzer -- from all sides. Eliot will surely save New York, is the sum of them. In reality, he would have to be superhuman to meet half those expectations. "
Eliot will get the job done...nobody ever said this was going to be easy....what people are forgetting....to quote Tom Suozzi "it takes teamwork to make the dream work" Eliot has a proven track record to attract the best minds to help him achieve his goals.....
The Post has some ideas of how to boost New York's Economy in ELIOT & NY'S ECONOMY and also has Eliot at odds with Schumer and Bloomberg over Sarbanes-Oxley law SARBOX-ING MATCH
SPITZER RESISTING PUSH FOR REGULATION ROLLBACK while Newsday wants to wait till Spitzer is in office to tackle the sex offender issue Don't rush to legislate Andy
Monday, November 27, 2006
Pataki could appoint top regulator through Spitzer's term
NEWSDAY AP MICHAEL GORMLEY
November 27, 2006, 5:27 PM ESTALBANY, N.Y. -- The resignation Monday of a longtime appointee of Gov. George Pataki could mean the Republican will choose a new top utility regulator to serve through Democratic Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer's term. William Flynn has resigned as chairman of the state Public Service Commission, which regulates energy and telecommunications including telephone and cable television service. Rate increases and service changes are proposed by companies to the commission. Flynn's term isn't scheduled to end until February 2009. "The governor is considering his options and hasn't made a decision yet," Pataki spokesman David Catalfamo said.
Spitzer, who won by a historic margin in November, made a major campaign issue of reducing energy costs to spur business and to create a new energy policy for the state. Spitzer had no immediate comment. The PSC has made some of the decisions most keenly felt by New Yorkers. It has approved rate increases for telephone and energy companies, required emergency service by telephone companies, and regulated competition among private companies in the growing telecommunications field.
The New York Sun has Pataki Appointees ‘Burrow In' To Civil Service Jobs while Newsday's SpinCycle Exodus From Camp Pataki Begins Elizabeth B(Capitol Confidential) has the Republicans "dropping like flies" Another Pataki Admin Official Departs (Updated) Andy
November 27, 2006, 5:27 PM ESTALBANY, N.Y. -- The resignation Monday of a longtime appointee of Gov. George Pataki could mean the Republican will choose a new top utility regulator to serve through Democratic Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer's term. William Flynn has resigned as chairman of the state Public Service Commission, which regulates energy and telecommunications including telephone and cable television service. Rate increases and service changes are proposed by companies to the commission. Flynn's term isn't scheduled to end until February 2009. "The governor is considering his options and hasn't made a decision yet," Pataki spokesman David Catalfamo said.
Spitzer, who won by a historic margin in November, made a major campaign issue of reducing energy costs to spur business and to create a new energy policy for the state. Spitzer had no immediate comment. The PSC has made some of the decisions most keenly felt by New Yorkers. It has approved rate increases for telephone and energy companies, required emergency service by telephone companies, and regulated competition among private companies in the growing telecommunications field.
The New York Sun has Pataki Appointees ‘Burrow In' To Civil Service Jobs while Newsday's SpinCycle Exodus From Camp Pataki Begins Elizabeth B(Capitol Confidential) has the Republicans "dropping like flies" Another Pataki Admin Official Departs (Updated) Andy
Eliot Spitzer’s Comptrol Issues
New York Magazine's Intelligencer speculates on a possible Hevesi replacement in The horse race to (possibly) replace Hevesi. while Elizabeth B(Capitol Confidential) has Eliot fretting over Another Medicaid Audit while the New York Post tells us the Albany's criminal investigation has been expanded HEVESI AIDE EYED BY FRAUD SQUAD and finally Azi(The Politicker) has his own take on a possible Hevesi replacement Hevesi, Mulrow and Wolfson andy
UNCLE SPITZER WANTS YOU!!!!!!!!
Do You have what it takes to reform state government??? The time is now to step foward and submit your resumes...be part of the Spitzer Team .........see below for information........andy http://www.transitionny.org/
The Ultimate Showdown: Spitzer vrs. Bush
Bloomberg.com Spitzer Battles Wachovia's Dream Team in State-Power Court Case
"Nov. 27 (Bloomberg) -- A lineup of legal heavyweights unusual even by Supreme Court standards is doing battle in a case pitting Wachovia Corp. against Michigan banking regulators.
Wachovia's side includes Walter Dellinger, Seth Waxman and Theodore Olson, all of whom served as solicitor general of the United States -- the government's top courtroom lawyer. Backing Michigan in its arguments to the court Nov. 29 are the other 49 states, led by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the state's governor-elect."
"At stake is what Dellinger, 65, calls ``the single most important legal doctrine'' for many U.S. industries: how free states are to impose stricter regulations than those set by the federal government. If Michigan and Spitzer prevail, says Dellinger, who served under President Bill Clinton, ``we're in danger of switching roles, where Europe has the great common market and we have the Balkanized economy.''
The dispute also has implications beyond the banking industry, testing federal regulators' power to block more aggressive state oversight. A broad court ruling might affect the regulation of prescription drugs, autos and other consumer products -- all fields governed by federal agencies that have sought to curtail suits by individuals under state laws.
``It has potentially broad ramifications for the ability of state attorneys general to enforce consumer-protection laws,'' says Stephen D. Houck, executive director of the Center for State Enforcement of Antitrust and Consumer Protection Laws in New York.
Backed by Bush
Also lining up behind Wachovia is the Bush administration, which is urging the high court to give federal agencies wide latitude to override their state counterparts"
Why am I not surprised??? yeah..lets give our corporate friends free reign over consumer issues...the heck with the little guy.....thank God the Sheriff is still defending us...Eliot needs to be President someday...Our Country really needs him click here for the rest of this article..andy
"Nov. 27 (Bloomberg) -- A lineup of legal heavyweights unusual even by Supreme Court standards is doing battle in a case pitting Wachovia Corp. against Michigan banking regulators.
Wachovia's side includes Walter Dellinger, Seth Waxman and Theodore Olson, all of whom served as solicitor general of the United States -- the government's top courtroom lawyer. Backing Michigan in its arguments to the court Nov. 29 are the other 49 states, led by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the state's governor-elect."
"At stake is what Dellinger, 65, calls ``the single most important legal doctrine'' for many U.S. industries: how free states are to impose stricter regulations than those set by the federal government. If Michigan and Spitzer prevail, says Dellinger, who served under President Bill Clinton, ``we're in danger of switching roles, where Europe has the great common market and we have the Balkanized economy.''
