Hi all...
As the worm turns (as they say)...
Get a load of this one, folks...
So I get a call late this afternoon from a local newspaper reporter-- it seems our County Executive has issued a no-holds-barred press release to the media in a craven and pathetic attempt to politicize an incredibly innocent attempt to actually make our county a better place (gosh what a surprise, right?)...
What am I talking about?...
Steinhaus just issued a memo to the media pathetically trying to rip apart a resolution I drafted (that will actually be on the agenda for our County Legislature's next Committee Day Apr. 8th)-- merely calling for a public jobs summit to be convened (due to county's dire economic straits)-- that public jobs summit to be comprised of representation from business, labor, academia, taxpayers, county legislators-- even from our County Executive's office(!)...(yeah, you know, I just thought I'd include him; hope springs eternal, you knoow)...
[again-- thanx much to Co. Leg.'s Jeter-Jackson, MacAvery, and White for agreeing to co-sponsorin' this one I drafted]
OK-- one thing I'll give him on this-- frankly, I should have included the DCEDC and DCIDA in the last "resolved"-- but I'm not afraid to admit I'm not perfect (um; unlike certain other people; ahem)...so I just re-submitted to our County Legislature's offices a slightly amended version of the resolution including the DCEDC and DCIDA in the mix, for what it's worth (and why GOP like the County Exec refuse to get off their hobbyhorse of the IDA issue is beyond me, but why the hell is it so strange that anyone would want at least a little bit of labor representation on the DCIDA?...argh...of course, Dem-led Co. Leg. appointed labor to the DCIDA; they were never allowed to be seated by powers that be-- natch)...
And note-- honestly, I have nothing but the highest regard for our county's Economic Development Corporation and Industrial Development Agency; I have talked with and worked with various members of the DCEDC and DCIDA on different issues and projects for years-- so again, just now I re-submitted to our County Legislature's offices this newer, better, amended text for this resolution (adding DCEDC and DCIDA to the last "resolved")...
As to the rest of his over-the-top screed/memo-- that's what it is-- an over-the-top screed-- but frankly, the people and businesses of Dutchess County can afford politics as usual and business as usual from the sixth floor of our County Office Building...
The fact is that Dutchess County is in a very real and serious economic crisis right now-- and who knows how many good ideas might come out in public if we actually held a series of these jobs summits-- publicly-- at at time when working taxpayers can attend-- not just with plenty of representation from business there-- but also with representation there from labor unions...and local academia (local economics professors from area colleges, for example)...
It is beyond belief-- but sadly, par for the course-- that the County Executive would feel so threatened by this innocent resolution trying to make Dutchess County a better place...
What has this world come to?...(and what is he so afraid of?)...
William Steinhaus should be ashamed of himself for playing politics here...
Period.
Wake up and smell the coffee, folks...
If you think things can't get worse-- just watch what happens when you sit back and do nothing...
Mark my words...
Joel
242-3571
joeltyner@earthlink.net
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[here below-- the newly amended resolution-- actually taking into consideration the County Exec's memo...(God help me!)...lol]
WHEREAS, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported March 5th that "Dutchess County's unemployment rate hit 8.4 percent in January according to the New York State Department of Labor
WHEREAS, Dutchess County's unemployment rat was 7.7 percent in December; 8.4 percent is the highest rate for our county since 1994, and
WHEREAS, there are now well over 10,000 Dutchess County residents officially on unemployment, and
WHEREAS, people without jobs can't pay taxes, and
WHEREAS, people without jobs can't purchase products and services to turn our local economy around, and
WHEREAS, many good ideas on how to turn our local economy around have been suggested by various members of the private sector, unions, local colleges, and local taxpayers, and therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Dutchess County Legislature will hold a public Jobs Summit in the next sixty days, to hear input from Dutchess County taxpayers as well as expert advice from business leaders in the private sector, labor representatives, local academia, et. al., with the County Executive invited as well to participate in this, and be it further
RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Dutchess County Executive, Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation, Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency, Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce, Rhinebeck, Hyde Park, and Red Hook Chambers of Commerce, Dutchess County Central Labor Council, Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation, Bard College, Dutchess Community College, Marist College, and Vassar College.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
AP headline today: U.S. Deaths Double in Afghanistan-- wake up, folks!...
Fact: Dutchess County taxpayers have spent $1.7 billion on war in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001.
[can be confirmed in spades at website of National Priorities Project-- http://www.NationalPriorities.org !]
[see still-current Feb. 23 Amy Goodman interview with Phyllis Bennis on Ending the War in Afghanistan:
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/23/phyllis_bennis_on_ending_the_us ]
[also: "Policing Afghanistan: How Afghan Police Training Became a Train Wreck" by Pratap Chatterjee:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/22-3 ]
[also recall-- "65 in House Back Afghanistan Withdrawal" by John Nichols-- even 5 GOP voted yes:
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/539614/65_in_house_back_afghanistan_withdrawal ]
[...sadly, neither Murphy nor Hall nor Hinchey voted yes to H. Con. Res. 248 earlier this month tho...]
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In case you missed this headline article in today's Daily Freeman...
[don't forget toll-free number for Congress to call to bring our troops home asap: (800) 828-0498!]
From http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100328/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan_war_deaths ...
"US Deaths Double in Afghanistan as Troops Pour In"
By SEBASTIAN ABBOT, Associated Press Writer
- Sun Mar 28, 12:24 am ET
KABUL - The number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan has roughly doubled in the first three months of 2010 compared to the same period last year as Washington has added tens of thousands of additional soldiers to reverse the Taliban's momentum.
Those deaths have been accompanied by a dramatic spike in the number of wounded, with injuries more than tripling in the first two months of the year and trending in the same direction based on the latest available data for March.
U.S. officials have warned that casualties are likely to rise even further as the Pentagon completes its deployment of 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and sets its sights on the Taliban's home base of Kandahar province, where a major operation is expected in the coming months.
"We must steel ourselves, no matter how successful we are on any given day, for harder days yet to come," Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a briefing last month.
In total, 57 U.S. troops were killed here during the first two months of 2010 compared with 28 in January and February of last year, an increase of more than 100 percent, according to Pentagon figures compiled by The Associated Press. At least 20 American service members have been killed so far in March, an average of about 0.8 per day, compared to 13, or 0.4 per day, a year ago.
Britain, which has the second largest contingent, has lost at least 33 troops since Jan. 1, compared with 15 for the same period last year.
The steady rise in combat deaths has generated less public reaction in the United States than the spike in casualties last summer and fall, which undermined public support in the U.S. for the 8-year-old American-led mission here. Fighting traditionally tapers off in Afghanistan during winter months, only to peak in the summer.
After a summer marked by the highest monthly death rates of the war, President Barack Obama faced serious domestic opposition over his decision in December to increase troops in Afghanistan, with only about half the American people supporting the move. But support for his handling of the war has actually improved since then, despite the increased casualties.
The latest Associated Press-GfK poll at the beginning of March found that 57 percent of those surveyed approved his handling of the war in Afghanistan compared to 49 percent two months earlier. The poll surveyed 1,002 adults nationwide and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.
Michael O'Hanlon, a foreign policy expert at the Brookings Institution, said the poll results could partly be a reaction to last month's offensive against the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in Helmand province, which the Obama administration painted as the first test of its revamped counterinsurgency strategy.
Some 10,000 U.S., NATO and Afghan forces seized control of the farming community of about 80,000 people while suffering relatively few deaths. But the Taliban continue to plant bombs at night and intimidate the locals, and the hardest part of the operation is yet to come: building an effective local government that can win over the loyalty of the people.
"My main thesis ... is that Americans can brace themselves for casualties in war if they consider the stakes high enough and the strategy being followed promising enough," O'Hanlon said. "But such progress in public opinion is perishable, if not right away then over a period of months, if we don't sustain the new momentum."
A rise in the number of wounded - a figure that draws less attention than deaths - shows that the Taliban remain a formidable opponent.
The number of U.S. troops wounded in Afghanistan and three smaller theaters where there isn't much battlefield activity rose from 85 in the first two months of 2009 to 381 this year, an increase of almost 350 percent. A total of 50 U.S. troops were wounded last March, an average of 1.6 per day. In comparison, 44 were injured during just the first six days of March this year, an average of 7.3 per day.
The increase in casualties was partly driven by the higher number of troops in Afghanistan in 2010. American troops rose from 32,000 at the beginning of last year to 68,000 at the end of the year, an increase of more than 110 percent.
"We've got a massive influx of troops, we have troops going into areas where they have not previously been and you have a reaction by an enemy to a new force presence," said NATO spokesman Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale.
The troop numbers have continued to rise in 2010 in line with the recent surge. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that a third of the additional forces, or 10,000 troops, are already in Afghanistan. They plan to have all 30,000 troops in the country before the end of the year.
U.S. officials have said they plan to use many of the additional forces to reassert control in Kandahar province, where the insurgents have slowly taken territory over the past few years in an effort to boost their influence over Kandahar city, the largest metropolis in the south and the Taliban's former capital.
Many analysts believe the Kandahar operation will be much more difficult than the recent Marjah offensive because of the greater dispersion of Taliban forces, the urban environment in Kandahar city and the complex political and tribal forces at work in the province.
The goal of both operations is to put enough pressure on the Taliban to force them to the negotiating table to work out a political settlement to end the war - a process the U.S. believes will only gain momentum once the militant group has lost traction on the battlefield.
"Until they transition to that mode, then we will have fighters ready to take shots at us and plant IEDs (improvised explosive devices)," said Lt. Col. Calvert Worth Jr., commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines Regiment in central Marjah.
__
Associated Press Writer David Stringer in London and Monika Mathur at the AP's News Research Center in New York contributed to this report.
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From the National Priorities Project...
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs?location_type=4&state=36&town=0.001620192000000000000000000000&program=585&tradeoff_item_item=999&submit_tradeoffs=Get+Trade+Off
Taxpayers in Dutchess County, New York will pay $1.7 billion for total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:
312,643 People with Health Care for One Year OR
32,721 Public Safety Officers for One year OR
25,819 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR
276,654 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
305,466 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550 OR
9,637 Affordable Housing Units OR
592,428 Children with Health Care for One Year OR
193,156 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR
19,636 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
3,174,018 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs?location_type=4&state=36&town=0.000288107000000000000000000000&program=585&tradeoff_item_item=999&submit_tradeoffs=Get+Trade+Off
Taxpayers in Columbia County, New York will pay $301.5 million for total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:
55,595 People with Health Care for One Year OR
5,818 Public Safety Officers for One year OR
4,591 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR
49,195 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
54,319 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550 OR
1,714 Affordable Housing Units OR
105,347 Children with Health Care for One Year OR
34,348 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR
3,492 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
564,413 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year
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From http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100315/editors ....
A Troubled Surge
Editorial
This article appeared in the March 15, 2010 edition of The Nation.
February 25, 2010
It will be a while, the US military tells us, before the success or failure of its Afghan offensive in Marja can be determined with any certainty. That says it all: a superpower will require weeks to seize control of just a single town in a vast country of thousands of villages and valleys. Centcom commander Gen. David Petraeus calls the Marja action "just the initial operation of what will be a twelve- to eighteen-month campaign" aimed at wresting power from the Taliban. It's fair to ask, of course, Isn't that what they have been trying to do for eight long years?
The Obama administration says that this time it's different--that the addition of 30,000 troops to the long-running conflict will turn the tide against the Taliban. The surge, Obama's advisers have long argued, will reverse the insurgents' momentum and persuade the Taliban's foot soldiers, and perhaps some of their leaders, to come to the bargaining table. General Petraeus tells us to expect high casualties among US and NATO forces.
Leave aside, for a moment, the problem that adding US forces creates more enemies, not fewer (dozens of civilians have been killed in recent US airstrikes, further enraging the Afghan public). The fact is, clearing, holding and building new social and political structures in Afghanistan, village by village and valley by valley, will take many years, if it can be done at all. Stretching ahead is a decades-long nation-building project that can't be sustained politically, militarily or financially.
As we go to press, the US death toll is nearing 1,000. More than 600 NATO troops have died in a conflict that is increasingly opposed in Europe and straining the alliance; indeed, the Dutch government recently collapsed because of widespread antiwar sentiment. More than eight years into the war, neither the Afghan army nor the police are very functional. The warlord-ridden, corrupt government of President Karzai, returned to power last year after a rigged vote, has little credibility. And Afghanistan's primitive economy, heavily dependent on the drug industry, will be troubled for decades. (One development to watch is the possibility that Pakistan, after decades of fostering, arming and training the Taliban, may be coming around. In recent weeks Pakistan has helped nab several insurgent leaders and shadow governors, and it appears that it is snatching up Taliban by the hundreds fleeing across the Afghan border.)
For Marja to be of any lasting significance, it must be followed quickly by a political settlement, regional diplomacy and implementation of effective Afghan governance. Otherwise, it will merely be a fleeting counterinsurgency footprint wiped away before long by a returning Taliban tide--and thus a testament to the futile sacrifice of American lives and resources for an ill-defined goal of the administration's Af-Pak strategy.
All of this should be fertile territory for exploration in hearings on Capitol Hill. At the height of the war in Iraq, Democrats hectored President Bush with the question, What's your exit strategy? It's time for Congress to ask Obama the same question. March promises to bring a revival of peace activism. Progressive Democrats of America has launched a "Healthcare Not Warfare" campaign, and, joined by Code Pink and other groups, it has started a "Brown Bag Lunch Vigil" at Congressional offices across the country to educate politicians and the public about the costs of war. A revived US antiwar movement that unites with the growing one in Europe would be a powerful force for a negotiated solution and a drawdown of forces.
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From http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/05-3 ...
[call Congress on this-- at (800) 828-0498!]
Published on Friday, March 5, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
Kucinich Forces Congress to Debate Afghanistan
by Robert Naiman
On Thursday, Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich introduced H. Con Res. 248, a privileged resolution with 16 original cosponsors that will require the House of Representatives to debate whether to continue the war in Afghanistan. Debate on the resolution is expected early next week.
Original cosponsors of the Kucinich resolution include John Conyers, Ron Paul, José Serrano, Bob Filner, Lynn Woolsey, Walter Jones, Danny Davis, Barbara Lee, Michael Capuano, Raúl Grijalva, Tammy Baldwin, Tim Johnson, Yvette Clarke, Eric Massa, Alan Grayson, and Chellie Pingree.
The Pentagon doesn't want Congress to debate Afghanistan. The Pentagon wants Congress to fork over $33 billion more to pay for the current military escalation, no questions asked, no restrictions imposed for a withdrawal timetable or an exit strategy.
Ideally, from the point of view of the Pentagon, Congress would fork over that money right away, before the coming Kandahar offensive that the $33 billion is supposed to pay for, because you can expect a lot of bad news out of Afghanistan in the form of deaths of American soldiers and Afghan civilians once the Kandahar offensive starts, and it would sure be awkward if all that bad news reached Washington while the $33 billion was hanging fire.
So it's a great thing that Rep. Kucinich and his 16 allies are forcing Congress to debate the issue, and it would be even better if more Members of Congress would be urged by their constituents to support Kucinich's resolution. That would be a signal to the House leadership that continuation of the open-ended war and occupation is controversial in the House, and the House leadership should not try to ram through $33 billion more for the war on a fast-track without ample opportunity for debate and amendment.
Every day the Afghanistan war continues is another day on which the United States Government plays Russian Roulette with the lives of American soldiers and Afghan civilians.
The British Government has more urgency than the U.S. government about ending the war - and is more supportive than the U.S. of a political solution to end the conflict - because in Britain there is greater public outcry.
If there were greater public and Congressional outcry in the U.S., we could be more like Britain, and get our government on board the train to a political solution, instead of prolonging the war indefinitely.
The first step towards bringing our troops home is for Members of Congress to hear from their constituents.
Robert Naiman is Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy
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From http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/08-8 ...
Published on Monday, March 8, 2010 by The Nation
Exit Strategies for Afghanistan and Iraq
by Tom Hayden
It's been a long winter for the peace movement. Waiting for Obama has proved fruitless. The Great Recession has strengthened Wall Street and diverted attention from the wars. The debate over health care still won't go away and has demoralized progressive advocates. Given a chance to exit from Afghanistan when the Karzai election proved to be stolen, President Obama escalated anyway, but also promised to "begin" exiting almost before an opposition could mobilize at home.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich will step into the crosswinds this week and force the House of Representatives to wake up, pay attention, and vote up or down on the Afghanistan war.
The Kucinich initiative at least will reveal where Congress stands. Whether it will energize the peace movement for upcoming March protests or beyond is unpredictable.
Kucinich, interviewed along with other members of Congress by The Nation last week, is introducing a so-called privileged resolution requiring the House to hold a three-hour debate this coming Wednesday, followed by a vote on the Afghanistan war.
The vote is expected to authorize the war, but passage of Kucinich's initiative would require a withdrawal in thirty days. If the president rejected such a decision, the withdrawal would be delayed until the end of 2010, nine months from now.
"It's time to force a debate," Kucinich says. "It's not enough to slow-walk the end of the war." On Friday Kucinich had 17 co-sponsors for his measure.
The Kucinich bill is based on the 1973 War Powers Act, passed during the upsurge of Congressional opposition to the unilateral war-making of the executive branch during the Richard Nixon era. The War Powers Act, strongly opposed by Bush-era officials including Dick Cheney and John Yoo, was based on Article I, Section 8, of the federal constitution which, according to James Madison, "expressly vested" the power to "declare" war in Congress.
According to Gary Wills' history in Bomb Power, the War Powers legislation actually diluted Congressional authority by making declaration of war a joint exercise with the White House.
Nonetheless, the symbolic threat to presidential prerogative inflamed Cheney into describing it as a congressional usurpation. Yoo, the author of the notorious torture memos in the Bush administration, went so far as to argue that "declare" in the 18th century meant simply to "recognize[d] a state of affairs."
The Kucinich measure seeks to remind Congress of the peak progressive moment when, in tandem with a vast anti-war movement in the streets, Richard Nixon was forced to resign and the Vietnam War was terminated. A decade later, Congress again would play a key role in the Iran-Contra hearings during the Reagan era.
But Wednesday's vote may be a measure of how much Congress has continued to surrender its war-making prerogative to the administration. Many liberal Democrats interviewed for this article expressed discomfort or exasperation towards the Kucinich measure, claiming that it will be overwhelmingly defeated and weaken efforts this spring to introduce anti-war amendments during debate on the war budget.
In one member's view, the Kucinich proposal represents "complete and total withdrawal now," which most in Congress refuse to support. A more common complaint, voiced in a memo from Peace Action, is that "some of our allies on the Hill are concerned that the relatively low amount votes for this resolution may make us look weak."
Another member said, "You can't stop Dennis, he does this all the time, he squeezes members who aren't consulted." Another, who intends to vote for the Kucinich proposal despite having had no input, said bluntly, "A shitty vote has consequences."
Meanwhile, on Afghanistan, the Congressional Progressive Caucus is in disarray. Leadership on Afghanistan issues has been passed to Rep. Mike Honda, a progressive Democrat from San Jose, who last year circulated a dramatic exit proposal that would flip US Afghan spending from 80 percent military to 80 percent civilian. Honda's staff did not return calls from The Nation requesting further information.
Progressive Caucus co-chair Lynne Woolsey is up in arms against progressive Democrats who are supporting Marcy Winograd, an anti-war citizen-candidate running against hawkish Rep. Jane Harman in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. Woolsey now refuses to work with "outside groups" such as Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) who are backing Winograd's primary bid. Woolsey also opposed last year's forums on Afghanistan sponsored by Democrats including Honda and CPC co-chair Raul Grijalva. Woolsey simply says the US shouldn't be in Afghanistan, but nothing more, which leaves her isolated from peace groups and leaves her own colleagues searching for strategies.
In addition, the once strong Out of Iraq Caucus, with over 70 members, appears dormant or dissolved, despite the growing threats to Obama's plan for a phased withdrawal of all troops from Iraq by 2012.
Just ahead are debates over the $33 billion funding request for Obama's troop escalation, and the $159 billion for Afghanistan and Iraq contained in the proposed military budget. Despite significant opposition among Democrats to the president's escalation proposal, it is highly unlikely that the funds will be turned down now that American troops have been dispatched. Whether a vote will be taken on Rep. Barbara Lee's proposal to block the $33 billion in funding is unclear at the moment. But sizeable opposition is expected to rally around exit strategy measures being jointly contemplated by Rep. Jim McGovern and Sen. Russ Feingold this spring.
Despite White House opposition, McGovern was able to win support from a majority of Democrats last year for his resolution calling on the Pentagon to report an Afghanistan exit strategy by year's end. With the president having committed to an exit strategy by beginning troop withdrawals by summer 2011, McGovern's measure might gain greater traction. He told The Nation he will introduce a revised version of the exit strategy resolution in the coming weeks.
Feingold's public thinking on Afghanistan hasn't changed since December when he opposed the president's escalation, according to the Wisconsin senator's staff. Feingold previously has proposed a "flexible timetable for reducing our troop levels" and opposed the defense appropriations bill because of its inclusion of Afghanistan funding.
