Thursday, December 28, 2006
Spitzer May Find Albany Tougher to Clean Up Than Wall Street
Bloomberg.com
"Dec. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Eliot Spitzer, who becomes New York's 54th governor on New Year's Day, won election on a vow to demand integrity and openness in state government with as much zeal as he battled misdeeds in the financial industry.
``Day 1, everything changes,'' he promised.
It was a pledge that will be difficult to keep, according to critics of government in Albany, the state capital.
Spitzer, 47, wielded prosecutable powers as New York's attorney general. Now he must rely more on persuasion to get his way with a legislature rated by a New York University think tank as the most ``dysfunctional'' in the U.S. and transform what he calls a ``pay to play'' political culture.
``He won't be able to do it on Day 1, Day 2, in 100 days or even in five years,'' said former State Senator Seymour Lachman, co-author of a recent book that depicts New York's state government as broken.
``It's a lot harder than cleaning up Wall Street,'' he said, because while the financial system is ``answerable to a market of investors, there's almost no accountability in the state Legislature.''
Yes there is...the Legislature is answerable to the taxpayers who have to foot the bill for this dysfunction........look at Hevesi......now keep an eye on Bruno.....Day 1 is here already..........andy
"Dec. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Eliot Spitzer, who becomes New York's 54th governor on New Year's Day, won election on a vow to demand integrity and openness in state government with as much zeal as he battled misdeeds in the financial industry.
``Day 1, everything changes,'' he promised.
It was a pledge that will be difficult to keep, according to critics of government in Albany, the state capital.
Spitzer, 47, wielded prosecutable powers as New York's attorney general. Now he must rely more on persuasion to get his way with a legislature rated by a New York University think tank as the most ``dysfunctional'' in the U.S. and transform what he calls a ``pay to play'' political culture.
``He won't be able to do it on Day 1, Day 2, in 100 days or even in five years,'' said former State Senator Seymour Lachman, co-author of a recent book that depicts New York's state government as broken.
``It's a lot harder than cleaning up Wall Street,'' he said, because while the financial system is ``answerable to a market of investors, there's almost no accountability in the state Legislature.''
Yes there is...the Legislature is answerable to the taxpayers who have to foot the bill for this dysfunction........look at Hevesi......now keep an eye on Bruno.....Day 1 is here already..........andy
