Press-Republican

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
August 14, 2008

Teachers threaten legislators over tax-cap vote

By MICHAEL GORMLEY

ALBANY -- New York's powerful teachers union on Wednesday withheld its endorsement and support from 38 senators who voted for Gov. David Paterson's proposal to cap the growth of school taxes, which are among the nation's highest.

NYSUT put pressure on lawmakers by saying the endorsement could still be made if the lawmakers flip-flop. NYSUT will review its decisions after Tuesday's special session of the Legislature called by Paterson, if the tax cap proposal comes up, or any time before Election Day.

"This is perhaps the most critical issue facing public education in a generation," said NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan B. Lubin in announcing what he called the suspension of endorsements. "NYSUT members are property taxpayers, too, and they, too, want relief, but not at the expense of their schools and school children."

NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi said politicians supporting Paterson's tax cap chose "political expediency over the future of New York's children and public schools."

On Wednesday, the Working Families Party announced it would send 200,000 pieces of direct mail to voters with the repeated message pictured on a blackboard: "Governor Paterson's tax cap scheme will hurt our schools."

The chairman of Paterson's tax relief commission that proposed the cap, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, accused the education and labor coalition of personally attacking Paterson, a popular Democrat now in his fifth month on the job.

"Tell Governor Paterson don't hurt our school,'" Suozzi said, paraphrasing one of the ads, "I think that's personal."

Dan Cantor of the Working Families Party denied any attack on Paterson, but said criticism is focused on his "gimmick."

Losing the endorsement, votes and campaign support from local teachers -- and campaign funding from NYSUT -- could be a blow to incumbents. Senate Republicans face the possible loss of their one-vote majority in the fall elections.

Assembly Democrats are expected to meet in Manhattan Thursday to discuss an array of deals that could come together for action in Tuesday's special session. Among the issues are the tax cap and the Democrats' proposal to provide more money to help low- and moderate-income families pay heating bills this winter.

The groups favor the Assembly Democrats' proposal for a "circuit breaker." That would give breaks to elderly and middle class homeowners by basing school taxes on income, rather than their homes' market value. State aid could be added to make sure schools don't lose traditional gains in funding.

"You will give a perverse incentive for the school district to spend more money," Suozzi said, saying those not included in the break will pay more, along with businesses. "New York is No. 1 in taxes and in some cases No. 34 in test scores. So something is backwards here."

About 70 percent of school aid goes to salaries and benefits.

"We may look back at this as a significant event and significant miscalculation on their part," E.J. McMahon, from the fiscally conservative Empire Center for New York State Policy, said of NYSUT. "This is a Legislature that has been bending over backward for NYSUT for decades," McMahon said. "Do they really intend to declare war on 38 senators who, odds are, are going to be returned to the Senate?"

NYSUT had a close relationship with longtime Senate Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who retired in July. Bruno wouldn't even let Paterson's bill get a floor debate.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

Recent Article Comments
Albany Round-up

Photo of the Day
Strange News
Videos: Editor Picks
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48 Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48 Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion' 5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La. Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal $25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses