I, Publius: Letters I might have gotten

Dear Doctor:
I look forward to reading your advice — it has helped me a great deal over the years. If everyone listened to you, the world would be a much better place. My boyfriend always thinks that he’s right about everything. Now he says that all politics are fixed and nothing is what it seems. He isn’t right, is he?

Bereft in Barrington.

Dear Bereft:

Hold on to that boyfriend. He’s certainly partially right. An interesting thing happened in Great Barrington. A guy on the town Finance Committee suggested that the Selectmen should not get paid for their part-time duties. He also suggested that they shouldn’t receive their very expensive health insurance. As soon as he said that, I got a call from a high town official asking who could run against the guy with the good idea. I wasn’t going to help him and told him so. A perfectly nice woman was recruited to do the dirty work. It’s unclear whether she had a clue as to why she was encouraged to run, but she won and the Finance Committee member with the modest proposal lost. My bet is that very few people had any idea why the guy with the good idea may have been targeted. The woman who beat him received a good deal of financial help for her candidacy. So at least in this case, your boyfriend is right.

Dear Doctor:

Thank you so much for all your hard work. I love to read your advice. My girlfriend is thinking about leaving me. She says that I’m not such a good lover. She wishes I was more like you. She says that when she hears you on the radio that she just knows that you’re a man of great passion. Is she right?

Rufus in the Woods.

Dear Rufus:

I am passionate about some things; about others, not so much. I am passionate about politics, history books, and people but maybe not in the category she is talking about. Sometimes when one partner is more passionate in the physical department than another, there is trouble brewing. If you can’t provide the sustenance that your girlfriend needs, she may seek it elsewhere. I recommend that you drop her like a hot potato. Let her go. Find someone who likes you just as you are. Someday you’ll thank me for my advice.

Dear Doctor:

It seems to me that the Senate Republicans under Mitch McConnell are out to get President Obama one way or another. They want to impeach him for the same things they’ve been doing for years. My Aunt Tessie hates the president. She tells me that she is going to cut me out of her will if I keep siding with him. I stand to lose $30 million. What should I do?

Sadie in Stockbridge

Dear Sadie:

What is more important, a country with a future for you and your children or a few measly millions? You have a few options. You can just avoid the subject when she brings it up or you can lie. On the other hand, you can tell her that she is un-American and you’ve always hated her and her reactionary opinions. You can tell her that your mother always hated her, too. On second thought, maybe you should just lie.

Dear Doctor:

My boyfriend Brutus (he is a brute) thinks you’re wrong about everything. I think he’s jealous because he knows I love you. He says that he won’t pay his taxes this year because the IRS is picking on the tea party. Can he do that?

Sadie in Sheffield

Dear Sadie:

He sounds like a jerk. You might encourage him not to pay. Then he’ll end up in jail and you’ll be safe from the brute.

Originally published in the Berkshire Eagle, 5/18/13

It’s put up or shut up time in Albany

The games of politics and baseball have a lot in common. In politics as in baseball, every game has a winner and a loser. Except in the very rarest of situations, there are no ties in either baseball or politics. They are both games of strategy and it is very easy to see how mistakes can be made on the spot. Politics is a little bit more difficult to play and the sanctions can be far more severe when you break the rules. Like baseball, however, strategic decisions have to be made quickly. To cover up an unfortunate event or not is one such strategic decision. In politics, it is generally held that a cover-up is almost always more dangerous than the occasional mistake. Hoping to derail a coming Hillary Clinton presidential run, the Republicans are hoping to prove a cover-up in the Benghazi probe.

Likewise, pressure is exerted in state politics when a high and tight fastball comes across the chest of the Cuomo administration. Put yourself in the governor’s place as a trickle of public corruption turns into a river of rot. Here is Cuomo, who has promised to clean up Albany. He started when he was attorney general and received high marks for his efforts. Now, however, he finds himself having to clean up those who are partners in the game with him in making public policy. So far that has proven to be very difficult. If he hadn’t promised to be the key player, it wouldn’t matter that the heavy lifting is being done by the FBI and federal Department of Justice officials. The governor will tell you, “You wouldn’t believe how dirty some of these people are” and he’d know, since he reviewed their files when he was AG. Now is the time for him to reinvigorate his efforts. He needs to threaten to use his power to create a Moreland Act Commission to investigate legislators and other public officials.

