Cross-posted from the The 10,000 Things
Today Gov. George Pataki delivered his final state of the state address.
Not unexpectedly most of it was the usual back patting political schlock. Anticipation ran both high… would the Governor signal his Presidential ambitions by taking a hard right turn… and low… could anything the lame duck Governor had to say be of any consequence at all to New Yorkers.
The answer to the first question is…
… no. Gov. Pataki spoke at great length about tax cuts and gave the usual Republican schpiel about small government, the benefits of lower taxes, and a strong business environment. He talked a little law and order in calling for stronger treatment of sexual predators. He invoked the specter of Sept. 11 (thoroughly appropriate for the Governor of New York). He crassly invoked the image and sacrifices of our returning soldiers in a manner that made it sound like he was going to propose something special for them but then didn’t.
But there were no biblical references or hints. No condemnation of alternate lifestyles or viewpoints. No across the board calls for a stricter criminal code. No call for relaxation of gun control laws or environmental regulations.
On the contrary, Gov. Pataki called for alternative energy tax credits. A possible hint at his ambitions came in the inclusion of ethanol pumps along the Thruway (and a ludicrous reference to “clean coal”). Amongst his tax cut proposals was this call for a statewide tax free zone:
“Let’s attract companies from around the world that are developing the clean, renewable energy sources of the future – let’s make the entire state a tax free zone for this growing industry.”
Gov. Pataki highlighted one of the accomplishments of his tenure which is the preservation of nearly a million acres of land. He also claimed credit for the work of Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer in joining with the other northeastern states in combating the effects of Bush’s Dirty Skies initiative and acid rain from Midwestern industry.
For more on Presidential wannabe George Pataki’s State of New York State address see… The 10,000 Things
