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Today's Poll: Do you support Paterson's plan to layoff some state workers on Jan. 1?

By Howard B. Owens
DOUGLAS MCCLURG

NO and here's why! The laid off employee will be collecting unemployment benifits and still be costing the state money .How about a hiring freeze for the next decade and consolidate jobs.
Any one else agree??

Jun 2, 2010, 8:23pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Doug, that would have been a good idea ten years ago.

And I'm surprised by these poll results. I really thought the vast majority of people would support making state government smaller.

Jun 2, 2010, 9:50pm Permalink
Charlie Mallow

Howard, people in this state talk a good game but, love their government. Why do you think Paterson was tossed under the bus by his own party? He wanted to do the right thing and reign in state spending. For his efforts he was hung out to dry and now will be replaced with an establishment puppet.

Jun 3, 2010, 5:57am Permalink
bud prevost

Howard- we have lots of people in Genesee County that are government employees. Whether they be teachers, CO's, cops, firemen, DPW, no one is going to support Paterson because they would be putting their own jobs at risk. The fact they don't agree doesn't surprise me at all.

Jun 3, 2010, 5:59am Permalink
John Roach

Charlie,
I don't think Patterson wanted smaller government. He expanded it and spending last year.

He got thrown under the bus by his party because Andrew Cuomo was better liked and connected.

Had Patterson held spending down last year and not gotten involved in some bad press, he might have at least been around to run in a primary. Patterson talked a good game, but never came through.

Jun 3, 2010, 7:06am Permalink
Dave Olsen

The issue for me is it would be everyday people that get laid off. Overpaid management and patronage job holders won't be affected. Political staffers either. This just smells like revenge for making Paterson look stupid over the furloughs. If he was serious about reducing government, I'd be for it.

Jun 3, 2010, 7:57am Permalink
Richard Gahagan

New York Socialism does not work. Too many people are dependent on the goverment for their livlihood know why? Because there are no private sector jobs. High taxes have forced most of the more affluent people and corporations to leave the state and the tax base shrinking. The government needs to stop bribing people to stay here with crappy government hand outs and jobs and encourage private sector coporations to come back.

Jun 3, 2010, 7:59am Permalink
Richard Gahagan

Screw public employee unions...the redistribution of wealth....tax the rich and give to the state park overpaid union lawnmower system is broke and can't be sustained. Cut government jobs, departments, salaries, and benefits across the board and lower taxes to get private industry back to New York.

Jun 3, 2010, 8:59am Permalink
Chris Charvella

I have to clarify this because the trend in this thread seems to be blaming the Democratic Party for Paterson's downfall.

Please remember that he was involved in more than one scandal including some free Yankees tickets (maybe forgivable in the grand scheme of things) and another where he pressured a woman who was allegedly abused by one of Paterson's top staffers to drop the charges (completely unforgivable.) The Democratic Party does not tend to support candidates who are involved in domestic violence of any sort, even if he's just the guy attempting to cover up for the abuser. Hiram Monserrate is another example of how we don't put up with that sort of nonsense.

Paterson wasn't thrown under the bus, he was standing in the middle of the street mooning the driver.

Jun 3, 2010, 9:09am Permalink
bud prevost

So if you are a tax dodger like Charlie Rangel or accept kickbacks like Pedro Espada, your party won't stand for it? Oh, it's not domestic abuse, so it's all good.

Jun 3, 2010, 9:18am Permalink
Richard Gahagan

Blah blah blah the dems went after Patterson after he demanded state job cuts period. If there is a politican out there that has a sack big enough to campaign on governmet spending cuts and government job cuts people will vote for them, regardless of how bad the public unions threaten, whine, cry, kick and scream for more government handouts.

Jun 3, 2010, 9:44am Permalink
Charlie Mallow

Oh, come on Chris. The Democratic and Republican Parties would support the Devil if he could get elected. As soon as Paterson’s numbers fell, he was out and they primed their golden boy who waited in-line behind Spitzer. Cumo was a good boy and he waited his turn, I’m positive he will work hard for the special interests and the unions.

The party never owed Paterson anything and he lacked the connections to keep himself in power. Once it was clear that Paterson intended to run for office the establishment squashed him with anything and everything they could find. Baseball tickets? Are you kidding me? Since when does the governor buy his own ticket to a ball game? From what I recall the governor wasn’t involved in domestic violence either. He called the wife or girlfriend of someone who allegedly was, as for what was said, who knows?

As for taking credit for that scumbag Moserrate leaving, the Dems didn’t lift a finger when he was thought to be loyal and they needed his vote. After they figured out he wasn’t in their camp, then he was out. Monserrate’s illegal activities where the least of the parties concerns.

