NYS Senator Eric Adams calls on legislative colleagues to make difficult but necessary decisions to save the State of New York from financial ruin

Eric Adams

November 24, 2009

MEDIA ADVISORY     NYS SENATOR ERIC ADAMS CITES THE IMPENDING FINANCIAL CALAMITY FACING OUR STATE AND URGES GOVERNMENT LEADERS TO ACT PROMPTLY.   FAILURE TO AGREE ON A DEFICIT REDUCTION PLAN IS NOT AN OPTION!   NYS Senator Eric Adams calls on legislative colleagues to make difficult but necessary decisions to save the State of New York from financial ruin.   Senator Adams’ statement:         “On Thursday, families across our great state will gather at their dinner tables.  This is a hallowed occasion for thanksgiving and for comfort during tough times.     “Another revered moment occurs less often: when we, the individuals elected to represent our districts, take our oaths as lawmakers and leaders in government.  We enter into a contract with those same families as we vow to do what is right and proper for our state.  At the heart of our pledge is an agreement to be the kind of leaders our times call for.   “At this juncture, we face a fiscal crisis of immense proportions – perhaps not of our own making but a challenge we are nevertheless called on to meet.  Though we did not cause this decline, we must have every intention of ending it.  This budget crisis must be resolved, and I am prepared to work with anyone willing to face that responsibility.   “True leaders are called on to make ‘impossible’ decisions that, at first glance, dissatisfy their constituencies.  Like referees making judgments on the field, lawmakers do not create the play- they just make difficult but fair decisions based on the circumstances.  Supporters may be upset, but the outcome depends on difficult calls being made accurately.   “As we partake of our traditional holiday meal, conversations will inevitably turn to the economy.  I am confident that our constituents will appreciate and be thankful for decisions providing long-run financial stability, just as they will disparage delays that result in a meltdown of an historic kind.   “I call on my colleagues in government, both executive and legislative, to reach for our better angels and make the hard calls together.  We are charged to ensure the fiscal integrity and financial viability of this state: we must take New York into a prosperous future.”     ###