Thursday, July 14, 2011

SENATORS FOR SALE

By Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz

 It  appears  that State Senators Stephen Saland, Mark Grisanti, James Alesi and  Roy  McDonald  sold  their votes to the Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg for $10,300 each.

At  least this is the impression and feeling everyone is getting by reading the  city newspapers  that two weeks after their vote, Mayor Bloomberg, who previously  declared his intentions to support and help finance any senator who would vote in favor of gay marriage and complied with his edict, sent a check to each one of them for the maximum amount allowed by law.

If this is not a quid pro quo, please tell me what this is?

Last  year  when  the  Democrats  controlled  the  Senate, the message that editorial  boards  all  over were declaring was that the Albany legislature was  corrupt  and  dysfunctional  and  that it needed someone to help bring things back to straighten things out.

Then  along  came  Andrew Cuomo and Eric Schneiderman to the rescue!  (They were supposed to clean it up.)

But  wait  a  minute  …  I  forgot  to  say  that  back then the Senate was controlled  by  Black  and  Hispanic leaders  who  were  being  decried by editorial  boards  based on allegations that votes were bought and sold and that  the  Senate was dysfunctional and corrupt.  How is this any different than what Mayor Bloomberg is doing now? In the ten years that I have served in  the  New York State Senate, there have been a handful of Senators who I have come to admire and respect.  Stephen Saland used to be one of them.

Now, after hearing rumors and reading that consciences have been bought and sold, it is very sad to think that Mr. Saland has gone that route.

And  as  for  Eric  Scheiderman, I remember the way he viciously went after Hiram  Monserrate  and  I  see  the  way he now uses his office of Attorney General  to  investigate  inconsequential  things  and  go  after community organizations and not investigating apparent violations  like people buying and selling votes.

So  I  wonder  if  these  rumors  and accusations are reason enough for the Attorney  General to start an investigation and for the editorial boards to have the integrity to declare that the Senate in Albany is still corrupt.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Have you not forgotten the Aqueduct Race Track Scandal that Smith, Sampson, and whomever they could tried to make as much as they could before loosing the majority. Giving inside information is against the law also, and how many Democrat Senators are in jail or going to jail.

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