Posted on 05/12/2003 6:30:59 AM PDT by Hugenot
Most people do not pay attention to state budget issues, particularly in a state other than their own, and so state budget debates rarely receive national attention.
Nevertheless, New York Governor George Pataki has captured the attention of Americans who are seeking a leader who will not bow to the pressure of special interests and the media.
Pataki submitted a $90 billion budget plan with no tax increases. However, the money hungry State Legislature is demanding $93 billion with tax increases to make up the difference.
Democratic State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and New York State Senate Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno both strongly defend their $93 billion budget plan and have no plans to compromise.
In a political donnybrook chronicled by the New York Post, Pataki called the Silver-Bruno tax-heavy budget, a “false promise to New Yorkers.” He later went on to say, “Instead of putting the state’s fiscal crisis behind us by taking bold, responsible action, the Legislature’s budget will perpetuate and dramatically worsen the crisis.”
In an attempt to gather the support of New Yorkers, the Republican governor has stepped up his budget veto threats early this week, warning fellow New Yorkers, that both state and city taxes will be a devastating blow for the Big Apple.
In his strongest attack yet on the legislature’s plan, Pataki predicted that the budget would, if allowed to stand, have “disastrous consequences to every single resident of this state.”
Pataki says that the budget will drive 100,000 jobs out of New York. He knows that if taxes are raised, that both jobs and businesses will have no choice but to abandon his state, which in turn will completely devastate New York's economy.
While the Legislature may override his veto, Pataki is standing firm on his no new tax stance because he knows that it is right for New York.
And he's paying the price for standing for principle. Public Employee unions are taking their opposition to the airwaves, bankrolling commercials touting the bloated budget passed by the legislature. They are also organizing demonstrations against the governor’s plan.
Pataki may be feeling the wrath of the State Legislature, the special interests, and the media now, but come time for the 2008 Presidential election Americans might be looking for a leader with the courage of his convictions.
John Rossiello attends St. Joseph's by-the-Sea High School in Staten Island, New York.
This is total crap. Pataki spent like a drunken sailor for most of his first two terms, and it was his promises to special interests like healthcare unions during last fall's campaign that are compounding the problems now. We need a serious tax cut and a serious spending cut. Call us when he's got that done and we'll see about his Presidential timber.
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