Dec 10, 05
I just had to post this string of articles, the titles alone are funny.
No one has hurt the GOP but the GOP. When they run like Republicans, get elected then govern like RINO's what else would they expect.
Now Miniark trying to find harmony??? Hahahaha, harmony when he is pushing Weld on everyone, the offical annointing is Monday the 12th. Yawn!....
What is it with them pushing Pirro into running for Attorney General? I thought she was running for Senate against her heinous the queen Hillary?
They all are like chickens running around with their heads cut off not knowing which way to turn. This guy wants this, that guy wants that, what about the People of New York? Do they even consider what we want, I think not, it is all a power play and like movements on a chess board. Who will finally have checkmate? Hopefully the People will, that is my only desire. I could care less about the "Party" choices any more.
December 9, 2005) — Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said Thursday that Rochester-area billionaire Tom Golisano should say "sooner rather than later" whether he wants to run for governor next year, saying that waiting too long could hurt Republican support.
The state's second top Republican said he has encouraged Golisano not to delay over whether to seek the GOP nomination for governor. Golisano enrolled in the Republican Party in October and said he would announce his political intentions in January.
Leaders will attempt to agree on candidates
As Monroe County Republican chairman for 13 years, Stephen Minarik is accustomed to winning. On Monday, Minarik faces one of his greatest tests: bringing all 62 county GOP chairmen together in Albany in hopes of reaching consensus on a slate of candidates.
ALBANY - The state's 62 Republican county leaders plan to "draft" Jeanine Pirro into the attorney general's race whether she likes it or not, Albany insiders revealed yesterday.
The Westchester County district attorney already is a declared candidate for the U.S. Senate, but her campaign against incumbent Democrat Hillary Clinton has sputtered.So far, Pirro has resisted mounting GOP pressure to switch to the attorney general's race, something the county leaders are bent on changing when they meet in Albany Monday.Erie County's Republican Party leader yesterday said it is "far from a sure thing" that Rochester billionaire B. Thomas Golisano will run for governor in 2006.Robert Davis said he spoke with Golisano on Thursday. He said Golisano told him his life has changed a lot since the last of his three independent campaigns for governor in 2002.
Some Republicans would like to see Golisano run for their party against Democrat Eliot Spitzer.
But Golisano advisers said people shouldn't read too far into Davis' comments.
Golisano did not comment.
Golisano is scheduled to watch a Buffalo Sabres game on Wednesday with former President Clinton. Golisano owns the Sabres.
State Assemblyman Thomas Kirwan of Newburgh, who is known for not mincing words, yesterday said Democrat Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver “had an epiphany” this week when he said he would finally approve civil confinement for the worst sex offenders whose prison terms are up.
Silver had opposed that provision until now. Kirwan and fellow GOP Assembly Member Ann Rabbitt of Warwick yesterday said it was about time Silver moved off the dime.
Kirwan has his own theory as to why the speaker changed his mind. “I think the tipping point might have been when he made a Freudian slip when asked why he didn’t attend that hero cop’s funeral – Dillon Stewart in New York City – he said, ‘I don’t go to cops’ funerals’,” Kirwan said.
Silver has got to go!
Los Angeles: African-American comedian and actor Richard Pryor died of a heart attack early on Saturday at the age of 65, his wife said.
Pryor died at Encino hospital near Los Angeles, Jennifer Pryor told CNN.
The pioneering stand-up comic and actor who broke barriers with his unflinching racial satire had been in declining health for years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986
U.S. tabloid National Enquirer reports singer took overdose of drugs, alcohol; spokesman denies report
Some even reported him as being dead.. The boy is broke and has fled the country.
Don't worry not here, California but the story sounds like it could be from our very own Albany group of misfits!
In most lines of work, salary bears some connection to the employee's value. Workers who do the job well are generously compensated; slackers are not. Pay raises are tied to performance.
Not so for California's lawmakers.
On Monday, 106 of the state's 120 senators and Assembly members gladly accepted a 12 percent pay hike. That brings their base salary to $110,880 a year - more than what legislators get in any other state. New York's politicos, by comparison, earn just $79,500 a year.
OK, our Legislature is the most exacting, our state government runs one of the world's largest economies. One would expect the pay to be the highest. But in hard times - and that's where we find our state government and schools these days - pay raises are not the norm. And certainly not 12 percent pay hikes.
