Gov. Patterson Calls Out State Senate
This past Tuesday, Senate Democrats led by their majority leader Malcolm Smith released their MTA bailout plan. The plan was slammed by many including Gov. Patterson, who continued his onslaught against it on talk radio. The governor made 3 radio appearances today & at each stop, he took the time to call out the Senate for their lack of action. Glenn Blain of the New York Daily News has more in this report:
Gov. Paterson launched a radio offensive against fellow Democrats Thursday, accusing lawmakers of “hijacking” the effort to bail out the MTA and save straphangers.
In a three-station blitz, Paterson said Senate Democrats have been unable or unwilling to make the tough decisions needed to save riders from the crushing fare hikes and service cuts.
“This is just a classic example of Albany thinking it can make up its own rules,” Paterson said on WOR’s “John Gambling Show.”
Austin Shaffran, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, said the Democratic plan would protect straphangers from “devastating fare hikes and losses of services and jobs.”
He also said the plan would hold the MTA much more accountable for how it spends money.
“Our proposal requires the transparency and honest accounting of MTA finances that New Yorkers deserve whenever their money is being spent.”
Paterson ripped the Democratic plan Thursday as incomplete and said it was done largely just to win public favor.
“Either you’re going to have to put tolls on the bridges or you’re going to have to increase the fare dramatically,” Paterson said. “You can’t go in a third direction.”
Click here for the complete report.
As I said two days ago, I support Gov. Patterson for seeing right through the ridiculousness of Malcolm Smith’s plan. The plan was poorly thought out if it was at all when you think about it. The figures used were so out of touch with reality, it was laughable. I will have more on that in the next entry. However for as much as I support Gov. Patterson’s position on the plan, he needs to help lead the way for a real bailout plan. Time is running out & saying the right things is not enough as the lives of millions are on the line here.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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