Feingold and McGovern are expected soon to cooperate in proposing an exit strategy that contains a timetable for troop reductions. Defining such an exit plan quickly is key to the Administration's policy for Afghanistan, since the negotiated departure of US troops won't happen without one. And most observers of Afghanistan say the Taliban cannot be drawn into a peace process or political negotiations without a concrete assurance that the military occupation will end and US/NATO/USAF troops will be withdrawn or replaced by peacekeepers.
Secret talks with the Taliban have intensified since spring 2009, the respected Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid wrote recently in the New York Review of Books. Rashid is an official adviser to the US diplomatic team led by Richard Holbrooke. In a recent essay he floats a negotiating scenario which seems quasi-official and, of course, is officially deniable. His seven-point proposal includes lifting current sanctions on Taliban leaders so that talks can occur in a neutral venue, formation of a legal Taliban political party in Afghanistan, and a seriously-funded "reconciliation body" to create security for returning Taliban members to Afghanistan.
Rashid's proposal implies, but does not include, a US troop withdrawal, the key condition demanded by the Taliban in exchange for starting all-party talks. It is possible that Obama's pledge to "begin" withdrawing in 2011 is an initial signal of the intention the insurgents want to hear.
In that case, the McGovern and Feingold initiatives can be crucial to moving the US, Afghan and Taliban positions closer to a formula for reconciliation or, more likely, coexistence. The only alternative is the perpetuation of the neoconservatives' Long War scenario, at trillions of dollars in budget expenditures, and/or an outbreak of civil war in Afghanistan.
Whether Congress has the backbone seems to depend on whether there is the force of public opinion to implant one. The previous experiences of Vietnam, Central America and Iraq have shaped a skeptical mood within that public, but it is not sufficiently angry yet to force the end of the war. A deepening battlefield quagmire will only cement that skepticism, but Congress has to channel the public mood into political impact.
Congress's inherent problem is its failure to collaborate with grassroots opinion in fostering public antiwar sentiment. Instead, as with the Kucinich measure, at most the members of Congress expect activists to endorse, support, leaflet, bird-dog, and light up the phone lines to pressure other members to vote their way. Too often they fail to use their enormous resources to bring attention and public engagement to issues not (yet) arousing public opinion or media interest.
Tellingly, the CIA's secret war in Pakistan, which includes the escalation of drone attacks, has drawn no meaningful Congressional opposition. The likely reason is that, with the exception of reports by Jane Mayer in The New Yorker, the casualties and costs of the drone war have been hidden from the American public.
The re-emergence of a coherent peace movement could help push the McGovern and Feingold measures forward, and also mount pressure for hearings on the secret war before it engulfs Pakistan.
The protests planned nationwide in March will revive needed attention to Afghanistan in many local areas around the country. But on the national level, the demise of United for Peace and Justice leaves a vacuum which narrow ideological groups are unable to fill. The dispersal of protest energies towards other issues--Wall Street bailouts, health care, Copenhagen, marriage equality--weakens any possibility of a unified focus around Afghanistan.
Despite these organizational obstacles, the ongoing wars will inflict serious political and moral consequences. Without a greater role by the organized peace movement, large numbers of voters will become passive, or drop away, during the forthcoming congressional elections and the next presidential one. The Obama administration has never treated the peace constituency as one worth cultivating, though the Iraq War was the critical issue difference in the primaries and general elections in 2006 and 2008. In turn, the peace constituency has never turned into a permanent, organized, well-funded lobbying force in Washington--except for the brief flare-ups like those of MoveOn in the 2004-06 cycle.
As a result, everything may depend on whether popular perception is that Obama and the Democrats have turned promises of peace into action. At the moment, such potential support is being drained into despair. Congress and Obama will have to work to bring it back.
© 2010 The Nation
Tom Hayden is a former state senator and leader of Sixties peace, justice and environmental movements. He currently teaches at PitzerCollege in Los Angeles. His books include The Port Huron Statement [new edition], Street Wars and The Zapatista Reader.
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From http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/04-11 ...
Published on Thursday, March 4, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
The Karzai-ization of Afghanistan
by Jim Hightower
Isn't it great that America is standing so forcefully for fundamental principles of democracy around the world? We're standing side by side with some of the most notable, incredible, and astonishing democratic leaders on the globe today. Specifically, of course, I'm referring to Hamid Karzai.
Karzai? What a goofus! As the sitting president of Afghanistan, this guy is only notable for being an astonishingly-arrogant incompetent with no leadership credibility whatsoever. Yet we have tens of thousands of American troops over there - fighting, bleeding, and dying - to shore up Karzai's ridiculous and corrupt regime.
How ridiculous and corrupt? Let's remember that he flat-out stole last year's presidential election. The thievery was so rampant and blatant that his top opponent quit the race in disgust, declaring that there was no way for people to get a fair vote. Still, our government sanctioned this fraud, declaring that we had extracted promises from Karzai that he would stop the corruption and allow an independent commission to oversee future elections.
We might as well have tried to make a snake tap dance. With parliamentary elections coming up in September, this slippery autocrat has unilaterally dismissed the independent commission, decreeing that all new members will be handpicked by him. A Karzai spokesman noted that three of the disposed commission members were appointed by the United Nations and were "creating problems for us." Yeah, impartial election monitors can be a problem for petty tyrants. That's why they're there.
The spokesman claimed that Karzai's usurpation of the election office was merely part of "the process of Afghanization" of the government. What's happened to the democratization of the government? What's really happening is the Karzai-ization of the government - and not even one more of our soldiers should have to die for that.
"Afghan Leader Asserts Control Over Election Body," New York Times, February 24, 2010
© 2010 Jim Hightower
National radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the book, Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow, Jim Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
[can be confirmed in spades at website of National Priorities Project-- http://www.NationalPriorities.org !]
[see still-current Feb. 23 Amy Goodman interview with Phyllis Bennis on Ending the War in Afghanistan:
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/23/phyllis_bennis_on_ending_the_us ]
[also: "Policing Afghanistan: How Afghan Police Training Became a Train Wreck" by Pratap Chatterjee:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/22-3 ]
[also recall-- "65 in House Back Afghanistan Withdrawal" by John Nichols-- even 5 GOP voted yes:
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/539614/65_in_house_back_afghanistan_withdrawal ]
[...sadly, neither Murphy nor Hall nor Hinchey voted yes to H. Con. Res. 248 earlier this month tho...]
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In case you missed this headline article in today's Daily Freeman...
[don't forget toll-free number for Congress to call to bring our troops home asap: (800) 828-0498!]
From http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100328/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan_war_deaths ...
"US Deaths Double in Afghanistan as Troops Pour In"
By SEBASTIAN ABBOT, Associated Press Writer
- Sun Mar 28, 12:24 am ET
KABUL - The number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan has roughly doubled in the first three months of 2010 compared to the same period last year as Washington has added tens of thousands of additional soldiers to reverse the Taliban's momentum.
Those deaths have been accompanied by a dramatic spike in the number of wounded, with injuries more than tripling in the first two months of the year and trending in the same direction based on the latest available data for March.
U.S. officials have warned that casualties are likely to rise even further as the Pentagon completes its deployment of 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and sets its sights on the Taliban's home base of Kandahar province, where a major operation is expected in the coming months.
"We must steel ourselves, no matter how successful we are on any given day, for harder days yet to come," Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a briefing last month.
In total, 57 U.S. troops were killed here during the first two months of 2010 compared with 28 in January and February of last year, an increase of more than 100 percent, according to Pentagon figures compiled by The Associated Press. At least 20 American service members have been killed so far in March, an average of about 0.8 per day, compared to 13, or 0.4 per day, a year ago.
Britain, which has the second largest contingent, has lost at least 33 troops since Jan. 1, compared with 15 for the same period last year.
The steady rise in combat deaths has generated less public reaction in the United States than the spike in casualties last summer and fall, which undermined public support in the U.S. for the 8-year-old American-led mission here. Fighting traditionally tapers off in Afghanistan during winter months, only to peak in the summer.
After a summer marked by the highest monthly death rates of the war, President Barack Obama faced serious domestic opposition over his decision in December to increase troops in Afghanistan, with only about half the American people supporting the move. But support for his handling of the war has actually improved since then, despite the increased casualties.
The latest Associated Press-GfK poll at the beginning of March found that 57 percent of those surveyed approved his handling of the war in Afghanistan compared to 49 percent two months earlier. The poll surveyed 1,002 adults nationwide and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.
Michael O'Hanlon, a foreign policy expert at the Brookings Institution, said the poll results could partly be a reaction to last month's offensive against the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in Helmand province, which the Obama administration painted as the first test of its revamped counterinsurgency strategy.
Some 10,000 U.S., NATO and Afghan forces seized control of the farming community of about 80,000 people while suffering relatively few deaths. But the Taliban continue to plant bombs at night and intimidate the locals, and the hardest part of the operation is yet to come: building an effective local government that can win over the loyalty of the people.
"My main thesis ... is that Americans can brace themselves for casualties in war if they consider the stakes high enough and the strategy being followed promising enough," O'Hanlon said. "But such progress in public opinion is perishable, if not right away then over a period of months, if we don't sustain the new momentum."
A rise in the number of wounded - a figure that draws less attention than deaths - shows that the Taliban remain a formidable opponent.
The number of U.S. troops wounded in Afghanistan and three smaller theaters where there isn't much battlefield activity rose from 85 in the first two months of 2009 to 381 this year, an increase of almost 350 percent. A total of 50 U.S. troops were wounded last March, an average of 1.6 per day. In comparison, 44 were injured during just the first six days of March this year, an average of 7.3 per day.
The increase in casualties was partly driven by the higher number of troops in Afghanistan in 2010. American troops rose from 32,000 at the beginning of last year to 68,000 at the end of the year, an increase of more than 110 percent.
"We've got a massive influx of troops, we have troops going into areas where they have not previously been and you have a reaction by an enemy to a new force presence," said NATO spokesman Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale.
The troop numbers have continued to rise in 2010 in line with the recent surge. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that a third of the additional forces, or 10,000 troops, are already in Afghanistan. They plan to have all 30,000 troops in the country before the end of the year.
U.S. officials have said they plan to use many of the additional forces to reassert control in Kandahar province, where the insurgents have slowly taken territory over the past few years in an effort to boost their influence over Kandahar city, the largest metropolis in the south and the Taliban's former capital.
Many analysts believe the Kandahar operation will be much more difficult than the recent Marjah offensive because of the greater dispersion of Taliban forces, the urban environment in Kandahar city and the complex political and tribal forces at work in the province.
The goal of both operations is to put enough pressure on the Taliban to force them to the negotiating table to work out a political settlement to end the war - a process the U.S. believes will only gain momentum once the militant group has lost traction on the battlefield.
"Until they transition to that mode, then we will have fighters ready to take shots at us and plant IEDs (improvised explosive devices)," said Lt. Col. Calvert Worth Jr., commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines Regiment in central Marjah.
__
Associated Press Writer David Stringer in London and Monika Mathur at the AP's News Research Center in New York contributed to this report.
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From the National Priorities Project...
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs?location_type=4&state=36&town=0.001620192000000000000000000000&program=585&tradeoff_item_item=999&submit_tradeoffs=Get+Trade+Off
Taxpayers in Dutchess County, New York will pay $1.7 billion for total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:
312,643 People with Health Care for One Year OR
32,721 Public Safety Officers for One year OR
25,819 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR
276,654 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
305,466 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550 OR
9,637 Affordable Housing Units OR
592,428 Children with Health Care for One Year OR
193,156 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR
19,636 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
3,174,018 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs?location_type=4&state=36&town=0.000288107000000000000000000000&program=585&tradeoff_item_item=999&submit_tradeoffs=Get+Trade+Off
Taxpayers in Columbia County, New York will pay $301.5 million for total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:
55,595 People with Health Care for One Year OR
5,818 Public Safety Officers for One year OR
4,591 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR
49,195 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
54,319 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550 OR
1,714 Affordable Housing Units OR
105,347 Children with Health Care for One Year OR
34,348 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR
3,492 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
564,413 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year
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From http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100315/editors ....
A Troubled Surge
Editorial
This article appeared in the March 15, 2010 edition of The Nation.
February 25, 2010
It will be a while, the US military tells us, before the success or failure of its Afghan offensive in Marja can be determined with any certainty. That says it all: a superpower will require weeks to seize control of just a single town in a vast country of thousands of villages and valleys. Centcom commander Gen. David Petraeus calls the Marja action "just the initial operation of what will be a twelve- to eighteen-month campaign" aimed at wresting power from the Taliban. It's fair to ask, of course, Isn't that what they have been trying to do for eight long years?
The Obama administration says that this time it's different--that the addition of 30,000 troops to the long-running conflict will turn the tide against the Taliban. The surge, Obama's advisers have long argued, will reverse the insurgents' momentum and persuade the Taliban's foot soldiers, and perhaps some of their leaders, to come to the bargaining table. General Petraeus tells us to expect high casualties among US and NATO forces.
Leave aside, for a moment, the problem that adding US forces creates more enemies, not fewer (dozens of civilians have been killed in recent US airstrikes, further enraging the Afghan public). The fact is, clearing, holding and building new social and political structures in Afghanistan, village by village and valley by valley, will take many years, if it can be done at all. Stretching ahead is a decades-long nation-building project that can't be sustained politically, militarily or financially.
As we go to press, the US death toll is nearing 1,000. More than 600 NATO troops have died in a conflict that is increasingly opposed in Europe and straining the alliance; indeed, the Dutch government recently collapsed because of widespread antiwar sentiment. More than eight years into the war, neither the Afghan army nor the police are very functional. The warlord-ridden, corrupt government of President Karzai, returned to power last year after a rigged vote, has little credibility. And Afghanistan's primitive economy, heavily dependent on the drug industry, will be troubled for decades. (One development to watch is the possibility that Pakistan, after decades of fostering, arming and training the Taliban, may be coming around. In recent weeks Pakistan has helped nab several insurgent leaders and shadow governors, and it appears that it is snatching up Taliban by the hundreds fleeing across the Afghan border.)
For Marja to be of any lasting significance, it must be followed quickly by a political settlement, regional diplomacy and implementation of effective Afghan governance. Otherwise, it will merely be a fleeting counterinsurgency footprint wiped away before long by a returning Taliban tide--and thus a testament to the futile sacrifice of American lives and resources for an ill-defined goal of the administration's Af-Pak strategy.
All of this should be fertile territory for exploration in hearings on Capitol Hill. At the height of the war in Iraq, Democrats hectored President Bush with the question, What's your exit strategy? It's time for Congress to ask Obama the same question. March promises to bring a revival of peace activism. Progressive Democrats of America has launched a "Healthcare Not Warfare" campaign, and, joined by Code Pink and other groups, it has started a "Brown Bag Lunch Vigil" at Congressional offices across the country to educate politicians and the public about the costs of war. A revived US antiwar movement that unites with the growing one in Europe would be a powerful force for a negotiated solution and a drawdown of forces.
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From http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/05-3 ...
[call Congress on this-- at (800) 828-0498!]
Published on Friday, March 5, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
Kucinich Forces Congress to Debate Afghanistan
by Robert Naiman
On Thursday, Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich introduced H. Con Res. 248, a privileged resolution with 16 original cosponsors that will require the House of Representatives to debate whether to continue the war in Afghanistan. Debate on the resolution is expected early next week.
Original cosponsors of the Kucinich resolution include John Conyers, Ron Paul, José Serrano, Bob Filner, Lynn Woolsey, Walter Jones, Danny Davis, Barbara Lee, Michael Capuano, Raúl Grijalva, Tammy Baldwin, Tim Johnson, Yvette Clarke, Eric Massa, Alan Grayson, and Chellie Pingree.
The Pentagon doesn't want Congress to debate Afghanistan. The Pentagon wants Congress to fork over $33 billion more to pay for the current military escalation, no questions asked, no restrictions imposed for a withdrawal timetable or an exit strategy.
Ideally, from the point of view of the Pentagon, Congress would fork over that money right away, before the coming Kandahar offensive that the $33 billion is supposed to pay for, because you can expect a lot of bad news out of Afghanistan in the form of deaths of American soldiers and Afghan civilians once the Kandahar offensive starts, and it would sure be awkward if all that bad news reached Washington while the $33 billion was hanging fire.
So it's a great thing that Rep. Kucinich and his 16 allies are forcing Congress to debate the issue, and it would be even better if more Members of Congress would be urged by their constituents to support Kucinich's resolution. That would be a signal to the House leadership that continuation of the open-ended war and occupation is controversial in the House, and the House leadership should not try to ram through $33 billion more for the war on a fast-track without ample opportunity for debate and amendment.
Every day the Afghanistan war continues is another day on which the United States Government plays Russian Roulette with the lives of American soldiers and Afghan civilians.
The British Government has more urgency than the U.S. government about ending the war - and is more supportive than the U.S. of a political solution to end the conflict - because in Britain there is greater public outcry.
If there were greater public and Congressional outcry in the U.S., we could be more like Britain, and get our government on board the train to a political solution, instead of prolonging the war indefinitely.
The first step towards bringing our troops home is for Members of Congress to hear from their constituents.
Robert Naiman is Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy
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From http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/08-8 ...
Published on Monday, March 8, 2010 by The Nation
Exit Strategies for Afghanistan and Iraq
by Tom Hayden
It's been a long winter for the peace movement. Waiting for Obama has proved fruitless. The Great Recession has strengthened Wall Street and diverted attention from the wars. The debate over health care still won't go away and has demoralized progressive advocates. Given a chance to exit from Afghanistan when the Karzai election proved to be stolen, President Obama escalated anyway, but also promised to "begin" exiting almost before an opposition could mobilize at home.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich will step into the crosswinds this week and force the House of Representatives to wake up, pay attention, and vote up or down on the Afghanistan war.
The Kucinich initiative at least will reveal where Congress stands. Whether it will energize the peace movement for upcoming March protests or beyond is unpredictable.
Kucinich, interviewed along with other members of Congress by The Nation last week, is introducing a so-called privileged resolution requiring the House to hold a three-hour debate this coming Wednesday, followed by a vote on the Afghanistan war.
The vote is expected to authorize the war, but passage of Kucinich's initiative would require a withdrawal in thirty days. If the president rejected such a decision, the withdrawal would be delayed until the end of 2010, nine months from now.
"It's time to force a debate," Kucinich says. "It's not enough to slow-walk the end of the war." On Friday Kucinich had 17 co-sponsors for his measure.
The Kucinich bill is based on the 1973 War Powers Act, passed during the upsurge of Congressional opposition to the unilateral war-making of the executive branch during the Richard Nixon era. The War Powers Act, strongly opposed by Bush-era officials including Dick Cheney and John Yoo, was based on Article I, Section 8, of the federal constitution which, according to James Madison, "expressly vested" the power to "declare" war in Congress.
According to Gary Wills' history in Bomb Power, the War Powers legislation actually diluted Congressional authority by making declaration of war a joint exercise with the White House.
Nonetheless, the symbolic threat to presidential prerogative inflamed Cheney into describing it as a congressional usurpation. Yoo, the author of the notorious torture memos in the Bush administration, went so far as to argue that "declare" in the 18th century meant simply to "recognize[d] a state of affairs."
The Kucinich measure seeks to remind Congress of the peak progressive moment when, in tandem with a vast anti-war movement in the streets, Richard Nixon was forced to resign and the Vietnam War was terminated. A decade later, Congress again would play a key role in the Iran-Contra hearings during the Reagan era.
But Wednesday's vote may be a measure of how much Congress has continued to surrender its war-making prerogative to the administration. Many liberal Democrats interviewed for this article expressed discomfort or exasperation towards the Kucinich measure, claiming that it will be overwhelmingly defeated and weaken efforts this spring to introduce anti-war amendments during debate on the war budget.
In one member's view, the Kucinich proposal represents "complete and total withdrawal now," which most in Congress refuse to support. A more common complaint, voiced in a memo from Peace Action, is that "some of our allies on the Hill are concerned that the relatively low amount votes for this resolution may make us look weak."
Another member said, "You can't stop Dennis, he does this all the time, he squeezes members who aren't consulted." Another, who intends to vote for the Kucinich proposal despite having had no input, said bluntly, "A shitty vote has consequences."
Meanwhile, on Afghanistan, the Congressional Progressive Caucus is in disarray. Leadership on Afghanistan issues has been passed to Rep. Mike Honda, a progressive Democrat from San Jose, who last year circulated a dramatic exit proposal that would flip US Afghan spending from 80 percent military to 80 percent civilian. Honda's staff did not return calls from The Nation requesting further information.
Progressive Caucus co-chair Lynne Woolsey is up in arms against progressive Democrats who are supporting Marcy Winograd, an anti-war citizen-candidate running against hawkish Rep. Jane Harman in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. Woolsey now refuses to work with "outside groups" such as Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) who are backing Winograd's primary bid. Woolsey also opposed last year's forums on Afghanistan sponsored by Democrats including Honda and CPC co-chair Raul Grijalva. Woolsey simply says the US shouldn't be in Afghanistan, but nothing more, which leaves her isolated from peace groups and leaves her own colleagues searching for strategies.