So what exactly did our legislators do to earn their paychecks? Did they fix the state's structural budget deficit? Did they repair its crumbling infrastructure? Did they dramatically improve the quality of our public schools?
No, no and no.
All Sacramento can show for last year's work is relentless partisan bickering that resulted in no compromises and a futile special election. Not exactly a meritorious performance.
Friday, Dec 9,05
After his 15-minute speech, Manning acknowledged he's facing an uphill battle. First, securing the Republican nomination for governor against such well-known and well-funded opponents as billionaire B. Thomas Golisano and former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld. Then, defeating the presumed Democratic candidate, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, in the general election. But he's pleased with the way his candidacy had been going.
Good Luck to Pat Manning..
December 8, 2005
Will Rogers once said he wasn't a member of any organized political party - he was a Democrat. Well, if he were alive today, he'd feel right at home as a New York Republican.
Right now, the state GOP is worse than disorganized; its leaders are at odds with each other, and its prospects for holding onto power are slipping away. While Republican Gov. George Pataki is living out his presidential fantasies in Iowa and New Hampshire, his party is feuding and falling apart beneath him in a flurry of political intrigue.
That may make for fun reading, and it all may come to a head Monday when state leaders meet, but it's not good for New Yorkers - who benefit from a vigorous, competitive two-party system. What the party needs is new leadership, from the state house to the county clubhouses.
One of these days they will figure it out but it may be to late. It's a sad, sad day when they start eating their own and run campaigns on the vindictive, payback type as they did to me. After the 25 year reign of Swanick the 10th seat could have been taken away from the democrats. Instead they chose to fight me and violate the law while doing it. Lawsuit will be filed soon with the Supreme Court.
ALBANY--The Child Safety and Sexual Predator Punishment and Confinement Strategy, a comprehensive, effective approach to protecting New York state residents from sexual predators, will be on the Assembly agenda at the onset of the new legislation session.
Calling it "a tough, smart plan to safeguard communities," Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said the proposal advanced by the Assembly would impose mandatory life maximum sentences for the most serious sex crimes, civil commitment to ensure the most dangerous predators could be confined even after their prison sentences and a range of other measures to empower and assist victims and closely monitor those convicted of sex offenses once they are released.
Noting the criminal-justice plan was the culmination of a series of public hearings and a roundtable discussion with experts, Silver said the legislation would be among the first orders of business in the 2006 legislative session.
What took so long? It is ridiclous that it has taken so long to get this issue moving in Albany. There has been a cry from the people for years and now, finally Silver puts it on the agenda. What kind of a money making deal was he able to make for himself or his lawfirm to make him finally do this?
Makes me wonder.......
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) _ Consumers, employers and health plans in much of upstate New York could save more than $880 million through increased use of generic prescription drugs, a health insurance provider estimated in a study released Thursday.
Those potential savings would be generated if all 39 counties in which Excellus BlueCross BlueShield operates in western, central and northern New York turned to generic drugs as often as Erie County does, the study found. Erie County, which encompasses Buffalo, typically has the best generic-use rate in the region.
Almost 5 million live in the 39-county region, and the insurer said it administers pharmacy benefits to about 1.4 million people there, including Medicare patients.
Prescription drugs account for about 19 percent of a typical upstate New York health plan, the report said.
"This research shows the potential for a trifecta of savings," said Joel Owerbach, chief pharmacy officer for Rochester-based Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.
"Consumers would see immediate savings in lower prices and lower insurance co-pays at the pharmacy, while employers and taxpayers would see future savings as pharmacy cost trends are reduced."
The health plan also would save money since it would be paying out less in pharmacy claims.
The potential savings were highest among people ages 65 to 74, the study found.
I have been saying this same thing for years.
The plan
December 7th, 2005
During the Weekend of December 17-18, Revitalize Buffalo in conjunction with the WNY Coalition for Progress, WNYMedia.net, Drew Cerza, Niagara Toy & Hobby, etc. are planning to set up and operate a Santa’s Village at Chestnut Ridge Park for the kids of Western New York.
Due to the Erie County Budget Crisis, funding for the Parks Department has been cut to the point where Santa’s Village and Winterfest can no longer be afforded.
We are trying to set up an army of volunteers and sponsors to help set up and operate the Santa’s Village event as we’ve come to know and love it.
