With the debate in Albany in full bloom regarding gay marriage, here is a piece from Michael Daly at the Daily News where he contrasts the position of State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. on the Weiner texting scandal and the battle over gay marriage. Diaz has been the most vocal opponent of the gay marriage bill, but Daly points out that "At the same time, Diaz (D-Bronx) seems to think it's no big deal for a man who is married to a woman also to be a lying perv with any number of other women." As backup, he quotes Diaz as saying, "The Bible teaches us to take care of others and to help others when they are down. ... It is shameful to see how many of Congressman Weiner's supposed friends have abandoned him as the media makes a total mockery of him." Daly follows up with these words, "In Ruben's World, the Good Book commands the faithful to help and take care of a perv but shun gays who seek only to live in a relationship sanctioned by the law as well as by love."
LOL ... I can't believe this clown is a state legislator.
ReplyDeleteHow do they manage to get a printable quote out of that Diaz??
ReplyDeleteI heard him speak once at an awards breakfast at Riverdale Temple … I could not understand what the heck he was saying, and he was supposedly speaking in English!
Maybe Anthony Weiner would consider moving to Riverdale. I would happily choose him for Congress rather than Eliot Engel!
ReplyDeleteI prefer a congressman who lies about Twiiter (Anthony Weiner) than one who calls himself a life-long Bronx resident but claims Maryland as his primary residence to improperly get a tax benefit (Eliot Engel).
ReplyDeleteIf you don’t believe me, read all about it below:
THE NEW YORK TIMES
March 14, 2009
BRONX REPRESENTATIVE LOSES A TAX BREAK
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland tax officials said that a New York representative is not entitled to a residents’ tax break on the house in a Washington suburb that he has claimed as his primary residence for at least 10 years.
The representative, Eliot Engel, calls himself a lifelong resident of the Bronx, where he rents an apartment. But he and his wife list the house in Potomac, Md., as their primary home on Maryland property tax forms.
They paid nearly $500,000 for the house in 1993, and it has almost doubled in value. The Engels have received thousands of dollars in tax credits that are reserved for people who declare Maryland their home.
The state agency made the decision on the credits late last month.
Mr. Engel, whose district includes much of the northern Bronx and parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties, is not the only politician who has been found to be improperly receiving the credit. Maryland tax officials first revoked his credit in late 2005, about the time that several elected officials representing other states were informed that they would have their credits removed.
Mr. Engel and his wife contested the loss of their Maryland primary-residence status, which was reinstated, then revoked again after Maryland laws were changed recently.
Jeremy Tomasulo, an aide to the congressman, maintains that Mr. Engel’s primary residence has always been in the Bronx.
But his property tax documents say otherwise, a claim that was worth nearly $7,000 in credits to Mr. Engel and his wife over the past four years because people in Maryland are eligible for state and county tax breaks on their primary residence
To receive the credit, homeowners must live in Maryland at least six months of the year, have a Maryland driver’s license, be registered to vote in Maryland and file Maryland income taxes.
Mr. Engel and his wife do not qualify since they both have New York licenses and vote in New York. Mr. Tomasulo said that Mr. Engel filed his income taxes in New York, and did not respond to questions about Ms. Engel’s taxes.
Aides to Mr. Engel said that he had previously responded to an inquiry by the Montgomery County Department of Finance, which said that he was eligible for an exemption.
Roberta Ward, manager of the Montgomery County office of the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, said her office handled that inquiry. She said Mr. Engel’s primary residence claim was revoked, but was reinstated after an appeal that included the submission of Maryland income tax records for his wife.
Since then, however, Maryland has tightened the eligibility requirements. Now, at least one spouse of a homeowning couple must meet all the residency requirements.
Mr. Tomasulo said Mr. Engel believed that the credit should be removed if he is not eligible.
“He will await their determination of his status and will make sure that he is in full compliance with their evaluation,” Mr. Tomasulo said in an e-mail message.
Mr. Engel was re-elected at least five times to represent the Bronx while property tax documents indicated his primary residence was in Potomac.
New York and federal laws require that representatives be inhabitants of the state they represent when they are elected.
WEB LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/14/nyregion/14
U.N. COUNCIL PASSES GAY-RIGHTS RESOLUTION
ReplyDeleteCNN just reported that today, in what the U.S. State Department is calling an "historic step," the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution supporting equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation.
The resolution, introduced by South Africa, is the first-ever U.N. resolution on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons.
It passed with 23 votes in favor, 19 opposed and three abstentions amid strong criticism of South Africa by some African nations.
Wow, what a good local political blog. I live in Brooklyn and I just linked over to you. You obviously know how to call a lemon and lemon!
ReplyDeleteOn marriage equality, my position is that other people's faith does not determine my civil rights.
ReplyDeleteNow that New York State has FINALLY allowed same-sex marriage, the next and most dramatic showdown over gay marriage could come in Minnesota.
ReplyDeleteIn 2011, Gov. Mark Dayton became the first Democratic governor of that state in two decades. But both houses of the state legislature are controlled by the Republicans.
So it's off to Saint Paul, Minnesota I go!
how does a man who used to make sure people had a steady stream of heroin in their veins; a man whose "small business" destroyed families and lives; a man who spent some time in the pen for his transgressions giving up his cheeks ...
ReplyDeletehow does he have the audacity to oppose gay marriage???
he wants CREFLO DOLLAR in the armory though.
With gay marriage settled in NY, hopefully The Reverend Senator Rubén Díaz, Sr. will follow in the footsteps of Senators Monserrate, Espada, and Kruger to become the political nobody he was always meant to be.
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