Funniest Thing I've Heard Today

Peter Schmitt cares about minority voters. I'm surprised he could say it with a straight face.

The Dissembling of CSEA Local830 President Jerry Laricchiuta

What is right, standing up for your Union members who elected you or covering for your political party bosses?
On Friday, Nassau County CSEA President Laricchiuta spoke at St. John's University which hosted a forum on the union-busting in Wisconsin. There, Republican Laricchiuta said "We find ourselves under attack by those in our party, mostly over to the far right."

"They have convinced many people in this country that the reason for the economic crisis is the pensions and benefits and salaries that public workers have fought for over the years... It's without merit. And yet they've got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attack labor and they're going to take it."

Laricchiuta is saying "they" and "far right" republicans are going after unions.

In February, Laricchiuta wrote an op-ed which was published in Newsday and many of the local weekly papers. There too he stated "Accusations by various groups and individuals that paint the county worker as the No. 1 reason why the county has fallen into this financial abyss, are wrong and baseless."

When it comes to the attacks on union workers in Nassau County, it isn't some "far right" republican group or any mysterious cabal, it is Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt. Both REPUBLICANS, just like Jerry.

Why didn't Laricchiuta just come out and say "Mangano and Schmitt have been maligning union workers"?

He does say "...the main message here is that the anger and venom being spewed today at the county worker are wrong and misdirected." But as the leader of almost 10,000 County Workers, he conceals the culprits to the detriment of the members. Why not let the workers know exactly who is attacking them. Be honest, it isn't some mysteroius, shadowy group or fringe individuals, it is the republican county executive and republican Legislature Presiding Officer. It certainly NOT the Democrats but Jerry in his dissembling tries to protect his fellow republicans as we head into the fall elections. The same people attacking his union members now, have gone hat in hand in the past to get endorsements and campaign contributions. Is Jerry going to endorse Schmitt and his republican rubber stamps in this years elections? He'll have a hard case to make to his members when they know without a doubt that Schmitt and the republicans are the ones attacking them.

It was Mangano, not "various groups" that demanded $60million in labor concessions and then threatened layoffs AND breaking the union contracts.

It's Mangano who has said “The costs related to our work costs have simply become too great for our taxpayers to fund through the real property taxes that are collected.”

And Schmitt who said "Nobody who works for private industry has some of these benefits and receives some of these benefits.”

Jerry Laricchuita needs to defend his workers against the clear union-busting Mangano and Schmitt are attempting with breaking the contracts. The Union Leaders in Wisonsin have not been afraid to name names and Laricchuita should follow their lead.

Schmitt and Police Union Get Into a Tussle

Schmitt has always gone to the Unions for endorsements and approved their contracts so it was probably disconcerting for them to hear Schmitt attack them publically. Schmitt dismissed the Unions by saying "Name one of my legislators who needed police union support to win election. Who runs this county, the elected officials or the unions?"
According to Newsday, it seems the PBA has something to say to Schmitt who sent them a solicitation to buy tickets to a fundraiser.
"...when Schmitt this month sent Carver a solicitation to purchase $500 tickets through him for the Nassau Republican committee’s annual “Inaugural Ball” , Carver returned the letter, attaching a copy of the news article reporting Schmitt’s comments. “Dear Mr. Schmitt,” Carver wrote. “Your strong message in Newsday ...about not needing police union support was loudly received by the PBA and its membership. Enclosed I have returned your request for support.”

Carver cc’d Legis. John Ciotti of North Valley Stream, a Republican who has counted on PBA support in the past to win in his Democratic district.

Schmitt then replied: “Dear Jimmy, Do as you will — I do believe you supported Mejias over Belesi, Toback over Kopel, as well as Weitzman over Maragos. Hence my comment that they did not need your support to win.”

...Carver told Newsday, “He blindsides us in the paper with inappropriate comments about not needing union support. Then he has the nerve to send us a request to purchase tickets through him....He could have called me afterward and said, ‘What’s bothering you, Jim?’ Peter has the habit of going to the press without out ever speaking to anyone. He’s now being treated the same way he treats everyone else.”

