Since its inception, the Blackstar News has been on the vanguard of investigating and reporting corruption at every level of New York government.
We recognize that political corruption undermines every aspect of life in our communities, both directly and by the diversion of funds from their intended purpose.
No less destructive to our democracy is the “legal corruption” of campaign donations for influence that permeates the system statewide. Ms. Teachout’s dedication to the fight against corruption is a primary basis for our endorsement.
The recent revelations of corruption in Governor Cuomo’s Moreland Commission, first exposed by The New York Times, removes any doubt that the problem permeates New York State.
Dealing with it must start at the very top. While supporters of Governor Cuomo cite Ms. Teachout’s lack of experience in Albany politics as a deficit, we believe it may be her greatest asset.
Not only is Ms. Teachout unensnared by the cobwebs of Albany’s influence culture; as a Fordham law school professor and author, she has demonstrated her deep understanding of the structure of political corruption, and her dedication to cleaning it up.
What New York needs above all is a Governor who is honest, concerned, uncompromised and uncompromising towards government corruption under her authority. The Blackstar news also supports Ms. Teachout’s views on education, including the overhaul of the Common Core curriculum and proper funding of our public schools. We also support Ms. Teachout’s uncompromising environmental platform, including the banning of fracking, which endangers the exceptional water quality New Yorkers enjoy.
We welcome her appearance at the protest march over the chokehold killing of Eric Garner by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo, and her correct repudiation of “Broken Windows” policing, which she noted –are you reading this mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo– disproportionately punishes Black and Latino youth.
Finally, we believe in Ms. Teachout’s vision for the future of our state’s economy, with its focus on renewable energy, state of the art transportation, and other twenty first century technologies. To fund this ambitious renewal, Ms. Teachout proposes ending the tax breaks and subsidies of the ultra wealthy and corporations, which is an admirable goal in any case. Moreover, the fight against corruption is a fight to restore our economy and quality of life.
As one of Ms. Teachout’s slogans proclaims: “prosperity begins when corruption ends”. There should be no concern that a Teachout/Wu nomination would undermine a Democratic victory over Mr. Astorino in November.
Despite their temporary alliance in the effort to expose the shortcomings of their mutual opponent, Ms. Teachout has far less in common with Astorino than with Cuomo, and if nominated will ride the dominant Democratic wave in November.
Voters must do the right thing and help Ms. Teachout on the road to Albany.