Please help if you can. This is a great effort being put forward by Alan and this group of people.
"My View" - guest commentaryby Pat Manning
by Pat ManningThe Republican Party in New York is at a crossroads—uncertain of its course in the post-Pataki era, befuddled by disagreements on its core principles, its values and vision, insecure about its prospects in 2006 against a well-known Attorney General.
Thurs Dec 8th
Introduction to HR 25, The FairTax, a bill to replace federal income taxes with a national retail sales tax.Neil Boortz site.
Neil Boortz site. Imagine The FairTax Nat'l Retail Sales Tax Alliance 23 min 35 sec - Oct 6, 2005
Why two guys made for each other keep fighting.
By Azi Paybarah
Imagine being A fly on the wall hearing Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno telling Jeanine Pirro that she can't beat Hillary Clinton, seeing her camera-ready profile melt into a curt smile. Or a bug on the windshield last week as Pirro drove to a quiet power breakfast with outgoing Governor George Pataki, who endorsed her just two months earlier.
No comment right now... interesting reading.
It's been a month now since the election and I still have no numbers from the write in campaign. I know I didn't win, but you would think by now I would have numbers.... Go to the BOE website and see, none of the districts have been updated since elections night. Is there no money for someone to update the website?The offical complaints have been filed with the BOE and the next step is to go and file with the Supreme Court. We have had a few donations to help us reach the $350 mark but we are still short many dollars. I had a woman call me to say that she suggests 350 people could send a dollar each and that she stuck hers in the mail. God Bless her and I thank her for her commitment to helping stop the abuses of the Law that our local politicos continue to do. Another wonderful woman sent a donation of $35.00.. Thank You!The problem is and continues to be that even if you file with the BOE nothing will happen. Dennis Ward informed me that the BOE will end up sitting on the complaint for 2 years due to the lack of help. Then of course the statute of limitations kicks in and it's to late. So with no punishment at all the politicos continue to violate the law, they are not held accountable for their actions. The only way this can be moved forward is to file in Supreme Court. Then and only then will they start being held accountable.How frustrating it is to see the constant violations and abuses of the Law when we have no way to retaliate, unless we have money to fight the system. Even if we are finally able to file, I will have to represent myself in court, Attorney fees will be around $5000All I have to say is the People need a voice and they have made it so difficult if not impossible to fight them unless you are independently wealthy.Dec 6th 9:30 PM
With Pataki a lame duck, pollster Miringoff said the cohesion and the discipline are gone, "and now everyone is a free agent."
Just last week, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno threw the GOP into a tizzy when he called for Jeanine Pirro to give up her quest for the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and run for state attorney general instead. Bruno's call came despite endorsements of Pirro from Pataki and his hand-picked state Chairman Stephen Minarik.
Pirro met for two hours with Pataki last week and when she emerged, delivered the ambiguous pronouncement that she remained a candidate "right now."
Within days, the New York Post reported that Albert Pirro, the candidate's lobbyist husband, was secretly trying to get his wife out of the Senate race. Albert Pirro, while not denying the claim, said "any private conversations I have had were solely intended to support Jeanine's political aspirations."
Meanwhile, independent polls indicate the leading candidate for the GOP nomination for governor is billionaire businessman B. Thomas Golisano, who hasn't said he is running and wasn't even a member of the party until October. Golisano is already a three-time loser as the gubernatorial candidate of the Independence Party and spent $75 million of his own money in 2002, largely berating Pataki and the state GOP.
Bruno has been encouraging Golisano to step up. Last week, he also asked Bloomberg to run for governor; the mayor said no.
Bloomberg for Gov? Please, God help us. Bruno must be getting really senile.
For his part, Minarik is pushing the candidacy of a Republican who already has experience as governor - of Massachusetts. William Weld is trying to join Sam Houston as the only American to serve as governor of two states. Houston led Tennessee and Texas.
It just keeps getting more interesting. Is Pirro going to stay in the race against her heinous? Or are they trying to get Golisano to do it? It wouldn't suprise me in the least bit if they are(Bruno and Miniark) just to get him away from the Governors race. After all their guy is Weld. If these polls are correct and the people favor Golisano then let the Primary begin!
Or are we going to be subject to two people using NY for thier own personal agenda? Weld wants to be governor so he can go down in the history books as being a gov of two states and her heinous used us to be the first, First Lady to become a Senator and hopefully catapult her into the Whitehouse.
