So the 'little meeting' of the legislature leaders and Mr.Governor went well....ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha......now either everything going on....as we are told is VERY SERIOUS AND NEEDS ATTENTION/ACTION or IT'S ANOTHER DAMN DOG AND PONY SHOW, and just another way to 'move the sheeple' into believing every line of crap all while the bodies fall at the roadside.......
Mr.Governor---this IS NOT AN AUDITORY HALLUCINATION........
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
First published in print: Saturday, November 29, 2008
So the Nov. 18 special legislative session called to address the state's ever growing fiscal crisis and budget deficits has come and gone without — surprise — any action by the most dysfunctional, partisan and out-of-touch Legislature in the country.
Instead, we get a media circus "meeting" of the governor and leaders of the Senate and Assembly pointing fingers as to why there is no mid-year expenditure reduction proposal — all the while sounding like the tired, worn-out, non-governing politicians they all are, maybe except for Gov. David Paterson.
A word of advice to Assemblyman James Tedisco, Speaker Sheldon Silver, Sen. Malcolm Smith and Majority Leader Dean Skelos: You were elected to govern, not to practice partisan politics and protect your party's interests. It is time that you do so.
CAPITOL Reform panel calls for tax cap Consolidation of schools also urged
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
Small school districts such as Fort Plain and Northville could be forced to consolidate with other school systems if a recommendation of a state property tax commission becomes law. The New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief released its final report at a news conference in Albany on Monday. Among the recommendations are to cap school taxes at a rate of 4 percent with certain exceptions. It would also require state government to reduce the number of mandates, which are services such as special education that districts are required to provide, but for which they often do not receive any additional funding. It would also require school districts with fewer than 1,000 pupils to consolidate. Fort Plain in Montgomery County had 911 students, according to its 2006-07 state report. Superintendent Douglas Burton said such consolidation discussions have occurred in the past but have failed because of the issue of “territorialism.” “Most times, people don’t like losing their identity, even though financially it generally makes sense. I think it’s tied up in tradition and communities are reluctant to let to go of that.” In the late 1980s, he said the district did a study that would have explored consolidating Fort Plain, St. Johnsville and Canajoharie. However, it failed when it went to a public vote. Burton said it probably makes more sense to consolidate business operations — for example having multiple districts share a superintendent and business office that would handle accounts receivable and payroll for all of the districts. Some districts have done that and seen a cost savings. Other districts have been exploring ways to share services. Northville Central School Superintendent Kathy Dougherty said the district, which has 520 students, is in the planning stages for a bus garage to be shared with the village of Northville and the town of Northhampton. “Why have three bus garages? Why have three sets of mechanics? Why have three entities doing the same work within the space of maybe 10 square miles?” Also, the Edinburg Common School District, which has about 70 total students, pays tuition to send their grade 7-12 students to Northville. Dougherty said one issue with trying to consolidate with Edinburg outright is that Edinburg is located in Saratoga County and Northville is in Fulton County. If merged, she said Edinburg would probably pay more in taxes. In Schenectady County, the Duanesburg Central School District, with 951 enrolled students, according to its 2006-07 report, is the only district with fewer than 1,000 students. Superintendent Christine Crowley could not be reached for comment on Monday. Gov. David Paterson said the state has nearly 700 school districts, which is less than it used to have, but still “superfluous.” “Curtailing the number of school districts would be an extreme costsavings endeavor,” he said. The commission’s final report came after 10 months of work to address the high property tax costs, which it states are 78 percent higher than the national average. Other recommendations are to set mandatory minimum amounts that education employees must contribute .........................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00103
Tax cap plans completed Still needs legislative approval: faces fight in Democratic Assembly
By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau First published in print: Tuesday, December 2, 2008
ALBANY — A special commission recommending that school tax increases be capped at 4 percent annually said the state should consolidate small districts and take a closer look at special education costs as a way to control skyrocketing education expenses.
"We have 698 school districts in the system ... 200 of those 698 school districts are actually containing 1,000 or less schoolchildren. We think we can improve on that," Gov. David Paterson said Monday as he accepted the state Commission on Property Tax Relief's final report.
The Commission, headed by Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, in June called for the 4 percent cap on school tax levy increases.
John Silva did. I think the only other one to give any mention on the topic (and I don't remember the remarks) was Schalmont School Board member Michael Della Villa.
