TIME FOR A TEST
Okay, students! Time for a test. Get out your blue books and begin.
True or False: The legislature (both houses) is Democratic. (True)
True or False: Both houses of the legislature have proven themselves basically submissive to Governor Andrew Cuomo. (True)
True or False: Both houses of the legislature are now headed by persons of color. (True)
True or False: Governor Cuomo is interested in higher office. (True)
True or False: New York will lose one seat in Congress. (True, unless…)
True or False: New York might lose TWO house seats. (True)
True or False: Mayor Bill de Blasio is very unpopular but if he was allowed to run again, he might win. (True)
True or False: Mayor de Blasio has thought about trying to buy a third term the way Michael Bloomberg did. (Probably true)
True or False: Andrew Yang will be a leading contender for NYC Mayor. (True)
True or False: Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has no higher office ambitions. (True)
True or False: Comptroller Tom DiNapoli: Is as good at his job as Cuomo is at his. (True)
True or False: Luz Krueger is chair of the New York State Senate Finance Committee. (True)
True or False: There used to be two senators pronounced Krueger (but spelled differently) in the New York Senate. (True)
True or False: One went to jail. (True)
True or False: Governor Andrew Cuomo has a dog named “Lieutenant.” (False: “Captain”)
True or False: Governor Mario Cuomo had a dog, too, that once bit someone. (True)
True or False: The best coverage of the New York State legislature occurs on WAMC-FM. (Absolutely true)
True or False: Governor Andrew Cuomo was running a double-triple fake out when he said he was against raising taxes in New York. He is getting the legislature to do the heavy lifting but getting what he wants. (True)
True or False: It is baloney that Mario Cuomo was asked to accept a nomination to the United States Supreme Court. (True, it was all a phone transaction. The Clintons got the credit without appointing him and he didn’t get embarrassed.)
True or False: This is the year that New York will legalize marijuana. (True, maybe, false because some legislative leaders insist that the profits go to those on the lower end of the social scale. You get credit for whatever you say.)
True or False: My hometown of Great Barrington, Massachusetts is becoming the pot capital of the country. There are a lot of New York license plates at all our pot shops. (So the right answer is Maybe.)
True or False: New York State has surpassed one million cases of COVID-19. (True)
True or False: Governor Cuomo should have waited a bit longer before writing his very good book on leadership surrounding the pandemic. (True as can be.)
True or False: New York State Attorney General Letitia James recused herself from the ParCare vaccination probe because of a potential conflict of interest. (True: you have to be careful about who your friends are.)
True or False: Soon to be ex-president Donald Trump will be indicted by District Attorney Cyrus Vance. (I certainly hope so).
True or False: New York State is facing a $15 billion shortfall. (Maybe. Maybe $18 billion. Maybe $20 billion. Maybe much less. Who really knows?)
True or False: The state’s proposed budget is $179 billion dollars. (True but that surely will change.)
True or False: The State University of New York takes advantage of its adjunct professors.
(True)
True or False: Tattoos are illegal when they show the image of a past president. (False)
True or False: Republican Representative Elise Stefanik called out the governor for placing residents in drug rehab high on the vaccine priority list. (Unfortunately, true)
True or False: The two best television programs in history are Gunsmoke and Law and Order. (True)
True or False: Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes watches Gunsmoke and Law and Order. (True)
True or False: New York State sets aside $100 million for public campaign financing. (True and essential)
Alan Chartock is professor emeritus at the State University of New York, publisher of the Legislative Gazette and president and CEO of the WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network. Readers can email him at [email protected].
