The New York City Democrat-controlled Assembly today passed a 
budget resolution as a preliminary measure to enacting this year’s spending 
plan.  Their proposal calls for $136.78 billion in spending, borrowing 
$2 billion to pay for operating costs, increasing taxes, and rejecting 
$1.1 billion in cuts proposed by Governor Paterson. 
 
Instead of changing direction, the Assembly Democrats are pursuing the 
same failed tax, spend and borrowing practices that have helped place 
the state in the current economic crisis and are doing far too little to 
make the state a more hospitable place to own a business and create 
needed jobs.  They also make no structural changes to account for the 
financial hole that will be left when the federal stimulus money expires.   
 
I am disappointed that many of my Democrat colleagues have failed to 
grasp the seriousness of the fiscal circumstances facing the state and 
New York taxpayers.  It is truly disgraceful.