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 on this 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]
Also-- tune into my show on WHVW 950 AM tomorrow (Sat.) from 8 to 10
am-- because Frank Mauro, Executive Director of the Albany-based
Fiscal Policy Institute ( http://www.FiscalPolicy.org ), will be our
guest (Frank together with Ron Deutsch of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness
provides much of the research/data for Better Choice Budget)...
Finally, put Tues. Feb. 28th 5:30 pm on your calendars too-- because
I'll be hosting a forum that evening with NYFF Ex. Dir. Ron Deutsch
on how the Better Choice Budget for NYS could help us in Rhinebeck, Clinton, Dutchess County, and the Hudson Valley-- at the Rhinebeck Town Hall at 80 East Market Street there!...
[pass it on; no time like NOW to lift our voices on all this-- state
budget will be finalized by end of March]
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!]
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[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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