I know some of you may be sick of New York State politics, but doesn’t it make you feel good about your own state to hear about all of this? The excellent Times City Room blog (trying to lavish more praise on the MSM here, folks) profiles one of the conspirators, Pedro Espada:
His cronies stole food meant for poor, sick people and gave it out at his political rallies. He owes the city $61,750 in fines for fraudulent campaign fund-raising going back to 2001. He has failed to file 41 reports with the State Board of Elections, and has racked up $13,553 in penalties since 2002. He does not have an office in the district he was elected to represent in the Bronx. In fact, it looks as if he doesn’t even live there.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The newly anointed president pro tempore of the New York State Senate.
The governor-in-waiting should something happen to David Paterson.
You read that last part right: New York State has no lieutenant governor right now, since when Spitzer resigned the then-lieutenant governor became governor, so the president pro tempore of the Senate becomes governor if something happens to Paterson, and that president pro tempore is Pedro Espada.
BTW, if you’re into this stuff, there’s a Bronx blog, the BoogieDowner, that really gets on Espada’s case. It’s written by people who live in the building where Espada maintains his fictitious Bronx residence for political purposes (and no, they’ve never seen him).
No matter how cynical I get about New York State government, I just can’t keep up.
Xanthippas
I live in Texas. So no, not really.
KG
On some level, it is nice to know that California isn’t the only state with a non-functioning government.
Roger Moore
Given that I live in California, where there’s a real risk that the government will be completely shut down some time next month, it would be very hard to make me feel better about my state government right now. The idiot Republicans accepting some kind of tax increase rather than a stubborn insistence that we can solve our problems with a massive service cut might do the trick. I await news of flying pigs, snowballs surviving in Hell, and peace in the Middle East before that happens.
The Grand Panjandrum
We’ve talked about breaking up the banks that are too big to fail. Maybe California, NY, Florida, Texas etc… have become that same sort of albatross . Should we break them up? Just a thought, but I could see where that might work. It’s tougher to be a crook when all your neighbors know what you’re up to and can actually muster the numbers to vote your ass out.
smiley
A native of Louisiana and former resident of Illinois sez hey.
AhabTRuler
@The Grand Panjandrum: I think we should go with a cantonal system like Switzerland. Now there’s a country that likes its democracy direct, involved, and conservative!
Will
I hate to ask…why hasn’t Paterson filled his lieutenant governor spot yet? Is he required to wait until the next election fills it or something?
Xanthippas
Speaking of which….
Comrade Dread
I live in California, so no, there’s no way you’re state government can be more dysfunctional than mine.
A few more weeks under current leadership and we’ll probably be living under anarchy.
In which case, I’ll be switching over to leather clothing and squatting at the nearest gas station with Dogmeat.
Rough Week
Given that I live in NY (and work in the State Senate), no, it does not make me feel better at all.
Rough Week
@Will
There’s no constitutional mechanism for filling a vacancy in the Lt. Gov. seat. On top of that, the Governor’s absence from the state triggers a temporary transfer of power down the line of succession.
SenyorDave
OT, but at what point do Obaba supporters (and I am one) start to give him real pressure on repealing DADT? I was willing to give him 6 months, but now I’m getting pretty sick of the “hints” that he’ll do something about it. With two wars going on and the other issues in the country, the opportunity is there. It is time to show “spine” on a social issue.
It’s necessary to occasionally take a stand that will cost him support.
Eric S
I’ll see your Espada (~$75K) and raise you one Mayor’s nephew (~$68M)
Anne Laurie
*Sigh.* I grew up on the other end of Fordham Road, off the Major Deegan Expressway. This makes me feel like the yuppified version of the Katrina evacuees.
DougJ
Yes.
Martin
Except that even with the MTV soap opera going on in NY, they’re substantially more functional than California is right now.
Cat Lady
Well, the third consecutive Speaker of the Massachusetts House was just indicted, and everyone saw our wonderful state senator Diane Wilkerson get filmed stuffing a bribe into her bra. None of them were Hispanic though, so maybe that would be progress.
torrentprime
@SenyorDave:
His admin’s defense of DOMA today is even more of a disappointment. The brief quoted incest, child marriage, all the usual right-wing tropes. Not happy.
gbear
@SenyorDave:
AmericaBlog has been on a multiple-post rant today (yea, I know. What else is new) because of a brief that Obama’s justice group filed in support of DOMA that actually managed to slip underage marriage and !ncest into the argument against same sex marriage. Aravosis does post the entire brief and goes thru it point-by-point so you can decide for yourself how ‘under-the-bus’ to feel. I felt pretty damned under the bus after looking at it.
edit: damned moderation
TenguPhule
Why is this guy allowed to run in politics and not in jail where he belongs?
Notorious P.A.T.
Why doesn’t Governor Patterson appoint a new LG?
Break up California and New York? Add 4 or 6 more Senators from Democratic areas? Sounds gravy to me.
PS–seems my question was answered before I even asked it. How did you do that?!?!?
TenguPhule
Then bug Congress, not him.
We just got rid of unitary decisionmakers.
DougJ
He can’t.
Martin
California’s problems aren’t its size, but its Constitution.
Breaking it up would only create a giant clusterfuck of resource issues, particularly around water.
PeakVT
doesn’t it make you feel good about your own state to hear about all of this?
Not really, since big dysfunctional states are far more important to the economy, and their failings hurt a lot more people.
Any opinions on which is the largest state where people can be reasonably satisfied with their government? PA? WA?
Morbo
But… but… Spitzer! Prostitutes!! Socks left on!!! Ethics be damned, we must think of the children!
Comrade Kevin
@TenguPhule:
What a fat-headed statement. As long as the president sits back and says nothing, shows no leadership on such issues, Congress will do absolutely nothing.
TenguPhule
Given he has limited assets to allocate, DADT rates *VERY *LOW* on the scale of priorities I’d like him to have right now.
Bill Jones
Peaktv. I’m in PA, moved here from Sodom on Hudson and surprise, surprise, this place is as steeped in corruption as NY.
The incidence of Assholes is lower than in Manhattan but they make up for it in Morons.
chuck
@gbear:
If I didn’t want to mount a robust defense of DOMA but instead throw the case, I too would throw out emotional slippery-slope arguments instead of citing actual supporting precedent.
Then again Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, and Alito made up their minds long before they granted cert, and are just going through the motions now.
miwome
doesn’t it make you feel good about your own state to hear about all of this?
I live in Illinois. Not so much.
ScreaminginAtlanta
“I know some of you may be sick of New York State politics, but doesn’t it make you feel good about your own state to hear about all of this?”
Nothing can make me feel good about my own state.