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New York Governor Pays State Bureaucrats To Attend His Event On Global Warming

Emma Colton Deputy Editor
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo reportedly requested that state employees attend an event on global warming allegedly due to fears attendance might be a little light. All employees who took part in the event received full-pay despite missing hours of work.

The New York Post reported Cuomo asked government bosses tell their employees to make room in their schedules last Thursday afternoon for an event. The bosses enticed workers to show up to the global warming speech saying they would still receive full-time, taxpayer-funded paychecks despite missing hours of work, and could even go home after Cuomo finished speaking.

“It’s a questionable use of state resources,” executive director of Citizens Union Dick Dadey told the New York Post. (RELATED: Cuomo Staffer Shot In Brooklyn Violence)

The event began at 2:30 p.m on Thursday afternoon and featured the liberal New York governor, Al Gore and Columbia University president Lee Bollinger. The unspecified amount of government employees requested to attend were told to leave their offices at midday, stay for the hour-long event and then they could go home, according to the New York Post.

At the gathering, Cuomo and Gore announced New York state was going to make a concerted effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and “fight” climate change, according to Columbia’s State of the Planet blog. Cuomo pledged to support Gore’s commitment to fighting global warming, and signed a non-committal pledge to lower the global climate by two degrees Celsius before 2100, the New York Daily News reported.

According to the New York Post, Empire State employees are frequently encouraged to leave work to support Cuomo and his administration, and even get repeated emails reminding them of upcoming events.

“They [government bosses] often ask,” an unidentified worker from the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation told the New York Post. “We get emails, and they’ll ask us if we want to go.”

For this event, 20 bureaucrats from four government agencies — including the Environmental Conservation, the Energy Research and Development office, the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Department of Health — attended.

“Public employees take an oath that they won’t use their position for their personal advantage,” an unidentified Department of Health worker told the New York Post. “How can you expect any state workers to take it seriously when the boss isn’t leading by example?”

During the event crowded with people used for Cuomo’s personal advantage, the governor lectured the audience on unprincipled conservative politicians who deny global warming, according to the New York Daily News.

“Climate change is a reality and not to address it is gross negligence by government and irresponsible as citizens,” Cuomo said.

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