The Tonawanda News
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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.
