Paladino: Cut Budget in 60 Days
The New York Times reports:
Carl P. Paladino promises to sue the federal government to overturn elements of the national health care law, to eliminate state bureaucracies, like the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, that he says are wasting taxpayer money, and to shut down New York’s government if state lawmakers fail to negotiate a budget in a timely fashion.
In an extended interview about his goals if elected governor, Mr. Paladino did not disappoint those who have been inspired by his calls to arms against Albany.
“I’m not part of the friends-and-family club; I’m not part of the pay-to-play club; I’m not looking to get re-elected,” Mr. Paladino, the Republican nominee, said during a 90-minute discussion conducted in three cities over two days this month. “I’m not looking to go to another office and fill my campaign coffers. I don’t need any friends in Albany except the people of the state.”
But while Mr. Paladino has attracted headlines for his blunt talk and what critics say are offensive statements on social issues, like his disgust over gay pride parades, he was most enthusiastic when talking about his plans to make government more efficient, sounding more like a small-business technocrat than a right-wing ideologue.
“I’m looking at divisions and departments of agencies and authorities that are no longer necessary in the 21st century,” said Mr. Paladino, a Buffalo real estate developer. “Or are operating inefficiently, or are operating greatly for political purposes, or that need realignment.”
Mr. Paladino envisions deploying teams of engineers and public administration experts to root out duplication and fraud in state agencies. He would replace midlevel appointed officials, he said, with people who had private-sector experience. He would eliminate binding arbitration for public employees and negotiate all union contracts from scratch.
He also promises something unheard of in Albany: to reduce spending, not merely slow its growth. “The whole state of mind of Albany is, ‘My God, we can’t cut taxes, we can’t cut spending,’ ” Mr. Paladino said. “Why? Why do we have to keep spending so much money?”
During the conversation, Mr. Paladino defied stereotype in other ways as well. He wears the mantle of the Tea Party, yet he rejected the notion that he is part of a broader national movement. And he dismissed Sarah Palin, who was his party’s nominee for vice president in 2008, as a would-be “TV personality” not ready to be president.
A champion of small businesses, he said he would have no problem raising the minimum wage. Though known as a conservative, he insisted that he was “very liberal” in some respects and that he identified most closely with so-called Reagan Democrats. But money — and how to make Albany spend less of it — was most on his mind.
Mr. Paladino suggested that if lawmakers could not negotiate a budget within 60 days, he would force a government shutdown, excepting only vital services.
Lawmakers, he said, would take the blame for any resulting chaos.
“The state will shut down. And the state workers will go home. And they’re not going to get paid,” Mr. Paladino said, adding of the Legislature, “You’ll have to deal with it, fellas, because in the 60 days, you couldn’t come with a budget with me.”
