There is no budget crisis. There was an economic crisis, true, but budget crises aren't crises, they're politically manufactured events designed to create an environment of pressure. Budget's have both expenditures and revenues. This governor insists that the only way to resolve this is by decreasing expenditures, and never once has considered solving this via an increase in revenue (i.e. taxes). given that the way this crises has been framed is political, why isn't anyone asking what political actors are in action? Why isn't a tax on 500k+ families the way to solve this problem? Increasing taxes on the rich seems like a solution with relatively little suffering, yet instead of a tax on the rich, state employees as well as citizens who rely on government services are being asked to suffer. It's ridiculous that everyone simply accepts the logic that services and jobs need to be cuts when that's obviously not the case. Because Patterson's managed to convince everyone that a tax on the rich is unfair? Because he's told us that rich people will leave the state? This is patently untrue, and even if it is true, its ridiculous that Patterson would submit to this blackmail.

Patterson's got to go - and we need some government officials who don't continually try to convince us that we have to do what the wealthy insist because its either a) in our best interest too, or, b) we have no choice.

There is no budget crisis. There was an economic crisis, true, but budget crises aren't crises, they're politically manufactured events designed to create an environment of pressure. Budget's have both expenditures and revenues. This governor insists that the only way to resolve this is by decreasing expenditures, and never once has considered solving this via an increase in revenue (i.e. taxes). given that the way this crises has been framed is political, why isn't anyone asking what political actors are in action? Why isn't a tax on 500k+ families the way to solve this problem? Increasing taxes on the rich seems like a solution with relatively little suffering, yet instead of a tax on the rich, state employees as well as citizens who rely on government services are being asked to suffer. It's ridiculous that everyone simply accepts the logic that services and jobs need to be cuts when that's obviously not the case. Because Patterson's managed to convince everyone that a tax on the rich is unfair? Because he's told us that rich people will leave the state? This is patently untrue, and even if it is true, its ridiculous that Patterson would submit to this blackmail.

Patterson's got to go - and we need some government officials who don't continually try to convince us that we have to do what the wealthy insist because its either a) in our best interest too, or, b) we have no choice.

Shut it down, fire yourselves and start over.
That way you could all get back to cheating on your wives and stealing money from the private sector.

What a breathtaking waste of airtime this segment has been! Utterly superficial.

Gov. Paterson.... YOU ROCK! Love you!

E-mailing from jury duty... that's a dedicated radio host !-)

"Cuomo Accuses Espada of Diverting Millions From Clinics"

From the NYtimes

Yeah, he supposedly siphoned off 14 million dollars from the nonprofit Soundview Health clinics.

I agree 100% with the governor. When are the senate and assembly going to stop playing politics and face reality?

isn't pedro espada the one that stole money from the hospital?

and he's fighting for more funding for healthcare?

yes no government ... lets just let everything run amok .... get out your guns and shoot it all out. There are no "business cycles", there are just employment cycles, where in those with money, correct as they see fit, what ever financial gain illusion the have nots have managed to create. The ones with money then send out these "tea baggers" to distort reality and prevent us from seeing what is really going on.. a reabsorption and consolidation of wealth by those that have it.

What is the deal with the boys from the Brox? It seems like everytime there is disfunction in the legislature one of these two is in the middle of it. It's not my district, but I hope the voters up there wake up and get rid of them.

Please tell Governor Paterson that some (few) of us really appreciate his attempts to restore fiscal sanity.

"no government" GOOD

Last year the legislature was deadlocked in a coup; this year the state faces a shutdown... What next?