State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli issued a report, New York's Deficit Shuffle (PDF; not to be confused with the Truffle Shuffle) showing how NY State has hidden its budget deficits and ever-increasing spending by moving money around between accounts and other accounting "sleight of hand." DiNapoli is worried, "New York needs to stop playing games with the deficit. The state dips into dedicated funds here and shifts money over there, all to cover cash shortfalls and avoid making the difficult decisions needed to align spending with revenues. The end result is the state’s real fiscal condition is impossible to pin down. Every time the game is played, taxpayers lose." more ›

With a $9.2 billion state deficit on his hands, Gov Paterson says he's "not optimistic at all" about getting a budget out by April 1st. The governor said recently that in order to avoid raising taxes (a proposed tax on sugary beverages like soda doesn't seem like it will succeed) he'll most likely make massive cuts to the school system, health care and government agencies. But some lawmakers say the delay should be attributed not to the tough economy or a ten day break for Passover and Easter, but to Paterson's infamous "laziness." more ›

Today, Governor David Paterson will present his plan for about $2.5 billion in budget cuts. When asked about it, Paterson previously only said, "Pain," but he also told the Daily News, "It's going to be pretty grim. It's going to be fair. It's going to be across the board. It's going to be hard to endure, but the consequences [of doing nothing] are harder." more ›

Governor Paterson gave a rare televised address this afternoon, asking state lawmakers to head back to Albany for an emergency session to discuss the state deficit. Paterson said the deficit had gone up $1.4 billion in 90 days, from $5 billion to its current $6.4 billion. more ›