How much higher is the 2008 budget over the 2007 budget? Over the 2006 budget? The 2006-2007 budget was $110 Billion. The current year's budget is approx. $122 billion!! How about going back to the 06-07 budget?? Where did the extra 12 billion go - do we really need it? I would say no.
The financial crisis that is hitting New York has gotten everyone's attention in Albany and maybe we can use this occasion, when our elected officials are in a heightened state of responsibility, to fix NY permanently.

We must diversify and add many other industries to the NY economic base so that when Wall Street swoons, all of New Yorkers doesn't have to. We have one of the best educated populaces in the world, our infrastructure needs a lot of work but it is fairly functional, but fiscally we are the worst or close to being the worst in the country.

We don't attract new business to New York State because our taxes are way too high and our state government is controlled by 3 men and their 2 parties. New York needs to be saved from our business as usual.

a)Citizens need transparency in our government - the state government should not only be controlled by the Governor, the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the Assembly.
b)we need to end the power sharing arrangement between the Republicans and Democrats.
c)The discretionary state grants need to end.
d)Fiscal waste must end – our finances are precious.
e)Upstate NY must become economically balanced.

During times of economic downturns, government should increase quality spending to minimize the depth of the slowdown, I believe we must keep supporting education across the state, build and repair infrastructure, drastically lower our tax rates, and find ways to attract business to upstate NY.

I believe that legalizing casino gambling in the Catskills is one project that will generate jobs and taxes for the state.

Read more about my plans here.