Thursday, September 20, 2012

Albany pols have all their bases covered

From the Daily News:

New York’s ethics watchdog is struggling for credibility after closed-door missteps gave the impression that the panel shied from investigating Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s role in the Vito Lopez sexual harassment scandal.

While the panel insists it got a bum rap, two points are indisputable:

First, there’s no way for New Yorkers to judge the actions of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics because the Legislature and Gov. Cuomo cloaked its operations in excessive secrecy.

Second, lawmakers placed overly strict limits on how the commission does business — down to regulating the number of days the panel has to react after receiving a formal complaint.

The Legislature demanded these handcuffs — which protect accused lawmakers while weakening the panel — as the price of finally submitting to outside scrutiny.


From the Daily News:

Using taxpayer money to settle sexual misconduct cases against state lawmakers — like in the case of Assemblyman Vito Lopez — is controversial, but perfectly legal.

The practice was upheld judicially in 2008 after a taxpayer filed suit in State Supreme Court to challenge a $500,000 settlement. The state had dished out taxpayer funds to a legislative staffer who in 2004 accused Michael Boxley, then counsel to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, of rape.

In dismissing the case, which sought to have Silver and Boxley reimburse the state, the court found there was “no allegation that Silver … caused the wrongful expenditure, misappropriation, misapplication or any other illegal or unconstitutional disbursement of state funds.” The Appellate Division upheld the State Supreme Court’s dismissal.

The settlement in the Boxley case was actually hammered out as part of a legal proceeding by former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The court found that even if Spitzer had erred in judgment by agreeing to the $500,000 payout, that was an issue for voters to decide, not the courts.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

the Appellate judges and the nys politicians involved should all be impeached.

is not democrat (D.I.N.O.) NYS dictatorship grand ?

Anonymous said...

What bulls*it!!!

Anonymous said...

Silver has been mining gold
up in Albany for too damn many years.

Throw the crooked old prune face out on his bum!

Anonymous said...

Being crooks must make these pols awfully horny.

But then....
scandals are always about either money or sex.

Anonymous said...

Bases covered?
Shelly's face looks like it's been used as home plate!

Anonymous said...

Scum of the earth.

Anonymous said...

And now you can understand why Moby Stavisky can give a senior center (that she and her late husband founded) over $1/2 million and get away with it.

It doesn't help that the law enforcement and media reading these comments ignore that anomaly.

Anonymous said...

un real , how do we let this happen ,

Anonymous said...


#8 ...some nys jerks continue to vote the same dems.(D.I.N.O.) or their clones into power each election.

look in the mirror for your answer?

Anonymous said...

#9...while the other party puts up candidates who are so out on the fringe that they're not reasonable alternatives and some people call people who oppose them RINOs.

Anonymous said...

Write in write in write in

Time to get rid of the parties

Anonymous said...

can you suggest a few honest machine d.i.n.o.'s ,who will not end up in jail?

Anonymous said...

Gag...before I upchuck...
somebody please cover up those two ugly faces
with a barf bag.

If corruption was ever written all over a face...
here it is in CAPS!

Albany needs an enema...even before NYC does!

Anonymous said...

#12: Lots of them, Gramps. To me, the D.I.N.O.s are guys like Pedro Espada, who cut deals with your guys.

Anonymous said...

so we support "lots of them" in the next election ?

has espada been convicted ?oh...he must . he is your guy (democrat)(d.i.n.o.).

the nys jails have a cell block "for dems.only".

Anonymous said...

Nope. He's yours, Gramps. Carl Kruger as well. Dean Skelos and the Republicons in Albany empowered them.

Anonymous said...

No club fed for these kind of guys.
Throw 'em in general pop!

Anonymous said...

#16 when is your book "wet dreams of an irrelevant leftie" to be published ?

spinning is not working ,so you and your fellow travelers have resorted to the BIG LIES again.

read "NONE DARE CALL IT TREASON"

"Irrelevant Leftie" said...

LOL, Gramps!!!

Only guys with vivid imaginations and fantasies like you come up with stuff like that!!!

Anonymous said...

Is SPitzer replacing Silver?