| Excellent piece on the budget from New York Communities for Change's Greg Basta:
New York's Wisconsin Moment?
The assault on the working class packaged as "fiscal responsibility" by the likes of Scott Walker has gone viral. Since Wisconsin, this tactic - force hard working Americans to accept the notion of "austerity", while giving corporations and millionaires tax breaks - has reared its ugly head in Ohio, Indiana, and Florida. This week, the virus has found a new host - New York.
Over the weekend, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and GOP Senate leadership agreed on a plan to slash the State Budget by billions of dollars - including hundreds of millions in cuts to public school funding and to State and City universities, millions more in cuts to homeless services and senior centers. In addition, the State will allow the Millionaires' Tax to expire, and will not strengthen laws protecting rent regulation for residents of New York City. All of this is being justified by lawmakers as necessary measures to close the State's deficit. So let's look at the numbers:
Total money being cut from the budget? About $3 billion.
Total tax revenue NY will be losing by letting the millionaire's tax expire? $4.6 billion.
Much like in Wisconsin, New Yorkers are being told that it's our responsibility to make sacrifices in these harsh economic times. This budget will force that issue - thousands of teachers could be laid off, tuition hikes loom for students at public universities, medical services for groups that need it the most - like senior citizens, the homeless, and those with HIV/AIDS, could become very scarce. But the wealthiest 3% of New Yorkers are being told, "You deserve a break. Thanks for all that you do!" So in essence, many of the Wall Street execs who played a major part in triggering the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression will be rewarded, while the families hardest hit by this crisis are being punished.
And like in Wisconsin, New Yorkers will not take this sitting down. A coalition called Strong Economy for All is bringing together education groups, labor unions, tenants' rights organizations, homeless advocates, and senior citizens to demand that Cuomo scraps this plan. This Wednesday, thousands of New Yorkers will join the coalition from throughout the state to tell lawmakers in Albany that their job needs to be fighting for good jobs, decent wages, a quality education, and healthcare for all New Yorkers. They've protected Wall Street long enough. Governor - tax the rich. They got us into this mess, they need to do their fair share to get us out of it. Don't put this on the backs of the children, seniors, homeless, tenants, and teachers of New York. We've been shouldering the burden for quite some time.
In New York, as in Wisconsin (and Ohio, and Indiana) the buzz word among the pro-Wall Street side has been "austerity". Austerity for who? New York is one of the wealthiest states in one of the richest countries on the planet. How can millionaires and elected officials talk to us about austerity while keeping a straight face? Corporations like JP Morgan Chase pay only 11% of the State income taxes to which they're obligated. And those of us who make New York run on a daily basis are told we have to accept austerity? No, we will not accept that. We have not tax loopholes, we received no bailouts. Our State electeds need to preach austerity to the Wall Street side, and protect the services and programs on which working families rely for stability.
We're asking all New Yorkers to get their voices heard. We know you want to - roughly 80% of New Yorkers support the millionaire's tax. You deserve better. To sign a petition to Governor Cuomo, and to RSVP to our rally this Wednesday, March 30th, click here (Go to a college in New York State? Click here to find out what student groups are doing on your campus).
For more info on the campaign, watch our action at the Capitol last week.
UPDATE: Seems the site at the above linked is getting hammered right now, so I've taken the liberty of posting the entire piece. Hope Mr Basta does not mind.
And speaking of Strong For All, my former colleague Mike Kink says it well and succinctly:
In the give and take of the budget, it's now clear that wealthy New Yorkers are doing all the taking while middle-class and poor New Yorkers are doing all the giving. This budget will make our state's already frightening levels of income inequality even worse.
Also, Liz has some more on what's shaping up for Wednesday at the capitol:
Capitol Occupation?
Maybe Wisconsin really can come to New York.
A reader forwarded an alert sent out yesterday about an "Albany occupation" planned for this Wednesday in opposition to what's being billed as Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed budget.
The "peaceful" protest will include New York Communities for Change (formerly ACORN), Right to the City, SUNY student groups and others, according to the e-mail, which continues:
"They expect at least 1,000 to participate in the occupation during the day on Wednesday and at least 500 to stay in the capital (sic) overnight."
"FYI, as long as the legislature is in session, anyone has the right to be in the capital, even to protest inside it (although not in the Senate and Assembly chambers themselves). The organizers have notified the police of their intentions and no arrests are expected."
"The situation will be very fluid, however, and the occupiers on the ground will be the ones who ultimately decide how long to continue the occupation and what course of action to take, although precautions will be taken at all times to avoid anyone being exposed to arrest who doesn't want to be."
"This is a very important action that I think we should support as strongly as possible. Please forward this to any and all activist listservs you are on. As Cuomo is currently preparing to bulldoze his way to an on-time, incredibly anti-working class budget, we need to make sure that our voices are heard. If you'd like to participate, get in touch with the organizers listed in the announcement below. Thanks!"
This is reminiscent of the so-called "week of rage" that occurred during the Wisonsin budget battle, when protestors refused to leave the building and the courts ultimately got involved.
And, by the way, do keep in mind that the Governor and Skelos' crew are axing the extension of the so called Millionaire's Tax, even though a new Siena poll showing that a whopping 71% of New Yorker's favor that extension. That includes the support of 67% of Indys and 54 % of Republicans.
So, Cuomo and Skelos are basically telling New Yorkers that not only do they not care what they think, but that they are going to take out on their kids and the elderly and the poor and working classes.
Which leaves one question. What are we going to do about it, New York? |
