‘You’ve always had and you probably always will have some level of corruption. Power corrupts, and government is a source of power, you have it in the City Council . . . the state Legislature . . . the Congress . . .”
So spoke Gov. Cuomo to NY1, and he’s right — up to a point: It’s the nature of the beast for government to attract corruption.
But there’s the corruption we’d expect in any state — and then there’s Albany.
Albany’s corruption has been fueled by two chief factors: a high-taxing, high-spending and overregulating government that creates all sorts of opportunities for those in positions of power to sell favors, and a political class that for too long has taken a so-what-else-is-new approach.
In just the past decade, more than 30 state legislators have been arrested, indicted or forced out of office due to scandal — including two former Senate majority leaders, a governor and an Assembly speaker.
Look at all the areas of New York life corruption touches: Party officials selling their ballot lines. Elected officials (and their relatives) abusing their nonprofits.
Sexual harassment and tax-dodging. And possibly the rigging of our courts for the private gain of certain law firms.
Does the governor really mean to tell us New Yorkers must accept this, and that it’s no worse than elsewhere? If so, why did he form a Moreland Commission to root it out? And why is he now twisting arms to pass new ethic rules?
Yes, power corrupts, and if Albany is more corrupt than most, it’s because it has too much power. So maybe instead of accepting Albany’s corruption as nothing out of the ordinary, as Gov. Cuomo suggests, New Yorkers should be demanding a leaner and less-powerful Albany.
‘You’ve always had and you probably always will have some level of corruption. Power corrupts, and government is a source of power, you have it in the City Council . . . the state Legislature. . . the Congress . . .”
So spoke Gov. Cuomo to NY1, and he’s right — up to a point: It’s the nature of the beast for government to attract corruption.
But there’s the corruption we’d expect in any state — and then there’s Albany.
Albany’s corruption has been fueled by two chief factors: a high-taxing, high-spending, and overregulating government that creates all sorts of opportunities for those in positions of power to sell favors, and a political class that for too long has taken a so-what-else-is-new approach.
In just the past decade, more than 30 state legislators have been arrested, indicted or forced out of office due to scandal — including two former Senate majority leaders, a governor and an Assembly speaker.
Look at all the areas of New York life corruption touches: Party officials selling their ballot lines. Elected officials (and their relatives) abusing their nonprofits.
Sexual harassment and tax-dodging. And possibly the rigging of our courts for the private gain of certain law firms.
Does the governor really mean to tell us New Yorkers must accept this, and that it’s no worse than elsewhere? If so, why did he form a Moreland Commission to root it out? And why is he now twisting arms to pass new ethics rules?
Yes, power corrupts, and if Albany is more corrupt than most, it’s because it has too much power.
So maybe instead of accepting Albany’s corruption as nothing out of the ordinary, as Gov. Cuomo suggests, New Yorkers should be demanding a leaner and less-powerful Albany.