The dispute also has implications beyond the banking industry, testing federal regulators' power to block more aggressive state oversight. A broad court ruling might affect the regulation of prescription drugs, autos and other consumer products -- all fields governed by federal agencies that have sought to curtail suits by individuals under state laws.
``It has potentially broad ramifications for the ability of state attorneys general to enforce consumer-protection laws,'' says Stephen D. Houck, executive director of the Center for State Enforcement of Antitrust and Consumer Protection Laws in New York.
Backed by Bush
Also lining up behind Wachovia is the Bush administration, which is urging the high court to give federal agencies wide latitude to override their state counterparts"
Why am I not surprised??? yeah..lets give our corporate friends free reign over consumer issues...the heck with the little guy.....thank God the Sheriff is still defending us...Eliot needs to be President someday...Our Country really needs him click here for the rest of this article..andy
New York governor Spitzer promises to be a friend of business
Financial Times London
"By Brooke Masters in New York
Now that Eliot Spitzer has won the New York governor's race in a record-breaking landslide, he has a lot of work to do.
"It has been mayhem," he said in an interview with the Financial Times in his stark, mostly empty transition office in Midtown Manhattan. "It is terrifying the number of jobs and pressing issues that we are now five weeks away from having to confront."
"No longer simply an enforcer, Mr Spitzer will also have to be an administrator, balancing his longstanding desire to protect consumers and investors with the need to create jobs and keep New York competitive.
"I'll work to make sure the financial companies stay here," he said. "We're going to look at the tax code to make sure we're not pushing capital elsewhere."
for the rest of this interesting article....click here andy
"By Brooke Masters in New York
Now that Eliot Spitzer has won the New York governor's race in a record-breaking landslide, he has a lot of work to do.
"It has been mayhem," he said in an interview with the Financial Times in his stark, mostly empty transition office in Midtown Manhattan. "It is terrifying the number of jobs and pressing issues that we are now five weeks away from having to confront."
"No longer simply an enforcer, Mr Spitzer will also have to be an administrator, balancing his longstanding desire to protect consumers and investors with the need to create jobs and keep New York competitive.
"I'll work to make sure the financial companies stay here," he said. "We're going to look at the tax code to make sure we're not pushing capital elsewhere."
for the rest of this interesting article....click here andy
Eliot Spitzer Superman???
Jay Gallagher / Commentary Gannett News Service
"Wanted as governor: An alchemist"
"I'm expecting (Spitzer) and his people to come up with the money,” said New York City Councilman Robert Jackson, one of the original plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was launched in 1993.
Should New York City, with its booming economy and treasury stuffed with tax receipts from Wall Street bonuses, be required to pick up part of the tab?
Not a nickel, Jackson said, since the state has been shortchanging the city on school aid for decades.
Where, then, will the extra money come from?
“We've never taken a position on how to raise the money,” said Geri Palast, executive director of the group that brought the lawsuit, Campaign for Fiscal Equity.
That's good politics. It's always smarter to talk about how to spend taxpayer money than to get into the messy details of how to raise it. Of course, that's the political instinct that has helped to push the state almost $50 billion into debt (and the federal government almost $9 trillion in the hole)."
'The problem goes something like this: take a pot of money. Divide it up into sections. Then take the same pot of money, and make some of the sections bigger, but don't reduce any of the others.
Can you really do that?
Anybody who figures it out not only gets a high-school diploma, but maybe a Nobel Prize in economics as well.
(Outgoing Gov. George Pataki's solution was to try to raise the extra money from expanded gambling, but that is still money that could go to all schools if not for the extra demands of New York City.)
Forget economics (and arithmetic) for a minute. Nursery rhymes may be a better place to look for a solution.
Unfortunately, Eliot Spitzer at this moment may be Superman, but he's not King Midas."
Jay is right on target....to read the rest of this commentary click here and for a well written researched article on this whole controversy The Last Word in School Funding? by Gail Robinson(Gotham Gazette) andy
"Wanted as governor: An alchemist"
"I'm expecting (Spitzer) and his people to come up with the money,” said New York City Councilman Robert Jackson, one of the original plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was launched in 1993.
Should New York City, with its booming economy and treasury stuffed with tax receipts from Wall Street bonuses, be required to pick up part of the tab?
Not a nickel, Jackson said, since the state has been shortchanging the city on school aid for decades.
Where, then, will the extra money come from?
“We've never taken a position on how to raise the money,” said Geri Palast, executive director of the group that brought the lawsuit, Campaign for Fiscal Equity.
That's good politics. It's always smarter to talk about how to spend taxpayer money than to get into the messy details of how to raise it. Of course, that's the political instinct that has helped to push the state almost $50 billion into debt (and the federal government almost $9 trillion in the hole)."
'The problem goes something like this: take a pot of money. Divide it up into sections. Then take the same pot of money, and make some of the sections bigger, but don't reduce any of the others.
Can you really do that?
Anybody who figures it out not only gets a high-school diploma, but maybe a Nobel Prize in economics as well.
(Outgoing Gov. George Pataki's solution was to try to raise the extra money from expanded gambling, but that is still money that could go to all schools if not for the extra demands of New York City.)
Forget economics (and arithmetic) for a minute. Nursery rhymes may be a better place to look for a solution.
Unfortunately, Eliot Spitzer at this moment may be Superman, but he's not King Midas."
Jay is right on target....to read the rest of this commentary click here and for a well written researched article on this whole controversy The Last Word in School Funding? by Gail Robinson(Gotham Gazette) andy
Spitzer to help shape court Experience, not party, likely deciding factors
AP Story Mark Johnson
"ALBANY -- Within a few months of taking office, Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer will have a chance to help shape the state's highest court, a tribunal that has decided key spending and social issues for New Yorkers but that critics say has grown timid in recent years.
Two terms will come up for review and court watchers expect Spitzer, a Democrat, to make his choices based on legal experience, not political affiliation, to make the panel stronger. Albany Law School professor Vincent Bonventre said the seven-member court lost some of its stature after Republican Gov. George E. Pataki stacked it with judges who "seemed to be governed by ideology and politics."
"Albany Law School Professor Alicia Ouellette, a clerk at the court from 1994 to 1996, said that over the past decade the court has been much less willing to "take risks and create new law."
"I don't think the court is the leader it once was in state constitutional rights and tort cases as well," she said. "It has taken a much more conservative approach."
"Ouellette, who worked under Spitzer and Republican Dennis Vacco in the attorney general's office, said she expected Spitzer to pick appointees the same way he did employees in the attorney general's office.
