[note re: below: email countylegislators@co.dutchess.ny.us on this-- Tyner/Jeter-Jackson/MacAvery/Amparo/Doxsey resolution for Co. Leg. pushing Better Choice Budget recommendations for NYS will be on Mar. mtg. agenda; and call Cuomo and state legislators TODAY on all this-- toll-free at 877-255-9417; before too late!...Joel]
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Yesterday the Poughkeepsie Journal printed another of my op-ed pieces (second one this year!):
"Demand Fairness in New York's Budget"
11:10 PM, Feb. 22, 2012 |
Written by Joel Tyner
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20120223/OPINION04/302230037/Demand-fairness-New-York-s-budget
Joel Tyner is a Dutchess County legislator for District 11, Clinton/Rhinebeck. He is also a Democratic candidate for the 20th Congressional District.
Resources
See DutchessDemocracy.blogspot.com; JoelforCongress.org - call us at 845-444-0599 to get involved. Also see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org
Here are 10 reasons to come out to our "A Better Choice Budget for New York" forum with New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness Executive Director Ron Deutsch, Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Rhinebeck Town Hall at 80 East Market St. Deutsch will also be speaking the same evening at 7:30 p.m. at the Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie on 20 Carroll St.
1. The Better Choice Budget Coalition sensibly calls for a return to the full millionaires tax and closing one billion dollars' worth of corporate tax loopholes annually - coalition members include the New York State Alliance for Retired Americans, Statewide Senior Action Council of NYS, NYS Coalition for the Aging, New York State Library Association, Interfaith Alliance of NYS, Interfaith Impact of NYS, Alliance for Quality Education, Environmental Advocates of NY, Center for Independence of the Disabled of New York, NYS AFL-CIO, CSEA, NYSUT, PEF, AFSCME, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, NYS Community Action Association, NYS Episcopal Public Policy Network, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, Community Voices Heard, Fiscal Policy Institute, and the Hunger Action Network of New York State.
2. Fact: New York's millionaires tax used to bring in $4.6 billion in revenue annually; because of December's tax deal, it now only brings in $1.9 billion in revenue - creating a $2.7 billion hole in the state budget ( http://www.FiscalPolicy.org ).
3. Meanwhile, over the last two years alone $2.7 billion has been cut from state aid to schools - so Hyde Park Elementary School may close, LaGrange and Smith Elementary schools already closed, and the City of Poughkeepsie has cut back to half-day kindergarten - and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed to add only $805 million in state aid to schools this year while proposing to cut $99 million from early childhood intervention services over the next five years.
4. Sixty-three percent of school districts increased their class size because of these budget cuts, 36 percent cut summer schools, 22 percent cut art classes, 14 percent cut music classes, and 17 percent cut honors or advanced placement courses ( http://www.AQENY.org ).
5. The richest 1 percent of New York state households increased their share of all income statewide from 10 percent in 1980 to 35 percent in 2007, and the 67 billionaires who call New York home have a combined net worth over $234.9 billion ( http://www.99PercentNY.org ).
6. Recent Marist/YNN, Siena, Quinnipiac and Hart research polls all show the vast majority of New Yorkers strongly supported maintaining the full millionaires tax.
7. As the Poughkeepsie Journal reported ("Seniors pay more under EPIC rules" Feb. 4), because of $36 million cut in state funding last year for the state's Elderly Prescription Insurance Coverage (EPIC) program, "starting in January EPIC participants have had to pay between $3 and $20 for a prescription, depending on the overall cost of the medication; now New York doesn't subsidize participants until they reach the coverage gap of $2,930, also known as the 'doughnut hole' - until that time, seniors pay 25 percent of the cost of the drug."
8. The State University of New York's funding has been cut by $1.4 billion over the last four years - over $300 million last year alone. SUNY's total operating budget has already been reduced by over 35 percent over the last five years ( http://www.SaveOurSUNY.org ).
