Hometown News: Reaction to Paterson Speech

Governor David Paterson pulled no punches in his state of the state address, saying the condition of New York is "perilous," and that now is "a time for leadership, not partisanship." Paterson was cheered by mostly Republicans in the state Assembly when he called for enactment of a property tax cap. He then joked, "Maybe I should switched parties." Paterson spent a lot of time talking about providing health care coverage to the uninsured, fighting childhood obesity, and establishing clean air and clean energy initiatives.

Many state lawmakers are expressing their views on Governor Paterson's State of the State Address. Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco called the speech "a missed opportunity," and criticized the Governor for proposing dozens of fee increases in his budget. Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos says while Paterson wants to expand access to health care, the Governor's proposal to tax health insurance premiums will have the opposite effect.