State Budget Cuts

I just got an email forwarded from my brother from the Wildlife Conservation Society:

Governor Paterson has delivered a budget proposal that would slash funding for New York's zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums by almost 50 percent.

If this attack on our living museums is approved, it would force devastating program cuts and layoffs. These facilities are vital to the science education of millions of students each year. And they serve as economic drivers in the communities they serve, pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the New York State economy each year.

I already sent a letter to Governor Paterson and my state legislators in Albany urging them to protect funding for our zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums. You should too!

The problem is, there are definitely going to be budget cuts - we have a huge state budget deficit brought on by a) declining state revenues from income and other taxes, and b) mandatory increases in spending for things like medicaid brought on by having more unemployed people. The state is required to balance its budget each year. That means, either taxes go up (which won't happen because of the politics) or things get cut. At this point, I think I'd rather have zoos and aquariums (which have cute animals and upper-class visitors and as such can fundraise privately) cut than schools, cops, firefighters, etc.

However, the tricky part for legislators is that they're getting hit on all sides by various interest groups (like the Wildlife Conservation Society) demanding that their slice of the pie not be trimmed. The problem with this is that it often winds up that the programs without cute animals or without an interest behind them are the ones that get cut. That often means programs for the most vulnerable and the least organized.