Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Lancman Calls for Sanity, New Yorkers Call for Millionaires Tax

“Why is it so important that we acknowledge that there is no crisis, but merely a serious challenge?

Because crises produce bad policies, while serious challenges produce serious, thoughtful responses.”

Those wise words come today from Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Queens) in an op-ed in the Albany Times Union. He continues:

“Witness the rush to judgment of our state's editorialists and political commentators, crying out for cuts, cuts and more cuts to education, health care and our work force; and no new taxes, even for those earning over a million dollars a year. Have the fiscal and social consequences been thought out of our consigning another generation of New York City schools kids to an inadequate education after we finally got them their fair share of state education money; of denying access to health care for the working poor or elderly; of ignoring the gross inequities in our tax policies that leave middle class families paying a far higher share of their resources in state taxes than our wealthiest citizens?”

The “cuts, cuts and more cuts” crowd simply refuses to consider asking the wealthiest New Yorkers to pay their fair share. Not that it’s such a popular crowd - according to a new Quinnipiac University Poll released today, New Yorkers want to rollback irresponsible tax giveaways to rich by a 4 – 1 margin.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans blasted Assembly Democrats for putting much needed help for New Yorkers who’ll be struggling with record increases in the price of home heating oil this winter ahead of a tax cap:

"If people can't afford to pay their property taxes, then they are not going to have a home to worry about heating," said Senate Majority spokesman Mark Hansen.

Speaker Silver must find that line of criticism a little ironic. His proposal to give people a break on their heating bills actually lowers the cost of living. The Senate Republicans’ proposed “tax cap” actually does not. The tax cap doesn’t lower your taxes. Only the circuit breaker does that. Period.

The Assembly Democrats are in a bind, caught between Republicans who are willing to be irresponsible and a Governor who has conflated the budget deficit and the tax cap in perplexing ways. Who better to explain the options the Assembly faces than Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester). From today’s Daily News:

"If you have a $600 million gap, there are three ways to fill it: You can fill it entirely with spending cuts or entirely with revenue-raisers or a combination, the Legislature is going to try to add values and a social perspective to what is otherwise a pure exercise in numbers."


We’ll let Lancman have the last word:

“Let's all take a deep breath, take stock of what is undoubtedly the serious financial situation we have known of for some time, and act resolutely but deliberately to keep our financial house in order in a manner consistent with our values and our long-term goals as the family of New York.”