Unlike the FBI, Cuomo doesn’t really have the power to tap the phones of would-be perpetrators. In a classic display of chutzpah (unbelievable gall) we are hearing some legislators complain that because so many phones are being tapped, they don’t know who they can talk to. Isn’t that too bad? Never have we seen a better reason for setting term limits for public officials. We are now seeing a spate of bills to create term limits. One recent attempt by two minority party members of the Legislature involves changing the terms from two years to four years and then saying you can only serve for three terms. What a bunch of nonsense. The only way to make any meaningful change is to turn the heat up to intolerable levels and then have an ambitious office holder like Cuomo say to his colleagues, “If you’d like more pain, trust me, I can deliver it to you.”

There is so much posturing going on at the moment that Shakespeare would have been proud of the theatrics. Every politician is trying to pass some self-serving reform that is ill-intentioned and going nowhere. The difference is, we all know that the game is up and no one will be judged by phony bills or pronouncements — they’ll be judged by results. Andrew Cuomo has been calling for one new agency after another and has been threatening Moreland Act Commissions of different stripes for months now. It’s put up or shut up time. As long as the FBI keeps the criminal du jour coming, the people of New York will stay sick to their stomachs and will not accept any more platitudes about fixes.

Originally published in the Legislative Gazette, 5/13/13

Murray tells Alan about Mother’s Day

I had a conversation with Murray, the world’s cutest and smartest pup who was taught how to read at the Literacy Network of South Berkshire. If you live with dogs, I’m sure you’ve often wondered what the dog is thinking.

In our case, I know what Murray is thinking because he tells me. For example, food is at the top of his list. Just the other day as I was eating my dinner, he hopped up on the couch and said, “You know, pops, the only reason I’m sitting next to you right now is that you sneak me food, and mom, who I love much more than I love you, doesn’t.”

“You know, Murray,” I said to him, “that isn’t a very nice thing to say to me.”

“Oh, you know what I mean, pops. I do love you, but mom is my prime caregiver. Ever since she retired and I spend most of my time with her, we’ve super-bonded. Now she takes me to work and I play with a pup down the hall named Snowball. We run around and drink water together and we keep our ears open for political gossip because I know how much you need me to feed you stuff for this column.”

“Thanks, Murray. Do you have anything for me this week?”

“Well, there’s one thing, but I hope you won’t get too upset. Mom told me not to tell you, but you really have become a burr under the saddle of the political class in Great Barrington. I overheard a conversation just the other day. Mom had me on a leash in front of Fuel when she went in to get her one shot, skim cappuccino. Naturally, the people at the tables out front don’t know that I can understand English and I’m pretty sure I heard one of those political guys say, ‘Who does that Chartock think he is?’ It had something to do with their salaries and the fact that they get health insurance for what is supposed to be a citizen-like job.

“Do you know, pops, that there are around 4,000 registered voters in Great Barrington and there were more than 400 at the town meeting? I heard a nice man who is a selectman saying that there is a rising tide of anti-Semitism in the town. He quoted one guy (who gets up regularly at the town meeting) as saying, ‘The Jews are running the town. We have to take it back.’”

“Well, Murray, that is really dangerous,” I said to him. “I’ve heard that story from two separate sources. I sure hope it isn’t true. When I grew up in the ‘50s, we had that same kind of situation on Fire Island but it dissipated as the years went by. People say stupid things and most of the time they are known for their stupidity. My mom used to say that when you hear someone say something prejudicial, you have to have the guts to tell them, ‘That’s un-American.’ It’s not easy to do. Most of the time these people are seen as dangerous dopes. The problem is that every once in a while, they can cause big trouble.”

