On December 6, the Governor, Senator Skelos and Assemblyman Silver cooked up a deal to cut NY taxes, or did they?
On December 7, the Senate and Assembly voted on the legislation proposed less than 24 hours before passage. Specific bill language was made available to the general public about one hour before voting began.
“Asm. Rory Lancman (D-Queens) reported that he received the bill on his legislative desk and that it was still “warm” from printing at 3:15 PM. Voting began around 4:30 that afternoon.” NYCF website
Once again, legislators failed to wait the appropriate three day aging process intended for the public and individual legislators to weigh in on any proposed legislation. Though some positive aspects were included in the bill such as flood relief, relief on the MTA tax burden on private schools and individuals, and a tiny lower tax rate, why the rush to pass the bill?
After people have had time to read the bill, it turns out there is over $2 billion dollars in new revenue!!!! Instead of cutting the budget to cover the surprising and shocking shortfall that happens every year it seems, they took the path always traveled by raising taxes that will increase the State’s spending. So much for Cuomo’s promise not to raise taxes and spending.
They cooked up a fine tasting stew using your dollars, sacrificing more jobs with more government spending, shifting the tax burden slowly from property to income with a little deception in the headlines. They couldn’t let it stew for 3 days to allow the juices of this penetrate in the public, so they microwaved it in less than 24 hours and for some an hour and 15 minutes. Once again, some have been duped being baited with a minute tax cut for some in order to have a nice sound bite saying, “I voted to lower taxes for many” while increasing spending and taxes on the few that already pay 1/3 of the NYS income taxes according to the State’s Division of Budget.
No matter what political persuation you come from, is this how you want your government to operate? I do not.
Consider Alexander Tyler’s comments: “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising them the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over a [lousy] fiscal responsibility, always followed by a dictatorship.”