Eliot Spitzer had been governor for less than a month when he addressed a crowd of dignitaries at the state Education Department. The department's historic building was an appropriate setting for a historic proposal: pumping more money into public education than ever before, in return for more accountability than ever. Read More
Even before it was over, this year's New York state budget process had devolved into a giant step backward for fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency. Given Albany's already rock-bottom standards in all three areas, this was quite an accomplishment. Read More
Politicians have a habit of crying wolf over budget cuts - even when the "cuts" actually amount to smaller-than-desired spending increases. But amid all the other noise surrounding the final stage of budget negotiations in Albany late this week, New York's county executives made a strong case against what would be one of the more outrageous intergovernmental rip-offs since the creation of the Medicaid program over 40 years ago. Read More
(A suitable-for-printing pdf version of the following, including source citations, can be downloaded by clicking ) Spearheaded by the state’s major public employee unions, the “” (NYFF) co Read More
"Voters Back Millionaire's Tax 4-1." That's one of the headlines on the latest survey of New York State residents by . It's hardly a surprise that most New Yorkers are inclined to favor a tax hike that fewer than 1 percent of them would pay. But p Read More
Energy was one of the few issue areas in which David Paterson was allowed at least briefly to play a visible role during 14 months in the shadows as New York's lieutenant governor. But now that he has succeeded the disgraced Eliot Spitzer in the governor's office, Paterson needs to break with policies that have made energy increasingly expensive and potentially scarce in New York. Read More
The completion of New York State's budget was the greatest challenge awaiting David Paterson when he was sworn into office as New York's governor just two weeks before the start of a new fiscal year, which begins April 1. Read More
Albany's revenue base is rapidly shrinking, but the financial plan left on the table by the former governor, Eliot Spitzer, would allow the state budget to keep on growing as if shares in Bear Stearns were still selling in the low hundreds. With barely two weeks to go before the start of the next state fiscal year, it remains unclear whether Mr. Spitzer's successor will rein in spending before it's too late. Read More