EmpireVerse (v1): Chain of Diamonds

I've probably missed countless opportunities to offer up some EmpireVerse over the years. 

My Sonofa Gov, Andrew Cuomo, has long been willing to babble and pontificate and expound upon any and all topics, without a whole lot of restraint. 

There was the time he said there was no room in NY for extreme conservatives, and the time he told us he sleeps just fine because he knows he's going to do the right thing. 

And the time he famously said America was never that great... that was a good one, too.

Those opportunities are behind us, though, so I'm starting fresh with this one section of his 2021 State of the State address. Taken from his closing argument, if you will, it speaks to the pressures New York faced in 2020 and how we'll handle whatever 2021 has in store.

A Chain of Diamonds

But pressure also forges 

strength and that's

how diamonds are formed.

In 2020 when things 

were at their worst

we saw New Yorkers 

at their best.

The pressure was on and 

we all saw New Yorkers
under pressure
become diamonds.
And they worked 

together

they linked arms.
New Yorkers were

a magnificent chain 

of diamonds, 

different sizes,
different colors, 

different shapes,
different orientations, 

but the chain

connected all.

And the chain
is strong, my friends.
It will 

unite.
It will 

forge community. 

It will 

combine our strength.

We 

have 

done it
before 

and 
we will 

do it 

again.

Meanwhile Back in Albany (v41)

Nathaniel Brooks/NY Times

We've finally come to the end of Andrew Cuomo's 2021 State of the State address, a four-day extravaganza (you can read Days One, Two and Three if you missed them). The last day focused on building a "new New York."  Here's the premise he put forth.

History teaches us that, when the private economy is lagging, the public sector can spur activity; when unemployment is high, the public sector can create jobs; and when interest rates are low, the public sector should invest; that only the public sector can build the common economic platform for growth, the foundation that all businesses rely on to prosper: our transportation system, our infrastructure, our broadband and our education.

It's a long-taught lesson, he said, but without focus on the "ancillary" benefits - a collective lifted spirit, a belief in the future, and how those inspire economic confidence and stimulus. FDR, Cuomo said, understood that, and the Sonofa Gov wants us to understand that, too. And, don't forget, FDR was a New Yorker, and New Yorkers understand big ideas, and build big things.

Our country has lost its ambition, he said. Other countries "developed around us," and built the cool stuff - the largest high-speed rail network (China), the longest tunnel (Europe) and even the Middle East is "turning barren desert into economic engines."

Once a world leader, this country lost the vision and political willpower to build boldly and bravely. We lost sight of the connection between today's construction and the prosperity of a thousand tomorrows. We chose to kick the can down the road - a road that was crumbling before our eyes. 

Here, though, we've got projects out the wazoo: terminals at airports, train station in Buffalo, bridges, a fully-connected east-west and north-south trail across the state, new waterfront development, cashless tolling on the Thruway, and more. In all, it's "the largest infrastructure program in the nation" and we're not done yet.

We're working on multiple projects in and around NYC: improving or building new terminals for buses and trains, and adding mass transit tracks; adding convention and exhibit capacity; freeing up building sites for commercial and residential development; expanding public spaces; and more, worth tens of billions in investment and 196,000 jobs.

And it not just in NYC; the vast area called 'upstate' is also getting a facelift. - Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, the Mohawk Valley, the North Country, the Southern Tier, and Central New York will be getting (or losing) roads, bridges, parks, educational facilities, medical facilities, sports and recreational facilities, environmental projects, and transit projects.

Altogether, including the new airports and roads and bridges and parks and housing in every corner of the state, and the visionary new redevelopment of the West Side of Manhattan, we are expanding our infrastructure plan to invest $306 billion in the future of New York. That's not just the largest infrastructure plan in New York history. It's the largest, most ambitious plan of any state in the nation.

It's exhausting just thinking about it, I have to say - but it does give me a bunch of new places to visit around the state if everything gets completed.