Carver added, “There is no police officer in Nassau County that needs Peter Schmitt.”

I wonder if the Union will remember this in a few months when Schmitt once again asks for their endorsement.

Ed Mangano's Sick Tax

Welcome to the New Nassau County where County Executive Ed Mangano wants to save you from a property tax increase but sure as heck hopes you break a leg so he can close his budget gap. That's right Nassau County Taxpayers, if you are in a car accident, have a heart attack, fall down a flight of stairs, slip on some ice or just feel too terrible to take yourself to a hospital, Ed Mangano is making sure you do your part to help him balance the county budget. Up until January 31st of this year, your ride to the hospital in a Nassau County Ambulance was $400.
On February 1st, the Mangano Sick Tax kicked in and now it costs $1000 to get you to a hospital.
But wait, THERE'S MORE!
You need Advanced Life Support?
That'll run you $1200 (versus $550 previously)
And THERE'S MORE
Need even more Advanced Life Support??
Well, you get a sort-of discount at only $1250 (versus $650 previously)

And just when you thought you were being bled dry enough, Mangano and Schmitt increased the mileage surcharge over 100% from $6 per mile to $15 per mile.

So Nassau County, do your part and go out there and break a leg!

Mangano expects to make an additional $8million from this tax increase to balance his budget.
Mangano and Schmitt won't call it a tax but it is. And even if we just accept it as a "fee increase" then what happend to the campaign rhetoric of Schmitt and Mangano not to increase fees either? Oh wait, those were Tax Revolt Party lies.
Mangano, Schmitt and the Nassau County Republicans are trying to make more money off of sick and injured people. How Revolting.

In the meantime to get folks motivated to pitch in, we have a new Slogan for the County..

Mangano and NIFA: A Modern Day Scorpion and the Frog

The main crux of Mangano's lawsuit against NIFA is that NIFA is unconstitutional. He is arguing that a NIFA takeover violates the NYS Constitution.
Now keep in mind that NIFA was created to pull Nassau County from the brink of financial disaster caused by then Legislator Ed Mangano and Peter Schmitt.
Mangano and Schmitt voted for the creation of NIFA.
Mangano and Schmitt greedily accepted the money that NIFA could offer to fix Nassau's mess.
Mangano and Schmitt charged around Nassau during the 2009 elections practically calling NIFA reports that criticized Tom Suozzi the gospel.
Now that NIFA isn't a useful election tool, Mangano and Schmitt no longer have use for them.
Experts aren't siding with Mangano on this and the attorney for NIFA counters "A municipality can hardly claim that its domain has been invaded by legislation it asked the state to enact."

This situation brings to mind the fable of the Scorpion and the Frog.

"One day a scorpion arrived at the bank of a river he wanted to cross, but there was no bridge. He asked a frog that was sitting nearby if he would take him across the river on his back. The frog refused and said, 'I will not, because you will sting me.'

"The scorpion replied, 'It would be foolish for me to sting you because then we would both drown.'

"The frog saw the logic in the scorpion's words, and agreed to carry the scorpion across. But when they were halfway across the river the scorpion stung the frog. The stunned frog asked, 'Why did you sting me? Now we will both die!'

"The scorpion replied, 'Because I'm a scorpion … and that's what scorpions do.'"

NIFA Breaks News to Mangano and Schmitt: 'You're Our Parents!"

After spending a few weeks calling NIFA "unelected", "unaccountable", etc, etc, NIFA responds to the Mangano/Schmitt lawsuit against them and says "A municipality can hardly claim that its domain has been invaded by legislation it asked the state to enact."
Yup, that's right.
Eleven years ago, Schmitt and Mangano in the Legislature voted to create NIFA to pull them out of the fiscal mess they created back then.
So, CONGRATULATIONS to Momma Mangano and Papa Schmitt. You can't disown your own kid.

Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt Unhinged and Dangerous

Peter Schmitt has real issues he needs to deal with. He gets far too angry and turns beet red too often at Legislature meetings.
Now he has turned his anger on the members of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA) and it's just very violent.
The Long Island Press reports that when Schmitt was talking about his conspiracy theories about NIFA to the Press he said "I’m just going to enjoy hitting them on the side of the head with a baseball bat.”
What kind of man is Schmitt (or lack of man) that he needs to say that?
It's not like he used a simple metaphor like "I'm going to beat them over the head with their conflicts of interest."
He stepped over the line by ratcheting up the violent imagery.
But then again, we should expect that from someone who a Federal Prosecutor once called "very unspohisticated" and "naive."

And of course Schmitt is unapologetic for his comments. "I will not reply to Yaturo’s rambling statement because she’s already had her chance and she struck out.”

Mangano Changes His Story on the NIFA Conspiracy

It's amazing that Mangano can just plain lie about things he said that are documented quite well. In a new statement about NIFA released on his Facebook page, Mangano tries to back off from his and Peter Schmitts conspiracy theory about NIFA.
Mangano says "My supporters and the media should know that I am not concerned whether NIFA is politically motivated or bipartisan."

But just a little sampling of his comments immediately following the control period announcement show Mangano was all in on NIFA being a grand conspiracy against him.

"(Residents) should question (NIFA’s) motivations,” Mangano said. “It’s to discredit the administration,” - Levittown Patch

"At today’s Long Island Association Executive Breakfast....
Mangano suggested some members of the NIFA control board should be changed because their motivations are purely political." Long Island Business News

"This is just a game to have us boxed in to raising real property taxes, a political game so they can say ‘Ed Mangano and the Tea Party came to office with reform and were unable to accomplish it’,” WCBS 880

And it's even ON VIDEO!!!!


Perhaps Mangano realizes that he sounds less dignified when he spins conspiracy tales like Schmitt.
Mangano does go on to say "What concerns me is that the architects of Nassau's budget mess are now acting as its watchdog."

Really? Is that why Mangano wanted to "PARTNER with NIFA"??
"If the unions don't work with us to achieve real savings, the county executive will partner with NIFA to protect taxpayers, a Mangano aide said in a statement."

Sorry Ed, you can't re-write your own words.

Happy Anniversary Peter Schmitt!!!

A very special Happy Anniversary to Presiding Officer Peter J. Schmitt. One year ago he pushed through a 47% raise for himself on a party line vote. After a major backlash and a week of him making cheap excuses he had his fellow republicans vote to recind the raise.
First month in charge and he goes right for the money-grab.

How About This Budget Solution..

Before Ed Mangano and Peter Schmitt try to get more concessions from the County unions, they should give a little too.

Perhaps Schmitt will give up his leadership stipend and Mangano can cut his salary along with all of his appointees.

Mangano can cut his salary to $105,000 and no appointee can make more that $100,000.

The Fake Outrage of Peter Schmitt

The King of Bluster, Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt let the outrage fly Monday night at a full meeting of the Legislature. During the debate on a living wage bill, Democratic Lg. Kevan Abrahams commented on how Schmitt runs the Legislature "...like a Nazi camp."
According to Celeste Hadrick at Newsday, Abrahams had immediately apologized after he said it and Schmitt said "I didn't hear it."
After the comments were read back to Schmitt he began his act "You have a hell of a nerve to draw that kind of inference."
Yes, a hell of a nerve.
Abrahams responded "You are dictating to us when we can ask questions....I am not implying you have any affiliation to the Nazi's."
But Schmitt would have none of that and said "You have some nerve. You are way out of bounds to use that language to anybody in this room."

To be honest, making comparisons of any sort to nazi's is always a sticky situation but Abrahams did apologize.

BUT the thing that makes this whole situation a bit of hooey from Schmitt's side is that 4 years ago, Schmitt said of CE Tom Suozzi, "He’s run this county like a stormtrooper for the last few years.”
And for some reason I'm not seeing Schmitt making an allusion to the white-armored Star Wars characters.
What comes to mind is exactly how the word Stormtrooper is defined:
“storm trooper (n. ) A member of the Nazi militia noted for brutality and violence.
One who resembles or behaves like a member of the Nazi militia."

