Gubernatorial candidate Stanley Aronowitz today criticized the proposed state budget for raiding funding for the environment and poor people while increasing tax cuts and corporate welfare for the wealthy. Aronowitz, seeking the Green Party nomination, said the budget was a bad fiscal plan "that relies on one-shots to disinvest in the needs of the average New Yorker."
"The governor's proposed budget for 2002-2003 is woefully short on adequate funds for education, environment, mass transportation and health care for New York State's people. At a time of growing needs it is an austerity budget that, in real terms, will actually reduce funds for some essential services. The expected $1.2 billion shortfall should not be used as a justification for austerity. It is a product of Pataki's huge tax giveaway of $100 billion since 1995, a boast he made in his January budget address. Despite September 11 and the serious crisis faced by many of the state's school districts he insists on going ahead with $4 billion in tax reductions this year."
Aronowitz faulted the Governor and Legislature for agreeing to enact and phase in additional tax cuts, while failing to take steps to make wealthy New Yorkers and large corporations bear a fairer share of the tax burden.
"New Yorkers deserve better. We need substantial increases in state aid to public school districts, a major infusion of funds to the City and State university systems. On health needs, rather than diverting funds from health care programs for the poor, we need a state sponsored single payer health care program. But to accomplish this end we need to progressivize our tax system. We must rescind the tax cuts to the wealthy and extend tax relief for low and moderate income people, " Aronowitz continued.
Aronowitz said in addition to a small increase in the personal income tax rate for the wealthiest New Yorkers, he supported re-enacting the commuter tax and ending the rebate of the stock transfer tax. New York returns to Wall Street $8 billion it collects annually from a small tax on stock transactions.
Aronowitz a distinguished professor at CUNY Graduate Center and an official of the Professional Staff Congress, the 17,000 member union of CUNY faculty and staff, stated his support for legislation to allow welfare participants to attend college, as well as expanding access for basic education and training programs. He opposed diverting more than $1 billion of the federal welfare (TANF) block grants to subsidize more economic development funding.
"Welfare dollars should be invested in helping poor families get on the feet, not in budget gimmickry. We need more funding for child care, for job creation targeted at poor neighborhoods, for transportation. We need to reverse the cuts made last year in the so-called barebones budget, and increase investment in human services, mental health programs, AIDs, affordable housing," stated Aronowitz.
Aronowitz opposed diverting $200 million of Environmental Protection Funds to help "balance" the budget. Aronowitz called for increased environmental spending.
"We need funds to close and decommission the Indian Point nuclear plant and allocate resources to develop a jobs and retraining program for the displaced workers at the plant. And we need a genuine state-sponsored mass transit program for large sections of the west side of the Hudson river and central and western New York. Toward this end the negotiators should provide funds for planning with a view to implementation in the next two years, " added Aronowitz.
Aronowitz criticized the legislature for spending more money on prisons than on the state university system. "Repealing the Rockefeller Drug Laws is not only humane, it would save the state's millions of dollars if they invested in treatment and prevention programs," he noted.
