Times Union
Albany, NY
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=816473&category=OPINION
Your June 19 editorial, “Ticket to scalp,” was right on target in stating that the recent law extending the right of ticket scalpers to resell tickets to sports and entertainment events without any limit on the resale price is bad public policy. New York’s experiment in reregulating entertainment ticket prices has been a failure, with consumers the victims.
New York’s legalization of price gouging for ticket prices in 2007 was not just a misguided policy, but another case study of how things are done every day in Albany. As a recent Citizen Action report details, 100 percent of the more than $400,000 in campaign contributions made by parties who lobbied on the 2007 law were from ticket sellers and entertainment companies.
Consumer groups weighed in on the other side, but didn’t have the cash to back up their arguments. As with the other bills featured in our report, the ticket broker fight raises the question as to whether the merits lost out to business interests with fat wallets.
It’s clear what the solution is. New York must pass public financing of elections to equalize the playing field between consumers and businesses affected by legislative actions.
This year’s fight over control of the state Senate — engineered by a billionaire outraged over a reasonable tax increase that affected him — should serve as the latest wake-up call to legislators of the need to demonstrate that New York is not for sale to the highest bidder.
Bob Cohen
Policy Director
Citizen Action
Albany
bcohen@citizenactionny.org
