Address leaves local leaders wanting more
By MICHAEL ANICH/The Leader-HeraldALBANY - The area's three Republican state legislators weren't overly enthused by Democratic Gov. David Paterson's first State of the State address Wednesday, but say they like some of his initiatives, especially those aimed at upstate and the Capital Region.
"This is my 33rd State of the State [address]," state Sen. Hugh T. Farley said today. "It wasn't the greatest."
Farley, R-Niskayuna, said he was impressed by Paterson's memorization skills, but the 44th Senatorial District representative said the governor's address was somewhat short on substance.
"He seems to be reaching out to extraneous things - things that did not address serious problems," Farley said. "He recited poetry, he talked about Henry Hudson ... he's a philosophical man."
One of those extraneous issues, the senator said, was how the governor touched on obesity. The governor spoke not only of the need for universal health coverage, but also about the importance of preventive care.
Paterson announced a five-point plan to address the growing obesity epidemic, which he said is the greatest threat to children's long-term health in the state.
One out of every four New Yorkers under the age of 18 is obese, and not only does obesity lead to greater risks of heart attacks, strokes, cancer and loss of limbs, but he said it also creates a significant economic burden on New York state's health care spending.
"A lot of the surprise and luster of the State of the State was taken out when [Paterson] released his budget a month ago," Farley said.
Farley said he liked the way the new governor is reaching out to both sides of the aisle. He said Paterson mentioned many different legislators personally, including himself.
He acknowledged a mortgage crisis bill that Farley wrote. It was one of the more important pieces of legislation from the last session, the senator said.
Farley said he's noticed many of the governors in the past have had a tendency to "take on legislators," but Paterson appears to have more of a spirit of cooperation.
When asked if Paterson's attitude has to do with the national spirit of cooperation stressed by another fellow Democrat - President-elect Barack Obama - Farley said he merely thinks it is Paterson's "personality" shining through.
"He's a nice man, and you can quote me on that," Farley said.
The senator said he liked Paterson's ideas about energy independence and Farley sees ways they can help his district - a potential "boon" to the area.
Paterson called for New York state to meet 45 percent of its electricity needs through improved energy efficiency and clean renewable energy by 2015 - one of the most ambitious clean-energy goals in the country.
State Assemblyman Marc W. Butler, R-Newport, said Paterson didn't get too deep into issues, but that is sometimes the case with the State of the State addresses.
"With the state of the economy and the condition the state is in, I don't think the governor presented any sweeping, dramatic proposals," Butler said.
The assemblyman said Paterson re-emphasized some of the aspects of his budget.
Overall, Butler said he believes Paterson grasps the depth of the problems the state faces.
"I think the governor's got it right," Butler said.
He said the hope is that costs on the middle class aren't driven upward.
Butler said he was impressed the governor spoke about economic development efforts for upstate.
"That's exactly the shot in the arm we need," he said, noting the strengths of the Mohawk Valley.
Butler said his district has many hard-working people, "great" colleges and an affordable wage scale that can spur more economic development. Butler said he liked that the governor wants to increase manufacturing jobs.
Paterson reiterated his call for Congress to pass a comprehensive stimulus package and talked about the need to revitalize every part of New York state.
Butler said the governor noted the costs of companies going overseas are increasing and their profits have leveled off. He said Paterson wants to strengthen the position of existing manufacturers in New York state.
"Certainly, you have to support that," Butler said.
If he follows through on job-creation efforts upstate, Butler stated, "I think he's doing the right thing."
State Assemblyman George Amedore, R-Rotterdam, said Paterson had an opportunity Wednesday to talk about short-term fixes, but stressed the long-term.
"Here is an opportunity from the governor to outline a progressive plan for moving forward to get us through this," Amedore said.
But for Paterson and the state Legislature to get things done, Amedore said the state needs a business-friendly environment. He said the state needs to "build confidence" in its residents by allowing more buying power, savings and not having government "in their pocket."
"The government's taking too much from them now," Amedore said.
The Associated Press reported that in a rare, if not unprecedented, move, Paterson never mentioned the 6 million-acre Adirondack Park, where he plans some funding cuts, including in the Environmental Protection Fund, which can be used to buy wilderness to protect it from development.
John Sheehan, communications director of the Adirondack Council, said today the park's absence in the speech is a serious concern.
"We're troubled by that and by the other aspects of what he's introduced so far," Sheehan said.
Sheehan said his organization will continue to lobby against cuts to the Environmental Protection Fund and the fact the governor wants to cap taxes on the forest preserve. He said he doesn't believe Paterson is necessarily "picking on the Adirondacks," but the council will double its lobbying efforts in the next couple weeks.
Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at johnstown@leaderherald.com
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Discobulous
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01-08-09 11:16 AM
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Obesity is becoming a BIG problem. The government should set a legal measurement for obesity and anyone who is legally obese should be taxed a dollar a pound per month and required to spend an hour a day on an exercise machine until he/she can pass.
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