New York State Standoff Over Pork

The New York State government is trying to pass a budget. The process has ground to a halt as the Governor and Assembly face off over pork in the proposed budget.

New York is a wealthy state to say the least. That being said, it has huge financial obligations just as most states due. Facing a downturn in the economy and a reduction in tax receipts, the state has a shortfall that is causing funding issues.

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Faced with an election year, this hasn’t stopped the legislature from trying to pack the budget with pork. The amount in question is $193 million for projects added by 6,800 members. The projects include such pork as $112,500 for the Syracuse Chargers rowing club and $65,000 for the CUNY Dominical Studies Department. The funds might be for noble causes, but not in a year when austerity is a necessity given the Great Recession that is looking more and more like a Great Depression.

Governor Paterson agrees. He is trying to yank the pork in an effort to balance the budget. He has cover for this in an interesting way. He has already suffered such a political beating that he is not going to run for re-election. Given this, he represents the rarest of things in the political world. Yes, he is a politician who is trying to do the right thing for the people he represents instead of forwarding his political career.

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The New York standoff will end in compromise as it always does. Nonetheless, it is an important debate because it reflects what we, as Americans, are going to see repeated across nearly every state. In fact, it is going to get worse as the economic conditions continue to stagnate and fall apart. If there is a silver lining, perhaps it is the fact pork will become a much rarer issue.

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