Bad enough...
...that they write the budget alone. Now Pataki, Silver, and Bruno have created their own pork barrell slush fund to use as patronage:
Ladies and getlemen, your higher Thruway tolls at work. Ugh.
A panel appointed by the governor and legislative leaders quietly approved more than $440 million in borrowing Wednesday for projects the leaders will pick and New York's taxpayers will pay off over the next 30 years.
The borrowing includes $235 million for "various projects" to be determined by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and $209.5 million to be used at the discretion of Gov. George Pataki, according to board resolutions.
Typically, many of the projects are for local projects identified by lawmakers in this little-known version of "member items," derided by critics as pork-barrel spending.
The borrowing was approved by the state Public Authorities Control Board -- appointed by the three leaders.
That's just ugly. I don't even know what to say about state politics - it's just such a joke. I guess at least the Capital District tends to benefit from these slush funds more than most state locales. But that certainly doesn't make it right.The borrowing includes $235 million for "various projects" to be determined by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and $209.5 million to be used at the discretion of Gov. George Pataki, according to board resolutions.
Typically, many of the projects are for local projects identified by lawmakers in this little-known version of "member items," derided by critics as pork-barrel spending.
The borrowing was approved by the state Public Authorities Control Board -- appointed by the three leaders.
Ladies and getlemen, your higher Thruway tolls at work. Ugh.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, May 19, 2005 at 8:33 AM.
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At 1:37 AM ,Public authorities need to be banned -- for the most part, they're nothing but outlets for legislators to borrow millions for pet pork projects without taxpayer input.
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