Remember the periodic table of elements in your chemistry book? H for hydrogen. L for lithium, etc. Maybe we ought to add one — NY for corruption.

It is elemental, just like oxygen and nitrogen. We could fit it into the chart next to gallium, because it takes gall to practice this level of corruption before our eyes. It galls us to read about it.

We read about it just recently. Governor Cuomo had set up the Moreland Commission, to dig into corruption in the state. But when it dug in his backyard, he changed his mind. When it dug near his cronies, he shut it down.

And we read that maybe the Independent Party endorsed him in return for no-show jobs.

Now pick yourself up from the floor. I know this is horribly shocking news for you. It crushes you to imagine that there is a smidgen of corruption in this state.

My modest proposal is to end this. Not to end the corruption. Nobody could end that. It is, indeed, as elemental in the state as the oxygen and nitrogen we learn about. My proposal is to end the innocence. 

We should teach kids about New York corruption. We teach them about Niagara Falls and the Erie Canal. How about a semester devoted to New York’s long and glorious history of corruption. Maybe forget about the history. How about current, everyday corruption. 

For instance, there are hundreds of no-show jobs in the state governmental machine. Maybe thousands. Hacks who work for the political parties get appointed to them — as a reward for their work for the party.

The jobs usually have mish-mash names: the director of inter-departmental relations, the supervisory assistant to blank, etc. You get the idea.

These political hacks get paid and they collect benefits. But they do no work — not for the government. Their only work is for the party machines.

I chatted with one from Syracuse at a political barbeque. He had a few too many beers before speaking. And I was an innocent.

I asked him what he did for a living. He gave me his job title. Okay. But what exactly did the job entail? “Oh, a little of this. A little of that.”

Okay. But what did he actually do for the government? What responsibilities did he have? 

He dodged a few more questions and finally admitted, “Well, you know, I’m not really sure.” Truth was that he got paid by the state to do what the party bosses told him to do. And what they told him to do had zero to do with government. Or with his job title. He did party work.

These political hacks pull down good money. They have nice careers. But you won’t see this type of career listed in your high-school guidance counselor’s office. Your college jobs adviser won’t tell your son or daughter to look for this kind of work.

Maybe we should change that. We should be proud of this corruption. It has kept this state at the forefront of corruption for generations. It has launched the careers of many district attorneys. We should stitch “pay to play” onto the state flag.

The subject reminds me that humorist Will Rogers said we should have sympathy for politicians out of work. Because they just wanted to get back in on the graft.
It reminds me that some people think we should look for more candidates like Bloomberg and Rockefeller. The idea is they are too rich to be bought.

It reminds me of the old lines: He may be a crook but he’s our kind of crook. Best politicians’ money can buy.

It reminds me that sure, we want to fight corruption. Sure, we love to see politicians land in jail. But nailing a few corrupt pols is like swatting flies on the back porch. You get a few. But the supply never ends.

This state deserves more respect. We deserve more recognition. We should push for New York to be added to that periodic table of elements. Corruption is synonymous with New York. It’s elemental, my dear Watson.

From Tom…as in Morgan.

Tom Morgan writes about political, financial, and other subjects from his home near Oneonta, in addition to his radio shows and TV show. For more information about him, visit his website at www.tomasinmorgan.com

My office receives many inquiries from constituents who wonder why their energy bills are so high. These inquiries are well founded, as New Yorkers pay some of the highest residential energy costs in the nation. In fact, New York’s energy costs rank among the top 5 highest in the country. We pay on average 19.56 cents per kilowatt hour — significantly higher than what customers pay in other states.

Strict regulations on the kinds of power produced contribute to these costs, but so do onerous taxes. Not surprisingly for New York, state taxes make up a significant part of our energy bills. These taxes are used to pay for various energy programs and also help fund the state’s general-expenditure fund. For example, state ratepayers are charged $217.3 million annually to fund what is known as the “System Benefits Charge.” This is a fund administered through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, that is supposed to support, among other things, energy efficiency and low-income, energy assistance programs.

We also pay $178.5 million annually to support New York’s Renewable Portfolio Standard and $65.7 million annually for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. While one can argue there are good public policy reasons for these programs, no one can claim that “going green” is cheap.

One of the most troublesome taxes that ratepayers are paying is the 18-a Assessment. This tax was originally implemented in 1934 to pay for regulating the energy industry. Unfortunately, like many taxes, it took on a life of its own and the 2009-10 state budget increased this assessment in order to help fund the state’s general-expenditure fund. That year the assessment brought $520 million into the state coffers. The good news is that in this year’s budget, we implemented a phase-out of this part of the 18-a Assessment so that by 2018 it will be completely gone. While I would have preferred that this part of the 18-a Assessment be immediately repealed, I am happy there is a recognition that this is a burdensome tax that had to go.

While residential electrical rates are problematic for New York citizens, high rates also hamper business growth and costs New York jobs. Over the years, New York has had several programs to help provide relief to businesses from our high energy costs. One such programs is ReCharge NY, which is the successor to the very popular Power for Jobs program. ReCharge NY provides qualifying businesses with low-cost power allocations. To see if your business is eligible, a New York consolidated funding application must be submitted to the New York Power Authority. For more information, visit www.nypa.gov/ReChargeNY or call 1-888-jobsNYS.

While ReCharge NY is designed to primarily help manufacturers, agricultural rate payers are also eligible to take part in this program. The New York Power Authority, or NYPA, is currently accepting applications and encourages those in agriculture to apply before Sept. 1. Discounts are calculated each month and are based on the number of people participating. For more information on this program, visit www.ngrid.com/resagriculturaldiscount or call 1-800-642-4272.

William (Will) A. Barclay is the Republican representative of the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County. Contact him at barclaw@assembly.state.ny.us, or (315) 598-5185.