In addition, the once strong Out of Iraq Caucus, with over 70 members, appears dormant or dissolved, despite the growing threats to Obama's plan for a phased withdrawal of all troops from Iraq by 2012.
Just ahead are debates over the $33 billion funding request for Obama's troop escalation, and the $159 billion for Afghanistan and Iraq contained in the proposed military budget. Despite significant opposition among Democrats to the president's escalation proposal, it is highly unlikely that the funds will be turned down now that American troops have been dispatched. Whether a vote will be taken on Rep. Barbara Lee's proposal to block the $33 billion in funding is unclear at the moment. But sizeable opposition is expected to rally around exit strategy measures being jointly contemplated by Rep. Jim McGovern and Sen. Russ Feingold this spring.
Despite White House opposition, McGovern was able to win support from a majority of Democrats last year for his resolution calling on the Pentagon to report an Afghanistan exit strategy by year's end. With the president having committed to an exit strategy by beginning troop withdrawals by summer 2011, McGovern's measure might gain greater traction. He told The Nation he will introduce a revised version of the exit strategy resolution in the coming weeks.
Feingold's public thinking on Afghanistan hasn't changed since December when he opposed the president's escalation, according to the Wisconsin senator's staff. Feingold previously has proposed a "flexible timetable for reducing our troop levels" and opposed the defense appropriations bill because of its inclusion of Afghanistan funding.
Feingold and McGovern are expected soon to cooperate in proposing an exit strategy that contains a timetable for troop reductions. Defining such an exit plan quickly is key to the Administration's policy for Afghanistan, since the negotiated departure of US troops won't happen without one. And most observers of Afghanistan say the Taliban cannot be drawn into a peace process or political negotiations without a concrete assurance that the military occupation will end and US/NATO/USAF troops will be withdrawn or replaced by peacekeepers.
Secret talks with the Taliban have intensified since spring 2009, the respected Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid wrote recently in the New York Review of Books. Rashid is an official adviser to the US diplomatic team led by Richard Holbrooke. In a recent essay he floats a negotiating scenario which seems quasi-official and, of course, is officially deniable. His seven-point proposal includes lifting current sanctions on Taliban leaders so that talks can occur in a neutral venue, formation of a legal Taliban political party in Afghanistan, and a seriously-funded "reconciliation body" to create security for returning Taliban members to Afghanistan.
Rashid's proposal implies, but does not include, a US troop withdrawal, the key condition demanded by the Taliban in exchange for starting all-party talks. It is possible that Obama's pledge to "begin" withdrawing in 2011 is an initial signal of the intention the insurgents want to hear.
In that case, the McGovern and Feingold initiatives can be crucial to moving the US, Afghan and Taliban positions closer to a formula for reconciliation or, more likely, coexistence. The only alternative is the perpetuation of the neoconservatives' Long War scenario, at trillions of dollars in budget expenditures, and/or an outbreak of civil war in Afghanistan.
Whether Congress has the backbone seems to depend on whether there is the force of public opinion to implant one. The previous experiences of Vietnam, Central America and Iraq have shaped a skeptical mood within that public, but it is not sufficiently angry yet to force the end of the war. A deepening battlefield quagmire will only cement that skepticism, but Congress has to channel the public mood into political impact.
Congress's inherent problem is its failure to collaborate with grassroots opinion in fostering public antiwar sentiment. Instead, as with the Kucinich measure, at most the members of Congress expect activists to endorse, support, leaflet, bird-dog, and light up the phone lines to pressure other members to vote their way. Too often they fail to use their enormous resources to bring attention and public engagement to issues not (yet) arousing public opinion or media interest.
Tellingly, the CIA's secret war in Pakistan, which includes the escalation of drone attacks, has drawn no meaningful Congressional opposition. The likely reason is that, with the exception of reports by Jane Mayer in The New Yorker, the casualties and costs of the drone war have been hidden from the American public.
The re-emergence of a coherent peace movement could help push the McGovern and Feingold measures forward, and also mount pressure for hearings on the secret war before it engulfs Pakistan.
The protests planned nationwide in March will revive needed attention to Afghanistan in many local areas around the country. But on the national level, the demise of United for Peace and Justice leaves a vacuum which narrow ideological groups are unable to fill. The dispersal of protest energies towards other issues--Wall Street bailouts, health care, Copenhagen, marriage equality--weakens any possibility of a unified focus around Afghanistan.
Despite these organizational obstacles, the ongoing wars will inflict serious political and moral consequences. Without a greater role by the organized peace movement, large numbers of voters will become passive, or drop away, during the forthcoming congressional elections and the next presidential one. The Obama administration has never treated the peace constituency as one worth cultivating, though the Iraq War was the critical issue difference in the primaries and general elections in 2006 and 2008. In turn, the peace constituency has never turned into a permanent, organized, well-funded lobbying force in Washington--except for the brief flare-ups like those of MoveOn in the 2004-06 cycle.
As a result, everything may depend on whether popular perception is that Obama and the Democrats have turned promises of peace into action. At the moment, such potential support is being drained into despair. Congress and Obama will have to work to bring it back.
© 2010 The Nation
Tom Hayden is a former state senator and leader of Sixties peace, justice and environmental movements. He currently teaches at PitzerCollege in Los Angeles. His books include The Port Huron Statement [new edition], Street Wars and The Zapatista Reader.
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From http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/04-11 ...
Published on Thursday, March 4, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
The Karzai-ization of Afghanistan
by Jim Hightower
Isn't it great that America is standing so forcefully for fundamental principles of democracy around the world? We're standing side by side with some of the most notable, incredible, and astonishing democratic leaders on the globe today. Specifically, of course, I'm referring to Hamid Karzai.
Karzai? What a goofus! As the sitting president of Afghanistan, this guy is only notable for being an astonishingly-arrogant incompetent with no leadership credibility whatsoever. Yet we have tens of thousands of American troops over there - fighting, bleeding, and dying - to shore up Karzai's ridiculous and corrupt regime.
How ridiculous and corrupt? Let's remember that he flat-out stole last year's presidential election. The thievery was so rampant and blatant that his top opponent quit the race in disgust, declaring that there was no way for people to get a fair vote. Still, our government sanctioned this fraud, declaring that we had extracted promises from Karzai that he would stop the corruption and allow an independent commission to oversee future elections.
We might as well have tried to make a snake tap dance. With parliamentary elections coming up in September, this slippery autocrat has unilaterally dismissed the independent commission, decreeing that all new members will be handpicked by him. A Karzai spokesman noted that three of the disposed commission members were appointed by the United Nations and were "creating problems for us." Yeah, impartial election monitors can be a problem for petty tyrants. That's why they're there.
The spokesman claimed that Karzai's usurpation of the election office was merely part of "the process of Afghanization" of the government. What's happened to the democratization of the government? What's really happening is the Karzai-ization of the government - and not even one more of our soldiers should have to die for that.
"Afghan Leader Asserts Control Over Election Body," New York Times, February 24, 2010
© 2010 Jim Hightower
National radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the book, Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow, Jim Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
today's papers-- even more reason for Tea Parties for Main Street Not Wall Street-- for Stock Transfer Tax on Wall Street To Cut Our Property Taxes!..
Hi all...
[come Weds. http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/03/tea-parties-for-main-street-not-wall.html ]
First-- did you catch the seven op-eds that comprise "Can New York Be Saved?" in today's Times?...
[see: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/opinion/28Intro.html -- back page of today's Week in Review]
Literally 6 of the 7 essays were essentially conservative-- all ignored real truth on taxes (see below)...
Second-- catch this on page 3 of today's Daily Freeman?...(scroll down just a wee bit for whole article):
"Rhinebeck School Budget Shrinks; More Cuts Possible" by William J. Kemble
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/03/28/news/doc4baedce482f59478958570.txt
It's a particularly brutal wake-up call-- and even more reason to join us for our Tea Parties Wednesday!
Third-- can you say shameless, destructive pandering?...(I knew you could)...
Click on this link to see how, reported in the Poughkeepsie Journal, Paterson wants property tax cap:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100328/NEWS12/100328011/Paterson-seeks-property-tax-cap .
However, as the Fiscal Policy Institute ( http://www.FiscalPolicy.org and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities point out, there are many problems the property tax cap law has created in Massachusetts (Proposition 2 there)-- and CBPP report ( http://www.cbpp.org/5-21-08sfp-pr.htm ) further
explains that the impact in New York could be even more severe here. Among the key lessons:
o"A tax cap won't make government services cost less.
o Claims that caps will produce large savings through "efficiencies" are overblown.
o Tax caps can be particularly harmful if adopted during a weak economy.
o State aid can't be relied upon to fill the gap.
o Changes in school enrollment can have a big impact.
o Without effectively targeted state aid, low-income communities will fall even further behind.
o Wealthier communities will override a tax cap more frequently than poorer ones.
o Middle-income communities might end up bearing the brunt of a cap."
[see http://www.TrendNY.org ; http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/propertytaxresources.html for much more!]
Of course the real question is this...
Why, pray tell, are Paterson, Senate Dems, and Assembly Dems all ignoring these ten key points?...
[these are 10 reasons we'll be tea-partying for Main Street Not Wall Street up and down Du. Co. Weds.!]
1. By 3-to-1 ratio voters across NYS support at least partial re-implementation of a stock transfer tax.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/stocktransfer.pdf ]
2. $16 billion annually in NYS stock transfer taxes hasn't been collected from Wall Street since 1981.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/stocktransfer.pdf ]
3. Wall Street profits last year were a record $58 billion-- three times the previous record from 2006.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/2010bcbcPr1.pdf ]
4. $14 trillion over last few years has been paid out/set aside to bail out Wall Street (not $787 billion).
[see: http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/01/real-size-bailout-treasury-fed ]
5. 98% of small business owners (true engine of job growth in U.S.) make less than $250,000 a year.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/oct/16/barack-obama/most-small-businesses-wont-be-subject-to-obamas-ta/ ; http://www.sba.gov/advo/stats/sbfaq.pdf ]
6. 70% of our economy is driven by consumer demand; recession ends when middle class has money.
[see: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/13/pm_retail_sales/ ]
7. Millionaires in NYS now pay only 7% of their income in state/local taxes; middle class pays 11%.
[see: http://www.itepnet.org/wp2009/ny_whopays_factsheet.pdf ]
8. Millionaires used to pay 15.5% NYS income tax rate in the early 70's; they now pay less than 9% rate.
[see: http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/taxhistory2.htm ]
9. The richest 5% of Americans now own 60% of all wealth; the other 95% of us own 40% of the wealth.
[ http://hudson-valley.chronogram.com/issue/2009/11/News+&+Politics/Larry-Beinhart-s-Body-Politic ]
10. Millionaires paid 91% federal income tax rate in the 50's; they now pay 35% federal income tax rate.
[see: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/ILikeIke ]
[also see: "Bank of America, Wells Fargo Probably Won't Pay Income Tax for '09" by Christina Rexrode:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/27-4 ]
So-- let us know if you can come to one of these Tea Parties for Main Street Not Wall Street Weds.(!):
10 am-- Beacon (w/Tom Baldino in front of Beacon City Hall at intersection of Main St./Wolcott/Rt. 9D)
11 am-- Wappinger (in front of Roy C. Ketcham High School on Myers Corners Rd.-- on road itself)
Noon-- Poughkeepsie (at intersection of Main and Market streets)
1 pm-- Hyde Park (at Rt. 9G entrance to FDR High School-- at intersection of 9G and South Cross Rd.)
1:30 pm-- Rhinebeck (in front of Rhinebeck Town Hall at 80 East Market St.)
2 pm Red Hook (in front of Molinaro's offices at 7578 No. Broadway-- Rt. 9 just a bit north of main light)
[again-- please let us know if you can come out to any/all of these; numbers count, folks!]
Joel
[best cell: 242-3571]
joeltyner@earthlink.net
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From the Tax Reform Effort of Northern Dutchess (see http://www.TrendNY.org )...
From http://www.trendny.org/Press_Release-omnibus.pdf ...
Wall Street Can Help Main Street
March 26, 2010
The Omnibus Consortium -- a statewide coalition of property tax reform groups, fiscal watchdogs, education advocates and unions -- is urging members of the Senate and Assembly to provide urgently needed property tax relief.
Wall Street should help fund this relief (property tax reform proposals can be found at http://www.Omnibustaxsolution.org ). The Consortium members contend that we can no longer continue to subsidize W all Street at the present levels while we leave people on Main Street struggling with record foreclosures and high unemployment.
The consortium members believe that there are many ways in which Wall Street can help in solving New York’s property tax and budget crisis. For example, simply lowering the rebate level of the Stock Transfer Tax from 100% to 80% would produce revenue of $3.2 Billion, sufficient to gradually phase in a meaningful property tax circuit breaker while reducing the massive cuts to local governments and schools that are being debated in Albany and which would place additional pressure on our local taxes.
Press Release
March 25, 2010
Ron Deutsch, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness (518) 469-6769
Gioia Shebar, Tax Nightmare.org (845) 256-0082
Susan Zimet, Ulster County Legislator, (845) 527-5309
John Whiteley, NYS Property Tax Reform Coalition, (518) 585-6837
Robert McKeon, Tax Reform Effort of Northern Dutchess (TREND) (845) 399-4582
Main Street Needs Help From Wall Street
Property Tax Groups Urge State to Stop Wall Street Giveaways
The Omnibus Consortium -- a statewide coalition of property tax reform groups, fiscal watchdogs,
education advocates and unions -- is urging members of the Senate and Assembly to provide
urgently needed property tax relief and to ask Wall Street to help fund it (property tax reform
proposals can be found at www.omnibustaxsolution.org). The Consortium members contend that
we can no longer continue to subsidize Wall Street at the present levels while we leave people on
Main Street struggling with record foreclosures and high unemployment.
Revenue collected by New York State from the Stock Transfer Tax (fact sheet attached) has risen
dramatically in recent years and remained at near record levels for 2009 (approximately $16 Billion).
Unfortunately, in 1981 New York State made an agreement to rebate the entire annual amount of
the tax -- which rightfully belongs to the people of our state -- back to the brokers, basically as an
inducement to ensure the Stock Exchange's continued presence in New York City. While Wall
Street is obviously important to the state's financial health, we believe that, just as the people of our
state helped rescue Wall Street from its financial crisis, New York State should now ask Wall
Street to forgo a modest portion of the stock transfer tax rebate to fund property tax relief for
residents experiencing unsustainable property tax burdens made even worse by the state's continued
financial crisis and cuts to schools, healthcare and localities.
The consortium members believe that there are many ways in which Wall Street can help in solving
New York's property tax and budget crisis. For example, simply lowering the rebate level of the
Stock Transfer Tax from 100% to 80% would produce revenue of $3.2 Billion, sufficient to
gradually phase in a meaningful property tax circuit breaker while reducing the massive cuts to local
governments and schools that are being debated in Albany and which would place additional
pressure on our local taxes.
· The Great Recession was, in large part, caused by finance sector excesses.
· Wall Street's record 2009 profits resulted largely from taxpayer bailouts and favorable federal
monetary policies that privilege the finance sector.
· Wall Street is looking at record profits: $58 billion in 2009 (3 times higher than the previous
record set in 2006 according to Mayor Bloomberg) and cash bonuses exceeding $20 billion (which
does not count tens of billions in stock options that were given as bonuses as well)
· While Wall Street may have recovered, New York's Main Street economy remains mired in the
Great Recession.
· Widespread economic distress (lost jobs, lost health care, lost homes through foreclosures, lost
retirement savings, lost opportunities) will continue for the foreseeable future.
The Consortium also acknowledges the fact that when the state pulls back on its funding
commitments to education and aid to municipalities the inevitable result is an increase in taxes at
the local level to make up the difference.
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From http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/03/28/news/doc4baedce482f59478958570.txt ...
Rhinebeck school budget shrinks; more cuts possible
Published: Sunday, March 28, 2010
By WILLIAM J. KEMBLE
Correspondent
RHINEBECK — The Board of Education has trimmed the proposed 2010-11 Rhinebeck school district budget to $28.83 million, bringing the projected tax levy increase to 9.29 percent.
And trustees are searching for more cuts.
As it stands, the proposal would increase spending by $1.64 million, or 6.02 percent, over the current year’s budget. The amount to be raised by taxes would rise to $24.57 million.
“In order to meet their goal of keeping the tax levy increase at or under 4 percent, the board reviewed and discussed options for reducing the third draft budget by $1,229,052,” the school board said in a prepared statement.
District Superintendent Joseph Phelan said there are two levels of cuts being considered by the board that could bring the spending increase to as low as 1.6 percent.
“We organized them into a Tier 1 list and a Tier 2 list,” Phelan said. “Certainly, the Tier 2 list involves more difficult reductions that have more of an impact on the program, and reductions that are primarily if not exclusively staff-related reductions.”
Among changes being considered are:
• Eliminating a bus route to save $51,000.
• Delaying $40,000 in repair and maintenance projects, such as replacing doors and water fountains.
• Reducing $20,000 from inventory and supply purchases and $40,000 from planned computer hardware purchases.
• Increasing class sizes and reducing classes that provide assistance for struggling students in grades six through eight, saving $52,000.
• Saving $51,000 by eliminating or reducing functions performed by the library clerk.
• Eliminating an entry-level Latin course for a $35,370 savings and an industrial arts elective to save $27,400.
• Saving $56,306 by reducing custodial staff and $47,000 by changing duties of clerical staff members in the guidance office.
Phelan said the board has scheduled a public hearing on the budget for 7 p.m. April 13 but has until April 23 to adopt a plan to present to voters.
The public vote on the budget will be held on May 18.
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Again-- save the date-- join us for a Tea Party for Main Street Not Wall Street Tues. Apr. 27th at 5:30 pm at Rhinebeck Town Hall (80 East Market St.)-- we're hosting a special free screening of Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story"!...(thx much to Rhinebeck's Fred Nagel for making dvd projector available)...
Fact is that by 3-to-1 ratio voters across NYS strongly support stock transfer tax to cut our property taxes;
no time to lose on this, folks, with $50 billion NYS budget deficit looming over next five years; wake up;
scroll down just a bit below for new specifics; breakdown on cuts proposed to local schools, hospitals; editorial in yesterday's Times for MORE cuts-- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/opinion/27sat2.html .
Fact: These members of the Better Choice Budget coalition all strongly support re-implementation of a stock transfer tax on Wall Street-- Dutchess Outreach, NYS Library Association, NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence, NY Statewide Senior Action Council, NYS Alliance for Retired Americans, Interfaith Alliance of NYS, Interfaith Impact of NYS, Sierra Club, Environmental Advocates, Citizens Environmental Coalition, Citizen Action, NY Children's Action Network, NY Jobs with Justice, NYS AFL-CIO, CSEA, PEF, NYSUT, AFSCME, NYS Community Action Association, NYS Episcopal Public Policy Network, NYS Child Care Coordinating Council, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, Public Utility Law Project, Center for Working Families, Class Size Matters, Coalition for After-School Funding, Fiscal Policy Institute, Hunger Action Network of NYS, many more-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org ; thx again to Better Choice Budget Coalition Ex. Dir. Ron Deutsch for callin' in to our VKR show Fri.(!).
[note-- much kudos to folks @ NYSUT in particular for coming out strong for stock transfer tax!...see:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/another-idea-for-cutting-state-aid-for-schools/ (thx MD)]
Can't make it to any Tea Parties?...call state legislators Mon. morning on this-- at (877) 255-9417, folks!
[skipping Saland's/Miller's offices this Wednesday-- as we've already done this in front of their offices; note as well-- save the date-- Apr. 15th Tax Day-- for Tea Party on this at 12:30 pm in front of our County Office Building at 22 Market Street in Poughkeepsie (recall state budget cuts to counties, towns, cities)]
Sadly, Governor Paterson has proposed to decimate state funding (meaning local property tax hikes) for schools, parks, libraries, hospitals, nursing homes, counties, towns, villages, domestic violence services, Environmental Protection Fund, DEC staffing, programs for our poor, and many other crucial programs-- but taking $7.4 billion dollars out of our state's economy during a recession will only make the current economic situation worse, not better...(and Assembly/Senate not restoring enough cuts!)...
One of the biggest revenue recommendations from the Better Choice Budget Coalition is to at least partially re-implement a stock transfer tax back on Wall Street; it's been in existence since 1915 but hasn't been collected since 1981; now every year literally $16 billion in stock transfer taxes (at a nickel a share) is collected from- and given back to-- the same speculators on Wall Street who destroyed our economy...(again-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org for much, much more on this)...
Note-- the Better Choice Budget Coalition's recommendations also include having NYS start bargaining down the cost of prescription drugs and stopping wasteful privatization-- to save $700 million a year...
Wake up, folks-- on the eve of his triumphant re-election in 1936, Dutchess County's own FDR said of the wealthy special interests who were trying to take him down-- “Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hatred for me-- and I welcome their hatred”...(for good of our country, state, party let's not forget this!)...
Pass it on...(and again-- fwd this along to all you know-- and let us know if u can come out on Weds.)...
[bring a teabag and teacup Weds.-- no reason we progressives can't reclaim tea parties as our own!]
