| Before mentioning all the newspapers that have written their own editorials on yesterday's State of the State Address given by Governor David Paterson, here are what a few groups had to say about yesterday's address.
Citizen Action of New York:
"Low and middle income New Yorkers are reeling from national and state policies that have led to mortgage foreclosures, job losses, and health care premium increases, said Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. "Governor Paterson says we all should share the pain, but his solution will make the problems worse by cutting education, aid to cities and other critical programs."
"We support the Governor's call today for President-Elect Obama and the Congress to pass a federal economic stimulus package to help the states, but this shouldn't substitute for state action to stimulate New York's economy. The President-elect has made clear that in tough economic times, the best thing for families is for government to invest in education, health care and jobs. We urge the Governor and the Legislature to show the same kind of leadership by asking the wealthy who benefited from the last economic boom to contribute, rather than balancing the budget on the backs of schoolchildren, urban residents and others who depend on state services," said Scharff.
Working Families Party Executive Director Dan Cantor:
"Governor's Paterson's call for shared sacrifice in tough economic times is heartening.
"Working families across New York are facing the triple threat of a deep recession, painful cuts to programs they rely on, and nuisance taxes that will raise their cost of living.
"True shared sacrifice must mean asking the wealthy New Yorkers who have seen massive tax cuts to contribute a little more. Fair Share Tax Reform is enormously popular, will help balance the budget, and according to hundreds of our leading economists, it is the best way to revive the state's economy.
With the Governor's leadership, we can find a fair solution to the fiscal crisis, but only by asking all parts of society to pitch in."
New York League of Conservation Voters:
"Governor Paterson's commitment to a 21st century, green economy - from research and development to energy efficiency projects - will help reinvigorate New York's economy and reaffirm the state's role as an environmental leader," said NYLCV President Marcia Bystryn. "While we remain concerned about proposed cuts to other environmental programs, we are tremendously heartened by the governor's energy agenda and we look forward to working with the state Legislature and state agencies to make it a reality."
The centerpiece of Gov. Paterson's energy vision is the new "45 by 15" plan, which calls for reducing the state's energy usage by 15 percent and increasing the amount of energy that the state gets from renewable sources to 30 percent by the year 2015. In addition, the governor called for the creation of workforce training initiatives; a major push to get schools, local governments and large institutions to take advantage of energy efficiency programs; the creation of an Energy Policy Institute to work on energy efficiency issues; and an emphasis on cleaning up the Hudson River in conjunction with this year's quadricentennial celebrations.
There will be more reaction to come throughout the day today. |
