New York state government not only has become too massive and expensive, it also has become a home for corruption.
In recent years, we've seen the resignation of a scandalous former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who was involved with a prostitute; the jailing of Sen. Guy Velella, who was convicted of bribery conspiracy; the conviction of former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who used state workers to chauffeur his wife; and the conviction of former Health Commissioner Antonia Novello, who used state workers to help her with shopping and other personal business.
Now, former state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno is on trial. Prosecutors accuse him of collecting $3.2 million in commissions and gifts in return for using his state influence to benefit labor unions and private businessmen.
These are only a few of the cases of alleged corruption. There may be many that never come to light.
State government's political structure invites misdeeds. One of the problems is the extreme power held by the governor, the Senate majority leader and the Assembly speaker. Those three negotiate much of the budget every year, rendering many rank-and-file legislators helpless. Members of the minority parties play an even smaller role in making public policy, resulting in a lack of oversight.
In addition, state legislators focus on securing member-item funding, known as "pork," to show their worth to voters. This fuels a "pay-to-play" culture in Albany.
Lawrence Norden, senior counsel at New York University Law School's Brennan Center of Justice, told The Associated Press, "What you've got is people see their jobs and keep their jobs by distributing pork. That's really what a lot of the work in the Legislature is."
Government reform is necessary, but courageous statesmen will have to step up to bring about change.