In his powerful book of verse: Divine Madness, the pre-eminent bard and psychologist Paul Pines begins one of his poems thus:
find a reed
that breaks rock
to reclaim whole cities
in the bush
call it a flower
without which
nothing is renewed
The two simple couplets remind this poet/pundit of an anniversary a-reek with heartbreak, recalled each year, around the time of this date. Among the memorabilia on the wall over my computer-work-space are copies of two bills signed into law by former Governor Mario Cuomo and presented by him, in recognition of my efforts to obtain their passage, by the New York State Legislature. The first ordains greater frankness and accessibility of public information, under the Public Officers Law. The second establishes an Ethics Commission, for stronger enforcement of the Public Officers Law. Both were vitally important but unhappily, both lacked enclosures I had fought for, to ban the unregulated use of the franking privilege to cover cost of mailed campaign material masked as Government Reports and paid for by the taxpayers.
The recent occasion of the 26th year, since this first Ethics legislation sparked my extreme distrust of America’s ‘careerist’ Body-Politic, was sharply and notably heightened by proof from a notable contributor; the long-standing parasitic perpetrator of careerist continuity, State Senator Hugh Farley, who has authored what can only be interpreted as a confession of guilt. On a piece issued from his office under the heading: “A SPECIAL REPORT FROM SENATOR HUGH T. FARLEY,” (sub-head): “2013 Legislative Session Overview,” the piece then launches into what can only be construed as ‘campaign rhetoric’ – the exact type of tripe this critic demanded an end to, more than 26 years ago. Both State Legislative leaderships, under self-inspired egises, have never officially reported the cost of such mail, to the taxpayers who subsidize it. It’s been estimated to run into untold millions, that underwrite the cost of maintaining their foot-holds for feeding at the ‘Public Trough.’
It’s time those who foot the bill for such free-loading demanded an end to all un-reported and un-accounted for fiduciary fraud, that they’ve been forced to unconstitutionally underwrite, for too many years.
Free-loader Farley and his penny-wise, pound-foolish pals in both Legislative Houses need to learn a set of new no-nonsense lyrics to a Taxpayer-powered song that spells ‘FINISH’ to their lush and non-accountable lives.
Paul Elisha's commentaries can be heard each Tuesday on Midday Magazine.
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