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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The Post-Star of Glens Falls on the corruption scandal involving Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
Jan. 27
The silver lining to the cloud of corruption hanging over Albany is that the downfall of the Assembly speaker opens an opportunity to change the insular, secretive, rotten way things get done in New York.
Sheldon Silver is not long for the political world. It was announced Tuesday he will no longer be Assembly speaker come Monday. Even in New York, when the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District says you've taken millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks, it becomes difficult to hold onto your position as the second-most powerful politician in the state.
As Silver slides into irrelevance, the governor and the Legislature have the chance to renounce and reform the political practices that allowed Silver to descend into this swamp of ignominy in the first place.
Transparency, and the lack thereof, tops the list of priorities. Silver has been speaker for 21 years. During that time, he has kept secret some outside income he received in kickbacks from a real estate law firm, according to the criminal complaint. At the same time, he has revealed some of his outside income but kept secret what he did for the money.
What he did, according to the complaint, was use his political position to steer business to a second Manhattan law firm, collecting millions more in kickbacks in the process.
New York's financial disclosure laws for politicians must be changed and stiffened to require greater detail and ensure those requirements are enforced.
But Silver's downfall, which follows the prosecution of so many other state legislators, is a broader indictment of the way politics works in our state. This should be the end of the notorious "three men in a room" tradition, in which the Assembly speaker, Senate majority leader and governor hash out the details of the state budget.
Those secret negotiations led to the premature shutting down last March of the Moreland Commission, which investigated public corruption. The commission, established by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, had been looking into legislators' outside sources of income and subpoenaed records from the same law firm named in the complaint against Silver.
Had Cuomo allowed the Moreland Commission to continue with its work, it seems likely it would have uncovered Silver's dubious income months ago. We also have to wonder how much Cuomo knew about Silver's corruption when he made the deal to cut off the commission's investigation.
The taint of the series of events surrounding Silver's downfall — from the many years of kickbacks the complaint claims he received, to the hurried disbanding of the Moreland Commission to his actual arrest — spreads out from the speaker to all of the politicians around him. They can claim they are shocked. We do not believe them.
We believe every legislator in Albany is aware of the palm-greasing and influence-peddling that makes that city hum. How could they not be, after the revelations of the last several years concerning Joe Bruno, the former Senate majority leader, who received much questionable income himself?
Mr. Bruno ended up being acquitted of the charges against him, which says more about the weakness of New York's political corruption laws than it does about his innocence.
Gov. Cuomo has claimed to want to reform those laws. Now is his chance. Silver has been the biggest obstacle to reform, and he has been pushed out of the way.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is not done yet. More arrests could be coming, and the momentum will be in the direction of reform.
Now is the time to make it happen.
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The Press & Sun-Bulletin of Binghamton on the completion of Interstate 86.
Jan. 27
Near the end of the last millennium — in 1996, to be exact — an intern for then-Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan had an idea that she thought would improve the economy of New York's Southern Tier, from Mina at the Pennsylvania border to Hillburn at the New Jersey state line.
Samara Barend, who was 19 years old at the time, noted that the federal government thought it more cost-effective in 1956 to designate the New York Thruway (I-90) as the main east-west interstate in New York. Route 17, therefore, never became part of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System.
Maybe the time wasn't right in 1956, Barend said, but what about three decades later? Route 17 was an interstate-quality road for most of its length. The 10 counties along its route would greatly benefit if the highway was put "on the map" — literally — with an interstate designation.
After working with leaders along the 381-mile route — and gaining support through the (Binghamton) Press & Sun-Bulletin's Facing Our Future community project of that era — the federal government in mid-1998 designated the parts of the route that were up to standard as an interstate and allocated the initial funding to upgrade the non-interstate sections.
Here we are in 2015, though, and the Southern Tier continues to wait. Sure, a lot of work has been done since then. Mile by mile from the western edge heading east, at-grade intersections have been eliminated and other improvements have been made — but there are many gaps yet to be filled.
While in office, former Gov. George E. Pataki vowed that the full upgrade would be done by 2009. Today, the project has no planned end date. That is unacceptable.
The current governor, Andrew Cuomo, and the state Legislature must show their support to the Southern Tier by allocating the final required funding and fast-tracking the construction now. That belief is shared by Theodore Bennett, chairman of the New York I-86 Coalition and former Chemung County legislator, who is among the local leaders urging Cuomo to make a renewed commitment.
Yes, part of the interstate project hinges on the completion of the $136 million Prospect Mountain project in Binghamton, which will wrap up in 2019. Many of the other upgrades, however, are held up by funding concerns and other delays.
What difference would an Interstate 86 designation make? A lot, especially when it comes to jobs, tourism and the local economy. More truckers and travelers would choose I-86 over the Thruway as their east-west route across New York (especially since I-86 has no tolls). Businesses looking at locating to the Southern Tier would consider closer proximity to an interstate to be a plus. The many attractions along I-86 would see an increase of visitors who appreciate easy access to their destinations.
While the final price tag for the I-86 upgrade is not cheap, the result could be billions of dollars pumped into our region — a boost that we desperately need.
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The New York Daily News on the drone found on the White House grounds.
Jan. 28
The good news is that the two-foot-long drone that crashed inside the White House grounds Monday was flown not by a terrorist, but by a drunken intelligence agency employee who had no intention of breaching presidential security.
The terrifying news is that — despite a ban on drone flights inside Washington, despite technologies meant to block them from flying in unauthorized areas, this device, available at Radio Shack, flew, unimpeded, into what should be one of the most secure places imaginable.