“And, Murray, on a related subject, everybody should get to the Mahaiwe on Sunday, May 19, to get to see ‘Ghetto Tango: Cabaret Songs of Love, Truth and Defiance,’ which will be presented by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene and Congregation Ahaveth Shalom. I recently interviewed Zalmen Mlotek, a leading figure in Yiddish theater in the country. The material is described as ‘edgy, political, sexy and satirical.’ When they had nothing else, those imprisoned during the Holocaust wrote music that has been inspirational for all who survived and for all the rest of us. The Chartocks have their tickets.”

“Pops, can I go?” asked the little dog,

“Afraid not, Murray. No dogs allowed, but we’ll see you right after.”

“I love you, pops.”

Originally published in the Berkshire Eagle, 5/11/13

I like some of the players, but not the game

More and more, we find that once folks arrive at places of high power, they adopt the sort of self-serving behavior we cynically have come to expect from our public officials. Many of them practice “honest graft,” accepting money for their campaigns and paying the debt back later in the form of legislation or jobs for cronies. It’s not just us — bad behavior is endemic in virtually every society and is the reason we need good, fearless watch dogs. Every once in a while, someone like federal prosecutor Preet Bharara comes along and actually starts finding and punishing the wrong doers.

I fully understand how morally corrupt the system can be. I have lived in and around this jungle for a very long time and have not been shy about expressing my opinions. That said, I find myself in the midst of a real dilemma — I like a lot of the players but they sure can try my patience with some of their antics.

I know that virtually every decision coming out of Andrew Cuomo’s administration is meant to get him, if the wind blows right, to the White House. However, good social policy sometimes runs counter to that goal. He doesn’t like it when I write columns about the “old Andrew” and the “new Andrew” but frankly, I think that there is no real difference. Freud was right, it’s all over by the time we’re five years old. That’s when character is set. It’s clear that Andrew cares about what I think. In fact, I suspect that he cares about what everyone thinks of him. That’s why he spends so much time calling everyone up. He has this control thing which is slightly compulsive. He must have inherited it from his dad who did the same thing. I admit that I have my moments when I really do get angry at him and yet, when the sun sets, I admit that I care about him. I want him to succeed. When he does something really courageous, I find myself rooting for him. The gun control thing took some real guts. I suspect it may have cost him with some key demographic groups but he did it anyway. That’s courage.

Then there’s Shelly Silver, the Assembly speaker. I think he’s the longest-serving New York Assembly speaker in history. To make that happen, he has to front for his people. He has to find money to get them elected. He has to gerrymander districts. When they are in trouble, he has to get them out of it. Now, the Assembly can drive me nuts. Their self indulgence is infuriating and frankly stupid. Their popularity goes down and down as New Yorkers wise up to the game. They often spend more time getting the money to run for office than they do making the laws. Silver continues to fight for allowing legislators to make outside money that has the potential to get them into trouble, yet, once again, I have to confess that I really like Shelly Silver. He happens to be a nice man, a funny man and his heart is really in the right place when it comes to progressive social policy. The problem, of course, is that you put these people in places where they can make out like bandits and they will. That doesn’t mean that you have to dislike them as people. Once you really know them it is often hard to do so.

When you enter politics, you’re in a competitive game. You have to know the rules. I have no use for the real cheaters — the crooks who steal from the people. You can be critical of politicians and political institutions but somehow you can’t help liking, if not respecting, them. If you don’t get that, I feel badly for you.

Originally published in the Legislative Gazette, 5/7/13

Teaching is not about quick fixes

You really have to love Carol and Steve Ide. They are phenomenal human beings. They are both wonderful musicians who have played with the likes of Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie as well as in the legendary Berkshire bands Boogity Shoe and Shenandoah. The first time I heard them in a band was with Arlo on the record, “Precious Friend.” There’s a wonderful line in which Pete says something like, “Come on men and Carol too.” She was playing the washboard and got a tremendous hand for her single bell solo.

Carol teaches in the Southern Berkshire School District and has just been honored with one of the most important awards available to any teacher. The Berkshire County Educator Recognition Award goes to the very top teachers in Berkshire County. Carol took the top honor in her area of elementary education.