[...so again-- to recap-- 3 Tea Party events comin' up on this-- Mar. 31st, Apr. 15th, Apr. 27th-- join us!...]
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On that note-- happen to catch yesterday's editorial in increasingly neoliberal, corporatized Times?...
"A Budget for New York's Future"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/opinion/27sat2.html
"Like New Jersey, California and almost every other state, New York faces a devastating budget deficit this year - a shortfall estimated at $9 billion and growing. Mr. Paterson proposes drastic cuts - everything from shutting 55 parks and historic sites...to closing senior centers and imperiling other programs...Education will take a substantial hit, no matter what - $1.4 billion in the governor's and the Senate's proposals, half that in the Assembly's..." (editorial wants even bigger cuts in aid to schools)...
The editorial pushes strongly for our state legislature to eliminate over 7000 more state employee positions-- on top of the cuts Paterson has proposed-- and echoes other editorials in the past the Times has run (similar to ones in the Poughkeepsie Journal and the Daily Freeman on this)-- in mad rush to race us all to bottom...(i.e., solution is always ripping away wages, pensions, benefits of state workers)...
The editorial further recommends to state legislators-- "don't coddle the lobbyists"...
Hm-- "don't coddle the lobbyists"...
Funny, isn't it, how even though corporations outspend unions by a ten-to-one ratio in Albany, that the New York Times (along with Pok. Journal and Freeman)-- along with seemingly everyone else in the media-- is so bent on characterizing organizations representing working folks as "special interests"...
...when the Times (along with Journal, Freeman, and just about all media) ignore crucial facts above...
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Proposed state budget cuts to hospitals in Dutchess County:
Northern Dutchess Hospital-- another $422,000 cut on top of $414,000 cut since April 2008
Vassar Brothers Medical Center-- another $1,418,000 cut on top of $1.5 million cut since April 2008
St. Francis Hospital-- another $21,000 cut on top of $6,393,000 cut since April 2008
[note-- as it is now already, according to the Health Care Association of New York State-- "29 hospitals across the state have closed in the last decade alone, the cumulative total of the past six state budget actions already imposed on hospitals since April 2008 is a staggering $2 billion; another $500 million in hospital cuts and taxes has been proposed for this year; the total impact on hospitals, nursing homes, and home health providers from cuts proposed by the Governor is $1 billion"-- see:
http://www.hanys.org/communications/pr/2010/2010-01-27_governors_budget_cuts_jobs_and_services.pdf ]
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Fact: School districts, which slashed more than 5,000 positions last year, are already cutting even deeper this year, eliminating programs, mailing out layoff notices and, in some communities, are talking about closing schools.
Click on these five links below for the skinny on how state funding is being decimated to local schools:
[also big budget cuts to Hyde Park/Pine Plains/Beacon/Millbrook/Dover/Spackenkill/Pawling/Webutuck!]
Rhinebeck Central School District-- $1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://rhinebeck.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/budget-alert-from-cispe-community-in-support-of-public-education/
Poughkeepsie City School District-- $2.2 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100321/NEWS01/3210361/In-financial-plight-city-district-may-close-school [proposed already-- closing Columbus Elementary to save $1 million-- and besides this, eliminating 14 staff positions and 17 teaching assistant positions]
Arlington Central School District-- $5.5 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100311/NEWS02/3110333/State-aid-drop-leaves-Arlington-schools-with-difficult-budget-choices ["keeping the spending increase below 3 percent, Pepe said, would require cutting $4.87 million in programs and services across the district"]
Red Hook Central School District-- $1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/02/16/news/doc4b7a0226118f8397138008.txt
["state aid cuts of $1.09 million require a 4.2 percent local tax levy increase before trustees even begin development of a 2010-11 district budget"]
Wappingers Central School District-- $6.1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100324/NEWS02/3240332/Wappingers-looks-to-cut-36-positions [proposed budget "cuts 32.5 full-time teaching positions and four staff jobs, would increase spending 5.99 percent, resulting in a tax-levy increase of 13.97 percent, if approved by the board"]
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[recall-- Working Families Party, Paul Krugman, Dean Baker in strong support of bringing back stock transfer tax as well; even NYS AFL-CIO commissioned 2003 poll that found people across NYS strongly favor (by 3-to-1 margin) bringing back stock transfer tax, even at one or two pennies per share!...
see http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/01/stock-transfer-tax-has-3-to-1-support.html ]
Note as well-- Better Choice Budget is not just about pushing for at least partial re-implementation of stock transfer tax-- other good recommendations from this coalition include the following (more below):
"Promote the Bulk Purchase of Pharmaceuticals (approximately $200-$500 million);
Close Corporate Tax Loopholes: Making Business Taxes More Equitable;
Stop Hiring Pricey Private Consultants (approximately $200 million per year);
Use the Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund and State Rainy Day Fund ($1.5 billion);
Plastic Bag Tax ($340 million with a 5 cent tax;)
Reform Brownfield Clean Up Program (approximately $1 billion);
Empire Zone Program ($600 million);
Collect Taxes that are Due on Cigarettes (approximately $500 million);
Make Permanent the Temporary PIT Increase (no fiscal impact till 2012)"
[call Gov. Paterson and state legislators on this NOW (pass it on)-- at (877) 255-9417!]
"Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus' 2010 State of the County, released Tuesday, includes a grim warning that if the state — faced with a $7.4 billion deficit — delays reimbursement of funds in the coming months, the county could be forced to borrow to pay its bills. The county has 'not been in the position of short-term borrowing in over 20 years,' said Steinhaus, a Republican.
["Steinhaus: County Faces Economic Challenges" by John Davis
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100203/NEWS01/2030325/Steinhaus--County-faces-economic-challenges ]
Fact: The Governor’s budget eliminates all $13 million included in last year’s budget for civil legal services and $104 million in appropriations for shelters, services and housing for the homeless.
Fact: Paul Krugman, Dean Baker have all come out for restoring stock transfer tax too in past; even NYS AFL-CIO commissioned 2003 poll that found people across NYS strongly favor (by 3-to-1 margin) bringing back stock transfer tax, even at one or two pennies per share!...up until 1981 there was a nickel-a-share stock transfer tax; since 1981 that money has still been collected annually but has been given back to Wall Street-- now at $9 billion a year; see http://www.HungerActionNYS.org : http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/01/stock-transfer-tax-has-3-to-1-support.html .
Wake up and smell the coffee, folks-- if we don't lift our voices now on this, county tax situation worse!...
I do take exception with the County Executive on a number of issues-- but not the state budget; recall:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100209/NEWS01/100209029/Steinhaus-wants-state-mandate-relief ;
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100203/NEWS01/2030325/Steinhaus--County-faces-economic-challenges ;
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/02/22/news/doc4b82c6d756ec2517779362.txt ...
Again-- instead of the Governor's proposal to cut revenue-sharing with local municipalities and again shortfund counties like Dutchess......instead of his proposal to make the biggest cut in state aid to schools in decades (which would end up driving up property taxes)........instead of proposing hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to hospitals and nursing homes.......and instead of proposing to layoff 54 from our state's Department of Environmental Conservation and slash our state's Environmental Protection Fund by $69 million......instead of his proposals to slash funding for our state parks, for domestic violence services, for our libraries, and for our poor.....
[...and instead of forcing co. leg.'s like me to make cruel choices between tax hikes or budget cuts; recall
my http://www.PetitionOnline.com/SaveDuCo effort-- we HAVE to think outside the box now, folks!...]
There's a better choice, folks-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org re: Better Choice Budget...
Thanks again tons to everyone who came out to our rally for this Feb. 12th-- now is NOT time to stop!...
[recall-- http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/February/13/BetterChoice_ral1-13Feb10.htm ]
-- County Legislators Jim Doxsey & Dan Kuffner (thx to Barbara Jeter-Jackson also for support on this)
-- Dutchess County CSEA's Shaun Chesley (and many other county employees)
-- Grace Smith House Executive Director Judy Lombardi
-- NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence Executive Director Michele McKeon
-- Dutchess Outreach Executive Director Brian Riddell and staffer Raluca Besliu
-- Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation's Sue Delgiorno, Beth Soto, Matt Stoddard, and Ron Diaz
-- Public Employees Federation's Ken Cousin
-- Holy Light Pentecostal Church's Elder Ann Perry
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[see this must-read too-- for bracing, honest look at budget cuts proposed-- pass along to all u know!]
From http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/2010bcbcPr.pdf ...
For Immediate Release Contact:
February 22, 2009 Ron Deutsch, NYFF 518-469-6769
Frank Mauro, FPI 518-786-3156
Advocates Join Together to Urge Governor and the Legislature to Make
“Better Choices” To Balance the State Budget
Call Upon Wall Street and the Federal Government to Help Main Street
(Albany, N.Y.) Members of the Better Choice Budget Campaign joined together today to urge the Governor and the Legislature to explore alternatives to state budget cuts that would further erode jobs and desperately needed services. The group, a diverse coalition of statewide and local labor, faith-based, human service, non-profit and environmental organizations, released an extensive list of revenue-raising and cost-saving options that can help New York State achieve a balanced budget without destroying vital programs and services.
The coalition also called upon Wall Street and the federal government to help in balancing this year’s state budget in ways that help to preserve the services needed for Main Street to prosper.
With at least 48 states experiencing major budget shortfalls, the Campaign supports the President’s call for an extension of the fiscal relief that the federal government provided to the states last year. In December, the US House of Representatives passed extensions of the stimulus bill’s Medicaid and education relief; and, similar proposals are now being considered by the US Senate. Since the states have to balance their budgets in good times and bad, it makes sense for the federal government to help the states to balance their budgets during recessions. This reduces the amount of economically harmful spending cuts that the states have to make during bad times.
“The key is to have the phase-out of the federal government’s ‘state fiscal relief’ dovetail, as closely as
possible, with the recovery of the state governments’ finances,” added Frank Mauro, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute who pointed out that state governments’ fiscal recoveries have historically lagged their economic recoveries.
One of the Better Choice Budget Campaign’s recommendations involves a little known but very costly rebate system involving the taxation of stock transactions on Wall Street. New York State currently collects a minimal tax on stock transactions; but that tax is then instantly rebated right back to Wall Street in the amount of $16 billion per year. If New York State were to temporarily rebate 80 percent of this tax, rather than 100 percent, fully $3.2 billion a year would be raised in sorely-needed state revenues.
"Just a month after Wall Street handed out hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses, New York's schools and colleges are again facing devastating cuts," said Stephen Allinger, Director of Legislation for New York State United Teachers. "School districts, which slashed more than 5,000 positions last year, are already cutting even deeper this year, eliminating programs, mailing out layoff notices and, in some communities, are talking about closing schools. Rather than undermine all the years of progress we've made toward improving education and ending the achievement gap, we're asking lawmakers to curtail tax giveaways that fund excess profits on Wall Street and use this new revenue to save jobs and fund important education programs."
Mayor Bloomberg’s January Financial Plan for 2010-14 estimates that 2009 Wall Street profits were a record $58 billion, nearly three times the previous record that was posted in 2006.
“Main Street is suffering and could use a returned helping hand from Wall Street,” stated Ron Deutsch,
Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness. “It was not long ago that Main Street bailed out Wall Street—delivering a miraculous recovery that includes record profits and large bonuses. Wall Street has a vested interest in a healthy New York State economy and a temporary reduction in their generous rebate would not be too much to ask.”
"In this crushing recession, families’ needs are rising and the resources to meet them are falling," said Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. "The Legislature should respond by passing a budget that makes Main Street their top priority: a budget that grows the economy by investing in working families, schools and communities across the state, rather than a budget with cuts in education, health care and human services that will worsen unemployment and further destroy the safety net. "
"Governor Paterson slashed all environmental funding in his Executive Budget Proposal without considering the consequences, which are serious. In the final state budget, New York's leaders and lawmakers must make better and more responsible choices about using taxpayer dollars in order to protect New Yorkers and our air, land and water," said Rob Moore, Executive Director, Environmental Advocates of New York.
“Thanks to the Great Recession, the demand for civil legal assistance – people needing help with foreclosure, unemployment insurance and other employment issues, orders of protection, and other critical issues impacting economic stability - has increased dramatically, but funding to respond to demand has not,” said Kristin Brown Lilley, Director of Legislative Advocacy for Empire Justice Center. “The Governor’s budget eliminates all $13 million included in last year’s budget for civil legal services, leaving only a proposed $15 million stop gap appropriation in the Judiciary Budget that is intended to help mitigate an anticipated 70 % funding reduction in the main state level funding source for civil legal services, the IOLA Fund. We call on the Governor and the Legislature to address the State’s fiscal problems by actively embracing progressive revenue raising and cost savings options, rather than cutting or eliminating funding for civil legal and other essential human services at the very moment struggling New Yorkers need them most.”
"We all understand the need for sacrifice and the demands of this economy - but such circumstances also require careful budgeting and sound policy choices,” stated Shelly Nortz, Deputy Executive Director for Policy with Coalition for the Homeless . “The elimination of $104 million in appropriations for shelters, services and housing for the homeless in this budget proposal is the most irresponsible action I have seen here in my 22 years of representing the needs of homeless people. Assuming, for example, that homeless men and women have $36 million in their pockets available to make up for state cuts to shelter operations is patently absurd. We need a realistic budget based on real dollars and sensible policies, not phantom gap closers.”
The campaign suggests that rather than slashing education, health care and the other vital services that New York families depend on, the Governor and the Legislature should make a better choice: a balanced approach that uses existing resources efficiently and raises additional revenues in ways that will not harm our state’s already fragile economy. This is not the time for actions that will hinder the growth of New York’s economy or hurt the children and families hit hardest by the economic downturn.
The groups believe that a balanced response to the 2010-2011 budget shortfall should include:
• Closing loopholes that allow large, profitable corporations to avoid paying their fair share of state
taxes.
• Reducing the amount of state work that is contracted out to high-priced, for-profit consultants who
are being overpaid to do work that state workers can do better for less.
• Lowering prescription drug prices for state and local governments and New York consumers by using
New York’s purchasing power to negotiate fair deals with the drug companies.
• Making economic development/tax credit programs like Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs) and the Brownfield Clean-Up Program more effective and accountable and allowing the Empire Zones Program to expire.
• Temporarily reducing the Stock Transfer Tax Rebate from 100% to 80% so the finance sector helps the state through the current economic downturn which was caused in part by the excesses of many Wall Street firms.
• Curtailing growing obesity rates in NY children by adding a 1 cent per ounce tax on sugary beverages.
• Ensuring that Reservation sales of cigarettes to non-Native Americans are properly taxed (by
collecting those taxes before the products reach the reservations while still providing Native Americans
with tax-free cigarettes).
• Using the Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund (TSRF) to cover the Governor’s anticipated gap in this year’s budget rather than rolling it over to 2010-11. The TSRF is specifically for such end-of-year shortfalls.
• Helping the environment by instituting a minimal plastic bag tax to reduce the use of 6.3 billion bags in
NYS each year.
””Educated New Yorkers, affordable health care and housing, vital state services, a strong safety net,
preserving the environment and a sound transportation infrastructure are all essential for a healthy state
economy, today and in the future,” said Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness.
###
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Again-- click on and read these six re: stock transfer tax issue if you haven't yet, folks(!):
2010 People's State of State Rally at Capitol statement [Mark Dunlea/Hunger Action Network of NYS]
http://www.hungeractionnys.org/People%20State%20of%20the%20State%202010.pdf
"Taxing the Speculators" by Paul Krugman [NYTimes 11/27/09]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/opinion/27krugman.html
"The Benefits of a Financial Transactions Tax" [Dean Baker/Center for Economic Policy and Research]
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-benefits-of-a-financial-transactions-tax/
"A Stock Transfer Tax: The Right Medicine for Wall Street" by Dean Baker [3/15/08]
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/03/15/a_stock_transfer_tax_the_right/
"Ferrer Proposes Return of Tax on Stock Trades to Aid Schools" [New York Times 4/19/05]
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E0DA1F3EF93AA25757C0A9639C8B63
"Big Idea: Tax the Street" by J.W. Mason [City Limits Magazine 9-10/02]
http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=2806
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From http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/testimony210.pdf ..
Testimony to the Senate and Assembly Joint Fiscal Committees
2010-11 Executive Budget Proposal
February 1, 2010
Submitted by:
Ron Deutsch, Executive Director, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness
I would like to thank the distinguished members of the committee for the opportunity to speak here today. My name is Ron Deutsch and I am the Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness. Our organization spearheads the Better Choice Budget Campaign, a coalition of over 100 Labor, faith-based, human service and grassroots organizations representing over 1 million New Yorkers. We urge you to explore other possible spending cuts and revenue raising options that would help mitigate the potential devastating impacts of the cuts to services proposed by the Governor. Taking $7.4 billion dollars out of our state's economy during a recession will only make the current economic situation worse, not better. There are better choices to be made.
Close the Stock Transfer Tax Loophole ($3.2 billion)
(Secs. 270-281-a State Tax Law): The stock transfer tax is basically a sales tax on
the transfer of individual stock. Any stock transaction involving the New York
Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange or NASDAQ is subject to the tax. The
original issuance of stock is not subject to the tax. However, transfers of
treasury stock are taxable.
The tax has been in effect for decades but unfortunately the money is currently
tallied, assessed, collected and then handed right back to the brokers who paid it
in the form of a 100% rebate. The tax was collected until 1981. The state began
rebating the tax in 1979 (at 30%), 1980 (at 60%) and in 1981 (at 100%).
The way it works is simple. The broker fills out a return (form MT-650), submits
payment to the state and the state wires the money right back to the broker. In
the past the state had to momentarily take possession of the tax to fulfill the
arcane requirements of its bond agreement with the Municipal Assistance
Corporation (this is no longer the case).
In order to discourage speculation, supporters of the Stock Transfer Tax
Loophole Closure should also consider tying the tax to trading volume: the lower
the trading volume, the lower the tax. A side benefit of the plan would be
to lessen the frenzied volatility that caused many of the recent problems on Wall
Street.
NYS currently rebates 100% of the nearly $16 billion in Stock Transfer taxes back
to brokers right after it is paid. We suggest that 80% be rebated and the State
retain 20% which would result in $3.2 billion annually in state revenue.
The Tax rate and basis is as follows:
Selling Price (per share) Rate (per share)
Less than $5 1 1⁄4 cents
$5 or more but less than $10 2 1⁄2 cents
$10 or more but less than $20 3 3⁄4 cents
$20 or more 5 cents
Transactions other than sales 2 1⁄2 cents per share
Stock Transfer Tax
Collections Before
Rebates*
State Fiscal
Year Ending
In:
Amount:
1980 452,743,623
1981 580,660,890
1982 561,440,112
1983 793,351,417
1984 1,023,718,768
1985 973,710,060
1986 1,232,497,287
1987 1,527,383,132
1988 1,755,983,416
1989 1,375,278,554
1990 1,610,760,964
1991 1,706,615,076
1992 2,210,761,060
1993 2,365,933,800
1994 2,935,823,760
1995 3,003,612,181
1996 3,595,094,985
1997 4,104,580,775
1998 5,572,567,976
1999 6,782,443,468
2000 7,494,935,815
2001 7,631,765,383
2002 6,682,575,506
2003 9,288,841,525
2004 10,605,122,527
2005 11,549,250,124
2006 11,593,533,764
2007 13,419,216,071
2008 16,313,860,949
2009 15,991,810,068
*The tax is rebated at the following rates:
Beginning October 1, 1979: 30%
Beginning October 1, 1980: 60%
Beginning October 1, 1981: 100%
Source: Table 22, New York State
Department of Taxation and Finance, 2008-
2009 New York State Tax Collections:
Statistical Summaries and Historical Tables,
November 2009.
[come Weds. http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/03/tea-parties-for-main-street-not-wall.html ]
First-- did you catch the seven op-eds that comprise "Can New York Be Saved?" in today's Times?...
[see: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/opinion/28Intro.html -- back page of today's Week in Review]
Literally 6 of the 7 essays were essentially conservative-- all ignored real truth on taxes (see below)...
Second-- catch this on page 3 of today's Daily Freeman?...(scroll down just a wee bit for whole article):
"Rhinebeck School Budget Shrinks; More Cuts Possible" by William J. Kemble
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/03/28/news/doc4baedce482f59478958570.txt
It's a particularly brutal wake-up call-- and even more reason to join us for our Tea Parties Wednesday!
Third-- can you say shameless, destructive pandering?...(I knew you could)...
Click on this link to see how, reported in the Poughkeepsie Journal, Paterson wants property tax cap:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100328/NEWS12/100328011/Paterson-seeks-property-tax-cap .
However, as the Fiscal Policy Institute ( http://www.FiscalPolicy.org and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities point out, there are many problems the property tax cap law has created in Massachusetts (Proposition 2 there)-- and CBPP report ( http://www.cbpp.org/5-21-08sfp-pr.htm ) further
explains that the impact in New York could be even more severe here. Among the key lessons:
o"A tax cap won't make government services cost less.
o Claims that caps will produce large savings through "efficiencies" are overblown.
o Tax caps can be particularly harmful if adopted during a weak economy.
o State aid can't be relied upon to fill the gap.
o Changes in school enrollment can have a big impact.
o Without effectively targeted state aid, low-income communities will fall even further behind.
o Wealthier communities will override a tax cap more frequently than poorer ones.
o Middle-income communities might end up bearing the brunt of a cap."
