Paterson Sued Over School Payments

[The Northerner]

Source: New York Times

ALBANY — A coalition of teachers’ unions and local school officials mounted a legal battle on Wednesday against Gov. David A. Paterson, arguing that his decision to unilaterally withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in scheduled payments to school districts violated New York’s Constitution.

The educators asserted in a lawsuit filed in State Supreme Court in Albany County that Mr. Paterson had no power to withhold money after its expenditure had been authorized by the Legislature.

“This is a terrible day in New York’s history,” said Alan B. Lubin, vice president of the New York State United Teachers, one of the groups that helped draft the lawsuit. “For this coalition to stand back and watch the governor take the money that was allocated by the State Legislature for schools, for programs, for children, and pull it back, is really a terrible thing to have witnessed.”

Mr. Paterson announced Sunday that he would withhold the money after weeks of failed negotiations with the Legislature over how to close a $3.2 billion deficit. He also said that if the economy did not improve and if state revenues did not rise next year, the money being withheld could become the basis for cuts in next year’s budget.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/nyregion/17budget.html

[bobshin]

1. As a NYState resident/taxpayer I highly resent the school unions at this point.

They have not budged an inch in this crisis. My school taxes have quadrupled. The school district I'm in is outrageously top-heavy and underperforming. The school board refuses to take no on a budget vote without rescheduling a do-over vote when no one's looking. And as of now the local school board has done NOTHING to adapt to the coming train crash of no more money. Several of my neighbors are losing their homes, not because of their mortgages but because of the school taxes. My school taxes used to be a fraction of my mortgage payment. This past year they were equal.

As for Mr. Lubin's disgusting inference that this is "for children", what a scammer!

[djp2]

2. It's the corporations, as usual

which aren't paying enough...They all scream about high taxes...let them go back to the 1950s...which would they prefer..the 1950s tax code and rates with fewer loopholes or the 2009 code with enough loopholes to drive a train through! I bet they aren't paying anything comparable inflation-wise to the 1950s..

In California the Property tax rate on business property which has been owned since 1978 hasn't gone up more than 1.3% a year...that's the problem.... corporations aren't paying their fair share..since they are not reappraised as they are often never sold! Remember these CPI inflation Indexes! I work it out at 124.8% in the last 31 years. With an annual increase of 1.3% in valuation they have increased the appraised value by only 40.3%..meaning they are paying 84.5% lower property taxes than they should be....and that is only Inflation added, not the hyperinflation of property values in California over the past 10 years.

http://www.rateinflation.com/inflation-rate/usa-historical-inflation-rate.php?form=usair
rounded...
2008 3.8%
2007 2.8%
2006 3.2%
2005 3.4%
2004 2.6%
2003 2.3%
2002 1.6%
2001 2.8%
2000 3.4%
1999 2.2%
1998 1.6%
1997 2.3%
1996 2.9%
1995 2.8%
1994 2.6%
1993 3.0%
1992 3.0%
1991 4.2%
1990 5.4%
1989 4.8%
1988 4.1%
1987 3.6%
1986 1.9%
1985 3.6%
1984 4.3%
1983 3.2%
1982 6.2%
1981 10.3%
1980 13.5%
1979 11.3%
1978 7.6%