In hindsight, I’ll bet New York Governor Paterson looks back on his days in the state senate as the easy years. He was a fairly big fish in a small pond. Voting with the group is easy. He must feel like a fish out of water. Standing alone for his state must be difficult in comparison, especially when it’s his party and his previous supporters he’s now forced to take on. I only wish he’d name the unions as one of those “special interests” he rails against. If he does that, and follows up with concrete actions, I just might vote for him.
The New York Times provided the gist of Governor Paterson’s speech tonight.
ALBANY — In a strikingly blunt State of the State address, Gov. David A. Paterson chastised the lawmakers seated before him on Wednesday, saying they had spent the state into near-ruin and stood by as a plague of political corruption destroyed New Yorkers’ trust in their government.
Dispensing with the ritualized flattery that typically precedes the annual address, Mr. Paterson said that the Legislature’s reluctance to make hard decisions and rein in its own excesses had plunged the state even deeper into crisis.
“You have left me and other governors no choice,” Mr. Paterson, the former State Senate minority leader, said. “Whether it be by vetoes or delayed spending, I will not write bad checks, and we will not mortgage our children’s future.”
The public scolding drew a cold response from lawmakers, who gave Mr. Paterson little applause and rose from their chairs only when he entered and exited the Assembly chamber.
Some sat stony-faced during the speech, while others fidgeted with BlackBerrys. ….
I have to give him credit, I really do. But again, he needs to get to the core of the problem.
Addendum: Just before I hit the “publish” button I noticed I had an email from the governor. He directed me to his web page. With “click here to find out why the House (healthcare) bill is better for New Yorkers” being the first thing that caught my eye, I think I have to rescind my comment that I just may vote for him. Like I said, he’s a fish out of water. He knows something’s wrong, he’s flopping around trying to do what’s right, but he just can’t seem to survive outside of the liberal water in which he was raised. So sad. If only he’d trust his instincts.
Via memeorandum
Patterson appears to be committed to his big government ideals, but is somewhat frustrated that an agenda he so very espouses has left the state bankrupt. So why is it that the liberals cannot seem to put 2 and 2 together? They want big govt programs, these programs have costs no one can project – and then they complain that corruption and waste is destroying their big plans. Hell, these people are dumber than Communists.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0