The New York Daily News - Editorial - November 23, 2009
Just as scandalous as the revelations coming out of Joe Bruno's federal corruption trial is the utter lack of outrage coming out of the state Legislature. Each day of testimony produces more evidence that the former Senate GOP leader - one of the most powerful men in state government - flagrantly and continuously abused his office. Yet not one former colleague, Democrat or Republican, has stood up to express shock, disgust, revulsion, betrayal, remorse - or much of any reaction at all. Nor have lawmakers rushed to stop future Brunos from fleecing taxpayers. They haven't even been motivated enough to unstall a better-than-nothing ethics proposal that would improve disclosure of lawmakers' outside income while boosting enforcement against violators. The pols' silent acquiesence is yet another reason why New Yorkers must throw the bums out next fall. On Friday, businessman Jared Abbruzzese confirmed that he secretly hired Bruno as a $20,000-a-month "consultant" in 2004, even as he was lobbying for government help with business ventures. Previously, Bruno had arranged $500,000 in state grants for an Abbruzzese firm.
Before that, a Senate lawyer testified that Bruno ignored his warnings to stop mixing public and private affairs. Before that, jurors learned that senators are routinely advised to hand-deliver financial disclosure forms to the Legislative Ethics Commission - the better to avoid federal mail fraud charges for any lies they might contain. Before that, Bruno's longtime secretary testified that she handled all the senator's personal bookkeeping - not to mention Christmas shopping - out of his Capitol office. In fact, the trial has made clear that Bruno treated his government digs, and his aides, as appendages of private enterprises. He took meetings with clients there. He received his "consulting" checks there. Government secretaries sitting at government desks opened his business mail. Government lawyers drafted his business contracts. He even named his firm "Capitol Business Consultants." What more evidence does anyone need that "Albany ethics" is a contradiction in terms? Bruno didn't just skirt the laws barring profiteering from his public office and abuse of government resources. He apparently blew right through them. And the small army of enablers surrounding him knew exactly what was going on but held their tongues. And now virtually every member of the Assembly and Senate have joined in the silence. Where are the outraged press conferences to denounce gross abuses of the public trust? Where is the rush of proposals to ban private business from government offices, to require full disclosure of legislators' outside incomes, to finally create a truly tough, truly independent ethics watchdog in Albany? Where is Joe's Law?
Before that, a Senate lawyer testified that Bruno ignored his warnings to stop mixing public and private affairs. Before that, jurors learned that senators are routinely advised to hand-deliver financial disclosure forms to the Legislative Ethics Commission - the better to avoid federal mail fraud charges for any lies they might contain. Before that, Bruno's longtime secretary testified that she handled all the senator's personal bookkeeping - not to mention Christmas shopping - out of his Capitol office. In fact, the trial has made clear that Bruno treated his government digs, and his aides, as appendages of private enterprises. He took meetings with clients there. He received his "consulting" checks there. Government secretaries sitting at government desks opened his business mail. Government lawyers drafted his business contracts. He even named his firm "Capitol Business Consultants." What more evidence does anyone need that "Albany ethics" is a contradiction in terms? Bruno didn't just skirt the laws barring profiteering from his public office and abuse of government resources. He apparently blew right through them. And the small army of enablers surrounding him knew exactly what was going on but held their tongues. And now virtually every member of the Assembly and Senate have joined in the silence. Where are the outraged press conferences to denounce gross abuses of the public trust? Where is the rush of proposals to ban private business from government offices, to require full disclosure of legislators' outside incomes, to finally create a truly tough, truly independent ethics watchdog in Albany? Where is Joe's Law?
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18 comments:
I would like to know if the AG Office is protecting Bernadette E. Lupinetti, Esq. to avoid an investigation and prosecuting for her crimes against children, because this parasite husband until 2007 was a ADA for medicaid fraud, for the AG Office in Rockland County. Hey AG children are been sold for sexual exploitation reasons in child custody cases, stop ignoring the evidence in order to protect criminals with licenses to practice law.
what are waiting for, we should all go on the street to demostrate untill the revulation will begin and all the criminers will be out and this mega - silint's corruption will have an end
Bruno's secretary testified that she spent most of her time on his personal and outside businss.
If she wasn't doing state work, why are we paying her?
Is the AG going to go after her for the money we paid and didn't get her "honest services"?
To keep the continuation and cover-up of political and judicial corruption curtailed...WE MUST ASSURE THAT ALL SECRETARIES AND COURT REPORTERS ARE OPERATING FROM AN OFFICE POOL, THAT NEVER ALLOWS THE SAME PERSON FROM THAT GROUP TO WORK FOR A JUDGE OR POLITICIAN MORE THAN ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS!
