Gov. David Paterson

Despite the fact that David Paterson is a widely unpopular governor on his way out and despite the fact that the New York State legislature is a bevy of corruption, the governor used his State of the State address to legislators to discuss ethics and vowed to bring reform to Albany.

On the heels of former State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno being found guilty on several felony counts and current State Senator (though likely not for long) Hiram Monserrate being found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend, a push to bring some sort of ethics ...continue reading]]>

Gov. David Paterson

Despite the fact that David Paterson is a widely unpopular governor on his way out and despite the fact that the New York State legislature is a bevy of corruption, the governor used his State of the State address to legislators to discuss ethics and vowed to bring reform to Albany.

On the heels of former State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno being found guilty on several felony counts and current State Senator (though likely not for long) Hiram Monserrate being found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend, a push to bring some sort of ethics into a chamber otherwise filled with crooks might seem like a good idea. Not so to the legislators.

According to the Daily News, “Lawmakers in both houses, who are negotiating a different version of an ethics bill, and advocates say the plan has virtually no chance of passing.”

Paterson was particularly after special interest groups who have derailed most of Paterson’s plans, including necessary budget cuts and other legislative ventures. “They have routinely demanded special treatment without any regard for others,” Paterson said.”The reality is that there is no moral high ground … trampling on others to get there and there is nothing lower than engaging in the currency of influence to the detriment of other New Yorkers.”

No special interest influence in Albany? Cute.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who will challenge Paterson in the primaries later this year, stated what all of us were thinking after the speech when he said that Paterson hit all the right themes but it is not likely that we will see all of this talk be put into action.

Especially with a State Senate that has been nothing but a thorn in the side of justice for decades.

David Paterson

After consistently pleading with the state legislature, particularly the state senate, to cut the New York State budget by $3.2 billion to prevent an economic collapse, Governor David Paterson has taken matters into his own hands and is now withholding 10% of the aid due to government agencies and schools.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been going on:

Seeing the state’s deficit rise to well over $3 billion, Governor David Paterson asked the state legislature to cut the budget by $3.2 billion to prevent the same type of economic collapse that happened in California ...continue reading]]>

David Paterson

After consistently pleading with the state legislature, particularly the state senate, to cut the New York State budget by $3.2 billion to prevent an economic collapse, Governor David Paterson has taken matters into his own hands and is now withholding 10% of the aid due to government agencies and schools.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been going on:

Seeing the state’s deficit rise to well over $3 billion, Governor David Paterson asked the state legislature to cut the budget by $3.2 billion to prevent the same type of economic collapse that happened in California from happening in New York.

After a lot of stalling and back-room politics, the state legislature came back with a deal that would only cut the state budget by $2.7 billion. Did I mention that the state deficit is at least $500 million more than that?

Governor Paterson vowed to take action into his own hands and it appears that he is doing just that; putting his political career on the line to make tough but seemingly necessary cuts to the state budget.

To begin with, Paterson is withholding 10% of the nearly $2 billion due to schools and government agencies tomorrow.

Paterson clarified that by “withholding” the funds, he is not impounding them but delaying their release until it is financially feasible for the state to release those funds.

While education groups are preparing to sue Paterson for release of the funds, it appears that the governor has full power to do so.

Paterson continued to blame the State Senate for dragging their feet and being more concerned about their own jobs than the financial future of the state.

Say what you will about Paterson but at least the guy takes responsibility and puts his money where his mouth is.

After gay marriage was shockingly overturned in California after it was already legalized, New York state senators rebuffed Governor David Paterson who had introduced the bill. The New York State Assembly had overwhelmingly passed the bill before the it was put to a vote in the Senate.

As the dust of the debate settled, gay marriage activists realized that they ...continue reading]]> Perhaps surprised by the New York Senate voting down a bill that would have legalized same-sex marriage in the state, gay activists have awakened with a fury and are planning the same kind of pro-gay marriage campaign that opponents have used against them.

After gay marriage was shockingly overturned in California after it was already legalized, New York state senators rebuffed Governor David Paterson who had introduced the bill. The New York State Assembly had overwhelmingly passed the bill before the it was put to a vote in the Senate.

