Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Don't End the Senate Gridlock in Albany, NY

Freedom tends to occur when government is temporarily immobilized, sometimes by orderly checks and balances, sometimes just by stupidity and gridlock. Thus, the last thing I want is an end to the 50/50 Democrat/Republican split that has notoriously kept the New York State Senate from being able to do anything (including resolve which if either party presides). I am worried by talk that Gov. Paterson may resolve the matter today by appointing an arguably tie-breaking lieutenant governor — but pleased to hear State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo quickly jumping in to argue that the state constitution forbids such an appointment (Cuomo has his own intended path to the governorship mapped out, which may influence his legal analysis, but that’s OK — and I’m pleased he’s been urging spending and tax freezes lately, so for all his blowhard-leftist tendencies, he might not even be so bad).

Let us also pause to reflect that the Spitzer scandal (the reason that we now have Paterson as governor and no one as lieutenant governor) just keeps on giving. All this helps make New York almost as interesting as Alaska and South Carolina.

More important, though, it keeps the parasitical bastards from legislating — reminding me of two other moral highpoints in recent American political history, the partial federal government shutdown in late 1995 (capping perhaps the greatest political year in recent American history) and the wonderfully protracted election process of 2000. I am proud of my state for the first time in my life.

1 comment:

Todd Seavey said...

UPDATE: Well, that bit of fun appears to be over, but here’s one other thing we gained from Spitzer’s short time as governor, per the Wiki. page for the swell band the Decemberists:

In November 2006, the band encouraged fans to create a music video for the single “O Valencia!” using footage of the band in front of a green screen. On his Comedy Central program, Stephen Colbert started a mock feud with the band, claiming his “green screen challenge” came first; the band countered that its 2005 on-stage lightsaber fight in San Francisco preceded Colbert’s idea. The feud culminated in a December 20 guitar solo competition on Colbert’s show, with lead guitarist Funk representing the band. After Colbert feigned a hand injury, Peter Frampton took over for Colbert and won an audience vote. Show guests got involved, with New York Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer and Dr. Henry Kissinger declaring, “Tonight, I think the American people won.”