Signs of Spring

by Gordon Cooper

From Broader View Weekly, April 1, 2010

When you see the familiar glint of a red-bellied Robin flying low over a green lawn, or the south end of a northbound V of Canada Geese honking high in the sky, or the whitish-yellow blossom of a Daffodil blooming along a sidewalk, you know that Spring has finally arrived in upstate New York. These sights invariably bring a sudden feeling of warmth and joy to the winter-weary heart of New Yorkers. However, there is another annual sight we witness each April that does not bring such feelings of warmth and joy.

I speak, of course, of the annual New York State Budget showdown. It starts brewing in mid-January and it percolates slowly through the chilly days of February before it starts to really boil over in late March; and by April 1 (otherwise known as April Fool’s Day – for good reason) we can be assured that our governor and our legislators will be still be miles apart from a settlement and emergency appropriations will be called for and approved in the nick of time to avoid closing schools and government offices.

Each year we are told that certain services will be jeopardized if taxes are not raised and each year we mutely accept new fees, fines and revenue enhancers imposed upon us and our businesses. Then we wonder why we see the “For Sale” signs appear in the lawns and in the shop windows of homes and businesses as more people pack their belongings and head for other states where a more favorable environment exists for families and corporations.

The current situation in Albany is not that much different from previous years; it seems that the problem persists from administration to administration with only the names changing. This year, however, there is a proposal on the table from our Lieutenant Governor, Richard Ravitch. In his simple five-step plan, modeled after a similar program that was used in the 1970’s to bring New York City back from the brink of bankruptcy, Ravitch proposes several ideas that, on the face, seem practical and efficacious.

Ravitch’s proposal includes a five-year plan in which the state commits to paying down its structural gap and gives the governor the power to make across-the-board reductions should those gaps continue to exist. It also calls for an adoption of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, in which revenues are accounted when they are “earned” rather than when the money actually arrives in Albany. The plan calls for borrowing within limits determined by an independent financial review board.

I sense many problems may result by this “fix”. One of which is the idea that we can borrow our way out of this dilemma. If we try that in our home budgets we soon come to realize that, unless we change our spending and/or increase our income, the problem will just pop up again when the credit card bills come to our mailbox.

I believe the same principles used to restore financial solvency to our personal budgets can be applied to our state. In other words, we need to change our spending habits.

I know that the principle known as NIMBY – or Not In MY Back Yard – is a very real challenge for those who know that certain industrial or governmental facilities are necessary for the public good, yet they are just as sure they do not want the construction in their backyards. The companion principle in regards to the budget could be called NMSI – Not My Special Interest – in which the electorate recognizes that the budget needs to be cut, but the cuts should not come from the area that serves my special interest. These special interests have their lobbyists strolling the halls of Albany making as much noise as they can to prove that their special interests are, indeed, special and more special than the others that are making just as much noise.

I propose that we look more closely at what we expect from our government and what we could expect from private enterprise. For example, the proposed idea to close state parks and recreation centers has been met with outcry from those who take advantage of these facilities. Perhaps we need to evaluate the idea that the state should be involved in the ownership of these parks to begin with. I contend that private enterprise can and does serve the public as well as state-run departments. Accountability from the market place is usually much more efficient than accountability from the election process.

In conclusion, we can expect to see this same sign of Spring next year and the year after, unless and until we are willing to make radical changes in the process.