http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/cuomo_the_wfp_killer_X0gukoLB0ByglEqGtWlSTN

Cuomo the WFP-killer?

Posted: May 10, 2010

The union cat’s-paw Working Families Party is ordering up a hit on New York’s school-kids — one more rea son for Democratic gubernatorial front-runner Andrew Cuomo to stay as far away from the malodorous organization as possible.

The Post’s Carl Campanile reports today that the party is making its support in upcoming legislative and other contests effectively contingent on an understanding to toe the teachers-unions’ line on charter schools.

That is, to oppose them.

That would be good for the unions, but exceedingly bad for kids trapped in sub-par public schools.

Andrew Cuomo

But Cuomo may have it in his power to deal a mortal blow to the WFP — and he needs to go for it.

Last month we urged Cuomo to flatly refuse WFP backing, arguing that it would be a critical first step if he truly means to drain the Albany swamp.

Without an affiliation with Cuomo — who remains miles ahead in the polls — the party is unlikely to collect the 50,000 votes for governor in November that it needs to score an automatic line on the ballot for the next four years.

The fundamental problem is that the WFP isn’t a real political party — it’s an agglomeration of public-employee unions dedicated to pursuing union interests, and to hell with everybody else.

Case in point: Campanile reports that the party has collected almost $243,000 in teachers-union cash since 2008 — and is now hectoring candidates to support the teachers’ anti-charter agenda.

Overall, its impact on local government is malignant — as Mayor Bloomberg noted in a recent meeting with Post editors. The WFP’s clout over lawmakers, he said, “is a very big problem” when it comes to negotiating a budget.

Too many WFP-controlled legislators, said Mike, will seek to impose significantly higher taxes on the critical financial industry “because they’re basically — I don’t know if ‘captives’ is the right word — but they’re influenced by” the WFP.

Actually, Bloomberg’s word, “captives,” got it exactly right.

And don’t forget the party’s ethically dubious corporate arm, Data & Field Services, which was set up as an “independent” consulting company — but which more likely was a vehicle for funneling massive, under-the-table illegal contributions to its candidates.

Cutting off the WFP’s automatic line — thereby forcing it to collect nominating-petition signatures if it wants a presence on the November ballot — would weaken it dramatically.

That would be a real public service.

And Andrew Cuomo is in a position to do just that.

As we said last month, publicly and explicitly turning his back on the WFP would send a powerful signal that Cuomo means to be a real reformer, working to bring permanent change to Albany.

Not doing so would be a signal, too — of business as usual.

For children don’t vote, nor do they contribute to political campaigns. They need all the help Cuomo can give them.

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But Is Andrew In Bed With A Public Employee Union Controlled Party??
CITY HALL reports that Cuomo will take the tainted nomination of a union- controled party under criminal investigation which opposes any changes in the Public Employees Union Pension benefits that are bankrupting New York.

http://www.cityhallnews.com/newyork/article-1270-cuomo-ready-to-take-wfp-independence-lines.html