Paterson upset that he can't bribe lawmakers

From the Daily News:

Gov. Paterson gave a stunning reason Tuesday for why he can't persuade lawmakers to boost the number of charter schools: He can't afford to buy them off.

"In the past, governors gave them all kinds of resources in exchange for support for these programs," Paterson said when asked what he could do to get the Assembly to pass a bill increasing charters to 460 from 200.

"We don't have the money to exchange those resources, so we're just trying to use the power of persuasion."

Horse trading is certainly nothing new. In 1998, the Legislature first signed off on charter schools in exchange for Gov. George Pataki's support for a pay raise.

The governor's candid confession came on the same day that U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited three Brooklyn schools to push Albany to raise the cap on charters and to press the case for more federal cash to save teaching jobs.