Governor Paterson-You can't have it both ways

Governor Paterson suffered a lapse from liberal philosophy last week when he called on the state to cut spending. All of you liberals who are disappointed in, worry not, he has reverted back to form.

In his recent op-ed in the Washington Post, the accidental Governor has called on the federal government "to help all states navigate an economic crisis". He insists that the federal government must pass a "second stimulus package that includes investments in our nation's infrastructure" and other short term stimulus investments like paying people's heating bills for them this winter.

His op-ed slamming the Bush Administration and the federal government for wasteful spending, while pleading with the federal government for more spending came one day after his press release congratulating the President and Congress for passing the Foreclosure Relief Act.

Which is it Governor? Are you for or against reckless government spending?

Life in NY

Tonight I took the kids to Game Stop. My younger son received a game for his birthday that was defective so we went in to exchange it for a different game. One would think that wouldn't be a big deal. The problem is, I was returning a game purchased in Pennsylvania in a New York store.

The young lady who waited on us was very nice and pleasant but this was her first out of state return. Pennsylvania has a 6% sales tax while New York has an 8% tax. There was only about a 50 cent difference, but I can't blame the girl for doing her job and balancing the books. After she made six phone calls and about twenty minutes she finally figured it out. The Sponge Bob game is much better than the Power Rangers anyway, so I suppose it was worth the headache.

That little event got me thinking, how does Pennsylvania manage with a 6% sales tax? What about Delaware? That state has no sales tax and Florida has no state income tax. Where is all of the money in New York going? Today Governor Paterson ordered a 7% spending reduction from all state agencies. Already counties are complaining that it will mean less money from Albany, so they may have to raise our taxes. Why don't they just stop spending so much of our money?

I think I'll move to Bikini Bottom.

Governor Paterson's Speech

Governor Paterson just delivered his speech on the local television stations. I was a little nervous at first, it began as what could have turned into a typical liberal speech. I held my breath, hoping the Governor would not be calling for tax increases to beef up the state coffers.

Governor Paterson did not disappoint, in fact I yelled "Woo Hoo!" when he said he was calling for an emergency session of the state legislature and the legislators vacations were coming to an end. He went on to state that, like New Yorkers, the government will need to learn to get by with less and we need to cut up our credit cards!

One thing the Governor said that may give some of us pause is that the government needs to act. As history has shown, government action often makes fiscal problems worse.

It remains to be seen if the dysfunctional New York State Senate and Assembly will do anything to balance the budget. It doesn't fit with their "spending for votes" way of thinking. But the Governor is going to give it a go and he should get credit for that.

Washington, are you listening?

NY Governor David Paterson to speak about the economy.

It's been reported that Governor Paterson is expecting some tough fiscal times ahead here in NY and he plans to give a speech to address the issue. He reportedly plans to call for dramatic cuts in state spending.

It's starting to sound like the governor is a closet conservative, at least fiscally. The governor is going to be up against some pretty tough opposition to any cuts in spending and it shows guts that he's at least trying to do something to curb spending.

It would be nice if our local, state and federal governments had kept spending under control for the last century, but they have not. It's never too late to start, however, so good luck to Governor Paterson. Maybe President Bush can take a cue and veto the housing bill.

New York Governor David Paterson signs drilling legislation!

I'm not usually one to praise democrats, unless they do the right thing. Governor Paterson has signed legislation allowing drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation in upstate New York. Good for him! It's been predicted that the price of natural gas could double this winter, so this is good news for New Yorkers.

Now if we can just keep the enviro-nazi's and the "not in my back yard" crowd out of this we'll be all set.

The Tyranny of the Labor Unions

New York Governor David Paterson supports a proposal to set a property tax cap for New Yorkers, limiting it to 4% a year. (In my opinion, that's still too high, but you have to start somewhere.) 71% of New Yorkers are in favor of the proposal. It sounds like a no-brainer to me. If 71% of the people want it, get it done.

Well, hold on a minute. Accrding to the Newsday article Union foes killing property tax cap in NY legislature, the powerful labor and teachers unions aren't about to let this happen. The unions argue that it will hurt the kids. If we don't keep taxing the hell out of every New York homeowner, the kids will suffer.

But Paterson's commission found 71 percent of a district's budget goes to salaries and benefits, mostly for unionized workers, and that despite record state aid _ nearly $1.8 billion this year alone _ property taxes continue to rise. They are now the country's highest at 79 percent above the national average.

Lawmakers facing an election year have little interest in crossing Albany's powerful labor groups, which spend millions of dollars a year in campaign contributions, political support and lobbying. And neither Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno nor Sheldon Silver, the Democratic speaker in the Assembly, has supported Paterson's plan.

Heaven forbid we should ask the union members to pay a larger share of their health insurance and retirement costs, like the rest of us do. If you're an aspiring teacher or government employee you should definitely move to New York. You'll enjoy better benefits than your friends and neighbors and here's the best part-it's your friends and neighbors who will pay for it.