Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Self-dealing in New York State Legislature goes unaddressed by authorities

A gay legislator is paraded by the press for pushing through a pro-gay legislation.  There is no mentioning of a disqualifying conflict of interest, abstention from vote - no, NYS Assemblywoman Deborah Glick is paraded for "helping that law pass".

14 New York State Senators, licensed attorney with private practices, vote on legislation making it a crime to practice law without a license - thus protecting their own market and income.  There is no mentioning of a disqualifying conflict of interest, no abstention from vote.  On the opposite, licensed attorneys are "co-sponsors" of such legislation.

Another senator attorney, Senator DeFrancisco, drums up legislation that helps his own and his son's private practice.  There is no mentioning of a disqualifying conflict of interest, no abstention from vote.

Is the NYS Attorney General reluctant to investigate and prosecute these legislators for self-dealing in office because, by law, the NYS AG is also those same legislators' legal representative when they are sued for misconduct in office?

And the conflicted statutory scheme protecting the legislators (and other members of the New York government) and preventing New York State Attorney General, an elected public official, from prosecuting misconduct in office, is created, in yet another act of self-dealing, by the same New York State Legislature.

No investigations, no prosecutions for the self-dealing means encouragement of the same conduct at present and in the future, at public expense.

I understand that Preet Bharara only has 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a month to address corruption in New York State government, but Preet Bharara should not be the only messiah able to rescue New Yorkers from this corrupted mess.

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