Shelly Silver Goes Regressive On Ethics Reform

Reform is something that Albany desperately needs, yet like the end of a rainbow, it seems impossible to get to. Sure, there are some attempts at it but getting a handle on the core problems of our state government is like grasping at straws. The case in point here is Majority Leader Smith and Governor Paterson's call for an independent ethics commission. Those two leaders seem to be on board but to get anything done in our state capitol all three men in the room have to sign off, and the other one isn't willing to budge.

From The NYT Cityroom:

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver unveiled a complex proposal at the meeting that appeared to doom any chance of swift action. His plan would create three commissions charged with ethics and lobbying oversight of the executive branch and the Legislature. The governor and Senate Democrats have proposed creating a single, independent ethics and lobbying commission with jurisdiction over both branches of government.

At the heart of the differing approaches is Mr. Silver’s unwillingness to cede the Legislature’s control of its own ethics oversight. He proposed recreating the current, much-maligned Legislative Ethics Commission along the lines of the Office of Congressional Ethics in the House of Representatives.

He also proposed breaking up the integrity commission into separate commissions overseeing lobbying and ethics, reviving a structure that existed before 2007.

And of course, things were just as bad before 2007 under the old system. The reality is that Congress and the New York Legislature cannot police themselves, since they've shown time and again that the best they can do is slap each other on the wrist. Currently we have two indicted men serving in the State Senate and an unknown number of dubious characters, yet Smith does next to nothing to reprimand them, for fear of losing his majority. Speaker Silver, in the other chamber, is definitely a dubious character and knows it, that is why he isn't favoring this bill. Don't expect him to put his name on anything that would resemble real reform. The only way that would happen is with another Speaker, preferably not connected to the current one.

M.T.A. Bill Gets Green Light From Legislative Leadership

Richard Ravitch is happy, Gene Russianoff is happy and the three men in the room are ecstatic over the fact they got something passed to help out the struggling M.T.A. Although Ravitch and Russianoff would have preferred something better, perhaps a little more comprehensive, they realize that in Albany, simply passing a bill, whether it does the job or not is a success. So with all this cheering, what can straphangers expect to find come June?

From The NY Times:

Under the deal, the base fare for a single bus or subway ride would rise to $2.25 from $2. The cost of a monthly MetroCard would probably rise to about $89 from $81, according to officials in the Legislature. Other fares and tolls, including tickets on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, would go up about 10 percent.[...]

The legislative leaders also agreed to set a single rate for the payroll tax in all 12 counties served by the authority — a tax of 34 cents for every $100 of payroll. An earlier Senate version of the plan called for a lower rate in three outlying counties.

The payroll tax is expected to raise $1.53 billion a year.

The plan also includes a series of charges on vehicles and drivers in the 12- county region: a 50-cent surcharge on taxi rides, a $25 increase in vehicle registration fees, a 25 to 30 percent rise in drivers’ license fees and a 5 percent increase in a tax on car rentals. Those fees are expected to generate a total of $270 million a year.

So there you have it, the damage, so to speak is spread out amongst straphangers, drivers and employers, though more so on the employers. For a last minute maneuver, Silver, Smith and Paterson did a decent job. The only problem is that the M.T.A. is still going to consider another increase in a few months, so we'll see what the Legislature can do when the next deadline looms.

For now though, subway riders will have to pay a little more instead of a lot, drivers won't be tolled on East River bridges, taxi cab riders are only looking at a 50 cent surcharge instead of a dollar and service cuts will be avoided. For the next few months at least, doomsday has been averted.

Yet for some reason I can't get the thought out of my head that this was all some sort of psychological game played out before us. Drivers are still getting higher tolls where tolls exist and their fees are going up. Mass transit riders still have to pay more after an increase in the fare last year (those of us that buy weekly or monthly cards, which is for most New Yorkers), making the increase on a monthly between 2007 and now roughly 18%. Tolls have also risen at an astronomical rate. Then in 2011 and 2013 the fares will go up another 7.5% each time. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that these costs beat the rate of inflation, and at the same time we have a state government that passes bloated budgets every year.

Next year, instead of acting like pigs at a trough, perhaps our represenatives could get together and revamp the way the M.T.A. is funded, so that we do not have to face a crisis over fares whenever the economy sours. Relying on real estate and sales taxes is simply an unstable solution. When the Republicans were in charge, they probably realized this, but instead of remeding the situation, they tacked on more than a billion dollars in debt to the M.T.A. and magnified the problem. Instead of patting each other's backs over this quick fix, Smith, Silver and Paterson would do right by attacking the core of the problem and ensure that we continue to have the best mass transit system in the country for decades to come.

