— —
It’s high time that the men and women who comprise New York’s state legislature accept defeat.
For months now, legislators have hemmed and hawed about spending cuts that would balance a yet-to-be-passed budget. For the last few weeks, Gov. David Paterson has rightly forced concessions by including many of the spending cuts that lawmakers dislike in the weekly extender provisions that keep New York open for business. By forcing the legislature to accept spending cuts rather than shut down state government, Paterson has shown he has the best hand in this endless game of fiscal poker.
If the legislature continues to haggle over budget provisions — estimates still put the two sides more than $1 billion apart — they will only weaken their hands.
So far, Paterson has used the all-or-nothing budget extenders to gain minor concessions. The governor has threatened any number of other cuts or new taxes included in future extenders if the legislature can’t agree on a deal to close the historic $9.2 billion budget gap.
After forcing lawmakers to accept cuts in the extender bill on Monday, Paterson has dialed up another dose of tough medicine for next week — about $100 million in cuts to public safety, economic development and transportation budgets.
By all accounts, the longer this goes on, the more that Paterson will get his way. Some of his ideas have been long overdue, but some will certainly rile taxpayers. By refusing to make other tough choices on spending cuts, the legislature is weakening its ability to negotiate the implementation of Paterson’s new taxes or massive state worker layoffs.
Most irksome among the proposals is a tax on soda and yet another increase on cigarette taxes. The governor has also said he may revisit his pledge not to lay off any state workers this calendar year if a budget deal doesn’t happen soon.
Not to mention, contractors across the Empire State are working without being paid and school districts and municipalities can’t close their books (much less adequately plan for next year) without knowing how much money will be coming from Albany.
Lawmakers would best serve their constituents by stopping dragging their feet and accepting the cuts that will become law eventually, whether passed bit by bit or in one felled swoop.
Editorials
OUR VIEW: Time for lawmakers to suck it up and deal
- Editorials
-
- Give chicken plan free range
-
Scale back Canal Fest hours
A decision Tuesday by the Tonawanda Common Council to require daily Canal Fest operations on the south side of the canal to conclude by 10 p.m., rather than 11, apparently isn’t sitting well with Canal Fest organizers, who have yet to agree to the change.
-
OUR VIEW: Kudos to Slaughter on STOCK Act
Rep. Louise Slaughter and a small band of colleagues in the House of Representatives deserve praise for their determination in putting a stop to a long-standing dirty secret in politics — that members of Congress have been making a boatload of cash by parlaying their official knowledge of the nation’s affairs into private fortunes on the stock market.
-
OUR VIEW: Time to fundamentally rethink education
In the three school districts primarily composing the Tonawandas we are seeing, in varying degrees, the beginning of the end of education here as we know it.
-
OUR VIEW: Super job by Bills on signing Williams
More than the Xs and Os of a football playbook, the Mario Williams signing is a generation-in-the-waiting signal that this franchise is finally on the right track.
-
OUR VIEW: WNY must build on success at ECC
In reading Sunday’s cover story by reporter Jill Keppeler, readers probably shared our shock in the success story that is the Erie Community College industrial technology program.
-
OUR VIEW: ‘Mailing it in’ is not good enough
The U.S. Postal Service has been mailing it in for years.
-
KEPPELER: Daydream believer
I felt sorry for Whitney Houston. But this week, the world lost two people whose departure makes me truly nostalgic.
-
OUR VIEW: Slisz v. Beyer exposes flaws in election system
Though voters in the city who have waited for nearly four months to find out who won might find this welcome news, the problems with our election system this razor-thin race uncovered are anything but comforting.
-
OUR VIEW: Officials need to take walk
The tumult and excitement over approving Nik Wallenda’s request to walk across the Niagara Gorge has at times been deafening.
- More Editorials Headlines
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
