http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2013/03/senate-gop-looking-to-cut-ethics-commission-funding
I'm hearing the real story behind this move is a deal to remove Ellen Biben as Executive Director of JCOPE.
Well its a good thing I blogged a roadmap yesterday about how JJOKE can cut a million dollars from its spending and thats without closing the New York City and Buffalo offices.
The real problem now is if the funding is restored we have to wonder what the Senate GOP got in return. HMMM I guess Senator Libous has grown tired of swinging from John Milgrams non denial denial ethical lynching tree.
Stay tuned
can you tell the difference between Rob Cohen and Cosmo Kramer?
monkeeys
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
A monkey could do that job
Well we can all relax The Artists against Fracking will register as lobbyists . . IF TOLD TO DO SO
Told by whom and why?
This is what happens when Ellen Biben and the rest of the JJOKers fail to perform the job the State of New York is paying them for. And no I'm not talking about being the 2nd floors personal ethical goon squad.
Organizations that should be registered and disclosing their lobbying activity don't because they think they only have to register if someone tells them to.
How far New York's lobby regulators have fallen.
I guess you can't blame Yoko and the rest of the limosine liberal jet setters that get involved in drive by advocacy, anymore than you can blame the camo conservative four wheelers that are flocking to the gun debate. They don't have a clue about what the state's lobby laws require.
And why is that?
Because Biben has wasted over a year pursuing a strategy that basically says JJOKE has no obligation to educate and inform the public about the lobby law. And further JJOKE is too busy being important to focus on lobby registration.
JJOKE's own overpaid mouthpiece John Milgram would not explain for the AP what the lobby law requires when presented with the facts of the Artists against Fracking lobby campaign.
His answer? Go read the law.
Why does the state pay Milgram over $100000 per year to tell people he can't comment and they should read the law.
A monkey could do that job. No a monkey may be overqualified all you need is a recording on a loop We don't comment We don't comment We don't comment We don't comment We don't comment We don't comment Easy $100k saved.
But its not Milgram's fault. The JOKE has a director of education and training. She's been on the job for over 9 months, she's a lawyer, she makes close to $100k. And she hasn't trained a soul, she hasn't prepared any online training material. I saw her one presentation to the commission it was in a word awful.
A monkey could do that job. No a monkey may be overqualified all you need is a recording on a loop We don't teach We don't teach We don't teach We don't teach We don't teach We don't teach Another easy $100k saved.
But its not the education director's fault. The JJOKE has a stable of lawyers all earning close to or more than $100k. Anyone of them could explain the Lobby Act to the media and/or the public. Or can they? I've watched Rob Cohen walk into closets and turn on the mics during executive sessions. And he is suppose to be the best they've got. I've seen the lawyers attempt to explain source of funding it wasn't pretty. They had trouble understanding the basic tenets of filing under the act.
A monkey could do that job. No a monkey may be overqualified all you need is a recording on a loop We don't know We don't know We don't know We don't know We don't know We don't know Another easy couple of $100k saved.
But it's not the lawyers fault. The JJOKE has a full compliment of investigators who together earn several $100ks. They could have seen what the Artists against Fracking were doing or what any other number of unregistered lobbyist were up to. But they didn't they are all too busy investigating how far Vito Lopez's hand went down that girls pants. It's time consuming to investigate what a pig Vito was. You have to reread everything that the assembly ethics already wrote. You have to reinterview all the witnesses, giving proper deference to those represented by law partners of JJOKE commissioners. You have to be able to prove what everyone already knew VITO IS A PIG.
A monkey could do that job. No a monkey may be overqualified all you need is a recording on a loop We don't care We don't care We don't care We don't care We don't care We don't care Another easy couple of $100k saved.
But it's not the investigators fault. The JJOKE has an Executive Director. She has been on the job for over a year. She earns over $140000 a year. She is a lawyer with close ties to the 2nd floor. She could explain the Lobby Act, she could direct that training take place, she could insist that educational material be on the web site, she could assign a lawyer to focus on lobbying, she could tell the investigators to keep an eye out for unregistered lobbyists. She could even see the opportunity starting an investigation into the Artists against Fracking would provide to use the media to raise awareness of lobby regulations and improve compliance. She could ask Andrew Cuomo how the investigation into Russel Simmons and the Drop the Rock campaign played out in the media.
