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| NYSUT: Pataki vetoes 'the desperate acts of a lame-duck administration' April 12, 2006 ALBANY, N.Y. April 12, 2006 - New York State United Teachers President Richard C. Iannuzzi called on the Legislature to swiftly override lame-duck Gov. George Pataki's "cruel and unusual" vetoes. "These are the desperate acts of an administration yearning for relevance," Iannuzzi said. "The governor has chosen to deny New Yorkers' basic needs in order satisfy his own base political needs. "I'm not sure where the governor would rather be - New Hampshire, maybe, or Iowa. But it's clear the governor is not in a New York state of mind. He just doesn't care about New York families. If you're a homeowner with two school-aged children, the governor just took $1,000 out of your pocket." Iannuzzi praised Senate and Assembly leaders for crafting a responsible, on-time budget. "The Legislature did the right thing, working for months in public to provide all New York parents with meaningful tax relief and at the same time give school districts the state aid they desperately need," he said. "Now a cranky, absentee administration has finally shown up, just in time to wreck months of negotiations and progress. The governor has even vetoed funding for libraries and teacher mentoring. His hostility toward public education and higher ed is, in a word, cruel. I cannot begin to fathom his motivation." NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan B. Lubin lambasted the governor for vetoing a child tax credit, which would have provided most New York parents with $330 per child. "The governor is catering to private and religious school leaders who selfishly support disingenuously named 'education tax credits' - really, school vouchers," Lubin said. "The tax credit the governor vetoed could be used by parents for tuition, or new school clothes, or even to help keep their children warm and well-fed. Parents should have the choice to spend the tax credit on what their children need, not what the governor wants." Lubin added, "George Pataki has eviscerated higher ed funding and health care. He's making SUNY and CUNY parents and students pay for his tax cuts for the rich. "Our public colleges and universities are the engines that can drive economic development across the state - particularly upstate. But the governor has pulled the spark plugs from those engines. We're ready to work with the Legislature to reinstate all of these critically needed programs," Lubin said. NYSUT, the largest union in New York state, represents more than 525,000 classroom teachers and other school employees; academic and professional faculty at the state's community colleges, State University of New York and City University of New York; and other education and health professionals. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. |
CONTACT: NYSUT Media Relations and Communications. (518) 213-6000, Ext. 6313. E-Mail: mediarel@nysutmail.org. |
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