Protest against budget cuts at Albany NY Capital results in arrests.

[maryf]

ALBANY -- The battle over New York's budget went into high gear Wednesday as a protest against cuts and the end of a "millionaires' tax" blockaded an entrance to the Capitol for almost an hour. Seventeen demonstrators were arrested and hauled off in a State Police van.

Bearing signs saying "Don't balance the budget on the backs of the poor" and shouting "Hey hey, ho ho, the funding cuts have got to go," the roughly 150 demonstrators, largely from New York City, represented progressive activist groups pushing for rent reductions for people with HIV, homeless services, low-income housing, health care and other issues.

Among the organizers were Community Voices Heard, Picture the Homeless, Queers for Economic Justice and VOCAL-NY.

"We're here to demand that the millionaires pay their fair share," said Wanda Hernandez, of the Bronx, who explained the main objective was to slow down social service funding cuts in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed $132.9 billion 2011-12 budget. To avert cuts, the critics want an extension of the so-called "millionaires tax," which is actually an income tax surcharge on those earning more than $200,000, which is set to expire at the end of the year.
<snip>
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Capitol-protest-ends-in-arrests-1038202.php#ixzz1Fh2o5eZD

Great pix at link, I'll try to post them, I'm tech challenged though!

[maryf]

1. Images

working on them...
http://www.timesunion.com/mediaManager/?controllerName=image&action=get&id=602605&width=628&height=471

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Capitol-protest-ends-in-arrests-1038202.php#photo-3

I'm giving up! If anyone can post images from the link, I'd appreciate it!

[bobbolink]

35. I can't get it to post, either. Don't know what is up with that.....

http://www.timesunion.com/mediaManager/?controllerName=image&action=get&id=602606&width=628&height=471

Tried it in another place... I think the source has them blocked

[fittosurvive]

2. I think a lot of people do not understand that unlike the fedgov,

state governments are not allowed to appropriate money from future generations. They are legally bound to balance their budgets.

[Lindsay]

3. State governments can also raise taxes.

That sort of thing, however, is apparently never to be mentioned in polite company.

[maryf]

5. +1

thanks!

[fittosurvive]

8. Yes, they could do that, but they already have the 2nd highest tax burden in the nation.

Do you think Gov. Cuomo would like to be known as the guy who moved his state into the #1 slot?

[bobbolink]

21. So, your answer is to just let poor poeple die, while all the protests are for middleclass people?

[dionysus]

59. that poster didn't say that...

[maryf]

27. Cartoon for you...

I'd love to laugh, but it cuts to close to the quick...it's an oldie referring to health care, but somehow is too apt not to post here...

[erodriguez]

39. Cuomo is letting the millionaires tax expire at the expense of school aid and aid to the poor.

[maryf]

4. On the backs of the poor? NYS charges a tiny tax on stock transactions, but

rebates it all!! It's either .25 or .025%...that's either $2.50 on $1,000 or a quarter on $1,000...tiny and impacts the traders very little on their profit base. The state rebates ALL of it, it generated $16 billion, and they gave it all back...our deficit is $9 billion, that would have left us $7 billion in the black...who benefits? The rich benefit on the backs of the poor, the workers, and the middle class...

[fittosurvive]

10. Surely, you do no believe that the rich are the only ones who buy and sell stocks.

New York already has the 2nd highest tax rate in the nation, so there is not much room to raise them further still.

[maryf]

12. Surely you don't believe that .25% would really even be noticed

by the stock traders that do it on a small scale?? Twenty five dollars on $10,000? That's a lunch...

I think the amount, if it's .25%, or .oo25 of the total costs of all transactions comes to about 4 trillion dollars, 40 trillion if it's .o25%, the amount per individual from these huge figures is so minimal, regardless who it is that doesn't get rebated, it's laughable, ... people without homes, heat, healthcare, and food is tragic.

Please stop with the right wing talking points. Thanks.

[fittosurvive]

14. Believe it or not, Gov. Cuomo is not espousing right wing talking points.

He is making some tough choices and tough choices are ALWAYS unpopular.

[maryf]

17. You make my point for me!

If you don't think most of the following is right wing rhetoric, including the "tough choices" being unpopular that you spout, then you and I are speaking different languages. This letter I got is about education, I'm searching for things he's said about cuts to social programs...


My Fellow New Yorkers,

You elected me to be your voice in Albany and to make tough decisions. Few issues are as critical to the future of our state as reforming our education system.

