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[What you read below is the important parts of Cuomo's speech, dated Jan 1. 2011. I removed the mostly self-congratulatory bullshit and went right to the 'nuts and bolts' of the speech. I originally started correcting the speech--which is rife with run-on words, grammar and punctuation errors--then I decided to give the transcriptionist /speech writer his or her due!]
GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
JANUARY 1, 2011
[....]
This is an austere setting. And it should be, in my opinion. No grandcelebrations. There is a lot of disappointment vis-à-vis the government. A lot of suffering fromthe economy.And I don't think a grand ceremony or a lavish ceremony would be appropriate. In my administration, this is going to be the way it works. When we actually do something andperform and help the people of the State of New York and we make government function, thenwe are going to have a big party and celebrate, and not before. I also -- During this campaign, Bob and I had the opportunity visit all 62 counties once again.And doing it in a relatively compressed period of time, it's just a beautiful reminder of the assetsthat we have in this state.From the falls of Niagara to the powerful waves of Montauk, we have itall and everything inbetween. We really have every asset that man or God could be expected togive to a place. That is the State of New York, and I saw that up close and personal. I also saw up close andpersonal the suffering that our people are facing and the devastating toll that this economy hastaken. And it cannot be underestimated.
[Misters Cuomo and Duffy have lived in New York State for all their lives!! They've had opportunities galore to travel the state and make the observations they've only now made as a route to their election. Are we to presume they don't count as observations, the vacant, run-down buildings in practically every major city outside New York City?! What about the on-going demise of corporate institutions like Eastman-Kodak in Rochester?! Kodak--of late--has been knocking down buildings 'left-and-right' just to take them off the tax rolls; the company is a mere skeleton of it's former self!! Each of these executives have had chance-after-chance to rectify problems under his control; pervue. No one will ever convince me that 'Young Andy' didn't/doesn't have power enough to put a 'the right bug in the right ear' as to possible corrections to the state's jobs, state workers, general economic woes!! The same goes for Bob Duffy--well respected by his constituency as Mayor of Rochester.]
Young people all across upstate New York who are leaving because they believe there is noeconomic future left.The taxpayers on Long Island who are imprisoned in their homes becausethey can't afford to pay the property taxes anymore, but the value of the home has dropped solow that they can't afford to sell the house because they can't pay off the mortgage.The laid-off construction workers Brooklyn who can't find a job and is fretting about what he's going to do tofeed his family when the unemployment insurance runs out. This, my friends, cannot be underestimated. And to make it actually worse, people then feelbetrayed by their government. That they have problems, they have needs, they look to thegovernment and they assume the government was going to be there to help them because that's what government is supposed to be all about. And they look to the government and instead theyfind a government that's part of the problem rather than part of the solution. People all across the state, when you mention state government they are literally shaking their heads. Worse than no confidence, what they're saying is, is no trust. The words ³government inAlbany´ have become a national punch line. And the joke is on us. Too often governmentresponds to the whispers of the lobbyists before the cries of the people. Our people feelabandoned by government, betrayed and isolated, and they are right. New York faces a deficit. A deficit that we talk about all day long, the budget deficit, the budgetdeficit.But it's actually worse. The state faces a budget deficit and a competence deficit and anintegrity deficit and a trust deficit.And those are the obstacles we really face.
[Mister Cuomo freely acknowledges the burden of a burgeoning tax system in the state, but fails to mention the ubiquitous 'fees and surcharges' that accompany practically every action by a taxpayer--legal or illegal--within the state!! The Town of Irondequoit is a north-eastern and north-western suburb of the City of Rochester. A modest three bed, two bath ranch-style home has a total annual tax bill of $6-7,000!! The same house in one of the mid-Atlantic states would be taxed in the range of $5-800; YES FOLKS; that's HUNDREDS not the THOUSANDS found in New York State (with the exception of the boroughs of New York City and the counties surrounding said city!! In 2010, the state spent a total of $7,110,000,000 on welfare in it's many forms; that's $7.11 BILLION. Today, New York States has in excess of 1.6 MILLION recipients; up 25% since 1982! The typical recipient, a single mother with two children receives $32,571 ( the pretax equivilant would be $44,900)--not bad for sittin' on an ever-widening ass watching a big-screen that you and I provide!! These folks and other state benefit abusers are Mister Cuomo's voter base.... think he's gonna reform THAT?!?!
