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Editorial: So Much to Do, Not Enough Time to Do it
Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:24:00
There is going to be a lot of time for politics this year, but as far as getting bills passed in Albany, there may not be a lot of time left for governing. The regular session is quickly coming to an end, each day drawing us closer to that manic last week of negotiating.
The clock does not have to run out on the state government.
There is much any and every New Yorker should want to see accomplished before the lights go out in the Senate and Assembly chambers this year. Resolving the judicial pay raise situation, revisiting the funding and structure of state universities, and making at least incremental progress on health care—those would be a good start. Even just beginning real discussions on campaign finance reform and the possibility of Article X renewal would be a major positive step.
On top of all that, there are going to be budget gaps to plug. Whether that will take further trimming of expenditures, creating new revenue streams or both, the process will not be easy, nor will it be fast.
At this point, there is barely enough time left in the session to make a to-do list, let alone draft and debate bills, which might make their way to conference committees.
And that is exactly why every legislator, from the leadership down to the rank-and-file, should come out strongly in favor of extra session time over the summer. Before the last gavel falls on June 23, there should not be a single member of the Senate or Assembly who has not publicly pledged to return as many times as it takes, for whatever lengths of time necessary, to come up with solutions, this year especially. More time will not guarantee results—other reforms promoting increased debate and discussion are needed as well—but it would undoubtedly be a start.
Too many New Yorkers have come to identify their state government with a condition of permanent gridlock, and too many sessions of the Legislature have given them good reason to think this way. If New York printed a “none of the above” option on its ballots, as Nevada does, there are probably a few districts where that choice would outpoll both the Republican and Democrat candidates.
Incumbents of both parties should be out to change that public perception. And the solution is simple: Lift New York from its stasis and start governing. There are 133 days between the scheduled last day of session and Election Day, more than four full months. Half that time in session could make a massive difference for New York. Even one month out of four could do wonders.
Sure, that would give legislators less time in their districts to campaign. But it could give them much more to campaign on real laws and results to talk about, rather than empty partisan rhetoric. And it would force their opponents to make more substantive arguments about why to get rid of the incumbents. If the targeted legislators are passing good laws, their challengers will have a much more difficult time pressing their cases.
The best politics is good government, according to just about every politician looking for a glib escape from serious talk. Between now and November, there are 18 million New Yorkers who will be looking to Albany to find out if this is true. If not for New York’s sake, then for their own, the members of the Senate and Assembly should make sure they see a Legislature in session.
The clock does not have to run out on the state government.
There is much any and every New Yorker should want to see accomplished before the lights go out in the Senate and Assembly chambers this year. Resolving the judicial pay raise situation, revisiting the funding and structure of state universities, and making at least incremental progress on health care—those would be a good start. Even just beginning real discussions on campaign finance reform and the possibility of Article X renewal would be a major positive step.
On top of all that, there are going to be budget gaps to plug. Whether that will take further trimming of expenditures, creating new revenue streams or both, the process will not be easy, nor will it be fast.
At this point, there is barely enough time left in the session to make a to-do list, let alone draft and debate bills, which might make their way to conference committees.
And that is exactly why every legislator, from the leadership down to the rank-and-file, should come out strongly in favor of extra session time over the summer. Before the last gavel falls on June 23, there should not be a single member of the Senate or Assembly who has not publicly pledged to return as many times as it takes, for whatever lengths of time necessary, to come up with solutions, this year especially. More time will not guarantee results—other reforms promoting increased debate and discussion are needed as well—but it would undoubtedly be a start.
Too many New Yorkers have come to identify their state government with a condition of permanent gridlock, and too many sessions of the Legislature have given them good reason to think this way. If New York printed a “none of the above” option on its ballots, as Nevada does, there are probably a few districts where that choice would outpoll both the Republican and Democrat candidates.
Incumbents of both parties should be out to change that public perception. And the solution is simple: Lift New York from its stasis and start governing. There are 133 days between the scheduled last day of session and Election Day, more than four full months. Half that time in session could make a massive difference for New York. Even one month out of four could do wonders.
Sure, that would give legislators less time in their districts to campaign. But it could give them much more to campaign on real laws and results to talk about, rather than empty partisan rhetoric. And it would force their opponents to make more substantive arguments about why to get rid of the incumbents. If the targeted legislators are passing good laws, their challengers will have a much more difficult time pressing their cases.
The best politics is good government, according to just about every politician looking for a glib escape from serious talk. Between now and November, there are 18 million New Yorkers who will be looking to Albany to find out if this is true. If not for New York’s sake, then for their own, the members of the Senate and Assembly should make sure they see a Legislature in session.
