Editorial: Bye, bye Mr. Paterson

The state’s Public Integrity Commission says Paterson misused his official position to score five free tickets to the World Series. He is accused of violating two provisions of the state gift ban and three sections of the state’s ethics law and could face fines totalling over $100,000.

This is on top of the very disturbing case in which the governor sought to influence a woman who was making domestic violence accusations against one of Paterson’s top aides.

We’d like to think that Governor David Paterson is a pretty good guy. He certainly seems to be a very smart man. Anyone who’s ever heard him give a speech knows that he’s a brilliant public speaker — quick on the uptake and a raconteur who knows how to tell a good story. Despite a physical limitation he went to law school and has succeeded in building a career in a tough political climate, even ascending to the top office in the state, albeit through a series of oddball events largely beyond his control.

Now, it’s time for him to go.

For all of Paterson’s obvious gifts, and despite the promise of a fresh start that he seemed to offer after the mortifying spectacle of his predecessor’s sudden resignation, Governor Paterson has not brought honor to his position or our state. Quite the opposite. From the candid revelations about the state of his marriage that bizarrely marred his first day in office, Paterson has lurched from one fiasco to another. Lowlights include dithering for weeks over a US Senate pick before, ultimately, making a terrible choice, and now, multiple accusations that he exercised very poor judgement and grossly abused his office.

Ironically, even Senator Gillibrand, his poor choice to succeed Hillary Clinton in the US Senate, has turned on her mentor and called on him to step down.

We actually agree with her.

Paterson’s one sound decision was the appointment of Richard Ravitch as lieutenant governor. Finance is Ravitch’s strength, and with major budget decision looming and painful decisions to be made, he is more than capable of serving out the remainder of Elliot Spitzer’s term without any further assistance from David Paterson. In our view, he should commence to do so as soon as possible.

B’bye, Mr. Paterson.

On another note entirely, we would very much appreciate if someone could explain to us why, at some institutions, even ones that are not located in walled cities, Shushan Purim is a school holiday.

Perhaps more urgently, we would love to know why schools that did plan to give Monday off couldn’t just switch gears after the Friday snow closing and make up the day.

This is not going to be one of those diatribes about how teachers get the whole summer off. Teachers work really hard at one of society’s most important jobs, and they’re usually underpaid for the privilege. So if that’s where you see this going, we would respectfully suggest that you go back to the top of this section and begin again.

This is about wondering why yeshivot never seem to take into account that most parents actually work. When staff development days come out of nowhere, and Shushan Purim is a school holiday, and Pesach vacation starts shortly after Chanukah (don’t try to convince us that pre-schoolers are going to help mom clean), we have to wonder: wouldn’t Shushan Purim be put to better use, say, with our kids learning about Shushan Purim?