Thursday, August 19, 2010
Which Brings Us to Kate Murray
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Mangano's Favorite Felon
"Of all the appointments made by Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano since taking office in January, one in particular is drawing questions: a $90,000-a-year minority affairs job that went to a man convicted of participating in a scam to sell patient information from Nassau University Medical Center.
"Prosecutors said in announcing the arrests in 2004 that three hospital employees were bribed to pass along personal information about patients, mostly Hispanics who were admitted to the emergency room after car crashes.
Flores and the others "solicited accident victims, referred them to attorneys, coached them to exaggerate their injuries and transported them to appointments with attorneys and medical providers," according to the felony complaint.
Flores served as the liaison between the employees and lawyers, prosecutors said. The complaint said Flores "gave a cash payment to . . . a public servant employed by the Nassau University Medical Center. . .with the understanding that. . . would provide the defendant with patient records belonging to NUMC."
He was sentenced on Nov. 9, 2005, to 60 days in jail and five years probation on his plea to a D felony, attempted bribery of a public servant, records show."
This man is allowed to represent Nassau County. How sad. This is patronage at its worse.. payback to a campaign worker who can't be trusted.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Irony Escapes Ed Mangano
On his desk is a plaque that says "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."
How do I know this?
It's in a picture on the full-color, four page mailing that Mangano sent out listing his so-called "accomplishments" in his first 100 days. These brochures are also piled up for the public all over the county.
He doesn't mind who gets the credit, as long as it's him.
Even if Tom Suozzi did it already.
Nothing like a huge banner to prove your humility.
Monday, August 09, 2010
Conservative Columnist Slams Mangano
"Are New York Republicans any better than Democrats? It's not looking that way in Nassau County. After six months of GOP control in Nassau, things are largely business as usual. Rather than face the fiscal music, new County Executive Edward Mangano and the GOP-run Legislature are borrowing big-time, mistreating businesses -- and even gambling that gambling will bail out county government...
"In his State of the County Address in March, Mangano criticized the county's growing debt and blamed his Democratic predecessor, Tom Suozzi, for not budgeting enough to cover the annual refund costs. But Mangano is shifting the full cost of the refunds out of the operating budget onto long-term borrowing. That's a return to the bad budgeting of the past...
Then there is Mangano's plan to help the local economy -- or, rather, the lack of any real plan. He made a splash in April by making Nassau another hopeful in the game to get a Shinnecock Nation casino, which he'd put next to a new arena for the NHL's Islanders in Uniondale.
Casino revenues would help in closing the county's annual budget deficit, which is expected to top $200 million next year. But a Shinnecock casino is a long shot, at best -- and wouldn't be in place for years. In any case, gambling facilities come with costs to the community as well as benefits.
Borrowing to fund operating expenses; strong-arming businesses; placing a long-shot bet on landing a casino to close budget deficits: It all points to an unwillingness or inability to do the hard work of reining in county spending. That spells trouble for taxpayers"
Taking Credit for Something You Didn't Do is Lying, Ed. Part 2
And the taxpayer funded mailing of lies continued with this great entry as an "accomplishment" for Mangano "Day 39 - February 8th: Announced the County's purchase of Grossman's Farm, a five-acre family farm located on Hempstead Avenue in Malverne."
Maybe Mangano announced the finalized purchase but it was County Executive Tom Suozzi who sought to buy it and started the process that led to the vote in January. In fact, some in the community were afraid that with Suozzi out and the republicans in, the sale would fall through.
Announce the purchase but don't list this as some sort of incredible 100 Day Accomplishment. It was Suozzi's Accomplishment, not yours.
GOP Assembly Candidate Rob Germino Needs Remedial U.S. Constitution Lessons
We''ll let Rob tell you why he's angry "Rob Germino asks that he join him in protesting a news ban on his campaign by the Anton chain of newspapers. This while the publisher continues to carry a weekly column by the incumbent, Charles Lavine.
"How can the publisher of Anton news continue to print a weekly column by my rival in the current campaign for assemblyman while refusing even a simple letter to the editor by me in reply? I think any fair minded person has to be aghast at such a policy, particularly at a time when censorship is behind us."
Germino is upset that the sitting Assemblyman is afforded space in a weekly newspaper to communicate with his constituents and that newspaper won't print his letter to the editor.
I doubt there is a "news ban" on Germino's campaign. My experience with the Anton papers is that they are more that happy to publish stories about upcoming elections.
And just so Germino gets a better understanding of the Constitution and Freedom of Speech, a private company cannot be accused of "...an egregious abridgment of the freedom of speech clause..".
The First Amendment deals specifically with what the GOVERNMENT cannot deny you.
Germino continues his assault on constitutional scholarship "As an attorney it must be immediately apparent to you that the Anton response, with its huge First Amendment implications, is not sustainable as a point of law."
In fact, Germino with is demands is attacking the First Amendment right to a Free Press.
For some light reading, Germino needs to check out Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo, 418 U.S. 241 (1974), where the Court unanimously struck down a state law requiring newspapers criticizing political candidates to publish their responses.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Taking Credit for Something You Didn't Do is Lying, Ed
In Accidental County Executive Ed Mangano's expensive 4-color mailing pat on his own back, it says on the front "100 Days in Office Goes by Quick when you're been busy.... getting guns... off the streets."
Lie # 3: Mangano is referring to "Day 26 - January 15th... Announced with law enforcement officials, a "Gun Buy Back" initiative to combat illegal handgun violence."
Sounds like Mangano is starting a whole new program, right?
Well, he's just taking credit for a program that CE Suozzi started FOUR YEARS AGO.
So to pad his list of (cough-cough) "accomplishments, Mangano takes credit for something Suozzi did. And he hopes voters are suckers enough to buy it.
How very sad, Ed.