[see http://www.TrendNY.org ; http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/propertytaxresources.html for much more!]
Of course the real question is this...
Why, pray tell, are Paterson, Senate Dems, and Assembly Dems all ignoring these ten key points?...
[these are 10 reasons we'll be tea-partying for Main Street Not Wall Street up and down Du. Co. Weds.!]
1. By 3-to-1 ratio voters across NYS support at least partial re-implementation of a stock transfer tax.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/stocktransfer.pdf ]
2. $16 billion annually in NYS stock transfer taxes hasn't been collected from Wall Street since 1981.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/stocktransfer.pdf ]
3. Wall Street profits last year were a record $58 billion-- three times the previous record from 2006.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/2010bcbcPr1.pdf ]
4. $14 trillion over last few years has been paid out/set aside to bail out Wall Street (not $787 billion).
[see: http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/01/real-size-bailout-treasury-fed ]
5. 98% of small business owners (true engine of job growth in U.S.) make less than $250,000 a year.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/oct/16/barack-obama/most-small-businesses-wont-be-subject-to-obamas-ta/ ; http://www.sba.gov/advo/stats/sbfaq.pdf ]
6. 70% of our economy is driven by consumer demand; recession ends when middle class has money.
[see: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/13/pm_retail_sales/ ]
7. Millionaires in NYS now pay only 7% of their income in state/local taxes; middle class pays 11%.
[see: http://www.itepnet.org/wp2009/ny_whopays_factsheet.pdf ]
8. Millionaires used to pay 15.5% NYS income tax rate in the early 70's; they now pay less than 9% rate.
[see: http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/taxhistory2.htm ]
9. The richest 5% of Americans now own 60% of all wealth; the other 95% of us own 40% of the wealth.
[ http://hudson-valley.chronogram.com/issue/2009/11/News+&+Politics/Larry-Beinhart-s-Body-Politic ]
10. Millionaires paid 91% federal income tax rate in the 50's; they now pay 35% federal income tax rate.
[see: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/ILikeIke ]
[also see: "Bank of America, Wells Fargo Probably Won't Pay Income Tax for '09" by Christina Rexrode:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/27-4 ]
So-- let us know if you can come to one of these Tea Parties for Main Street Not Wall Street Weds.(!):
10 am-- Beacon (w/Tom Baldino in front of Beacon City Hall at intersection of Main St./Wolcott/Rt. 9D)
11 am-- Wappinger (in front of Roy C. Ketcham High School on Myers Corners Rd.-- on road itself)
Noon-- Poughkeepsie (at intersection of Main and Market streets)
1 pm-- Hyde Park (at Rt. 9G entrance to FDR High School-- at intersection of 9G and South Cross Rd.)
1:30 pm-- Rhinebeck (in front of Rhinebeck Town Hall at 80 East Market St.)
2 pm Red Hook (in front of Molinaro's offices at 7578 No. Broadway-- Rt. 9 just a bit north of main light)
[again-- please let us know if you can come out to any/all of these; numbers count, folks!]
Joel
[best cell: 242-3571]
joeltyner@earthlink.net
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From the Tax Reform Effort of Northern Dutchess (see http://www.TrendNY.org )...
From http://www.trendny.org/Press_Release-omnibus.pdf ...
Wall Street Can Help Main Street
March 26, 2010
The Omnibus Consortium -- a statewide coalition of property tax reform groups, fiscal watchdogs, education advocates and unions -- is urging members of the Senate and Assembly to provide urgently needed property tax relief.
Wall Street should help fund this relief (property tax reform proposals can be found at http://www.Omnibustaxsolution.org ). The Consortium members contend that we can no longer continue to subsidize W all Street at the present levels while we leave people on Main Street struggling with record foreclosures and high unemployment.
The consortium members believe that there are many ways in which Wall Street can help in solving New York’s property tax and budget crisis. For example, simply lowering the rebate level of the Stock Transfer Tax from 100% to 80% would produce revenue of $3.2 Billion, sufficient to gradually phase in a meaningful property tax circuit breaker while reducing the massive cuts to local governments and schools that are being debated in Albany and which would place additional pressure on our local taxes.
Press Release
March 25, 2010
Ron Deutsch, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness (518) 469-6769
Gioia Shebar, Tax Nightmare.org (845) 256-0082
Susan Zimet, Ulster County Legislator, (845) 527-5309
John Whiteley, NYS Property Tax Reform Coalition, (518) 585-6837
Robert McKeon, Tax Reform Effort of Northern Dutchess (TREND) (845) 399-4582
Main Street Needs Help From Wall Street
Property Tax Groups Urge State to Stop Wall Street Giveaways
The Omnibus Consortium -- a statewide coalition of property tax reform groups, fiscal watchdogs,
education advocates and unions -- is urging members of the Senate and Assembly to provide
urgently needed property tax relief and to ask Wall Street to help fund it (property tax reform
proposals can be found at www.omnibustaxsolution.org). The Consortium members contend that
we can no longer continue to subsidize Wall Street at the present levels while we leave people on
Main Street struggling with record foreclosures and high unemployment.
Revenue collected by New York State from the Stock Transfer Tax (fact sheet attached) has risen
dramatically in recent years and remained at near record levels for 2009 (approximately $16 Billion).
Unfortunately, in 1981 New York State made an agreement to rebate the entire annual amount of
the tax -- which rightfully belongs to the people of our state -- back to the brokers, basically as an
inducement to ensure the Stock Exchange's continued presence in New York City. While Wall
Street is obviously important to the state's financial health, we believe that, just as the people of our
state helped rescue Wall Street from its financial crisis, New York State should now ask Wall
Street to forgo a modest portion of the stock transfer tax rebate to fund property tax relief for
residents experiencing unsustainable property tax burdens made even worse by the state's continued
financial crisis and cuts to schools, healthcare and localities.
The consortium members believe that there are many ways in which Wall Street can help in solving
New York's property tax and budget crisis. For example, simply lowering the rebate level of the
Stock Transfer Tax from 100% to 80% would produce revenue of $3.2 Billion, sufficient to
gradually phase in a meaningful property tax circuit breaker while reducing the massive cuts to local
governments and schools that are being debated in Albany and which would place additional
pressure on our local taxes.
· The Great Recession was, in large part, caused by finance sector excesses.
· Wall Street's record 2009 profits resulted largely from taxpayer bailouts and favorable federal
monetary policies that privilege the finance sector.
· Wall Street is looking at record profits: $58 billion in 2009 (3 times higher than the previous
record set in 2006 according to Mayor Bloomberg) and cash bonuses exceeding $20 billion (which
does not count tens of billions in stock options that were given as bonuses as well)
· While Wall Street may have recovered, New York's Main Street economy remains mired in the
Great Recession.
· Widespread economic distress (lost jobs, lost health care, lost homes through foreclosures, lost
retirement savings, lost opportunities) will continue for the foreseeable future.
The Consortium also acknowledges the fact that when the state pulls back on its funding
commitments to education and aid to municipalities the inevitable result is an increase in taxes at
the local level to make up the difference.
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From http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/03/28/news/doc4baedce482f59478958570.txt ...
Rhinebeck school budget shrinks; more cuts possible
Published: Sunday, March 28, 2010
By WILLIAM J. KEMBLE
Correspondent
RHINEBECK — The Board of Education has trimmed the proposed 2010-11 Rhinebeck school district budget to $28.83 million, bringing the projected tax levy increase to 9.29 percent.
And trustees are searching for more cuts.
As it stands, the proposal would increase spending by $1.64 million, or 6.02 percent, over the current year’s budget. The amount to be raised by taxes would rise to $24.57 million.
“In order to meet their goal of keeping the tax levy increase at or under 4 percent, the board reviewed and discussed options for reducing the third draft budget by $1,229,052,” the school board said in a prepared statement.
District Superintendent Joseph Phelan said there are two levels of cuts being considered by the board that could bring the spending increase to as low as 1.6 percent.
“We organized them into a Tier 1 list and a Tier 2 list,” Phelan said. “Certainly, the Tier 2 list involves more difficult reductions that have more of an impact on the program, and reductions that are primarily if not exclusively staff-related reductions.”
Among changes being considered are:
• Eliminating a bus route to save $51,000.
• Delaying $40,000 in repair and maintenance projects, such as replacing doors and water fountains.
• Reducing $20,000 from inventory and supply purchases and $40,000 from planned computer hardware purchases.
• Increasing class sizes and reducing classes that provide assistance for struggling students in grades six through eight, saving $52,000.
• Saving $51,000 by eliminating or reducing functions performed by the library clerk.
• Eliminating an entry-level Latin course for a $35,370 savings and an industrial arts elective to save $27,400.
• Saving $56,306 by reducing custodial staff and $47,000 by changing duties of clerical staff members in the guidance office.
Phelan said the board has scheduled a public hearing on the budget for 7 p.m. April 13 but has until April 23 to adopt a plan to present to voters.
The public vote on the budget will be held on May 18.
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Again-- save the date-- join us for a Tea Party for Main Street Not Wall Street Tues. Apr. 27th at 5:30 pm at Rhinebeck Town Hall (80 East Market St.)-- we're hosting a special free screening of Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story"!...(thx much to Rhinebeck's Fred Nagel for making dvd projector available)...
Fact is that by 3-to-1 ratio voters across NYS strongly support stock transfer tax to cut our property taxes;
no time to lose on this, folks, with $50 billion NYS budget deficit looming over next five years; wake up;
scroll down just a bit below for new specifics; breakdown on cuts proposed to local schools, hospitals; editorial in yesterday's Times for MORE cuts-- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/opinion/27sat2.html .
Fact: These members of the Better Choice Budget coalition all strongly support re-implementation of a stock transfer tax on Wall Street-- Dutchess Outreach, NYS Library Association, NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence, NY Statewide Senior Action Council, NYS Alliance for Retired Americans, Interfaith Alliance of NYS, Interfaith Impact of NYS, Sierra Club, Environmental Advocates, Citizens Environmental Coalition, Citizen Action, NY Children's Action Network, NY Jobs with Justice, NYS AFL-CIO, CSEA, PEF, NYSUT, AFSCME, NYS Community Action Association, NYS Episcopal Public Policy Network, NYS Child Care Coordinating Council, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, Public Utility Law Project, Center for Working Families, Class Size Matters, Coalition for After-School Funding, Fiscal Policy Institute, Hunger Action Network of NYS, many more-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org ; thx again to Better Choice Budget Coalition Ex. Dir. Ron Deutsch for callin' in to our VKR show Fri.(!).
[note-- much kudos to folks @ NYSUT in particular for coming out strong for stock transfer tax!...see:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/another-idea-for-cutting-state-aid-for-schools/ (thx MD)]
Can't make it to any Tea Parties?...call state legislators Mon. morning on this-- at (877) 255-9417, folks!
[skipping Saland's/Miller's offices this Wednesday-- as we've already done this in front of their offices; note as well-- save the date-- Apr. 15th Tax Day-- for Tea Party on this at 12:30 pm in front of our County Office Building at 22 Market Street in Poughkeepsie (recall state budget cuts to counties, towns, cities)]
Sadly, Governor Paterson has proposed to decimate state funding (meaning local property tax hikes) for schools, parks, libraries, hospitals, nursing homes, counties, towns, villages, domestic violence services, Environmental Protection Fund, DEC staffing, programs for our poor, and many other crucial programs-- but taking $7.4 billion dollars out of our state's economy during a recession will only make the current economic situation worse, not better...(and Assembly/Senate not restoring enough cuts!)...
One of the biggest revenue recommendations from the Better Choice Budget Coalition is to at least partially re-implement a stock transfer tax back on Wall Street; it's been in existence since 1915 but hasn't been collected since 1981; now every year literally $16 billion in stock transfer taxes (at a nickel a share) is collected from- and given back to-- the same speculators on Wall Street who destroyed our economy...(again-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org for much, much more on this)...
Note-- the Better Choice Budget Coalition's recommendations also include having NYS start bargaining down the cost of prescription drugs and stopping wasteful privatization-- to save $700 million a year...
Wake up, folks-- on the eve of his triumphant re-election in 1936, Dutchess County's own FDR said of the wealthy special interests who were trying to take him down-- “Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hatred for me-- and I welcome their hatred”...(for good of our country, state, party let's not forget this!)...
Pass it on...(and again-- fwd this along to all you know-- and let us know if u can come out on Weds.)...
[bring a teabag and teacup Weds.-- no reason we progressives can't reclaim tea parties as our own!]
[...so again-- to recap-- 3 Tea Party events comin' up on this-- Mar. 31st, Apr. 15th, Apr. 27th-- join us!...]
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On that note-- happen to catch yesterday's editorial in increasingly neoliberal, corporatized Times?...
"A Budget for New York's Future"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/opinion/27sat2.html
"Like New Jersey, California and almost every other state, New York faces a devastating budget deficit this year - a shortfall estimated at $9 billion and growing. Mr. Paterson proposes drastic cuts - everything from shutting 55 parks and historic sites...to closing senior centers and imperiling other programs...Education will take a substantial hit, no matter what - $1.4 billion in the governor's and the Senate's proposals, half that in the Assembly's..." (editorial wants even bigger cuts in aid to schools)...
The editorial pushes strongly for our state legislature to eliminate over 7000 more state employee positions-- on top of the cuts Paterson has proposed-- and echoes other editorials in the past the Times has run (similar to ones in the Poughkeepsie Journal and the Daily Freeman on this)-- in mad rush to race us all to bottom...(i.e., solution is always ripping away wages, pensions, benefits of state workers)...
The editorial further recommends to state legislators-- "don't coddle the lobbyists"...
Hm-- "don't coddle the lobbyists"...
Funny, isn't it, how even though corporations outspend unions by a ten-to-one ratio in Albany, that the New York Times (along with Pok. Journal and Freeman)-- along with seemingly everyone else in the media-- is so bent on characterizing organizations representing working folks as "special interests"...
...when the Times (along with Journal, Freeman, and just about all media) ignore crucial facts above...
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Proposed state budget cuts to hospitals in Dutchess County:
Northern Dutchess Hospital-- another $422,000 cut on top of $414,000 cut since April 2008
Vassar Brothers Medical Center-- another $1,418,000 cut on top of $1.5 million cut since April 2008
St. Francis Hospital-- another $21,000 cut on top of $6,393,000 cut since April 2008
[note-- as it is now already, according to the Health Care Association of New York State-- "29 hospitals across the state have closed in the last decade alone, the cumulative total of the past six state budget actions already imposed on hospitals since April 2008 is a staggering $2 billion; another $500 million in hospital cuts and taxes has been proposed for this year; the total impact on hospitals, nursing homes, and home health providers from cuts proposed by the Governor is $1 billion"-- see:
http://www.hanys.org/communications/pr/2010/2010-01-27_governors_budget_cuts_jobs_and_services.pdf ]
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Fact: School districts, which slashed more than 5,000 positions last year, are already cutting even deeper this year, eliminating programs, mailing out layoff notices and, in some communities, are talking about closing schools.
Click on these five links below for the skinny on how state funding is being decimated to local schools:
[also big budget cuts to Hyde Park/Pine Plains/Beacon/Millbrook/Dover/Spackenkill/Pawling/Webutuck!]
Rhinebeck Central School District-- $1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://rhinebeck.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/budget-alert-from-cispe-community-in-support-of-public-education/
Poughkeepsie City School District-- $2.2 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100321/NEWS01/3210361/In-financial-plight-city-district-may-close-school [proposed already-- closing Columbus Elementary to save $1 million-- and besides this, eliminating 14 staff positions and 17 teaching assistant positions]
Arlington Central School District-- $5.5 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100311/NEWS02/3110333/State-aid-drop-leaves-Arlington-schools-with-difficult-budget-choices ["keeping the spending increase below 3 percent, Pepe said, would require cutting $4.87 million in programs and services across the district"]
Red Hook Central School District-- $1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/02/16/news/doc4b7a0226118f8397138008.txt
["state aid cuts of $1.09 million require a 4.2 percent local tax levy increase before trustees even begin development of a 2010-11 district budget"]
Wappingers Central School District-- $6.1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100324/NEWS02/3240332/Wappingers-looks-to-cut-36-positions [proposed budget "cuts 32.5 full-time teaching positions and four staff jobs, would increase spending 5.99 percent, resulting in a tax-levy increase of 13.97 percent, if approved by the board"]
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[recall-- Working Families Party, Paul Krugman, Dean Baker in strong support of bringing back stock transfer tax as well; even NYS AFL-CIO commissioned 2003 poll that found people across NYS strongly favor (by 3-to-1 margin) bringing back stock transfer tax, even at one or two pennies per share!...
see http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/01/stock-transfer-tax-has-3-to-1-support.html ]
Note as well-- Better Choice Budget is not just about pushing for at least partial re-implementation of stock transfer tax-- other good recommendations from this coalition include the following (more below):
"Promote the Bulk Purchase of Pharmaceuticals (approximately $200-$500 million);
Close Corporate Tax Loopholes: Making Business Taxes More Equitable;
Stop Hiring Pricey Private Consultants (approximately $200 million per year);
Use the Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund and State Rainy Day Fund ($1.5 billion);
Plastic Bag Tax ($340 million with a 5 cent tax;)
Reform Brownfield Clean Up Program (approximately $1 billion);
Empire Zone Program ($600 million);
Collect Taxes that are Due on Cigarettes (approximately $500 million);
Make Permanent the Temporary PIT Increase (no fiscal impact till 2012)"
[call Gov. Paterson and state legislators on this NOW (pass it on)-- at (877) 255-9417!]
"Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus' 2010 State of the County, released Tuesday, includes a grim warning that if the state — faced with a $7.4 billion deficit — delays reimbursement of funds in the coming months, the county could be forced to borrow to pay its bills. The county has 'not been in the position of short-term borrowing in over 20 years,' said Steinhaus, a Republican.
["Steinhaus: County Faces Economic Challenges" by John Davis
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100203/NEWS01/2030325/Steinhaus--County-faces-economic-challenges ]
Fact: The Governor’s budget eliminates all $13 million included in last year’s budget for civil legal services and $104 million in appropriations for shelters, services and housing for the homeless.
Fact: Paul Krugman, Dean Baker have all come out for restoring stock transfer tax too in past; even NYS AFL-CIO commissioned 2003 poll that found people across NYS strongly favor (by 3-to-1 margin) bringing back stock transfer tax, even at one or two pennies per share!...up until 1981 there was a nickel-a-share stock transfer tax; since 1981 that money has still been collected annually but has been given back to Wall Street-- now at $9 billion a year; see http://www.HungerActionNYS.org : http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/01/stock-transfer-tax-has-3-to-1-support.html .
Wake up and smell the coffee, folks-- if we don't lift our voices now on this, county tax situation worse!...
I do take exception with the County Executive on a number of issues-- but not the state budget; recall:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100209/NEWS01/100209029/Steinhaus-wants-state-mandate-relief ;
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100203/NEWS01/2030325/Steinhaus--County-faces-economic-challenges ;
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/02/22/news/doc4b82c6d756ec2517779362.txt ...
Again-- instead of the Governor's proposal to cut revenue-sharing with local municipalities and again shortfund counties like Dutchess......instead of his proposal to make the biggest cut in state aid to schools in decades (which would end up driving up property taxes)........instead of proposing hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to hospitals and nursing homes.......and instead of proposing to layoff 54 from our state's Department of Environmental Conservation and slash our state's Environmental Protection Fund by $69 million......instead of his proposals to slash funding for our state parks, for domestic violence services, for our libraries, and for our poor.....
[...and instead of forcing co. leg.'s like me to make cruel choices between tax hikes or budget cuts; recall
my http://www.PetitionOnline.com/SaveDuCo effort-- we HAVE to think outside the box now, folks!...]
There's a better choice, folks-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org re: Better Choice Budget...
Thanks again tons to everyone who came out to our rally for this Feb. 12th-- now is NOT time to stop!...
[recall-- http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/February/13/BetterChoice_ral1-13Feb10.htm ]
-- County Legislators Jim Doxsey & Dan Kuffner (thx to Barbara Jeter-Jackson also for support on this)
-- Dutchess County CSEA's Shaun Chesley (and many other county employees)
-- Grace Smith House Executive Director Judy Lombardi
-- NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence Executive Director Michele McKeon
-- Dutchess Outreach Executive Director Brian Riddell and staffer Raluca Besliu
-- Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation's Sue Delgiorno, Beth Soto, Matt Stoddard, and Ron Diaz
-- Public Employees Federation's Ken Cousin
-- Holy Light Pentecostal Church's Elder Ann Perry
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[see this must-read too-- for bracing, honest look at budget cuts proposed-- pass along to all u know!]
From http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/2010bcbcPr.pdf ...