Assembly Vs. Senate On M.T.A. Bailout

There is a little more than a month to go before the dreaded twenty-five percent (give or take a few percent depending on what fare you pay) hike in the cost of mass transit coupled with service cuts for the NYC subway system. Up in Albany though, politics and ego, not the deadline is what the leadership in the Assembly and Senate care most about. Sure, they want to get something done to appease their constituents, but "what" they want depends on which side you're on.

From The NY Daily News:

Negotiations over an MTA bailout deal blew up Friday amid bitter squabbling between Senate and Assembly leaders, sources said.

A conference call to discuss the rescue collapsed when Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's staff learned the state Senate had already introduced its own bill and planned to vote on it next week, sources said. "Malcolm and Shelly are having a huge fight," said one source with ties to both Silver and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, a Queens Democrat. "The staffs are not speaking."

Multiple sources said Silver was upset Smith formally introduced his bill. "This is one-upping the Senate to show you're still in charge," said a source close to Smith.

It really is pathetic that there has to be so much squabbling over such a dire issue. Millions of people who can't afford another fare increase will be forced to deal with $103 a month for a Metrocard with less service for the price.

While much of the blame can be placed at the feet of the Pataki Administration and the Republican State Senate in the past for putting so much debt on the M.T.A., Smith should have been ready for this when he assumed power early this year. His district is directly affected by this matter, along with many other Democrats that represent the New York City metro area. How he can let Kruger, Espada, Diaz and Monserrate push him around on this is absolutely ridiculous. I hate to say it, but Shelly Silver has the best plan out of anyone on this, and if Smith cares about the city more than his ego, he'll try his best to make sure the closest thing to the Ravitch Plan is what passes when all is said and done.

If It Walks Like A Duck, Talks Like A Duck....

Well then it probably is a duck.

The same approach can be used for Sheldon Silver's actions as Assembly Speaker when he tried to influence the State Controller (and criminal) Alan Hevesi. He went to the Controller on behalf of former hockey legend Mike Richter in order to get him connected with the pension fund. Although the deal never happened, that doesn't excuse his behavior.

From The NY Daily News:

Silver twice arranged sitdowns with the controller, who has sole control over pension investments, the Daily News has learned.

One of the most powerful men in Albany, Silver a few years ago accompanied investor Shlomo Kalish of Jerusalem Global Ventures to meet with then-Controller Alan Hevesi to discuss a possible deal.

More recently, Silver and Richter met with Controller Thomas DiNapoli. Richter, the hero of the 1994 Stanley Cup team, is a partner with Environmental Capital Partners.

The pension fund ultimately took a pass on both deals.

But the involvement of Silver - whose spokesman Dan Weiller confirmed the meetings - has raised serious questions among government watchdog groups.

More serious questions for the Speaker that go on top of the pile of questions he refuses to answer. The big problem here is that the way he uses his influence isn't even illegal here in New York. A more transparent state government might want to do something about this, but not in the Albany that good government groups fight against on a daily basis. While Hevesi may be in hot water (along with Joe Bruno) much of the corruption that goes on in our capitol is given a pass, or at least a wink and a nod. And with Shelly Silver at the wheel, don't expect things to change anytime soon.

The Three Men Return To Their Room

Just when I had a chance to praise for Paterson for standing with his party, I have to criticize him yet again. This time it is to call him out for forgetting about his past appeals for reform. Paterson was all about cleaning up Albany's corrupt, bad-government ways when he was a Senator, but now he is just another part of the problem.

From The Poughkeepsie Journal:

ALBANY — Legislative leaders and Gov. David Paterson said today they have agreed to try to bypass required public conference committees on the state budget in favor of hashing out a budget deal among themselves, leading government watchdogs to complain that the public is being shut out of a process involving billions of taxpayers’ dollars. “I think the important thing for us in this time of crisis is to give certainty to New Yorkers,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, in defending the decision. “So at this point, we and the governor have agreed that we want to look at the end result and avoid the bickering that takes place with one-house budgets if we can.”

Not holding the committees not only violate a 2007 law meant to open up the process, it also is “incredibly insensitive” to make the decision on the eve of “Sunshine Week,” said Blair Horner, legislative director for the New York Public Interest Research Group.

