EDITORIAL: State budget: dumb idea

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April 13, 2008

Staff Reports The Journal-Register Sun Apr 13, 2008, 10:55 PM EDT

Stupid.

There are a lot of words that could describe the 2008-09 state budget passed in Albany last week. How about irresponsible, illogical, unsound, unsustainable and late? But the first word that comes to mind is just plain stupid.

The state capitol powers that be, of course, practically broke their arms patting themselves on the back, saying the $121.7 billion spending plan takes care of the needs of New Yorkers despite a gloomy economic outlook and predictions that things won’t be getting better any time soon.

Did the esteemed lawmakers and administrators cut spending and tighten the state’s belt? Of course not. They spent about 4.9 percent more than last year while increasing taxes and fees by more than $1.7 billion.

Yeah, that’s the ticket. That’s the formula that will stem the flow of people out of here, a flow that’s turned into a torrent in recent years. That’s a plan to rebuild our shattered economy and turn urban disaster areas into the thriving metropolises they once were. Spend more, tax more in a state that is already infamous for practically holding its citizens upside down and shaking every remaining penny from their pockets.

One of the most laughable measures is the boost of $1.25 per pack in the state tax on cigarettes. Even if the anti-smoking police get their way, it will result in fewer cigarettes being sold, meaning less revenue.

But what will more likely happen: More and more smokers will become tax dodgers. Either they’ll buy their smokes in adjoining states, on Indian reservations or from organized crime and gangsters who will ship cigarettes up from low-taxed southern states and sell them at a discount.

Didn’t any of these people take Economics 101? Tax something and the consumer will either buy less of it or dodge the tax. Either way, the result is less money for the treasury, not more.

The new budget is yet another piece of evidence that cries out for a change in the state capital. It’s clear these people in the state Legislature and the executive branch are incapable of balancing a checkbook, much less handling $121.7 billion of your tax dollars. It is a legislative election year. It is yet another opportunity to throw the assemblymen and women and state senators out and replace them with people who might know what they’re doing.

But you know what? By November, we’ll probably forget about all this. We’ll be more interested in the latest adventures of Britney and Paris and we’ll be following the career of the next American Idol.

And, if past practice holds, we’ll reelect each of the clowns who pushed this budget on the ever-dwindling population of New York state.

And then the same word we used to describe the budget will be used to describe all of us.

Stupid.

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