I guess they are just playing us for fools.
It's another casualty of Erie County's budget crisis.
Winterfest, which takes place each February in Delaware Park, is being cancelled.
County Executive Joel Giambra says the county just can't afford extras when there's an $80 million hole to fill.
Yup, here we go again, punish the people instead of restructuring the county.
It is easy for an illegal immigrant - or a terrorist - to get false documents in New York. The New York Sun did it in about an hour this week, just three days after President Bush promised to tackle document fraud.
Our fake green card cost $100. Roosevelt Avenue in Queens is an open market for the manufacture of Social Security papers and driver's licenses, as well as the valuable green cards that certify permanent resident status.
Despite federal and local law enforcement pledges of investigations, including a sweep earlier this week of the operation where the reporter purchased the card, business is booming.
"Roosevelt Avenue is like the mecca for fake documents," a state Assemblyman who represents the district, Jose Peralta, said. "If anybody comes through New York City and they ask, 'Where can I get a false document?' the no. 1 answer is going to be Roosevelt Avenue. It's the place, it's the spot."
The Department of Homeland Security said it is aware of the problem and is working with local enforcement agencies to prevent it.
DHS is aware and working on it with locals? Are we supposed to feel safe now? This is just all to typical of another bloated beauraucracy, Homeland security departments have turned into another huge patronage pit. They know it's going on then arrest them, crack down on this sort of hibitual criminal activity. If we concentrated more on crimes like this instead of strip searching little old ladies at the airports we would all be better off. Or is Shelly Silver agains this too.
The story of how civil commitments suddenly became a major issue in New York begins last June, when Concetta Russo-Carriero was walking to her car in the parking garage of a mall in White Plains, N.Y. She was stabbed to death by a homeless man who'd spent 23 years in prison on rape charges. There was outrage in the community, and Gov. George Pataki (R) made it a top priority to pass a civil-commitment law. While the state Senate passed the bill during the summer, the state Assembly so far hasn't, and instead it has focused on passing laws that increase sentences for sexual offenders.
Furious that the Democrat-controlled Assembly didn't act on the civil-commitment legislation, this fall Governor Pataki simply ordered that more than two dozen sexual offenders, who were about to be released from prison, be committed using current state laws. At the time, his staff acknowledged he was pushing "the envelope" but said it was necessary to protect society from violent sexual offenders who are likely to strike again.
The fallout has produced challenges in state court, the first round of which the governor lost. It's also produced some highly charged rhetoric.
"You can either stand with the children of New York [and pass the civil-confinement law], or you're going to coddle up to pedophiles and criminals. It's that simple," says Assemblyman Vincent Ignizzio (R) of Staten Island, chiding Democrats for preventing a vote on the bill.
Democrats were fast to strike back, calling such statements "venom" and "personal attacks."
I agree with Ignizzo, tell it to the victims and then get their reactions. God only knows what Silver is waiting for, he refuses to act on anything unless he knows he will get some type of a kickback or more cases for his law firm. How much longer will we have to stand for this type of governence? When will a democrat ever have the guts to stand up to this man and tell him to step down because he is doing more damage to the state than any one human being I can think of.
Fight everything in court, is that the way we have to get anything done?
Eliminate the legislature now and just let Shelly sink the ship, that seems to be what he wants any way, Bruno can take it down with him.
After months of wavering, the Pataki administration has asked the federal government to continue a New York program that makes it easier to sign up for Medicaid, and has contributed to a sharp rise in enrollment.
But New York officials and the program's supporters say that winning approval from the Bush administration may be hard. If the program, known as facilitated enrollment, is abolished, they said, it could leave hundreds of thousands more people uninsured.
New York is the only state that allows H.M.O.'s, community groups and clinics to help people fill out applications for Medicaid, the government health plan for the poor. That practice has helped increase Medicaid enrollment statewide by more than a million people.
Applying for Medicaid in New York used to mean going to a government welfare office, which many people found to be crowded, inconvenient or both. Facilitated enrollment has provided expert help in mostly low- to middle- income neighborhoods, and in many suburbs and towns.
H.M.O.'s that participate in Medicaid now do most of the enrollment in New York. They have been particularly aggressive about signing up people, recruiting customers at street corners, schools and parks.
