1/29/08:

It is a pleasure in my first weekly radio address here on WAMC to begin a conversation with you about the things that our New York State government, led by Governor Eliot Spitzer and our legislature, is doing to serve you. This is good timing for this first weekly radio address because last week Governor Spitzer released the proposed budget for the next fiscal year.

He outlined good news and bad news. The good news/bad news scenario is probably best articulated by the late baseball player Satchel Paige who recounted in his days in the negro leagues a long bus ride in which two of his teammates debated the theory of whether or not there is baseball in heaven. As the discussion continued there was an agreement that if either of them should ever be lucky enough to get to heaven at the end of his life, that he would come back and inform the other as to whether there was good news or bad news.

Hearing of the untimely death of his friend years later, the player lying in his room saw the curtains move in his window and asked "Is that you?" When the answer came he excitedly exclaimed, "Well, tell me, is there baseball in heaven?" His colleague responded that there is good news and bad news. The good news is that the Hispanics and blacks play with the white players, and they play in the greatest facilities. "Well," inquired his friend, "what's the bad news?" "The bad news" he said "is you're pitching tomorrow."

Well Governor Eliot Spitzer pitched some bad news to us last week about next year because of a declining national economy that is being harmed by high oil prices, a down stock market, and a mortgage crisis that is costing people their homes and their livelihoods. We have a 4.4 billion dollar debt, and if we continue with the spending rates that we have had in years past, that debt will rise. So this year's budget calls for tough decisions, and yes, some sacrifice.

Government will cut 1.4 billion dollars in waste, including 980 million dollars in superfluous health care cuts. But even in these difficult times Governor Spitzer advises us that we cannot stop investing. Future generations need today's investment for tomorrow's prosperity. Without investment now our schools will suffer, our roads will crumble, and the economy would falter. Our state, particularly our upstate region, needs economic investment now.

First, let me be clear, there will be no new taxes and under no circumstances are we cutting education. In fact we will increase funding to our public schools for the second year in a row by nearly 1.5 billion dollars. This is a seven and a half percent increase, the largest ever proposed by a governor. While investing this money we will continue our new policy of wise investment, distributing this funding based on student need and initiating Contracts For Excellence with school districts that hold them accountable.

Second, from Buffalo, to Rochester, to Albany and in the north country we are injecting 1 billion dollars to strategically create jobs. As outlined in Governor Spitzer State of Upstate address held two weeks ago, the first in history, our new upstate revitalization fund will increase by 350 million dollars to target upstate projects that will make it easier for private business to develop. We'll invest 100 million to create affordable housing so people can live where they work. And finally, we will invest 50 million to develop agriculture.

Even though the Bush administration is refusing to do its part to guarantee universal health care coverage for our children, our budget moves forward without them, funding the federal share as well as the state's.

So, in balancing a budget that has 4.4 billion dollars in debt, Governor Spitzer has eschewed the short term solutions known as one shot practices of the past which have only complicated the problem for our next generation. With the money that we have left over, he has invested in children, in the elderly, and in families as well as creating jobs. And I'm sure that baseball player would have been a lot happier had Governor Spitzer appeared in his window because he has a much better message.

David A. Paterson is Governor of New York State. He leads New York's effort to promote renewable energy, stem cell research, minority and women owned businesses, the prevention of domestic violence, and the arts.

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