As New York Gov. David Paterson (D) continues to push a regressive budget that avoids tax increases on millionaires and slashes programs for the middle and working class, Democrats in the legislature continue the progressive pushback they launched a few weeks ago. Today, we get this declaration from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D):
When asked whether he intends to join the so-called "Fair Share" campaign being mounted by organized labor, the Working Families Party and others to get Gov. David Paterson and the Legislature to at least temporarily boost the PIT to avoid deep spending cuts, Silver said:
"This conference has in prior years has passed a increase in taxes on those who earn more than a million dollars. Clearly, that proposition by this conference is acceptable to a vast majority of people in this state."
Silver is correct, according to polls showing the majority of New Yorkers oppose Paterson's budget cuts and instead favor tax increases on the wealthy. And as states across the country struggle with budget shortfalls, these kinds of fights are going to keep coming up. The right will insist on balancing the budget with cuts to programs that help regular people, and it will be up to progressives to fight back with proposals to balance the budget with tax increases on the super-rich.
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