The drone was, apparently, too small to be caught on radar. Incredibly, it was the same model that the Department of Homeland Security has just displayed at a conference, outfitted with three pounds of fake explosives. A counterterrorism official told The New York Times that such small devices could also be used for a chemical or biological attack.
That Monday's crash was a mishap, and not an attack, was a blessing. But it was not a sign of competent policy.
In fact, it was a second warning. Last summer, another hobbyist flew a device just a block from the South Lawn, according to a report filed with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Monday's crash must be the last such warning before the Secret Service does what's necessary to keep the President and his family secure.
In just the last six months, the Secret Service has let one man hop the White House fence and another with a knife run into the White House. A Department of Homeland Security report says the agency is stretched "beyond its limits."
The assessment is frightening, preposterous and inexcusable.
The Secret Service must expand its so-called limits to deal with newfangled threats of today, like drones.
The technology is real, right now. It offers tremendous boons, like packages delivered directly to our doorsteps. But it must be regulated and controlled to ensure the safety of all Americans, and the President most of all.
The Secret Service must not drone on.
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The Times Union of Albany on Republican control of Congress.
Jan. 25
President Barack Obama laid out a broad agenda in his State of the Union address last week, focusing on the ways to help put the middle class back on track. Republicans who now control the House and Senate promptly went to work on brand promotion.
We had hoped for better.
Many conservative voices have been warning the GOP that if it hopes to have a shot at winning the White House in 2016, it needs to show that it can do more than just reject what the Democratic president proposes, and prove that it can govern. That's sound political advice.
But a look at the list of bills up for consideration by the House of Representatives last week was not encouraging. There was a feel-good resolution condemning the terrorist attacks in Paris. Fine. But as for real legislation, all we got was polarizing, play-to-the-base pap.
One was an attack on abortion rights, an attempt effectively limiting abortions to 20 weeks rather than 24 under the scientifically dubious "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act." Another was also an abortion bill, this one designed to block federal subsidies for people who choose health care plans that include abortion coverage - another attempt to chip away at the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act. The third was a bill to speed up federal reviews of proposed natural gas pipelines - setting deadlines as short as 90 days whether federal agencies have enough information or not.
What about reforming tax policy, an issue the president raised yet again in his address, which Americans want done, and which Congress is forever promising to work on? We're not suggesting a Herculean overhaul of the entire tax code. But what about issues on which both the president and Congress seem to fundamentally agree — such as lowering the corporate tax rate and eliminating loopholes so that more companies, if not all, pay their fair share?
What about higher education? The president suggests free community college for all who qualify and keep their grades up. If that's not the GOP's vision, then how about a counterproposal to help people cope with the high cost of going to college — such as allowing people to refinance student loans — rather than legislation to roll back banking regulations?
What about immigration? There was a bipartisan Senate plan, one that balanced Republicans' chief concern — border security — with the Democrats' priority — bringing people out of the shadows and affording them legal status and a rigorous path to citizenship. How long will the GOP allow no-compromise tea party extremism on this issue to stand in the way of a solution?
Governing is not just sitting around espousing ideology; any talk radio host with a microphone and a gift for blather can do that. Nor is it the passage of polarizing one-house or even two-house bills that have no chance of being signed into law. When it comes to Congress, governing means enacting laws.
This is a new Congress, and we're waiting for it to stop posturing and get down to work. Otherwise, what's become known as The Party of No is at risk of a whole new brand: The Party of Nothing.
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The Poughkeepsie Journal on same-sex marriage cases in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Jan. 24
After sidestepping the emotional issue late last year, the U.S. Supreme Court has made the enlightened decision to consolidate four same-sex marriage cases, hear arguments in April and issue a ruling by late June.
The country needs this matter settled. And when the justices conclude their work, it is profoundly hoped that they will have seen the wisdom of ruling in favor of equality, affording same-sex couples the same rights and legal recognition as heterosexual couples.
It likely was only a matter a time before the High Court would feel compelled to weigh in more fully following previous court decisions. As a result of earlier rulings and actions taken by states — including New York — more than 70 percent of Americans live in states where gay marriages are legal.
Think about that for a moment. It's a remarkable transformation that has occurred over the last decade, and the country is better for it.
The Supreme Court itself has wisely struck down The Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA, that denied certain federal benefits to those same-sex couples married in states allowing gay marriage. But that decision, as important as it was, did not mean gay couples can get married anywhere in the United States, as should be their right. And it also did not mean that every state has to recognize same-sex marriages that are perfectly legal in other states. In this day and age, with people highly mobile, the country can ill-afford such checkered laws on such a fundamental issue. Polls show Americans increasingly in favor of gay marriage — and that number is much higher for a younger generation of Americans.
The justices have agreed to combine and consider four cases from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.
New York legalized gay marriage in 2011, and there are no discernible negative consequences to that decision. Not one. But there have been plenty of happy, uplifting stories to tell. They typically involve couples who have been together for years, if not decades, finally feeling like they are no longer second-class citizens, finally enjoying basic rights, including having spousal privilege and protections in legal proceedings, tax and health-related decisions.
In the first three years since New York legalized gay marriage, nearly 37,000 of the roughly 413,000 marriages in New York were between same-sex couples, according to the Journal's Albany Bureau, relying on information from state Health Department and the New York City Clerk's Office. That number could be higher since the law allows marriage licenses to include an "unspecified" box regarding the categories.
The approaching High Court decision could — and should — affirm a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. It would be a just conclusion to a decades-long effort that has taken off in the last 10 years and has been a righteous fight for basic fairness and equality.
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