As the dust of the debate settled, gay marriage activists realized that they had lost the gay marriage battle in two states that one would assume would allow it because they hadn’t run a real campaign to counter the well funded anti-gay marriage campaigns.

In California, out-of-state Evangelical and Mormon groups spent millions to ban gay marriage in 2008. Millions were also spent here in New York, including $1.5 million for one anti-gay marriage ad that also aired in several other states including New Jersey.

While the movement to legalize gay marriage has been gaining a lot of steam, it has been kept down largely by Evangelical Christian groups like James Dobson’s Focus on the Family and Mormom groups.

Gay marriage is currently legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Iowa. New Jersey will soon vote on whether or not to legalize gay marriage before anti-gay marriage governor Chris Christie takes office.

David Paterson

While the media focused largely on the New York state senate officially denying more than a million gay New Yorkers (according to most estimates) the right to one day marry the person they love like any convicted felon, murderer, adulterer, or terrorist can, legislators also spent the special session cutting the state deficit by $2.8 billion.

Although nothing is concrete, it appears that the state legislature will cut most but not all of the New York State deficit leaving the state with a large debt and financial difficulties after this year.

Governor David Paterson has ...continue reading]]>

David Paterson

While the media focused largely on the New York state senate officially denying more than a million gay New Yorkers (according to most estimates) the right to one day marry the person they love like any convicted felon, murderer, adulterer, or terrorist can, legislators also spent the special session cutting the state deficit by $2.8 billion.

Although nothing is concrete, it appears that the state legislature will cut most but not all of the New York State deficit leaving the state with a large debt and financial difficulties after this year.

Governor David Paterson has been asking legislators to cut the state budget by $3.2 billion in order to eliminate the state deficit (which the State Comptroller’s office estimates to be even larger than the Governor has stated.

While most legislators saw the plan that the State Assembly and the counterproductive State Senate had come up with (though only under dire circumstances) as a breakthrough since the governor’s plan was unlikely to gain traction in the Senate, Paterson was none too happy with the compromise and neither should you.

While some legislators claimed that Paterson was attacking the legislature to help himself politically, the legislature is the party truly guilty of this.

The Democrats agreed to a compromised plan only to avoid looking like they were leading the state into an economic collapse similar to California’s.

In truth, the whole point of Paterson’s cuts were not only to prevent financial ruin but, as we reported earlier, to prevent a large state debt that would greatly damage the state’s credit score (yes, states borrow money too) and increase the state’s interest payments meaning that we would be even more in debt.

Paterson has promised that he will get the budget cuts done, with or without the legislature’s blessing.

NY Gov. David Paterson

While Governor David Paterson has been pushing the legislature to cut the state budget by $3.2 billion, top Democrats have been reluctant to make the tough cuts to education and hospitals, opting to push for bigger debt in order to keep their jobs.

While the State Assembly is on board, the State Senate, particularly the Carl Krueger-led finance committee, has been reluctant to make tough, unpopular, but seemingly necessary decisions.

In response to the stalling by the Senate, Paterson has proposed an emergency bill that would allow him to make the necessary cuts, ...continue reading]]>

NY Gov. David Paterson

While Governor David Paterson has been pushing the legislature to cut the state budget by $3.2 billion, top Democrats have been reluctant to make the tough cuts to education and hospitals, opting to push for bigger debt in order to keep their jobs.

While the State Assembly is on board, the State Senate, particularly the Carl Krueger-led finance committee, has been reluctant to make tough, unpopular, but seemingly necessary decisions.

In response to the stalling by the Senate, Paterson has proposed an emergency bill that would allow him to make the necessary cuts, and thus taking the blame for the unpopular move. A pretty gutsy thing to do for an unpopular governor running for re-election.

Paterson has continually warned that further delays will hurt the state, damage its credit rating, and make the interest payments on our debt much higher and thus putting New York into an even bigger financial hole.

The Governor has also promised to keep the Senate in Albany over Thanksgiving if they do not get something done by then.

Although no budget cuts are popular, Paterson is actually coming off as the good guy in all of this because he has shown that he is willing to consistently stick his neck on the line and make the decisions that he believes to be the right ones, even if it hurts his popularity and chances of re-election.

We’ll keep you updated on the state’s budget moves as the Senate continues to debate actually doing something to keep the state from entering a California-type collapse.