In closing, Cuomo went back to FDR, quoting from a fireside chat.

There is an element in the readjustment of our financial system more important than currency, more important than gold, and that is the confidence of the people. Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plan. You people must have faith. Let us unite in banishing fear. We have provided the machinery to restore our financial system; it is up to you to support and make it work.

And then, he talked about New Yorkers, and how we respond when times ae tough. In the telling of our resilience, he recited the first entry in a new Poetry theme, EmpireVerse, which I'll share later.     

The message in all four days? We're going to be fine. We're going to spend a ton of money, and get others to spend a ton of money, and we'll be a healthier, working, brighter and shinier New York when - not if - all of the plans come to fruition.      

Make it so, Number One.                   

Meanwhile Back in Albany (v40)

Nathaniel Brooks/NY Times

How'd you do with Days One and Two of my Sonofa Gov's State of the State? And are you ready for more? 

Day Three focused on the greening of New York, what Gov. Andrew Cuomo called a "new economic engine that is future-oriented, that is essential to our survival, and that has the potential to benefit generations to come." But, he said,

As is true in so many major issues of our time, the challenge is to close the societal and governmental gap between aspirations and accomplishment, between rhetoric and reality, between saying and doing. Offering hope of a tomorrow that never comes is one of the main causes of our social unrest and distrust in government. We are just not making enough actual progress. Why? Because change is hard.

Have no fear, though: "As the world economy resets, and as change is a necessity, there is an opportunity to raise our efforts to the next level - and New York should seize this moment." And, we can seize the rhetorical moment, too: Cuomo noted that "candles cannot power the future." We're going to stick a fork in fossil fuels, or something, via a four-pronged approach: 

• identifying and building enough green projects to generate the clean energy needed to "reliably support" all our needs; 
• ending our reliance on other countries, by building our own green tech and equipment, and developing "a steady flow of projects to start up and sustain those new businesses;"  
• building up our transmission capacity to connect the dots between where energy is generated, and where it's consumed; and
• elevating our training and education programs, and building out our R&D capacity.

He announced a $26B public/private partnership to develop around 100 renewable projects across the state. 68 projects (52 solar, 13 on-shore wind, and three off-shore wind) are already underway, and he announced 24 more during his presentation. Cuomo expects 11,000 jobs in "upstate NY alone." (Upstate is defined here, in case you aren't sure exactly where to find it.) 

Among the new projects? Two new wind farms, invisible from the shore, off Long Island; turning a Capital-district brownfield into a state-of-the-art wind turbine tower facility, and adding a fifth offshore wind turbine hub to serve the entire east coast.

More big news? He announced a competitive bidding process for a new green transmission grid, starting with three projects all leading to NYC. Other projects across the state are designed to "break open congestion" and will start this year. And, we're going to have state-of-the-art battery storage capability, with construction already underway on a new facility in Franklin County

On the last tine of the fork, there's a new $20M Offshore Wind Training Institute, as well as training for heat pumps and geothermal heating technology, which will help us replace existing systems in some 130,000 buildings. All projects have must meet MWBE goals, and pay prevailing wage, so that workers and business owners of color are not left out.

He said the whole green program will create 12,400 megawatts of green power, enough for six million homes; directly create 50,000 jobs; and generate $29 billion in private investment. 

The message? "Go big, or go home," and he's got no intention of us sitting on the sidelines as others move forward. 

Meanwhile Back in Albany (v39)

Nathaniel Brooks/NY Times

For the second day of his State of the State roadshow, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo opened with a quote from James Baldwin: "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." From there, he went to General Ulysses S. Grant, and to the GI Bill and the Marshall Plan. And it's that kind of effort we need, he said.

Now it's time to start looking ahead with the same toughness, the same smarts, the same unity, the same discipline, and the same love that brought us through last year. 2021 will be a year of continued challenges, transformation, and change. We will need to adjust to the new social and economic realities of the post-COVID world.

