SoSara
by John Piekarski
Friday, 17 September 2010

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for governor, disputes the notion that too much spending is the cause of New York's budget woes. He said simply ending the rebates of the stock-transfer tax would turn a multibillion-dollar deficit into a multibillion-dollar surplus.

WATERFORD (Sept. 15) — Howie Hawkins wanted the night workers to know he's one of them.

Not only is the Green Party's candidate for governor a union member — a Teamster — but he also works 3rd shift. So during a shift change at the Momentive plant, he stood at a parking-lot entrance greeting the leaving 2nd-shift workers and arriving 3rd-shift workers.

“I sympathize with the people who work the night shift,” said Hawkins — who also said he is considering visits to other night-shift personnel, such as convenience-store clerks and diner workers.

It wasn't the first time Hawkins has visited Momentive.

“I was out here in June when they were having their dispute with the company,” he said.

Hawkins disputed spending as the cause of New York's budget woes. He said if the state simply stopped rebating the $16 billion it collects from the stock-transfer tax, the multibillion-dollar deficit would turn into a multibillion-dollar surplus.

He said Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo wants to balance the budget by making cuts to people's priorities — such as parks and schools — and forcing state workers to sacrifice “instead of making the wealthy pull their weight.”

As for the stock-transfer tax, state officials “give it back, and then they tell we have a budget crisis,” he said. “And we've had a flat income tax for years.”

Hawkins said he would change that. By returning to the progressive income tax system the state had in the 1970s, state revenues would increase by $8 billion while 95% of the state's residents would see their taxes cut. He also proposes a 50% bankers bonus tax he said would bring in another $10 billion.

The increased revenues would be used to fully fund public schools and provide free tuition at SUNY, CUNY and community colleges, along with financing a WPA-style public works program and public investment in a green industrial policy.

He also supports single-payer healthcare, which he said would take the burden of Medicaid spending off the counties and homeowners.

Jon Flanders, a member of the International Association of Machinists who was helping Hawkins campaign, said labor shouldn't automatically vote Democratic in November.

“I feel Howie's getting a lot of support — particularly from public employees who think Cuomo is going to scapegoat them,” Flanders said, adding the Democrats count on labor for money, volunteers and votes but offer little in return.

“What did labor get from the Obama administration?” he asked. “A Free Choice Act? A better NLRB?”

Hawkins said a lot of the country's problems could be traced to both parties moving further and further to the right.

“The new Democrats are like the old Republicans,” he said. “And the Republicans have become the new Know Nothing Party.”