A Lobbyist Gave $900,000 in Donations. Whose Money Is It?

Having seen it firsthand it is simple as this: Lobbyists are bagmen - and bagwomen. The only reall persuasive power they have is the money they collect from clients to give in the form of legal bribes and then the subsequent familiaritythe giving gives them with those who control the decisions they need made the way their clients want them to be made. Conversely, legisaltors like Mr. Rivera know full well that the what makes Mr. Rich persuasive is the money that he like all politicians extort in contributions. It is a common excuse to say the money buys access, not votes, not decisions. No, in fact it buys votes. The system is what it is, baksheesh, payment for votes and favors and more favors.

On a smaller scale, I wrote about this years ago. The money means a lot, including the Academic Medical avengers and large voluntary hospitals are first in line for funding from Albany. Attempts at equity in funding ave been thwarted

“My decisions as a policymaker have never been influenced and will never be influenced by who supports me financially.” The lie upon which all the rest of the political lies that follow are based. One day, somewhere, a politician will have an attack of conscience and truthfully state; "The more you give, the more I listen". I'm not holding my breath.

"Other major trade associations do not pay nearly as much, even to their top officials. John Banks, then the president of the Real Estate Board of New York, which represents developers’ interests, was paid about half as much as Mr. Rich in 2017." An interesting fact, one that readers could evaluate more effectively if we were provided a chart highlighting a few lobbyists, the budgets of their respective associations, and the # of years they have been at the organization. The latter is particularly relevant given Rich's tenure of 2+ decades and the raises he would have accumulated over 20 years compared to another lobbyist with a much shorter tenure.

Wow. This stinks to high heavens. Wouldn't it be great if we had even this much detail about "trump's" income - where it's coming from and where it's going to? Any yet here we have some pretty detailed info about a private individual not employed by the govt.

Re: "...The Greater New York Hospital Association is the state’s most powerful hospital and health system trade association..." Don't the proceeds from bribery usually get processed as 'ill gotten' gains, confiscated / redistributed, via civil forfeiture, etc., or...as that just the 'common_citizen' legal standard, enforced against people who STILL have to consult 'price' tags, prior, to their next purchase????

“My decisions as a policymaker have never been influenced and will never been influenced by who supports me financially.” ....he said with a wink and a grin trying hard to suppress his own laughter and maintain a straight face.

“I always wondered about that,” said a state senator, who, like other candidates and elected officials who spoke to The Times, requested anonymity to discuss Mr. Rich’s contributions for fear of antagonizing a major contributor. “It’s an unusual arrangement, even in Albany.” So no one spoke on the record so they could continue to receive possibly unethically- donated money? What a world.

Hmmm. So, I'm no expert but I think the leading picture in this article is very misleading. The picture shows people holding NYSNA signs. NYSNA is a Nurse Union. The picture and the caption seems to suggest that this Union would somehow be benefiting from Mr. Rich's potentially illicit activities. From what I understand, this is exactly the opposite of the truth. GNYHA battles regularly with NYSNA to keep wages stagnant and cut costs related to healthcare workers. I could be mistaken.