this should be interesting - NY Governor threatening to shut down state finances
from
(snip)"ALBANY (CBS) ― New details emerged Friday about just how many people could be hurt if the New York Legislature shuts down the government. A decision could come as soon as Monday from the Albany "circus."
With the budget standstill continues in New York, officials estimate the shutdown threatened by Gov. David Paterson could be crippling.
"Certainly would be a significant disruption, a very hurtful circumstance for people in the state. It certainly won't help our economy in a time when we are struggling," said Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
If a shutdown does happen, 565,000 unemployment recipients would not get their checks because 153,000 state employees – including those that work the unemployment computers – couldn't come to work. They wouldn't be paid either. Welfare, food stamps, and other assistance would be frozen.
Schools would not be paid for for full-day kindergarten, educating homeless children, and bus driver training.
"It needs to be avoided at all costs," said DiNapoli. "It could be the height of irresponsibility if we allow their budget delay to get out of hand to the point where state government has to close down."
All this comes as negotiations on the now 72-day late state budget continued behind the scenes and no one was willing to predict what will happen. Some told CBS 2 progress on the entire budget is being made.
But Paterson still intended to submit an emergency budget bill that sources said will include $150 in cuts to mental hygiene and $175 million in cuts to human services. That's a problem because renegade Democrats said they won't vote for it.
"I refuse to cut any more. I will not cut any more. The governor doesn't have to shut the government, the governor could send a straight, straight extender without cuts," said Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx).
Republicans could prevent a shutdown by providing some votes, but Friday they played it close to the vest.
"Hopefully this coming week we will have a budget, but a budget that does not increase taxes or spending," said Sen. Republican leader Dean Skelos."(snip)
... let me guess - this will devolve into zero actual net cuts in gov't spending being made, even higher NY income tax rates, and adding another billion to the state's bond debt !
Re: this should be interesting - NY Governor threatening to shut down state finances
and here's one if the budget issues they're arguing over ... from
(snip)"Paterson's budget director, Robert Megna, said much of what the Republicans proposed is in the spending bill, although just $15 million to $20 million in cuts were solely sought by the Senate GOP.
For example, the Republicans sought to delay a 10-percent increase in the state's welfare grant to save $28 million, but that proposal was rejected, Megna said."(snip)
Yes by all means, with 10% unemployment, one of the worst business climates in the USA, and one of the highest combined state and local tax rates in the USA, it would apparently be even more devastating to force New York's welfare recipients to forego their scheduled 10% increase in benefit checks !!!
It certainly looks like I won't be moving 'home' next year !
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Re: this should be interesting - NY Governor threatening to shut down state finances
The state budget is late now by going on two months, back to the Pataki stalemate days. Gov. Paterson is thrashing about desperately trying to find a solution to a bad fiscal crunch. I see two forces here: (1) a stupid legislature trying to manipulate finances to bribe voters into voting back in, despite their incompetence and self-servingness (sic); (2) Paterson vainly trying to intimidate the voters in two ways--demonstrate the desperation by taking away the most obvious state-run resources (parks etc) and by trying to get the voters to intercede for him with their representatives in the legislature.
Re: this should be interesting - NY Governor threatening to shut down state finances
This new governor is really making it difficult for everyone here in NYS! Earlier this year he was postponing returning people's state income tax refunds; some didn't get theirs till this summer!
NOW, he thinks it a great idea to mess with the Seneca Nation of Indians....bad idea dude...
P.S. Melonie if you are ever up this way again, I would like to meet you :)
Re: this should be interesting - NY Governor threatening to shut down state finances
gonna happen sooner or later - might as well get a taste for it.
Re: this should be interesting - NY Governor threatening to shut down state finances
^^^ I suspect later rather than sooner ...
(snip)"ALBANY -- Gov. Paterson ordered agency heads yesterday to cut 2,000 more state jobs by the end of the year -- even if it means laying off workers.
A memo sent to commissioners by acting State Operations Director Mark Leinung represents the latest layoff threat from Paterson, who has repeatedly raised the possibility of pink slips after labor unions and courts rejected his calls for wage freezes and forced furloughs.
The memo set no deadline to reduce the 132,000 state workers under the governor's control, but Paterson said during a radio interview yesterday that layoffs would begin before the end of the year.
Governor David Paterson."I would tend to think mid-November we'll start," Paterson said. More than 5,000 state workers are expected to participate in an early-retirement program offered by Paterson, far below the number needed to achieve the $250 million in work-force savings included in the state's budget"(snip)
from
A major threat here ( yeah, right ) ... eliminating 2000 / 132000 = 1.5% of state workers ! Given that the remaining 130,000 state workers have at least a 3% raise written into their union contracts, the resulting state budget savings will be less than nothing ! Also the 132,000 figure only represents state level civil servants under the direct control of the governor's office ... not the 1,297.000 total civil service employees in the state of NY ( which represents 16% of all employees in the state ) per So the governor's 'threat' will actually only amount to 2000 / 1.3 million or 0.15% of total civil service employees in the state !
I actually got a call from remaining family in New York today, informing me that Rick Lazio has pulled out of the november governor's election. That leaves the 'father of subprime lending' and hereditary political scion Andrew Cuomo, against axe wielding Tea Party favorite Carl Paladino. Given that welfare recipients plus civil service employees plus politicians plus gov't contractors equal at least 51% of the NY electorate, it looks like I won't be moving back to NY for quite a while !!!
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Re: this should be interesting - NY Governor threatening to shut down state finances
What will be interesting is if that portion of the electorate will bother to vote in a non-presidential election. I believe a lot of them are somewhat simple minded either by genetics or education in that way.
Re: this should be interesting - NY Governor threatening to shut down state finances
^^^ indeed ! However, the NY civil servants 'get paid' to vote (i.e. paid time off), the unemployed / welfare recipients etc. don't have a job to conflict with the hours that polls are open, prisoners can vote from their cells etc. Thus if by some complete coincidence one candidate was offering an agenda of increased gov't spending on public employee salaries / state unemployment benefit eligibility / welfare benefits etc. while the other candidate was offering an agenda of spending cuts on public sector worker salaries / unemployment benefits / social welfare benefits, and state income tax cuts for both public and private sector workers, the real world voter turnout hassle factor clearly favors the former !