Cuomo, the Tax cap, and life beyond the porcine!

TO be frank, the Gov is right, NYers, and the Ny education system can live under a tax cap and they should! Even a pig can be overfed, and the porcine nature of our educational system is one of the reaons why  it continues to fail! All over the world, educational sytems that are leaner and meaner than ours are pushing out superior educated students! You dont hear them crying about oh we need more money, yada yada yada! They are getting the job done with what they have, and it is far less than what we are giving yearly to education, particulalry in this state! We cant keep filling the trough, especially since the quality of "meat " here is steadily declining! Cuomo is right, NYers can and should live under a tax cap. It will be something that our educational system in  this state has provided for a long time now, a EDUCATIONAL experience!

BOYCOTT GAS!!!

Simply put, its way past time for someone to put out the call, somome in a high leadership position to boycott gasoline until the outrageously high prices come down! Its unacceptable for the american people to be essentially gouged at the pump, and for the leadership of this nation to simply say"there's nothing that can be done." This is the USA!! there is  nothing we cant do when we put our mind to it!Just  imagine what would have happned if President Obama, instead of saying there's nothing we can do, came out and took a position that galvanized the american people, and what if he was joined in this by members of congress and other public figures? Talk about a sea change! And to be frank that is what is needed as it pertains to this gas situation, A sea change! We dont need to simply wait and ride it out! We need action! And the action we need is to BOYCOTT gas! A one week Boycott of of gas would speak volumes!  One week would make a sea change. I think its a valid idea, what do you think America? I know youre out there!!!! BOYCOTT GAS! Are we cash cows or americans?

the legislative session 2011 the aftermath

Well the dust has settled, and the smoke has cleared, and, in the aftermath of the legislative session of 2011 ,it can be said that while order was established in the legislature of NY, chaos still reigns supreme in the social state and order of same! Andrew Cuomo proved himself a leader, a undisputed leader. The days of the political chaos and disorder of the Spitzer and Patterson administrations are gone, and I for one and very happy about that. But while we dont have to endure any republican engineered coups or any self serving, crabs in a barrel  political agendas,we do have to face the fact that this order was gained at the peoples expense! Issues that should have been contended werent, and how that will affect the public at large noone can say. I believe in one step at a time, and if the securing of the political theatre was the first step then so be it.But in the aftermath of the 2011 legislative session I will be the first to say that the public is very much waiting and ready to see what step 2 is going to be! And hopefully they wont have to wait until 2012 to see it! 

the New York State Budget a perspective

SO it seems that by tonight we will have a Budget in place for NYS for the year 2011. And while it can be celebrated that Leadership has returned to the capitol, that order has come once again to the chaos that was capitol hill the last 2 years,what remains glaring in the face of that is the fact that ,while NY government gained, the people of NY lost! While everyone else was forced to shoulder the Burder of our financial difficulties in this state, our legislators and our new Governor, to his detriment, shielded and allowed Millionares and billionares to essentially continue the ways and maintain the means that truly led us to this pass! As I recall, it was wall street ,not main street that got NYS into this mess, not teachers, not collective bargaining , not state workers, not students, and not medicaid recipients! It was Wall street and the banks who created and caused the massive loss of revenue in NYS, Millionares and billionares, but even though their culpablity is a historical and documented fact, were they held accountable? Were they demanded to shoulder the burden that they created? No! And that, for all of the success that has been had in this legislative session, is a great failure! We have a on time Budget in NYS, but what was sacrified in order to present that on time budget is a clear shame!

april 1st the deadline looms!!!

With less than a week to go, it seems that it is becoming a all or nothing gamble for the new governor Cuomo, as he seeks to , in his first year, have a on time budget passed. A on time budget will indeed do wonders for him as a leader and it will do wonders for his political creditbility. But as the saying goes at what cost to NY? Because despite all the statements of "for the people" and "this is what the people want" it is clear that it is the people who will be the most hurt by this budget, be it on time or no. Andrew cuomo will, if this budget passes on time,have returned stability and a firm hand to the rudder of the ship of state, but the price may be far too high to the everyday Nyer to pay! Hopefully, the next step in the ambitous agenda of the new Gov will be to assuage all those who are bieng hurt by this budget in NY.But all that will have to wait until after 4/1/11
which is only 4 days away!

pass or fail?Cuomos budget deadline

To be straightforward and short and sweet, If Andrew Cuomo, as it seems he may, passes his first budget ON TIME, then his leadership will be cemented in granite! If he can pass a on time budget his first time out, then he will have exceeded any and all expectations and all systems will be go for his future agenda. Can he do it, we have only 2 weeks to find out as the April deadline looms. Pass or fail? it will be interesting to see if this all or nothing gamble succeeds in NY!

Simmering to a boil!

AS the talk of lay offs and other matters continue regarding the NYS budget process, it is clear that in NYS things are simmering to a boil. and soon here in the capitol of NY, we may face the same level of protest in our capitol as wisconsin, ohio, indiana dn the others now face. To be frank, the public are being hit very hard, and they are primed to strike back. It's being forgotten that they very people that are being railed against in America, teacher and unions are taxpayers!It is their money that we are talking about! They are not the enemy, and to his credit, Andrew Cuomo, unlike his counterparts in Wisconsin and elsewhere, has gone out of his way to insure that the people in NYS are not being painted as the enemy! But the question is will that be enough? Because Gov Cuomo, as seen in the past few weeks, the fire continues to burn under the pot, and it is indeed simmering to a boil! And if it boils over in NYS, Wisconsin and the rest will seem like high school catfights in comparison! People can only be pushed so far, and when youre talking about NYers, that limit can be reached quickly, and its being reached! So, I hope that the new Gov is cognizant of that fact! Because that pot is coming to a boil Gov Cuomo, and the need for straight talk  to to the People of Ny is the only thing that may be able to cool it!