“Is this the way the Democrats want to celebrate Sunshine Week? With secret meetings? That’s a bad idea,” Horner said. Sunshine Week, which starts Sunday, is an effort by newspapers around the country to promote open government. It started in 2002.

Not much has changed since 2002 and no one who is in a position to immediately effect change wants to do it. I never had faith in Silver, but there was just a bit for Paterson and Smith. Now there is none. Effecting change is still a battle for the people to fight and one that must be taken against people like Paterson, Smith and Silver. At some point, those in power are going to have to learn that when it comes to the health of our democracy, transparency trumps expediency, or else the government will continue to distance itself from meeting the needs of all the people, not just those that have the most lobbyists in Albany.

Shelly Continues To Make Malcolm Look Foolish Over MTA Bailout

Being Malcolm Smith must be tough these days. The man was thrust (willingly I might add) into a position of leadership that he wasn't quite ready to handle. His abilities were already in question before the Dems took power. Then his credibility was further damaged when he gave into the Gang of Three, then stood up to them, then sat back down. Now the budget battle and the connected M.T.A. bailout saga is consuming him and in comparison to Shelly Silver's tight ship in the Assembly, he looks like an amateur.

From PolitickerNY:

ALBANY—Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith is calling the March 25 deadline for the M.T.A. bailout "questionable" and saying that while his members are "working on it every day" there is no consensus on a package to address the authority's deficit.

A few reporters caught Smith on the way to an event on reforming Rockefeller drug laws. He didn't say why he is questioning March 25, but spokesman Austin Shafran said the deadline is "artificial because it came from the M.T.A. board."

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, however, after speaking at the same event, said "I'm not going to engage in a game of chicken."

Silver said March 25 is a "hard and fast deadline." He then pointed out that he has put forth the "only proposal on the table."

That is quite a rebuke of the State Senate Majority Leader's talking points. Of course, Silver has had this job forever and with a much more solid majority, so that makes things easier. Still, Smith has not done himself any favors in the last few months when it comes to a test of wills and principles. If he would have held firm with the Gang of Three Three Amigos at the end of last year, perhaps Smith wouldn't have to beg the five Democratic Senators who are causing him trouble to stay in his corner for this. Instead, he has to make excuses such as belittling the deadline...excuses that no one is really buying.

The Bell Tolls For Free East Side Bridges?

Yesterday brought sad news for many a Queens and Brooklyn resident. Lower Manhattanite and Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver endorsed a form of the Ravitch Plan so that all bridges leading into New York City will be tolled. The idea has been repulsed for decades by many local politicians, but Silver's statement yesterday could quite possibly be the final battle in this debate.

From PolitickerNY:

ALBANY—Praise is flowing in for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who has softened his opposition to implementing East River bridge tolls to raise money to plug the M.T.A.'s massive deficit.

Silver just told me as he left the building for the day, "Either you're for a fare increase and a substantial reduction in services, or you provide the revenue to the M.T.A."

"I'm not happy about it, but given the choice of the two, I think the conference would support the revenue enhancers over the fare increase," he said, noting that would include a bridge toll about the cost of a single subway ride. "We believe everybody should pay."

It has always been a losing proposition for a politician to come out in favor of tolling the Manhattan, Williamsburg and Brooklyn Bridges but in these times there really is no other choice. Opponents say that once the bridges are tolled, it is only a matter of time that a small $2 toll will be at the same price as the GWB or the Lincoln tunnel. I agree with that sentiment, but in these times we all need to pull together. Cutting service and spiking the cost of a Metrocard would be ridiculously unfair to straphangers. We have subways for a reason, so please, use them.

With that hurdle out of the way, the Ravitch Plan goes to the State Senate before the Governor's desk. Whether they will approve of bridge tolls is still up for debate, but they must know we have to do something to stop a rapid rise in the price to ride the subway.

Rent Control Reform On Shelly Silver's Agenda

Elections do have consequences and rent control reform in New York may just be one of those. The Democrats took over the State Senate in last fall's election and although they are far from perfect and still part of a broken system, they can still enact some change. Repealing Rockefeller Drug Laws and rent control reform are two aspects. Doing something for tenants and not their landlords is a policy agenda long overdue in New York.

From 1010 WINS:

Under the system established in 1997, landlords are allowed to raise rents and remove controls when the rent has risen to $2,000 a month or more, and the apartment becomes vacant or the tenant's income tops $175,000 a year. Those thresholds haven't changed since.

One of the many Assembly bills would increase the threshold of tenant income to $240,000, and the monthly rent would have to be more than $2,700. The bill would require both thresholds to be met.

