Five Men in a Room

By Scott Feldman

"Interesting" couple of days in Albany last week. I was in the Capitol for a special emergency economic session. Governor Paterson had called it to resolve the state's fiscal crisis. But nothing was resolved. Tuesday at high noon, Paterson brought the legislative leaders from the State Senate and Assembly together in one room for a public meeting.  Paterson wanted lawmakers to approve $2 billion in budget cuts. But most of what we got in the 90 minute session was a lot of finger pointing. Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos from Rockville Centre staunchly opposed mid-year cuts to school aid. Which prompted Paterson at one point to hold up a blank piece of paper and say, "You brought us nothing, I'm still waiting for what your solutions are." Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver piled on to criticize Skelos, as did Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith from Queens. Then, Assembly GOP leader James Tedisco(Schenectady) came to Skelos' defense. He held up his own sheet of paper that he said was Silver's proposals and also blank. And that is exactly what lawmakers left Albany for their home districts with, nothing. Paterson says the budget deficit next year is expected to reach $15 billion. After Jan.1, the Democrats will take control of the State Senate. What will be done to dig the state out of its' deepening fiscal hole? We shall see. Oh, by the way, when all the bickering and name calling ended in the Red room, Paterson commandered Skelos and Silver and they posed with big smiles for the cameras. Go figure.  

Comments

[John]

I still don't get it. What benefit does a balanced state budget give us taxpayers? Albany spends all its time deciding how to divvy up our tax money, and whenever they foul it up, they come begging for (well, demanding) more and cut services when people could most use them.

Doesn't this system mean that our elected representatives are covering their own rear ends rather than actually representing us? If they're not representing our best interests, why are we still paying them?