ALBANY — New York’s notoriously inept state government has hit an all-time high — in the number of voters who say their government has hit a new low.
That was the finding of a Quinnipiac University poll yesterday, which found a massive 83 percent of voters describing state government — now almost three months late in passing a new budget — as “dysfunctional.”
Disapproval was widespread across all regions, although worst in economically hard-hit upstate.
The poll found 80 percent of voters saying they are either “somewhat” or “very” dissatisfied with the way things are going in the state — another record level of unhappiness.
Voters, by an overwhelming 76-16 percent, disapprove of the actions of the Legislature, another record high.
“By now, the adjective ‘dysfunctional’ seems to apply automatically to the Legislature,” said Quinnipiac polling director Maurice Carroll.
Meanwhile, voters placed 27 percent of the blame for the government’s dysfunction on the Democrats who control the Legislature, 24 percent on Gov. Paterson and 19 percent on Republican lawmakers.
The poll didn’t surprise many Manhattan residents interviewed yesterday. Laurie Lasker, 63, a retired teacher, declared, “All of our politicians seem to be criminal. It’s very disconcerting.”
Venture capitalist Ian Sigalow, 31, said, “Politicians have a hard time doing what’s right for both the city and the state of New York.”
Additional reporting by Amber Sutherland