"Everyone who works for him is of the highest ability and his choices don't have anything to do with political ideology," she said. "I think he'll use the same model to give some intellectual heft to the court."
On Day One everything changes...including our Courts and how judges are selected....the voters have spoken......it seems The Post wants Judge Kay to hang 'em up in their RETIRINGJUDGE KAYE editorial. andy
"ALBANY -- Within a few months of taking office, Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer will have a chance to help shape the state's highest court, a tribunal that has decided key spending and social issues for New Yorkers but that critics say has grown timid in recent years.
Two terms will come up for review and court watchers expect Spitzer, a Democrat, to make his choices based on legal experience, not political affiliation, to make the panel stronger. Albany Law School professor Vincent Bonventre said the seven-member court lost some of its stature after Republican Gov. George E. Pataki stacked it with judges who "seemed to be governed by ideology and politics."
"Albany Law School Professor Alicia Ouellette, a clerk at the court from 1994 to 1996, said that over the past decade the court has been much less willing to "take risks and create new law."
"I don't think the court is the leader it once was in state constitutional rights and tort cases as well," she said. "It has taken a much more conservative approach."
"Ouellette, who worked under Spitzer and Republican Dennis Vacco in the attorney general's office, said she expected Spitzer to pick appointees the same way he did employees in the attorney general's office.
"Everyone who works for him is of the highest ability and his choices don't have anything to do with political ideology," she said. "I think he'll use the same model to give some intellectual heft to the court."
On Day One everything changes...including our Courts and how judges are selected....the voters have spoken......it seems The Post wants Judge Kay to hang 'em up in their RETIRINGJUDGE KAYE editorial. andy
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Overhauling New York’s Health Care: Forces Align, for Now
New York Times Danny Hakim
"ALBANY, Nov. 24 — It is arguably the most fearsome independent political force in Albany, a union that provided the muscle that helped assure Gov. George E. Pataki’s re-election to a third term. And before this year’s election, the union, 1199 United Healthcare Workers East, told Eliot Spitzer that it would endorse him, too, at the time and place of his choosing, people with knowledge of the discussions said.
But after having received nearly $150,000 in political contributions over the years, Mr. Spitzer rebuffed the union and never asked for its public endorsement.
Now the governor-elect and the union, led by its longtime president, Dennis Rivera, are on something of a collision course as Mr. Spitzer seeks to overhaul the state’s costly health care system, which is sure to include the closing of several hospitals."
for the rest of this article....click here andy
"ALBANY, Nov. 24 — It is arguably the most fearsome independent political force in Albany, a union that provided the muscle that helped assure Gov. George E. Pataki’s re-election to a third term. And before this year’s election, the union, 1199 United Healthcare Workers East, told Eliot Spitzer that it would endorse him, too, at the time and place of his choosing, people with knowledge of the discussions said.
But after having received nearly $150,000 in political contributions over the years, Mr. Spitzer rebuffed the union and never asked for its public endorsement.
Now the governor-elect and the union, led by its longtime president, Dennis Rivera, are on something of a collision course as Mr. Spitzer seeks to overhaul the state’s costly health care system, which is sure to include the closing of several hospitals."
for the rest of this article....click here andy
Day one, item one or "Lucky Eliot"
Newsday Editorial
"If it's better to be lucky than good, then it's best to be lucky and good. Take Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer and his bold pledges to solve the state's most pressing problems - with none more contentiously so than school aid.Even before the Sheriff of Wall Street showed how good a candidate he was in gaining a record Election Day mandate, he also enjoyed a run of good luck. It's a run that, if he's as good a leader as he seems, could make it easier for soon-to-be Sheriff of State Street in Albany to lead the charge for fundamental change."
Eliot is as good a leader as he seems and good luck has nothing to do with it......Eliot has earned this mandate the old fashioned way.....by hard work and dedication to job......let's see how "lucky" Newsday thinks Eliot is......
"For instance, a long-awaited agreement earlier this year between the Pataki and Bush administrations over New York's Medicaid practices will provide the legal impetus and extra cash to trim programs and improve care - on Spitzer's watch"
Now that's a consumer friendly combo....Bush and Pataki.....yeah Spitzer is going to be the "lucky" one to tell some folks their local hospitals are closing..........
"And there's his pledge to improve Albany's ethical climate: Reports by the state ethics commission and a special investigator, both released before Election Day, will ease Spitzer's necessary effort to remove a fellow Democrat, State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, from office."
Gee.........Removing a long time political friend and advisor.......isn't Eliot so "lucky" to have this opportunity???
"Candidate Spitzer declared he would change all that. Although three governors failed to in the past and deficits loom in the future, he has said he would rally Albany - or roll over it. And despite other potentially costly priorities, he said he would find billions of dollars more for poor schools around the state, but especially in New York City, whose students have been deemed by the courts to be shortchanged. A tall order.Last week, however, in ruling on how much more the city schools are due, the state's top court gifted Spitzer the political equivalent of a winning lottery ticket. "
Ok....so Newday is suggesting Eliot buy "Mega Millions" lottery tickets to help fund education for New York??? "Lucky" Eliot is going to tackle state aid for education a problem 3 governors couldn't or wouldn't even try to fix??? And the courts put out a "low ball" figure knowing full well it was inadequate......maybe that "lottery" ticket was a losing one???
"Finding the money and still balancing the books won't be easy. And Spitzer's no-tax-hike pledge means he will have to hope he can cut enough from other programs or that the economy boosts tax revenues. But what do you know? "Lucky Eliot" just got a report forecasting a slightly brighter fiscal outlook, which means he may have more tax dollars than expected to fund his spending promises. "
Jump for joy.......this would be like finding a few extra life vests on the Titanic. "Lucky" Eliot has his work cut out for him.........this editorial reminds me of a "Dirty Harry" movie where Clint Eastwood stares down a thug and says "Feeling lucky punk....make my day" It's called "Day One".........
and The Sun doesn't much like Spitzer's Education Advisers while Jay Gallagher thinks Eliot is catching a few breaks as well in his Fortune smiles on Spitzer and finally The Democrat and Chronicle thinks N.Y.'s village, town courts deserve more help than proposed andy
"If it's better to be lucky than good, then it's best to be lucky and good. Take Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer and his bold pledges to solve the state's most pressing problems - with none more contentiously so than school aid.Even before the Sheriff of Wall Street showed how good a candidate he was in gaining a record Election Day mandate, he also enjoyed a run of good luck. It's a run that, if he's as good a leader as he seems, could make it easier for soon-to-be Sheriff of State Street in Albany to lead the charge for fundamental change."
