ROB BIAGI ON NEW YORK'S ECONOMIC CRISIS AND LACK OF ACTION FROM ASSEMBLYMAN GEORGE LATIMER, SPEAKER SILVER

(September 15, 2008) "Today, on the wake of very grim news from Wall Street and as the Governor is suggesting he will again call the Legislature back into session to solve the state's fiscal crisis, Assemblyman George Latimer and his boss, Speaker Sheldon Silver, continued to downplay the severity of the situation."

"They are obviously out of touch with what is happening in our state. Businesses are collapsing and people are losing jobs. Meanwhile, our state could stand to lose billions of dollars in revenue. The economy is tanking and instead of getting to work, Latimer and Silver seem to be unaffected and indifferent."

"On August 19th, the Assembly reconvened for one day and cut $400 million from the budget. They cut too little, too late as that hasn't gotten the state out of its dire financial problems. Meanwhile, George Latimer failed to cap property taxes for struggling homeowners."

"We are in crisis mode and George Latimer and Shelly Silver can only be bothered to come back to work for just one day to do a half-baked job. Clearly, the state budget needs more attention and we need people who are willing to put the time in to get the job done right the first time."

"Obviously Latimer and Silver are too detached to understand what the taxpayers need and deserve. They aren't doing their job, and they let the people of New York down. It's time for a positive change."