"This has to be a priority especially during the economic downturn,'' Silver said. "It's clear that we have an affordable-housing crisis.''

Now landlords are crying foul and that raising limits will be bad for tax receipts and land values, as well as the motivation for new construction. Their arguments fail to acknowledge though that all of those benefits had only gone to the wealthier parts of society. Renters have suffered for decades and the amount of affordable housing has dropped considerably since rent control restrictions were loosened.

We shall see if the Senate has the guts to follow through with this legislation in the same way that Silver is now pushing for it. Sheldon Silver has many faults, but if he can help working people as he claims, then I'll have to give credit where it's due. Of course, it hasn't happened yet, so we'll have to wait and see.

Paterson Looking Especially Weak With His Budget

It wasn't a good week for Governor Paterson at the end of January and the beginning of February isn't looking much better. He made a giant mess with the Senate appointment process by trying to be secretive when the media kept pressing him for information he didn't want to give. Then it all blew up in his face and he hasn't recovered from that. He couldn't even respond to SNL mocking him again. And now he can't even retain control over the budget.

From The NY Post:

APOLITICALLY impotent Gov. Paterson has told a secretmeeting of worried business leaders that there's nothing he can do about Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's plan to hike income taxes on the wealthy.

"He told them to call Shelly about the taxes, that that's what they should do," a participant at the secret gathering -held just over a week ago at the Manhattan home of real-estate mogul Jerry Speyer, CEO of Tishman Speyer - told The Post.

"He said he doesn't want the tax hike, he's not pushing for the tax hike, so he said it's important that they call Silver," the source continued.

Another source said, "People were flabbergasted by the governor's comments. He seemed to be saying he wasn't in charge. He seemed weak.

He certainly sounds weak. Nevermind that he held a secret meeting with business leaders for the moment (how about one of those with the rest of us?). The fact that he just handed off responsibility of whether the tax will be added or not shows a Governor in disarray. Paterson has tried to be all things to everyone and in the end has lost himself completely. If he had any principles left, that budget would have had a more progressive income tax and a plan to help the people of New York. It would have given him the political capital to push through a smart plan to deal with these trying times but instead he has managed to anger everyone. And now that he has given up on trying to protect the one group that liked the budget, the most well-off among us, they don't care for him either.

Brennan Center Re-Checks Sheldon Silver

Earlier this week the Brennan Center put out a report showing how broken our state's government is. Speaker Sheldon Silver, being one of the key players in keeping things the way they are, responded to their findings. Unfortunately, the truth is too much for Shelly's attempt at spinning and the Brennan Center comes right back to put him in his place.

From ReformNY:

In response to yesterday’s release of the Brennan Center’s report Still Broken: New York State Legislative Reform 2008 Update, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver issued a statement suggesting that our report misrepresents the legislative process in the Assembly. We thought we’d set the record straight. Our responses to excerpts from Silver’s statement (in italics) are below.

In analyzing the work of the legislature, the Brennan Center report completely omits the state budget, as well as countless bills that pass either house every year.

This is incorrect. The analysis that forms the basis of the report included all of the budget bills listed on the New York Legislative Session Information page for 2006 and 2007 except the Legislature and Judiciary Budget Bill and the State Debt Budget Bill in each year. The statistics regarding substantive floor debate, meaningful dissent, and committee deliberation regarding these bills generally conform to the poor performance of both houses in considering the rest of the major legislation analyzed in this report.

The fact of the matter is that while the budget process in New York has become somewhat more transparent in the last few years, it is still far too opaque. Budget deals are still cut behind closed doors – once the budget bills are drafted, most details of budget reductions, tax increases, and member items are briefed and debated outside of public view.

The response to the response goes on, picking apart all of what Silver has to say for himself and defusing his nonsense. The modus operandi for people like Silver for the longest time has been to pretend things are transparent while working extremely hard to make important documents exceedingly difficult to decipher.

Good government groups try hard to unwind the mess, but because there is so much to entangle, by the time we can see what is going on the damage has already been done. It is important though that things do get untangled and places like the Brennan Center document the opacity of our state government so that people are more aware of the problems created in Albany. Hopefully because of it, the public gets motivated to actually do something about it.

Shelly Silver And His Shady Control Over The LMDC

There has been plenty to gripe about when it comes to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The way he controls every single Democratic member in the State House, how contributions flow in from groups he rewards by killing key legislation (see: congestion pricing) and his special skills of causing gridlock in Albany. Well, it seems he is also good at using state agencies known for not doing much at all to help his pet projects around the Lower Manhattan district he calls home.