9. As Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has recently stated, "defined contribution plans are not adequate for retirement security for public or private workers; study after study has shown that defined benefit plans cost less in the long run than 401(k) style plans and perform better" - more workers should have defined-benefit pensions - we shouldn't kill what's left of the middle class by attacking public employee pensions.
10. Finally, large multinational corporations that do business in New York should pay taxes; some of the worst corporate tax dodgers are Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, Travelers Insurance, Verizon and Goldman Sachs. We need to level the playing field so that small businesses are not left holding the bag while big businesses are allowed to avail themselves of billions of dollars in corporate tax subsidies and loopholes - loopholes should be closed for corporate tax evaders, real estate partnership abuses should end, and New York needs to "expand the nonresident personal income tax to include income received from hedge fund management fees," as Gov. David Paterson included in his 2010 Executive Budget proposal.
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[recall below sent out to this list Friday]
Hi all...
Thanks much to my Co. Leg. colleagues Barbara Jeter-Jackson, Alison MacAvery, Francena Amparo, and Jim Doxsey...
To their credit, Barbara, Alison, Francena and Jim have all agreed to co-sponsor my resolution below for our March Co. Leg. mtg. for Better Choice Budget for NYS!...(see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org )...
Help get more county legislators on board-- email countylegislators@co.dutchess.ny.us today!...
[thx also to some of you out there who have already emailed letters to leg.'s on this; keep pressure on!]
[recall: Cablevision, some Occ.-Pok. and HPE folks came out our Valentine's Day rally last Tuesday:
http://www.dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2012/01/valentines-day-rally-have-heart-nys-at.html ]
And-- just as importantly-- call Cuomo and state legislators on all this now too-- at (877) 255-9417...
[there will be even less funding in state budget for our schools and services if we don't raise ruckus now]
Joel
845-444-0599/876-2488
joeltyner@earthlink.net
http://www.JoelforCongress.org
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Joel
p.s. Kudos as well to Conservative Co. Leg. Jim Doxsey for his work for years now to stop New York State from giving literally $16 billion annually to Wall Street in tax breaks re: stock transfer tax rebate...
[see: http://doxseydistrict1.com/?p=639 ; http://doxseydistrict1.com/?m=201103 ;
http://mhvperspective.com/?Return=T;lquery=Author+regexp+'James+R.+Doxsey'+order+by+ID+desc ;
http://doxseydistrict1.com/?cat=bwmbbkppup&paged=3 ]
[join 150+ signed to my http://www.petitiononline.com/stocktax effort if you agree with Jim/me on this!]
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[here below-- text of resolution for Better Choice Budget-- email countylegislators@co.dutchess.ny.us!]
Urging the New York State Legislature to Enact Better Choice Budget Coalition Recommendations to Fund Dutchess County Services, Schools, Health Care, and the DEC to Avoid County Property or Sales Tax Hikes
WHEREAS, our County Executive's State of the County Address informed us that, "the 2012 budget appropriates $24.3 million of the year-end audited general fund balance of $29.9 million to pay for the core services our residents expect; this application of fund balance, coupled with the additional drawdown of $3 million during 2011 and other potential projected revenue shortfalls or unforeseen emergencies, could leave county government with no un-appropriated fund balance when the 2011 books are closed," and
[see: http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/CountyExecutive/21111.htm ]
WHEREAS, New York's millionaires tax used to bring in $4.6 billion in revenue annually; because of December's tax deal, it now only brings in $1.9 billion in revenue, creating a $2.7 billion hole in the state budget; the richest one percent of NYS households increased their share of all income statewide from 10 percent in 1980 to 35 percent in 2007, the 67 billionaires who call New York home have a combined net worth over $234.9 billion, and recent Marist/YNN, Siena, Quinnipiac, and Hart research polls all show the vast majority of New Yorkers strongly supported maintaining, extending, and expanding the full state-level millionaires tax, and
[see: http://www.FiscalPolicy.org ; http://www.99PercentNY.org ;
http://www.capitaltonight.com/2011/02/groups-band-together-to-push-millionaires-tax/ ; http://www.hungeractionnys.org/Poeple%20SOS%20release%202011.pdf ;
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=940073&category=state ;
