NASSAU COUNTY CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC.
"The government is us, we are the government, you and I." Teddy Roosevelt
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NASSAU COUNTY CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC. "The government is us, we are the government, you and I." Teddy Roosevelt |
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June 30, 2007
Day One Never Came
Elliot Spitzer, a case study in failure
Governor Spitzer came to power holding the mantle of reform. He promised to address the number one issue facing New Yorker's, taxes. His campaign slogan said it all, "day one: everything changes". Unfortunately, his record shows otherwise. It's not what you promise, its what you deliver. While George Pataki faltered after two years in office, it only took Elliot Spitzer six months to fail. His failure is our failure.
The Governor has called for many reforms most notably campaign finance reform. The simple issue here is hypocrisy. If the Governor really believes in his own rhetoric, he would stop bundling money and granting access to those who bring in huge amounts of money. Hypocrites cannot be reformers. It’s a credibility issue.
The problem is the level of spending. For his first budget, he increased spending a whopping 11% as noted by Comptroller Di Napoli. If government cannot control spending, the taxpayer ultimately gets stuck with the bill.
The Governor's reform plan for Medicaid is to simply shift money from one account to the other. He admitted in his NY Post Op/Ed piece that he will not reduce Medicaid spending and will look to "cover" more people. Our prior Governor created Health Plus and other programs at taxpayer's expense to cover millions of New Yorkers. The question is what is defined as "covering" more people? Are people with existing coverage obtaining health care through the state with state subsidies?While some of his proposals regarding Medicaid fraud are promising, his reform proposal is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. He needs to reduce the level of benefits and spend within our means.
He claims to be against special interests as he is representing the people’s interests. Why then would he sign an executive order granting legal authority for 28,000 child care workers to join the state teachers union? The cost to taxpayers will be significant. It doesn’t matter as this special interest group endorsed the Governor and now its political payback.
“Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.” George Washington, Circular to the States, May 9, 1753
Instead of focusing on the number one issue, TAXES, Elliot has focused on a radical and divisive issue, homosexual marriage. At the end of April, he introduced a homosexual marriage bill that will re-define marriage in NY. Instead of waiting for the full legislature to act, he has decided to usurp the legislature by issuing an executive order forcing any municipal government that participates in the state health care plan to recognize homosexual marriages.
Elliot Spitzer as AG acted in an unethical manner by failing to fully defend marriage in NYS. He filed an amicus curie brief on behalf of a male in a Vermont civil union who was seeking to become a spouse under NYS law while pursuing a wrongful death claim. While the AG takes an oath to defend NYS law regardless of his personal opinion, he substituted his opinion for the law.
The Governor obviously believes that he is a power unto himself regardless of his oath of office and the separation of powers. He was quoted recently in Newsday as saying, "We will use the capacity of the executive branch to govern the state, whether or not the legislature joins us in this pursuit,". When challenged, he has resorted to threats and personal attacks. Elliot Spitzer is a Governor not a King.
"The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny". - James Madison
Many of Spitzer's so called reforms actually define big government and will lead to large increases in taxes. NYC Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing is simply a tax on the middle class from Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester. Why would the Governor support another tax on the middle class? While paid family leave sounds good, its not free and will be paid by business. The cost of this social program will be higher prices and less jobs. The Wicks Law should be repealed period. It's a union protection law not taxpayer friendly. Healthy schools sounds good but isn't it one of those state mandates every school district is complaining about? How many more college dormitories does the state need? Eliminate the Dormitory Authority first.
"Let the watchwords of all our people be the old familiar watchwords of honesty, decency, fair-dealing and common sense." Teddy Roosevelt
Its time for the governor to be a leader and lead. We are waiting for "day one".
Some of the numbers:
Nassau County
residents pay the 2nd highest property taxes in the nation (Westchester
is #1).
US Census Bureau, Oct 2006.
Per capita tax burden in NY in 2005 per person is $5770, 36% above the
national average and the highest in the nation. Business Council of
NY
Medicaid spending in NY is twice the per capita national average. NY
spent $2258 per NY resident.
Public Policy Institute of NY, Oct 06
NY state spends more per pupil than any other state. NY spends $14,119
per pupil, 62% above the national average (2005) US Census Bureau
Rpt, May 2007