“Ethics Reform, Albany Style”

To the Editor:

“Ethics Reform, Albany Style” (editorial, June 7) is a sad example of half a loaf of stale bread possibly being better than none.

The Democrats in Albany, copying their timid colleagues in Washington, have allowed the Republicans (with the Joint Commission on Public Ethics) to ensure that any bill that passes is, at best, only half effective.

By crippling the enforcement parts of the bill, our “representatives” in Albany have voted for business as usual with a very thin coat of ethics. This thin coat is less than a “good first step.” It is another illustration that using ethics and Albany in the same sentence remains an oxymoron.

THEODORE S. VOELKER
Copake, June 7, 2011