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The Daily OrangeGov. Eliot Spitzer sparks the wrong kind of change
By Vinny Napolitano
Posted: 2/27/08, 12:51 AM EST Section: Opinion
"On Day 1, Everything Changes."
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer echoed these words non-stop on the campaign trail in 2006. Now, with his first year as governor behind him, Spitzer can honestly say he truly did bring change. However, it's not change he should be too proud of.
For starters, Spitzer's promise to change the state's budget problem did not turn out quite the way New Yorkers expected.
Spitzer increased overall government size by approximately 15 percent, according to The New York Post. He made the state's Medicaid plan the most expensive in the nation for taxpayers, added an estimated $2 billion to the yearly deficit and presided over New York's transformation into the state with the most jobs lost in the year 2007. Change? Absolutely. Fiscally responsible change? Not so much.
And how can anyone forget the driver's license fiasco? Spitzer issued an executive order in September that would allow illegal aliens to receive driver's licenses regardless of the fact they were, well,illegal residents. A political firestorm ensued, with members of both parties attacking Spitzer as a Siena poll showed 72 percent of New Yorkers opposed the plan. Ultimately, he abandoned his policy, but the damage had been done. Change? You know it. Legal change? Not in the United States.
However, none of this slowed down Dr. Change Love, with more unpopular policies creeping through the system in 2008 as we speak.
The governor wants to pass a new bill that would make abortion a "civil right," forcing all OB-GYN's to perform abortions, including doctors at Catholic and other religious medical centers. ProLife or ProChoice, this proposal should be offensive to any American who believes in freedom. This bill represents governmental tyranny to the highest degree, stepping on the rights of doctors to deny certain procedures and the rights of religious organizations to say "no." Change? Definitely. Change for a freer society? Not in the slightest degree.
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer echoed these words non-stop on the campaign trail in 2006. Now, with his first year as governor behind him, Spitzer can honestly say he truly did bring change. However, it's not change he should be too proud of.
For starters, Spitzer's promise to change the state's budget problem did not turn out quite the way New Yorkers expected.
Spitzer increased overall government size by approximately 15 percent, according to The New York Post. He made the state's Medicaid plan the most expensive in the nation for taxpayers, added an estimated $2 billion to the yearly deficit and presided over New York's transformation into the state with the most jobs lost in the year 2007. Change? Absolutely. Fiscally responsible change? Not so much.
And how can anyone forget the driver's license fiasco? Spitzer issued an executive order in September that would allow illegal aliens to receive driver's licenses regardless of the fact they were, well,
However, none of this slowed down Dr. Change Love, with more unpopular policies creeping through the system in 2008 as we speak.
The governor wants to pass a new bill that would make abortion a "civil right," forcing all OB-GYN's to perform abortions, including doctors at Catholic and other religious medical centers. ProLife or ProChoice, this proposal should be offensive to any American who believes in freedom. This bill represents governmental tyranny to the highest degree, stepping on the rights of doctors to deny certain procedures and the rights of religious organizations to say "no." Change? Definitely. Change for a freer society? Not in the slightest degree.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 52
Will S.
posted 2/27/08 @ 10:52 AM EST
Another excellent column from Mr. Napolitano. Governor Spitzer's shortcomings have been many, and this has been a true disappointment for Democrats and Republicans alike. (Continued…)
Megan C.
posted 2/27/08 @ 11:10 AM EST
LOVE the column! Eliot Spitzer really has proven that "change" should NOT be enough to win an election. Change does not imply a warm, fuzzy new wave of ideas, but it could. (Continued…)
Eva Valez
posted 2/27/08 @ 11:22 AM EST
Viva Vinny! Another incredible and true column. People like Spitzer are dangerous to America, and use their powers to get a stranglehold on the state (like with Troopergate in the summer). (Continued…)
Mark De Luca
posted 2/27/08 @ 12:06 PM EST
Refreshing take on the Governor's performance. Very good column! Spitzer only cares about special interests that help him, like Planned Parenthood or the AFL-CIO, and ignores doing the real work a Governor should be doing. (Continued…)
Mark De Luca
posted 2/27/08 @ 12:08 PM EST
Refreshing take on the Governor's performance. Very good column! Spitzer only cares about special interests that help him, like Planned Parenthood or the AFL-CIO, and ignores doing the real work a Governor should be doing. (Continued…)
Calif Cuse
posted 2/27/08 @ 12:18 PM EST
Excellent column! Sounds like Spitzer is using the same demagogue tactics he used to bully Wall Street as he is now using to bully the whole state!
Carmen Cagnotti
posted 2/27/08 @ 3:03 PM EST
As an older woman, I can say fully that Governor Spitzer has caused me and my husband nothing but harm. We both cast our ballots for him and his message of change, his promises of a better life for senior citizens, and his promise to fix the budget issues of the state. (Continued…)
Kevin E.
Kevin
posted 2/27/08 @ 3:05 PM EST
Even though I disagree with your column, Vinny, let me just say that Dr. Change Love cracked me up! Loved it.
Vincent M. Kyle
posted 2/27/08 @ 3:45 PM EST
Thank you so much for your article on Dr. "Change Love," Eliot Spitzer. He will go down as one of the worst governors in the history of New York state, running the state like a liberal elitist country club rather than the mix of ideologies and religions that it is. (Continued…)
Nick Papadopoulos
posted 2/27/08 @ 3:59 PM EST
Spitzer broke the promises he made and then some. Shame on him and his administration. They are the reason I will vote Republican in 2008 even though I have been a lifelong Democrat. (Continued…)
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