Tedisco on Governor’s State of the State: “Where are the Vaccines?”

“When can I and my loved ones get the COVID-19 vaccine?’ That’s the question I am hearing most often from my constituents.”

“Unfortunately, in this effort, the Cuomo Administration has over-promised and under-delivered in the race against time to stop the spread of the virus.”

“After scaring people about the efficacy of the vaccine last year, the Cuomo Administration has been widely criticized by health professionals and county officials for failing to even come close to appropriately distributing the vaccine resulting in some cases of the vaccine being flushed down the toilet.”

“The Administration’s top priority must be to get the vaccine supplies they currently have distributed to the public as soon as possible.  This effort should be an all-out 24/7 all-hands-on-deck push to vaccinate as many people as quickly as vaccine supplies arrive from the federal government.” 

“While we fight COVID, in order to reset New York’s economy, we need to address the elephant in the room the Governor and leaders in our state government have not been talking about: the fact that for the third year in a row, New York leads the nation in outmigration of residents with 126,000 people leaving last year and over one million in the past decade. 

“The millions who have fled our state and those who are now contemplating their exodus to a more taxpayer-friendly state have one thing in common:  No one wants to be the last one left in New York to pay for our state’s overzealous taxes, regulations, mandates and laws. The last thing the state should be doing is raising taxes again. We need both a short term plan to address the budget deficit and a long term policy of moderation and common sense – not more social experimentation on the taxpayer’s dime!”

“There was no mention in the Governor’s address about changing, adjusting or adding to New York’s agenda to create economic stability and well-being. We can’t keep blaming others or the pandemic for economic woes when New York had a $6.1 billion deficit long before COVID-19 hit. New York doesn’t have a revenue problem! Its problem is taxing and spending beyond its prioritized means. Thus the out-migration will continue and exacerbate our economic well-being!”

“New York has a chance to be the Empire State again but we can’t keep reaching into the same well of higher taxes as has happened in the past.”

“I love New York!’ is New York’s slogan. Unfortunately, in New York State and in our Upstate communities, too many people are saying ‘I’m leaving New York!”