CSEA President Slams "self-serving" budget agreement

ALBANY, NY (03/27/2012)(readMedia)-- CSEA President Danny Donohue today blasted the new state budget agreement as another backroom deal that puts politics before people.

"Governor Cuomo, Senator Skelos and Assembly Speaker Silver have a self-serving sound byte agreement that ignores the horrendous consequences it will inflict on working New Yorkers," said CSEA President Danny Donohue.

Donohue pointed out that eliminating 400 beds in the mental health system, turning violent youth over to non existent programs in New York City, shortchanging localities and some hocus-pocus with the school funding formula will not improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers. These are just some of the ways New Yorkers will be adversely affected by a budget that's long on public relations and short on actual detail.

"They can color it anyway they want, but the legislature has also given away its oversight authority for state agencies to the executive and that's just not good government," Donohue said.

"New Yorkers should understand that the governor's claims of job creation are just a lot of self-congratulatory political nonsense because devastating cuts in state agencies will lead to real job loss in communities across the state and will undermine services that real New Yorkers depend on every day," Donohue said. "The governor needs to understand that the loss of a job is the loss of a job – it's devastating and it's on his head."

The budget's funding impact on localities, schools and health care facilities are also likely to lead to job losses.

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