May 2009: Carl Kruger, State Senator from the gerrymandered district that includes parts of Brighton Beach, Midwood, and Bergen Beach, and poster child for all that is good and wholesome in the New York State Legislature, releases a statement immediately following the passage of the MTA bailout:
Sen. Kruger and his colleagues, Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr. and Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., were early and vocal opponents of the original MTA rescue plan introduced by Richard Ravitch that sought to impose tolls on the East and Harlem River crossings. Their opposition effectively scuttled the toll idea. Sen. Kruger also advocated from the beginning that the public authority should be mandated to undergo an independent forensic audit “rather than continuing to operate in a fiscally irresponsible manner and under the cloak of mystery.” (Carl Kruger / NYS Senate press release, emphasis mine)
December 2009: Carl Kruger – did I mention that he’s the Chairman of the Finance Committee? – regarding the revelation that an accounting error by the fiscally irresponsible and cloaked state government will provide the MTA with $200,000,000 less than promised – potentially triggering MTA Doomsday II as it is combined with a $143,000,000 slash in funding under the emergency budget passed last week:
“Our ability to budget is only as good as our ability to forecast. We were dependent upon data supplied by the Office of Management and Budget with the understanding that it was verified by the MTA’s own fiscal staff.” (NY Observer, via Second Avenue Sagas, empasis mine)
Translation: I am a Division I-A hypocrite whose primary political skill is the ability to project my flaws onto political opponents.
