Paladino Says NY Sen. Libous (Ab)using Fracking to Fundraise

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Carl Paladino, a conservative who ran as the Republican candidate against Democrat Andrew Cuomo in the 2010 gubernatorial election in New York, isn’t a fan of New York State Senator Tom Libous. Libous is a Binghamton resident and the number two senator in the Republican-controlled (yes you read that right, Republican-controlled) New York State Senate.

If fracking begins in New York, much of it will be in the counties Libous represents. He’s been on record mostly supporting fracking in New York State, but there have been the odd statements here and there when he seems to back away from a full-throated endorsement. Paladino says Libous is a RINO (Republican In Name Only) who is manipulating the fracking issue to get more campaign money. Ouch. Tell us what you really think Carl!

He does just that. From an open letter issued by Paladino to the “222 Committeemen in Senate District 52” (which is Libous’ district):

NYS continues down the slippery slope into the abyss. Many of the good old boy republican county chairs and legislative leaders are now complicit with Andrew Cuomo and Sheldon Silver.

There is no opposition to keep Albany honest or check the progressive agenda. Tom Libous, George Maziarz and Dean Skelos recently joined with Cuomo and Silver in proclaiming to the people that the legislative session was a complete success. They fixed everything that needed fixing and there was nothing left to do. Hello!!!

The last legislative session not only produced a “tax reform” bill that in fact raised taxes $2 billion but it failed to address the job creating drilling of the Marcellus Shale, malpractice, tort, Scaffold Law and Wicks law reform and purposely failed to consider referendum and recall that would give the people a direct voice. They passed teachers evaluations that cannot be reviewed by the public not only throwing the kids under the bus, but also backing over them a couple of times. And they call their session a success?

They gave us pension reform that did nothing to mitigate the fact New York is the highest cost of government and highest taxed state in America. They laughed at their constituents when they conspired to coerce four of their cohorts to give them cover, throw their integrity out the window and vote for the gay marriage bill.

Without the sanction of the republican senate leadership the bill would never have passed. It had nothing to do with gay marriage. It was about Cuomo wanting to pound his chest and show the people that he could get an extreme left bill through the intimidated republican majority of the senate which has no values or conscience and is clearly for sale.

It’s all about incumbency. The RINOs have been so comfortable in their seats that they now believe that they no longer have to respect the basic values of the people who put them in office.

They think their constituencies are so dumbed down that they can use their public office to wire up their lame kids with high paying jobs and hot have to answer for it.

Libous is an anachronism-a poster child for term limits. He is elected by republicans but takes big money from the gluttonous public employee unions. His greed is insatiable. A false fear has been promulgated by cowardly RINO incumbents that the loss of a republican majority in the senate would allow a democrat led senate. The taxpayers now know there is no difference with a RINO led Senate. It’s the same criminal minds pushing a progressive agenda with different labels. They enjoy the status quo.

There is discontent statewide.

Libous’ constituency is not buying his spin anymore. He dispatches his thugs to intimidate competition because he believes that after 24 years he is divine.

Libous is second in command of the Senate which is one third of what it takes to do anything in Albany. He has the power to bring 25,000 – $75,000/year jobs to his area of the state by permitting the drilling of the Marcellus Shale but instead he argues environmental concerns to mask the good old boy two-step where they defer decision until the drillers figure out how to bring Mr. Green to the tables of Al D’Amato and the other parasitic lobbyists so they can line the campaign bank accounts of the establishment boys and play their gay marriage chips. Last month D’Amato gave $50,000 to Cuomo’s campaign.

As corrupt as that sounds that is the Albany game.

Libous takes care of only his friends and family club. He had no trouble getting his wife a $110,000 job at the Workers Compensation Board and she doesn’t even have to go into the office leaving her plenty of time to visit one of their 2 Florida homes.

Libous masterminded the EIT / IBM deal. EIT never lived up to their commitment. The IBM properties were transferred to EIT and are now owned by Huron Corp – a Cayman Island Corp. NYS through a gimmick reimbursed EIT the property taxes it paid, which apparently ends this year. Libous took good care of his contributors and Endicott is now facing a huge property tax crisis next year.

When the district’s committeemen were contacted of an effort to draft Bob Warner onto the ballot and asked to carry petitions for Bob Warner, the county chairman, Dan Hamlin, promptly sent all committeemen a message instructing them to refuse petitioning for Warner. Hamlin’s letter and a speech he gave to the committeemen are violations under the election law.

We ask all committeemen to lead the effort to bring meaningful changes in NYS government, reject the establishment political power brokers and protect the people from corruption.

Allow a new candidate on the ballot and give the people a choice. Let the republican rank and file decide if they want a 24 year incumbent or a fresh face to challenge the democrat challenger for this vital senate seat.

The great majority of the republican rank and file voted in 2010 and again in this year’s US Senate primary against the republican establishment and for change in the status quo.

Until we clean our own house of the vermin and restructure the party we will not be a formidable force to take on the progressive movement and make New York a better state for our families and future generations.*

*Albany (NY) Times Union (Jul 6, 2012) – Paladino: ‘It’s all about incumbency’ for RINOS

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