From The NY Post:

In the last two years, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. has shelled out nearly $12 million to many of the same community and cultural groups that Silver has steered pork money to, an analysis by The Post has found.

"The allocations look more like [Silver's] 'member items' these days," fumed an LMDC board member, using the Albany term for pet pork projects.

Yeah I know, I'm going off the Post here but Silver's actions are worth it. It is Democrats like him that cling to the old ways (or present) where patronage and pay to play politics rules and the best decisions for the people of New York are thrown to the wayside. It is hard to deny that a higher percentage of the LMDC's money is going to the places Silver wants and has nothing to do with developing Lower Manhattan in any kind of prudent manner.

Now the programs that are getting money aren't all bad by any means. Many of them have worthy objectives. Yet the mission of the LMDC was to help rebuild the area after 9/11 and as almost in NY government has made clear, the Corporation should be shutdown precisely because it wasn't doing it's job (not to mention being a part of the deaths of the two firefighters in the Deutsche Bank Bldg.). At the moment, it is only doing the job of providing pork for Shelly Silver.

Millionaire's Tax Will Be Debated Whether Paterson Likes It Or Not

The Governor must have thought he was clever by coming up with nearly two hundred different taxes and fee increases to cover more than a third of the budget deficit. According to his office, $6 billion dollars is expected to be raised by making everyone pay more for everything from soda and buying liquor in the grocery store to DMV charges and increases in CUNY/SUNY tuition. Then the remaining $9 billion will be cut by reducing funding, especially in the education and health care sectors. Yet nowhere is there mention of a millionaire's tax. Well, if leaders in the legislature are serious then it'll be put on the budgetary table regardless of what the Governor wants.

From Crain's:

“When you’re saying to a guy who buys a Pepsi with his lunch that you have to pay more to live in New York, but you’re not saying to the Pepsi CEO that he has to pay more to live in New York, it calls into question what government’s priorities are,” says Assemblyman Jonathan Bing, D-Manhattan.

The temporary surcharge that expired three years ago pushed tax rates above 7% for individuals earning $100,000 or more. Last summer, the Assembly passed a bill to cut property taxes and raise taxes to 7.65% on income over $1 million and to 8.6% on income over $5 million. The measure died in the Senate, which at the time was controlled by Republicans. Democrats will comprise a majority of the Senate next year, though leadership of the chamber remains unsettled.

Mr. Bing and many of his Democratic Assembly colleagues favor an income tax increase on individuals earning $1 million or more annually. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the most powerful figure in state government next to Mr. Paterson, appears ready to insist on such a tax as part of any budget agreement.

“We will demand that all New Yorkers—not just those that depend most on government services—share the sacrifice,” Mr. Silver said in a statement.

I wouldn't trust Silver as far as I could throw him, so his actions will have to speak for him when the budget battle really begins.

Assemblyman Bing is exactly right with his Pepsi comparison. People need to pay their fair share and so far the wealthy are left unscathed. The rich didn't disappear last time there was a surcharge and they won't leave en masse this time either. That argument is fearmongering tactic and nothing else. The only people leaving New York are the ones that can't afford the high rents and taxes hoisted on the working and middle class. A surcharge on the income rate for the fablously wealthy won't hurt their bank accounts, but the money coming in that way will save plenty of programs that help those that are just trying to get by.

Albany Empties Of Legislators But Budget Problem Remain

A lot of video was taken, copy written and flashbulbs of cameras used in Albany this week but nothing substantive happened in terms of the budget before the whole special session was called off. Republicans may be happy they stopped Paterson this week, but the problems for New York state continue. Now that the cuts have been held off, many are trying to add their two cents to the equation before the budget is balanced next year. Robert Harding is right on with his "Cap, Cut or Tax". At a H.R. 676 rally last week I heard one speaker get the crowd going with a slogan that went something like this:

"There's no budget crisis! There's a distribution crisis!"

Before anyone screams "socialist!" at me take a breath and remember that taxes redistribute wealth, so to the conservatives out there reading this, take a breath and listen to what Dan Cantor has to say about the crisis.

From The NY Daily News:

Yes, prudent spending cuts in state spending are a necessity - that much is undeniable. But so far, the governor is asking working families to shoulder the entire burden of the budget deficit alone, while taking any income tax increase on New York's many millionaires off the table.