Eliot is as good a leader as he seems and good luck has nothing to do with it......Eliot has earned this mandate the old fashioned way.....by hard work and dedication to job......let's see how "lucky" Newsday thinks Eliot is......
"For instance, a long-awaited agreement earlier this year between the Pataki and Bush administrations over New York's Medicaid practices will provide the legal impetus and extra cash to trim programs and improve care - on Spitzer's watch"
Now that's a consumer friendly combo....Bush and Pataki.....yeah Spitzer is going to be the "lucky" one to tell some folks their local hospitals are closing..........
"And there's his pledge to improve Albany's ethical climate: Reports by the state ethics commission and a special investigator, both released before Election Day, will ease Spitzer's necessary effort to remove a fellow Democrat, State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, from office."
Gee.........Removing a long time political friend and advisor.......isn't Eliot so "lucky" to have this opportunity???
"Candidate Spitzer declared he would change all that. Although three governors failed to in the past and deficits loom in the future, he has said he would rally Albany - or roll over it. And despite other potentially costly priorities, he said he would find billions of dollars more for poor schools around the state, but especially in New York City, whose students have been deemed by the courts to be shortchanged. A tall order.Last week, however, in ruling on how much more the city schools are due, the state's top court gifted Spitzer the political equivalent of a winning lottery ticket. "
Ok....so Newday is suggesting Eliot buy "Mega Millions" lottery tickets to help fund education for New York??? "Lucky" Eliot is going to tackle state aid for education a problem 3 governors couldn't or wouldn't even try to fix??? And the courts put out a "low ball" figure knowing full well it was inadequate......maybe that "lottery" ticket was a losing one???
"Finding the money and still balancing the books won't be easy. And Spitzer's no-tax-hike pledge means he will have to hope he can cut enough from other programs or that the economy boosts tax revenues. But what do you know? "Lucky Eliot" just got a report forecasting a slightly brighter fiscal outlook, which means he may have more tax dollars than expected to fund his spending promises. "
Jump for joy.......this would be like finding a few extra life vests on the Titanic. "Lucky" Eliot has his work cut out for him.........this editorial reminds me of a "Dirty Harry" movie where Clint Eastwood stares down a thug and says "Feeling lucky punk....make my day" It's called "Day One".........
and The Sun doesn't much like Spitzer's Education Advisers while Jay Gallagher thinks Eliot is catching a few breaks as well in his Fortune smiles on Spitzer and finally The Democrat and Chronicle thinks N.Y.'s village, town courts deserve more help than proposed andy
Saturday, November 25, 2006
UNCLE SPITZER WANTS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do You have what it takes to reform state government??? The time is now to step foward and submit your resumes...be part of the Spitzer Team .........see below for information........andy http://www.transitionny.org/
BRUNO THE "LONE(REPUBLICAN) RANGER" RIDES AGAIN
Senate Majority Leader Joe BrunoCourtesy Ben Smith "Daily Politics"
NEW YORK TIMES DECLARES THERE IS NO SANTA
New York Times
"If Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer and the State Legislature hold to the spending floor set by the state’s highest court this week and allocate $2 billion a year in additional education aid for New York City, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein will have to slash their long and expensive wish list for the city’s public schools. "
"While the administration is still hoping that Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat, will push for more than the minimum, the reality is that the court’s ruling could mean tough choices. “It was always a way for people to say, ‘When Santa Claus finally comes things will be better,’ ” said Joseph P. Viteritti, a professor of public policy at Hunter College. “Well, Santa Claus isn’t coming. There is no Santa Claus after all. It forces people to get real.” He added: “$2 billion is not chump change, but it’s a lot less than $6 billion.” "
BAH HUMBUG!!!!!!!!!! Click here for the rest of this holiday cheer............andy
"If Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer and the State Legislature hold to the spending floor set by the state’s highest court this week and allocate $2 billion a year in additional education aid for New York City, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein will have to slash their long and expensive wish list for the city’s public schools. "
"While the administration is still hoping that Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat, will push for more than the minimum, the reality is that the court’s ruling could mean tough choices. “It was always a way for people to say, ‘When Santa Claus finally comes things will be better,’ ” said Joseph P. Viteritti, a professor of public policy at Hunter College. “Well, Santa Claus isn’t coming. There is no Santa Claus after all. It forces people to get real.” He added: “$2 billion is not chump change, but it’s a lot less than $6 billion.” "
BAH HUMBUG!!!!!!!!!! Click here for the rest of this holiday cheer............andy
Friday, November 24, 2006
David Paterson, Lt. Governor-Elect An Introduction
David Paterson, Lt. Governor-Elect
(From Transition:New York)
David PatersonOn November 7th 2006, David A. Paterson was elected Lieutenant Governor of New York. Lieutenant Governor-elect David A. Paterson has overcome obstacles, broken barriers, and demanded change throughout his career. Paterson - who soon will become New York State's non-white and disabled Lieutenant Governor - has spent 21 years representing the New York State Senate's 30th District, encompassing Harlem, East Harlem, and the Upper West Side. During his campaign with gubernatorial running mate Eliot Spitzer, Paterson unveiled a series of initiatives that he plans to oversee as he reshapes the role of Lieutenant Governor. Paterson detailed plans involving stem cell research, domestic violence, Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises, and energy. "For the past eight years, Eliot Spitzer has been the advocate for all of New York and now I want to be the advocate's advocate," Paterson said when addressing delegates at the New York State Democratic Convention in Buffalo in May. "I want to join Eliot Spitzer in putting this state back on track."
During the campaign, Paterson traveled across New York State and talked about reinvigorating the state's economy while lowering property taxes and ensuring that all communities benefit during the new administration. The Lieutenant Governor-elect also often talked about his own experience in surmounting challenges during his life and career. Paterson was born legally blind in St. John's Hospital in Brooklyn in 1954. When it came time for him to go to school, New York City's public schools refused to let him join a class with sighted children. Beginning a lifelong pattern, Paterson found another way to achieve his goal. David's parents established residency in Hempstead so he could attend a regular public school and, as a result, David graduated from Hempstead High School in 1971, Columbia University in 1977 and Hofstra Law School in 1983. After law school, he went to work for the Queens District Attorney's Office. Paterson was elected to the Senate in 1985 at age 31. In November 2002, Senator Paterson made history when he was elected Senate Minority Leader, becoming the first non-white legislative leader in New York State history, as well as the first visually-impaired senior member of New York's state government. As Senate Minority Leader,
Paterson also has served as the highest-ranking African-American elected official in New York State. As a member of the Democratic National Committee and a board member of the Democratic Legislature Campaign Committee, Paterson increasingly has been recognized as a rising figure in the Democratic Party. He was invited to address the delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004 as well as the Democratic mayors at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, underscoring his reputation as a gifted and sought-after leader.
