Governor Paterson sure does know how to talk tough when it comes to cutting budgets. He is even better at pissing legislators off by demanding $600 million in additional cuts. Though when it comes to getting campaign donations from select groups, he listens to the donors more closely than his own overriding message of fiscal restraint.
From The NY Sun:
Weeks after state police troopers padded Governor Paterson's campaign war chest with a $25,000 contribution, the governor is awarding the troopers a 14% pay raise over four years.
The contract agreement with the Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Troopers could present a problem for Mr. Paterson, as he has been sounding the alarm over the health of the state's budget and has summoned lawmakers back to Albany for a special session tomorrow to trim the budget by $600 million.
He has told New Yorkers to prepare for "painful" cuts to close a budget gap of some $6.4 billion, and warned that the state's economic downturn could turn into the next Great Depression.
By agreeing to pay raises for 3,600 state police troopers represented by the police union, he is seemingly sending mixed messages.
Mixed, blended or stirred, those messages are certainly off. While going on television for $600 million in cuts, this adds approximately $45 million to the budget over four years. Not bad for a $25K donation I might say. Now I am all in favor of giving troopers (and all middle-class state workers) raises but if the state needs to cut back, it has to be collectively, no exceptions made, even if you have $25,000 to give to the Governor's election fund.
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