Conservatives Advocate A NO Vote on Budget Reform Amendment

Fort Hamilton Station, NY ~ Conservative Party Chairman, Michael R. Long, is urging voters across New York State to defeat the Constitutional amendment on the November ballot. “This proposal is an absolute power grab by the members of the Legislature,” said Long “and New Yorkers are too smart to be hood-winked by the supposed reform.” “If New Yorkers want the budget reformed they would begin by stripping members of their member items, not giving them more freedom to spend our money,” Long stated.

The Conservative Party’s official position on the Constitutional amendment to reform the budget follows:

This is not the first time that voters have been asked to amend the budget process. The question was first placed before the voters in 1927, when they overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that put the Governor in charge of the budget and sharply curbed the legislators’ role.

Why?

Because before the constitution was changed legislators approved budgets by quid pro quo ~ I’ll approve your project if you approve mine.

The voters said NO to that system and we certainly should say NO to the Legislators demand that they should determine the state’s budget.

Editorial Boards across the State have called this proposal:


¨ Bogus Reform (New York Daily News 05/07/05)

¨ Non-Reform Reform (The Buffalo News 05/06/05)

¨ A Sham Reform (Albany Times Union 05/03/05)

¨ Albany Power Grab Must Stop (New York Post 04/25/05)

Even the New York Times stated in an April 30, 2005 Editorial that “The present constitutional amendment now before the State Senate would make matters worse, not better. …this amendment would shift too much power to the Legislature -- not a healthy way to go.”

New York residents already pay the highest taxes in the nation thanks to the spending habits of the Legislature. Just two years ago these same members overrode the Governor’s veto and imposed more than $2 billion in tax hikes making the nation’s heaviest tax burden even worse.

If voters approve the Runaway Spending Amendment red ink will be the only color used for New York’s budget.

The Conservative Party strongly urges you to defeat ~ Vote NO ~ on Proposal One.

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