As Senate Minority Leader, Paterson elevated his long-time commitment to reforming Albany into a statewide crusade. Having joined a Senate Reform Task Force in 1991, his new position as Minority Leader allowed him to bring reform to center stage. He called for reforms of the state lobbying laws, of state procurement procedures, and of campaign finance rules, reforms that he talked about during his campaign for Lieutenant Governor. Before last year, New York's state budget had not been passed on time for 20 years; Paterson thus proposed bills compelling legislators to remain in Albany until a budget had been passed. Paterson put New York's health care crisis front and center, issuing a comprehensive report on New York's Medicaid program. He proposed many innovations and effective tactics used by other states (including the bulk purchasing of medicines, a preferred drug list, and the increasing use of information technology in health care) that if implemented, would lower county and local taxes, vastly improve Medicaid's efficiency, and extend health care coverage to every qualified New Yorker.
The Lieutenant Governor-elect is nationally recognized as a leading advocate for the visually and physically impaired. He was elected as a member of the American Foundation for the Blind, and also serves as a board member of the Achilles Track Club, having completed the New York City Marathon in 1999. In September 2006, Paterson was honored by the New York Institute for Special Education. The Lieutenant Governor-elect lives in Harlem with his wife, Michelle Paige Paterson. They have two children: Ashley, who attends Ithaca College, and Alex, who attends school in New York City.
I am very happy to see David rise through the ranks and become Lt. Govenor..I am visually impaired myself and understand how hard it is sometimes to accomplish the most basic of things.............andy
SUNY trustees to consider proposal for incremental tuition hikes
The Business Review
The State University of New York will try again to institute a system of incremental tuition increases based on inflation.
The proposal will be included in a new budget request that was outlined this week by SUNY officials. The proposal is expected to go before the full SUNY board of trustees at a meeting next week.
The proposed budget of $2.2 billion for the 2007-08 academic year would be just under $240 million higher than the current SUNY budget. The request, if approved by the trustees, will go to the state Budget Division for inclusion in what will become Gov.-Elect Eliot Spitzer's first budget.
Spitzer has said one of his top priorities will be to increase state support for SUNY and to give campuses more autonomy in making their academic offerings better.
The next budget does not include any proposed tuition increases. Tuition at SUNY last increased for in-state students by $950 to $4,350 in 2003. SUNY has failed to convince the state Legislature to institute an incremental tuition increase system in the past few years.
The budget proposal does include extra money to hire more faculty in higher-demanding fields such as engineering and $28 million more for community colleges.
The State University of New York will try again to institute a system of incremental tuition increases based on inflation.
The proposal will be included in a new budget request that was outlined this week by SUNY officials. The proposal is expected to go before the full SUNY board of trustees at a meeting next week.
The proposed budget of $2.2 billion for the 2007-08 academic year would be just under $240 million higher than the current SUNY budget. The request, if approved by the trustees, will go to the state Budget Division for inclusion in what will become Gov.-Elect Eliot Spitzer's first budget.
Spitzer has said one of his top priorities will be to increase state support for SUNY and to give campuses more autonomy in making their academic offerings better.
The next budget does not include any proposed tuition increases. Tuition at SUNY last increased for in-state students by $950 to $4,350 in 2003. SUNY has failed to convince the state Legislature to institute an incremental tuition increase system in the past few years.
The budget proposal does include extra money to hire more faculty in higher-demanding fields such as engineering and $28 million more for community colleges.
THINKING AHEAD (Spitzer for President)
New York Post
"November 24, 2006 -- NOW that he's been elected governor, Eliot Spitzer is going national. The golden boy state attorney general re cently hosted fund-raisers for Govs. Jennifer Granholm and Jim Doyle of Michigan and Wisconsin, respec tively. They'll owe him their support someday when he runs for an even higher office - say, president. Many past New York gov ernors have been White House timber, with two Roosevelts mov ing in and Tom Dewey and Nel son Rockefeller at least knocking on the door. D.C. oddsmakers say Spitzer is bound to run for the Oval Office some day, too. "
The Post finally gets it......Eliot should run for President...The Sheriff needs to bring law and order back to Washington..to protect the little guy...it is only a matter of time...Day One is just the beginning.............andy
"November 24, 2006 -- NOW that he's been elected governor, Eliot Spitzer is going national. The golden boy state attorney general re cently hosted fund-raisers for Govs. Jennifer Granholm and Jim Doyle of Michigan and Wisconsin, respec tively. They'll owe him their support someday when he runs for an even higher office - say, president. Many past New York gov ernors have been White House timber, with two Roosevelts mov ing in and Tom Dewey and Nel son Rockefeller at least knocking on the door. D.C. oddsmakers say Spitzer is bound to run for the Oval Office some day, too. "
The Post finally gets it......Eliot should run for President...The Sheriff needs to bring law and order back to Washington..to protect the little guy...it is only a matter of time...Day One is just the beginning.............andy
DAILY NEWS "PLOP PLOP FIZZ FIZZ OH WHAT A RELIEF IT IS"
The Daily News thinks Spitzer has his work cut out for him with
The Day at the Races with NYRA in Chapter 11 and NYC OTB heading in the same direction.......and Bruno is giving his 2 cents over Bottle Bill debate starts to fizz .......maybe this is his way of "nickel and diming Eliot"??? and finally Keep sex predators behind bars everybody agrees something should be done..........andy
The Day at the Races with NYRA in Chapter 11 and NYC OTB heading in the same direction.......and Bruno is giving his 2 cents over Bottle Bill debate starts to fizz .......maybe this is his way of "nickel and diming Eliot"??? and finally Keep sex predators behind bars everybody agrees something should be done..........andy
Weighing Hevesi's ethical dilemma
Newsday Editorial
"New York State voters reelected Comptroller Alan Hevesi, a Democrat, by a wide margin earlier this month. They did this knowing he was under investigation for ethics violations and that he most likely broke the law when he used a state employee to chauffeur his disabled wife.Does his reelection mean voters forgave him - by a 17-percentage-point margin? Does it mean that proceedings against him - the threat of criminal indictment and/or removal from office, which Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer is likely to pursue - should be halted?"
