Three Men in a Room written by Seymour Lachman is a good summary of those events, which some of us have already read in the newspapers, or for those, who had no time for that. But, nevertheless, it is worthy to read. This book brings up to date about indifference in State legislature and Lahman’s methods to solve this problem.
Lachman, before being elected to the New York State Senate, served as President of the New York City Board of Education and University Dean of the City University of New York. Then he left his seat in the New York State Senate after four terms, and in the book Three men in a Room he conveys his attitude and ideas concerning State legislature. He calls for making reforms.
Three Men in a Room is the exposure of how one of the most powerful governments has become a great example of ineffective and undemocratic governance. This book outlines Lachman’s shock about the legislature. As Lachman points out on the pages of his wonderful and useful book: “It was something just like the meeting where I was handed my seat, and nothing else” (Lachman 17).
In his book Three Men in a Room, the author describes the situation and the problems which take place in statehouses throughout the country.
He describes that the legislative committees worked only in name.
Three Men in a Room concerns the Governor, the Senate Majority Leader and the Assembly Speaker. These three men decide all laws. As the author mentions, “this legislative and governmental process is distorted because of that fact, that there is no democracy” (Lachman 23). And, that is why Lachman calls Albany “one of the country’s most secretive and misruled statehouses” (Lachman 24).
The three men “hold virtually all the cards”: they allocate budget, sign all the papers, hire and fire the staff, “run all the services that legislators rely on, form publications to payroll” (Lachman 17). Lachman admits that during the legislative session, most legislators are “as attorneys, real estate brokers, or insurance executives”.
Lachman describes how Bruno wanted to give him bribery for the Republican Party and to vote with the party.
Lachman also makes a comment about “bipartisan” and writes “means in effect that each party lets the other one do as it wishes I the chamber it dominates” (Lachman 67). And he calls for change: to organize an independent and non-party commission in order to monitor the districts.
Seymour Lachman explains that state governments have a great power. As Lachman points out that the people of New York have little information about the fact who makes their laws and how, in what needs money are spent. Lachman writes that “New York State does not conform to generally accepted accounting principles” (Lachman 44). And he adds: “It runs on a cash-based system worthy of a Prohibition speakeasy or a nineteenth-century political machine” (Lachman 45).
Lachman describes that all political power in New York is under the rule of three men: the Governor (George Pataki), Senate Majority Leader (Joseph Bruno) and Assembly Speaker (Sheldon Silver). He emphasizes on the fact that they were very extraordinary and gifted. And, practically, nobody else interferes in their affairs, and nobody corrects them. But, he describes them as the products of State, its history. That is why he adds that “simply replacing one or even all of them will provide no relief” (Lachman 58). So, these passages from the book are very revealing and emphasizing.
I must admit that Lachman relies on the report of NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice’s 2004. But if we compare these works, Lachman’s book is something that need be added in the body of the people in order to understand the lawlessness which takes place nowadays.
Lachman, as a political scientist, describes “gerrymandering” and “member items” and explains how these and others deeds can preserve the power and state legislature.
Some people notice that Lechman’s story is something like a scene from the movie, but it is the reality. The action takes place in Albany, New York; three men, who are sitting together, make the decisions that would have an influence on the live of millions of people.
As Lachman writes about the situation: “Their confidence in their ability to prevail was based, in large measure, on their belief that they could bypass both the city and state legislatures and finance the measure through the state’s public authorities. Of course this meant there would be no public referendum. Such confidence represents a remarkable demonstration of the extent to which the state’s public authorities, originally designed to act as non politicized tools of the public’s interests, have become unilateral tools of politicians” (Lachman 143).
When Lachman arrived to Albany, he found out that Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno did not treat him as an independent member of thousands of people who had a right to contribute to the development of making decisions. Lachman did not have an opportunity to express his own point of views, and only voted in such a way as the leaders demanded. And Lahman blamed himself for what he could not appeal that decisions.
After seeing all this disorganization, Lachman put forward for consideration a number of reforms: “sweeping campaign finance reform; term limits for legislators; no more special budget allocations; transparency for “member items”, which are supposed to serve community needs rather than the agenda of legislative leaders; nonpartisan redistricting; a permanent nonpartisan ethics commission; a limit of at most a dozen public authorities, with the functions of the rest incorporated into the state budget, plus a nonpartisan commission to oversee the authorities; equal resources for legislators; regardless of party; and an independent budget office” (Lachman 213).
And what more touch. The following sentences describe Lachman’s understanding of the democracy. That is: “an equal vote and a free flowing debate among legislators is actually oligarchy, or as one might more charitably put it, aristocracy. Democracy doesn’t just involve an equal say among the appointed few, it requires contested election in which the general public actually has an opportunity to select its representatives. We don’t have real elections, and gerrymandering is not the only reason” (Lachman 207).
Lachman abides the idea about party loyalty and tries to extend this idea in political circles and society. Such lawlessness should be punished; otherwise the society and the country will collapse. Only comprehensive measures can take place there.
To my mind, Lachman has reflected his political and governmental experiences in his book Three Men in a Room. And this book is like a guide and excursion to New York State government. He managed to describe history, politics, State legislature in details, and they are easy for understanding. Lachman wrote an informative and accusatory text about existing State government.
Works Cited
Lachman, Seymour P. Three Men in a Room: The Inside Story of Power and Betrayal in an American Statehouse. New Press, 2006. Print.