The Paterson administration yesterday said Mayor Mike is “shirking respon sibility” in managing his budget.
Simply breathtaking.
“The mayor’s budget uses the state as a scapegoat to shirk responsibility for their [sic] own budget choices,” said state Budget Director Robert Megna, who works for the man who singlehandedly turned New York government into a semi-regular “Saturday Night Live” comedy skit.
Megna’s comment came as Mayor Bloomberg presented his $63 billion city spending plan.
The criticism would ring a little truer if Albany even had a budget — that’s five weeks late and counting — and if everything David Paterson touches didn’t immediately turn to, um, dross.
Megna, to be sure, was responding to Bloomberg’s own swipes at Albany.
“Never before has New York faced so much uncertainty in its budget so late in the process,” Hizzoner said.
The difference?
Mayor Mike is right. Can anyone count on Albany — for anything?
Not that Mike’s plan is perfect.
He’s resisting tax hikes and cuts to cops, but he’s also taking a fire axe to the FDNY — insane in the Age of Terror.
And has Mike cut as deeply as he can?
He says the budget spends $63 billion. But it’s really $66.2 billion, correcting for accounting tricks, a 5 percent rise — dou ble the projected inflation rate.
Budget crunch? Try: party time . . .
Now the plan goes to the City Council, whose paragons of parsimony are demanding new spending — and tax hikes.
Clearly, Albany doesn’t hold a patent on irresponsibility. It just seems so.