Saint or Steamroller of Greeks

Saint Cuomo

• Last Updated: 12:02 AM, July 22, 2013
• Posted: July 22, 2013

When it comes to campaign-finance reform, Andrew Cuomo is sounding a lot like St. Augustine before he changed: “Lord, make me chaste — but not yet.”
Which is to say the governor, while professing the urgent need to close the loopholes in New York’s notoriously porous campaign-finance laws, is making it clear that he intends to take full advantage of them until he can persuade the Legislature to change them.
The governor defends himself by saying that when he uses them, “they aren’t loopholes. Those are the laws that are written.” But that’s a change from his position in 2010, when he was clear about the very same fund-raising devices he’s now using. The word he used back then: loopholes.

AP

Gov. Cuomo

He’s already got nearly $28 million in the bank for his 2014 re-election campaign, and the money keeps pouring in — and in big chunks. The New York Public Interest Research Group reports that 80 percent of Cuomo’s campaign donors have contributed more than $10,000 each, with 200 of them giving more than $40,000 each. That adds up to more than $8 million, nearly a third of what Cuomo has raised thus far.
Now, we have no problem with Cuomo’s raking in big — and entirely legal — donations from supporters. Indeed, we’re more skeptical than he is about the supposed “corrosive effect” of money on politics.
But if he’s going to beat his chest and proclaim to the world that such contributions are inherently corrupting, he should forego them. With a $28 million war chest already in hand, that would hardly mean unilateral disarmament. As St. Augustine understood, reforming one’s ways isn’t easy — but people really should practice what they preach.

Saint Cuomo

• Last Updated: 12:02 AM, July 22, 2013
• Posted: July 22, 2013

When it comes to campaign-finance reform, Andrew Cuomo is sounding a lot like St. Augustine before he changed: “Lord, make me chaste — but not yet.”
Which is to say the governor, while professing the urgent need to close the loopholes in New York’s notoriously porous campaign-finance laws, is making it clear that he intends to take full advantage of them until he can persuade the Legislature to change them.
The governor defends himself by saying that when he uses them, “they aren’t loopholes. Those are the laws that are written.” But that’s a change from his position in 2010, when he was clear about the very same fund-raising devices he’s now using. The word he used back then: loopholes.

AP

Gov. Cuomo

He’s already got nearly $28 million in the bank for his 2014 re-election campaign, and the money keeps pouring in — and in big chunks. The New York Public Interest Research Group reports that 80 percent of Cuomo’s campaign donors have contributed more than $10,000 each, with 200 of them giving more than $40,000 each. That adds up to more than $8 million, nearly a third of what Cuomo has raised thus far.
Now, we have no problem with Cuomo’s raking in big — and entirely legal — donations from supporters. Indeed, we’re more skeptical than he is about the supposed “corrosive effect” of money on politics.
But if he’s going to beat his chest and proclaim to the world that such contributions are inherently corrupting, he should forego them. With a $28 million war chest already in hand, that would hardly mean unilateral disarmament. As St. Augustine understood, reforming one’s ways isn’t easy — but people really should practice what they preach.



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Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012

Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.

NY Const. Art. 1, Sec. 3. Andrew Cuomo's brand of toilet paper