I was saddened to hear about Gov. Paterson not wanting to run again. I can understand his decision with all the scandals going on around him, the difficulties trying to get anything done with the Legislature he has to deal with and the looming billion dollar deficit in front of him. I did, however, love the way he went about being a politician. It was refreshing to see someone who didn't seem to have a political agenda other than getting NY fiscally responsible again. His message was not liked but, unfortunately, it is a reality. He realizes the problems the state faces economically and was trying to deal with it head on. The Senate doesn't seem to see it the same way. They are the problem. They are politics as usual that everybody hates. They should be the ones not running again for office.

Every aspect of NY is going to be affected. When he started announcing his plans of cuts, the commercials started showing up. "Send a message to Albany not to cut our stuff" was the cry from every group. Whether it be education, health care and now the parks and tourism, the commercials are the same. The problem is so dire that EVERY aspect of the budget needs to be cut. No one area will be saved and the Legislature doesn't understand this. The Senate has kept the spending going for so long and now there is no money to pay for it. This next year it is going to get ugly.

If you live in NY you will pay the price. All areas need to be shaved a bit. Everyone will need to pay more in an already high tax area. Some programs will need to go away all together. No one will be spared. It's just like your own home. If you've used your credit card in the past to pay for things and now your maxed out, you can't buy the things you've had in the past. Cable TV needs to go, sell the new car and buy used, don't go out to dinner and get a part time job. NY government needs to look at the same way.