New York Governor Charged with Breaking Ethics Law

Reuters

Already caught up in a scandal involving a close aide, embattled New York Governor David Paterson was charged on Wednesday by the state's ethics watchdog for unlawfully taking free baseball tickets to the 2009 World Series.
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The ethics commission charged Paterson in a 17-page report with violating a ban on free gifts for public officials, and lying about it. He faces civil penalties of at least $40,000 if found guilty.
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It said Paterson lied under oath about whether he was planning to pay for the tickets. He finally did pay for them, but only after "a press inquiry after the receipt of the tickets caused the governor to submit a backdated check as payment."

I'm so sick of the corruption in all levels of government. This is just indicative of something much more pervasive than many are aware of. And this guy says his state needs his leadership. :shk: This is exactly the kind of leadership that people DON'T need!

I too am tired of corrupt politicians. I am not so concerned, though, about a governor getting free baseball tickets.

Looking at war profiteering, major players moving headquarters to Dubai as tax shelters, blackmail....all these things.

It just seems like there are more important things to focus on than free tickets to an entertainment venue.

This is just one of the issues Paterson is on the hot seat for. He may have also lied under oath. I'm not too concerned about the tickets, but when he tried to cover it up and only did the "right thing" when forced to makes me wonder...

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
This is just one of the issues Paterson is on the hot seat for. He may have also lied under oath. I'm not too concerned about the tickets, but when he tried to cover it up and only did the "right thing" when forced to makes me wonder...

I will admit I am not familiar with Paterson and his current issues, other than that he has current issues.

Either way, I know that he is crooked, and that this is just one more notch on the belt, so to speak.

let me get this straight.

you can get free stuff as a normal person, and go to a game.

when you become a politician, you can no longer get anything for free?

i would understand if they were buying his decision on a bill with the tickets. were they?

seems a little crappy to not be allowed to accept free tickets because you are a politician.

i understand he lied, which of course is bad.

i just dont understand free things with no strings attached, assuming there were no strings.

reply to post by mahtoosacks
State police officers can't accept gifts over a certain monetary value in the State of Pennsylvania.

There was recently a bit of a scandal because the governor there gave gifts to his state police security detail, and they got in some hot water over it.

It is because they are public officials with powers that the ordinary citizen doesn't have.



[edit on 4-3-2010 by butcherguy]

reply to post by mahtoosacks


It doesn't have to be a bribe to look like a bribe.

Lets say this time it wasn't a bribe. How would you know if the next one is? All handouts look the same, they don't come in a big box with BRIBE written across the side.

reply to post by Berserker01


true, but what if my friend was mayor, and i wanted him to come with me to a game and i gave him some tickets to come with me, because hes my friend?

he could be fired over that?

i understand that you dont know what is and isnt a bribe, but just because some priests molest, doesnt mean they all do?

i know this becomes gray area fast tho, but what if i gave him a sandwhich that was free? or if i drove him somewhere without making him pay for my gas.

reply to post by mahtoosacks


Why are you over thinking this?

Do you have a friend that is a mayor?

The NCAA has stricter rules regarding compensation of student athletes than we have regarding bribes, earmarks, and payoffs of elected officials. that is SICK. An athletic program can get massively slapped down by the NCAA for something as silly as a coach buying a player a Big Mac, fries, and a Coke on a road trip if said student athlete forgot his wallet or is a little short on cash... but we're supposed to look the other way when Obama appoints a member of Congress' brother to a federal position in exchange for a favorable vote on an issue.

Is Paterson corrupt? Certainly seems to be. Does he differe from the majority of politicians in any way? Certainly doesn't seem to. Do the other sitting politicos who are calling for his head reek of disingenuousness and hypocrisy? ABSOLUTELY.

We need to bring back public tar and feathering of corrupt politicians in the USA. I guarantee, after one, maybe two of these bastards have been dipped, we'd see a large number of retiring politicians.

Originally posted by Berserker01
reply to post by mahtoosacks

 

Why are you over thinking this?

Do you have a friend that is a mayor?

because it doesnt make sense why someone cant get something for free based on profession.

yea hundreds of thousands of dollars to get you to vote on something is obviously wrong.

free baseball tickets are nice, but i wouldnt put my reputation on the line over something so small.

Originally posted by mahtoosacks
because it doesnt make sense why someone cant get something for free based on profession.

There's no way to tell if it's a bribe or not.

free baseball tickets are nice, but i wouldnt put my reputation on the line over something so small.

I wouldn't either, but if he wanted tickets, he could have paid for them. That's all he had to do to prevent the appearance of a violation. World series tickets can be like $1000 to $10,000 each.

What do Democrats and Republicans have in common? CORRUPTION!!

reply to post by groingrinder


Actually the dems are being called out for their corruption. Patterson replaced Spitzer who was caught w/ a call girl who was being investigated by the feds[not her personally, but the prostitution ring] I think this quote from wikipedia says it all..

As a result of Spitzer's relative speed in bringing state Democrats to his side, he gained the respect of Democratic leaders nationwide. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson dubbed Spitzer the "future of the Democratic Party" at a fund raiser held in June 2005 for Spitzer's gubernatorial campaign.[15]

Yep he showed the future of the dems... Getting caught doing things they shouldn't be doing! Can anyone say that Al Sharptons sudden turn around, calling for Pattersons resignation isn't odd. Just a few days before he and other black community leaders were supporting Patterson, until a phone-call from OBAMA!?

www.nydailynews.com...

Just 2 days and he changed his mind? Oh what is really going on? When Obama came to NY last year he endorsed the A.G. for governor and asked Patterson to not to run. See what happens when you don't take Obamas advice. Patterson could have gotten a nice appointment, instead he is being investigated. Not to mention that the AG should excuse himself from the investigation being he is a possible candidate for governor, who will announce his intentions soon I love how dysfunctional my state is!

[edit on 4-3-2010 by hangedman13]