That is not acceptable. Not after the richest New Yorkers have seen billions in tax cuts that have slashed their income tax burden in half over the last 40 years. Not when asking those who can most afford to contribute a little more in taxes could easily prevent many of the most painful cuts being talked about in Albany.

Opponents of a tax on millionaires repeat the mantra that asking the wealthy to pay a modest increase in income taxes would drive them out of the state. But all the evidence and recent experience says that simply isn't so.

In 2003, following the economic downturn caused by the 9/11 attacks, the national recession and the burst of the dot-com bubble, New York relied on modest increases in income tax rates on the wealthy to help close its budget gap. The state employed a temporary top rate of 7.25% for single filers with incomes over $100,000 and 7.7% on income over $500,000.

The rich did not leave the state. Instead, the economy rebounded and the number of high income New Yorkers continued to grow.

And they won't leave in 2009 if we pass this tax. Then Albany needs to get their act together and make the state tax system more progressive. For far too long the rich have skated by relatively easy while the largest strain has been on the poor and middle class. The 26,000 millionaires in New York aren't going to all get up and move to New Jersey or wherever. The great majority will stay put and stay in the Empire State because it is here where they have made their money. Millionaires don't just rake in their cash by themselves, it is done based on a network of people and public services. Now it is time for them to pay their fair share, so that we can all survive and do well and not just the very wealthy.

Albany Erupts And As Usual, Nothing Gets Done

Today was supposed to be the big start to a round of budget cuts that got the state moving in the right direction towards a budget in the black, or at least closer to it. Instead, partisan bickering, lobbyists and even activists outside made things go from tenuous to outright dysfunctional. In the end, the important few days Paterson swore were more important than anything, went completely down the drain.

From The Daily Politics:

Gov. David Paterson just called a halt to the squabbling at the leaders meeting and declared this non-session special session officially dead.

"I think it is clear that this special session on Nov. 18 will not yield the result that we want today...What I think we will do at this point is we will end this special session of the leaders meeting."

Paterson said he'll wait until he submits his 2009-2010 budget on Dec. 16 (about a month before he is constitutionally mandated to do so) to reconvene this discussion, adding: "I would like to, in terms of the way that we assess the budget, remain dedicated to closing this year's budget within this year."

Basically nothing gets done until the beginning of next year. There'll be plenty of time for the legislature to figure something out by the beginning of the next fiscal year, but you can probably throw away the hope that anything gets done to try and hold the ship steady for the rest of FY 2008-9.

Perhaps by then we'll have our majorities in both houses in order, and we might be able to make some progress. Of course, that could just as wishful as thinking about a balanced budget that doesn't break the back of the middle and working class.

Shelly Silver Decides To Take Pity On Millionaires

In an unsurprising move, Sheldon Silver preempted his return to the State Legislature next month by calling for a removal of the new millionaire's tax. In these tough economic times, the $2.6 billion in revenue this could have brought to New York must now be replaced with more budget cuts on top of the additional cuts needed with the economy in further decline. Of course, Shelly has "good" reason for this move.

From The NY Post:

Silver, whose Democrat-controlled legislative branch approved the tax in August, told associates over the past few days that he has had a change of heart "because of the meltdown on Wall Street," a source close to Silver said yesterday.

"Because of what is happening to the New York economy and to Wall Street in particular, with all the losses to so many people there, Shelly doesn't believe this is the time to be raising a tax on the wealthy, many of whom are a lot less so," said a source close to Silver, a Democrat whose Lower East Side district also includes Wall Street.

Yes, those poor wealthy people aren't quite as wealthy anymore. Dear Buffy can only afford one yacht and it's only a 31' footer. The extra $10,000 for those making a million dollars a year and extra $20,000 for the five million dollar income bracket would have done so much for the state in this rough time but no, they must keep that cash in lieu of all the poor people trying to storm the gates of their mansions.

Silver represents the Wall Street portion of his district very well, but in the other areas such as Chinatown and LES those who have had trouble making ends meet will have to do with even less. We wouldn't want to burden the rich with the problems of the country that has made them so wealthy, now would we Shelly?

Under Pressure, Silver Learns A Direct Route From NYC To Albany

During the primary race for AD-64, we learned of Sheldon Silver's arrogance when it comes to his competition. Shortly after we found out he likes to bilk New York's taxpayers by making us pay for extra for his regular trips upstate. For Shelly, the most direct way to Albany from the city is a connecting flight in D.C. Now that may not make sense to you off the bat, but if you were to earn frequent flyer miles for it, then you can get a grasp on why the Speaker would choose such a route. Obviously when this news came out, people were a little more than slightly pissed. Surprisingly though, Silver actually listened to people's outrage.