John, I can’t fault Paterson for not being able to make the changes needed. He lacked the support of his own people. He was left high and dry and fed to the lions.

Jun 3, 2010, 10:00am Permalink
Chris Charvella

Charlie, what I'm saying here is that Paterson killed his own campaign, he didn't need and didn't get any help from the Democratic Party structure.

Hell, I like him more now than I did when he thought he could get re-elected. Apparently all it takes to grow a set of balls in NY politics is to be assured that you'll never be elected again.

Jun 3, 2010, 10:34am Permalink
Chris Charvella

and the investigations into both Monserrate and Espada preceded their little coup from last summer. One might come to the conclusion that those guys were the ones approached because of their tenuous hold on their offices and not in spite of them...

Jun 3, 2010, 10:37am Permalink
Charlie Mallow

Chris, I don’t believe in coincidences in politics. I have come to the conclusion that all of these Albany types are dirt bags with things in their closet that they don’t want anyone to know about. These dirty little secrets are kept in the dark by their party establishment, until of course they no longer have a use for them.

What I do remember was that early on in Spitzer’s term none of the Democrat chairs where very happy with him. They even had a meeting to discuss their dissatisfaction with the man. A few weeks later, his prostitutes started to come out of the closet. If you recall, there was very little support for Spitzer during his scandal. Not even the presumption of innocence till he was proven guilty...

Jun 3, 2010, 11:30am Permalink
Richard Gahagan

The latest numbers from the Census Bureau show that there is a mass exodus of taxpayers happening in all the most liberal states. This means that such states are not only losing urgently needed revenues at the worst possible time, but also representation both in the electoral college and in the House.

As usual, California topped off the list. Even including the illegal immigrants perpetually pouring into the state, it still managed to lose almost 100,000 more residents than it gained in the year ending July 1st.

New York, Michigan, Illinois and Ohio rounded off the top five.

And isn’t it interesting that the states with the most potential for bankruptcy also happen to Democrat/liberal controlled? More from the Examiner:

As Democrats continue senselessly plunging our nation into the very same kind of left-wing fiscal insanity and government-run everything that has utterly devastated cities like Detroit,Buffalo, and New York it is worth noting that the ten most bankrupt states in the country right now are also run by liberals…or they are border states being systematically decimated by the left’s persistent attempts to import an underclass of 15 million new Democrat voters.

The study, conducted by the Pew Center on the States, found that California, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin are among the most bankrupt states in the country. The only ones not run top-to-bottom by Democrats were Arizona, Florida and Nevada…all of which have huge illegal immigration problems.

Bravo, liberals. Way to show us evil, misguided proponents of the free market how it’s done.

Jun 3, 2010, 11:34am Permalink
Chris Charvella

So what's the lesson here charlie? I'll go with: don't **** hookers, don't steal money from donors, and don't involve yourself in domestic violence.

What a wonderful world it would be.

Jun 3, 2010, 11:34am Permalink
Richard Gahagan

And Chris if your a NY politician don't try to cut the budget, reduce spending, and eliminate government jobs or the Democrat/Public Union mobsters will throw you under a bus.

Jun 3, 2010, 11:46am Permalink
Richard Gahagan

it is worth noting that the ten most bankrupt states in the country right now are also run by liberals…or they are border states being systematically decimated by the left’s persistent attempts to import an underclass of 15 million new Democrat voters.

Jun 3, 2010, 12:19pm Permalink
Charlie Mallow

The lesson is a simple one, live for the glory of the party or die by their hand. By the way the party only picks people they can control.

Jun 3, 2010, 12:46pm Permalink
John Roach

Charlie,
You have to remember Patterson was only made Lt. Gov to get him out of the State Senate where his leadership was not inspiring. He was expected to take his pay raise and retire at the end of his four year term.

Patterson had the public behind him for a short time, but then he caved in on his first budget and after that, the sharks knew they had him. Then he made a fiasco of replacing Hillary Clinton, showing weakness again. After that, he was dead meat.

Jun 3, 2010, 12:53pm Permalink
Janice Stenman

Good grief Richard. Bush entered office with a surplus of funds. During his administration, he managed to rack up a 2 trillion dollar deficit. [remember the cost of 2 wars were being hidden.]

Republican deregulation allowed companies like AIG to sell credit default swaps [insurance on bad mortgages] and allowed people on minimum wage to buy million dollar homes. The way the housing market was artificially inflated, these same people thought they could live in a house for a couple of years and sell at a huge profit.

S U R P R I S E !!!

Oh and oilman Bush's administration got right in bed with they very people they were supposed to be watching. We are now experiencing the worst environmental disaster ever.

Just as soon as Obama won the election, but BEFORE Bush was out of office, the bottom fell out of the stock market and then the job market. Lost retirement money, lost money on the stock market, banks going under. Credit was and still is nearly non-existent.