That has caused some controversy. Thomas R. Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, announced recently that county workers had caught H.M.O. employees coaching people on how to conceal income in order to qualify for Medicaid. State officials have said that facilitated enrollment makes this kind of cheating easier.
Make it easier? How can it get any easier. You need medicaid go to the office and apply for it. No one will be left with out Healthcare. My goodness do we have to hand it to everyone on a silver platter? We advertise heavily for food stamps, HEAP, welfare and healthcare, if you can't get off your lazy butt and apply, I feel sorry for you.
I have also heard of HMO employees coaching people, this is fraud plain and simple and must be stopped.
Tuesday Dec 6th
Welcome to all the great people I met last night at the Real Independent Party Christmas Party. I had a great time and wish you all the best of luck!
Preservationists suing to save H-O Oats site from demolition as part of casino project
A wrecking ball is scheduled to smash into the building at 10:30 a.m., one day before the Dec. 9 deadline to meet the terms of a gambling compact with the state. Gov. George E. Pataki is expected to be there for the ceremonial groundbreaking.
Preservationists, who are furious over the demolition, claim the nation is ignoring federal, state and city preservation laws and showing a lack of respect for Buffalo's history.
I will come right out and say once again, I am against the casino's but, if the Preservationists are againt the demolition then why haven't they done something with them? They are ugly and are falling apart like most of the old buildings in the area. If we are ever to get anything done in this area people have got to get out of the way. Why do the preservationists have so much power and control? Most of the influence comes from Albany, get out of our way and allow us to do what needs to be done to help bring this area back, or are they trying to keep us down economically.
However, Mohan also repeated his criticisms of the proposed contracts, and said he saw no need to rush to approve them.
According to outgoing Supervisor Susan J. Grelick, any delay in the contract approvals will jeopardize a plan to name Independent Health the sole provider of health insurance for town employees, a move that will save the town an estimated $2.5 million.
Grelick, who wanted board members to immediately approve the union contracts, said the insurance company has warned that it will refuse to honor the rates it set nearly nine months ago.
9 months ago? why have they waited so long to make a move on this issue?
This from an email.
The Ind Health contract called for 100% participation by the end of the year, so at the work session they advised the Town Board that they would have to re-rate the entire group if the 100% was not meet.
Here's the rub...
Where is the financial impact study of the savings on the Health Insurance Contract verses the increase in the three Contracts. In other words the Contracts carry with them not only increases in the wage base, but a natural increase in retirement costs based on these increases. There really should have been an impact study done to compare savings and increased costs over a 5 - 10 year period.
It is the job of elected officials and Department heads to control costs and ensure financial stability. The system is broke, not because of all the employees, but because of those running the show.
FYI...Dan Ward tried to put through a resolution at the previous Board Meeting to approve the Contracts, without ever seeing the details or the financial impact.
Something smells here....... Details, we need details..
One week from today, New York's Republican leaders are scheduled to meet for the purpose of endorsing a favored candidate for next year's gubernatorial contest. They've been hemming and hawing and squabbling and bickering over the choice, and for no good reason. The class of their field is former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, a native and returned New Yorker.
Weld's superiority is obvious to almost everyone in GOP circles except Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who hopes an even more powerful King Kong of a candidate will emerge to take on Eliot Spitzer, the Democrats' putative Godzilla. What is Bruno smoking?
Gov. Pataki and state GOP chairman Stephen Minarik want party chiefs to line up behind Weld next week rather than dawdle into the spring before making a pick. They're right to move quickly because their standard-bearer will need all the time and resources the party can muster to battle Attorney General Spitzer or any other Democrat.
At the moment, there are three other contenders and one possible entrant. The three contenders are upstate Assemblyman Patrick Manning, former upstate Assemblyman John Faso and former Secretary of State Randy Daniels. The possible is upstate businessman Tom Golisano, who ran three times against Pataki as an independent and has now switched registrations.
Each has his strengths, but none comes close to Weld, whose record includes success as a top federal prosecutor, governor and businessman. He is a battle-tested candidate who can raise money, and his law enforcement credentials would match Spitzer's. Finally, at a time when Albany is held in contempt around the state, he is an outsider who would run against the encrusted status quo
My first impression is that Weld will be part of the status quo, all they have to do is push him on us and endorse him. I'm not saying I don't like the guy, I do only because he removed some of the tolls in Massachusetts and lowered them where they were not removed. The other thing is he eliminated county gov't. But the more I research it the more I find out that it was not done as throughly as it should have been. Most of the layers of excessive waste is still there.