This editorial writer is right on target......nobody ever said this was going to be easy.......click here to read the whole editorial.........andy
"New York State voters reelected Comptroller Alan Hevesi, a Democrat, by a wide margin earlier this month. They did this knowing he was under investigation for ethics violations and that he most likely broke the law when he used a state employee to chauffeur his disabled wife.Does his reelection mean voters forgave him - by a 17-percentage-point margin? Does it mean that proceedings against him - the threat of criminal indictment and/or removal from office, which Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer is likely to pursue - should be halted?"
This editorial writer is right on target......nobody ever said this was going to be easy.......click here to read the whole editorial.........andy
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Eliot Spitzer An Introduction
Eliot Spitzer, Governor-Elect (taken from Transition:NewYork Website)
Eliot Spitzer
Day One, Everything Changes. With that promise and with a historic electoral mandate, Eliot Spitzer was elected governor of the State of New York on November 7, 2006. Governor-elect Spitzer had previously served two terms as New York State's Attorney General. As Attorney General, Governor-elect Spitzer was credited with transforming a once moribund office into one of the premiere governmental agencies in the world. From advocating for New York's seniors in the fight against the pharmaceutical industry, to restoring the integrity of global financial markets to cleaning up the state's lakes, rivers and streams, Eliot Spitzer's tenure was marked by action, accomplishment and a never-ending zeal to take on the status-quo. Governor-elect Spitzer is ready to bring that same take-charge attitude and enthusiasm to the task of restoring New York to the great state, the Empire State that we know it can be. Over the course of his career in public service, he has urged New Yorkers to join him in making government work again for the people of the state, not against them. A Spitzer Governorship will be marked by wholesale reform of state government coupled with providing much needed tax relief to the middle class families that need it most; by affordable, accessible healthcare and restoration of New York's crumbling upstate cities. And, by a belief that we must ensure that our children strive not for mere educational competence and adequacy, but for a greatness matched only by the promise of this state itself. Governor-Elect Spitzer, the grandson of 4 immigrants who entered the country at Ellis Island was born in the Bronx, NY in June of 1959. Prior to his election as Attorney General he was a lawyer in private practice, an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan and a clerk to Federal District Court Judge, the Hon. Robert Sweet of the Southern District of New York. He lives in New York City and the Hudson Valley with his wife Silda-Wall Spitzer and their 3 teenage daughters.
A nice brief Bio on Eliot........andy
TURKEY DAY EDITION
Calling all blog addicts.......Elizabeth B(Capitol Confidential) has her Overstuffed Turkey Day Edition.......pickings are slim on this quiet news day.....Azi Paybarah(The Politicker) has a little problem digesting pork and thinks A delay in the Atlantic Yards projects may mean Eliot Spitzer can play a bigger role on that issue, according to Daily Gotham and finally The Post has RX FOR NEW YORK'S AILING HEALTH CARE andy
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Freedom from want.......Norman Rockwell
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May you all be surrounded by family and friends enjoying the bounty God has Blessed us with!!!!!! andyGobble Gobble Gobble
Bruno asserts himself in Read Our Lips ........no new taxes(Times Union)....meantime back on the ranch a Top commissioner weighs exit (Elizabeth B).........Hevesi warns that Pataki is giving the house away in Caution urged on spending by board and The Daily News A big cash splash doesn't much like it either........andy
ELIOT SPITZER FOR PRESIDENT IN 2008???
From Govenor Spitzer.......to President Spitzer.......you heard it here first folks.........Pataki...Guiliani...step aside......The Sheriff is in town.....to clean up Washington DC........if anyone in this world can do it...Eliot can........Day One is just the beginning............andy
UNCLE SPITZER WANTS YOU!!!!!!!!
Do You have what it takes to reform state government??? The time is now to step foward and submit your resumes...be part of the Spitzer Team .........see below for information........andy http://www.transitionny.org/
HIDDEN CAM NAILS DOCTOR
New York Post
By IKIMULISA LIVINGSTON
November 22, 2006 -- A doctor, two nurses and several aides from a Queens nursing home were arrested yesterday and face charges after a hidden-camera investigation revealed chronic patient neglect, authorities said.
A secret camera installed in a patient's room at the Hollis Park Manor Nursing Home recorded the comings and goings of staffers over five weeks, according to state Attorney General and Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer.
Despite doctor's orders that the patient be given therapy, and be turned and repositioned regularly, the patient was mostly ignored, the tape allegedly showed.
Dr. Howard Cohn, 50, of Merrick, L.I., is charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, willful violation of health laws and first-degree falsifying business records.
The doctor claimed in paperwork he'd examined the patient twice. But the videotape shows he only stuck his head in the doorway once and provided no treatment, according to the attorney general's office.
Eliot still on the job for New York............andy
By IKIMULISA LIVINGSTON
November 22, 2006 -- A doctor, two nurses and several aides from a Queens nursing home were arrested yesterday and face charges after a hidden-camera investigation revealed chronic patient neglect, authorities said.
A secret camera installed in a patient's room at the Hollis Park Manor Nursing Home recorded the comings and goings of staffers over five weeks, according to state Attorney General and Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer.
Despite doctor's orders that the patient be given therapy, and be turned and repositioned regularly, the patient was mostly ignored, the tape allegedly showed.
Dr. Howard Cohn, 50, of Merrick, L.I., is charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, willful violation of health laws and first-degree falsifying business records.
The doctor claimed in paperwork he'd examined the patient twice. But the videotape shows he only stuck his head in the doorway once and provided no treatment, according to the attorney general's office.
Eliot still on the job for New York............andy
Big transit contracts for MTA chair candidate
Newsday Chuck Bennett
"The engineering firm of Elliot "Lee" Sander, a candidate for MTA chairman, has had $400 million in contracts with the agency since 2001, according to documents released Tuesday.Sander, who is a top transportation adviser to governor-elect Eliot Spitzer's transition team and a possible successor to current MTA chairman Peter Kalikow, is a senior vice president at DMJM Harris, the nation's largest transportation design and engineering firm."
"MTA spokesman Tim O'Brien said there is a set policy for MTA board members to recuse themselves if they have a financial interest in a contract."Any board member who has a financial interest in an item that comes before the board has to recuse himself from voting on that item and that's something Chairman Kalikow has done on many occasions as well as other board members," O'Brien said."
"Both Sander and Christine Anderson, a spokeswoman for Spitzer, a Democrat, have declined to comment on who will succeed Kalikow. Gov. George Pataki, a Republican, appointed Kalikow in 2001. His current term expires in 2012, but Kalikow, a Republican, could step down earlier if he's satisfied with the progress of projects like the Second Avenue subway."