http://www.boogieonline.com/revolution/community/welfare/new_york.html
http://assembly.state.ny.us/comm/SocServ/20060316/
http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/downchart_gs.php?year=2010_2010&view=1&expand=40&units=b&fy=fy11&chart=40-state_F0-state_40-total&bar=1&stack=1&size=m&title=&state=NY&color=c&local=s
Not only are these folks Cuomo's tax base; they're the base for the vast majority of the members of the state legislature--where's the incentive to reform here?? These politicians need their cushy--PARTTIME--jobs; many times "rarely-show" jobs!!]
3 And the state is at a crossroads. I believe the decisions that we make, the decisions mycolleagues make, this year will define the trajectory of this state for years to come. The decisionswe make today, will shape the state we leave our children tomorrow. As governor, I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do, because I told you what I'm going todo. I told the people all across this state. This was a different kind of campaign. Bob and I put together a very specific agenda. And we said we wanted to win not with the personal mandate --This was not about electing Andrew Cuomo and Bob Duffy, this was electing a mandate for change that the people of this state endorsed overwhelmingly all across this state. We have a very specific mandate for change that the people want. And our expectations is thatthe politicians and the elected officials of people are now going to do what the people voted for and what the people need. It starts with jobs, jobs, jobs, getting the economy running once again. Getting the economyrunning all across this great state. Number two is going to be cleaning up Albany and restoring trust because Bob is right, you havenothing without trust. Any relationship is only as good as the level of trust, and we have lost thetrust. And we are not going to get it back until we clean up Albany and there's real transparencyand real disclosure and real accountability and real ethics enforcement. That's what the peoplehave voted for and that's what the people deserve. We have to pass a property tax cap in the State of New York because working families can't afford to pay the ever-increasing tax burden. Nothing is going up in their lives. Their income isn't going up, their banking account isn't going up, their savings aren't going up. They can't afford the never-ending tax increases in the State of New York and this state has no future if it isgoing to be the tax capital of the nation. We have to send that signal this session by passing aproperty tax cap. And my friends, we must rightsize the state government for today. The state government hasgrown too large, we can't afford it, the number of local governments has grown too large, andthat we're going to have to reduce and consolidate. We know what needs to be done. We have known, in truth, what needs to be done for many,many years. What we have to do this time is we actually have to do it, we actually have todeliver for the people of the State of New York. In a few days in the State of the State, I will be providing and presenting an emergency financialreinvention plan, which will lay out all the specifics, a blueprint for change, a blueprint for action. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not underestimating the severity or difficulty of the task that weare about to undertake. My gray hairs are multiplying just thinking about what we have to do.
[In this state, for the past many years, out-of-control SPENDING has been the primary, on-going problem; secondarily--BUT, nearly as important--there has been a confrontational atmosphere of we--the Ruling Class against you--the serf class!! The spending problems are two fold; one with the state employees, one with the recepients of the state largess. There are far too many state employees with a union to which most legislators and the executive branch knuckles under to. The employees--while paid at a rate commencerate with their jobs and the prevailing civilian incomes, their benefits and retirement package is far, FAR out of whack with the general population. The retirement system is a 'defined benefit' program, whereas the retirement systems of the private sector are 'defined contribution' plans.
- Defined Benefit Plan: {The state retirement} fund is different from many pension funds where payouts are somewhat dependent on the return of the invested funds. Therefore, {the state} will need to dip into the {state treasury-i.e., the taxpayer's pocket} earnings in the event that the returns from the investments devoted to funding the employee's retirement result in a funding shortfall. The payouts made to retiring employees participating in defined-benefit plans are determined by more personalized factors, like length of employment {and highest three years' GROSS pay}.
- Defined Contribution Plan: A retirement plan in which a certain amount or percentage of money is set aside each year by a company for the benefit of the employee. There are restrictions as to when and how you can withdraw these funds without penalties.
