1. Elliot Spitzer,
2. David Patterson,
3. Joe Bruno,
4. Sheldon Silver,
5. Richard Iannuzzi

You may think I pose this question because former Governor Spitzer was so well known and his replacement has come from obscurity but that’s not why I ask.

Governor Paterson has vowed to reign in state spending and has been firm when talking to most state agencies. But when he suggested a property tax cap, the teacher unions, represented by NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi, put him in his place. The unions will not tolerate talk of limiting how much they can spend.

Governor Pataki tried to do it when he proposed a property tax cap as part of the STAR program a decade ago. But the only way the STAR property tax bill could get through the union lapdog Democrats in the State Legislature was without the proposed cap. And just as predicted, the lack of a spending cap gave the teacher unions the opportunity to spend away all the tax savings that STAR promised. It also revealed Pataki’s lack of political will. He capitulated to the liberal socialists that really run New York and the fiscal train wreck he predicted is now here.

Which brings me to a revealing quote from the cover story in the May 1^st issue of The Record. Ron Canestrari, the Democratic Majority Leader of the New York State Assembly was talking about Republican Senate Majority Leader Bruno’s proposal to remove the state tax from gasoline. Canestrari said: “I think this is a joke and a sham. They know we cannot guarantee oil companies won’t continue to raise prices and reap the benefits of any proposed cuts on state taxes.”  Spoken like a true socialist. It’s too bad he didn’t feel this way when the STAR property tax relief bill came to a vote in the Assembly because that’s just what the unions did when given the same opportunity. But there is a huge difference between giving taxpayers a break in what they voluntarily pay for gas over what they are forced to pay for education.

One of the benefits of reducing the cost of gas now is to boost our summer tourism industry in addition to reducing the cost of bringing goods and services to market during the busy summer season. We stand to see a net gain in tax revenue generated from industries that will benefit from lower gas prices, and that includes all of us. Tax relief is like the tide in that it lifts everyone’s boat.    

DRC