THE ISSUE: Gov. Spitzer’s presentation of his $121 billion state budget.
The new state spending, as reported by E.J. McMahon, proves that Gov. Spitzer did not really beat the incumbents – Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno and all the special interests (“Eliot’s Spending Surge,” PostOpinion, Feb. 1).
Don’t feel bad, Spitzer. There aren’t too many politicians around with guts.
Rae Mackenzie
Hoboken
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Spitzer’s proposed property-tax rebate simply continues the failed policies of Gov. George Pataki.
We will continue to see school budgets expand, and the average taxpayer will be told that the increase won’t cost him a dime because of the increased STAR contribution.
Spitzer wants to penalize those of us who make the economy happen upstate. In case he forgot while he was chasing all those Wall Street demons, the average small business is the backbone of the economy.
Tax us incessantly, and we will be forced to leave.
After watching the “Great White Hope” Pataki’s failures, I have no interest in staying around to see Spitzer repeat them.
Scott Grimshaw
Marcellus
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For Silver to say that Spitzer’s executive budget is a great first beginning means that something is wrong.
The budget is growing exponentially at an unsustainable rate by doubling and nearly tripling inflation. Consider the executive budget as a base line for Silver’s budget – it’s only going up from here.
Education and health care account for more than half the budget pie, However, they’re also the two areas most inflicted by abuse.
The benefactors of a bloated budget are Medicaid-fraud abusers and the more-than-generous compensation for health care- and teacher-union workers.
Spitzer shouldn’t be spending more until New Yorkers see some clean-up in Albany. It appears that Spitzer is steamrolling our wallets.
Daniel Aiello
Kings Park