New York State Budget Director Reports A $ 2+ Billion Deficit That Must Be Considered Before Judges' Pay Raised 40% Or More

  "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," or judges deserve wage increases BUT you don't.

Or, New York's headed to default and the Judge's pay increase could be the final straw.

    New York State must learn that the bond market punishes prodigal State spending, whether it's a Country or New York State. "Early on Thursday morning, after seven hours of talks, Germany and France reached a common position on a second bailout of Greece but details of the accord were not revealed."

    While in Albany on 7/20/2011, New York State Budget Director, Robert Megna, told the Commission on Judicial Compensation that New York State has a 2+billion dollar deficit already and although the judges might demand, want or deserve more, New York State has run out of money.  The Commission heard lots of self-serving praise of NYS judges by lawyers and the judges themselves and how they needed or deserved a large raise.  And, the Commission heard of rampant corruption by NYS judges which was ignored both at the Appellate level and in the Court of Appeals and was covered up by the New York Commission Judicial Conduct headed by Robert Tembeckjian.  

     Near the end of Commission testimony, T. Finnan from CuomoTARP told the Commission that the NY State's deficit is more likely to be $5+ billion as a minimum.  With the judges expecting a raise to $194,000 to $220,000, Mr. Finnan pointed out the Governor claims only $170,050.   Mr. Finnan noted the Budget Director's earlier testimony about a $2+ billion deficit was just the beginning of the increasing deficit this year for NYS.  T. Finnan continued his testimony which paralleled his written submission copied below:

Some States have Surpluses While Cuomo Heads to Default With His Commission Considering 61% Raises For NY Judges on 7/20

Remember when, Gov. Cuomo, said he would cut his $179,000 salary by 5% to $170,050 and that he intended to reduce other salaries of the governor's staff, including the governor's secretary, counsel, director of state operations, counselor and chief of staff. Well things have changed and NY judges want $220,836 and Cuomo wants a commission of hacks to decide.
On Wednesday, July 20, 2011, the Commission to raise judges' pay will hold the only hearing.   Here's what they need to hear. Will judicial raises be the straw that breaks the camel's back? Cuomo has created another committee to do the dirty work of giving judicial raises of up to 61%, while Cuomo hides behind them grinning. While some States have budget surpluses, such as Indiana having $1.2 billion dollars, New York has smoke and mirrors hiding default or bankruptcy.  The Cuomo budget revenue predictions were all smoke without any fire and the $4.3 billion dollars expected in increased revenue has vanished with the smoke.
Earlier this year, the Cuomo Medicaid Redesign Team created smoke promising Medicaid savings, when all it did was to replace last year's NY State Medicaid expenditure of $13.8 billion with a cap on this year's expenditure at $15.1 billion, while forgetting that NY won't have the federal stimulus of $5.9 billion received last year.
Meanwhile Cuomo has used mirrors to divert attention from the recommendation of Chief Administrative Judge Ann Pfau to the 2011 Commission on Judicial Compensation to increase judicial pay up to 61%.    Cuomo needed the mirrors to not upset his negotiations with the peons, aka ordinary employees of NY State, to freeze wages for three years in a tentative, five-year contract agreement with Public Employees Federation.    In the Cuomo allegory of Animal Farm, Napolean, aka Andrew, will explain to the other lesser animals that "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," or judges deserve wage increases BUT you don't.
Judge Pfau goes on to spout about Fairness, Objectivity, Regularity and finally about Institutional Integrity.  But what Judge Pfau forgot was common sense.  New York State has run out of money, people are leaving the State because the taxes are too high and the employment possibilities shrinking.  While President Obama calls for shared sacrifice, NY Judges demand a 61% pay hike.

   The answers to the Judge Pfau's pleadings are:
1. Fairness must extend to all those lesser earning peons who don't want to pay Judges more and receive less for themselves.   Fairness to the People is restitution made to victims of judicial corruption.
2. Objectively, the peons don't trust the courts and its scandals and know why the reported 129,000+  complaints to ExposeCorruptCourts.blogspot.com were ignored.
3. The only Regularity in New York is more taxes, more corruption, more greed, more debt, and more people leaving the State.
4. The NY Court Institution is a joke.  The Chief Judge is charged with crimes.  The Center for Judicial Accountability documents the huge New York Judicial Corruption and says,“[no] mechanisms are in place and functioning to remove judges who deliberately pervert the rule of law and any semblance of justice and whose decisions are nothing short of ‘judicial perjuries’, being knowingly false and fabricated.  Such judges, willfully destroying the lives of countless New Yorkers, the wellbeing of our state, and our democracy as a whole, are unworthy of their current salaries and benefits – being paid by hardworking New Yorkers.”

   This Commission on Judicial Compensation is just another Cuomo "slight of hand" to divert blame from him and legislators.  What should the commission do about judicial raises in New York?   Don't give any raises.  New York Debt per person including local debt is $24,195. For a family of four that is about $97,000. link    The State will run out of money this year. Borrowing will become impossibly expensive.  Cuomo claims he should get only $170,050 to be Governor.

Greece is the harbinger of New York State to come.  The anger of the People will turn on the greedy Judges and their enablers, including this commission.   There is no money to pay these raises.  Only fools or scoundrels reward failure and wastefully spend other people's money.    For the sake and safety of the judges and yourselves, say, "judges, share the sacrifice; New York State is broke; the NY debt is already the largest in the USA; no raises, because the people and the ordinary NY State worker are not getting raises."
This Commission on Judicial Compensation is just another Cuomo "slight of hand" to divert blame from him and legislators.  What should the commission do about judicial raises in New York?   Don't give any raises. New York Debt per person including local debt is $24,195. For a family of four that is about $97,000. link    The State will run out of money this year.   Borrowing will become impossibly expensive.  Cuomo claims he should get only $170,050 to be Governor.

      Greece is the harbinger of New York State to come.  The anger of the People will turn on the greedy Judges and their enablers, including this commission.   There is no money to pay these raises.  Only fools or scoundrels reward failure and wastefully spend other people's money.    For the sake and safety of the judges and yourselves, say,"judges, share the sacrifice; New York State is broke; the NY debt is already the largest in the USA; no raises, because the people and the ordinary NY State worker are not getting raises."