Now the same people expect Obama to fix everything IMMEDIATELY!

Hadn't anybody in Genesee County been watching the votes on various bills in Congress and the Senate? The Republicans have been voting NO! NO on everything, even the SAME BILLS THAT REPUBLICANS INTRODUCED.

Now, getting to State Employees. While some agency jobs can probably be furloughed, it would put a hardship on other agencies. Many of the jobs that started out as similar to private sector jobs are now extremely stressful and dangerous. Reducing Correction Officers, Juvenile Corrections facilities staff is just asking for sad outcomes. I can tell you stories that would make your head spin around and I retired from the state 10 years ago. Things have only gotten worse since then.

Jun 3, 2010, 1:36pm Permalink
Jeremiah Pedro

Janice you might want to do your homework a little bit better. The current oil spill down south is a result of the Obama administration. Obama did nothing to change the business as usual mentality. Now that this man made disaster has occurred he and his administration are playing a game of CYA.
Further more Obama was one of the lawyers that fought to have the regulations on the lending practices of Fannie and Freddie lowered so that more low income people could get mortgages. so the blood is not solely on the republicans hands in that matter.
Don't go casting stones when you're living in a glass house Janice.

Jun 3, 2010, 3:53pm Permalink
Jeremiah Pedro

Oh yeah and do yourself a favor and watch a documentary called food inc. You will see that it's not just GW that allowed the practice of hiring former industry employees to positions in the government that were meant to watch and regulate the industries they were formerly employed by.

Jun 3, 2010, 4:14pm Permalink
Chris Charvella

Jeremiah, typically I'd be inclined to argue with you, but Obama's policy switch on off-shore drilling a month or two before this mess started raised my hackles a bit. I'm sure he's rethinking that stance as we speak though.

I will say that between Bush and Obama, I know who I'd trust more to get the industry regulation ball rolling in the right direction. Also, let's not forget that it was BP's machinery that failed here, not Bush or Obama's.

The push for low-income home buying spanned two administrations as well (Clinton/Bush 2) so there's blame to share on that issue as well. If we go as far as looking at Wall Street regulation there is a good argument that Bush 1 had it right (to a point) and Clinton and Bush 2 dropped the ball.

Jun 3, 2010, 4:31pm Permalink
Richard Gahagan

Back on topic fellers, lay off state workers, cut salaries, benefits, lower taxes and stop the Democrat/public employee unions coalition from bankrupting the state.

Jun 3, 2010, 4:55pm Permalink
Janice Stenman

Jeremiah,

You said: Further more Obama was one of the lawyers that fought to have the regulations on the lending practices of Fannie and Freddie lowered so that more low income people could get mortgages. so the blood is not solely on the republicans hands in that matter.

Allowing people with lower incomes to buy houses does NOT equate to institutions qualifying them to buy million dollar homes. People should not have been qualified for the ridiculous loans they had.

Jun 3, 2010, 6:44pm Permalink
Janice Stenman

Richard, Richard, Richard.....

Without the unions, people would still be working as slaves owing more money to the company store than they could ever earn.

Private sector jobs have benefitted from the unions too. I don't know what kind of job anyone here has or what they earn, but I'd be willing to bet money that you would be lucky if you were bringing home one third of what you do earn.

Forget about a "middle class". We'd be part of the poor and the rich would have more money than god.

Jun 3, 2010, 6:50pm Permalink
Jeremiah Pedro

What happens when you can't pay your union dues?
Do they give you a pass this month or cover it for you?
Not hardly you either pay or you're put out of a job.
What about industries that are controlled by the unions?
What happens when an employer is not allowed to hire anyone beside union workers? Or in order to get hired you have to join the union if you don't then you're fired.

Jun 3, 2010, 10:07pm Permalink
Jeremiah Pedro

I was in the United States Marine Corps up until may of 2009 served on active duty since may of 1996. The money I made while I was in would not have been were it was had in not been for Regan raising military pay by 13% in the early 80's. The unions didn't have anything to do with that.

Jun 3, 2010, 10:16pm Permalink
Janice Stenman

Um....I'm sure I said private sector. Military is not private sector.

Also, I want to thank you for your military service. I'm positive you and the other service women and men deserve far more than they earn.

Jun 3, 2010, 11:25pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

Jeremiah, I'm not a union backer, but the reason Reagan raised military pay in the 80's was because they had horrible retention numbers due to the disparity between military and private sector pay. I'll bet he wouldn't have had it not been necessary. Janice will probably say it's because of the unions, I'll go with supply and demand and the quality of training by the military. (hard though it may be to believe, once you've been there lol)

Jun 4, 2010, 10:20am Permalink

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