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2010/08/16/100816ta_talk_surowiecki ]
WHEREAS, over the last two years $2.7 billion has been cut from state aid to schools in New York; as a result, Hyde Park Elementary School may close, LaGrange and Smith Elementary Schools already closed, and the City of Poughkeepsie has cut back to half-day kindergarten; Governor Cuomo has proposed to only add $805 million in additional state aid to schools this year, while cutting $99 million from early childhood intervention services over the next five years, and
[see: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Details-of-Cuomo-s-budget-proposal-2593571.php ]
WHEREAS, because of $36 million cut in state funding to 300,000 New York seniors over the last year for the state's Elderly Prescription Insurance Coverage (EPIC) program, starting in January EPIC participants have had to pay between $3 and $20 for a prescription, depending on the overall cost of the medication; now New York doesn't subsidize participants until they reach the coverage gap of $2,930, also known as the "doughnut hole"; until that time, seniors pay 25 percent of the cost of the drug, and
https://www.change.org/petitions/governor-cuomo-and-the-new-york-state-legislature-fully-fund-epic-elderly-prescription-insurance-coverage-program
WHEREAS, as Comptroller DiNapoli has recently stated, "defined contribution plans are not adequate for retirement security for public or private workers; study after study has shown that defined benefit plans cost less in the long run than 401k style plans and perform better; it is unconscionable that so many New Yorkers and Americans do not have a secure retirement, often times because corporations have stripped retirement plans for short-term fiscal gains," and
[see: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/press/releases/feb12/021312.htm ;
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/107821/dinapoli-warns-against-effort-to-dismantle-pensions/ ]
WHEREAS, last year state spending on health care was cut by $2.8 billion, and the State University of New York has been cut by $1.4 billion over the last four years; SUNY's total operating budget has already been reduced by over 35% over the last five years, tuition is scheduled to rise by $300 a year every year for the next five years; our state's Department of Environmental Conservation was funded at $1.5 billion in 2009-2010; Governor Cuomo has proposed less than $1.1 billion in funding for the DEC for 2012-2013; there were 4050 DEC staff in 1989; less than 3000 DEC staff are proposed in Governor Cuomo's budget for next year, and
[see: http://eany.org/images/Reports/budgetbrief12-13.pdf ;
http://www.SaveOurSUNY.org ; http://www.nysenate.gov/files/Jackie%20Haynes.pdf ;
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/08/student-loan-debt-bankruptcy_n_1263348.html ;
http://online.wsj.com/article/APf6aaf05fc11c46e7a78621d594e11cb1.html ;
http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/education/12college.html ]
WHEREAS, the Better Choice Budget Coalition calls for a return to the full millionaires tax and one billion dollars worth of corporate tax loopholes annually to be closed; coalition members include the New York State Alliance for Retired Americans, Statewide Senior Action Council of NYS, NYS Coalition for the Aging, New York State Library Association, Interfaith Alliance of NYS, Interfaith Impact of NYS, Alliance for Quality Education, Environmental Advocates of NY, Center for Independence of the Disabled of New York, NYS AFL-CIO, CSEA, NYSUT, PEF, AFSCME, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, NYS Community Action Association, NYS Episcopal Public Policy Network, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, Community Voices Heard, Fiscal Policy Institute, and the Hunger Action Network of New York State, and therefore be it
[see: http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org ]
RESOLVED, that the Dutchess County Legislature hereby calls on the New York State Legislature to pass and Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign into law the Better Choice Budget coalition's common-sense revenue recommendations, to avoid property/sales tax hikes, avoid any more attacks on public employees and their pensions, and to restore full funding for crucial services here in our county, our schools, health care, our universities, our state's Departments of Environmental Conservation, Agriculture and Markets, and Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, and be if further
RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo, state Senators Greg Ball and Stephen Saland, and Assemblymembers Kevin Cahill, Stephen Katz, and Joel Miller.
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