Yesterday in Albany, Assembly Democrats broke the hearts and wallets of New Yorkers when they sided with NYSUT and the Working Families Party to block an Assembly Republican Property Tax Cap, ending any hopes of real tax relief for embattled homeowners.

            But Why?  Why won’t the Democrat controlled Assembly pass legislation that a majority of New Yorkers, Governor Paterson, a Democrat, Senate Republicans, Assembly Republicans and a number of Democratic Senators and Assemblymen support.

            Because downstate liberals who live in rent controlled apartments don’t care about upstate homeowners.

            Though not always, considering that Governor Paterson is a New York City liberal who lives in a rent controlled apartment and is the main force behind pushing the property tax cap.

    So, maybe liberals are correct and a property tax cap won’t work.

            If true, omnipotent New York City liberals obviously would be saving New Yorkers from their own foolishness.

            The problem is, this is patently false.  A property tax cap would work, and history proves it.. Proposition 2 ½ was instituted in the 1980’s to lower Massachusetts property taxes, once among the highest in the nation.  The Bay State’s property taxes are now significantly lower while maintaining the 3rd highest per pupil spending in the nation.  Adding insult to injury, Massachusetts students now out perform their higher taxed counterparts in New York state in standardized testing.

            Well, if the cap is proven to work and the Assembly Democrats don’t support it, than there must be a better plan to lower property taxes because everyone knows Democrats always have a good reason to vote against lower taxes.

            False!  The other plan, the Circuit Break, doesn’t work and it costs money, money which the Dirty Dems, though claiming to come from millionaires, but will end up coming out of your pocket.

            The Circuit Breaker will give tax breaks to low-income families and seniors on their property tax bill, but only those that make below a certain threshold annually.  This is class warfare at it’s finest.   The rest of the taxes owed to the school district will be paid by the middle-class, (read: you and me).  So, while a few people may pay less, the vast majority of New Yorkers will see their property tax bill increase under the Circuit Breaker.  Adding insult to injury, the breaker would eliminate the STAR program, resulting in the elimination of the only tax relief New Yorkers currently have.

            That’s why the Assembly Democrats, Working Families Party, and the Unions support the Circuit breaker and not the Property Tax Cap.  The Tax Cap will give homeowners real relief and marks a change to how state government treats taxpayer.  The Circuit Breaker maintains the tax and spend status quo in Albany that has bankrupted the state and forced millions of New Yorkers and businesses to flee in search better economic opportunities and more affordable living.

            At the end of the day, Assembly Democrats continue to push the failed policies of the 1960’s to the detriment of all.  They really don’t care about your pain—their utopian vision for New York is too close to fruition to worry about the needs of taxpayers.

Thomas Fairweather