Expanding on his Day 1 message, he spoke of having to reopening New York "smartly and safely." It's not an either/or thing, it's a "a new model of balance" using science and technology to do things intelligently. Here are the key initiatives he mentioned.

• Testing is a big part of that, whether it's at large scale events, in commercial office/retail properties, or at individual businesses like restaurants.
• The New York Arts Revival, a public/private partnership that'll mount pop-up events across the state, outdoors mostly, with pilots for indoor performances to see what can be done safely. There's also a new Creative Rebuild Initiative to put artists back to work and support community arts organizations. 
• Tapping into the empty hotel and office space in the state, in ways that "benefit the community and make them commercially viable." Affordable housing, supportive housing, that kind of thing, can benefit communities and the state's going to offer flexibility to property owners for that type of re-use. 
• A Commission on the Future of the New York Economy, to draw up a roadmap for getting New Yorkers back to work in good paying jobs in long-lasting industries, and to examine what he called "the low tide American issues" - inequalities and structural racism - exposed by the pandemic. 
• A "jobs-of-the-future" program to include a Pathways Pledge from our largest employers to develop training and education programs for low-income workers. There's also an expansion of SUNY's online training programs to offer free training for high demand jobs.

In closing, Cuomo reached for his father, the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, and offered some hope for the future. Speaking of the light that shone through the darkness of 2020, he said

And this light illuminates a new path of possibility for our state. A path that says yes, we can care about each other, and we can help each other, and we can recognize our interconnection and relationship - that we are one community and one family. That our differences are second to our commonality. That we are strong, and we are competent, and we are capable. That we can build, we can achieve, we can take on great challenges and we can triumph. That we believe in ourselves and we believe in each other and we believe in this place called New York. This place of possibility, this place of welcome, this place of mutuality, this place of aspiration, this place of acceptance, and this place of cooperation. 

Are we that place, do you think?

Meanwhile, Back in Albany (v38)

Nathanial Brooks/NY Times

 It's hard to believe that I haven't done an   'official' Albany-centric post in over a year,   but it's true. The last one was in January     2020, centered on Gov. Andrew Cuomo's   State of the State (SOTS). 

 I ignored him the rest of last year, as he   spent a lot of time looking like he was   preparing to run for president in 2024 via his daily televised   - and, eventually, daily nationally televised COVID-19 briefings, wrote a book about leadership in the time of COVID, and made some fun guest appearances on his brother's CNN show. And, of course, I was a little distracted with the 45th president - no shock there for regular readers.

It's time to turn my attention to the Sonofa Gov and his plans for our future. Cuomo, recognizing that "these are no ordinary times, and our plan is more complex and detailed," took four days to get the SOTS all rolled out.

Here's a recap of his Day One overview, which introduced this year's theme: Reimagine. Rebuild. Renew. And it introduced his seven-point plan.

• First, we must defeat COVID and beat back the assault as the virus rages in these next few months. It will not be easy.  A high-performing hospital system as well as the diligence of New Yorkers are the keys to stop the spread.
• Second, the vaccine will end the COVID crisis. We must vaccinate 70 to 90 percent of our 20 million New Yorkers and we must do it quickly, safely and fairly. We must also learn the glaring and costly lessons of America's failed public health system so we are better prepared for the next time, and as we all now should realize — there will be a next time. 
• Third, we must deal with the short-term economic crisis: a record $15 billion state deficit that must be addressed in the next several weeks. 
• Fourth, we must plan our economic resurgence. We simply cannot stay closed until the vaccine hits critical mass. The cost is too high. We will have nothing left to open. We must reopen the economy, but we must do it smartly and safely.  Also, we must energize our lagging private-sector and rebuild our economic platform, our transportation system, our infrastructure system for the next generation of growth.
• Fifth, we must seize the opportunity to make New York the global leader in the long overdue, economic shift to green energy. That is the smart thing to do. That is the right thing to do and it will create thousands of good, secure jobs. 
• Sixth, we must be the first to anticipate how COVID will transform our society and economy and we must capitalize on those coming changes. 
• Seventh, we must address the systemic injustices exposed during this year's low-tide in America: the inequity, the racism and the social abuse. And my friends, if that wasn't ambitious enough, all of these plans must move forward simultaneously. It will be hard. It will be the greatest test for government since we mobilized to fight World War II. It will be the greatest opportunity for advancement since post-World World II. 

