Governor Cuomo Takes Budget Message to Westchester

Saying, "the message is simple, New York spends too much money, period!" New York Governor Andrew Cuomo today presented his proposed 2011-2012 budget to hundreds of students and political leaders gathered at Manhattanville College in Purchase.

The Governor said his spending plan had three basic goals: to clean up Albany, balance the budget and get the economy running again and create more jobs for New Yorkers.

Cuomo reiterated his belief that "New York is at a crossroads. I guarantee that whatever we do now will shape the state for years to come."

He said New Yorkers are taxed too much. When property taxes are factored in, New Yorkers' tax rate is 96% above the U.S. average. 

The trick he says is to "realign and redesign" New York's government to keep spending in line with income, much like the average homeowner does. According according to Cuomo, New York should   not continue  to keep throwing money at the problem, but instead "reject a system of automatic and unrealistic budget increases that for years, has caused spending to skyrocket to unsustainable levels."

He says in addition to cutting state operations by 10%, he plans to meet with labor leaders to further reduce the $10 billion budget deficit. The Governor warned, however, that if labor agreements are not reached, some 9800 layoffs would be in the cards "as a last resort."

Cuomo says he believes education should be incentivized and that schools should be rewarded for keeping costs low as well as for academic achievement. He also suggested school salaries, pensions and benefits need to be brought in line with the private sector.