How big is the spending increase in the newly adopted New York State budget? How does it compare to previous spending trends? One of the many glaring shortcomings of the state budget process is that it is not possible to answer such questions w Read More
[See update at end of item.] Buried in one of the now pending in Albany is what looks like a $1 billion federal stimulus aid slush fund, which could be "suballocated" by the governor to "to any state department, agency or public authorit Read More
Supporters of a massive increase in New York State’s marginal income tax rates are crowing over an in today’s New York Times, headlined “Taxes Not Seen as Making the Rich Flee New York.” The article (in which I’m quoted) focuses Read More
Famous pretend insurance company AIG, responding to popular demand, has released a list of its major structured-finance counterparties -- that is, those banks, municipalities and the like that stood to lose the most if AIG had gone under without mass Read More
A friend in Washington, D.C., passes along . Sneak preview: you can't fit it in a suitcase. Read More
Governor Paterson and state legislative leaders announced today that they've agreed to use most of New York's unfettered federal stimulus money to restore spending to the governor's budget and to avoid any further spending cuts. The result will be Read More
March isn't half over yet -- but we already have a winner! Even with the state budget unsettled (with all that implies, bad ideas-wise), the worst idea of the month is surely a proposal by state Sen. Carl Kruger for avoiding East River bridge tolls Read More
Advocates of a continue to attempt to mislead the public about who pays how much of the current state income tax. Read More