Cuomo Strikes Tentative Deal on N.Y. Budget With Big Cuts

[FreeStateDemocrat]

Source: NY Times

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and THOMAS KAPLAN
Published: March 27, 2011

Culminating weeks of secretive negotiations and intense political jockeying, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and leaders of the Legislature announced on Sunday the outlines of a $132.5 billion budget that would cut state spending, impose no major new taxes and begin a long-term overhaul of the state’s bloated Medicaid programs.

The agreement comes five days before the March 31 budget deadline, offering the prospect of Albany’s first on-time budget in five years, in what Mr. Cuomo and his counterparts in the Legislature said they hoped would signal a new day of responsible budgeting and effective government in a Capitol long criticized for its gridlock and dysfunction. The deal would end a temporary income tax surcharge on high-income New Yorkers, which some have called the "millionaire's tax" even though it affects incomes starting at $200,000 annually.

Mr. Cuomo’s aggressive and strategic approach to negotiations appeared to have yielded significant victories, including a year-to-year cut of more than $2 billion in spending on health care and education, the two largest drivers of New York’s ever-growing budget. Mr. Cuomo and the Legislature also agreed to create a new Department of Financial Services by merging the existing state banking and insurance agencies, as well as other consolidations.





Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/nyregion/28budget.html?hp

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Let get this straight a Democratic govenor is going to cut taxes on the rich and then pay for it by reducing spending on health and education. Please correct me if I'm wrong but it appears it is now time to piss on the admiral, call in the boats because the Democratic Party is over. I don't know what I will do on election day but I will not be voting for any fucking DINO'S and apparently that is all that is left of our party.

[okieinpain]

1. sounds like a responsible govenor to me. why is the rich hated so

much, when in this country everyone wants to be rich. I would love for someone to show me where raising taxes on the rich actually works to bringing a balanced budget.

[rfranklin]

2. Everyone wants to be rich but one-tenth of one percent will actually be rich...

Actually raising the minimum wage to a living wage would bring enough payroll taxes in to balance the budget (along with significant cuts in the Pentagon budget).

Our deficits would be a lot less if the Bush tax cuts had not happened and had not been extended.

[okieinpain]

15. all of that is true, but all you ever hear around here is raise taxes

on the rich. dems and repugs do not swing elections. so-called indie voters do and all they hear from dems is raise taxes.

[dwilso40641]

4. No one hates the rich

But it would help if they paid their fair share.
GE and Exxon paid no taxes on billions of profits and are still subsidized by us.

[okieinpain]

16. true, so maybe we should say that instead of why not raise taxes

on the rich. a lot of the reason those companies get out of paying taxes is because of incentives offered by states to get them to locate companies in their areas.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

5. In the first place EVERYONE doesn't want to be rich, I don't, so end of that argument,

secondly when an overwhelming majority of the discretionary wealth is now concentrated in the top 20% where else are you going to get the money to keep our society functioning and thirdly cutting public education is always a dumb idea. You are welcome to your opinion but is does not resonate with me as being representative of what I consider are the fundamental goals of our party.

[okieinpain]

17. I agree with you on some of your points. but you have to admit

not everyone is a member of the dem party and their concerns are a lot simpler like if I have enough money (rich) I don't have to concern myself with a lot of today's problems.

here we have a dem governor of a large state that seems to have worked out a possible solution to their budget problems without gutting the unions and dumping everything on the less fortunate. and the first post is about what a failure he is.

[rpannier]

7. You left out the sarcasm tag

I hope

on edit: Bill Clinton. Raised taxes to 39% and left with a surplus.

[MJJP21]

9. ALL

You have to do is look at the tax rates and collection of the past and you will see that when the country had the lowest tax rates a recession or worse followed. The rich 1% or so control some 60% of all the wealth in this country. Never in the history of this country has it seen such a transfer of wealth to the rich as we have in the past 20 years or so. Sure everyone wants to be rich the rich in this country have done it at the expense of the middle class and sacraficed good mfg jobs in the process. The rich in this country don't care about the middle class anymore because they have the Chinese and Indians with a burgeoning middle class who can now buy their wares. Unless you have millions in the bank you have been sold out.

[davidthegnome]

10. It's not so much raising taxes

as eliminating tax loopholes and enforcing the law. If you watched 60 minutes tonight you know what I'm talking about - if you didn't, I suggest looking for a video of that segment. There's (at least) 1.2 trillion dollars stashed over seas that no taxes what so ever have been paid on. Where someone like my Mother, a nurse, is taxed 35% of her total income (altogether it's probably more than that, between state, federal and everything else). We have billionaires who aren't paying a damn thing.

Personally I think a 15% flat tax that applied to everyone earning over 30K a year could give us a balanced (and amazingly more fair) budget. We could actually eliminate a great deal of taxes overall through such a system. It won't ever happen though - when corporations can get away without paying taxes at all.

I don't hate the rich in general - I despise the rich who do not pay their taxes or contribute positively to humanity with their wealth, which, unfortunately, is the vast majority.

[RoccoR5955]

11. Speak for yourself. I do not want to be rich. Money isn't everything

It's plain and simple math, but then again, someone who gets paid to post here wouldn't know that. They keep telling us that if they raise taxes on the rich, they will move away. They tell us that the rich create jobs. Both are lies. The only thing that creates jobs is demand for goods and/or services. If someone moves out, and there is still demand for those goods and/or services, someone else will move in and take their place. I am sick and tired of you people who don't want to tax those who benefit the most from government services.

[Hannah Bell]

18. worked for quite awhile; whereas reducing taxes on the rich for the last

30 years has equalled rising deficits at every level of government.

[sfwriter]

3. It hasn't been much of a party the last few years...

...Just a few stomach-stapled neck beards standing in the corner talking about Ayn Rand wondering if the "cool kids" they invited will show up.

[msongs]

6. It's the "cave" wave, expect it to hit DC soon regarding social security and medicare nt

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. I found this line interesting:

The deal would end a temporary income tax surcharge on high-income New Yorkers, which some have called the "millionaire's tax" even though it affects incomes starting at $200,000 annually.

Lots going on in that sentence.

Reminder: $200K is in the top tenth percentile, which is a small fraction of earners. And "some have called" is pure-D bullshit.

[Wilms]

12. Do You Know Which Democrat Governor Got More Money from the Koch Brothers Than Scott Walker?

The contributions from Mr. Koch and his wife Julia to the Cuomo campaign total $74,900, according to the campaign finance records. David Koch made three separate gifts: $25,000 on July 10, 2010; $18,000 on November 16, 2009; and $6,900 on November 30, 2009. Julia Koch made two donations: $15,000 on July 10, 2010, and $10,000 on January 4, 2010.

A conservative blogger has taken offense at the lack of attention being paid by Democrats to NY Governor Andrew Cuomo’s relationship with recent liberal public enemy number one, Koch Industries. Cuomo, who seeks to cut education spending and shift some power away from teachers unions, received more money from the Koch Brothers than Scott Walker during the last election. Walker’s $43,000 Koch donation is almost half the size of the $74,900 financial endorsement Cuomo received.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=681940&mesg_id=681940

[TimesSqCowboy]

13. "bloated" Medicare program?

isn't that editorializing in the story?

[erodriguez]

14. a NY Times speciality