I am still looking very strongly at Golisano, he has his own money and will not be beholden to the "Party" and I like that alot!
ALBANY, Dec. 2 - As Gov. George E. Pataki prepares to enter his 12th and final year in office in New York, he is finding out the perils of being a lame duck, with his power under attack as never before - even from within his own party.
The Republican Party in New York is at war with itself, with some factions embracing a governor's race by Mr. Pataki's longtime nemesis, Tom Golisano, and others trying to force Mr. Pataki's pick for the United States Senate, Jeanine F. Pirro, out of the race. In New York City, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a Republican, is trying to seize more control of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, one of Mr. Pataki's signature projects. And Republicans in the State Senate blocked several of his appointments here this week.
"I think this year you're going to see a Silver-Bruno alliance running the government," said a Democratic assemblyman who was granted anonymity because he felt that publicly questioning the governor's power could jeopardize his chances of getting legislation enacted.
If the Legislature smells blood next year, it will probably be emboldened to try to increase spending even more than usual, as all 212 seats are up for election. Mr. Pataki, though, is considering a run for president and making the rounds among more conservative Republicans elsewhere, and he will face pressure not to let spending grow much more than he already has
Scarry thought! Just Silver and Bruno running the government, they do anyway and once again we will be stuck with the same corrupt leaders unless we can knock them out in the Primary. We have a dictatorship in Albany wnd we are powerless to change it unless we all join together and work across the state to stop it. I still consider the Assembly and Senate irrelevant as a whole, when we have the leaders dictating to members on how to vote on issues with the threat of retaliation hanging over their heads. Either vote the way I tell you or no money for your district, no money for your re-election, no office, no staff, etc....
Silver and Bruno yield all to much power and "WE" don't have enough.
Sunday Dec 4th
This weeks guest was Bob McCarthy from the Buffalo News. I have been recording the shows while at Church, then listening to them later on. Some things that were brought up that I would like to comment on. They both commented on the Albany Legislative races and didn't seem to think much was going to be going on. I think there will be.
I see two races coming up and most likely both will be primaries. People are disgusted with the dysfunctional politics in Albany, Dale Volker and Paul Tokaz I think will face challenges.
Governors race will heat up on both sides, I see Golisano going head to head with Weld in a primary. I like them both, if Golisano starts talking about removing the tolls, fixing Albany and county governments, he will get my vote. As far as I can see he is not the annointed one from the Party Elite like Weld.
Spitzer will probably face a primary with Suozzi, that will be a bloody contest.
Jack Davis would stand a better chance of beating Tom Reynolds in a primary, but, this race will surely raise the eyebrows of many. One important thing and a suggestion for Davis, if you want to go after free trade, first we must remove the taxes from exports to level the playing field. The way the founders set up funding for the Federal government was to collect taxes on imports. Now we collect taxes on our exports and taxes on imports are almost nonexistant.
I told Mike Laba the same thing 2 years ago when he ran against Slaughter.
****************************************************
Conservative Party Ratings of our WNY delegation. How very sad this group is.
Hayes 76 Schimminger 60 Wirth 52Schroeder 44
Schimminger 60 Wirth 52Schroeder 44 Tokasz 28 Hoyt 16 16 Sam? 16????
Hoyt 16 16 Sam? 16???? Rath 76Volker 68 Brown 60
76Volker 68 Brown 60****************************************************
Joseph J. Illuzzi, the publisher of a political Web site and a glossy new monthly magazine, describes himself as an Internet pioneer and a journalist.
But by charging as much as $5,000 for glowing cover stories in the magazine and up to $3,000 for favorable coverage on his Web site - and slamming some who don't buy ads - Illuzzi gets called a lot of other names. His fiercest critics - bloggers who write local Web logs - have taken to calling Illuzzi "Posts For Cash" for his practice of only posting news releases for politicians who pay him.
They accuse Illuzzi of violating a state election law that says those who ask money from political candidates for news coverage are guilty of a misdemeanor.
Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark said the accusation merits looking into. "If somebody made that complaint to me," Clark said, "I feel like I would be obligated to look at it and see if it is a prosecutable offense."
