David Patterson Vows to Stay in Office; New York is a Failed State; Open Primaries and Single Transferable Votes

Tell me, just how does my ass taste?

David Patterson, he doesn't deserve the formality of being called 'Governor,' has vowed that he will not resign his office despite his personal indiscretions and his far more serious complete inability to govern. "The only way I'm not going to be governor next year is at the ballot box, and the only way I'll be leaving office before is in a box," he said, defiantly. It would make for one farcical campaign. He can point to no achievement, major or minor, and he stands strongly on no issue save gay marriage, which is likely a subterfuge to draw attention from his complete lack of accomplishments and a State Legislature that openly defies him at every turn. Such dysfunction is nothing new. Joe Bruno, pictured above, was State Senate Majority Leader for 14 disastrous years until he was forced to resign in the face of corruption charges that he was eventually convicted of last year.

And he had the nerve to complain about his portrayal on Saturday Night Live

The poverty of New York State politics seems indicative of a failed state. When governmental institutions fail they must be taken over from the outside. Two prominent examples that come to mind are the consent decree entered into by the U.S. Department of Justice and the L.A.P.D. in 2000 that lasted for nine years. Closer to home New York State was forced to take over the City of Buffalo in 2003 to avoid the city becoming bankrupt.

Election reform is needed. Too many districts are 'dead districts' where incumbents or single parties reign for decades on end. Voter turnout in statewide elections continues to trend down toward nothingness. One interesting idea would be to scrap the 'winner-take-all' system we currently have for statewide elections in favor of a system that encourages more parties or at least more choice for each party. Bloomberg has called for "open" primaries. Really, why have primaries at all? If there are three great Democratic nominees for an office, and no great Republican ones, let them duke it out in November rather than having to duplicate efforts and elections. With more than two candidates on a ballot a 'single transferable vote' or 'alternative vote top-up' system could be implemented where voters could rank or weigh their choices.

Really, almost any change would be better than the current sytem of rampant corruption, disastrous budgeting, clandestine decision-making, voter apathy and criminal investigations of politicians years after the damage is done.