Right now, we rank number one in the nation in spending per student, and number 34 in student achievement . Worse still, these poor results are coming after a decade of record spending increases in education funding.

Throwing money at the problem is not the answer. We need to cut the bureaucratic fat and champion reforms that will help our students achieve their true potential.

We need to spend smarter. To this end I have proposed a $250 million fund for competitive awards to school districts that have the greatest improvement in student performance. A similar fund of $250 million will reward school districts that produce the most innovative means to cut waste from the system.

In the debate over the state budget, it is important to focus on the facts instead of overheated rhetoric. While I have asked state agencies to cut their budgets by 10%, I have only sought an average 2.9% reduction in overall school spending. And I have suggested many ways in which school districts can absorb these reductions without laying off teachers, cutting programs or harming students.

* School districts have $1.5 billion in reserves and unspent federal funds that will allow many to absorb the proposed $1.5 billion cuts without service reduction.
* Freezing wages, as I have proposed to do for state workers, would save school districts $1.1 billion.
* Having school district employees make the same health care contributions that state employees make would result in $500-$600 million in savings.
* Cutting the salaries of the more than 2,000 high priced school administrators who receive more than $150,000 in salaries and benefits would result in substantial savings.

At a time when New Yorkers are watching every penny, we can no longer afford to throw money at a system bloated with waste and inefficiency. By coming together and acknowledging that fixing our schools means placing the interests of our students ahead of special interests, we can make New York’s schools the envy of the rest of the nation.

Sincerely,

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

PS: To learn more about the budget, please visit www.governor.ny.gov/budget.

[fittosurvive]

29. Forgive me, but that letter clearly explains the problems NY must resolve

and outlines what the governor proposes as RESPONSIBLE solutions to those problems.

The majority of New Yorkers concur, as evidenced by Cuomo's crushing defeat of his IRRESPONSIBLE opponent in November.

BTW: the link you provided is broken.

[maryf]

57. Taxing the rich would be much more responsible, but I guess the people

are just collateral damage.

[bobbolink]

22. Are you the one who will have to bury those "tough choices"?

[maryf]

25. He's not choosing to raise taxes...

right wing.

[fittosurvive]

It is not right wing to advocate for fiscal responsibility.

The time for dodging and sidestepping reality has come to an end.

[bobbolink]

32. You're right.. both left-wing and right-wing people(and I use the term loosely)

have determined that POOR PEOPLE need to die so you can remain comfy.

Isn't that precious?

[fittosurvive]

36. Two-thirds of the states have higher poverty rats than New York.

Clearly, you are being overly dramatic.

[bobbolink]

37. YEs, of course, it is "overly dramatic" to care about DEATHS.

It is shameful that both left- and right-wing people have lost any sense of COMPASSION.

Keep it up.. you will NOT shame me... *I* know right from wrong, and I know that sending poor people off a cliff is wrong.

[Aerows]

41. "Poverty rats" - was that a Freudian slip?

[maryf]

50. Oh, you're kidding now...

that is as right wing a talking point as it gets...though the time for dodging and sidestepping reality has certainly come to an end...people are suffering, dying even, and losing homes in exponentially higher numbers...? and the disparity between rich and poor is growing even faster:

[maryf]

6. For the union workers and teachers here, from the link:

"While public employee unions such as SEIU and teachers unions were not involved in the protest, some of those present repeatedly said they opposed cuts to the schools and teacher layoffs as well as health care cuts in the governor's budget.

"A lot of my friends are teachers," said Larry Gadsen, an audio engineer from the Bronx. He said he comes to the Capitol about three times a year to demonstrate for human service funding."

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Capitol-protest-ends-in-arrests-1038202.php#ixzz1FpgE91Wb

As a teacher, I'm touched that those protesting for the poor should mention us, can we teachers please remember to mention the poor in our protests? Many of my students are very poor and they are getting in tougher and tougher shape! We're all in this together, lets remember that.

[xchrom]

7. recommend

[maryf]

9. Thanks!!

this picture is my favorite:

http://www.timesunion.com/mediaManager/?controllerName=image&action=get&id=602611&width=628&height=471

you'll have to click though...

[Starry Messenger]

11. k&r

[maryf]

13. Thanks!!

check out the pictures! :hi:

[maryf]

15. Video of event!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYWeXeRcB6E

[Historic NY]

16. If they reinstituted the stock transfer tax & collected the billions owed in taxes...

Ny would be swimming in black ink.

