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...NIFA director George Marlin is accorded Newsday‘s most favorable coverage. “There is the credibility deficit. A lack of candor from the county executive. Promises made, not kept,” Moderator cut: copyright post a 'snippet
Keep in mind that the piece you're talking about is an opinion piece. Not that the author doesn't have points, but it's to be taken with the same grain of salt all opinion pieces are because it's the voice of one man.
This, however, is interesting.
Quote:
Even in its diminished capacity, Newsday’s institutional mantra remains unchanged: Republican office holders in their collective view are at the root of all municipal evil. The 11-8 Republican majority in the county Legislature will be tested at the polls in November 2011, and Newsday is already creating the headlines and developing the opposition research, which will be repurposed this year as Democratic campaign literature.
To me it just illustrates the irony of New York politics. Up here, I just don't see much of a difference between Republicans and Democrats from an ideological standpoint. Neither is aligned with conservativism or liberalism or their traditional supporters any more than the other.
It's kind of ironic when you've got unions filled with registered Republicans. That pretty much ensures that politicians of both parties are damned if they do and damned if they don't. A Republican who takes on the PBA hates law enforcement. A Democrat who takes on the PBA hates unions. Both are traitors to their own bases. Yet not. A Republican who takes on the PBA wants to break a union. Good little GOPper. A Democrat who wants to take on the PBA wants to avoid a police state. Good little Demmy.
Who you decide to damn and why depends on how attached you are to your own preconceived notions, whether you play by partisanship or ideology, and whether you get your news from one source or many.
To me, they're all the same. Politicians will do anything and say anything to get their mitts on power--and that includes playing both ends against the middle.
That is where Newsday fails, because I've yet to see reporting remotely indicative of that paper taking its responsibilities as a member of the "Fourth Estate" seriously. A good newspaper will be skeptical of all politicians, left, right, up, down, Democrat or Republican. Newsday is not, and therein lies the rub.
Mangano and Schmidt have no credibility, Stack was appointed by Pataki so they are focusing on Marlin? If they want to do something meaningful then produce the details of the $61M in union concessions that did not come though that suddenly became available in a contingency. I guess it's better to complain about bias than shoing some facts. NIFA was created in 2000 because the county was unable to balance the budget that is where they need to focus.
What a load of garbage. Barry seems to be the one with the agenda here.
Few things.
First of all NIFA was set up in 2000 by Pataki, while the Chairman is a Democrat, NIFA has a mix of both sides politically. Secondly, based off how it was set up by Pataki the NIFA guidelines of when they can intervene is very specific. The budget gap needs to be 1% of the actual budget. This wasn't the case when Suozzi was in office, hence no threat of a NIFA takeover.
During the last couple years Suozzi was in office, NIFA did state they had concerns over future budgets. This is a big part of the reason why Suozzi pushed for the 3.9% property tax increase (about $60 per homeowner) in 2009, why he made future proposals for another 3.9% property tax increase (in 2011 or 2012) and why the energy tax was put in.
The energy tax was repealed by Mangano, so was the proposed 3.9% property tax increase ($60 per homeowner). So while we were facing a deficit, Mangano made the decision to cut revenue meanwhile not doing anything to actually cut spending.
There is simply no way that the budget can be balanced. And again NIFA getting involved now, as opposed to a few years ago when Suozzi was in office is about one thing. And no it has nothing to do with politics. Its about the NIFA rules set up by Pataki. The 1% deficit threshold, which wasn't an issue then, and is now.
Huh? It is well-known that newsday is a liberal rag. Readership and circulation is on a constant slide down since the 90's. Even the website is crap> Newsday.com Site Info
Now we know that NIFA is biased as well. Smash, enough with your 3.9%, "only $60" bull. If you want to talk $60 Million dollars, then let's cut spending $60 Million from the NCPD budget,,, "It's only 10% of their massive bloated budget". We pay enough in property taxes, sales taxes, miscellaneous taxes, fines and surcharges. We pay more in county taxes than we do in school taxes, so enough with the BS and the 70% School/30% County tax myths.
Huh? It is well-known that newsday is a liberal rag. Readership and circulation is on a constant slide down since the 90's. Even the website is crap> Newsday.com Site Info
Now we know that NIFA is biased as well. Smash, enough with your 3.9%, "only $60" bull. If you want to talk $60 Million dollars, then let's cut spending $60 Million from the NCPD budget,,, "It's only 10% of their massive bloated budget". We pay enough in property taxes, sales taxes, miscellaneous taxes, fines and surcharges. We pay more in county taxes than we do in school taxes, so enough with the BS and the 70% School/30% County tax myths.
How is NIFA biased? Because some right wing editorial says so, because they don't like when they are getting involved?
Look its pretty simple. When NIFA was set up by Pataki in 2000, it was set up to get involved and take over if our budget deficit is 1% or more of our overall budget.
The reason they didn't take over or threaten to take over when Suozzi was in office is simple, we weren't near that 1% threshold. Now we are near that 1% threshold. It has nothing to do with who is the county executive, who is in charge in the legislature or any of that. It isn't about politics. NIFA's board is bi-partisan. Its simply based off that 1% budget deficit threshold. We weren't near it under Suozzi, we are near it under Mangano, hence why NIFA is making the threats to take over now and did not make that threat when Suozzi was in office.
I do happen to agree that we need to make cuts in the police budget, and perhaps other areas as well. However, I also realize any time you have a municipality the size of Nassau County, you can't go forever without raising taxes. Going much beyond 7 of 8 years with no increase, (with that increase year being 3.9% or $60) is simply unrealistic with a municipality this size. As good as it may sound, and as much as everyone would love no increases ever its just unrealistic.
Now since you seemed to be opposed at raising taxes at all costs, what are your thoughts on John Venditto??
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