Comments for Biggest Special Interests at http://www.urbanelephants.com , comment 1 to 2 out of 2 comments http://www.urbanelephants.com Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:00:46 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.urbanelephants.com/index.php/thetrunk/42-opinion/85-biggest-special-interests.html#comment-69 the healthcare workers take aim at the Governor for proposed healthcare cuts... http://www.nysun.com/new-york/hospitals-paterson-at-odds-over-proposed-cuts/83956/ ""I think the commissioner has learned very quickly how to do the old Hudson River two-step," a spokesman for the Healthcare Association of New York State, William Van Slyke, said. He said the average hospital operating margin was 0.7% in 2006, the first year New York hospitals reported a profit after suffering seven years of deficits. That slight rebound is "being used as a license to cut us back," he said." "License to cut us back???" Is he kidding? If NY State needs to cut it's budget, it can only cut the budget where the spending is - healthcare and education. No one is looking for a "license to cut." The Governor, to his tremendous credit, is making realistic budgetary proposals to ensure that the Hospitals, schools and the entire state doesn't go "belly-up." Another good line from a useless pol... "Legislators also expressed reservations. "The package that the governor put on the table does bring back memories of the old Pataki budgets," the chairman of the Assembly's health committee, Richard Gottfried, said." "Old Pataki budgets???" Does Gottfried mean the first one he passed after being elected? Because if my memory serves me right, 11 out of 12 budget passed by Pataki and the rest of the triumvirate were overly generous - the ramifications of which the present Governor is having such a problem dealing with today. Enough is NEVER enough for Albany pols. It's amazing guys like Gottfried and Silver can continue to do a disservice to thier own constitutencies just for the sake of political ideology and grandstanding and still get re-elected year in year out..... - Jay Golub Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:18:06 +0100 http://www.urbanelephants.com/index.php/thetrunk/42-opinion/85-biggest-special-interests.html#comment-63 E.J. McMahon has an excellent piece in Today's NY Post about the NYSUT... http://www.nypost.com/seven/08152008/ postopinion/opedcolumnists/teachers_go_nuclear_124547.htm - Jay Golub Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:48:16 +0100