Throw The Bums Out
In just a few hours the Republican overthrown of the New York State Senate will be exactly eight days old, and it’s a resounding success. Imagine, a corrupt, irresponsible, incompetent body in power for four decades, loses power and in just five months takes back control, undoing the immeasurable work of thousands who worked to create social programs that could only help the people of New York state. Certainly, that was their goal from the start? Disrupt the remainder of the session so not a damn thing could be accomplished?
Success! No gay marriage bill can possibly pass, now that the coup, now simply a stalemate as Hiram Monserrate, the flip-flopping Democrat who may very well find himself in jail for an alleged assault on his girlfriend with a broken glass, has decided to rejoin the Democrats, leaving the Senate with a Gordian 31-31, stalemate. I say, split the difference, right down the middle: fire them all.
With essentially four days left in the Senate’s session (it ends Monday), and no leadership, no action, nothing happening, we might as well save the New York taxpayers a few bucks and close the session now. Let these selfish, law-breaking (certainly not law-making) jokers go without a few days pay or perks. Let the Governor call the session over, invalid, and let’s have a special election. The senate has accomplished little. Why let them continue to screw around on the taxpayers’ dime any longer?
The New York Times yesterday put it well:
New Yorkers are running out of ways to describe Albany as a political version of clown school. Perhaps it is time, then, that they examine what the state of the state says about them. If one believes that people in a democracy get the government they deserve, then we in New York should be unable to look in the mirror without cringing.
We overwhelmingly elected a governor, Eliot Spitzer, who turned out to be hooked on prostitutes. His replacement, David A. Paterson, was never thought of as governor material and now has approval ratings at Cheney levels, somewhere in the subbasement. Albany under Governor Paterson is reminiscent of Afghanistan: nominally commanded by a weak leader, but with powerful warlords ascendant.
We elected a state comptroller, Alan G. Hevesi, who was forced out of office by scandal. Now, some of his closest associates have been indicted on charges of bribery and grand larceny. A reasonable person may infer that Mr. Hevesi either knew about these shenanigans or was out of touch to the point of dereliction.
To boot, we have an appointed United States senator, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, who immediately upon taking office swiveled on so many major issues that you could have suffered whiplash trying to keep up.
Yes, we New York voters have a lot to account for in our choices. Nor is the reckoning limited to statewide officials. The roster of lower-level politicians who have sat in the back of police cars or worn orange jumpsuits has grown depressingly long.
To all this, I say, throw the bums out. Every last one.