For Immediate Release Contact:
February 22, 2009 Ron Deutsch, NYFF 518-469-6769
Frank Mauro, FPI 518-786-3156
Advocates Join Together to Urge Governor and the Legislature to Make
“Better Choices” To Balance the State Budget
Call Upon Wall Street and the Federal Government to Help Main Street
(Albany, N.Y.) Members of the Better Choice Budget Campaign joined together today to urge the Governor and the Legislature to explore alternatives to state budget cuts that would further erode jobs and desperately needed services. The group, a diverse coalition of statewide and local labor, faith-based, human service, non-profit and environmental organizations, released an extensive list of revenue-raising and cost-saving options that can help New York State achieve a balanced budget without destroying vital programs and services.
The coalition also called upon Wall Street and the federal government to help in balancing this year’s state budget in ways that help to preserve the services needed for Main Street to prosper.
With at least 48 states experiencing major budget shortfalls, the Campaign supports the President’s call for an extension of the fiscal relief that the federal government provided to the states last year. In December, the US House of Representatives passed extensions of the stimulus bill’s Medicaid and education relief; and, similar proposals are now being considered by the US Senate. Since the states have to balance their budgets in good times and bad, it makes sense for the federal government to help the states to balance their budgets during recessions. This reduces the amount of economically harmful spending cuts that the states have to make during bad times.
“The key is to have the phase-out of the federal government’s ‘state fiscal relief’ dovetail, as closely as
possible, with the recovery of the state governments’ finances,” added Frank Mauro, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute who pointed out that state governments’ fiscal recoveries have historically lagged their economic recoveries.
One of the Better Choice Budget Campaign’s recommendations involves a little known but very costly rebate system involving the taxation of stock transactions on Wall Street. New York State currently collects a minimal tax on stock transactions; but that tax is then instantly rebated right back to Wall Street in the amount of $16 billion per year. If New York State were to temporarily rebate 80 percent of this tax, rather than 100 percent, fully $3.2 billion a year would be raised in sorely-needed state revenues.
"Just a month after Wall Street handed out hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses, New York's schools and colleges are again facing devastating cuts," said Stephen Allinger, Director of Legislation for New York State United Teachers. "School districts, which slashed more than 5,000 positions last year, are already cutting even deeper this year, eliminating programs, mailing out layoff notices and, in some communities, are talking about closing schools. Rather than undermine all the years of progress we've made toward improving education and ending the achievement gap, we're asking lawmakers to curtail tax giveaways that fund excess profits on Wall Street and use this new revenue to save jobs and fund important education programs."
Mayor Bloomberg’s January Financial Plan for 2010-14 estimates that 2009 Wall Street profits were a record $58 billion, nearly three times the previous record that was posted in 2006.
“Main Street is suffering and could use a returned helping hand from Wall Street,” stated Ron Deutsch,
Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness. “It was not long ago that Main Street bailed out Wall Street—delivering a miraculous recovery that includes record profits and large bonuses. Wall Street has a vested interest in a healthy New York State economy and a temporary reduction in their generous rebate would not be too much to ask.”
"In this crushing recession, families’ needs are rising and the resources to meet them are falling," said Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. "The Legislature should respond by passing a budget that makes Main Street their top priority: a budget that grows the economy by investing in working families, schools and communities across the state, rather than a budget with cuts in education, health care and human services that will worsen unemployment and further destroy the safety net. "
"Governor Paterson slashed all environmental funding in his Executive Budget Proposal without considering the consequences, which are serious. In the final state budget, New York's leaders and lawmakers must make better and more responsible choices about using taxpayer dollars in order to protect New Yorkers and our air, land and water," said Rob Moore, Executive Director, Environmental Advocates of New York.
“Thanks to the Great Recession, the demand for civil legal assistance – people needing help with foreclosure, unemployment insurance and other employment issues, orders of protection, and other critical issues impacting economic stability - has increased dramatically, but funding to respond to demand has not,” said Kristin Brown Lilley, Director of Legislative Advocacy for Empire Justice Center. “The Governor’s budget eliminates all $13 million included in last year’s budget for civil legal services, leaving only a proposed $15 million stop gap appropriation in the Judiciary Budget that is intended to help mitigate an anticipated 70 % funding reduction in the main state level funding source for civil legal services, the IOLA Fund. We call on the Governor and the Legislature to address the State’s fiscal problems by actively embracing progressive revenue raising and cost savings options, rather than cutting or eliminating funding for civil legal and other essential human services at the very moment struggling New Yorkers need them most.”
"We all understand the need for sacrifice and the demands of this economy - but such circumstances also require careful budgeting and sound policy choices,” stated Shelly Nortz, Deputy Executive Director for Policy with Coalition for the Homeless . “The elimination of $104 million in appropriations for shelters, services and housing for the homeless in this budget proposal is the most irresponsible action I have seen here in my 22 years of representing the needs of homeless people. Assuming, for example, that homeless men and women have $36 million in their pockets available to make up for state cuts to shelter operations is patently absurd. We need a realistic budget based on real dollars and sensible policies, not phantom gap closers.”
The campaign suggests that rather than slashing education, health care and the other vital services that New York families depend on, the Governor and the Legislature should make a better choice: a balanced approach that uses existing resources efficiently and raises additional revenues in ways that will not harm our state’s already fragile economy. This is not the time for actions that will hinder the growth of New York’s economy or hurt the children and families hit hardest by the economic downturn.
The groups believe that a balanced response to the 2010-2011 budget shortfall should include:
• Closing loopholes that allow large, profitable corporations to avoid paying their fair share of state
taxes.
• Reducing the amount of state work that is contracted out to high-priced, for-profit consultants who
are being overpaid to do work that state workers can do better for less.
• Lowering prescription drug prices for state and local governments and New York consumers by using
New York’s purchasing power to negotiate fair deals with the drug companies.
• Making economic development/tax credit programs like Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs) and the Brownfield Clean-Up Program more effective and accountable and allowing the Empire Zones Program to expire.
• Temporarily reducing the Stock Transfer Tax Rebate from 100% to 80% so the finance sector helps the state through the current economic downturn which was caused in part by the excesses of many Wall Street firms.
• Curtailing growing obesity rates in NY children by adding a 1 cent per ounce tax on sugary beverages.
• Ensuring that Reservation sales of cigarettes to non-Native Americans are properly taxed (by
collecting those taxes before the products reach the reservations while still providing Native Americans
with tax-free cigarettes).
• Using the Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund (TSRF) to cover the Governor’s anticipated gap in this year’s budget rather than rolling it over to 2010-11. The TSRF is specifically for such end-of-year shortfalls.
• Helping the environment by instituting a minimal plastic bag tax to reduce the use of 6.3 billion bags in
NYS each year.
””Educated New Yorkers, affordable health care and housing, vital state services, a strong safety net,
preserving the environment and a sound transportation infrastructure are all essential for a healthy state
economy, today and in the future,” said Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness.
###
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Again-- click on and read these six re: stock transfer tax issue if you haven't yet, folks(!):
2010 People's State of State Rally at Capitol statement [Mark Dunlea/Hunger Action Network of NYS]
http://www.hungeractionnys.org/People%20State%20of%20the%20State%202010.pdf
"Taxing the Speculators" by Paul Krugman [NYTimes 11/27/09]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/opinion/27krugman.html
"The Benefits of a Financial Transactions Tax" [Dean Baker/Center for Economic Policy and Research]
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-benefits-of-a-financial-transactions-tax/
"A Stock Transfer Tax: The Right Medicine for Wall Street" by Dean Baker [3/15/08]
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/03/15/a_stock_transfer_tax_the_right/
"Ferrer Proposes Return of Tax on Stock Trades to Aid Schools" [New York Times 4/19/05]
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E0DA1F3EF93AA25757C0A9639C8B63
"Big Idea: Tax the Street" by J.W. Mason [City Limits Magazine 9-10/02]
http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=2806
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From http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/testimony210.pdf ..
Testimony to the Senate and Assembly Joint Fiscal Committees
2010-11 Executive Budget Proposal
February 1, 2010
Submitted by:
Ron Deutsch, Executive Director, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness
I would like to thank the distinguished members of the committee for the opportunity to speak here today. My name is Ron Deutsch and I am the Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness. Our organization spearheads the Better Choice Budget Campaign, a coalition of over 100 Labor, faith-based, human service and grassroots organizations representing over 1 million New Yorkers. We urge you to explore other possible spending cuts and revenue raising options that would help mitigate the potential devastating impacts of the cuts to services proposed by the Governor. Taking $7.4 billion dollars out of our state's economy during a recession will only make the current economic situation worse, not better. There are better choices to be made.
Close the Stock Transfer Tax Loophole ($3.2 billion)
(Secs. 270-281-a State Tax Law): The stock transfer tax is basically a sales tax on
the transfer of individual stock. Any stock transaction involving the New York
Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange or NASDAQ is subject to the tax. The
original issuance of stock is not subject to the tax. However, transfers of
treasury stock are taxable.
The tax has been in effect for decades but unfortunately the money is currently
tallied, assessed, collected and then handed right back to the brokers who paid it
in the form of a 100% rebate. The tax was collected until 1981. The state began
rebating the tax in 1979 (at 30%), 1980 (at 60%) and in 1981 (at 100%).
The way it works is simple. The broker fills out a return (form MT-650), submits
payment to the state and the state wires the money right back to the broker. In
the past the state had to momentarily take possession of the tax to fulfill the
arcane requirements of its bond agreement with the Municipal Assistance
Corporation (this is no longer the case).
In order to discourage speculation, supporters of the Stock Transfer Tax
Loophole Closure should also consider tying the tax to trading volume: the lower
the trading volume, the lower the tax. A side benefit of the plan would be
to lessen the frenzied volatility that caused many of the recent problems on Wall
Street.
NYS currently rebates 100% of the nearly $16 billion in Stock Transfer taxes back
to brokers right after it is paid. We suggest that 80% be rebated and the State
retain 20% which would result in $3.2 billion annually in state revenue.
The Tax rate and basis is as follows:
Selling Price (per share) Rate (per share)
Less than $5 1 1⁄4 cents
$5 or more but less than $10 2 1⁄2 cents
$10 or more but less than $20 3 3⁄4 cents
$20 or more 5 cents
Transactions other than sales 2 1⁄2 cents per share
Stock Transfer Tax
Collections Before
Rebates*
State Fiscal
Year Ending
In:
Amount:
1980 452,743,623
1981 580,660,890
1982 561,440,112
1983 793,351,417
1984 1,023,718,768
1985 973,710,060
1986 1,232,497,287
1987 1,527,383,132
1988 1,755,983,416
1989 1,375,278,554
1990 1,610,760,964
1991 1,706,615,076
1992 2,210,761,060
1993 2,365,933,800
1994 2,935,823,760
1995 3,003,612,181
1996 3,595,094,985
1997 4,104,580,775
1998 5,572,567,976
1999 6,782,443,468
2000 7,494,935,815
2001 7,631,765,383
2002 6,682,575,506
2003 9,288,841,525
2004 10,605,122,527
2005 11,549,250,124
2006 11,593,533,764
2007 13,419,216,071
2008 16,313,860,949
2009 15,991,810,068
*The tax is rebated at the following rates:
Beginning October 1, 1979: 30%
Beginning October 1, 1980: 60%
Beginning October 1, 1981: 100%
Source: Table 22, New York State
Department of Taxation and Finance, 2008-
2009 New York State Tax Collections:
Statistical Summaries and Historical Tables,
November 2009.
Tea Parties for Main Street Not Wall Street Weds.-- for Tax on Wall Street To Cut Our Property Taxes!...
Hi all...
First-- save the date-- join us for a Tea Party for Main Street Not Wall Street Tues. Apr. 27th at 5:30 pm at Rhinebeck Town Hall (80 East Market St.)-- we're hosting a special free screening of Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story"!...(thx much to Rhinebeck's Fred Nagel for making dvd projector available)...
Second-- let us know if you can join us at one, any, or all of the following six locations this coming Weds. (Mar. 31st) we'll be hosting Tea Parties for Main Street Not Wall Street-- for a Stock Transfer Tax on Wall Street to Cut Our Property Taxes (with the Better Choice Budget-- to stop cuts to schools, etc.)!...
[fact is that by 3-to-1 ratio voters across NYS strongly support stock transfer tax to cut our property taxes; no time to lose on this, folks, with $50 billion NYS budget deficit looming over next five years; wake up; scroll down just a bit below for new specifics; breakdown on cuts proposed to local schools, hospitals; editorial in yesterday's Times is for MORE cuts!... http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/opinion/27sat2.html ]
Fact: These members of the Better Choice Budget coalition all strongly support re-implementation of a stock transfer tax on Wall Street-- Dutchess Outreach, NYS Library Association, NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence, NY Statewide Senior Action Council, NYS Alliance for Retired Americans, Interfaith Alliance of NYS, Interfaith Impact of NYS, Sierra Club, Environmental Advocates, Citizens Environmental Coalition, Citizen Action, NY Children's Action Network, NY Jobs with Justice, NYS AFL-CIO, CSEA, PEF, NYSUT, AFSCME, NYS Community Action Association, NYS Episcopal Public Policy Network, NYS Child Care Coordinating Council, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, Public Utility Law Project, Center for Working Families, Class Size Matters, Coalition for After-School Funding, Fiscal Policy Institute, Hunger Action Network of NYS, many more-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org ; thx again to Better Choice Budget Coalition Ex. Dir. Ron Deutsch for callin' in to our VKR show Fri.(!).
[note-- much kudos to folks @ NYSUT in particular for coming out strong for stock transfer tax!...see:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/another-idea-for-cutting-state-aid-for-schools/ (thx MD)]
Can't make it to any of these?...call state legislators Monday morning on this-- at (877) 255-9417, folks!
So let us know if you can come to one of these 6 Tea Parties for Main Street Not Wall Street this Weds.:
10 am-- Beacon (w/Tom Baldino in front of Beacon City Hall at intersection of Main St./Wolcott/Rt. 9D)
11 am-- Wappinger (in front of Roy C. Ketcham High School on Myers Corners Rd.)
Noon-- Poughkeepsie (at intersection of Main and Market streets)
1 pm-- Hyde Park (at Rt. 9G entrance to FDR High School)
1:30 pm-- Rhinebeck (in front of Rhinebeck Town Hall at 80 East Market St.)
2 pm Red Hook (in front of Molinaro's offices at 7578 No. Broadway-- Rt. 9 just a bit north of main light)
[skipping Saland's/Miller's offices this Wednesday-- as we've already done this in front of their offices; note as well-- save the date-- Apr. 15th Tax Day-- for Tea Party on this at 12:30 pm in front of our County Office Building at 22 Market Street in Poughkeepsie (recall state budget cuts to counties, towns, cities)]
Ten Reasons We're Holding Tea Parties for Main Street Not Wall Street for Stock Transfer Tax Now:
1. By 3-to-1 ratio voters across NYS support at least partial re-implementation of a stock transfer tax.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/stocktransfer.pdf ]
2. $16 billion annually in NYS stock transfer taxes hasn't been collected from Wall Street since 1981.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/stocktransfer.pdf ]
3. Wall Street profits last year were a record $58 billion-- three times the previous record from 2006.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/2010bcbcPr1.pdf ]
4. $14 trillion over last few years has been paid out/set aside to bail out Wall Street (not $787 billion).
[see: http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/01/real-size-bailout-treasury-fed ]
5. 98% of small business owners (true engine of job growth in U.S.) make less than $250,000 a year.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/oct/16/barack-obama/most-small-businesses-wont-be-subject-to-obamas-ta/ ; http://www.sba.gov/advo/stats/sbfaq.pdf ]
6. 70% of our economy is driven by consumer demand; recession ends when middle class has money.
[see: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/13/pm_retail_sales/ ]
7. Millionaires in NYS now pay only 7% of their income in state/local taxes; middle class pays 11%.
[see: http://www.itepnet.org/wp2009/ny_whopays_factsheet.pdf ]
8. Millionaires used to pay 15.5% NYS income tax rate in the early 70's; they now pay less than 9% rate.
[see: http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/taxhistory2.htm ]
9. The richest 5% of Americans now own 60% of all wealth; the other 95% of us own 40% of the wealth.
[ http://hudson-valley.chronogram.com/issue/2009/11/News+&+Politics/Larry-Beinhart-s-Body-Politic ]
10. Millionaires paid 91% federal income tax rate in the 50's; they now pay 35% federal income tax rate.
[see: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/ILikeIke ]
Sadly, Governor Paterson has proposed to decimate state funding (meaning local property tax hikes) for schools, parks, libraries, hospitals, nursing homes, counties, towns, villages, domestic violence services, Environmental Protection Fund, DEC staffing, programs for our poor, and many other crucial programs-- but taking $7.4 billion dollars out of our state's economy during a recession will only make the current economic situation worse, not better...(and Assembly/Senate not restoring enough cuts!)...
One of the biggest revenue recommendations from the Better Choice Budget Coalition is to at least partially re-implement a stock transfer tax back on Wall Street; it's been in existence since 1915 but hasn't been collected since 1981; now every year literally $16 billion in stock transfer taxes (at a nickel a share) is collected from- and given back to-- the same speculators on Wall Street who destroyed our economy...(again-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org for much, much more on this)...
Note-- the Better Choice Budget Coalition's recommendations also include having NYS start bargaining down the cost of prescription drugs and stopping wasteful privatization-- to save $700 million a year...
Wake up, folks-- on the eve of his triumphant re-election in 1936, Dutchess County's own FDR said of the wealthy special interests who were trying to take him down-- "Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hatred for me-- and I welcome their hatred"...(for good of our country, state, party let's not forget this!)...
Pass it on...(and again-- fwd this along to all you know-- and let us know if u can come out on Weds.)...
[bring a teabag and teacup Weds.-- no reason we progressives can't reclaim tea parties as our own!]
Joel
[best cell: 242-3571]
joeltyner@earthlink.net
[...so again-- to recap-- 3 Tea Party events comin' up on this-- Mar. 31st, Apr. 15th, Apr. 27th-- join us!...]
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On that note-- happen to catch yesterday's editorial in the increasingly neoliberal, corporatized Times?...
"A Budget for New York's Future"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/opinion/27sat2.html
"Like New Jersey, California and almost every other state, New York faces a devastating budget deficit this year - a shortfall estimated at $9 billion and growing. Mr. Paterson proposes drastic cuts - everything from shutting 55 parks and historic sites...to closing senior centers and imperiling other programs...Education will take a substantial hit, no matter what - $1.4 billion in the governor's and the Senate's proposals, half that in the Assembly's..." (editorial wants even bigger cuts in aid to schools!!!)...
The editorial pushes strongly for our state legislature to eliminate over 7000 more state employee positions-- on top of the cuts Paterson has proposed-- and echoes other editorials in the past the Times has run (similar to ones in the Poughkeepsie Journal and the Daily Freeman on this)-- in mad rush to race us all to bottom...(i.e., solution is always ripping away wages, pensions, benefits of state workers)...
The editorial further recommends to state legislators-- "don't coddle the lobbyists"...
Hm-- "don't coddle the lobbyists"...
Funny, isn't it, how even though corporations outspend unions by a ten-to-one ratio in Albany, that the New York Times (along with Pok. Journal and Freeman)-- along with seemingly everyone else in the media-- is so bent on characterizing organizations representing working folks as "special interests"...
...when the Times (along with Journal, Freeman, and just about all media) ignore crucial facts above...
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Proposed state budget cuts to hospitals in Dutchess County:
Northern Dutchess Hospital-- another $422,000 cut on top of $414,000 cut since April 2008
Vassar Brothers Medical Center-- another $1,418,000 cut on top of $1.5 million cut since April 2008
St. Francis Hospital-- another $21,000 cut on top of $6,393,000 cut since April 2008
[note-- as it is now already, according to the Health Care Association of New York State-- "29 hospitals across the state have closed in the last decade alone, the cumulative total of the past six state budget actions already imposed on hospitals since April 2008 is a staggering $2 billion; another $500 million in hospital cuts and taxes has been proposed for this year; the total impact on hospitals, nursing homes, and home health providers from cuts proposed by the Governor is $1 billion"-- see:
http://www.hanys.org/communications/pr/2010/2010-01-27_governors_budget_cuts_jobs_and_services.pdf ]
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Fact: School districts, which slashed more than 5,000 positions last year, are already cutting even deeper this year, eliminating programs, mailing out layoff notices and, in some communities, are talking about closing schools.
Click on these five links below for the skinny on how state funding is being decimated to local schools:
[also big budget cuts to Hyde Park/Pine Plains/Beacon/Millbrook/Dover/Spackenkill/Pawling/Webutuck!]
