June 28, 2009
CFBNY mourns the collapse of responsible state
government in Albany.
Members of all political parties share in this
shocking display of disregard of voters voices.
The failure of nearly all elected legislators to
speak publicly about this collapse of a functioning
government must not go on. It's now very clear
that political party bosses, and not voters, run our
dysfunctional legislature. The perpetrators of
these crimes against citizens must not go
unpunished.
A personal visit is now nearly the
only way to get the attention of your legislator.
Call for an appointment NOW, not tomorrow. If
you care for the survival of New York State, and the
well-being of all residents, step up. We must
demand that they move away from the partisan threats
they receive, and respond to citizens.
We do not need a
Soviet republic in New York
State. Step up to stop this movement!
 June
22 - Attendees Learned secrets of our NYS Constitution
Annual meeting was held - with election of officers
by members.
After Professor Galie's talk, there was a lively Q&A about the types of
reform that only a change in the constitution of our
state can bring to reality. Plus, we learned
of likely threats that "special interests" will
likely employ.
Our featured speaker for this
meeting was Professor Peter Galie, Chairman of the
Political Science Department of Canisius College and
author of definitive works on the NYS Constitution.
The title of his talk was "Reforming the State
Constitution, Successes and Failures of Conventions
and Commissions."
 Buffalo
Ethics hearings by Senate bring out strong opinions.
CFBNY presents testimony on critical changes to
bring respect back into our state government.
Read testimony presented on May 29, 2009
here...
in PDF format.
May
28, 2009 - Hearings held in Rochester on Campaign Finance
Reform by New York State
Senate
This important hearing offered about 75 voters from
Western New York to state their opinions about
legislative alternatives! Our state is
crumbling due to the corrupting power of wealthy
special interests. There
was uniform agreement that the current
system is flawed, and major change is needed.
Read testimony from CFBNY Vice President Neil
Jaschik
here. Four other
members of CFBNY also testified! Help us keep
this work going. Can you
chip-in $10 to cover expenses? We headed to Buffalo on May 29, to testify for voters
at an ethics hearing.
Watch short video of testimony by President Stu
Berger at right (sorry for the
low sound).
 Senate
Rules Reform!
In
late April 2009, in Albany, the State Senate
Temporary Committee on Rules and Administration
Reform announced the results of its 4-month effort
to study rules reform.
Good News: As
advocates for the interests of all New Yorkers, we
are very pleased with the Senate committee's report
and recommendations.
Citizen action is important
to have
recommendations adopted.
Click Here to take action!
Voter Action Needed to remove the "Iron Curtain"
in Albany
Citizens are urged to
email or contact legislators about the silence from
our elected representatives. A sample letter
is below:
Dear Member of the
Dysfunctional Legislature,
We elected you to personally drive effective
government in Albany. Now, during the biggest crisis
in recent history, you seem to be silent.
Where is
the vibrant voice we heard during your recent
campaign?
During this unprecedented financial
meltdown, your voice is not to be heard. Why?
Can
you talk with me about your position in addressing
our state’s budget debacle?
My phone number is xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Thank you.
Your Name
Voter and Citizen
CFBNY
Deplores Secret "Three Men in a Room" Budget process
on March 20, 2009.
New York State is returning to the 'dark ages' of
governance without public input from legislators,
nor open debate on priorities. Yes, the
notorious 'special-interests' have input, but our
elected legislators are excluded from key meetings.
In a report by WXXI, Public Broadcasting in
Rochester, Karen DeWitt provides details:
Click here to listen and/or read. A new window
will open.
CFBNY asks voters to call your legislators.
What to say? "We elected you to represent us,
so please do your job and speak up. Challenge the
leaders' stranglehold on excluding all other
Legislators from having a voice."
CFBNY points out critical connection between making
rules changes and assuring New York’s vibrant future
at Long Island Senate hearings on February 27, 2009.
President Stu Berger calls for bold leadership by
the Senate committee.
He recommends the Senate
discuss and adopt
the powerful, and for some, painful, Senate rules
changes needed to best serve the interests of all
New Yorkers, not just the special few.
More here...
CFBNY Presents Testimony to Senate Committee on
Rules and Administration Reform in Syracuse on
February 6, 2009.
Spokesperson Reg Neale presented CFBNY's
position on the committee's work. Click on
image at right to watch Part 1 of 2. Then
click here to watch Part 2 of 2 - a new window
will open.
Our members believe that the
well-being of New York’s citizens can be enhanced if
we can accomplish the 4R’s.
The 4R’s are:
- Rules Changes in the
Legislature: to restore representative democracy
to a Legislature that has been described as the
"most dysfunctional" in the nation;
-
Redistricting: to require an
independent, non-partisan commission to
establish competitive legislative districts that
make sense and ensure accountability.
- Referendum and Initiative: to
establish a check-and-balance process that gives
citizens greater voice for influencing public
policy.
- Reclaim Fair Elections: to
implement Clean Money/Clean Election laws that
provide public money for state election
campaigns if a candidate agrees to strict
spending limits.
More here...
State of New York's Crisis Discussed at January 15th
Public Meeting
 Our
featured speaker was and is an expert in Albany's
triumphs, troubles, and dysfunction.
Rick Dollinger discussed "What Can We Do to Change Albany?"
At 7PM, our
featured speaker, Rick Dollinger,
provided his perspective on the fiscal crisis and
the way that our state government is dealing with
it. He discussed the government process and
what changes are critical to improving the way that
the state's problems are dealt with.
Rick pointed our four critical issues to
returning our government to functionality
-
non-partisan redistricting -
creating voting districts without consideration
of the party affiliation of residents of
districts
-
campaign finance reform -
restoring the power of the voter, and reducing
the power of well-funded special interests
-
legislative rules changes to
bring equality to individual legislators
-
I&R - allowing citizens to
directly vote on issues that the legislature
fails to address
We need your help in bringing about
these reforms, and returning New York State to a
state of opportunity and prosperity for all citizens!
Stay tuned for news on further workshops and public
forums on cleaning up our failing government.
Can you chip-in
to support CBGNY? We have an
all-volunteer group, with no paid employees,
contractors, or consultants.
But we do have expenses for
mailings, advertisements, computer and web hosting. Please consider giving as much as
you feel able!
Your donation counts!
Sorry, not tax
deductable.
 Lawmakers:
Put people before politics
by Bob Volpe - Citizens for a
Better New York - 11/12/08
Now is the time for Republicans to become statesmen and
act to change the state Senate rules to benefit all New
Yorkers. The GOP has had control of the Senate for more 40
years, but in January, the Democrats will take over.
Between now and then, the senators have the opportunity to
define the environment in which they’ll work, in which the
GOP will be the minority party.
We urge them to immediately adopt key changes recommended
by the Brennan Center for Justice in 2004:
• Strengthen the committee process.
• End leaders’ stranglehold over bills getting to the floor.
• Institutionalize the use of conference committees.
• End leadership control over resources and staff. Read more...
|