What does all of that mean? Saying "If we tire before the enemy tires, we lose the war," Cuomo says we must remain engaged in the fight against the pandemic, and we have to act fast on vaccines. And, we have to get them into our "predominantly Black, Latino, Asian, and poor communities," to bring "social and racial justice" to the vaccination process.

There'll be a Medical Supplies Act, to incentivize NY companies to produce PPE and whatnot, and NY will shop within the state first. Hopefully this will reduce out reliance foreign purchases.

He's going to expand telehealth to ensure accessibility for all, and create a new NYS Public Health Corps, which'll train folks to help their fellow New Yorkers with the vaccination effort, and lead to the establishment of a "best-in-the-nation emergency response capacity" for the future. The training program, which will be free, hopefully will certify 100,000 volunteers. 

Now, the hard part. NY has a $15B deficit, which the Sonofa Gov blames on the feds. The election of Joe Biden,, and the House and Senate majorities, should help.

...today is a new day in America after a long dark night and the new federal government has no credible argument against the fact that New York's damage from COVID is clearly, legally and ethically Washington's liability.

The feds allowed "COVID to ambush New York last spring," by focusing on China and ignoring the threat from 3,000,000 European travelers coming here, virus in tow, and by failing to test European travelers, which 120 other countries were doing. Bottom line?  "New Yorkers cannot now be asked to pay the financial bill for federal incompetence. New Yorkers already paid too high a cost." 

This is a national challenge. It is a war and like every war before, it must be financed by Washington. If the federal government needs revenue, it should raise income taxes on the wealthy to finance the state's resurgence from this national devastation. That is basic economic justice and economic prudence. Look what has happened in America, the rich have gotten richer, the poor have gotten poorer and the middle class has gotten smaller. Washington should not force any state to bear the cost alone - especially New York State.

He also complained (again) about the SALT limitation in the Trump tax plan, saying he expects to get "the SALT out of our wound," noted that NY subsidizes 42 other states, that we pay much more than we get back, and  he's had enough.

For out part, we're going legalize  and tax the living daylights out of) adult-use recreational pot, and allow mobile sports betting. Not sure there are any other revenue opportunities in the 'sin' field. Prostitution, perhaps?

Infrastructure (air, road and rail); affordable housing, and "more economic development to create jobs, jobs and more jobs" are also in the plans. Also, full broadband access (we're at 98% coverage now), with low monthly cost to low-income families. We're going big in renewables (becoming the "green energy capital of the world"), with efforts on construction, manufacturing, R & D, and worker training.

What else? Public safety, housing, rent and mortgage relief and more, including ensuring "all immigrants are protected and have legal counsel" - including undocumented immigrants. And election reform, or at least mandates that we do elections better. And we'll do better with the growing homeless situation. And and and and...

I'll have info from the other three days coming up.

Meanwhile Back in Albany (v37)

Sonofa Gov Poster

Andrew Cuomo, New York's Sonova Gov, recently helped save a man who was trapped in an overturned vehicle on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.  A few days later, he visited Puerto Rico after the recent earthquakes.

Meanwhile, Back in Albany between those two early-January activities, he delivered his tenth State of the State address - and, I should note, he was the creative force behind the poster you see here.

Our ship of state is stronger than it has been in decades. But the ocean we navigate is as tempest tossed as we have seen. Waves of anxiety, injustice and frustration are being fanned by winds of anger and division, creating a political and social superstorm.