At the end of the day it's Ellen Bibens fault that Yoko thinks someone has to tell her group to register.
Unfortunately a monkey CAN NOT do the job of a competent Executive Director for New York's Ethics agency Ellen Biben has proven that point.
On the upside I think a monkey could do the job of being a JJOKE commissioner.
One last comment at the risk of being seen as an arrogant egomaniac let me see if I can help Yoko et al out.
If you spend more than $5000 advocating for passage or defeat of legislation (or maybe even the intended introduction of legislation whatever that means) You need to register and file disclosure reports. The knowing and willful failure to do so may subject you to significant fines (up to $25000 per filing). Your group has clearly met the threshold and is lobbying and should be registered and filing disclosure reports. In July you will have to disclose your source of funding (but don't worry you can lie on the report just ask Susan Lerner and Dick Dadey).
Don't say you were never told to register.
Told by whom and why?
This is what happens when Ellen Biben and the rest of the JJOKers fail to perform the job the State of New York is paying them for. And no I'm not talking about being the 2nd floors personal ethical goon squad.
Organizations that should be registered and disclosing their lobbying activity don't because they think they only have to register if someone tells them to.
How far New York's lobby regulators have fallen.
I guess you can't blame Yoko and the rest of the limosine liberal jet setters that get involved in drive by advocacy, anymore than you can blame the camo conservative four wheelers that are flocking to the gun debate. They don't have a clue about what the state's lobby laws require.
And why is that?
Because Biben has wasted over a year pursuing a strategy that basically says JJOKE has no obligation to educate and inform the public about the lobby law. And further JJOKE is too busy being important to focus on lobby registration.
JJOKE's own overpaid mouthpiece John Milgram would not explain for the AP what the lobby law requires when presented with the facts of the Artists against Fracking lobby campaign.
His answer? Go read the law.
Why does the state pay Milgram over $100000 per year to tell people he can't comment and they should read the law.
A monkey could do that job. No a monkey may be overqualified all you need is a recording on a loop We don't comment We don't comment We don't comment We don't comment We don't comment We don't comment Easy $100k saved.
But its not Milgram's fault. The JOKE has a director of education and training. She's been on the job for over 9 months, she's a lawyer, she makes close to $100k. And she hasn't trained a soul, she hasn't prepared any online training material. I saw her one presentation to the commission it was in a word awful.
A monkey could do that job. No a monkey may be overqualified all you need is a recording on a loop We don't teach We don't teach We don't teach We don't teach We don't teach We don't teach Another easy $100k saved.
But its not the education director's fault. The JJOKE has a stable of lawyers all earning close to or more than $100k. Anyone of them could explain the Lobby Act to the media and/or the public. Or can they? I've watched Rob Cohen walk into closets and turn on the mics during executive sessions. And he is suppose to be the best they've got. I've seen the lawyers attempt to explain source of funding it wasn't pretty. They had trouble understanding the basic tenets of filing under the act.
A monkey could do that job. No a monkey may be overqualified all you need is a recording on a loop We don't know We don't know We don't know We don't know We don't know We don't know Another easy couple of $100k saved.
But it's not the lawyers fault. The JJOKE has a full compliment of investigators who together earn several $100ks. They could have seen what the Artists against Fracking were doing or what any other number of unregistered lobbyist were up to. But they didn't they are all too busy investigating how far Vito Lopez's hand went down that girls pants. It's time consuming to investigate what a pig Vito was. You have to reread everything that the assembly ethics already wrote. You have to reinterview all the witnesses, giving proper deference to those represented by law partners of JJOKE commissioners. You have to be able to prove what everyone already knew VITO IS A PIG.
A monkey could do that job. No a monkey may be overqualified all you need is a recording on a loop We don't care We don't care We don't care We don't care We don't care We don't care Another easy couple of $100k saved.
