Sunday, October 30, 2011

Andrew Cuomo on his lonely battle to protect rights of oppressed millionaires to have their taxes lowered

Profile in courage: Andrew Cuomo on his lonely battle to protect rights of oppressed millionaires to have their taxes lowered; he actually compares his opposition to millionaire tax to his dad's opposition to death penalty. -- Leonie Haimson




Cuomo Compares Sticking Up For Rich People To Battling The Death Penalty

Posted on October 17, 2011 at 5:48 pm by New York Observer in
Share 10 share E-mail
http://www.politickerny.com/files/2011/10/cuomo-death-penalty-200x300.jpg
Governor Andrew Cuomo (Getty)
For New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, standing up for his richest constituents is a matter of life and death.
Governor Cuomo revealed how he feels about the so-called “millionaire’s tax” when he compared his opposition to the popular tax to his father, former Governor Mario Cuomo, battling the death penalty at a press conference in Albany this afternoon.
Surveys show 72% of New Yorkers support tax increases for people who make more than $1 million each year, but Governor Cuomo said he doesn’t want a state millionaire tax. Capitol Tonight reports Governor Cuomo referenced his father’s longtime fight against the death penalty when explaining his position on the tax:
“My father was governor of this state. He was against the death penalty. Everyone in the state wanted the death penalty — everyone. It was near 80 percent. And he was the governor of the state and he said he wasn’t going to sign it. Every year — go back and talk to some of the people who know the history — every year we had to scramble and make sure there wasn’t an override of the veto. … The point is, we don’t elect — the governor isn’t a big poll taking machine … so the fact that everyone wants it, that doesn’t mean all that much. I respect the people, their opinion matters, but I’m not going to go back and forth with the political winds.”
Governor Cuomo tried to have his millionaire’s tax and eat it too, clarifying his position by saying he’d support the tax at the federal level though he doesn’t want to see it in New York State.

No comments: