This Sickens Me

The stalemate in Albany is over with Pedro Espada, Jr. coming back to the warm embrace of the Democratic conference with a new snazzy extorted title: Majority Leader.

So it looks like the State Senate spent a month wasting taxpayer money and neglecting important legislation so that Mr. Espada could aggrandize himself and accumulate titles. I am ashamed of the Democratic conference for accepting Mr. Espada back and giving into his demands that he be given a completely unearned title and leadership role in the Senate.

The deal has Espada as Majority Leader, Malcolm Smith as Senate President, and John Sampson as the leader of the Democratic caucus. Sounds like a whole lot of chiefs and not a lot of Indians to me...What happens the first time the Democrats block some questionable member items for which Mr. Espada asks? Will he bolt back to his man-crush, Dean Skelos?

Hopefully Mr. Espada will succumb to one of the several investigations currently targeting him and we can be done with him for good. If not, we in the 33rd district must not let this scoundrel be re-elected in 2010.

At least Mr. Espada can get back to work now and maybe open a district office or come hang out in his "primary residence" and invite ErLu over for breakfast.

I also hope that Dean Skelos is canned by the good people of Rockville Center for playing footsie with such an untrustworthy, deceitful, and downright unethical clown.

Here's some real journalism about the Democrats being bent over a barrel and the Republicans being stabbed in the back by a guy whose back stabbing skills they helped hone:

Standoff Ends as Defector Rejoins Albany Democrats [NY TIMES]

Turncoat Pol to Return to Dems [NY DAILY NEWS]

~ErLu

Open Letter From CB7 to NYS Senate

Fresh from the BoogieDowner inbox is this open letter from Community Board 7 to the New York State Senate:

____________________________

Dear Members of the NYS Senate,

On the behalf of the members, residents, businesses, and students in Bronx Community Board 7, we respectfully urge you to heed the Governor’s call to convene the Senate and conduct the business of the people. There is too much at stake to allow partisan and personal agendas to take precedence over the needs of millions of New Yorkers. New Yorkers are struggling with the effects of increasing uncertainty in our economy, in our homes, and in our schools. Compounding these stresses, by adding the uncertainty of the direction of our own government, exasperates the aforementioned and demonstrates callousness for the plight of the people.

We plead the people’s case once again, the same people who you are charged in representing as our Senate, and advise for their benefit that you vote and act on those matters before you today. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Gregory W. Faulkner, Chairman

Fernando P. Tirado, District Manager