But it's not the investigators fault. The JJOKE has an Executive Director. She has been on the job for over a year. She earns over $140000 a year. She is a lawyer with close ties to the 2nd floor. She could explain the Lobby Act, she could direct that training take place, she could insist that educational material be on the web site, she could assign a lawyer to focus on lobbying, she could tell the investigators to keep an eye out for unregistered lobbyists. She could even see the opportunity starting an investigation into the Artists against Fracking would provide to use the media to raise awareness of lobby regulations and improve compliance. She could ask Andrew Cuomo how the investigation into Russel Simmons and the Drop the Rock campaign played out in the media.
At the end of the day it's Ellen Bibens fault that Yoko thinks someone has to tell her group to register.
Unfortunately a monkey CAN NOT do the job of a competent Executive Director for New York's Ethics agency Ellen Biben has proven that point.
On the upside I think a monkey could do the job of being a JJOKE commissioner.
One last comment at the risk of being seen as an arrogant egomaniac let me see if I can help Yoko et al out.
If you spend more than $5000 advocating for passage or defeat of legislation (or maybe even the intended introduction of legislation whatever that means) You need to register and file disclosure reports. The knowing and willful failure to do so may subject you to significant fines (up to $25000 per filing). Your group has clearly met the threshold and is lobbying and should be registered and filing disclosure reports. In July you will have to disclose your source of funding (but don't worry you can lie on the report just ask Susan Lerner and Dick Dadey).
Don't say you were never told to register.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll
I haven't blogged in over 3 weeks. I just can't muster the outrage to comment on how bad things are in New York when it comes to ethics. It's boring to say over and over again what a joke Ellen Biben's JJOKE is.
It's boring to point out all the missteps and failures of JJOKE since it's creation
But every once in a while something happens that gets my creative juices flowing.
Like Doper Assemblyman Steve Katz getting busted for pot possession.
The blog writes itself.
I may be dating myself but does anyone else remember the song by rock legend Ian Dury (leader of the Blockheads) released on Stiff records SEX AND DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJjM9lr8nys?
Think about it it should be JJOKE's anthom.
What will JJOKE investigate?
SEX - Vito Lopez and gropergate
DRUGS - Steve Katz and dopergate
ROCK AND ROLL - Yoko Ono and frackergate
JJOKE has done a six month look at sex (but limited to Vito and no meaningful impact on sex in the legislature - redundent) now they can investigate drugs with Katz maybe even hypocracy and I would suggest under this heading take a look at Hikind because he must have been high to pull his knuckelhead blackface move and then wrap it up by investigating Yoko Ono and the Artists against fracking for being unregistered lobbyists.
By the way the Yoko investigation should have been started a while ago. It would be meaningful and have an impact on lobby compliance remember Russel Simmons or Donald Trump? Those where the days. But wait I forgot the gov hasn't decided what to do on fracking so Biben can't investigate pro or con fracking groups. Sit up roll over good lap doggie.
It's boring to point out all the missteps and failures of JJOKE since it's creation
But every once in a while something happens that gets my creative juices flowing.
Like Doper Assemblyman Steve Katz getting busted for pot possession.
The blog writes itself.
I may be dating myself but does anyone else remember the song by rock legend Ian Dury (leader of the Blockheads) released on Stiff records SEX AND DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJjM9lr8nys?
Think about it it should be JJOKE's anthom.
What will JJOKE investigate?
SEX - Vito Lopez and gropergate
DRUGS - Steve Katz and dopergate
ROCK AND ROLL - Yoko Ono and frackergate
JJOKE has done a six month look at sex (but limited to Vito and no meaningful impact on sex in the legislature - redundent) now they can investigate drugs with Katz maybe even hypocracy and I would suggest under this heading take a look at Hikind because he must have been high to pull his knuckelhead blackface move and then wrap it up by investigating Yoko Ono and the Artists against fracking for being unregistered lobbyists.
By the way the Yoko investigation should have been started a while ago. It would be meaningful and have an impact on lobby compliance remember Russel Simmons or Donald Trump? Those where the days. But wait I forgot the gov hasn't decided what to do on fracking so Biben can't investigate pro or con fracking groups. Sit up roll over good lap doggie.
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