McCaughey: NY State Budget - The Writing Is On the Wall

NEW YORK, June 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former Lt. Governor, Betsy McCaughey, says, "The writing is on the wall. Democratic lawmakers want to keep spending and kowtowing to unions, even though families are earning less, coping with unemployment, and taxed to intolerable levels. In all parts of this nation, Americans do with less in hard times – everywhere except in the New York State legislature."

McCaughey adds, "Sheldon Silver, head of the Democratic majority in the Assembly, and John Sampson, head of the slim Democratic majority in the Senate, are pushing for legislation that will raise your taxes and restore spending cuts, Governor Paterson has proposed."

There is plenty of room to cut this budget – far more than Governor Paterson has suggested – without affecting the welfare of New Yorkers.

McCaughey proposes: Aid to schools should be cut even more than the 5% already in the Governor's budget. Public school enrollment is down approximately 5% over the last decade, but non-teaching staff has increased by 26%, New York State employees earn total compensation of more than $92,000 a year for a 35 hour work week – well ahead of what their counterparts in the private sector earn. There are increasingly TWO NEW YORKS – UNION WORKERS RIDING THE GRAVY TRAIN AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS TOILING TO SUPPORT THEM.

If the legislative leaders adamantly oppose spending cuts, the Governor SHOULD shut down the state, and use the occasion to present public employees and unions with an ultimatum: sizable layoffs OR immediate changes in contract work rules and health benefits. The Governor has direct control of over 90% of state employees. He can rescue New Yorkers from the spending addicts and union puppets in the legislature.

SOURCE Betsy McCaughey