BPA SCANDAL

Interesting news on the BPA scandal front. The US Attroney prosecuting the case calls the republican legislators who approved the benefit switch "very unsophisticated naive group of Nassau County Officials." Robert McDonald was the Chief Deputy Presiding Officer for republican Tom Gulotta and now he is on trial for bribery along with other local GOP party members. This scandal cost the county $70million. Then Deputy Presiding Officer Pete Schmitts excuse for signing off on the plan was as he put it in Newsday on 1/5/03 "But if a member of the administration or a commisioner or a deputy county executive or somebody of that stature gets up before the legislature and lies, well, then we're going to make a decision based on the information we have. In that respect, it can happen again." WHAT??? It is the job of the legislature to study and read any proposal they vote on. What was see here is a complete lack of responsibility for the loss of millions of dollars. If it weren't for Democratic Legislator Altman, this could have gone on longer. Let's look at the huge budget hole the county has and wonder that could have been if that $70million wasn't flushed away by corrupt officials. The republicans in the legislature have alot to answer for and we'd like to hear them answer the $70million question under oath.

Shameless politicizing of patriotism

Want to know what Pete Schmitt thinks is "designed to improve the quality of life" and an "important piece of legislation?" No, not a plan to fix Nassau's financial problems. It was legislation to abolish sales tax on flag purchases. FLAG PURCHACES. Once again, we have politics disguised as patriotism. The original bill was introduced just after July 4th 2002. In Pete's "Report" of May 2nd he even tries to tie this bill to the "Horse's Ass Controversy." Pete says "This county should not benefit financially from our residents' patriotism." That's all well and good but what does Pete think about the manufacturer and store's making money from the sale of flags? Should flag sales be non-profit? What does Pete think about that? This is pure politics and not any concern about patriotism. Like the "Horse's Ass Controversy," it's a move to shamelessly use patriotism to further his own political goals.


A great letter to the editor written last year confronts Pete Schmitt in the Plainview-Old Bethpage Herald on the flag bill and more. Check it out HERE.

In the May 20th Newsday Pete once again shoots from the hip and the shot is as wild as his other statements. Pete drones on again that "All the Democrats have done is raise taxes." I guess he missed the staff reductions, consolidations and other initiatives by Tom Souzzi and the Democrats. We look back at Pete's tenure as Deputy Presiding Officer and say "All he and the Gulotta Republicans did was destroy Nassau's finances."

More on the "Horse's Ass Controversy:"

In the May 2nd, 2003 "Legislative Minority Report," Pete tries once again to make an issue out of non-issue. One would think that there are more pressing issues in the county but for Pete, it's politics before people. Pete continues to fabricate the description of the horse in question. Pete keeps saying that the flag is painted on the "hindquarters of the horse" when it is the whole horse painted in red,white and blue with a field of stars. The sad attempt to politicize the patriotic design of a 9 year old girl is beyond the pale. Once again, we ask Pete Schmitt to go face to face with the 9 year old designer and tell her to her face that she is wrong and that she is not patriotic. Then Pete can go to the artist that painted the horse who is a vietnam vet and tell him to his face that he is wrong and unpatriotic. In his April "Report" Schmitt said the horse was "...shamelessly emblazoned with the American Flag..." We expect Pete and the rest of his cohorts to not "shamelessly" use the American flag on their political mailings and posters. We would like to welcome everyone down to Mineola to see the horses and let us know if they are offended. Everyone we've spoken to like the horses and don't see what the problem is.

Tom Suozzi takes Schmitt to task

In today's Newsday, Tom Suozzi rightly blames Pete Schmitt and the Gulotta Republicans for trying to undermine the fiscal recovery of the county saying "Don't give us the same old adjectives and blather." Pete retorts "He doesn't want to admit he's failing so he throws a fit and blames the Republicans." Make no mistake, Schmitt WANTS Tom Suozzi to fail. Under the Democrats, the county has come a long way from the fiscal nightmare created by Schmitt and Gulotta. We are not out of the woods yet but we have a map and a compass. Schmitt wants to attach a magnet to the compass and burn the map so he and his party can make electoral gains. It's time Schmitt put Nassau first and politics last.