Archive: Opinions

Taxes, services.  Taxes, services.  That is what Tompkins County and many of the municipalities are dealing with now.  New Yorkers are among the highest taxed, but nobody wants to give up their services.  Meanwhile people are asking themselves, 'how much longer can I afford to live here?'  I'm asking, 'what good are all the services if I can't afford to live here?'

The New York State Comptroller released an estimate this week that the spending gap for the state government could climb to 37 billion dollars next year.  That would mean that every single New Yorker would owe $1893.41.  The national debt as of yesterday afternoon was almost 13.4 trillion dollars, which means that every man, woman, and child owes  $43,596.51.  I once bought a house for less than that.

I'm curious.  Exactly what number would be an effective heads-up to our leaders to balance our governments' bank accounts?  If we are already among the highest taxed that suggests to any reasonable person that the problem isn't the amount of money being taken in.  The problem is the amount being spent.

The County Legislature's struggle with this year's budget is a great illustration of this problem.  While Legislators say that much of what they have to spend is mandated, they also say that the way they fulfill many of the mandates is discretionary.  Nonessential services seem to have as much importance in our county as essential services, if not more.  As various people and groups have been lining up at budget meetings saying 'don't cut me', legislators have to decide what their tax base really thinks about what should be cut.

The thing is that very few people show up at municipal meetings.  I've been to several where I was almost the only one there.  So legislators get a very skewed view of what taxpayers really want, because, in general, the ones who speak up the loudest have a vested interested in keeping spending levels where they are, or increasing them.  The rest are apparently home watching NCIS to try to forget what their tax bill is going to look like.

Deciding what to cut based on what people say they want is a slippery thing.  In my opinion there are two discretionary things that should absolutely not be cut from the county budget.  But I want them to cut taxes.  So if you are a legislator listening to me, what message are you getting?  Keep spending, but don't keep spending.  (My two are road patrol and youth services.  What are yours?)

Still, I don't want to owe all that money.  In my personal finances I've been pretty good about not owing money, even during these very difficult financial times.  These days a 99 cent iTunes song is a big purchase for me.  I don't like it, but I like being in debt a whole lot less.

And I have to say that it would be really easy to get out from under at least some of this government debt: move to a state that doesn't have it.  I am appalled that I think this, because I love it here.  But I do think it.  If I did it, it would raise the cumulative debt for the people who remain here.  And that is exactly what has been happening.

From 2000 to 2008 New York lost the largest number of residents of any state in the country.  Over 1.5 million people left the state in those years.  That comes to 8% of the 2000 population.  If there is any indicator at all that shows us that the balance of taxes and spending with quality of life and affordability is out of whack, isn't that it?  It's not a matter of cutting, or discretionary spending, really.  It's a matter of spending what you have and not seeing taxpayers as a bottomless font.

I've been sitting in on most of the Town of Lansing budget meetings, and have been impressed by the level of detail the town council has been going into as they struggle with their own spending.  Almost everything is on the table, and when they think they can save by cutting something they bring in the department heads to learn more about positive and negative impacts those moves would cause.  I imagine County legislators are going through the same learning process.

At some point these leaders are going to have to make hard decisions that are good for the area, though not necessarily good for their political careers.  Leading isn't easy.  Sometimes it's impossible.  But I am afraid that if someone doesn't take a hard line at every level of government that nobody will be left living in the state.  That scene from 'Planet of the Apes' where the Statue of Liberty, half buried in sand, with nobody anywhere in sight comes to mind.

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