Spitzer's Record Budget is a Grand Slam
Governor Eliot Spitzer's proposed 124 billion dollar budget for New York State will hit everyone and everything. He is ignoring reasonable spending limits and calculating his figures on "income growth". What???

Expect new fees on purchasing auto insurance (from $5 to $20), real estate closing fees on sales over $175,000, deposits on non-carb soft drinks, taxes on online purchases made from NY locations plus about 40 more wacky ideas.

Elsewhere in this monstrous document can be found a reduction in State aid to some 44 Long Island school districts.

New Yorkers, especially Long Islanders, are already stressed out by the high taxes both property and income taxes. The school taxes are already out of sight with no sign of slowing down.

School Boards, Albany representatives and local municipalities had better get together and head off this outrageous budget proposal or we will all be moving to South Carolina.

Charter School Commission Sought
Former NYC School Chancellor Harold Levy (in a New York Post Op Ed piece) has recommended that the State organize a special oversight commission for the sole purpose of monitoring charter schools. Not a bad idea. Would keep them from making administrative mistakes, control inappropriate spending and most importantly, keep them in business. It is not in any one's interest for a charter school to go out of business.

Stimulus Package. Where is Bishop?
With all this talk about stimulus programs and it seems that every politician has his or her own version of what the package should look like, where is our own congressional rep. Tim Bishop? Hillary has spoken. Chuck has spoken.