Althouse: Governor Cuomo: "I wanted to go first because I wanted to make the point that I am not just asking other people to do it."

January 4, 2011

Governor Cuomo: "I wanted to go first because I wanted to make the point that I am not just asking other people to do it."

"We are going to be having conversations with labor unions about just this topic, about wages, etc."

He's taking a 5% cut on his salary (which was $179,000).

Good time to go against unions — after all the bad feeling about the snow plowing.

15 comments:

KCFleming said...: All bleeding eventually stops.

The preferred method means the patient survives.; 1/4/11, 8:32 AM
Amexpat said...: Smart gesture, it makes no real difference to his lifestyle and financial situation but it puts him in a good light and it sends out the right message.; 1/4/11, 8:42 AM
Fred4Pres said...: The unions in NY are out of control. Cuomo is a democrat though, so he will not seriously take on the unions. An empty gesture.; 1/4/11, 8:49 AM
Scott M said...: Empty specifically because of what Sheepman said...no impact on his lifestyle and financial situation. When we see him driving a Yugo, then we know his own cuts have hurt.

"She'll do 300 hectares on a single tank of Karosene. PUT IT IN H"; 1/4/11, 8:55 AM
lemondog said...: If possible he will kick the can down the road.

Is there any road left?; 1/4/11, 8:56 AM
Ray said...: A millionare dating a multimillionare gives back $9k. Whoopie.

Not saying that it's not a start but this will bounce off the unions. And Cuomo doesn't really have leverage, because he's only governor now because of a Republican brainfart in the form of Pallidino. He's really got zero room to antagonize the unions even slightly; an ambitious boy like him isn't going going to die on that hill. So he'll squeeze the "wealthy" so more, making NY slightly more uninhabitable for actual people, and kick the can down the road for the next guy.

The biggest favor that BHO has ever done for any human on earth was for David Patterson, when he helped force him from the governor's race. Patterson should send him a Christmas card every year for ensuring that he's not the guy stuck with this mess, or fighting both Republicans and the Democratic establishment/electorate.; 1/4/11, 8:57 AM
ricpic said...: Notice, not one word out of Mario's son's mouth about cutting the size of his blessed state government.; 1/4/11, 9:00 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Mario, his Dad, was a big govt lover. I think the answer is to right-size the cost of benefits and pensions of govt workers AND eliminate govt workers/ agencies that are not part of the core duties of govt. It's easier said than done I admit. But they have no other options- they can't use their slimy smoke & mirrors budget tricks any longer.; 1/4/11, 9:15 AM
Tank said...: If possible he will kick the can down the road.

Is there any road left?

Ha. Well put.

No, we're at the front of a train at the edge of the cliff with about a hundred freight cars behind us -

Geronimooooooooooooo......; 1/4/11, 9:16 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: The unions in the entire United States---- are out of control.

Fixed.

Even a small community services district like the one where I am a board member, has unfunded pension liablities of 4 times our annual gross revenues. GROSS. not NET. We owe the few employees that we have four years of total revenues and growing daily. Completely unsustainable!!

There is no way we can get caught up and no way to get out of the pension trap that was set, 15 years ago, for the rate payers. We have flirted with the idea of bankruptcy, but that would just be passing the buck to the taxpayers of the State and County which are also teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

Now that the curtain has been pulled back and the greed, graft, corruption and criminal activities of the Unions are being exposed, people will no longer be complacent.; 1/4/11, 9:24 AM
Titus said...: I would definitely do him and his brother.

A three way would be terrific.

A nice pair of hot sausages from Italy.

Yum.; 1/4/11, 9:41 AM
Amexpat said...: When we see him driving a Yugo, then we know his own cuts have hurt.

Don't see you'll see this from Cuomo.

But Jerry Brown might do something like this. He moved from the Governor's Mansion to a simple pad the last time he was gov and California has even bigger budget problems than NY. However, I don't think any self imposed cuts will "hurt" him as he seems to enjoy this type of self flagellation.; 1/4/11, 9:52 AM
SteveR said...: The unions will do nothing of the sort.; 1/4/11, 11:01 AM
X said...: Good time to go against unions — after all the bad feeling about the snow plowing.

10% unemployment and their overgenerous compensation should be the reason they get a haircut. They can easily be replaced for less money. They should also get a further paycut precisely because they are union members and are therefore less valuable to the taxpayers than they would be otherwise.; 1/4/11, 11:15 AM
Mark said...: Cuomo is a democrat though, so he will not seriously take on the unions.

At the time of the NY State Democratic Convention, Cuomo was talking an awful lot like a Tea Partier.

Fred, your analysis assumes Cuomo isn't going to pull an Obama and run for President after only a year in office. I wouldn't assume that at all, and he'd make a powerful primary opponent for the Big O, if he follows through and makes the unions howl, then capitulate.; 1/4/11, 11:32 AM