NY state budget: How bad is bad?
Following an unprecedented address to TV audiences last week, Gov. David Paterson barely had time to remove his lapel microphone before Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was on the radio, questioning whether the state budget is actually in crisis. Silver said, "Let's sit around for a few more weeks and analyze a little more data before we act precipitously."
Since then, the question Paterson had hoped to place front and center -- what to cut and by how much -- has morphed into a debate over how bad the emergency really is. A story today in the New York Times says governors have hit the crisis button frequently in the past. Other stories, including Newsday's, say that Silver and others are taking a cautious approach before wielding the axe.
But are the crisis deniers playing with numbers in order to protect state programs and jobs? Silver released a strong statement defending the progress that has been made in K-12 education, probably to fend off school budget cuts. The union-backed Fiscal Policy Institute has also questioned the need for immediate action. "While it's good to think ahead, and it might be good to get the legislature to help him [Paterson], there's no reason to do it now," the FPI's Frank Mauro told Newsday.
The Economist magazine doesn't quite take the cynical approach, but it does point out how historically, the state has seen worse.
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Comments (4)
After reading yesterday's New York Times analysis on the State budget which many experts were quoted stating that Gvernor Paterson was essentially "crying wolf," I looked into the matter further.
Did you know that the Governor has not consolidated the staff of the Governor's office with his former people in th Lt. Governor's office? He now has a larger staff than any Governor in recent history. He is paying his press aides more than Commissioners and even more than the Chief Judge of the State, Judith Kaye.
What is becoming clear is that this "budget crisis" (and there are legitimate issues to discuss) is a political manufacture to stave of the gubernatorial challengers of 2010 like Giuiliani, Bloomberg, Suozzi, Cuomo, etc.
Since when is a story printed by another news paper news?
Who cares what the NYT prints - they have a clear agenda of big government socialism so will naturally question anyone who wants to limit government spending. How about some original reporting Newsday/Cablevision..
Dear Clear Vision:
Blogs like Viewsday often link to news stories from other sources. I know that you are a frequent reader of Newsday's Web site, but do you read blogs? It's standard practice to round up the day's chatter on a topic and provide the links in one place, so that readers can view the original stories we're commenting on.
I think it's important to document this effort by some to say the state's fiscal crisis is not that bad, and I think you would agree with me there. One governor after another has found it convenient to ignore the poor fiscal practices of NYS, such as allowing dozens of semi-independent authorities to borrow money and ratchet up state debt. And, of course, the economy is in the hopper. Gov. Paterson seems to be facing up to the problems squarely, and I applaud him for that.
Although, I have to say that The Budget Watcher makes some excellent points about the governor's need to clean his own house.
Anne
Anne:
The folks who are stating the fiscal crisis is not that bad have a clear stake in the prospective cuts (labor unions and their mouthpiece - Silver.) Although I am not a fan of Patterson, I do applaud his attempt to get in front of this budget crisis. The Wall Street financial industry is not coming back to New York when this downturn ends in '09/'10 - I know, many of my friends have left and their companies have been permanently restructured to avoid high-tax areas like NYC. NY is going to have to make do with billions in reduced tax revenues.
The Economist is correct "historically, the state has seen worse". That's because we are at the leading edge of this crisis, and unless radical action is taken, NY will experience the 70's once again.
For a more even-handed blog, why not include sources that present alternate viewpoints such as the Manhattan Institute..