I am so very happy to rad of Governor Paterson's statements he recently made at town hall meeting Tuesday.

"We are in uncharted territory right now. We need to address this economic crisis as soon as possible. Everybody will be asked to share in the sacrifice. The real problem is we have never curbed spending. People have given up their vacations. The American consumer is adjusting. Now it's time for the government to. The citizens of the state will be the losers if we do not curb our addiction to spending without paying for it."

This is terrific news because it means someone in New York State government is finally getting it through his head that New Yorkers cannot be taxed anymore to make up for the big spednign in Albany. It is way past time to cut costs. Paterson is essentially calling for a $2 billion spending cut. New York State's deficit is expected to be about $47 billion over the next four years. That is just staggering, mind-blowing! I think the times of perks is OVER. And I say HURRAY!

It's not going to be an easy job for Paterson. He has to come up against the very powerful unions in NY, the unions that have a stranglehold on our budget. The biggest part of NY's 2008-2009 budget, priced at $120 million, is Medicaid and school aid. That is just astronomical. We cannot afford to continue coughing up the cash for these things. The state has driven out good business and left us with empty pockets. We CANNOT continue to pave the streets with gold. I am very prepared for spending cuts. If it means dismantling playgrounds, closing schools, firing the adminstrator's administrators, so be it.