I have not discussed illuzzi.com in this site at all, I only hope my readers read the entire article to get an idea what his site is all about. Considering he called me all kinds of names in the two websites mentioned in the article, WNYMedia and BuffaloPundit, I will not lower myself to his standards. They have software that allows comments, I don't but will try to figure something out, I have a couple ideas.
WNYMedia and BuffaloPundit are part of my daily rounds and are great blogs, we disagree with some of our politics but who agrees on everything. Basically we do this as a hobby, I know I do. Letters to the Editor are limited are are subject to heavy editing, here I can say what I want, I am the editor, plus I get to do it everyday. I like to gather informative articles from around the state, stuff you won't read in print or see in the TV News. I get numerous email alerts everyday, sort through them and post the best I can find.
I wish Mark and Alan the best and I want to thank them for publishing some of the articles and Press releases I have sent them. Also for covering some of the stories with the campaign Mark even posted the speeches we gave at the Freedom Rally and we did an hour long online radio interview. I think I convinced Mark that I wasn't an extreme wacko with an agenda that so many tried to paint Primary Challenge as.
Joe Illuzzi on the other hand refused to even mention my name as part of the race in the Tenth Legislative district. If he was a real News site, he would have at least included me in the coverage.
Saturday, December 3, 2005
I usually don't publish all of an article but this one I will, it is just to good.
Since New York's Legislature won't address its dysfunctional practices, it's refreshing that the state's court will. The Assembly and Senate's long-standing, disparate practice in distributing public money is thankfully being reviewed by State Supreme Court Justice Jane S. Solomon.
She should issue a wise ruling that will embrace fairness rather than the status quo. The fact that many parts of the initial lawsuit were dismissed indicates the judge's willingness to address the merits of each charge independently. Such a selected review should yield positive changes.
Solomon has agreed to review what many consider the most egregious actions cited in a lawsuit filed by Assemblyman Thomas Kirwan, R-Newburgh, and Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, as well as the Urban Justice Center in Manhattan.
The two legislators are in the minority party in their respective houses and know firsthand the process that keeps the ruling parties in power. The lawsuit charges Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Gov. George Pataki discriminate against minority members of the Legislature.
For starters, the case tackles the inexplicable justification for staff funding. The ruling parties receive almost twice as much money than their minority counterparts. In a comparison of annual staff allotments for 10 Assembly members who started in 1994, the five Republicans received an average of $97,000, while the five Democrats, who are in the majority, received slightly more than $200,000. Similar partisan disparities are reflected in the Senate, where the Republicans lead.
The lawsuit also challenges "member items," or benefits which are doled out by the leaders to supportive members, usually within their own party. The public money is then spent by the elected officials at their discretion, without any public review or accountability. In 2002, this amounted to $85 million each for the Assembly and the Senate and $80 million for the governor.
Allocations have nothing to do with the number of constituents represented, needs of a district or effectiveness of a legislator. It's based entirely on politics, cronyism and partisan affiliation.
Challenge leadership at one's peril
If such scandalous practices occurred anywhere else, they'd be resoundly rejected. Public money should be spent for the good of the public, not the party. Yet critics of this unfair system are swiftly and fiscally punished by the leaders. And the punitive practices have been going on for so long, everyone in Albany pretty much buys into them. Any challenges to leadership action results in punitive responses, including staff cuts and removal from committee assignments, which carry bonuses on top of a legislator's salary.
With such a framework for conducting business, it's easy to see why, in 2004, the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law said New York's Legislature is the most dysfunctional in the country.
Some reform has taken place in Albany, but real change will require addressing how money is distributed. The political leaders cited in this lawsuit should be ashamed the situation is so out of hand that the court has stepped in. While not all aspects of the original case were accepted by Solomon, the heart of the charge is being reviewed.
It's hoped the judicial branch of New York can halt the abuses that pass for normal working conditions in its legislative and executive branches
All I have to say is, It is a pretty sad state of affairs when we have to rely on the Judical system to correct to wrongs within our own legislature. Albany politics is the worst and something must be done. I only hope and Pray the Judge has the wherewithal to do it!
Dec 2nd
The Grand Island Dispatch wrote an article today about the Violations of elections Law complaint I filed with the Board of elections. I scanned the article and posted it with my responses..
We need to raise $350. to file the claim with the Supreme court, can you help?
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