One after another, her colleagues checked in offering superb accolades. I suspect what her colleagues said meant even more to her than the prestigious award from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts committee. If there is a single thing that Carol believes it is that teachers should support each other and that she is just one among many. That is exactly what the MCLA group wants to achieve, honoring all dedicated teachers.

Carol’s humility is stunning. E. Bonnie Silvers, the vice chairwoman of the Southern Berkshire School Committee and a superb educator herself, told me, “Carol Ide is a good example of why we are all so proud of our school district. It is small but it really does have some of the best teachers in the county. We are all so proud of Carol.”

Carol studied elementary education at Rider College in New Jersey near Princeton. She said that her education at Rider, a small but important building block in her career, was important. I asked Carol what she liked best about teaching. She told me that by the third grade most of her children had learned how to read. Discussing good literature and getting them excited about reading was exhilarating. I have always believed that good teaching is one of the most important professions in our country. Good teachers like Carol put extraordinary amounts of time into preparation, grading and creating individual goals for their students. We have all had teachers who have made all the difference in our lives. Teachers work incredibly hard for the little money they get.

Douglas McNally, the coordinator of the Berkshire Readiness Center and the convener of the awarding committee, said, “We had an excellent set of candidates recommended for all three levels, early education, elementary education and secondary education. The committee considered these applicants and found three educators who are exemplary in their dedication, not only to teaching but to being lifelong learners and who see their roles going beyond the classroom. In the case of Carol Ide, her extension into music and environmental education and being aware of the joy of learning to everyone who came in touch with, her set her apart from the others.”

MCLA President Mary Grant, who conceived this wonderful program, told me, “The committee did a spectacular job in identifying and recommending these educators of the year. This is the third year of the award.”

Grant said that teachers deserved and needed this honor because they are “changing lives and shaping the future and we need to recognize and celebrate the work that they do.” She made it clear that teachers are sometimes under-appreciated, and we fail to recognize how complicated it all is. “Teaching is not about quick fixes.”

Every once in a while someone gets the recognition they deserve. In 2009, Steve was named the “Best Guitar Player in Berkshire County.” Now Carol is being honored for her extraordinary work. It makes me feel good.

Originally published in the Berkshire Eagle, 5/4/13

Fracking decision is keeping the governor up at night

The contest between the frackers and the anti-frackers has shifted into high gear. I suspect Governor Andrew Cuomo had no idea of the impact the fracking issue would have in New York. In fact, it has become a signature issue for New York liberals. Cuomo has done much to bring left-leaning moderates into his camp after starting out as a pro-business, almost blue dog Democrat. I suspect both his pollsters and his own political instinct warned him that if he wanted to go further in electoral politics and perhaps take up residence in the White House, he would have to do better with liberals. That’s how you get nominated for president when you’re a Democrat. He’s trying hard to satisfy that group.

His clarion call for gay marriage was a huge plank in his attempt to solidify liberal support. People like what he has done on gay marriage and gun control, to name just two of his achievements, but I suspect he knows that his Q (likeability) rating is not where they’d like it to be. Voters may respect his achievements but that doesn’t mean they like him in the same way they love Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Don’t make any mistake about it — the guy can be very charming but he misses that political je ne sais quoi, an essential part of what made FDR or JFK or even Bill Clinton what they were. People would follow them to hell and back, even when they made some very big mistakes. Cuomo’s problem is that people see him as a political professional who acts not out of principal but out of political expediency.

That’s where hydrofracking comes in. In the beginning, Cuomo obviously saw this attempt to coax gas out of the ground as a big win for him. It would show people that he could deal with the energy problems of the United States for years in the future. It would be a great talking point for a future Presidential campaign. After all, even Barack Obama is for fracking. In addition, Cuomo knew full well that upstate was crucial political territory for him. He knows that it was a killer for his father and he is obviously determined to learn from that. By saying yes to fracking, Cuomo also argues for upstate business development which is, according to almost everyone, a disaster area especially when compared to New York City.

