Wednesday’s Briefing: When Bad News Is Good

by Contributor | August 6, 2008 12:24 pm

No news is all bad.  Take the state budget mess, for instance.

• The moment Gov. Paterson declared it a “crisis”, his poll numbers shot up[1].
• The same Quinnipiac poll finds that most of us want millionaires to bear the brunt[2] of filling the budget hole.
• Paterson’s calling the showdown over state spending “High Noon”, and he’s Gary Cooper[3].
• Crisis?  What crisis, says one state Assemblyman[4].
• When the Senate comes back on Friday, it is likely to approve the Gov’s school property tax cap[5].  Senate leader Dean Skelos answered questions about the cap[6] from school board members.
• Meantime, some lobbying groups want the old David Paterson back[7].

All Spitzer, All The Time:

They may have been working on budgets in Albany yesterday, but they were talking about something different.  Hundreds of pages of documents were released Tuesday[8], from the investigation into former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s attempt to bash[9] then-Senate leader Joe Bruno over Bruno’s state-funded travel[10].  I could provide literally 25 links to stories on this.  Google it if you’re as interested as the Albany pols.

I also hear (can’t find the doggoned link) that Spitzer’s prostitute is now the mascot for a bar.  16th minute of fame officially underway.

Real News, Elsewhere:

• State pension fund drops[11], but by not as much as other pension funds.
• Paterson signed a bill to slow down home foreclosures[12].
• Environmental groups want Paterson to enforce a truck emissions law[13].
• Assembly Democrats want something done on home heating costs[14] before winter hits.
• The challenge to Paterson’s gay marriage order[15] begins tomorrow.
• An expensive, balky statewide emergency communications system is down to the deadline[16].
• The state will look into medicaid fraud[17] after newspaper points out lots of it.

Apropos Of Not Very Much:

• Imagine: No more pizza shop coupons hung on my doorknob[18] and bar band flyers under my windshield wiper.
• Buffalo’s new city slogan:  Dying faster than the rest[19].
• Funny, no one ever wants a second ride[20].

And Finally:

• John McCain calls Barack Obama a celebrity like Paris Hilton, and Paris Hilton’s insulted[21].

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/editors-desk/wednesdays-briefing-when-bad-news-is-good/

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