State Government Must Do What Families Do: Cut Back, Consolidate

Editor’s Note:  This is the response of state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, to Governor Cuomo’s Tuesday, Feb. 1, budget address.

‘The governor’s budget proposal is harsh, but realistic, and takes into account the difficult financial circumstances we face.  There is plenty of hurt to go around and there will be shared sacrifices; they are necessary to put New York back on sound fiscal footing.
“Over the last two years, Albany went on an out of control spending spree, hiking taxes and misusing federal stimulus funds to fuel the binge.  I voted no on each and every budget bill over that time period because of the recklessness.  Now the bill is due and we have to pay it without increasing spending and taxes.
“State government must do just what families have been doing for some time: cut back and consolidate.  The governor recommends merging state agencies and cutting state operations spending by ten percent.  He also calls for serious cuts to the state’s Medicaid program which spends an unsustainable $1 billion a week.  I am ready to work him on these and other cost cutting initiatives.
“I also share the governor’s focus on job creation.  Putting people back to work is key to revving up our economy and healing our state long term.
 “The senate has already approved a breakthrough job creation plan to help grow our economy, a state spending cap to end Albany waste, a property tax cap to assist homeowners, and mandate relief to provide schools and local governments with  spending flexibility.  These bills must be part of the discussion moving forward as we work toward enactment of an on-time state budget that meets the needs and priorities of all New Yorkers.”