From The Times-Union:

ALBANY — Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, criticized for roundabout flights at taxpayer expense from his Manhattan home through Washington to work in Albany, has started taking more of the cheaper direct flights upstate following an internal review.

But Silver won't totally give up the connecting flights through Washington he sometimes uses instead of more economical and quicker alternatives like an Amtrak train or state car.

The circuitous routes, generating frequent flyer miles for Silver, are allowed under a legislative travel policy good government groups say needs reform.

The New York Sun, citing state comptroller's records, reported each of Silver's flights cost taxpayers $500 to $760, or four times the cost of taking a train. Assembly spokesman Dan Weiller said the Assembly's review of Silver's travel records found the average cost was $456, including direct flights to Albany, and the highest fare was $769. Of 110 flights studied, 57 went through Washington, Weiller said, adding Silver is now taking more of the direct flights as airlines schedule more of them.

Ah so Silver is only going to be a scumbag about getting to Albany some of the time. Now I feel much better (says that while punching fists into the wall)! Seriously, this guy is a major jackass. I can't even imagine how inflated his ego is to continue....even flying directly to Albany. Get the $&^k on the train like the rest of us or splurge and take a car.

Here, I'll even help you out Mr. Speaker with directions:

View Larger Map

Bringing Back NYC's Commuter Tax

As I noted earlier today, it is ridiculous that the MTA and the city have to squabble over $10 million in E-Z Passes. The Federal government should be helping out with the funding for mass transit instead of its "investments" in war and giveaways to wealthy Wall Street bankers. For now though, we are screwed on that side of things and funding has to come from somewhere. So today two political opponents got together and spke out for the reinstatement of the Commuter Tax.

From The NY Observer:

After Sheldon Silver dropped the news that he's open to reinstituting the commuter tax, Michael Bloomberg told reporters in City Hall that he himself is also in favor of bringing it back. Bloomberg stopped short of demanding Republican state lawmakers take action.

“I’ve always thought it was a very bad mistake to give up the commuter tax back when it was done,” the mayor said. “I’ve been screaming about the commuter tax for all the time I’ve been here.”

New York City's commuter tax was lifted in 1999.

Bloomberg added, “The fact that the speaker is in favor of it is encouraging, but there’s 145-odd members in the Assembly, and we’re going to need a majority of them, as well, if we are to reinstitute it.”

As shocking as it is to see Sheldon Silver open to do something substantive in regards to anything related to the problems of New York City(excluding those that donate to his campaign), that in no way means that he'll actually follow through with it. The Mayor learned that lesson well during the congestion pricing fiasco among other skirmishes with the Speaker.

Westchester, Rockland and Duchess County legislators will probably cry out the most, but the fact of the matter is that millions of commuters come to the city every single day do not pay their fair share. Those that travel in and out each weekday depend on the city for their livelihood just as us city dwellers. Pataki got rid of it back in 1999 based on conservative economic principle for his wealthy contributors that live outside the city and now it is time to bring it back for the good of all those that use NYC in some form or fashion.

NY Assembly Investigates Ethics In The Dark

Even with the indictment and arrest of Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, the legislative body is up to their old tricks while considering what to do about their tarnished ethical image. The take down of Seminerio is significant because the Assembly realizes that they can be infiltrated by law enforcement for their shady ways. Recently re-elected captain of the ship Sheldon Silver must have been worried about the situation, because he held a secret meeting specifically concerning ethics in the Assembly.

From The Gothamist:

After longtime Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio's arrest on bribery charges, the State Assembly apparently held a secret meeting to discuss, per the AP, "tougher rules over disclosure of outside income by lawmakers."

In the criminal complaint against Seminerio, there were also references to "Assemblyman No 1," Assemblyman No 2" and "Senator No 2"--prompting lawmakers to wonder who's who. Seminerio's $500,000+ in bribes were apparently accrued after he set up a shell company to accept payments; current rules do not require lawmakers to disclose who their clients are.

While Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wants an overhaul of the rules, it's unclear how far he will go. As the Post reports, Silver "earns an undisclosed income from powerhouse Manhattan law firm Weitz & Luxenberg." And for reference, the Post adds the current rules allow them to "earn unlimited amounts of outside income" while their "official salaries can exceed $120,000 a year and are the third highest in the nation."

