Draft David Paterson
The New York Times is running a story on its website today that paints an absolutely devastating portrait of a dysfunctional state government — and it’s not about about Albany.
Illinois is currently running a $12 billion dollar deficit, with more than $5 billion in current bills outstanding that state officials can’t pay.
“This is what the state owes right now to schools, rehabilitation centers, child care, the state university — and it’s getting worse every single day,” Illinois comptroller Daniel Hynes told the Times.
“This is not some esoteric budget issue; we are not paying bills for absolutely essential services…That is obscene.”
Unlike New York state, the governor and lawmakers in Illinois have literally stopped compensating school districts and many non-profits that provide contractual services.
Meanwhile, they have borrowed billions of dollars to close gaps in the state pension fund. Even as the red ink rises, they refuse to consider serious solutions.
More broadly, Illinois is caught between blue state convictions about social safety nets and a red state aversion to taxes. For years, the Democratic-controlled legislature has passed budgets that are, in effect, in deficit.
After watching the budget process this session in Albany, it’s hard to imagine that New York would be faring any better than Illinois if not for the budget-cutting and belt-tightening measures taken by Governor David Paterson.
His performance even drew guarded praise from some Republican lawmakers in the North Country.
“I’m hearing from the people in my district and I think they agree with what he’s doing,” said state Senator Betty Little (R-Queensbury). “I think that what the governor is proposing in cutting back on spending…is a good idea and they like it.”
Which is why it is so troubling that Gov. Paterson is not participating in this year’s election campaign.
Granted, his popularity evaporated under withering attacks from public employee unions, Republican leaders, and his erstwhile Democratic allies.
And the governor has managed to run one of the least adroit political machines in the history of New York state, while putting his own foot squarely in the occasional scandal.
But it is frightening to think what this year’s budget would have looked like without his stubborn fiscal brinksmanship.
As it happens, Andrew Cuomo — the Democratic frontrunner in the governor’s race — is also saying many of the right things about New York’s fiscal future.
But without a strong challenge in the primary — Gov. Paterson has decided not to seek re-election — it is impossible to gauge the depth or seriousness of Mr. Cuomo’s commitment.
Will he challenge the legislature, the public employee unions, operators of debt-ridden public corporations, and the groups that oppose any (even reasonable) tax increases?
It’s hard to say.
The bottom line is that New York’s political culture looks troublingly similar to that of Illinois — with the singular exception of Gov. Paterson.
I for one would like to see him re-enter the race.
Even if he couldn’t possibly win, this courageous move would allow Gov. Paterson to participate in public debates and forums with Mr. Cuomo, articulating his own views, while pressing Mr. Cuomo for more concrete ideas and policy-proposals.
Your thoughts?
Tags: election10
I have thought seriously for months to do a write-in for Paterson.
I am one of those who has spoken in favor of what Paterson is doing to Little and Sayward.
I wish for two major things. I wish Silver would just go away and I wish someone would bust all the state employee unions.
Perhaps Paterson’s situation… not campaigning… is a key factor in his recent budget accomplishments. If he jumped back into the political campaigning fray I seriously wonder if he would be able to continue making headway with the budget. Cuomo might be wise to just watch Paterson and both his popularity and actual results and if they continue to go well, pick up on his efforts. Maybe, just maybe, the New York electorate is ready for some reality in state economics.
Just proves you can accomplish a lot when you aren’t worried about getting re-elected.
I think Democrats and Republicans are mostly useless. David Paterson is one of those rare, noble exceptions.
But this goes back to Brian’s other post about our ability and willingness to cut the budget. The only reason in my opinion that Patterson is able to be doing the right thing now is that he is not running for re-election. People and importantly other political leaders know he honestly does not care but is simply doing what he thinks is right or maybe is just crazy, either way it is the only thing that will work to actually make real and true cuts.
In some of these cases in some of these states it may require a solution something like a base closing commission. Where we have a third party mechanism come up with a couple of choices for cuts and the legislature then must choose one and thus cannot take the blame for the cuts which is kind of what is happening now with Patterson just handing out the choices.
I guess I kind of half-agree with the general sentiments here — but I think Paterson deserves a bit more credit.
He was pushing for significant budget cuts and confronting the legislature and the public employee unions long before he quit the race.
It may be that he knew all along that his bid for re-election was quixotic.
But when I spoke to him, he seemed genuinely convinced that — despite his unpopular belt-tightening decisions — voters would give him a second look.