Loss of exec bonuses hurts state Fewer payouts means $178M less in income tax in ‘08 BY MICHAEL GORMLEY The Associated Press
Gov. David Paterson said Friday that the loss of tax revenue from just a handful of Goldman Sachs’ executives will cost New York $178 million. The executives complied with the urging of New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and others who said in November that major Wall Street companies benefi ting from federal bailouts shouldn’t pay out the usual huge bonuses to executives. Paterson says it is the right thing to do, but the result is a further hit to the fiscal crisis of state government. “Things could go even more south in a big hurry,” Paterson told reporters. He said Wall Street firms receiving federal bailout did the right thing by forgoing bonuses to their executives, but that has a devastating effect on New York’s fiscal crisis because Wall Street taxes account for 30 percent of state revenue in the last fiscal quarter. “I think it was the right urge,” he said, but “the state lost $178 million in that moment.” The Democrat projects the current deficit and the 2009-10 defi - cit to be $15.4 billion right now, but said that could get worse. On Tuesday he proposed a mostly fl atgrowth 2009-10 budget, due April 1, of about $120 billion. The decision by top Goldman Sachs’ executives to forego bonuses in 2008 forced other investment bank bosses to follow suit. Thousands of lower-tier brokers will still collect their hefty bonuses, however, because their employers don’t want to lose their top talent. Seven executives at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., including Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein, were to get no cash or stock bonuses for 2008. Blankfein received total compensation of $54 million last year, according to calculations by The Associated Press, making him the sixth-highest-paid CEO of a..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01401
Maybe they should make sure that when all companies order things through the mail that they need to pay state sales tax there, too. I think NJ does that (unless that's just NJ purchases through the mail that are bought from and sold to NJ locations). I thought I had seen that on a few commercials a while back.
,,,and since we're talking about how broke NY state is, did anybody find it odd that right now, when they're in the throws of trying to get together an early budget and the state is trying to save as much money as possible that Gov. Patterson decides to go gallavanting over in the Middle East? I realize as much as anyone else does that the troops over in the Middle East and all over the world are very important to our state and to our country, but I bet that the media would have been all over Governor Palin if she decided to make a trip over to the same area. She would be just doing it for some outrageous idea. AND...Governor Paterson decided to bring a bipatisan delagation of people from the House of Representatives with him...2 Democrats from NYS (one, I believe was Long Island) and 2 Republicans, the closest of which I think was from Ohio...because there's never Republicans elected in NY state.
I was watching the news and listening to Gov. Paterson, who wants to cut school funding. I'm a mother of four and grandmother of nine. I never voted against a school budget, because when a budget is voted down it only hurts our children. I don't know if Gov. Paterson has children, but what if his children had to cut out music, art or sports, which are just as important as reading, writing and arithmetic? And another reason for the extras: They keep children out of trouble. The kids of today are the future, so give them all the advantages they need. It seems to me that all these cuts would only hurt the young, old and poor.
If I were the Fed's and someone like Gov. Paterson came begging for a 'bail-out', it would be a flat NO!!! In a state, such as NYS, who has made NO effort to cut spending, would not even be an option. As far as I'm concerned, this state has not done anything to cut spending. All they did was propose tax increases. Something that you NEVER do during a recession.
So everyone can beat me up for this one....but I hope the Feds tell NYS to go back to the drawing board and cut spending. THEN and only then....'maybe'. IMHO
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
All the legislatures should not get raises, the out of control welfare program has got to be cut, state employees should pay NYS tax, and schools have got to cap their wasteful spending.
Leaders agree on plan to close deficit Skelos: Republicans left out of process
BY MICHAEL VIRTANEN The Associated Press
New York’s Democratic governor and legislative leaders announced agreement Tuesday on a $1.6 billion package of spending cuts and transfers to close the deficit in the state’s $120 billion budget. Republicans complained they were left out of the leaders meetings on the budget. The Senate and Assembly were expected to take up the measure later. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Malcolm Smith said he expected all his 32 members to vote for it. Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos, whose party lost its Senate majority in the November elections, said he expected all 29 sitting GOP senators to vote against it. It was reversed roles and rhetoric for the party leaders in the first significant action with Democrats now in majority control of both houses and the governor’s office. “We’re prepared to take fiscally sound actions to get the state back on track,” Smith said, surrounded by 18 Democratic colleagues. “We understand there’s been very little faith in the people of the state of New York in the government acting responsibly.” Smith said the cuts, which should improve the state’s bond rating and lower its daily costs by $1 million, should have been made back in December. At a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s vote, he said the package included $380 million cut administratively by the governor’s office, $306 million “swept” from the New York Power Authority fund and $75 million from the Environmental Protection Fund, and $61 million offset by State University of New York tuition increases. About $800 million of the savings are expected to recur the following year. EVERYTHING ‘ON THE TABLE’ Smith said the real work will begin today, when lawmakers start trying to craft the 2009-2010 budget that has to address another shortfall, which Paterson now estimates at $13 billion. “Health care, education, everything will be on the table,” he said. Skelos, surrounded by a dozen Republican senators, said he didn’t see the budget-cutting bill until noon Tuesday. He said the package was designed by three Democrats from New York City and that it was done without transparency — something the Republicans had been accused of by the Democrats last year. He said the NYPA cuts in low-cost power for business and some other trims would hurt job creation. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver also said there was agreement on cutting the short-term deficit, adding the state will need more federal dollars, “significant” cuts and revenue increases to cover next year’s defi - cit. He said higher taxes on the rich are “a viable option,” and the state’s income tax system is due for a permanent change. “It is unfair that people who make $50,000 are in the same tax rate as people who are making $50 million,” Silver said. “I think we have to build some elasticity in. We have to move some of the brackets around on a permanent basis.” The Democrat-controlled Assembly has previously passed a so-called millionaire’s tax, which Silver said would bring in another $1.5 billion. Gov. David Paterson left it out of his budget proposal, but has said taxes could be considered as a last resort. Paterson said ..............................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00100
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