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/definedcontributionplan.asp
http://www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/
The New York State voters (when that phrase is used, think: 'all voters outside the five boroughs of NYC and the voters outside the surrounding, adjacent counties') must be ever vigilant to the language and wording of anything coming from a politician's mouth!! Here Mister Cuomo is talking about a property tax cap which is nothing more than linguistic 'fancy foot-work!!' You--the taxpayer--might think that once your property taxes reach a pre-determined level, they'll never go up again. NOT SO!! Consider just the statement made, and I quote Mister Cuomo: "We have to send that signal this session by passing aproperty tax cap." This leaves the legislative proposal 'wide open,' having not defined the word "CAP." With the New York legislature being the home of the most crooked, un-ethical politicans outside the DC Beltway--EVERY WORD must be analyzed both individually AND collectively!!]
{NOTE TO "YOUNG ANDY:" Check the records, Bubba!! The retirement system; the entire public service sector, you've inherited--that you're vested in--is rife with fraud!!{*}
Example: A 'treatment assistant' working in the "assisted living" area of taxpayer funded services. This person has a base salary in the range of $64,000 per annum. Median income here is in the $47,000 range; this example is working for 136% of median income.
Here's where it gets 'sticky,' Bubba: Although nearly impossible to prove, many in the state retirement system nearing retirement, 'buy' overtime shifts from younger employees. With the state's 'fat-cat' retirement system being based on the last three years' GROSS PAY, shifting overtime from a junior employee to a senior one will--over time--pad the retirement pay-out significantly!! In the 'example' case, the individual's last full year grossed $168,000!! The public service sector as well as the entire state retirement system MUST be revamped from top to bottom!!! When you set about rethinking the whole system, consider that New York State has more public employees per capita than ANY OTHER STATE; these employees have greater salaries than public employees in ANY OTHER STATE-by significant percentages!!
Bubba, you can bet "your fuzzy, white ass" this 'example' person will be retiring in the next year or two; having beaten the state retirement system 'into submission!!'}
Will the wording say: when a dollar amount is reached-nothing higher?4 We will be taking on powerful interests and long-entrenched patterns of behavior. And change isvery, very hard. Change is hard individually, in our own lives. Change is especially hard in acollective and to get this government to change, to get this body to change, after all the years andafter all the attempts and after people are so set in their ways, it's going to be difficult. But I believe we can do it. First, we have to start with a new attitude that reflects a new reality. We need to correct decadesof declines and billions of dollars in overspending. The special interests who have ruled our government for years must give way to the people's agenda. There is no more time to waste. It is a time for deeds not words, and results not rhetoric. It istime for a bold agenda and immediate action. There is no more waiting for tomorrow and thereare no more baby steps my friends. My attitude will be constructive impatience with the statusquo of Albany. We need change and we need it now. Second, we need a new partnership. To the state legislators I say I reach out to you to form anew partnership, because in truth the partnership between the Executive and the Legislature hasnot been working well for years and that must change. I respect the electoral responsibility of the Legislature, I respect the constitutional independenceof the Legislature, but I also know that success will require a different approach. We mustaccomplish more, faster, smarter, and better, than we have in decades. We have no more time todally. Rather than seeking the apparent safety of the lowest common denominator, we must strive toreach the highest possible goal. We must realize that achieving political consensus in a politicalconference is different than providing governmental leadership for the people of the State of New York. To my Republican colleagues, I say I will not govern in a partisan way and my administrationwill not be a partisan administration. I was not a partisan Attorney General, I did not run apartisan campaign. I don't believe the Democrats or the Republicans alone created the problemswe face today and I don't believe the Democrats or Republicans alone will be able solve theproblems we face today. I believe we are going to have to do it and do it together. President Lincoln said in this city on his way to his inauguration, ³Citizens may swear allegiance to one party or the other and believe with all their might that they are right, but once an electionis passed, and until the next election, they should be one people.´ President Lincoln's words are profound. We are not first Democrats, Republicans, or Independents. We are first New Yorker and we must act that way.