Eliot has publicly voiced his displeasure with Kalikow's performance......and Kalikow has stated he is going to resign.....we shall see........andy
"The engineering firm of Elliot "Lee" Sander, a candidate for MTA chairman, has had $400 million in contracts with the agency since 2001, according to documents released Tuesday.Sander, who is a top transportation adviser to governor-elect Eliot Spitzer's transition team and a possible successor to current MTA chairman Peter Kalikow, is a senior vice president at DMJM Harris, the nation's largest transportation design and engineering firm."
"MTA spokesman Tim O'Brien said there is a set policy for MTA board members to recuse themselves if they have a financial interest in a contract."Any board member who has a financial interest in an item that comes before the board has to recuse himself from voting on that item and that's something Chairman Kalikow has done on many occasions as well as other board members," O'Brien said."
"Both Sander and Christine Anderson, a spokeswoman for Spitzer, a Democrat, have declined to comment on who will succeed Kalikow. Gov. George Pataki, a Republican, appointed Kalikow in 2001. His current term expires in 2012, but Kalikow, a Republican, could step down earlier if he's satisfied with the progress of projects like the Second Avenue subway."
Eliot has publicly voiced his displeasure with Kalikow's performance......and Kalikow has stated he is going to resign.....we shall see........andy
NY committee recommends dropping NYRA as racing operator
Newsday AP Story
"SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) _ A group headed by New York Yankees partner Steve Swindal and casino developer Richard Fields could be the next operators of New York's three thoroughbred racetracks. If the incoming state government follows recommendations made Tuesday by the state Committee on the Future of Racing in New York, the New York Racing Association's 50-year hold on the franchise would end. The committee selected Excelsior Racing Associates in a nonbinding recommendation. The state Legislature and likely Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer, will make the final decision, which is expected sometime next year. "
click here to read the entire article........andy
"SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) _ A group headed by New York Yankees partner Steve Swindal and casino developer Richard Fields could be the next operators of New York's three thoroughbred racetracks. If the incoming state government follows recommendations made Tuesday by the state Committee on the Future of Racing in New York, the New York Racing Association's 50-year hold on the franchise would end. The committee selected Excelsior Racing Associates in a nonbinding recommendation. The state Legislature and likely Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer, will make the final decision, which is expected sometime next year. "
click here to read the entire article........andy
Little light is shed on Kessel shift
Newsday Business
"On the eve of a possible regime change at LIPA under Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer, the utility disclosed yesterday that chairman Richard Kessel resigned his chief executive and president posts - 10 months ago - without formally announcing it to ratepayers. Oddly, the Long Island Power Authority Web site listed him serving as chief executive as recently as Friday. The site was updated that day to list only his role as chairman, in which he continues."
"The disclosure is significant because LIPA, like other state authorities, was ordered to separate the chairman and chief executive roles under reform legislation passed last year and signed into law by Gov. George Pataki in January. A Jan. 18 resignation date puts LIPA and Kessel in compliance with the law. While LIPA trustees are not paid, Kessel as chairman has continued to draw the $165,000 salary he previously received as chairman and chief executive. "
"LIPA spokesman Bert Cunningham said Pataki's office designated Kessel's chairman role as a paid position in 1997. He said LIPA has also received an outside legal opinion that the post is a paid one, and noted that Kessel is a full-time active executive while trustees are not. "
"The disclosure comes as Spitzer's team works to fill numerous positions around the state, and is considered all but certain to fill the LIPA chief executive role from the outside. Among those rumored to be up for consideration: Kevin Law, deputy chief to Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy"
my guess....Richie stays on........stay tuned...........andy
"On the eve of a possible regime change at LIPA under Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer, the utility disclosed yesterday that chairman Richard Kessel resigned his chief executive and president posts - 10 months ago - without formally announcing it to ratepayers. Oddly, the Long Island Power Authority Web site listed him serving as chief executive as recently as Friday. The site was updated that day to list only his role as chairman, in which he continues."
"The disclosure is significant because LIPA, like other state authorities, was ordered to separate the chairman and chief executive roles under reform legislation passed last year and signed into law by Gov. George Pataki in January. A Jan. 18 resignation date puts LIPA and Kessel in compliance with the law. While LIPA trustees are not paid, Kessel as chairman has continued to draw the $165,000 salary he previously received as chairman and chief executive. "
"LIPA spokesman Bert Cunningham said Pataki's office designated Kessel's chairman role as a paid position in 1997. He said LIPA has also received an outside legal opinion that the post is a paid one, and noted that Kessel is a full-time active executive while trustees are not. "
"The disclosure comes as Spitzer's team works to fill numerous positions around the state, and is considered all but certain to fill the LIPA chief executive role from the outside. Among those rumored to be up for consideration: Kevin Law, deputy chief to Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy"
my guess....Richie stays on........stay tuned...........andy
Interview: New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
WNBC.COM News Forum: Sheldon Silver
"Come January 1st, there will be a new sheriff in town. Or at least a new governor in Albany. Eliot Spitzer, elected in a history landslide, says he will take his mandate and use it to change the culture of the capital. But can he? Most of the big decisions take three ayes; one from the governor, one from Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, and one from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The last 12 years, as Republican George Pataki has occupied the governor's office, Silver has been the most powerful Democrat in Albany. Come January 1st, that reign will end. Spitzer will be the top Democratic dog, and Silver, will he be combative? Cooperative? Conciliatory? Only Sheldon Silver knows."
This is a transcript of a tv interview with Silver.....make the time to read this...great interview........read it here andy
"Come January 1st, there will be a new sheriff in town. Or at least a new governor in Albany. Eliot Spitzer, elected in a history landslide, says he will take his mandate and use it to change the culture of the capital. But can he? Most of the big decisions take three ayes; one from the governor, one from Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, and one from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The last 12 years, as Republican George Pataki has occupied the governor's office, Silver has been the most powerful Democrat in Albany. Come January 1st, that reign will end. Spitzer will be the top Democratic dog, and Silver, will he be combative? Cooperative? Conciliatory? Only Sheldon Silver knows."
This is a transcript of a tv interview with Silver.....make the time to read this...great interview........read it here andy
Reeling Hevesi in Collision With Steely Spitzer Disgraced Comptroller Fighting to Hang On, But Eliot Intractable. Governor-Elect Won’t Yield to Alan
New York Observer Azi Paybarah
"When Eliot Spitzer said at a debate late in the race for Governor that Alan Hevesi was a “stupendous public servant,” it was at odds with what he was saying privately.
