The bipartisan rogues gallery of Albany

This is a recap of recent developments in New York's legislature.




The Democratic Assembly speaker has been indicted for a massive bribes and kickback scheme.




The Republican leader of the Senate is under investigation, also for his outside sources of income.



The Republican deputy leader of the Senate has been indicted for lying to the FBI.



Every living former Assembly speaker and Senate majority leader has been indicted, all for financial crimes.




So how has that "lesser of two evils" voting strategy working out?




"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." -Benjamin Franklin.




If you're tired of the insanity, check out the Green Party of New York. Or if you're so inclined, the Libertarian Party of New York. These are the only two organized alternatives in this state to the two corporate parties.

Speaker's chum annointed New York's top judge

The Village Voice has a scathing article about the appointment of Jonathan Lippman as head of New York's high court. Lipmann has negligible experience as a jurist. According to The Voice, Lippman's written a mere 16 signed judicial opinions, has been a judge for only a few years and has never practiced as a private attorney. He is the first person in over a century to preside over New York's highest court without ever having previously been an associate judge. He's now in charge not only of New York's top court but of the state's entire judicial system. But Lippman did have one thing going for him: a lifelong friendship with the state's powerful Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a man around whom a whiff of backroom dealing and sleaze is never far. The article does nothing to dissipate that whiff.