Will the wording say: when a percentage is reached-nothing higher?
Will the wording say: when a dollar amount INCREASE is reached-nothing higher until the next taxing cycle?
Will the wording say: when a percentage INCREASE is reached-nothing higher until the next taxing cycle?
[The 'entrenched' power block in Albany has been in place for as long as anyone can remember. It certainly existed when "Young Andy's" father was Governor (Mario-1983 thru 1994). Mister Cuomo--the elder--certainly did nothing about it or it wouldn't EXIST TODAY!! Mister Cuomo--the younger, as Attorney General--had the clout to instruct his subordinates to investigate the system, for no other reason than the taxpayers' "best interests" weren't being represented in the state for those many years!! Might political expediency be the reason for this urgency to reform the governmental structure?! It could have been reformed eons ago but nobody had the 'testicular fortitude' to do so. He--like the "Clown Prince"--seems to enjoy quoting (President Abraham) Lincoln. We shall see if young Mister Cuomo takes the 'Lincoln message' to heart.]5 Today, I extend my hand in partnership across the aisle to my Republican colleagues so we maytake the first step immediately. And third and most importantly in my opinion, we need the people of the State of New York tobe part of this effort. A governor's inherent power is limited. A governor's potential power is limitless. The potential power of the governor is to mobilize the people of the State of New York. Andthat is the real power of being governor. Only the people's voice can silence the calls of thespecial interests in the halls of the Capitol. I will lift the veil of secrecy that now surrounds Albany and I will communicate in every way Ican, ways never used before, but I need the people to join in. I said in my campaign this effort is not going to be about ³me´ but ³we.´ We the people formedthe government, we the people must reform the government, and that's going to have to starttoday. And this is going to be a dramatic shift for Albany. I was walking in the hallways of this Capitol a few months ago and I was a few steps behind amother and apparently her daughter and they were walking through the hallways and thedaughter was obviously taken by the majesty of the building and the daughter turned to her mother and said, ³Mom, where are all the people?´ And the mother said, ³The people are working, they are in the offices, they are in the offices.´ Because the halls were fairly empty.And the girl said, ³But doesn't anyone come to visit? It is so beautiful and it is so important.´ It is so beautiful and it is so important. And I thought to myself, out of the mouths of babes. Where are the people? Where are the people in Albany? Where are the people in the Capitol?That is the profound absence in this system. The people aren't engaged. And that is what isgoing to have to change. If there is a silver bullet in the battle to recapture Albany, it is thereengagement of our citizens. This Capitol has become a physical metaphor for the isolation and alienation of our people. Inthe name of heightened security, they have erected barriers and barricades all around thisCapitol. To get into this Capitol is now like running an obstacle course and it shouldnt be.People refer to the Capitol as a fort or as a bunker; it is anything but. This is a beautiful monument to democracy, this building. This is the people's meeting place andthey should be invited in. And today my friends, we will reopen the Capitol, literally and figuratively. We will remove thebarriers on State Street so the tour buses can return once again. We will be opening up the
6 second floor, the Governor's floor, so the members of the public will once again have access totheir government. It is a symbol of a new approach: to reconnect with people, to build back trust, to defeat thepower of the special interests with the power of the people. My friends, look at this Capitol that you are in today. I am sure you noticed on the way in,notice on the way out, look at the magnificent building that they built. Look at this room, theGovernor's Reception Room, the War Room. Twenty-five hand-painted murals byWilliamdeLeftwich Dodge.Look at the granite, marble, carved mahogany, the carved oak in thisbuilding. The million-dollar staircase, the most expensive building to build at the time, $25million.It took them 30 years. Look at the statement that they were making. Look at the commitment, look at the resources.They could have built a building in one-tenth of the time, with one-tenth of the expense and one-tenth of the effort. That's not what they wanted. They wanted to make a statement when theybuilt this institution of government. They wanted to say: we believe in government; we respectgovernment; we are committed to government; we want the government to succeed. Why? Because they believed when the government succeeds, they succeed. Because thegovernment is them. It is not an alien force, it is the organizing force for people. And if thegovernment is successful at organizing and mobilizing, then society is going to be successful. So they invested in