Opinion

Cuomo versus corruption: Time to clean house

The Issue: Gov. Cuomo’s plan to address corruption by New York’s public officials following recent scandals.

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I read in The Post about Gov. Cuomo’s rush to push legislation to curtail the massive corruption in his state (“Can NY Be Reformed?” Editorial, April 10).

However, not once did I read that if current elected officials are caught and convicted, they lose their accrued pensions.

I also don’t blame Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, since he does not elect legislators.

Unfortunately, when an official’s greed overcomes the trust of his constituents, no one can be held accountable except the person in the elected position.

They all belong in an Elected Officials Hall of Shame.

George Coppola

Whippany, NJ

So up until now it was OK for a politician to take bribes and steal taxpayer money?

This isn’t new, and Cuomo was attorney general before becoming governor.

Why didn’t he stop it? Because he wanted to become governor.

Nothing will be done. This is grandstanding before the next election, and he’ll leave mid-term and run for president.

Cuomo doesn’t need to have a press conference. He should just do his job and let the AG do his, meaning maximum sentences and no bargaining, even if suspects turn someone in.

Politicians are supposed to have ethics.

Sam Lumia

Whitestone

In the wake of the Newtown shooting, Gov. “Status Cuo-mo” rushes the Legislature to pass a gun-control bill that’s so flawed, it’s impractical.

Now, in the wake of a bribery scandal, he wants to rush through an anti-corruption law.

Does this guy ever lead on any issues?

Like all Democrats these days, Cuomo is a knee-jerk reactionary who does little more than play popular, political whack-a-mole.

First Eliot Spitzer, then David Paterson and now Andrew Cuomo. I’ll take George W. Bush and Rick Perry any day.

John Laraway

Midland, Texas

Much of the corruption that plagues our state government would go away if all elected officials faced term limits.

If honest citizens can’t depend on their own common sense to remove long-serving politicians who have schemed and connived their way to wealth and power at the expense of the people, then it’s time to make the system spit them out automatically.

Chris Bischof

Brooklyn