John W Rodat

Kudos to the NYS State Comptroller, but …

December 9, 2011 Budget

My last post, Yes, Rockland County is in Trouble, was devoted to the release by New York’s Comptroller, Tom DiNapoli, of an Audit (PDF) of Rockland’s financial condition. Clearly, the Comptroller and his staff have been watching closely enough to start their audit earlier this year. Good for them. Carefully done audits take time and […]

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Yes, Rockland County is in Trouble

December 9, 2011 Budget

Yesterday, after taking a quick look at the budget numbers and actions for 2012, I asked the question, is Rockland County (NY) in trouble? The answer is yes. This morning, the NYS Comptroller released the following (the emphases are mine): DiNAPOLI: POOR BUDGET PRACTICES HURTING ROCKLAND COUNTY County Has Incurred Large Debt and General Fund […]

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Economics in the Real World. Humanities in Economics

December 8, 2011 Economics

This is not merely clever teaching. It’s brilliant at a deep level because it brings a human story to economics and economics to a human story. It combines reading and analyzing a classic novel about the Great Depression with a technical economics textbook. Combining dialog with demand curves, Stephen Ziliak, Trustee and Professor of Economics […]

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Genesse County, NY Budget History

December 7, 2011 Budget

Going back to 1991, Genesee County, NY has a nice history of its key overall budget figures here. In Firefox, the table runs off the side of the browser page, but it works fine in the latest versions of Chrome and Safari. I didn’t check it with Internet Explorer. In any case, it’s readable. It […]

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New York County Property Tax Increases for 2012 & Other Budget Notes, Update 1

December 7, 2011 Budget

The results are beginning to come in on New York’s county budgets for 2012. Got a long way to go, but figured to start posting rather than wait for a more complete report. Albany 8.7 percent increase ($6,572,032) to $81,971,723. This is 19.5 percent increase in three years. Set stage for pay increase for legislators […]

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The Shin Bone’s Connected to the Thigh Bone

December 7, 2011 Business

My friend and colleague, Tim Maniccia, who runs Policy Innovation, noted some interesting connections yesterday. What triggered Tim’s observations was the bankruptcy of American Airlines. The first thing he noted was that American’s four pension plans cover almost 130,000 participants, but they have only $8.3 billion in assets to cover $18.5 billion in benefits. Were […]

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Best Way to Herd Cats

December 6, 2011 Control

From Keith W. Boone on Twitter (@motorcycle_guy): “Best way to herd cats? Move the food bowl.”

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What if Federal Income Tax Rates Were Higher at High Income Levels?

December 6, 2011 Economics

The Tax Policy Center, a joint effort of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution dispenses with the question of how much how much tax revenue is generated at higher levels of tax rates. It also undermines some of the supply-side scripture that high marginal tax rates are counterproductive. The evidence here suggests that the […]

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Another County Nursing Home on the Block

December 2, 2011 Budget

The county nursing home dramas continue to play out around New York. Here’s another one. Orange County (NY) Executive, Ed Diana submitted a 2012 budget that only had six months funding for the county nursing home, Valley View Center. The Legislature restored the missing six months funding. However, Diana vetoed the restoration. So now the […]

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“We’re on a Roll”

December 2, 2011 Budget

How could, “we’re on a roll,” not be the quote of the day for budget geeks, especially in New York? Last night, New York Citizen One (formerly Albany Citizen One, but now renamed in honor of her expanding empire) attended the Audit & Finance Committee of the Albany County Legislature as they finalized their budget […]

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