Dishonest Officials

      The startling statistic that more than one out of every eleven New York State elected officials leaves office under a cloud of either indictment or ethical charges hardly begins to scratch the surface.  (The latest political scandals apparently involve State Senate Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn),  Assemblyman William Boyland, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) and State Senator Shirley Huntley (D-Queens.) 

The battle for the soul of New York is not found only during election years, and is not between Democrats and Republicans; it is between those who are competent and honest vs. those who are incompetent and dishonest. 

While the press does cover corruption involving misappropriation of funds or sexual misconduct, it frequently ignores more sophisticated methods of stealing the public’s dollars, such as the misuse of taxpayer money to pay for thinly veiled re-election literature such as “constituent newsletters” mailed during election cycles.  Nor as there been sufficient attention paid to blatant incompetence.

New York City appears to be the epicenter for both incompetent and corrupt incumbents. In January of 2009, COMACTA, long before the major media focused on the problem, pointed out the highly disturbing incompetence of Mayor Bloomberg in dealing with transportation issues.

Since then, as we have continuously pointed out, traffic and mass transit problems have gone from bad to worse.  Those traveling the Cross Bronx Expressway and the Bruckner have seen their commuting times increase.  Subway riders have endured serious safety issues.  The nightmare that occurred following the December 26 snowstorm remains fresh, even as the calendar marches towards spring.

 We again call for an investigation of why Janette Sadik-Khan was first appointed to her position as transportation commissioner, and, why, after numerous incidents of terrible lapses in judgment and vision, she continues to have the Mayor’s support to remain in that role. Similar questions are beginning to arise concerning the Mayor’s appointment of Catherine Black to head the City’s Department of Education.   Would the mayor have tolerated such incompetence in his private company?

The time has also come to demand accountability on the part of elected officials on both the local and national levels who prosper in office while their constituents languish in poverty and unemployment. Unfortunately, the number of Americans that fit into this category continues to escalate, and their plight is growing worse by the day as inflation begins to grow.  On the national level, the White House’s incompetent policies of have turned a recession into a near depression. Indeed, as gasoline prices soar, we are reminded of candidate Obama’s assertion that high gas prices would be good for the nation, since they would force Americans to adopt “green” practices—and he was apparently never honest enough to discuss the economic pain that it would cause.

The battle of the dishonest and incompetent vs. the honest and competent is being waged now.  It remains to be seen which side will ultimately prevail. Listen to our next radio broadcast on Saturday, March 19, at 10 am at WVOX 1460 am, or online at wvox.com.  Send comments to nycommunityaction@gmail.com.