Power play — TimesUnion.com
A plan to save taxpayers money is thwarted in a raw display of Capitol politics

Some ideas to save taxpayers money are so self-evident that it’s hard to imagine anyone opposing them. Then again, some facts of life in the Capitol are just as self-evident, which is why these good ideas never see the light of day.

A case in point was the recent attempt by fiscally responsible local government officials to end a practice known as “double dipping.” It works like this: Under current law, public employees who are injured on the job can collect full disability pensions even if they also receive jury awards to compensate them for their injuries. Workers in the private sector get no such break. Their jury awards are subtracted from their pension benefits.

The double standard is offensive. It should not matter whether a worker is on a public or private payroll — the system that determines compensating benefits should be even-handed. But in New York state, as of now, some employees make out far better than others.

Given the state penchant for imposing unpaid mandates on localities, “double dipping” would seem unduly burdensome. And given the Legislature’s purported concern for New Yorkers coping with ever rising local property taxes, the cost of double-dipping would appear indefensible. So why is it still allowed?

The answer comes down to power politics. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, didn’t support the reform, and so it died. Trial lawyers didn’t want the reform, either, because they are the ones who litigate disability cases. And critics have been quick to point out that in addition to being speaker, Mr. Silver is himself a trial lawyer.

The official Assembly position is that any decision on pension benefits should be subject to negotiations between the state and public employee unions. That sounds plausible at first glance, but it’s a diversion. In truth, the double-dipping loophole was the result of flawed legislation passed by an earlier Legislature, and not the result of labor bargaining. So it’s specious to argue that it now must be negotiated.

Then there’s the matter of three vacancies on a committee that killed the reform bill. Those seats weren’t filled by Mr. Silver until it appeared that a reform measure was gaining momentum, and more opposing votes were needed to stop it in its tracks.

Coincidence? More like costly politics as usual.

I don’t have anything else to add, I said this last week. Maybe this writer reads this site.. : )