Of course no one but the women and men in the room know what went on since it was held in secret, away from New Yorkers that pay their third-highest-salaries in the nation. We also do not know how many other Assemblymembers take bribes because the state house would never investigate itself or else it would probably be nearly empty after a full reivew.

Their leader would also never go far enough to root out the corruption, because he doesn't want anyone to know what exactly he does at the law firm that pays him x (anothe unknown) amount of dollars a year on top of his legislative salary. I'm not holding my breath on any reform from Silver, other than a cheap gimmick to make people think he cares about the Seminerio fallout.

The Post-Primary Election Calm

It is a cool and calm Wednesday morning outside, a wonderful contrast to the intermittently humid and stormy Tuesday primary election day, a perfect analogy to the day of voting and the day after. The Lower East Side, Downtown, Upper Manhattan, parts of Brooklyn and many other sites across the state yesterday were a buzz with campaign staffers and volunteers, doing all that they could to get their candidate elected.

One guy I talked to down on Grand and Clinton had no less than 20 leaflets handed to him within a few blocks of the train. When I asked him whether it swayed his choice, he mentioned that he couldn't vote but that he was sick and tired of Sheldon Silver. Too bad, because Newell and Henry needed his vote. I was hoping for the two of them to break fifty percent together, but Silver did what it took to win a crushing victory and all it took was 6,743 votes to get 68%. These primary elections hang on so little because so few vote, despite all the publicity on the street and in mailboxes. In this race at least, change lost out to the power of incumbency and the raw power of the guy being Speaker of the Assembly.

In the State Senate however, change won a huge victory in the way of Daniel Squadron. His supporters were everywhere from morning till night and then some even before Tuesday. After more than thirty years in the State Senate, an old do-nothing Democrat was defeated by the young challenger. Squadron did what it took to beat him, having the help of major players such as Chuck Schumer, winning over the Satmars among others and conducting a massive GOTV effort. It'll be a refreshing change to see him represent the 25th district, especially when the Senate changes hands to the Democrats in less than two months time.

Over on the Congressional side of things, two races were up for grabs. Kevin Powell tried to ride in like Obama to the 10th District in Brooklyn. The tenth needs change from Ed Towns, but despite Powell's Obamaesque campaign style, he could not raise the funds nor recover from the problems of his past. In the end Towns beat him handily, nearly by two to one.

In the open seat of the 13th down in Staten Island (and a sliver of Brooklyn) Steve Harrison, a progressive with past support and a close election with Vito two years ago went down in flames. Michael McMahon was the establishment's candidate and their help this year (which was non-existent in 06') put him over the top and on his way to a race against Straniere. November is looking good for the Democrats to pick up the seat, though I think we could have done that with either Harrison or McMahon.

All the results can be found here.

It's Fashionable To Vote....Today!

O.K. so the picture is part of a set for fashion week, but if local politics and how your state legislature and parts of the court system are run, today is your day to make a difference. Primaries are historically low-turnout endeavors and a small number of votes goes a long way.

So if you want to kick out the ethically challenged Speaker of the Assembly and you live in Lower Manhattan, it is time to go out and pull the lever for change. Sheldon Silver has had over 30 years and is a key cog in the mess that is our state government. Both Luke Henry and the press-endorsed Paul Newell are excellent candidates and are committed to reforming Albany. Now I know this race is a long shot, but that does not mean people in the district should stay home. Even with a loss, if Sheldon doesn't hit a healthy majority his political future could be in danger. Not only that, the race will show New Yorkers that Albany can be changed and it would not be surprising to see a few if not dozens of primary challengers to either throw the bums out or make them more accountable to their constituents.

Another challenger to the system is Daniel Squadron, running for State Senate District 25 (basically Lower Manhattan and a large swath of Brooklyn). He is taking on ex-minority leader Martin Connor. Connor, while a good debater on the issues and a somewhat decent record, is still part of the problem in Albany, and despite his 30+ years hasn't really done much in the way of legislation. Voting against NYCHA funding also doesn't bode well for his district (according to Squadron lit). On top of that, he allegedly had people passing out flyers that Squadron is a rich, closeted Republican and Connor is the only true Democrat. If you've seen this 8 1/2" by 11" piece of a childish attack , please don't throw it out, recycle it....and recycle Martin Connor.

There are plenty of other races including the 13th Congressional District in Staten Island (Go Steve Harrison!) and you can find more info on them on the web or almost any decent local paper. The important thing is to inform yourself and then get to the polls. And I can attest that I pulled the lever at my polling site at about twenty after six this morning, even though they didn't have any "I Voted" stickers to give me.