The governor simply doesn’t know what to do. His big problem is that the fracking opposition won’t go away. A recent favorable report by the commissioner of the New York State Department of Health should have helped the Cuomo, pro- fracking disposition, but it didn’t. The opposition seems to believe that the health commissioner is acting on Cuomo’s orders and based on the kind of control Cuomo has over his commissioners, they may have a point. The very effective anti-fracking citizen lobby that can turn out tens of thousands of telephone calls and e-mail messages has not abated. If you are a governor and hundreds of thousands of people write you, you don’t like it. If you are this governor, you really don’t like it.

Some in the Cuomo camp believe that the constant anti-fracking protests are an isolated phenomenon. They point to the polls that are very close on the issue. Nevertheless it is clear that those opposed to fracking take their task very seriously. In fact, there is more than a little chance that this group will either not vote for Cuomo in the next election or vote for a third party candidate. If Cuomo, the brilliant Machiavelli of contemporary politics, is to pursue his path to the White House, he has to show a unified vote in the next election. I’m sure he’s staying up late at night on this issue.

Originally published in the Legislative Gazette, 4/29/13

Give prosecutors the resources they need

If you want to stop public corruption in New York, you have to keep it simple. Rule number one: make sure we know about every dime that our public officials earn outside of their public jobs That way we’ll know who is trying to bribe them, either legally or illegally. It’s not rocket science. Rule number two; give the power and money that Albany District Attorney David Soares and State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman need to effectively do their jobs.

We all know that the Legislature and the governor have starved the Albany DA’s office on purpose. By rights, Soares should have a fully funded public corruption unit in his office. He is the Cardinal of the state’s District Attorneys when it comes to corruption because the state’s pay checks come from Albany where he has jurisdiction. The starving of the Albany DA didn’t start with Soares — it’s been a long tradition. Let’s face it, if you were a legislator who liked to play it around the margins, would you give the DA the tools he needed to make things right? Soares, a thoroughly decent man, recently told me that things are getting worse. In the past, he had state troopers assigned to his office to help out in his investigations, but now these assets have been reassigned. Too bad, we all know that the state police have been used as political pawns by past governors and it would appear the same thing is happening once again.

We all know that Soares and Governor Cuomo are not the best of friends. Do you remember the “Occupy” demonstrations in Albany? Apparently, the governor wanted those legitimate protestors arrested and tried, but DA Soares said that the state had more important things to do than trying a bunch of activist kids. We hear that really ticked off the governor. So, sure as the rain, Soares got a primary opponent, a decent sort who Soares, with his loyal following in Albany County for his progressive approach to criminal justice, soundly beat. I don’t have to draw you a picture of who put the primary challenger up, do I?

In the meantime, the U.S. Attorney, Preet Bharara, has been leading quite the charge against corruption and sending a lot of people to jail. This gets us wondering whether state officials give a free ride to public official crooks. As a result, a bit of a jurisdictional fight has broken out in which the former Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, and the present Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, are duking it out for new powers to combat public corruption. Cuomo is asking for yet another agency, appointed by himself, to chase down the crooks. In the past, Cuomo had promised that the Attorney General (Schneiderman) would have increased powers in this area. Indeed, Cuomo is proud of his own work prosecuting political wrongdoers when he was attorney general. But now, he appears to want that power for himself at Schneiderman’s expense. For his part, Albany District Attorney Soares makes it clear that the last thing we need is yet another “alphabet” group that will do little or nothing. He knows, as do we, that if the DA gets the resources to track these people down, the job will get done.

Look, we don’t need any more do-nothing leeches on the payroll. We know what to do but the folks at the top just don’t want to do it. Why should they? On the contrary, they want to make it seem like they are doing something without really doing anything. There are already people in place who, with a little more authority, could get the job done. Give Soares what he needs, give Attorney General Schneiderman what he needs and let him work with Comptroller Tom DiNapoli to find and prosecute the evil doers.

Originally published in the Legislative Gazette, 4/22/13