That 'superstorm' includes school shootings, synagogue massacres, swastikas, turmoil on university campuses, homophobia, the increase in hate crimes... And it's going to get worse, he said, because of impeachment proceedings, divisive campaigns, and increasing global conflict. And those folks in DC? They're making it worse. 

We have a divided nation and a polarized Federal government. Everyone is pointing fingers, but no one is pointing forward and no one is pointing up.

He then recounted how New York has been a leader in the progressive movement, described as "the advancement of social, racial and economic justice, in an effective manner, to bring about meaningful improvement in the lives of aggrieved people and to further the collective interest." He outlined successes including gun safety, marriage equality, minimum wage, paid family leave, infrastructure, pro-union policies, and more.

Taxes went down for the middle class and corporations, and we've limited government spending to a 2% cap. We did all of that already, so what's left?

• Climate change: be ready to handle emergency situations, accelerate the transition to renewables, focusing on upstate opportunities; new transmission lines to get power from upstate to downstate; banning Styrofoam; funding national restoration/resilience programs, and more
• Green economy: expanding electric vehicles, attracting green industry, and putting a Nobel laureate to lead the way
• Taxes: continue growth by cutting small business taxes by 2.5%, cut 'middle class' taxes for individuals making up to $300K a year
• Upstate: continue REDC and DRI funding for economic growth; expand infrastructure investment; move on a host of regional projects from Buffalo to the Mohawk Valley and the Adirondacks; additional airport improvements; and more
• Downstate: continue investing in the MTA and Long Island Railroad; banning repeat sex offenders from the MTA; parks and housing initiatives. 

And, there's more:

• ensuring adequate cell service for the entire state; changing how the gig economy classifies workers; expanding paid leave; ensuring banks do business with everyone, or they won't do business with anyone; coordinating with neighboring states on legal marijuana; creating a global cannabis and hemp research center; ending the 'pink tax,' changing rape laws specifically where alcohol is involved
• legalizing 'gestational surrogacy' for same sex couples; expanding the Empire Child Care Tax Credit to include children under four; increased funding for affordable housing, with a demand for a 'higher level of competence, skill and professionalism' from local governments so the money won't be wasted 
• Not allowing guns purchase by people with a deniable conviction in another state; ending school funding disparities; free college tuition for families earning up to $150,000 a year; expanding workforce training programs
• Restricting the sales of all flavored e-cigarettes, restricting advertising on these products, and banning 'dangerous chemicals and products' as well as all variations of Fentanyl and synthetic drugs; expanding access to medication and assisted treatment; funding and other steps to ensure every New Yorker is counted in the upcoming census, and overturning the SALT limitation in the Trump tax code
• Speaking of taxes, all elected officials making over $100K annually must release their New York State taxes; prescription drug reform, medical transparency; passing the ERA; veterans assistance; e-bike laws; voting and election reform; and more.

Now, about that $6B budget gap, what did he have to say? All I can find is this:

• shifting more of the Medicaid burden to municipalities, which has been frozen for six years; and adding more accountability on the municipalities to keep costs down.

He challenged us to end the "American cancer" that is hatred, regardless of who it's against.

 Racism and discrimination are not new... It is this country consuming itself from within. And if we do not confront it, and if we do not defeat it, it will defeat us — there is no nation on this globe that can beat this nation, but this nation can defeat itself. 

New York must be the antidote. 

He said hate crimes would be subject to the "first-in-the-nation domestic terrorism law" and there'd be funding to expand the capacity of the Hate Crimes Task Force and for security grants to schools and places of worship. And, he wants schools to teach civic values and our history on diversity, as well as how immigration was driven by religious freedom, and

How Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity all teach one premise: that the strongest four-letter word is not hate, its love. 

There's also a call to expand the Jewish Museum on the Holocaust to allow it to "host school children all across the state" and make visiting there

part of a rounded education because to know the history of the Jewish people, is to know the history of love and connection, because New York would not be New York without the Jewish community, period.

Finally, he spoke of unity, saying that we should learn from the Pledge of Allegiance.