So four years ago, Schmitt calls CE Suozzi a Nazi unapologetically but gets all bent out of shape when it's thrown at him. To use his own words, Schmitt has some nerve.
What a Hypocrite.

Schmitt is Just a HUGE Liar

He has this gem on the Long Island Press website "I saw no moral indignation on their part when they voted to give a 60-percent raise to Suozzi and a 60-percent raise to [former Nassau Comptroller Howard] Weitzman, and a 60-percent raise to DA [Kathleen] Rice, all Democrats.”

See, the problem with this is that the raise was also for Maureen O'Connell the County Clerk WHO IS A REPUBLICAN!

Oh, and while we are at it, why hasn't REPUBLICAN Accidental County Executive Ed Mangano refused the increased salary?
Mangano can direct the Legislature to return his salary to pre-2007.
Why hasn't Schmitt done it either?

Oh, and the Schmitt Raise was Retroactive

Nice to make your own raise retroactive to get some more cash from the County.

(click to embiggen)

Dump Schmitt. It's Time for Peter Schmitt to Go

Available at Politicsland Gift Shoppe:

The Start of a New Error: Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt

Mangano Doesn't Know the Meaning of the word "Plan"

Mangano campaigned on the "Mangano Plan." He says on his website "Ed Mangano has a plan for Nassau County: stop wasteful spending; freeze and fix Nassau’s broken tax assessment system, saving $100 million dollars annually; repeal Nassau’s home energy tax; and, most importantly, create jobs and opportunities in Nassau County."

A "Plan" is defined as: " a : a method for achieving an end b : an often customary method of doing something c : a detailed formulation of a program of action d : a detailed program"

Suddenly after the election, Manganos "Plan" is just some vague ideas.
According to Newsday, at his inauguration, Mangano "...said he would create a "team" to study how to freeze property values for a period of years as he worked to improve the assessment system..."

Now after YEARS of complaining about the assessment system while in the Legislature and campaigning on fixing it, Mangano just shows he HAS NO IDEA what he is going to do. By now he should have had an alternate plan for assessments. He kept talking about his "Plan" but turns out it's all just hot air.
How long will this "team" of his "study" the assessment system?
Why does Mangano need more time?
He ran as a know-it-all and instead we get a know-nothing.

The Accidental County Executive proves me right from Day 1.

More Massapequa Tea Bag Party Pictures

Here are a few more pictures from the republican tea bag party....
(click pictures to enlarge)

This guy was manning a microphone and trying his best at arousing the tea baggers. He had a simple schtick in-between bad quasi-patriotic country music. At one point this guy says we have to "get rid of Nancy Pelosi" and either "send her TO China" or "send her BACK TO China." I'm correct in saying that Nancy Pelosi is a citizen of the country and born of Italian descent which makes it odd that she should go "back to" China where she was never from in the first place.
Then of course he gave us the "No Taxation Without Representation" rally cry. Again, I am correct in saying that we have duly elected representatives covering every inch of these United States. Maybe the genius missed the election last november.


Speaking of Nancy Pelosi, this poor soul seems to have missed the election too and assumes that Speaker of the House Pelosi ascended to the presidency.


And speaking of last november's elections, this poor dear believes that she is in the "majority." If she were, there would not be a President Obama and an overwhelming Democratic congress.


I wanted to ask this person who he/she (couldn't tell) believes is in congress and does not "Love the USA."


Here is a classic. "Abolish the FED!" Exactly what would replace the central banking system of the United States? Who will be a stop-gap for bank panics? Who will protect consumer bank users? I will assume the person holding the sign 1) knows what the "FED" is and 2) has a reasonable replacement in mind.


This guy wants to "save the children." And of course he missed the part where stimulus money was going to education and would save the schools from cutting programs.


And last but not least here is republican legislature candidate Joe Belesi in the suit, not the stupid hat. Joe here was a police union boss who retired from the county with a $400,000 pay-out and a $100,000+ pension and medical coverage for him and his family. He is now working for the drunk driver Minority Leader Peter Schmitt taking more money from county taxpayers.