the government and it was theirs and they were proud of it. That is what thisbuilding is all about. That is what the Court of Appeals is all about. People believing in theinstitutions of New York State and believing in themselves and believing in the State andinvesting in that belief. When I first came to this building I was in my twenties, very early twenties, and at that time Ihad the good fortune to watch some truly extraordinary public service:my father, Governor Mario Cuomo, who was Lt. Governor at that time; Governor Hugh L. Carey; Mr. Fink, Mr.Stanley Fink; Mr. Warren Anderson. Different people, from different parts of the state, withdifferent cultures and different accents, but they were beautiful to watch. They were people of honor, people of talent. It was always about principle, it was always about serving the peopleand they always got the job done. And they made this government work in a way that made thisstate a better state and I was inspired just watching them. And I remember sitting there, watching them, saying, you know what, maybe one day I can dothis. Maybe one day I can be in public service. Maybe one day I could help my community, Icould help my state. Maybe one day, I could be in this place of honor. That's what this Capitolrepresents to me. That's what this Capitol represents to me and so many others. That, my friends, is what I want torecapture. [Although not directly effected, Mister Cuomo MUST take to heart, the message sent to the federal legislators and the current regime: SMALLER GOVERNMENT--LESS SPENDING!! Mister Cuomo: "You won!!" Now IS NOT THE TIME for Bipartianship!! Now is the time for HEAVY-HANDED REFORM consistant with the covenants of the state constitution!! All this opening of the "Governor's floor" and travel along State Street is really cute window dressing!! Rather than standing at your doorway and watching you talk on the phone or sign something, I'd rather read in the newspaper that you've taken specific steps to negate or reform the "Three Men In A Backroom" method of state governance!!]7 I want to rebuild this government. Rebuild it by bringing back competence; rebuild it by bringback integrity; rebuild it by bringing back performance; by bringing back people of talent; bybringing back people of good will; rebuild it by bringing back professionalism and respect anddecorum and protocol and collegiality and partnership with the Legislature and product for thepeople of this state. Rebuild the government to be what this government was and what thisgovernment needs to be once again. That's what this administration is going to be all about -- Restoring the pride, making thegovernment work, my friends. So people once again trust the government and trust theinstitution. So that people once again believe in government, in themselves, and in this state. And that's what this is all going to be about. Rebuild the government, restore confidence, restoretrust, get the people of this state believing once again. Believe in government, believe inthemselves, believe in each other, believe in our future. Believe in our potential, believe that wecan fulfill this dream of New York and we're going to make this state the Empire State, greater than it's ever been before. At the end of the day, what this is all about is making this state abetter state for the 19 million people who live here. I have my three best, beautiful reasons with me today, my three children. And as a parent, as acitizen, the fundamental obligation is to leave them a home that is better, sweeter, fairer, stronger than the home that we had. And their home is the State of New Yorkand their home is going tostay the State of New York. Let's go forward, let's go forward together, as New Yorkers, as people of good will. And let'snot just rebuild this New York, let's make this New York bigger and stronger and better andsweeter than it has ever been before. That is our challenge, that is our destiny, that is our legacy, and that is what we launch today. Thank you for being with us. God bless you. [Mister Cuomo, you speak fondly of your belief in government; your desire to reform said government. Let's put it in terms I understand; maybe like restoring collector cars. I would remove the hood; remove the inner and outer fenders; remove the doors; remove the passenger compartment from the frame; remove the 'running gear,' i.e., the engine, transmission and rear-end; remove all else from the frame. Then patiently repair/replace each assembly and sub-assembly until the vehicle is back where it started: fully assembled and functioning better than ever!! Think you can do that?!?! In the interests of full disclosure, my family and I have decided that we'll leave New York State at the earliest opportunity!! Probably in the range of 72 hours after our double-house in Rochester, is sold!! Until that time, I shall watch..... and be completely mystified if anything is ever changes!! I'm just guessing here, but I'm thinkin' you're generating all this blather to "placate the masses" and the governorship is nothing more than a stepping-stone to a 'higher calling!!']
{*}
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