Gov. Cuomo’s tax-hike package — according to him — is an “extraordinary benefit to the state … that the state desperately, desperately needs to help turn around this economy.” E.J.’s been covering all the reasons why this is not what New York needs and why it won’t help turn around “this economy.”
Either way, Cuomo has made two 180-degree turns inside one week. Not too long ago, after all, he said a “key” to his program would be “holding the line on taxes now while working to lower taxes in the future” and calling for “a complete attitude adjustment, one that makes us job facilitators and not frustrating job creation.”
He also was going to improve the transparency of state government:
Even our State’s most difficult budget challenges can be solved through a more open and engaged process.
Yesterday, after reaching a deal with legislative leaders in the deep recesses of the Capital, the gov raised taxes for those New Yorkers who are were most apt to create jobs and actually help turn around this economy. The Senate passed the bill unanimously. Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, on the other hand, was one of the few pols in Albany this week making any sense:
…The bottom line is that taxes are being raised in New York State and we are still not dealing with our state’s serious spending problem … We should be protecting taxpayers … through an open, public process where these issues are debated and discussed in the light of day, not through secret deals behind closed doors.
It took all of 40 minutes for the Senate to pass the bill, once it was finally posted – which gave each Senator a little more than a minute to read each of the 33 pages of the final bill. The Albany Times Union:
…in a speedy meeting of the Finance Committee Democrat [Senator] Liz Krueger observed [this bill] is the sort of thing it might be nice to have the time to review.
Uh … yeah. Which leads to my question: Why did this deal have to be rushed through, late at night before the legislators had a chance to really read and study it (never mind taxpayers barely had time to download it, let alone read it)?
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