OntheWilderSide

Criticizes Cuomo for his Support of Illegal Action

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party of New York candidate for Governor, said today that when elected he would rescind any layoffs of state workers instituted by Governor Paterson as a threat to the health and safety of state residents.

Paterson agreed last year to a no-layoffs pledge as part of deal for a
new, less generous pension tier for state workers. Attorney General Cuomo, running for Governor, said that he would defend Paterson’s effort to break the agreement.

“The state’s fiscal crisis is the result of the handouts to the rich from
state lawmakers, including massive tax cuts to the wealthy and the rebate of $16 billion from the stock transfer tax. State workers are not the cause of the state’s fiscal crisis and should not be scapegoated like this. It is bizarre that Governor Paterson seems intent on making layoffs the prime legacy of his flawed administration.

It is also bad that Cuomo as Attorney General has put politics ahead of the law in holding that this layoffs aren’t in violation of the memo of understanding agreed to earlier this year not to lay off any state workers in 2010,” Hawkins stated

“At a time when the environment is under the greatest threat in human
history, ranging from rampant global warming to hydrofracking for natural gas in New York’s watershed, Democratic Governor David Paterson’s plan to layoff nearly 1000 state workers, many at the Department of Environmental Conservation, is exactly the wrong response to the current Wall Street driven economic crisis gripping New York and the United States,” Hawkins added

“Like an eastbound driver in the westbound lane, the accidental governor has become an all-day accident. It is time for him pull over and get off the road. Mr. Paterson is dangerous to health and safety. The announcement of layoffs is bad, but by now not really news. Paterson has already established his profound disrespect for the public safety, the environment and the people of New York. But what really gets your attention is that Andrew Cuomo wants to drive the same vehicle the same wrong direction — and he boasts that he will do so, full speed ahead. Cuomo has promised a further onslaught against New York’s union members”, Hawkins noted.

“Neither Cuomo and Paladino, have any plan to reverse the current downhill slide of the NY economy and environment. The real solution means taxing the super wealthy sponsors of the two parties of corporate America, whose profit driven interests have led us into this mess.,” stated Hawkins.

Related Articles

• Green Party New York: NY Gubernatorial Howie Hawkins Opposes Layoff of 2,000 State Workers (www.onthewilderside.com)
• Metroland Endorses Howie Hawkins (G-NY) for Governor (www.onthewilderside.com)
• Green Party New York: Cuomo Vows War on Union, Wants Strong Bus Council; Hawkins Pro-Labor (www.onthewilderside.com)
• Roping in the Stock Transfer Tax with Guv cand Howie Hawkins (G-NY) video (www.onthewilderside.com)

Filed under: 3rd party, Ecology, election, Election 2010, elections, Environment, Global Warming, governor, Governor Paterson, grassroots democracy, Green Party, howie hawkins, Labor, nature, new york, New York State Politics, News, politics, Press Release, third party, US Politics Tagged: | andrew cuomo, David Paterson, green, howie hawkins, Layoff, new york, united states, wall street