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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. News & Comment By John F. Bailey. June 26, 2008: The New York State Budget is facing revenue shortfalls from Wall Street woes. From taxes down due to unemployment. We all face ghastly gas prices all summer long due primarily to state gasoline taxes. We will pay massive property tax increases beginning July 1. School Districts will face utility and construction and expenses costs going up beyond comprehension. Sales taxes are going to take a nosedive because retail is way down. The Tappan Zee could fall into the Hudson River tomorrow.
So quick, kids, what did the New York State legislature due this week?
They went on vacation.
Where’s the Government When You Need em? On vacation of course.
The State Senate(above) and Assembly are empty from now to January.
That’s it, I’ve done my six months. I’m gone to get reelected.
This is what our legislators always do when faced with difficulties in an election, that they do not want to take positions on, and wish would go away. They hide. They ignore them.
Those poor “overworked” House of Hacks in Albany have to rest up to come back next January to put together a budget that will tax us even more to make up for the shortfalls their clandestine spending will deliver this year.
The legislators have shown how out of touch they are with reality by bailing out of Albany with a “See ya” to Governor Patterson.
They are wasting valuable time by going home for six months.
Time that can never be made up.
Look you could run donkeys for legislator this year or dead persons for legislator this year on the Democratic ticket and get them elected. It’s a gimme year.
There may not be one Republican elected this year to the New York State legislature.
Instead of working for you when the House of Hacks returns home the first week in July, they will be working for themselves:
What will they be doing: hosting fundraisers to take more of your money. Politicking locally. Making speeches. Listening to you and telling you “yes, I’ve got a bill that will do just that.” They’ll talk about the disabled, talk about “affordable housing,” raise funds and be feeding money to political sycophants .
I mean an honest day of work, and a little crisis would kill the average state legislator. They are essentially account men and women who say anything they think the client (the voter) wants to hear, then turn around and bill the client (the voter) for it.
Whatever happened to the massive need to cut taxes we heard a few weeks ago from these phonies?
Man, our new governor sure gave up on his property tax cap idea fast didn’t he? He sure fought hard for it. How long did it take Joe and Sheldon and the shameless education forces to talk him out of that one?
No a strong stand on that one, Governor Patterson. You could have at least strong out the charade a week, couldn’t you?
It seems like all an act.
Did anyone ever really really believe the legislature was going to put in a property tax cap when they rammed through in April, a secret STAR Exemption cut to finance the school aid they increased? (Read this site, it is the only media that reported on that chicanery.) Our Assemblypersons and State Senators treat us as fools. And when you tell them, hey wait a minute, they give the tyrant’s answer: you don’t understand.
I appreciate Governor Patterson wanting to get along, but the state, the country is in big trouble right now.
The should drop the great conciliator role and folksiness and step up.
Governor Patterson should have said to Joe and Sheldon and all the others, no way, you are coming back July 7 and we’re going to do task forces to see how this cap can be enacted. But, he didn’t.
Governor Patterson should put together a mandate task force to examine the county claims that the mandates are killing them. But he didn’t.
Governor Patterson should have put together another task force to change the pension laws – create buyouts and trim the pension bills for years to come. But he didn’t.
Governor Patterson should have told the Comptroller to do an accounting of the gasoline tax and see what the impact would be of a various state cuts or temporary suspensions in the gas tax and how it could be done – and demand projections on revenues soon. But he didn’t.
Governor Patterson should have called for a task force to review all earmark projects across the state and postponed them or cancelled some of them. But, he didn’t.
You’re the governor, baby. You can do that. The legislature works for you. Does the governor really think they are going to renominate him in 2009 to run for a full term? With Andrew Cuomo just waiting to run?
Take your shot. Lead from strength.
When a company is in trouble they cut. When a government or a School District is in trouble they spend more. They never spend less. Somehow I do not get that.
Do you think maybe, just maybe the legislators might come back in July and August and attack the property tax thing, the gas tax thing, the utility price increases, state foreclosure laws, trimming state bureaucracy?
Here are a few suggestions.
I think they can start by trimming their legislative staffs since they only work six months this year. Just put in answering machines or have college interns do it. Forget this paid staff business.
Eliminate the reams of media offices that so many state departments have. (Now I’ll never get any calls back) The flood of news releases, website management, is appreciated, but a press office for every department under the sun is not necessary.
Cut back on entourages and that includes the state cars and state vehicles, planes and helicopters. Cut out the travel and do some work in Albany.
Get rid of the state police. They did not even protect a former governor from ladies of the evening, let alone report the outrageous behavior. They are also ineffectual in enforcing speed limits. Have local authorities police the thruways and state roads. I guarantee revenues locally would go up and reckless driving decreased.
Now let’s really look at what these legislators do.
These guys are in session running the state, 4 days a week, for less time than a college student, less than a high school student, and they get paid $79 G’s a year plus stipends for some as a result of additional duties.
Let me tell you, any person that works as a legislator in county and state government shouldn’t even think about running for the job of Mayor. Councilperson, maybe – they don’t work hard either. Actually being a councilperson is somewhat like agreeing to be paid to sit in detention three times a month, one council meeting, two work sessions. At least the Mayor,the Commissioners and the Mayor’s staff are working every day.
The Mayoral workload will kill any elected legislator. Not only that, but you are accountable — somthing new for anyone in the legislature. If things go wrong, Battle Hill or Highlands is on the phone to you.
But the White Plains in 2010 when a new Mayor comes in (if America’s Favorite Mayor, Joseph Delfino chooses not to run), will be hard to run. The tax base is suddenly gone flat because three projects have stalled out and financing sources other than the city are tightening up. Meanwhile the city school and county expenses are burgeoning. And White Plains is in reasonable shape. The same cannot be said for other cities and towns in the county.
But, I digress.
Do you think maybe, the legislators (since if you’re a Democrat there’s no way you can lose this year unless perhaps people are apprised of the facts), might try and come back to Albany and tackle some hard decisions: say no to school districts strongly on their inept financial management? Say no to developers on breaks, cleanups, and special projects? Say no to pouring millions into the same mismanaged cities across the state they always do? Say no to unions and overhaul the pension plans? Say no to the Department of Transporation bureaucracy? Say no to hospital plans that do not make sense? Say no to commercial interests and stop homeowner property tax moneycide?
This is a pipe dream.
They won’t.
They’re too lazy, too perhaps stupid? Or perhaps too afraid.
These issues do not affect them anyway.
They know they can talk about changing things, fool you with budget sleight of hand and say look what we’ve done for you.
But the state is in so much financial trouble, this year, you would think they might come back for appearance sake.
They always like to appear they are working hard for you. (The jacket over the shoulder picture is meant to represent that).
The fact that they are not even vowing to come back, in what would cost them nothing in a good will, roll up the sleeves gesture, shows you that every single one of them from the Governor on down has no respect for you.
You will note that the U.S. Congress has waited until now one year after the crisis of foreclosures started to come even close to reforming foreclosure. Too late for thousands.
They play you, because they don’t think you’re very smart.
They know you want to believe them.
The truth that our representatives really do not care is too awful to contemplate.
But by going on vacation Saturday, the New York State Legislature has told you exactly that.
They don’t deserve one.
