Bruno: We’re At the Finish Line
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- December
- 3
Senate Majority Joseph Bruno ripped into Gov. Spitzer today over what appears to be little movement on getting a new contract on the three state-run thoroughbred tracks in New York.
Bruno, Spitzer and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have yet to reach a deal on who will operate the two New York City-area racetracks, Belmont and Aqueduct, and the Saratoga Race Course north of Albany.
A deal, Bruno said, is critical because the racing franchise currently held by the New York Racing Association expires at year’s end. With no deal, a racing control board would oversee operations of the track.
Bruno, the tough-talking Rensselaer County Republican, put the blame on Spitzer and Silver, both Democrats.
â€Å“The governor needs to show leadership and they are showing very little,â€? Bruno said.
Bruno said he would be amenable to pieces of Spitzer’s racing plan, which calls for NYRA to continue to run the tracks through a state bailout of its finances and for a private entity to run video lottery terminals at the track.
And he reiterated that he has called Silver a â€Å“wimpâ€? on the matter.
â€Å“He says I called him a wimp and I did,â€? Bruno said. â€Å“You can’t be sensitive in this business. Step up. Show leadership.â€?
He said he’s bringing back the state Senate to Albany on Dec. 13 to hopefully approve a new racing franchise contract.
Here’s Spitzer’s office’s reaction:
“The Executive, the Assembly and NYRA have agreed on an approach to the renewal of the racing franchise in a way that will ensure both the continuity of racing and the improved fiscal health of the horseracing industry. We believe that irreparable damage could be done to the racing industry if this issue is not resolved by year-end. The Governor’s Office is engaged in active discussions with all parties to seek to resolve any differences the Senate has with the approach already endorsed by the Executive, the Assembly and NYRA.” ÂÂ
This entry was posted
on Monday, December 3rd, 2007 at 5:36 pm by Joseph Spector.
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Right. Bail-out the racetracks with taxpayer money, then, before each race begins, take a big chunk out of the money the taxpayers bet, then tax the taxpayer on any winnings that may have happened, then provide video lottery terminals at the track in case there’s anything left over in the taxpayer’s pocket, then, if they are (miraculously) still standing with their shirt on, tax anything else that moves. And then, give the tens of millions picked from those taxpayer pockets back to the politically connected groups that run it all who can kick-back a percentage of the theft to the politicians’ funds, to the very people who dreamed it all up to begin with. Oh, and while you’re doing all this, fund an ad campaign with the taxpayers’ money to tell them to bet with their heads, not above them.
Why should government run a business like this. Shouldn’t they just regulate and tax it. I bet the profits would be higher if it was ran by professionals.
Government can’t run like a business, as it makes to much sense to do so and would be very, very cost effective to the taxpayer.
Remember,
New York State Government has been voted as “The Most Dysfunctional Government in America” by ALL experts and non biased government watch groups. We are helpless here in New York!
Prepare for more tax increases as Wall Street turns down in revenue. Instead of NY cutting their spending habits, they will raise your taxes over the nest two years.
Unfortunately, Jim Kelly is right.
New York State is headed for a BIG fall.
Why is Bruno a Republican? He tripped up Pataki to get more pork. Bruno opposed the war on Iraq, which is why Dick Cheney sicked the FBI on him. The Conservative Party in New York wants the GOP to loose the State Senate so the Conservatives will be the sole arbiter of the fate of the New York Right in Washington, just like they were in Pataki’s Albany thanks to Giuliani endorsing Cuomo.