Staten Island Register - 01/29/2002 "Campaign Starts with a Lawsuit" By Christopher Franz With all of the jockeying for position... More... The Issues Contribute Help Save New York News Jack's Bio Contact Us New York is First in Debt Over 37 BILLION and growing daily... Gambling?! Its Here! With All of the Problems, None of the Benefits... The Great Exodus People are leaving New York State in droves... Join our mailing list to learn more about Albany's Outrages! Email Address: Better Late than Never Budgets? Democracy in Reverse Your Vote VS. Their Money Less Congressmen, More Legislators? Legislators for Life Legislative Rewards...and Punishments. Taxpayer Financed Campaigns Legislative Rewards & Punishments You might remember the old slogan, "Power to the People!" In the New York State Legislature, the power rests in the hands of just two people - the State Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the Assembly. These two people have so much power that they control both the political and financial future of all the members of their respective Legislature houses. If a member legislator follows this leadership and "plays ball", his chances of getting extra dollars through a leadership stipend along with a spacious office and a nice, large prestigious staff are greatly increased. It is outrageous that so much power rests in the hands of so few. The power and control of a legislator is not determined by how well he represents his district or the people in it, but rather by how well he follows leadership instructions. This convuluted system that puts the political leadership in charge of your representatives is not what the citizens of New York either voted for or deserve. It means that if your legislator decides to take an independent course of action that represents his constituents rather than the political leadership, he immediately becomes a second class member of that body. By extension, it also means that the people he represents - the voters and taxpayers of his district - become second class citizens. Jack Cheevers has been so upset by this perversion of the democratic process in Albany, that he has decided to do something about it. This is why he has filed a law suit asking that all legislators be treated equally in terms of both pay and facilities, regardless of whether they follow the party line or not. The 14th Amendment to US Constitution guarantees every citizen - even New Yorkers - equal protection under the law and that equal protection extends to equal representation. Help Jack Cheevers Fix Albany and Save New York. Support and vote Jack Cheevers for Governor in 2002. Jack Cheevers for Governor   |   108 Washington Avenue   |   Endicott, NY 13790   |   607-785-8240   |   Security & Privacy   |   Contact Us        The Issues · Contribute · Volunteer · News · Jack's Bio Paid for by Friends of Jack Cheevers  ·  Design by jdgimzek.com