Assemblywoman Nolan (Photo: NYSassembly.gov)
March 7, 2011 By Christian Murray
Cathy Nolan, Sunnyside’s state assembly representative, said she is fighting to keep the so-called “millionaires’ tax” in place in order to preserve the quality of the public education system.
“There are alternatives to budget cuts,” Nolan, who chairs the chamber’s Education Committee, wrote in a letter to Speaker Sheldon Silver. The letter addresses Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget cuts of $1.5 billion from school aid.
“School district and local government consolidations can eliminate waste and save costs. New York can close corporate tax loopholes. The most helpful alternative to devastating cuts to education and other vital services is the current surcharge on high-income personal income taxes. The surcharge is now in effect through December 31, 2011. Eliminating the surcharge will reduce state revenues this year by $1 billion.”
“We must preserve public education for our children and our future. The Court of Appeals decision in CFE requires the state to provide adequate resources to assure that every public school student has the opportunity for a meaningful education that prepares the student for college, work and citizenship. We urge the Assembly to support alternatives to budget cuts and make our children and their education a priority.”
Silver has said he will heed this cry, and include a renewal of the income tax in the one-house budget the Assembly will pass later this month. Nolan’s letter was signed by 68 legislators. The letter is below.
Nolan_Tax_Letter by on Scribd
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12 Comments
“You’ll have the ivory halls of the charter schools for the Eloi and the dingy underfunded public schools left for the Morlocks.’
The Eloi were bred by the Morlocks like livestock and slaughtered for food. So who ruled over whom?
Like many Socialists of his time, Wells was also a racist and eugenicist. In his view the lower classes were inferior (monstrous) in genetic makeup and should be bred out of the human race. Then a superior mankind would be able to live in a socialist utopia. Otherwise, mankind would become like the Eloi and Morlocks. I think we’ve heard that theory before, maybe from the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche, or NAZIs, National Socialists of Germany.
Nolan and the rest of our Socialists have moved on from those unappealing beliefs. Rather than exterminate the undesirables (although some would argue they do through government funded abortion) they use wealth redistribution and appeals to humanity, generosity and equality to separate the undesirables, keep them uneducated and permanently dependent on government while enjoying a privileged life. The Nolans of our country are, after all, the gods who provide their benefits, who determine who eats, who goes to school and where, who has medical care, etc… And they strive every day to expand that power over all of us.
When there are larger salary increases for governmental employees than in the private sector, something is wrong – and our tax dollars paying for this! Famous last words: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.”
Nolan and Markey: too useless Queens Democratic hacks who should have retired years ago. They will sink us.
The flaw in Assemblywoman Nolan’s premise is that the $5 billion (where does this figure come from?) is just lying around somewhere, like a seam of ore; and, all we have to do is go out there, and collect it. But, the situation is not static–it is fluid: the money is in the pockets of the people who earned it. Tax them–simply because they have more–and they may very well take their dollars and move out of the state, where they can’t be taxed at all.
When people like Charles Barron shout, “Tax the Rich!” , they are engaging in an ugly “class envy” that they believe is directed towards those of astronomical wealth; but, what we’re talking about here is people with very large incomes; it is not the same thing. Any of us could have made the educational and career choices that would–or could–have put us in a position to make large incomes; but we didn’t ( people from poor families can, through their own hard work, land a job on Wall Street, for example). Why penalize those who did?
Such $ million earners could create businesses–and jobs–as “allow_me_to_retort” points out; but, even if they don’t, they spend a great deal in our communities simply by living here. They, more than most, can afford to eat in the restaurants, drink in the pubs, and buy the goods and services in our shops. This is the kind of economic activity that sustains businesses and incomes; but it can’t take place if these people leave. I know some wonderful people who could only be described as “poor”; none of them ever gave me a job.
This “Millionaire’s Tax”, as “allow_me_to_retort” says, is a “dopey socialist scheme.” It is harmful to all of us. Democratic icon JFK proved–and GOP icon Ronald Reagan confirmed, however counter-intuitive it may seem, that when the Government lowers taxes, revenues increase. Every time.
Every. Time.
These millionaires that politicians keep demonizing start more businesses that hire people and keep the economy going than useless politicians who just drain money out of the economy with their dopey socialist schemes.
“I don’t believe in raising taxes. I believe it’s counterproductive for the state. I believe more people will leave the state and you’ll have less revenue.”
-Governor Andrew Cuomo; 2-20-2011 (source: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/tax_the_rich_pol_disrupts_gov_speech_28LUu3HiSCjoUV0mxenHNK )
“NY has no future as the tax capital of the nation. Our young people will not stay; our businesses will not come. This has to change.”
-Gov. Andrew Cuomo; 1-4-2011, State of the State Address
( source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_2fuxW8RIA )
“NY is first in education spending; 34th in education results.”
-Gov. Andrew Cuomo; 1-4-2011, State of the State Address
( source: http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/011411SOSWatertown )
“We want to re-design the (education) program. We want to make it about PERFORMANCE.” We want it to be about INCENTIVE. (Let’s) reward performance.”
-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 2011-2012 Budget Speech
( source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkD51URxF3U )
I don’t think the problem is money – I think it is attitudes and what goes on in the families. I went to a public high school – a routine public high school – and received a pretty good education and had some great teachers and some mediocre ones along the way. In my child’s public school there are some very, very smart kids who got into great colleges. It all depends . . .
“My employer enacted a 10% pay cut accross the board a year and a half ago”
Despite the “powerful” teachers’ Union they have not received a pay raise, nor a new contract for 3 years. Those who believe that the teachers’ union is actually powerful and calling the shots don’t know the truth of the situation.
“Our public education system is in such a sorry state that throwing good money after bad is not going to fix the broken system.”
Exactly – the problem is where they are throwing the money. It’s not going towards hiring new teachers nor towards reducing class size. There’s been a hiring freeze for new teachers (except special ed) for the last two years and with attrition we’ve lost about 6,000 teachers (not sure of the real number, but that’s about right) since they’ve retired and they haven’t been replaced. So due to this class sizes have increased across the city.
Where is all the money going? Towards expanding the administration and pilot programs, and charter schools. IMO It going towards segregation of the city’s children and unequal education. You’ll have the ivory halls of the charter schools for the Eloi and the dingy underfunded public schools left for the Morlocks.
One gets the impression that billionaires don’t really care about the erosion of American life. A politician will spend $80,000,000 plus on reelection and then tell the rest of us it’s time to tighten our belts. How about a little belt tightening up above?
Nolan – a typical tax and spend liberal! She has been in office for too long. she went to a private school but did nothing while parochial schools in Woodside/sunnyside were closing. She is a slave to the powerful teachers’ union.
It is very easy to make general statements about saving our public school system by “closing loop holes and consolidating” but what are legislators really prepared to give up themselves? My employer enacted a 10% pay cut accross the board a year and a half ago; how many legislators have done likewise to add their employers…us! What about other benefits which include free transportation, postage, phones, medical and health plans, etc? Our public education system is in such a sorry state that throwing good money after bad is not going to fix the broken system. Come out with real programs and actual steps that will be taken with deadlines and consequences for missed milestones. Has anyone ever seen an accounting of the NYS Lottery funding which was always touted as going to education?
I’m sick of these millionaires paying less in taxes following the crisis they caused. They should be paying MORE and teachers and kids should be paying less.