Crains New York - August 12, 2013 - (Page 10)

OPINION Double standard on ‘reform’ I n the wake of federal investigators busting New York legislators for allegedly taking bribes, socalled good-government groups are using the corruption scandals to push a campaign-finance reform agenda, even though one has nothing to do with the other. Common Cause NY is releasing fortnightly reports that accuse corporate special interests of buying elected officials’ allegiance with campaign contributions. The organization says it’s blaming the system, not the businesses, although its press releases appear to describe quid pro quo exchanges that would, in fact, be illicit. Common Cause first went after the fracking industry, which has been seeking to use upstate a modern drilling technique that has transformed natural-gas extraction elsewhere. It was an odd initial target because the industry has failed for years to get New York state’s permission to drill a single well with the new method. Common Cause next fingered the city’s real estate industry, ignoring that this purportedly powerful lobby has failed for decades to persuade legislators to return the city’s 1 million rentregulated apartments to the free market. Cause of Action, a self-styled “government accountability” group, got into the act last week, saying that Forest City Ratner executives donated to elected officials who supported their projects (the group might have noted that Forest City was recruited by government to build the Barclays Center, a big hit in Brooklyn). Others, such as CRAIN’S ONLINE POLL NYPIRG and Citizens Union, have likewise railed against the business community’s campaign contributions. But have these donations really created an uneven playing field? New York is a heavily unionized, regulated and taxed state, and regularly appears atop lists of the most difficult states in which to do business. At most, campaign contributions have kept businesses from being run off the field. Meanwhile, there is rarely a peep from goodgovernment groups about the influence on elected officials by labor unions and the organizations they fund. Apparently it’s fine for these special interests to lobby, pressure, threaten, endorse and campaign for elected officials, but not for businesses to support the election of pro-business candidates. What, pray tell, is the difference? Employers, unlike unions, can’t round up thousands of workers to staff phone banks and go door-to-door at election time. What they can do is cut checks to help candidates who are pro-business, or at least not wholly subservient to labor. To deny businesses that right would be to cede the field entirely to their adversaries, who, by any number of measures, are already winning. There’s rarely a peep about the influence of labor unions COMMENTS Bike share’s negative spin WHO’S TO BLAME IN THE CBS VS. TIME WARNER CABLE BLACKOUT? CBS. The network is asking too much for programming available free over the air. TIME WARNER CABLE. It should restore CBS to customers’ screens while talks continue. WHO CARES? I can watch CBS shows online, with an antenna or via satellite TV—or not at all. Date of poll: Aug. 5 336 votes Re “Citi Bike: Success story or media spin?” (online poll, Aug. 1): Bike share appeals to the minute part of the population that uses it for only a part of the year, but it costs the city millions. It doesn’t help public transportation, as most bikers do not own cars or wouldn’t use their cars for the trips that they make on a bike. If anything, public transportation loses fares when a bike is substituted for mass transit. The bike stands cost the city valuable parking spaces and revenue because they displaced parking meters. —marty THE CASE AGAINST CASINOS IN NEW YORK 32% 39% 29% FOR THIS WEEK’S QUESTIONS: Go to www.crainsnewyork.com/poll to have your say. 10 | Crain’s New York Business | August 12, 2013 I must express my dismay about a bill that puts to a public referendum in November an amendment to the state constitution legalizing up to seven more casinos in the state. The language of this bill is so vague that voters cannot make an MODULAR: NOT ALL IT’S STACKED UP TO BE buck ennis DOWN CYCLE informed decision. It also cynically creates a Catch-22 by decreeing a huge expansion of video-lottery terminals if the amendment loses. A casino may temporarily bring increased economic activity, but this is just money transferred from one party to another; it is not true economic development. While the bill states that a casino will not be placed in Manhattan, there is no assurance that one will not be sited in the greater New York area in the next few years. —elizabeth shafer, j.d. Board member, Coalition Against Gambling in New York Re “NY’s modular moment arrives” ( July 22): We should make mention of Operation Breakthrough, the prefab housing program promoted by George Romney, Housing and Urban Development secretary from 1969 to 1973 (and, yes, father of the most recent Republican presidential candidate). Having been president of American Motors, Mr. Romney sought to bring factory efficiencies into the construction industry. Nine factories were sponsored with government support, and a number of owners, architects, contractors and even labor unions joined in. There was enthusiasm, ingenuity and financial backing, and when I visited one of the plants, I thought that this was definitely a wave of the future. Yet the experiment failed. Many construction projects do See COMMENTS on Page 12 CRAIN’S WELCOMES SUBMISSIONS to its opinion pages. Send letters to letters@crainsnewyork.com. Send columns of 475 words or fewer to opinion@crainsnewyork.com. Please include the writer’s name, company, address and telephone number. CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS editor in chief Rance Crain publisher, vp Jill R. Kaplan EDITORIAL editor Glenn Coleman managing editor Jeremy Smerd deputy managing editors Valerie Block, Erik Ipsen assistant managing editor Erik Engquist senior producer, news Elisabeth Butler Cordova news producer Amanda Fung contributing editor Elaine Pofeldt columnists Greg David, Steve Hindy, Alair Townsend crain’s health pulse editor Barbara Benson senior reporters Theresa Agovino, Aaron Elstein, Lisa Fickenscher, Matthew Flamm, Daniel Geiger, Adrianne Pasquarelli reporters Chris Bragg, Matt Chaban, Andrew J. Hawkins web reporters/producers Ken M. 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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - August 12, 2013

IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
SMALL BUSINESS
BUSINESS PEOPLE
OPINION
STEVE HINDY
GREG DAVID
REAL ESTATE DEALS
REPORT: SPORTS BUSINESS
FOR THE RECORD
CLASSIFIEDS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - August 12, 2013