Behind closed doors, according to an elected official who talked to Mr. Spitzer shortly after the debate, the attorney general was conveying a different message, wondering aloud how Mr. Hevesi could have been so “sloppy” about doing something when he “knew it was wrong.”
"At the moment, things look grim for Mr. Hevesi. He’s the subject of a vigorous criminal investigation by the Albany County District Attorney’s office. The office of departing Governor George Pataki is conducting its own independent investigation, led by the former federal attorney who tried Martha Stewart for insider trading. And the New York State Ethics Commission, which is conducting a third investigation, has already said there is reason to believe Mr. Hevesi broke the law by not keeping adequate records of the time two state employees spent driving Mr. Hevesi’s wife on personal errands"
For Hevesi this is a personal tragedy that should have never happened.....Spitzer has a mandate to "clean up" Albany and set the ethical bar higher for those involved in State Government......Eliot can ill afford to have this Hevesi Circus continue it's act after Day One....it is no longer a question of if Hevesi is going to resign..just a question of when.........andy
"When Eliot Spitzer said at a debate late in the race for Governor that Alan Hevesi was a “stupendous public servant,” it was at odds with what he was saying privately.
Behind closed doors, according to an elected official who talked to Mr. Spitzer shortly after the debate, the attorney general was conveying a different message, wondering aloud how Mr. Hevesi could have been so “sloppy” about doing something when he “knew it was wrong.”
"At the moment, things look grim for Mr. Hevesi. He’s the subject of a vigorous criminal investigation by the Albany County District Attorney’s office. The office of departing Governor George Pataki is conducting its own independent investigation, led by the former federal attorney who tried Martha Stewart for insider trading. And the New York State Ethics Commission, which is conducting a third investigation, has already said there is reason to believe Mr. Hevesi broke the law by not keeping adequate records of the time two state employees spent driving Mr. Hevesi’s wife on personal errands"
For Hevesi this is a personal tragedy that should have never happened.....Spitzer has a mandate to "clean up" Albany and set the ethical bar higher for those involved in State Government......Eliot can ill afford to have this Hevesi Circus continue it's act after Day One....it is no longer a question of if Hevesi is going to resign..just a question of when.........andy
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
The Politicker
nothing worse than a state comptroller scorned.........andy
Hevesi's Revenge
That's Liz's take on the comptroller's latest audit.
Hevesi's report not only showed that there has been an unusual amount of borrowing in the last days of the Pataki administration, but that the comptroller, embroiled in controversy and targeted for removal, still has plenty of muscle.
-- Azi Paybarah
Update: Azi has another spin to this twisted tale......aptly called...
The Power of Silver It is good to see Eliot meets with Tom Suozzi's Approval......I always love these "nameless" sources of rumor and intrigue....but my sense is Hevesi's fate will lie with a grand jury decision...not a political one..........andy
nothing worse than a state comptroller scorned.........andy
Hevesi's Revenge
That's Liz's take on the comptroller's latest audit.
Hevesi's report not only showed that there has been an unusual amount of borrowing in the last days of the Pataki administration, but that the comptroller, embroiled in controversy and targeted for removal, still has plenty of muscle.
-- Azi Paybarah
Update: Azi has another spin to this twisted tale......aptly called...
The Power of Silver It is good to see Eliot meets with Tom Suozzi's Approval......I always love these "nameless" sources of rumor and intrigue....but my sense is Hevesi's fate will lie with a grand jury decision...not a political one..........andy
Court: NY Wrongly Confined Sex Criminals
Newsday AP Story
"November 21, 2006, 3:01 PM ESTALBANY, N.Y. -- New York's highest court ruled Tuesday that the state wrongly confined convicted sex offenders in psychiatric facilities after their prison sentences ended. In its 7-0 ruling, the Court of Appeals sent the cases of 12 men who had been held without hearings as psychiatric patients back to a lower court to quickly determine if each poses a danger to the public. "We do not propose that these petitioners be released, nor do we propose to trump the interests of public safety. Rather, we recognize that a need for continued hospitalization may well exist," Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick wrote in the high court's opinion. "
What frightens me is the continual eroding of our civil rights as ordinary citizens...under the Bush Administration fighting terrorists justifies trampling our "constitutional" privacy and government sticking it's nose in our private affairs.....the end justify the means sort of thinking. Nobody wants convicted sex offenders roaming their neighborhoods...but you can't just arbitrarily hold people because you feel like it..for whatever the reason. You need laws and proceedures set in place to deal with this issue.
"Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer, who argued the state's case as attorney general, said the ruling "clearly demonstrates" the need for a law allowing civil confinement in such cases. "
Amen and Amen..............Elizabeth B 's(Capitol Confidential) Pataki To Call Special Session and Azi Paybarah's(The Politicker) Pataki and the Court
round things out......................andy
"November 21, 2006, 3:01 PM ESTALBANY, N.Y. -- New York's highest court ruled Tuesday that the state wrongly confined convicted sex offenders in psychiatric facilities after their prison sentences ended. In its 7-0 ruling, the Court of Appeals sent the cases of 12 men who had been held without hearings as psychiatric patients back to a lower court to quickly determine if each poses a danger to the public. "We do not propose that these petitioners be released, nor do we propose to trump the interests of public safety. Rather, we recognize that a need for continued hospitalization may well exist," Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick wrote in the high court's opinion. "
What frightens me is the continual eroding of our civil rights as ordinary citizens...under the Bush Administration fighting terrorists justifies trampling our "constitutional" privacy and government sticking it's nose in our private affairs.....the end justify the means sort of thinking. Nobody wants convicted sex offenders roaming their neighborhoods...but you can't just arbitrarily hold people because you feel like it..for whatever the reason. You need laws and proceedures set in place to deal with this issue.
"Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer, who argued the state's case as attorney general, said the ruling "clearly demonstrates" the need for a law allowing civil confinement in such cases. "
Amen and Amen..............Elizabeth B 's(Capitol Confidential) Pataki To Call Special Session and Azi Paybarah's(The Politicker) Pataki and the Court
round things out......................andy
SCHOOL SANITY COURT OPTS FOR RESTRAINT
Spitzer: High court left him free to seek real schools fix.(NY Post)"November 21, 2006 -- YESTERDAY'S state Court of Appeals ruling in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) case is a victory for judicial restraint and common sense. Needless to say, it's also a huge break for Eliot Spitzer: Now he won't have to take office as governor under the shadow of a financially backbreaking judicial mandate." Read the rest of the Post article here .....and while your at it...might as well read their editorial "COURT BITES JUDGE" andy
