Just who exactly is working on the state budget?
If you were watching the New York state Legislative channel last week on cable, you saw only a handful of lawmakers in chambers. But they weren”™t working on the budget. They were offering pleasantries to the ambassador of Taiwan who was paying Albany a visit.
If they could twist his arm to invest in our state that would be great, but that would be wishful thinking.
Ladies and gentlemen of the Legislature, how”™s the budget coming along?
Â
If the title before your name is assemblyman and you get paid for work done in the Assembly, do you get paid when you”™re spending more time campaigning for state attorney general?
Â
Richard Brodsky might want to look that up in the state Constitution, a document he would be sworn to uphold if he makes it through the vetting process, the primary, the election and eventually becomes the state”™s top prosecutor.
Brodsky is spending most of his time traveling around the state to garner support for his candidacy. He is also spending an inordinate amount of time trying to discredit Kathleen Rice, Nassau County district attorney and apparent frontrunner among five Democrats seeking the state AG post, on her stand concerning reform of the so-called Rockefeller drug laws.
Mr. Brodsky, how”™s the budget coming along?
Â
Al Samuels is still smoking hot about the unfair payroll tax imposed in his county of Rockland and the other “quarter-pounders.” How angry is he?
Â
Well, any legitimate candidate that wants to oppose state Sens. Suzi Oppenheimer and Andrea Stewart-Cousins ”“ both of whom voted in favor of the ill-conceived MTA bailout that included the payroll penalty ”“ would get Samuels automatic support, as well as that of the Rockland Business Association.
Some say that won”™t carry weight across the river since both women”™s districts lie solely in Westchester. We don”™t know what his method of support would be, financial or the sponsoring of candidates”™ forums, but there”™s nothing wrong with acting on your principles, especially when a vote by lawmakers not in your district can hurt your business community.
Samuels might get his wish of being rid of one of the two lawmakers: Stewart-Cousins is on Andrew Cuomo”™s short list for lieutenant governor, but that list has three other names.
Oppenheimer has an unusual connection to the AG post; she endorsed fellow state Sen. Eric Schneiderman for his run. Then she must have forgotten about the endorsement and backed Brodsky.
Ladies, how”™s the budget coming?
Â
Wake up and smell the gunpowder.
Â
Talk about shooting off your mouth; master politician and de facto governor, Sheldon Silver, has been firing barrage after barrage at Gov. David Paterson over the budget.
At a talk May 14 to the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association, Silver said: “Some have suggested that given that his remaining time in office is running out, the governor”™s unwilling to do a budget now for fear that he will become irrelevant in the public arena. I believe that as long as he or she has a bully pulpit, a governor can be as relevant as they choose to be.” Sort of like an Assembly Speaker, no?
A few days later, Silver offered:
“We know from the economic forecasts, but more poignantly, from what we are seeing, hearing and experiencing in the cities, towns and villages that comprise our respective Assembly districts how difficult the fiscal climate is for our working families and will continue to be for some time.
“That said, we can sit here engaging in political theater, wasting everyone”™s time, debating how we ended up in this situation, and if we do so, I guarantee we will not have given New Yorkers an ounce of hope. Or, we can seize this opportunity and work together constructively to move the budget process forward.”
Acting on what appeared to be a gesture of hope to restart the budget process, Paterson asked Silver and other legislative leaders to hold conference committees.
Republicans rejoiced.
Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson said of course.
The wet blanket in the room turned out to be Silver, who said he would call for the meetings “the minute we have a fiscal plan.” OK, he”™s right, there is no hard, fiscal plan yet.
But where is the leadership?
Today bold leadership is needed.
Lawmakers need to take a hard look at their years in the Legislature.
What can you point to as something you can be proud of?
Something that effected change.
Something that made life better for businesses and residents.
Something that makes you step back in awe and say, “Wow, did I do that?” But if you haven”™t made any impact, step aside.
Don”™t seek re-election.
History will judge your legacy if you have one.
But history only digs down so far. Effective leadership, like effective legislation, rises to the top.