–Brian, NCPR
Do you think he is looking and thinking about 2014?
I always liked Paterson. I thought when Spitzer left we would be in good shape because Paterson was well liked by his colleagues and he seemed sensible. Boy was I wrong.
Will he run in 2014? Why would he want to subject himself to the kind of humiliating portrayals that SNL and others did of him? He can get a good job somewhere and live a quiet life.
I’m not a big fan of young Cuomo. He thinks he’s on the path to be president. I hope not.
Can Albany be fixed? Not without a Constitutional convention and I doubt that can be done.
I don’t know; strategically he can shelve his low poll numbers now but still stand out as someone who uniquely stood up and did the hard, difficult and right thing. The next 4 years in NY will not be a good time to be governor particularly when the same old interest groups get a stranglehold on things when the new guy takes over. Patterson can return in 2014 looking like a breath of fresh air and yet someone we are familiar with.
I would much prefer Patterson, who has a track record and who we know will address fiscal concerns, than Cuomo Jr. who I see as just another downstate political prodigy, complete with Daddy to give him advice. The Cuomo years were terrible, I don’t need Cuomo V. 2.0.
I’ve said something like this before, though not in these words:
Paterson’s scandal, protecting an alleged woman beater from prosecution through the power of his office, is worse than Spitzer’s.
Whatever he’s doing now, he is unfit for higher office.
Unless you agree that people hitting girls without consequence is cool.
And Cuomo has no skeletons in his closet? I doubt that. What he may have is a better system for covering his tracks.
If Cuomo wants to accomplish much of anything, he needs to do two things.
One, git rid of Silver. I really don’t care how.
Two, bust the unions. If worst comes to worst, do a Ronald Regan by firing everyone and anyone who belongs to a civil service union and then hire replacements. Can hire the same people as long as they don’t join/rejoin a union.
I said nothing, and care less, about Cuomo.
Paterson is unfit for the office, based on his attempt to abuse his power and interfere with a law-enforcement investigation.
We have plenty of things to argue about, I’m sure, Bret. This just isn’t one of them.
Unless you want to defend beating up women.
A great fourth of July weekend- over 1300 bales of hay in on saturday, the kids cataonic with exhaustion on Sunday. Refresh by sitting under the maples, with a stiff breeze keeping the bugs away. good food and friends. then, up to St. Regis falls for the fireworks. the town is pulsing, full- this is the day of their fireman’s field day. We sit on a hill, by the new school – the old one, brick that’s crumbling, downtown. This is the heart of the community- and the jobs in the community. All the bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria ladies, monitors, Teacher’s assistants- teachers- who pay taxes, but whose salaries come from those taxes.
The display is gorgeous- pyrotechnical weeping willows and chrsanthemums, everyone’s under the spell of the blooming sky. But to me it feels ominous, portentous- because behind so much of the well-being here looms the NY State budget. There are rumblings about consolidation of this new school in the paper- COs facing layoffs- which may all need to happen, but at what a cost- to all who have based their lives on the stability of public sector jobs. It was a good run- but what now?
The fireworks finish, and the long catepillar of headlights slips down the hill from the Falls,down to the valley. I have the day off on Monday, there’s more hay down, and am lucky to have a job to return to Tuesday. The road is full, and we drive towards the lights of Canada. Little town by little town, the cores has been hollowed- and what happens this next year may be swift and concrete. Help us appreciate what we have, have wisdom to find our way out of this- yeah for Patterson- and for the fourth of July. My mind is full of blazing beatury in the dark.
Brian, while NYS has done fairly well with paying its bills, not everything is being paid. I know of 2 non-profit agencies that are on the verge of laying off staff because the state is not sending out checks for certain programs, and the agency that I work for may be facing slowdowns in reimbursements in the near future. What boggles my brain: one program that appears to be suffering a freeze in payments is federal food stamp money for nutrition education that flows from the USDA to NYS to counties to non-profits that are doing the work. I hear that the state is getting the money from the federal treasury, but is not passing it down to the counties. Some counties are telling the non-profits that they must freeze payments until they are reimbursed. And the non-profits are the entities that are least able to foot the bill until the money starts flowing again, thus their staff will be laid off.
Anon, no argument, I just have so little faith in anyone else being better.
Pete, sounds like you want the Gov to pull an Obama and illegally fire people. The Gov has no say in who runs a Union or any say in how it’s run.