Opening Act

It's always the opening act in New York State's annual legislative session: the governor delivers a State of the State address that, by design, lays out a broad and commonly ambitious agenda.

Tradition has long held that this kickoff to the session -- the presentation of the governor's vision -- is chock full of ideas but short on specifics on how these ideas will be carried out or paid for.  The true nuts and bolts of the agenda arrive a few weeks later, during the presentation of the executive budget, which Governor Cuomo is scheduled to unveil this year on Tuesday, January 22, 2013.  That's where we find the all-important details of specific proposals and the Legislature can then begin to better determine their impact on communities across New York.

So it goes with Governor Cuomo's third State of the State message, delivered to a full house yesterday in the Empire State Convention Center in Albany.

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