Rhinebeck Central School District-- $1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://rhinebeck.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/budget-alert-from-cispe-community-in-support-of-public-education/
Poughkeepsie City School District-- $2.2 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100321/NEWS01/3210361/In-financial-plight-city-district-may-close-school [proposed already-- closing Columbus Elementary to save $1 million-- and besides this, eliminating 14 staff positions and 17 teaching assistant positions]
Arlington Central School District-- $5.5 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100311/NEWS02/3110333/State-aid-drop-leaves-Arlington-schools-with-difficult-budget-choices ["keeping the spending increase below 3 percent, Pepe said, would require cutting $4.87 million in programs and services across the district"]
Red Hook Central School District-- $1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/02/16/news/doc4b7a0226118f8397138008.txt
["state aid cuts of $1.09 million require a 4.2 percent local tax levy increase before trustees even begin development of a 2010-11 district budget"]
Wappingers Central School District-- $6.1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100324/NEWS02/3240332/Wappingers-looks-to-cut-36-positions [proposed budget "cuts 32.5 full-time teaching positions and four staff jobs, would increase spending 5.99 percent, resulting in a tax-levy increase of 13.97 percent, if approved by the board"]
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[recall-- Working Families Party, Paul Krugman, Dean Baker in strong support of bringing back stock transfer tax as well; even NYS AFL-CIO commissioned 2003 poll that found people across NYS strongly favor (by 3-to-1 margin) bringing back stock transfer tax, even at one or two pennies per share!...
see http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/01/stock-transfer-tax-has-3-to-1-support.html ]
Note as well-- Better Choice Budget is not just about pushing for at least partial re-implementation of stock transfer tax-- other good recommendations from this coalition include the following (more below):
"Promote the Bulk Purchase of Pharmaceuticals (approximately $200-$500 million);
Close Corporate Tax Loopholes: Making Business Taxes More Equitable;
Stop Hiring Pricey Private Consultants (approximately $200 million per year);
Use the Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund and State Rainy Day Fund ($1.5 billion);
Plastic Bag Tax ($340 million with a 5 cent tax;)
Reform Brownfield Clean Up Program (approximately $1 billion);
Empire Zone Program ($600 million);
Collect Taxes that are Due on Cigarettes (approximately $500 million);
Make Permanent the Temporary PIT Increase (no fiscal impact till 2012)"
[call Gov. Paterson and state legislators on this NOW (pass it on)-- at (877) 255-9417!]
"Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus' 2010 State of the County, released Tuesday, includes a grim warning that if the state - faced with a $7.4 billion deficit - delays reimbursement of funds in the coming months, the county could be forced to borrow to pay its bills. The county has 'not been in the position of short-term borrowing in over 20 years,' said Steinhaus, a Republican.
["Steinhaus: County Faces Economic Challenges" by John Davis
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100203/NEWS01/2030325/Steinhaus--County-faces-economic-challenges ]
Fact: The Governor's budget eliminates all $13 million included in last year's budget for civil legal services and $104 million in appropriations for shelters, services and housing for the homeless.
Fact: Paul Krugman, Dean Baker have all come out for restoring stock transfer tax too in past; even NYS AFL-CIO commissioned 2003 poll that found people across NYS strongly favor (by 3-to-1 margin) bringing back stock transfer tax, even at one or two pennies per share!...up until 1981 there was a nickel-a-share stock transfer tax; since 1981 that money has still been collected annually but has been given back to Wall Street-- now at $9 billion a year; see http://www.HungerActionNYS.org : http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/01/stock-transfer-tax-has-3-to-1-support.html .
Wake up and smell the coffee, folks-- if we don't lift our voices now on this, county tax situation worse!...
I do take exception with the County Executive on a number of issues-- but not the state budget; recall:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100209/NEWS01/100209029/Steinhaus-wants-state-mandate-relief ;
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100203/NEWS01/2030325/Steinhaus--County-faces-economic-challenges ;
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/02/22/news/doc4b82c6d756ec2517779362.txt ...
Again-- instead of the Governor's proposal to cut revenue-sharing with local municipalities and again shortfund counties like Dutchess......instead of his proposal to make the biggest cut in state aid to schools in decades (which would end up driving up property taxes)........instead of proposing hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to hospitals and nursing homes.......and instead of proposing to layoff 54 from our state's Department of Environmental Conservation and slash our state's Environmental Protection Fund by $69 million......instead of his proposals to slash funding for our state parks, for domestic violence services, for our libraries, and for our poor.....
[...and instead of forcing co. leg.'s like me to make cruel choices between tax hikes or budget cuts; recall
my http://www.PetitionOnline.com/SaveDuCo effort-- we HAVE to think outside the box now, folks!...]
There's a better choice, folks-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org re: Better Choice Budget...
Thanks again tons to everyone who came out to our rally for this Feb. 12th-- now is NOT time to stop!...
[recall-- http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/February/13/BetterChoice_ral1-13Feb10.htm ]
-- County Legislators Jim Doxsey & Dan Kuffner (thx to Barbara Jeter-Jackson also for support on this)
-- Dutchess County CSEA's Shaun Chesley (and many other county employees)
-- Grace Smith House Executive Director Judy Lombardi
-- NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence Executive Director Michele McKeon
-- Dutchess Outreach Executive Director Brian Riddell and staffer Raluca Besliu
-- Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation's Sue Delgiorno, Beth Soto, Matt Stoddard, and Ron Diaz
-- Public Employees Federation's Ken Cousin
-- Holy Light Pentecostal Church's Elder Ann Perry
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[see this must-read too-- for bracing, honest look at budget cuts proposed-- pass along to all u know!]
From http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/2010bcbcPr.pdf ...
For Immediate Release Contact:
February 22, 2009 Ron Deutsch, NYFF 518-469-6769
Frank Mauro, FPI 518-786-3156
Advocates Join Together to Urge Governor and the Legislature to Make
"Better Choices" To Balance the State Budget
Call Upon Wall Street and the Federal Government to Help Main Street
(Albany, N.Y.) Members of the Better Choice Budget Campaign joined together today to urge the Governor and the Legislature to explore alternatives to state budget cuts that would further erode jobs and desperately needed services. The group, a diverse coalition of statewide and local labor, faith-based, human service, non-profit and environmental organizations, released an extensive list of revenue-raising and cost-saving options that can help New York State achieve a balanced budget without destroying vital programs and services.
The coalition also called upon Wall Street and the federal government to help in balancing this year's state budget in ways that help to preserve the services needed for Main Street to prosper.
With at least 48 states experiencing major budget shortfalls, the Campaign supports the President's call for an extension of the fiscal relief that the federal government provided to the states last year. In December, the US House of Representatives passed extensions of the stimulus bill's Medicaid and education relief; and, similar proposals are now being considered by the US Senate. Since the states have to balance their budgets in good times and bad, it makes sense for the federal government to help the states to balance their budgets during recessions. This reduces the amount of economically harmful spending cuts that the states have to make during bad times.
"The key is to have the phase-out of the federal government's 'state fiscal relief' dovetail, as closely as
possible, with the recovery of the state governments' finances," added Frank Mauro, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute who pointed out that state governments' fiscal recoveries have historically lagged their economic recoveries.
One of the Better Choice Budget Campaign's recommendations involves a little known but very costly rebate system involving the taxation of stock transactions on Wall Street. New York State currently collects a minimal tax on stock transactions; but that tax is then instantly rebated right back to Wall Street in the amount of $16 billion per year. If New York State were to temporarily rebate 80 percent of this tax, rather than 100 percent, fully $3.2 billion a year would be raised in sorely-needed state revenues.
"Just a month after Wall Street handed out hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses, New York's schools and colleges are again facing devastating cuts," said Stephen Allinger, Director of Legislation for New York State United Teachers. "School districts, which slashed more than 5,000 positions last year, are already cutting even deeper this year, eliminating programs, mailing out layoff notices and, in some communities, are talking about closing schools. Rather than undermine all the years of progress we've made toward improving education and ending the achievement gap, we're asking lawmakers to curtail tax giveaways that fund excess profits on Wall Street and use this new revenue to save jobs and fund important education programs."
Mayor Bloomberg's January Financial Plan for 2010-14 estimates that 2009 Wall Street profits were a record $58 billion, nearly three times the previous record that was posted in 2006.
"Main Street is suffering and could use a returned helping hand from Wall Street," stated Ron Deutsch,
Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness. "It was not long ago that Main Street bailed out Wall Street-delivering a miraculous recovery that includes record profits and large bonuses. Wall Street has a vested interest in a healthy New York State economy and a temporary reduction in their generous rebate would not be too much to ask."
"In this crushing recession, families' needs are rising and the resources to meet them are falling," said Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. "The Legislature should respond by passing a budget that makes Main Street their top priority: a budget that grows the economy by investing in working families, schools and communities across the state, rather than a budget with cuts in education, health care and human services that will worsen unemployment and further destroy the safety net. "
"Governor Paterson slashed all environmental funding in his Executive Budget Proposal without considering the consequences, which are serious. In the final state budget, New York's leaders and lawmakers must make better and more responsible choices about using taxpayer dollars in order to protect New Yorkers and our air, land and water," said Rob Moore, Executive Director, Environmental Advocates of New York.
"Thanks to the Great Recession, the demand for civil legal assistance - people needing help with foreclosure, unemployment insurance and other employment issues, orders of protection, and other critical issues impacting economic stability - has increased dramatically, but funding to respond to demand has not," said Kristin Brown Lilley, Director of Legislative Advocacy for Empire Justice Center. "The Governor's budget eliminates all $13 million included in last year's budget for civil legal services, leaving only a proposed $15 million stop gap appropriation in the Judiciary Budget that is intended to help mitigate an anticipated 70 % funding reduction in the main state level funding source for civil legal services, the IOLA Fund. We call on the Governor and the Legislature to address the State's fiscal problems by actively embracing progressive revenue raising and cost savings options, rather than cutting or eliminating funding for civil legal and other essential human services at the very moment struggling New Yorkers need them most."
"We all understand the need for sacrifice and the demands of this economy - but such circumstances also require careful budgeting and sound policy choices," stated Shelly Nortz, Deputy Executive Director for Policy with Coalition for the Homeless . "The elimination of $104 million in appropriations for shelters, services and housing for the homeless in this budget proposal is the most irresponsible action I have seen here in my 22 years of representing the needs of homeless people. Assuming, for example, that homeless men and women have $36 million in their pockets available to make up for state cuts to shelter operations is patently absurd. We need a realistic budget based on real dollars and sensible policies, not phantom gap closers."
The campaign suggests that rather than slashing education, health care and the other vital services that New York families depend on, the Governor and the Legislature should make a better choice: a balanced approach that uses existing resources efficiently and raises additional revenues in ways that will not harm our state's already fragile economy. This is not the time for actions that will hinder the growth of New York's economy or hurt the children and families hit hardest by the economic downturn.
The groups believe that a balanced response to the 2010-2011 budget shortfall should include:
… Closing loopholes that allow large, profitable corporations to avoid paying their fair share of state
taxes.
… Reducing the amount of state work that is contracted out to high-priced, for-profit consultants who
are being overpaid to do work that state workers can do better for less.
… Lowering prescription drug prices for state and local governments and New York consumers by using
New York's purchasing power to negotiate fair deals with the drug companies.
… Making economic development/tax credit programs like Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs) and the Brownfield Clean-Up Program more effective and accountable and allowing the Empire Zones Program to expire.
… Temporarily reducing the Stock Transfer Tax Rebate from 100% to 80% so the finance sector helps the state through the current economic downturn which was caused in part by the excesses of many Wall Street firms.
… Curtailing growing obesity rates in NY children by adding a 1 cent per ounce tax on sugary beverages.
… Ensuring that Reservation sales of cigarettes to non-Native Americans are properly taxed (by
collecting those taxes before the products reach the reservations while still providing Native Americans
with tax-free cigarettes).
… Using the Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund (TSRF) to cover the Governor's anticipated gap in this year's budget rather than rolling it over to 2010-11. The TSRF is specifically for such end-of-year shortfalls.
… Helping the environment by instituting a minimal plastic bag tax to reduce the use of 6.3 billion bags in
NYS each year.
""Educated New Yorkers, affordable health care and housing, vital state services, a strong safety net,
preserving the environment and a sound transportation infrastructure are all essential for a healthy state
economy, today and in the future," said Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness.
###
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Again-- click on and read these six re: stock transfer tax issue if you haven't yet, folks(!):
2010 People's State of State Rally at Capitol statement [Mark Dunlea/Hunger Action Network of NYS]
http://www.hungeractionnys.org/People%20State%20of%20the%20State%202010.pdf
"Taxing the Speculators" by Paul Krugman [NYTimes 11/27/09]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/opinion/27krugman.html
"The Benefits of a Financial Transactions Tax" [Dean Baker/Center for Economic Policy and Research]
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-benefits-of-a-financial-transactions-tax/
"A Stock Transfer Tax: The Right Medicine for Wall Street" by Dean Baker [3/15/08]
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/03/15/a_stock_transfer_tax_the_right/
"Ferrer Proposes Return of Tax on Stock Trades to Aid Schools" [New York Times 4/19/05]
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E0DA1F3EF93AA25757C0A9639C8B63
"Big Idea: Tax the Street" by J.W. Mason [City Limits Magazine 9-10/02]
http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=2806
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From http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/testimony210.pdf ..
Testimony to the Senate and Assembly Joint Fiscal Committees
2010-11 Executive Budget Proposal
February 1, 2010
Submitted by:
Ron Deutsch, Executive Director, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness
I would like to thank the distinguished members of the committee for the opportunity to speak here today. My name is Ron Deutsch and I am the Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness. Our organization spearheads the Better Choice Budget Campaign, a coalition of over 100 Labor, faith-based, human service and grassroots organizations representing over 1 million New Yorkers. We urge you to explore other possible spending cuts and revenue raising options that would help mitigate the potential devastating impacts of the cuts to services proposed by the Governor. Taking $7.4 billion dollars out of our state's economy during a recession will only make the current economic situation worse, not better. There are better choices to be made.
Close the Stock Transfer Tax Loophole ($3.2 billion)
(Secs. 270-281-a State Tax Law): The stock transfer tax is basically a sales tax on
the transfer of individual stock. Any stock transaction involving the New York
Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange or NASDAQ is subject to the tax. The
original issuance of stock is not subject to the tax. However, transfers of
treasury stock are taxable.
The tax has been in effect for decades but unfortunately the money is currently
tallied, assessed, collected and then handed right back to the brokers who paid it
in the form of a 100% rebate. The tax was collected until 1981. The state began
rebating the tax in 1979 (at 30%), 1980 (at 60%) and in 1981 (at 100%).
The way it works is simple. The broker fills out a return (form MT-650), submits
payment to the state and the state wires the money right back to the broker. In
the past the state had to momentarily take possession of the tax to fulfill the
arcane requirements of its bond agreement with the Municipal Assistance
Corporation (this is no longer the case).
In order to discourage speculation, supporters of the Stock Transfer Tax
Loophole Closure should also consider tying the tax to trading volume: the lower
the trading volume, the lower the tax. A side benefit of the plan would be
to lessen the frenzied volatility that caused many of the recent problems on Wall
Street.
NYS currently rebates 100% of the nearly $16 billion in Stock Transfer taxes back
to brokers right after it is paid. We suggest that 80% be rebated and the State
retain 20% which would result in $3.2 billion annually in state revenue.
The Tax rate and basis is as follows:
Selling Price (per share) Rate (per share)
Less than $5 1 1Ž4 cents
$5 or more but less than $10 2 1Ž2 cents
$10 or more but less than $20 3 3Ž4 cents
$20 or more 5 cents
Transactions other than sales 2 1Ž2 cents per share
Stock Transfer Tax
Collections Before
Rebates*
State Fiscal
Year Ending
In:
Amount:
1980 452,743,623
1981 580,660,890
1982 561,440,112
1983 793,351,417
1984 1,023,718,768
1985 973,710,060
1986 1,232,497,287
1987 1,527,383,132
1988 1,755,983,416
1989 1,375,278,554
1990 1,610,760,964
1991 1,706,615,076
1992 2,210,761,060
1993 2,365,933,800
1994 2,935,823,760
1995 3,003,612,181
1996 3,595,094,985
1997 4,104,580,775
1998 5,572,567,976
1999 6,782,443,468
2000 7,494,935,815
2001 7,631,765,383
2002 6,682,575,506
2003 9,288,841,525
2004 10,605,122,527
2005 11,549,250,124
2006 11,593,533,764
2007 13,419,216,071
2008 16,313,860,949
2009 15,991,810,068
*The tax is rebated at the following rates:
Beginning October 1, 1979: 30%
Beginning October 1, 1980: 60%
Beginning October 1, 1981: 100%
Source: Table 22, New York State
Department of Taxation and Finance, 2008-
2009 New York State Tax Collections:
Statistical Summaries and Historical Tables,
November 2009.
First-- save the date-- join us for a Tea Party for Main Street Not Wall Street Tues. Apr. 27th at 5:30 pm at Rhinebeck Town Hall (80 East Market St.)-- we're hosting a special free screening of Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story"!...(thx much to Rhinebeck's Fred Nagel for making dvd projector available)...
Second-- let us know if you can join us at one, any, or all of the following six locations this coming Weds. (Mar. 31st) we'll be hosting Tea Parties for Main Street Not Wall Street-- for a Stock Transfer Tax on Wall Street to Cut Our Property Taxes (with the Better Choice Budget-- to stop cuts to schools, etc.)!...
[fact is that by 3-to-1 ratio voters across NYS strongly support stock transfer tax to cut our property taxes; no time to lose on this, folks, with $50 billion NYS budget deficit looming over next five years; wake up; scroll down just a bit below for new specifics; breakdown on cuts proposed to local schools, hospitals; editorial in yesterday's Times is for MORE cuts!... http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/opinion/27sat2.html ]
Fact: These members of the Better Choice Budget coalition all strongly support re-implementation of a stock transfer tax on Wall Street-- Dutchess Outreach, NYS Library Association, NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence, NY Statewide Senior Action Council, NYS Alliance for Retired Americans, Interfaith Alliance of NYS, Interfaith Impact of NYS, Sierra Club, Environmental Advocates, Citizens Environmental Coalition, Citizen Action, NY Children's Action Network, NY Jobs with Justice, NYS AFL-CIO, CSEA, PEF, NYSUT, AFSCME, NYS Community Action Association, NYS Episcopal Public Policy Network, NYS Child Care Coordinating Council, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, Public Utility Law Project, Center for Working Families, Class Size Matters, Coalition for After-School Funding, Fiscal Policy Institute, Hunger Action Network of NYS, many more-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org ; thx again to Better Choice Budget Coalition Ex. Dir. Ron Deutsch for callin' in to our VKR show Fri.(!).
[note-- much kudos to folks @ NYSUT in particular for coming out strong for stock transfer tax!...see:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/another-idea-for-cutting-state-aid-for-schools/ (thx MD)]
Can't make it to any of these?...call state legislators Monday morning on this-- at (877) 255-9417, folks!
So let us know if you can come to one of these 6 Tea Parties for Main Street Not Wall Street this Weds.:
10 am-- Beacon (w/Tom Baldino in front of Beacon City Hall at intersection of Main St./Wolcott/Rt. 9D)
11 am-- Wappinger (in front of Roy C. Ketcham High School on Myers Corners Rd.)
Noon-- Poughkeepsie (at intersection of Main and Market streets)
1 pm-- Hyde Park (at Rt. 9G entrance to FDR High School)
1:30 pm-- Rhinebeck (in front of Rhinebeck Town Hall at 80 East Market St.)
2 pm Red Hook (in front of Molinaro's offices at 7578 No. Broadway-- Rt. 9 just a bit north of main light)
[skipping Saland's/Miller's offices this Wednesday-- as we've already done this in front of their offices; note as well-- save the date-- Apr. 15th Tax Day-- for Tea Party on this at 12:30 pm in front of our County Office Building at 22 Market Street in Poughkeepsie (recall state budget cuts to counties, towns, cities)]
Ten Reasons We're Holding Tea Parties for Main Street Not Wall Street for Stock Transfer Tax Now:
1. By 3-to-1 ratio voters across NYS support at least partial re-implementation of a stock transfer tax.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/stocktransfer.pdf ]
2. $16 billion annually in NYS stock transfer taxes hasn't been collected from Wall Street since 1981.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/stocktransfer.pdf ]
3. Wall Street profits last year were a record $58 billion-- three times the previous record from 2006.
[see: http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/2010bcbcPr1.pdf ]
4. $14 trillion over last few years has been paid out/set aside to bail out Wall Street (not $787 billion).
[see: http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/01/real-size-bailout-treasury-fed ]
5. 98% of small business owners (true engine of job growth in U.S.) make less than $250,000 a year.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/oct/16/barack-obama/most-small-businesses-wont-be-subject-to-obamas-ta/ ; http://www.sba.gov/advo/stats/sbfaq.pdf ]
6. 70% of our economy is driven by consumer demand; recession ends when middle class has money.
[see: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/13/pm_retail_sales/ ]
7. Millionaires in NYS now pay only 7% of their income in state/local taxes; middle class pays 11%.
[see: http://www.itepnet.org/wp2009/ny_whopays_factsheet.pdf ]
8. Millionaires used to pay 15.5% NYS income tax rate in the early 70's; they now pay less than 9% rate.
[see: http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/taxhistory2.htm ]
9. The richest 5% of Americans now own 60% of all wealth; the other 95% of us own 40% of the wealth.
[ http://hudson-valley.chronogram.com/issue/2009/11/News+&+Politics/Larry-Beinhart-s-Body-Politic ]
10. Millionaires paid 91% federal income tax rate in the 50's; they now pay 35% federal income tax rate.
[see: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/ILikeIke ]
Sadly, Governor Paterson has proposed to decimate state funding (meaning local property tax hikes) for schools, parks, libraries, hospitals, nursing homes, counties, towns, villages, domestic violence services, Environmental Protection Fund, DEC staffing, programs for our poor, and many other crucial programs-- but taking $7.4 billion dollars out of our state's economy during a recession will only make the current economic situation worse, not better...(and Assembly/Senate not restoring enough cuts!)...
