The New York Post - EDITORIAL - June 3, 2011
It was a long time coming, and it wouldn't have happened without Gov. Cuomo's stern insistence, but it looks like New York now has a governmental ethics bill with real teeth in it. Post readers know how important the ethics deal announced by Cuomo and legislative leaders yesterday is. This paper, and these pages, have campaigned relentlessly for ethics reform for years. How many lawmakers, we asked, would have to go to prison before Albany addressed the institutional rot that has produced one scandal after another? How long would the Legislature resist reform? Then came Cuomo, who made cleaning up a capital that had become a national ethics laughingstock a major part of last year's campaign. He carried a credible club -- promising to sic a special anti-corruption Moreland Commission on the Legislature if it didn't act. Message delivered. And accepted. Yesterday, the new governor got what he wanted.
In Albany, the devil's always in the details. The fine print will bear close reading. But, on the surface, this looks like real reform. The proposed law:
- Creates a 14-member independent Joint Commission on Public Ethics with "broad enforcement powers" over elected officials and staff in the executive and legislative branches.
- Forces legislators to fully disclose income and clients for their outside jobs. Thus, New Yorkers will learn at long last exactly how much Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver makes from trial-lawyer behemoth Weitz & Luxenberg. Ditto for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos' gig with Ruskin Moscou Faltischek.
- Requires stricter financial disclosure from lobbyists and expands the definition of lobbyists.
- Hits errant lawmakers where they'll feel it: The attorney general or district attorney will have the ability to use civil forfeiture to revoke or reduce the pensions of public officials convicted of crimes involving misuse of their official powers.
These are tectonic shifts for Albany. And, again, they are long overdue. Congratulations to Silver, Skelos and especially Cuomo for getting it done. And to all those many Albany miscreants now on parole, in prison or on their way there: Hey, you take a bow, too! Cuomo couldn't have done it alone.
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8 comments:
At least Andrew Cuomo is trying to do something. Gotta give him credit for that.
".....trying to do something." You meant this as a joke, right?
Sen.Sampson 'tried to do something' and what did he do - NOTHING. It was all a farce, and his senate hearings were never meant to be anything else.
All that Andy wants to do is to create another hall of smoke and mirrors to make the public believe, 'look, I'm doing something...remember me when I throw my hat in for president.
Many of us on this Board thought Sampson was the 2nd Coming. The joke was on us.
Andy's father Mario was forced to launch an SIC Investigation into corruption in Suffolk County. The SIC Report was a scathing report of corruption in Suffolk County CJS. And what did Andy's father do with this information? NOTHING! NADA, ZERO. Mario never expected that the SIC Commissioner would do his job and do it RIGHT. Judge Trager 'went off the reservation', so to speak.
More than 2 years of investigating. Hundreds of reports. Many hearings, and a 197 page report that is one of the most amazing documents I ever read, and what is the final result: Suffolk County is worse than it ever was.
So why should Joe Average believe this is going to be any different? Andy has ONLY one thing on his mind: THE WHITE HOUSE.
This is going to be like the what the legislature did with Charter Schools.
On it's surface it looked like Charter Schools were going to be set up for the benefit of the students, but buried in the details was the poison that made the law completely ineffective and left in tact the power of the teachers' union.
The only reason Shelly is seeming to go along with this, is because there is going to be some gotcha buried in the details that will make sure nothing changes.
Just more smoke and mirrors.
Sampson merely put out his 'feelers' to see what potential problems he and his fellow crooks potentially had ahead of them. He could 'kudos'-points for spending his much-valued time for his efforts and earned his deserved favors now for doing so. Yes, NOTHING became of the effort except additional effort to stall those who attempt further resolve.
TRULY A LESSON I LEARNED HERE.
Sampson really should never have been sold as someone who intended to help thosw with issues against OCA.
I investigated OCA for several yrs and was well aware that they influenced everyone that had any state employment...and I mean anyone..as well as anyone connected to someone with state employment.
I refused to be any part of Sampson's play, and did query this blog as to why they trusted any, but esp.a political state employee to take on OCA.
OCA is the tantamount syndicate operation that controls ALL state Government...no one from this state can or will ever be the savior against this crook....remember that.
to the 12:10 commenter, please share more on knowing that Sampson would not help? and who can or will? been alot of people lead astray here and around the state
The only people able to HELP are the FEDS..but they are ignoring everything.
The DOJ and Federal Ct can be compelled to address some of it..but that will take publicity to motivate...as both do not want the spotlight from the public on them and their political appointments for life.
But there is a constant fight that will take place with all of them...and the need for savvy and extensive knowledge of how they operate must be yours...and then unrelenting pressuring of your lawyers to submit information is a frustrating constant.
Lawyers know what to do to succeed against OCA, but they are careful to allow little that will destroy OCA.
You really have to be strong, knowledgable, ballsy, unconcerned about what lots of people think, clever and OFTEN accusatory about being an OCA victim...and then force yourself into Federal Ct and hope you can create the right information for summary judgment, so the Fed Judge cannot circumvent what you have..and then if you get to go before a JURY...just be straightforward, honest and an underdog...juries are suckers for the abused, esp by big Government.
This is what it takes right now to get over on OCA, without the Feds and the media...OCA has all the influence locked everywhere..but there is a hole to be made..just find it and make it.
This is the Fred U. Dicker of the NY Post puff piece. Freddy is polishing up of the mirrors and filling up the smoke pots for Cuomo. Freddy, where are the new strict corruption laws to replace #195 Official Misconduct which is only a misdemeanor in NY?
Cuomo Smoke and Mirror Alert:
We need prosecutions, not ethics commissions. Cuomo hack infested commissions will cover-up crimes and delay prosecutions indefinitely while they investigate. More Rangels will cry and be forgiven.
Prince Cuomo is taking his advice from this quote:A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled. ~Barnett Cocks, attributed.
and perverting it to lure potential criminal charges into toothless, endless, ethics investigations in front of his appointed hacks.
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