State of the State: Advocates Begin to React

Today's e-mails bring reactions to Governor Paterson's State of the State address.

The Legal Action Center likes Governor Paterson's drug law proposal:

The Legal Action Center strongly supports Governor Paterson’s call in his State of the State speech for reform of New York’s Rockefeller Drug Laws and the expansion of chemical dependence treatment services. Paul Samuels, Director and President of the Legal Action Center states, “Governor Paterson has shown strong leadership in recognizing that addiction should be separated from criminality, judges should have the discretion to send addicted individuals to treatment instead of prison, and chemical dependence treatment should be expanded. New York’s drug laws deprive children of their parents, waste enormous human and financial resources, and fail to address effectively the addiction that underlies most drug offenses. Studies have shown that treatment is more effective at reducing serious crimes committed against people and property by drug addicted individuals than mandatory minimum sentences.”

A study just released by the Legal Action Center shows that drug law reform will also save New York over a quarter billion dollars a year. According to the study, when drug law reform is fully operational, New York will save $267,660,000 a year. Over 3,600 individuals a year could be diverted. Anita Marton, Vice President with the Legal Action Center and principal author of the study, stated, “Reform of the Rockefeller-era drug laws is a win-win situation for justice system, for the people of the State of New York and for individuals whose criminality is driven at least in part by their addiction. New York State cannot afford not to reform the drug laws.”

Legal Services organizations are not happy:

Anne Erickson, president and CEO of the Empire Justice Center, speaking on behalf of the Legal Services Funding Alliance, a coalition of the 20 legal services programs outside of New York City, said:

... the Governor’s complete elimination of civil legal services funding in his budget, especially at this urgent time of need, runs counter to his personal record of advocating for poor, disabled and distressed New Yorkers, as well as, his message today that recognized the need for community service programs,” Erickson continued.

“We know Gov. Paterson has been a strong advocate for access to justice and the delivery of legal assistance to those most in need, and today said that the best
ethical decisions lead to the best policy decisions. We agree and urge the Governor to heed his own words and make the right ethical and policy decision by restoring critical CLS funding, at least to last year’s level.”

(Last year state funding for civil legal services was reduced 55% Additionally, there is a continuing attempt to cut current year funding through the deficit budget which calls for a 44% cut to any unspent funding in the 2008-09 budget.)

Citizen Action isn't happy either:

[The Governor] talked eloquently about the burden that many New Yorkers are feeling in the face of our economic problems, but he is missing the simplest solution to putting our state's economy back on track: increasing taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers.

In recent years, tax cuts for New York's richest have led to the state losing over $17 billion a year in revenue. With our state facing a $15 billion deficit in the coming fiscal year, it's critical that we bring some common sense back to the tax code: let's pass Fair Share Tax Reform.

Fair Share Tax Reform is simple. If you earn more than $250,000 a year, then you'll pay a little more in taxes. This could earn the state over $5 billion in additional revenue!

New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness puts it into context:

We are concerned however, about the contradictions between the Governor’s wish list in his speech and the actions in his budget proposal. The Governor wants more New Yorkers to go to college but increases tuition at state universities, makes TAP harder to get for working parents, and cuts aid to community colleges making it harder for many to access higher education. He wants to increase the quality of education yet significantly cuts funding for schools this year and next. He wants more New Yorkers to have access to healthcare but cuts funding to hospitals, nursing homes and home visiting programs. He wants to create jobs but the massive cuts he has proposed will simply put more New Yorkers out of work. He is simply ignoring macro-economic principles.

Recently, over 100 Economists from around the state urged the Governor to adopt a balanced approach to closing the state deficit. They suggest that an income tax increase on the wealthiest would be less harmful to the state's economy then massive cuts to state spending. They posit that we need to keep as much money in the local economy as possible in order to effectively get out of this recession and close the budget gap. In March of 2008, Joseph Stiglitz, the Chair of the Governor’s Panel of Economic Advisors ( and 2001 Nobel Prize Winning Economist) stated the same message as the economist mentioned above. They are not alone! Poll after poll clearly indicates that the public overwhelmingly supports restoring progressivity to the Personal Income Tax by increasing the top tax rates on the wealthy.

A comprehensive solution means that all New Yorkers need to help solve this problem and that the wealthiest among us have an even greater obligation to contribute. While the Governor talks about shared sacrifice he seems to be practicing spared sacrifice. The governor says that he fears that wealthy New Yorkers will leave the state if we increase income taxes on the rich. It did not happen in 2003 and will not happen in 2009. We believe what will drive people out of NYS is a reduction in the quality of life for many working families in NYS that could be avoided by asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share of taxes.