One of the biggest revenue recommendations from the Better Choice Budget Coalition is to at least partially re-implement a stock transfer tax back on Wall Street; it's been in existence since 1915 but hasn't been collected since 1981; now every year literally $16 billion in stock transfer taxes (at a nickel a share) is collected from- and given back to-- the same speculators on Wall Street who destroyed our economy...(again-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org for much, much more on this)...
Note-- the Better Choice Budget Coalition's recommendations also include having NYS start bargaining down the cost of prescription drugs and stopping wasteful privatization-- to save $700 million a year...
Wake up, folks-- on the eve of his triumphant re-election in 1936, Dutchess County's own FDR said of the wealthy special interests who were trying to take him down-- "Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hatred for me-- and I welcome their hatred"...(for good of our country, state, party let's not forget this!)...
Pass it on...(and again-- fwd this along to all you know-- and let us know if u can come out on Weds.)...
[bring a teabag and teacup Weds.-- no reason we progressives can't reclaim tea parties as our own!]
Joel
[best cell: 242-3571]
joeltyner@earthlink.net
[...so again-- to recap-- 3 Tea Party events comin' up on this-- Mar. 31st, Apr. 15th, Apr. 27th-- join us!...]
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On that note-- happen to catch yesterday's editorial in the increasingly neoliberal, corporatized Times?...
"A Budget for New York's Future"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/opinion/27sat2.html
"Like New Jersey, California and almost every other state, New York faces a devastating budget deficit this year - a shortfall estimated at $9 billion and growing. Mr. Paterson proposes drastic cuts - everything from shutting 55 parks and historic sites...to closing senior centers and imperiling other programs...Education will take a substantial hit, no matter what - $1.4 billion in the governor's and the Senate's proposals, half that in the Assembly's..." (editorial wants even bigger cuts in aid to schools!!!)...
The editorial pushes strongly for our state legislature to eliminate over 7000 more state employee positions-- on top of the cuts Paterson has proposed-- and echoes other editorials in the past the Times has run (similar to ones in the Poughkeepsie Journal and the Daily Freeman on this)-- in mad rush to race us all to bottom...(i.e., solution is always ripping away wages, pensions, benefits of state workers)...
The editorial further recommends to state legislators-- "don't coddle the lobbyists"...
Hm-- "don't coddle the lobbyists"...
Funny, isn't it, how even though corporations outspend unions by a ten-to-one ratio in Albany, that the New York Times (along with Pok. Journal and Freeman)-- along with seemingly everyone else in the media-- is so bent on characterizing organizations representing working folks as "special interests"...
...when the Times (along with Journal, Freeman, and just about all media) ignore crucial facts above...
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Proposed state budget cuts to hospitals in Dutchess County:
Northern Dutchess Hospital-- another $422,000 cut on top of $414,000 cut since April 2008
Vassar Brothers Medical Center-- another $1,418,000 cut on top of $1.5 million cut since April 2008
St. Francis Hospital-- another $21,000 cut on top of $6,393,000 cut since April 2008
[note-- as it is now already, according to the Health Care Association of New York State-- "29 hospitals across the state have closed in the last decade alone, the cumulative total of the past six state budget actions already imposed on hospitals since April 2008 is a staggering $2 billion; another $500 million in hospital cuts and taxes has been proposed for this year; the total impact on hospitals, nursing homes, and home health providers from cuts proposed by the Governor is $1 billion"-- see:
http://www.hanys.org/communications/pr/2010/2010-01-27_governors_budget_cuts_jobs_and_services.pdf ]
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Fact: School districts, which slashed more than 5,000 positions last year, are already cutting even deeper this year, eliminating programs, mailing out layoff notices and, in some communities, are talking about closing schools.
Click on these five links below for the skinny on how state funding is being decimated to local schools:
[also big budget cuts to Hyde Park/Pine Plains/Beacon/Millbrook/Dover/Spackenkill/Pawling/Webutuck!]
Rhinebeck Central School District-- $1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://rhinebeck.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/budget-alert-from-cispe-community-in-support-of-public-education/
Poughkeepsie City School District-- $2.2 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100321/NEWS01/3210361/In-financial-plight-city-district-may-close-school [proposed already-- closing Columbus Elementary to save $1 million-- and besides this, eliminating 14 staff positions and 17 teaching assistant positions]
Arlington Central School District-- $5.5 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100311/NEWS02/3110333/State-aid-drop-leaves-Arlington-schools-with-difficult-budget-choices ["keeping the spending increase below 3 percent, Pepe said, would require cutting $4.87 million in programs and services across the district"]
Red Hook Central School District-- $1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/02/16/news/doc4b7a0226118f8397138008.txt
["state aid cuts of $1.09 million require a 4.2 percent local tax levy increase before trustees even begin development of a 2010-11 district budget"]
Wappingers Central School District-- $6.1 million cut in state aid from NYS
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100324/NEWS02/3240332/Wappingers-looks-to-cut-36-positions [proposed budget "cuts 32.5 full-time teaching positions and four staff jobs, would increase spending 5.99 percent, resulting in a tax-levy increase of 13.97 percent, if approved by the board"]
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[recall-- Working Families Party, Paul Krugman, Dean Baker in strong support of bringing back stock transfer tax as well; even NYS AFL-CIO commissioned 2003 poll that found people across NYS strongly favor (by 3-to-1 margin) bringing back stock transfer tax, even at one or two pennies per share!...
see http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/01/stock-transfer-tax-has-3-to-1-support.html ]
Note as well-- Better Choice Budget is not just about pushing for at least partial re-implementation of stock transfer tax-- other good recommendations from this coalition include the following (more below):
"Promote the Bulk Purchase of Pharmaceuticals (approximately $200-$500 million);
Close Corporate Tax Loopholes: Making Business Taxes More Equitable;
Stop Hiring Pricey Private Consultants (approximately $200 million per year);
Use the Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund and State Rainy Day Fund ($1.5 billion);
Plastic Bag Tax ($340 million with a 5 cent tax;)
Reform Brownfield Clean Up Program (approximately $1 billion);
Empire Zone Program ($600 million);
Collect Taxes that are Due on Cigarettes (approximately $500 million);
Make Permanent the Temporary PIT Increase (no fiscal impact till 2012)"
[call Gov. Paterson and state legislators on this NOW (pass it on)-- at (877) 255-9417!]
"Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus' 2010 State of the County, released Tuesday, includes a grim warning that if the state - faced with a $7.4 billion deficit - delays reimbursement of funds in the coming months, the county could be forced to borrow to pay its bills. The county has 'not been in the position of short-term borrowing in over 20 years,' said Steinhaus, a Republican.
["Steinhaus: County Faces Economic Challenges" by John Davis
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100203/NEWS01/2030325/Steinhaus--County-faces-economic-challenges ]
Fact: The Governor's budget eliminates all $13 million included in last year's budget for civil legal services and $104 million in appropriations for shelters, services and housing for the homeless.
Fact: Paul Krugman, Dean Baker have all come out for restoring stock transfer tax too in past; even NYS AFL-CIO commissioned 2003 poll that found people across NYS strongly favor (by 3-to-1 margin) bringing back stock transfer tax, even at one or two pennies per share!...up until 1981 there was a nickel-a-share stock transfer tax; since 1981 that money has still been collected annually but has been given back to Wall Street-- now at $9 billion a year; see http://www.HungerActionNYS.org : http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/01/stock-transfer-tax-has-3-to-1-support.html .
Wake up and smell the coffee, folks-- if we don't lift our voices now on this, county tax situation worse!...
I do take exception with the County Executive on a number of issues-- but not the state budget; recall:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100209/NEWS01/100209029/Steinhaus-wants-state-mandate-relief ;
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100203/NEWS01/2030325/Steinhaus--County-faces-economic-challenges ;
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/02/22/news/doc4b82c6d756ec2517779362.txt ...
Again-- instead of the Governor's proposal to cut revenue-sharing with local municipalities and again shortfund counties like Dutchess......instead of his proposal to make the biggest cut in state aid to schools in decades (which would end up driving up property taxes)........instead of proposing hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to hospitals and nursing homes.......and instead of proposing to layoff 54 from our state's Department of Environmental Conservation and slash our state's Environmental Protection Fund by $69 million......instead of his proposals to slash funding for our state parks, for domestic violence services, for our libraries, and for our poor.....
[...and instead of forcing co. leg.'s like me to make cruel choices between tax hikes or budget cuts; recall
my http://www.PetitionOnline.com/SaveDuCo effort-- we HAVE to think outside the box now, folks!...]
There's a better choice, folks-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org re: Better Choice Budget...
Thanks again tons to everyone who came out to our rally for this Feb. 12th-- now is NOT time to stop!...
[recall-- http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/February/13/BetterChoice_ral1-13Feb10.htm ]
-- County Legislators Jim Doxsey & Dan Kuffner (thx to Barbara Jeter-Jackson also for support on this)
-- Dutchess County CSEA's Shaun Chesley (and many other county employees)
-- Grace Smith House Executive Director Judy Lombardi
-- NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence Executive Director Michele McKeon
-- Dutchess Outreach Executive Director Brian Riddell and staffer Raluca Besliu
-- Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation's Sue Delgiorno, Beth Soto, Matt Stoddard, and Ron Diaz
-- Public Employees Federation's Ken Cousin
-- Holy Light Pentecostal Church's Elder Ann Perry
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[see this must-read too-- for bracing, honest look at budget cuts proposed-- pass along to all u know!]
From http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/2010bcbcPr.pdf ...
For Immediate Release Contact:
February 22, 2009 Ron Deutsch, NYFF 518-469-6769
Frank Mauro, FPI 518-786-3156
Advocates Join Together to Urge Governor and the Legislature to Make
"Better Choices" To Balance the State Budget
Call Upon Wall Street and the Federal Government to Help Main Street
(Albany, N.Y.) Members of the Better Choice Budget Campaign joined together today to urge the Governor and the Legislature to explore alternatives to state budget cuts that would further erode jobs and desperately needed services. The group, a diverse coalition of statewide and local labor, faith-based, human service, non-profit and environmental organizations, released an extensive list of revenue-raising and cost-saving options that can help New York State achieve a balanced budget without destroying vital programs and services.
The coalition also called upon Wall Street and the federal government to help in balancing this year's state budget in ways that help to preserve the services needed for Main Street to prosper.
With at least 48 states experiencing major budget shortfalls, the Campaign supports the President's call for an extension of the fiscal relief that the federal government provided to the states last year. In December, the US House of Representatives passed extensions of the stimulus bill's Medicaid and education relief; and, similar proposals are now being considered by the US Senate. Since the states have to balance their budgets in good times and bad, it makes sense for the federal government to help the states to balance their budgets during recessions. This reduces the amount of economically harmful spending cuts that the states have to make during bad times.
"The key is to have the phase-out of the federal government's 'state fiscal relief' dovetail, as closely as
possible, with the recovery of the state governments' finances," added Frank Mauro, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute who pointed out that state governments' fiscal recoveries have historically lagged their economic recoveries.
One of the Better Choice Budget Campaign's recommendations involves a little known but very costly rebate system involving the taxation of stock transactions on Wall Street. New York State currently collects a minimal tax on stock transactions; but that tax is then instantly rebated right back to Wall Street in the amount of $16 billion per year. If New York State were to temporarily rebate 80 percent of this tax, rather than 100 percent, fully $3.2 billion a year would be raised in sorely-needed state revenues.
"Just a month after Wall Street handed out hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses, New York's schools and colleges are again facing devastating cuts," said Stephen Allinger, Director of Legislation for New York State United Teachers. "School districts, which slashed more than 5,000 positions last year, are already cutting even deeper this year, eliminating programs, mailing out layoff notices and, in some communities, are talking about closing schools. Rather than undermine all the years of progress we've made toward improving education and ending the achievement gap, we're asking lawmakers to curtail tax giveaways that fund excess profits on Wall Street and use this new revenue to save jobs and fund important education programs."
Mayor Bloomberg's January Financial Plan for 2010-14 estimates that 2009 Wall Street profits were a record $58 billion, nearly three times the previous record that was posted in 2006.
"Main Street is suffering and could use a returned helping hand from Wall Street," stated Ron Deutsch,
Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness. "It was not long ago that Main Street bailed out Wall Street-delivering a miraculous recovery that includes record profits and large bonuses. Wall Street has a vested interest in a healthy New York State economy and a temporary reduction in their generous rebate would not be too much to ask."
"In this crushing recession, families' needs are rising and the resources to meet them are falling," said Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. "The Legislature should respond by passing a budget that makes Main Street their top priority: a budget that grows the economy by investing in working families, schools and communities across the state, rather than a budget with cuts in education, health care and human services that will worsen unemployment and further destroy the safety net. "
"Governor Paterson slashed all environmental funding in his Executive Budget Proposal without considering the consequences, which are serious. In the final state budget, New York's leaders and lawmakers must make better and more responsible choices about using taxpayer dollars in order to protect New Yorkers and our air, land and water," said Rob Moore, Executive Director, Environmental Advocates of New York.
"Thanks to the Great Recession, the demand for civil legal assistance - people needing help with foreclosure, unemployment insurance and other employment issues, orders of protection, and other critical issues impacting economic stability - has increased dramatically, but funding to respond to demand has not," said Kristin Brown Lilley, Director of Legislative Advocacy for Empire Justice Center. "The Governor's budget eliminates all $13 million included in last year's budget for civil legal services, leaving only a proposed $15 million stop gap appropriation in the Judiciary Budget that is intended to help mitigate an anticipated 70 % funding reduction in the main state level funding source for civil legal services, the IOLA Fund. We call on the Governor and the Legislature to address the State's fiscal problems by actively embracing progressive revenue raising and cost savings options, rather than cutting or eliminating funding for civil legal and other essential human services at the very moment struggling New Yorkers need them most."
"We all understand the need for sacrifice and the demands of this economy - but such circumstances also require careful budgeting and sound policy choices," stated Shelly Nortz, Deputy Executive Director for Policy with Coalition for the Homeless . "The elimination of $104 million in appropriations for shelters, services and housing for the homeless in this budget proposal is the most irresponsible action I have seen here in my 22 years of representing the needs of homeless people. Assuming, for example, that homeless men and women have $36 million in their pockets available to make up for state cuts to shelter operations is patently absurd. We need a realistic budget based on real dollars and sensible policies, not phantom gap closers."
The campaign suggests that rather than slashing education, health care and the other vital services that New York families depend on, the Governor and the Legislature should make a better choice: a balanced approach that uses existing resources efficiently and raises additional revenues in ways that will not harm our state's already fragile economy. This is not the time for actions that will hinder the growth of New York's economy or hurt the children and families hit hardest by the economic downturn.
The groups believe that a balanced response to the 2010-2011 budget shortfall should include:
… Closing loopholes that allow large, profitable corporations to avoid paying their fair share of state
taxes.
… Reducing the amount of state work that is contracted out to high-priced, for-profit consultants who
are being overpaid to do work that state workers can do better for less.
… Lowering prescription drug prices for state and local governments and New York consumers by using
New York's purchasing power to negotiate fair deals with the drug companies.
… Making economic development/tax credit programs like Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs) and the Brownfield Clean-Up Program more effective and accountable and allowing the Empire Zones Program to expire.
… Temporarily reducing the Stock Transfer Tax Rebate from 100% to 80% so the finance sector helps the state through the current economic downturn which was caused in part by the excesses of many Wall Street firms.
… Curtailing growing obesity rates in NY children by adding a 1 cent per ounce tax on sugary beverages.
… Ensuring that Reservation sales of cigarettes to non-Native Americans are properly taxed (by
collecting those taxes before the products reach the reservations while still providing Native Americans
with tax-free cigarettes).
… Using the Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund (TSRF) to cover the Governor's anticipated gap in this year's budget rather than rolling it over to 2010-11. The TSRF is specifically for such end-of-year shortfalls.
… Helping the environment by instituting a minimal plastic bag tax to reduce the use of 6.3 billion bags in
NYS each year.
""Educated New Yorkers, affordable health care and housing, vital state services, a strong safety net,
preserving the environment and a sound transportation infrastructure are all essential for a healthy state
economy, today and in the future," said Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness.
###
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Again-- click on and read these six re: stock transfer tax issue if you haven't yet, folks(!):
2010 People's State of State Rally at Capitol statement [Mark Dunlea/Hunger Action Network of NYS]
http://www.hungeractionnys.org/People%20State%20of%20the%20State%202010.pdf
"Taxing the Speculators" by Paul Krugman [NYTimes 11/27/09]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/opinion/27krugman.html
"The Benefits of a Financial Transactions Tax" [Dean Baker/Center for Economic Policy and Research]
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-benefits-of-a-financial-transactions-tax/
"A Stock Transfer Tax: The Right Medicine for Wall Street" by Dean Baker [3/15/08]
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/03/15/a_stock_transfer_tax_the_right/
"Ferrer Proposes Return of Tax on Stock Trades to Aid Schools" [New York Times 4/19/05]
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E0DA1F3EF93AA25757C0A9639C8B63
"Big Idea: Tax the Street" by J.W. Mason [City Limits Magazine 9-10/02]
http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=2806
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From http://www.abetterchoiceforny.org/testimony210.pdf ..
Testimony to the Senate and Assembly Joint Fiscal Committees
2010-11 Executive Budget Proposal
February 1, 2010
Submitted by:
Ron Deutsch, Executive Director, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness
I would like to thank the distinguished members of the committee for the opportunity to speak here today. My name is Ron Deutsch and I am the Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness. Our organization spearheads the Better Choice Budget Campaign, a coalition of over 100 Labor, faith-based, human service and grassroots organizations representing over 1 million New Yorkers. We urge you to explore other possible spending cuts and revenue raising options that would help mitigate the potential devastating impacts of the cuts to services proposed by the Governor. Taking $7.4 billion dollars out of our state's economy during a recession will only make the current economic situation worse, not better. There are better choices to be made.
Close the Stock Transfer Tax Loophole ($3.2 billion)
(Secs. 270-281-a State Tax Law): The stock transfer tax is basically a sales tax on
the transfer of individual stock. Any stock transaction involving the New York
Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange or NASDAQ is subject to the tax. The
original issuance of stock is not subject to the tax. However, transfers of
treasury stock are taxable.
The tax has been in effect for decades but unfortunately the money is currently
tallied, assessed, collected and then handed right back to the brokers who paid it
in the form of a 100% rebate. The tax was collected until 1981. The state began
rebating the tax in 1979 (at 30%), 1980 (at 60%) and in 1981 (at 100%).
The way it works is simple. The broker fills out a return (form MT-650), submits
payment to the state and the state wires the money right back to the broker. In
the past the state had to momentarily take possession of the tax to fulfill the
arcane requirements of its bond agreement with the Municipal Assistance
Corporation (this is no longer the case).
In order to discourage speculation, supporters of the Stock Transfer Tax
Loophole Closure should also consider tying the tax to trading volume: the lower
the trading volume, the lower the tax. A side benefit of the plan would be
to lessen the frenzied volatility that caused many of the recent problems on Wall
Street.
NYS currently rebates 100% of the nearly $16 billion in Stock Transfer taxes back
to brokers right after it is paid. We suggest that 80% be rebated and the State
retain 20% which would result in $3.2 billion annually in state revenue.
The Tax rate and basis is as follows:
Selling Price (per share) Rate (per share)
Less than $5 1 1Ž4 cents
$5 or more but less than $10 2 1Ž2 cents
$10 or more but less than $20 3 3Ž4 cents
$20 or more 5 cents
Transactions other than sales 2 1Ž2 cents per share
Stock Transfer Tax
Collections Before
Rebates*
State Fiscal
Year Ending
In:
Amount:
1980 452,743,623
1981 580,660,890
1982 561,440,112
1983 793,351,417
1984 1,023,718,768
1985 973,710,060
1986 1,232,497,287
1987 1,527,383,132
1988 1,755,983,416
1989 1,375,278,554
1990 1,610,760,964
1991 1,706,615,076
1992 2,210,761,060
1993 2,365,933,800
1994 2,935,823,760
1995 3,003,612,181
1996 3,595,094,985
1997 4,104,580,775
1998 5,572,567,976
1999 6,782,443,468
2000 7,494,935,815
2001 7,631,765,383
2002 6,682,575,506
2003 9,288,841,525
2004 10,605,122,527
2005 11,549,250,124
2006 11,593,533,764
2007 13,419,216,071
2008 16,313,860,949
2009 15,991,810,068
*The tax is rebated at the following rates:
Beginning October 1, 1979: 30%
Beginning October 1, 1980: 60%
Beginning October 1, 1981: 100%
Source: Table 22, New York State
Department of Taxation and Finance, 2008-
2009 New York State Tax Collections:
Statistical Summaries and Historical Tables,
November 2009.
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