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ALBANY--Gov. George E. Pataki visited Western New York Monday to oppose the Constitutional Amendment on the State Budget process, also known as "Proposal 1," which will be put before voters on Election Day, Nov. 8th.
While in Buffalo, the Governor urged New Yorkers to reject the measure because it would lead to higher taxes and irresponsible spending, while threatening New York's fiscal stability. The Governor also said that the measure would actually encourage late budgets and that it fails to include any real, meaningful budget reforms, like those he and independent fiscal watchdogs have proposed in the past.
"Plainly stated, Proposal 1 is wrong for Western New York's hardworking taxpayers, it is wrong for the fiscal stability of our State, and it is wrong for future generations of New Yorkers," Governor Pataki said. "If allowed to pass, this dangerous proposal would turn the hands of time back to a dark age in New York history -- one of rapidly escalating state spending, irresponsible and unrestrained borrowing and oppressive taxation. Instead of enacting the sensible budget reforms we all know are needed, Prop 1 would return us to a Legislature-controlled process that is a proven loser."
"The proposed amendment fails to incorporate any of the sensible measures we adhered to this year that helped produce the first on-time budget in over two decades," the Governor said. "Instead of bringing greater accountability and transparency to the process, its provisions would actually make the State's budget outlook much, much worse."
The Governor said that what New York needs is real, meaningful budget reform - reform that will result in sound, fiscally responsible, on-time state budgets. The Governor noted that he, along with independent budget watchdog groups, have been pushing sensible and real budget reforms for years that would:
Require a balanced enacted budget;
Encourage on-time budgets;
Implement binding revenue forecasts;
Provide additional information to the public and legislators before voting on the budget;
Require open, public conference committees; and
Increase the State's Rainy Day Fund to 5 percent of the budget - the level maintained by most other states.
The Governor said that Proposal 1 includes none of these common-sense measures. Instead, it would encourage late budgets, irresponsible spending and result in unbalanced budgets. For example, Proposal 1 would:
Actually create an incentive for failing to pass an on-time budget by providing legislators with an incentive to delay;
Permit a budget based on unrealistic, overly rosy revenue estimates instead of the reliable non-partisan binding forecasts;
Permit budget votes without any information being provided to the public and legislators; and
Damage the state's fiscal stability and credit rating by not allowing sufficient savings in the Rainy Day Fund. 10-31-05
© 2005 North
Country Gazette
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