According to the Department of Taxation and Finance, somewhere between $2.5 and $4.2 billion is owed to New York State in delinquent tax collections. The ammesty program was a failure.

http://www.tax.ny.gov/enforcement/warrants.htm

[maryf]

18. Yep, yep, yep!!

just on the stock transfer tax, which is in place, btw, they just rebate it! We'd be 7 billion in the black, thanks!

[bobbolink]

45. The point is to protest loudly, like these people did!

;hi:

[Agony]

19. Kick nt

[socialist_n_TN]

20. Kick. WTF is it about taxation?????

It's RARELY, if ever, mentioned as an option and when it DOES get mentioned, it gets shut down IMMEDIATELY. I think I might be stubborn about it.

Shout out to the protestors. We've got enough so that NOBODY in this country should be hungry, homeless, and without medical care. The easiest and most peaceful way to get money to fund these programs is with taxation on the ones that HAVE the wealth.

You don't really want to go there as to the other methods of obtaining funding. Richies, just go with taxation.

[bobbolink]

23. Because it is so much easier to let poor people die, and there is no OUTRAGE.

[maryf]

24. They'll give to charities...

or the poor homeless person featured on Oprah...but get mad? try to touch their "hard earned" money? hah... and they might even shed a tear if they read about some child dying...:grr:

[socialist_n_TN]

46. Well as I said, they'd BETTER get used to taxation..........

because I guarantee that they won't like the OTHER methods of redistributing the wealth. And it WILL be distributed, one way or another.

[maryf]

53. expropriation is always fun!

:hi:

[socialist_n_TN]

60. AND it has a long history........

:)

[maryf]

26. Cuomo's budget cuts

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2011/02/01/news/doc4d482c42af751346856092.txt?viewmode=2

[bananas]

28. k&r nt

[Lifelong Protester]

30. Looks like we have some capitalist trolls here...

I say, TAX THE RICH! TAX THE RICH!

Stop the lies. We have been duped in the biggest cash transfer IN HISTORY, taking money from the working class and giving it to the, as Michael Moore calls them, the uber-rich.

I say if you are one of the 'uber-rich' be afraid. Be VERY afraid. There are more of us than there are of you.

[maryf]

47. Yep 300,00,000 people trumps all their money!

Tax the filthy Rich!

[MedleyMisty]

54. I put the trolls on ignore

Only takes reading one post to recognize them. And I am always validated by the long sub-threads of reasonable and good people getting outraged, punctuated with "ignored".

[Abq_Sarah]

58. When Michael Moore

Divests himself of his millions, I'll start to pay attention to his opinion. Frankly, I'm sick and tired of millionaires who could write a check but won't do it unless they're forced to by the government.

[KoKo]

31. This is excellent news. Didn't see it covered anywhere on the TeeVEE...

or online. K&R!

[bobbolink]

33. It ISN"T being covered, because WE aren't making enough noise!

We are so busy concentrating on Wisconsin, that we are ignoring The Least Of These.

Please help be our voice!

[maryf]

48. I think these protests might be more common than we know...

and I think it was covered on local tv, we gotta be the press!

[Tsiyu]

34. In New York City?

There should have been thousands.


But i salute those who stood up for the least of these



:kick:

[bobbolink]

40. Albany. But, yes, there should be MILLIONS all over the nation!

We are invisible.. it is only a few who even think of us, and I am grateful to them!

[Tsiyu]

42. I should learn to read

doh

[bobbolink]

44. Well, to us westerners, the whole east coast is one city, so.....

:rofl:

You're excused... we don't expect that much from hillbillies... :rofl:

:loveya:

[maryf]

52. Hey parts of NYS are Appalachia!!

watch out who you're calling hillbilly!! Actually, in my neck of the woods it's ridge runner... ;)

In all seriousness, the rural poor are in real bad shape here...

[Tsiyu]

64. The terrible thing is

I was born and raised in New York State; I have no excuses, I only scanned the OP...

But I AM a hillbilly :)

[leftstreet]

38. K&R

[maryf]

49. thanks!

:hi:

[Poboy]

43. Recommend

[Hannah Bell]

51. kr

[G_j]

55. Don't balance the budget on the backs of the poor

:thumbsup: !

[maryf]

56. Tax the rich!

:hi:

[bobbolink]

61. That would be a perfect letter!

Please post it here
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x575072

And send it to the links given.

Thanks!

[blindpig]

62. k&r

[maryf]

63. Solidarity!

thanks! :hi:

[Forkboy]

65. Kicking this back up.

:kick: