Following rounds of secrecy and closed door meetings, Governor Paterson, Speaker Silver and Senate Majority Leader Smith lead the way in enacting the worst budget in our state’s history. The details and facts surrounding this reckless and fiscally irresponsible budget are shockingly bad for all New Yorkers.
The “three-men-in-a-room” state budget packs a walloping $8 billion tax and fee increase on New York’s families and small business. It spends an estimated $132 billion, an increase of nine percent from last fiscal year. That is a staggering amount of spending and taxing in any economic condition – good or bad. Even Comptroller DiNapoli, the official charged with the state’s fiscal health, indicated this level of spending is unsustainable.
Comptroller DiNapoli said, “This budget is not a long-term solution to New York’s propensity to spend more than the state can afford … This is essentially a buy-time budget, based on the hope that the economy recovers quickly. It’s a very fragile basket to place all the taxpayers’ eggs in.”
Just last week, nearly a month following the enactment of the state budget, Governor Paterson’s own budget officials outlined that the state fiscal woes will continue with multi-billion dollar budget deficits for years to come.
In New York City, a family is expected to pay anywhere from $4,700 to $5,000 more each year because of this budget loaded with tax and fee hikes. Simply put, this state budget taxes too much, spends too much and completely fails to live up to the promise of reform and cooperation at a time when our state can least afford it. The Paterson-Silver-Smith budget will hinder New York’s economic growth and competitiveness and place a swift and strong recovery out of reach.
That is why I voted against this disastrous state budget crafted by Governor Paterson, Speaker Silver and Senate Majority Leader Smith.
In fact, editorial boards across New York have near universally criticized the dysfunctional and secretive budget process and its disastrous outcome.
Please don’t be fooled by the negative mailers packed with distortions that you may have recently received in your mailbox. It’s nothing but an attempt to misdirect attention from the fact that the 2009-2010 State Budget championed by Governor Paterson, Speaker Silver and Senate Majority Leader Smith will have a devastating impact on our future.
At the end of the day, I will continue to stand side-by-side with New York’s middle class families and small businesses in strong opposition to this risky fiscal scheme called the 2009-2010 State Budget.
Senator Frank Padavan represents the 11th District in Queens.
