Depress yourself about the state of the state of New York some more by reading the NY Times' feature on accidental lieutenant governor Richard Ravitch! Basically, it boils down to the problem of having an apparently competent and respected person in Albany...but without any power to do anything. Ravitch himself says, "You could say, ‘Ravitch isn’t relevant to anything,’ and that wouldn’t be totally inaccurate either."
Confirming the earlier report that he hadn't spoken to Governor Paterson in weeks, the Times says, "Mr. Ravitch seldom speaks with the governor, and they hardly meet." (The Post says, "[members of the administration] don't talk to him, don't do anything with him. That's pretty much an open secret.") Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told the Times, "He has the credibility that nobody else has — not the governor’s counsel, not his secretary. The question is, does the governor recognize that, and empower him?... The question is whether the governor even wants a budget."
Of course, there is hope that Ravitch will be empowered by way of Paterson stepping down. Then again, Democrats have supposedly been expecting a Paterson resignation since last fall, so who knows?