With OCA, you have their secreatries/many times their lovers.... being elevated to top six figure supervisory salaries....that is way beyond their capabilities no matter how much training...and these employees are destroying the work environment and screwing with the work product as well... that is heavily condusive to a hostile and violent workplace in many courts and court offices...the reason that OCA despises that ethics regarding all sexual behavior with employees is now forbidden, as part of the judicial conduct code!
Not that they are abiding by this code....as they see that the top judges are involved also....so blackmail can readily call off the CJC dogs!
These employees are elevated and validated by men in power and they have no ability or reason to accept that praise...so they terrorize most female employees so they cannot function for the people of the state of NY....as well as they enable the man who is violating the ethics of his NY state government office while committing crimes within!
Secretaries of all government offices should be investigated by the FBI for information and conduct that is criminal in nature, committed by themselves or those who have chosen them to serve in that position....as I have seen way too many of these women acting as guilty as the politicians and judges that have hired them.
YOU want to get the politicians...go after these secretaries...loads of indicting conversation and facts.
these boys are too stupid to know these females are prostitutes doing you favors to harm others when they want to victimize another.........
they should go after the prostitutes, not the innocents!
a woman with character would not use sex for power, only prostitutes do that!
what are we waiting for.....
the News will barely cover this, it is not front page........
people do not know the have rights and our politicians have no rights to run our gov't as their own private business........
where do you report a Senators or Legislatures felonies, does anyone know?
I hope Paterson keeps the stuffed Turkeys in session through Thanksgiving........
Hey Paterson, Lets cook them and eat them for dinner!
Hey Bruno, turn them all in!!!!!
Especially the set up guy, Maziarz!
It's not just Joe Bruno! They all have their fingers in the pie! The weasel Mazizrz in next! The que begins on the right! Shelly Silver should be at the head of the line.
hey gov't guys, we want the gov't in our towns to stop Maziarz and his gang of thugs.........
we want our AG, Atty Grievance and our CJC back...............
they are not the Senators personal property to violate innocent peoples rights........
take this guy down!!!!!!!!!
I can help! I volunteer my time!
oh by the way Napolean, bite me!!!
Look at the beneficence of Saint Andrew,Patron Saint of Crooked Lawyers and Judges, towards his faithful followers. Saint Andrew's Master will have a very hot home fire ready for Saint Andrew and his followers. Oh, Mario there are sins of omission.
if they did not have campaign contributions they could not use their official positions to influence others or for their payoffs, money laundering, "consulting fees" schemes and scams........
if the Board of Elections actually did their job, this would not happen!
hey gov't guys, many people state Maziarz uses his war chest & state/county jobs to bribe others into harming others....I wonder where he got that idea..........
More than 25 years ago the NYPD IAB instituted a program that tested the integrity of the system.
IAB officers would call a command, usually at random and have the caller give the officer allegations of police misconduct.
The caller didn't have to identify themselves. The information given could be very sketchy and without any particular officer(s) mentioned as engaging in misconduct.
The officer that took the call could have known that the charges being made were bogus because he had personal knowledge of the items mentioned by the caller.
I knew of one such call where the officer receiving the call had absolute reason to believe the call was a crank call made for some unknown reason. It didn't matter. You are obligated to take down the information and call it in to IAB and receive a log number. You would then be required for file a written report of that information and send it on to IAB. No excuses. It didn't matter if the 'suspect' was your own mother, or it it was you. You MUST report it or face the consequences.
And those consequences, depending on your record could lead all the way to a dismissal from the force. The usual penalty was at least 5 days loss of vacation/pay.
Very simple and effective. If you make a complaint to the CJC or DDC, most likely you will never speak to a warm human body.
I know a lot of lawyers and a lot of judges. Not once have any of those I spoke to ever told me a complaint to the DDC or CJC would be met with satisfaction.
that would stop the psychopaths that abuse they system, they would have a record of their behavior...
time for our system, the men, to set the boys up!!!!!!!
Can anyone riddle me this ?
Why doesn't our government teach us CPLR in public schools? How else are 'We' gonna learn to SUE government ?
that is funny!
it is taught to the hoodlums who use the law for their benefit to harm others.....
like lawyers, judges, public officials............
I like the IAB idea, should be used in all counties, for all
lawyers, judges and public officials!
it should be called KYB
kick your butt!
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