Paladino's Mission

Carl Paladino has set his sights on reforming AlbanyThe battle for governor of NY has begun and Republican nominee Carl Paladino is taking no prisoners until he has shaken the very foundations of Albany.  The man who single handedly built a real estate fortune in Buffalo has set his sights on a new mission; reforming the “Albany elite” with conservative values, slashing state spending by 10% and serving the people of New York for a four year term. “I am a wartime guy. I am the guy you need to take out the bad guys. After that the peace time guy can come in and work within the constraints of the new government that we will restructure.”  We caught up with him as he was launching his campaign, here is what he had to say.

THRiVE!: What single issue in Albany bothers you most?

Paladino: Indifference….our legislature and government has evolved to the point where they are different. State employees are not required to be courteous. When you see that out of a grunt employee you know they are not properly disciplined by their superiors, and there is a lack of respect. We’ve evolved to a government that does not respect the tax payers, it’s despicable.

THRiVE!: Will you take what you have learned in business to Albany?

Paladino:  I’ll take all my values. I’ll do my best to bring my values, that I think are fairly evident, to change. I think it is a very novel time. I think the people of this state are prepared to do the heavy lift. It is time to say goodbye to the leaders of yesterday.

THRiVE!: With the system in place in Albany, do you think you can navigate that and bring about the change you desire?

Paladino: Yes, because I don’t play in their sandbox, I have my own sandbox. I have my own toys. People have asked me why I don’t work my way up in the system. That is how they co-opt you and they build fences around you. Those fences are limits that you are conditioned to learn in their little politically correct world. Their emissaries come to me and say, “Oh my God you don’t want to put up with the nightmare of Albany, ha, that is what I am all about. You see, I studied George Patton, and I like his mode of operating—You attack, attack, attack, and then you attack, attack, attack more. You see we are the masters of our own fate, we forgot that. The people have forgotten that, but I think our government has become so despicable that they have awakened the sleeping giant. They have awakened people, the people have been wronged and its time for them to account. I think many of them are going to flee Albany like little rats. That is going to be part of our mission.

THRiVE!: So, $10 million on this campaign, if you don’t win, will you feel it was wasted or would you be happy your message was at least heard?

Paladino: This is my mission now. I am only looking to serve four years. And notice how I used the word serve. I did my government service in the army. I am a wartime guy. I am the guy you need to take out the bad guys. After that the peace time guy can come in and work within the constraints of the new government that we will restructure. We are going to look at the efficiency, productivity, and necessity of every job in state government, every agency, every director, every authority. We are going to look at them all, we’re going to cut the fat, see what is necessary for the 21st century, and we are going to restore rights to the individuals, we are going to rescind the nonsensical laws and regulations that debilitate business expansion.

THRiVE!: So you are going to cut the budget by 10% and freeze wages.

Paladino: Not possibly, we are going to put a freeze on all wages, benefits, and hiring wherever possible. We will give the state employee the opportunity to fill a job emptied by attrition.

THRiVE!: There is a lot of buzz in Buffalo since your from here, what are you hearing from other areas?

Paladino: It’s overwhelming. I have never run for office before, it’s overwhelming.

THRiVE!: You mean supportive?

Paladino: Yeah.

THRiVE!: Tea party activists encouraged you to run for governor, had you ever thought you would run for governor?

Paladino: No, I would have laughed right in your face if you would have said that to me.

THRiVE!: Why the change?

Paladino: A lot of things have happened, especially in the last year. I think our government has shown how off the reservation they are, they have been so off the reservation that I think it demands a response from the people. I think time for talk is over, its time for action. I am going to go to Albany and take Sheldon Silver and turn him upside down, I am going to shake him and all his cronies. I am going to shake out of him whatever we can from he stole from the people and send him to Akron, or at least somewhere far away.

THRiVE!: How would your role in Albany benefit Buffalo?

Paladino: Buffalo is the poster child of all of upstate NY. Buffalo is no different than Rochester, Syracuse, Skinectity, Binghamton, Olean, Watertown, it’s no different than all host cities in upstate NY that are suffering from the loss of our manufacturing base. We just didn’t lose these companies, we invited them to leave, by trying to tax them to death and do everything else we could to make it unattractive to their expansion and growth. I mean how ridiculous is it that we seem to do everything just the opposite of what you should do to encourage business expansion and jobs and we let them get away with it.

Every year in Buffalo we take 5,000 six year olds and put them in a dysfunctional school system, they have no alternatives. We deny vouchers, we deny cash credits, we deny charters, we deny every possible alternative to these kids and stick them in a dysfunctional school system that today graduates less than 50% of their students. Then the teachers complain that they are from dysfunctional homes. You know why they are from dysfunctional home? Because their parents are victims of the same dysfunctional school system. Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting a different result.

THRiVE!: In the Buffalo News article you mentioned the death of your son realigned your values, can you explain that more?

Paladino: Life changes in the blink of an eye. You start to smell the roses, see the trees…(pause) I really don’t want to talk about my son.

THRiVE!: Are you a person of faith?

Paladino: Yes, I believe in God.

THRiVE!: Are you Catholic?

Paladino: Yes, I’m Catholic.

THRiVE!: It is said you are too harsh with your opponents, what would you say to that?

Paladino: Strap in and get ready for the ride. (laughing)