The Update Desk: February 28, 2010

Fortunately (or sadly, depending on your point of view) time doesn’t stand still, certainly in the world of politics and nonsense. Here are a few updates to some relevant posts from the veritablepastiche archives.

Regarding my recent PPOD about the NYCLU filing an amicus brief in the case of the disgraced Amigo Hiram Monserrate, because in their opinion the New York Senate did not really have hard and fast rules surrounding expulsion, happily the arguments of Monserrate’s attorneys, and the NYCLU, were rejected by the judge in a rare victory for ethical activity in the Senate. What this means now, of course, is that the Amigo is hoping to get on the ballot for the special election and win back his seat. What’s making this race even more interesting is that the Republican candidate is a Democrat. Where else but here in New York?

Regarding another PPOD on the hyper-athleticism of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, we’re still in the middle of trying to figure out health care/health insurance reform. Last week President Obama hosted his summit, a bipartisan collection of people who would rather have been doing just about anything other than sitting in that room together, with results indicative of that fact. There was, however, eager anticipation for the summit; there were disagreements on how the room should be configured; and there were of course disagreements on which is the correct path to meaningful reform. And of course now the Dems, and Pelosi, have their work cut out for them. I suspect she’ll need more than just a pole and a parachute to force the Senate bill through the House.

My new nickname for NY’s senior senator, Charles ‘Touchdown’ Schumer, seemed prophetic as, coming on the heels of his work on behalf of TOPS Markets and their purchase of local Penn Traffic, he began rooting for the state to provide the New York Jets $200,000 so they'll return to SUNY Cortland for their preseason camp in the fall. Mind you, this is the same New York State that is proposing among other things cutting jobs, cutting benefits, raising fees and taxes, and closing state parks to save money, including a local one on Cazenovia Lake which costs taxpayers all of $2000 to maintain. And, this is the same New York State that previously provided billions in funding to the wealthy New York Mets and even wealthier New York Yankees to build their new stadiums. I don’t begrudge the Jets, necessarily, but c’mon – we’re broke, for heaven’s sake! Instead of taxpayers taking the hit, maybe Touchdown Schumer could pay it himself out of his campaign millions.