A day of caving

   It was a day of flipping and flopping Wednesday for the Spitzer administration, as the governor surely set the new Albany record for policy shifts in one day.

   First, the governor abandoned his controversial plan to permit illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. That came after weeks of his bashing critics as “immoral’’ for not siding with his plan.

By the afternoon, word came out of another retreat: backing away from a tax department plan to begin requiring Amazon and other big Internet retailers to collect sales taxes in advance on products sold to New Yorkers.

   Turns out, the Spitzer administration can read a calendar. The tax was due to kick in Dec. 1 – the beginning of the Christmas sales season.

   “Gov. Spitzer believes that now is not the right time to be increasing sales taxes on New Yorkers.  He has directed the Department of Tax and Finance to pull back its interpretation that would require some Internet retailers that do not collect sales tax to do so,’’ said Paul Francis, the governor’s budget director.

   Probably also wouldn’t have looked too good to be beefing up sales tax enforcement at the same time the administration has backed away from efforts to collect taxes on cigarettes and gasoline sold by Indian retailers.

  For the governor, running away from his license plan is, his backers believe, the chance for him to try to redirect attention to more pressing … and popular … matters, say, like dealing with the ailing upstate economy.

   For some Democrats, it was an opportunity to finally come out from under their desks, where the more politically vulnerable ones have been trying to hide since the governor proposed his plan in September.

   It comes after Senate Democrats were asked to fall on their sword for the governor when the license issue was the chief topic of debate during a one-day special session. Democrat after Democrat rose to defend Spitzer on the floor of the Senate.

   "It does not take a stethoscope to hear the pulse of New Yorkers on this topic," Spitzer
said in Washington Wednesday during his retreat address.

   For certain, the issue did do one thing for the governor: it took off the front pages
stories about how top aides in his office used the State Police to try to smear a political
rival.

   But, in Albany, timing is everything. The disappearance of the license issue Wednesday
comes just days after it was revealed Darren Dopp, the governor's former communications
director, is being investigated by Albany prosecutors over possible conflicting sworn
statements he gave over his role in that campaign against Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

   So, is it exit License Flap, re-enter Spitzergate?


-- Tom Precious

Comments

[Dee]

Mr Spitzer:

All that was heard from you and your cronies pre-election was how things were going to change starting Day One... Boy did they, you forgot however to inform the voters that these changes were not going to be in their best interest. Perhaps the taxpayers of NYS would be better served if you were to focus your attention on lowering taxes, encouraging new business, and job creation this would benefit all of NYS.

[Barton Keyes]

Basically, Spitzer forgot he no longer was a DA but is a Governor. Governor's don't have unilateral power to decide things as prosecutor's do. Governors need politcal support even when allegedly changing administrative rules.
Politics 101: opponents and the public can, depending on the issue, carry as big a stick as the Governor. And when they hit you with it, even Governor's have to take notice.

[David Brown]

I get so tired of hearing the whining conservatives continue to attack the clintons...could it be because the Clintons are the only ones to do anything for this country in my more than forty years of life. the truth is that I've never saw a repuplican conservative that was worth the salt that went into his bread. The only thing that conservatives do is screw up this country with their misguided ideas and value system.

[Rick]

David, who here was whining about the Clintons? And, since you bring it up, what exactly have the Clintons done (I haven't seen the jobs that Hillary promised...). Four decades of decline at Democratic hands in WNY should be all you need to see about misguided ideas.

[Rick]

David, who here was whining about the Clintons? And, since you bring it up, what exactly have the Clintons done (I haven't seen the jobs that Hillary promised...). Four decades of decline at Democratic hands in WNY should be all you need to see about misguided ideas.

[Joe Shiah]

RE: Final farewell to fallen soldiers.

I had the distinct honor of serving as Ride Captain of the Patriot Guard Riders for the services of Pfc. Dwayne Covert.
As Ride Captain my responsibility was to follow the wishes of the family of Pfc. Covert. A very important concern of the family was and is privacy. They instructed me to do all that I could to prevail upon the media to respect their desire to have no pictures, video recordings of any kind of any aspect of the sevice inside or outside.
This request was passed on by me to every photographer that showed up. I am proud to say that the following media outlets complied with the wishes of the family, The Buffalo News, The Kenmore Record Advertiser, Channel 4, and Channel 7. On behalf of the family I thank you.
However the Gannett Newspapers, (Tonawanda News), and Channel 2 News refused to cooperate with the wishes of the family. Their refusal caused me to order my members to form a line to obstruct their camera angles. In my opinion this caused the solemnity of the occasion to be compromised and threatened to disrupt the privacy so highly valued by the family of this fallen hero.
While I recognize and respect the 2nd amendment I also recognize that the constitution grants a right to privacy. The two photographers that were very obstinate claiming that they "can't" stop taking pictures. They are an embarrassment to civilized society. I hope they are very happy with themselves when they cash their measly paycheck this week.
Staff Sgt. Dennis Shaw and Pfc. Dwayne Covert died to protect your rights and you couldn't even stop for one moment to respect their wishes.
Joe Shiah
RC PGRNY

[Lloyd Marshall Jr.]

"I get so tired of hearing the whining conservatives continue to attack the clintons, etc."

Hey, David... nobody mentioned the Clintons until YOU piped in with your non-sequitur.

Take a stroll, troll.

[Rick]

Capt. Shiah, are you surprised about Gannett and Channel 2 (correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Channel 2 still owned by Gannett)? More concerned with ratings than with a family's wishes.... class acts.