 It says, "One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all." Justice for all. Not justice for some, not justice for the wealthy, not justice for the well-off, not justice for the well-bred. Justice for all. That's what it says.

To demonstrate what that means to New Yorkers, he wants to add E Pluribus Unum to our state flag.

And then, the closing:

And hear me today, loud and clear. There is no place for hate in our state... When someone attacks one of us, they attack each of us and all of us.

When they attack Muslims, they attack me, and they attack you. When they attack the LGBTQ community, they attack me, and they attack you. When they attack Latinos, they attack me, and they attack you. When they attack Asian Americans, they attack me, and they attack you. When they attack African Americans, they're attacking me, and they're attacking you. When they're attacking Italian Americans, they're attacking me, and they're attacking you. When they're attacking Puerto Ricans, they're attacking me, and they're attacking you. And when they attack Orthodox Jewish people on the seventh night of Hanukkah, in Monsey, in Rockland, in the home of Rabbi Rottenberg, they attack me and they attack you! 

And when you try to divide the great State of New York, we will stand up tall. We will stand up unified. We will stand up and we will fight and we will win! Because we are right! And that is the New York way! Excelsior! Thank you, and God bless you!

And, lest you're wondering, he's not running for president in 2024. At least not yet.

Meanwhile Back in Albany (v27)

Nathaniel Brooks/NY Times photo

In Thursday's post, the first in a series on our Sonofa Gov's State of the State, we looked at the accomplishments of the Cuomo administration, covering a whole lot of bases.

Today, we start looking at what's on the new progressive agenda Andrew Cuomo and the Democratic majorities in the Assembly and Senate plan on bringing to us.

Some things have already been delivered, as the legislature got right to work as soon as they were sworn in. Here's what was called for in the SOTS:

• Reproductive Health Act
• Comprehensive Contraceptive Coverage Act
• Criminal Justice Reform
• Updating the SAFE Act
• Voting Reforms
• Passing the Equal Rights Amendment
• Child Victims Act
• Dream Act
• Legal Adult Use Cannabis
• Campaign Finance Reforms
• Green New Deal
• Sports Betting
• Pro-Labor Protections
• Tax Reforms
• Rent Regulation Reform
• Continuing the Build New York program
• MTA changes

Cuomo appreciated that there's a lot of stuff in that wish list.

It's a lot. No doubt about it. But there's been a lot that has been bottled up for many, many years that we couldn't get done. And in many ways I feel the state is now liberated with the Senate Democratic Caucus and we can get these things done and we can get them done together and pass a new budget and I believe we can get them done within the first 100 days to show this state a new reality.

Some of it already has been done, or will be done soon. Let's take a look.

Meanwhile Back in Albany (v15)

Nathaniel Brooks/NY Times

Picking up where we left off on the Sonofa Gov's 2018 State of the State, let's turn again to the litany of things Andrew Cuomo wants to accomplish this session.

Here's a few quick hits, some of which are likely going nowhere, until and even after details get fleshed out:

• protecting union workers
• same day registration, no-fault absentee ballots and early voting
• closing the LLC loophole and implementing a 'true public financing system" 
• social media disclosures on who ("or what") is paying for political advertising
• cashless tolling at bridges, tunnels, and on the Thruway
• expanding investment and acreage for to parks and tourism investments
• airport modernization, investment in the Long Island Railroad, and maybe a tunnel or two
• preserving CHP, Medicaid and our health insurance industry
• expanding pre-K programs and free college tuition programs
• finding creative ways to reduce property taxes (but not the unfunded mandates that drive them)

Some of the harder stuff?  Terrorism, for one.

...lone wolves are a new threat. It is getting worse not better. The Internet companies must search their hearts and minds to determine their obligation to public safety when they know who is visiting terrorist sites, and they know who is learning to kill Americans. That is there issue. In the meantime, our issue is to protect ourselves.

That means more police, better training, state of the art surveillance - and, restructuring Penn Station, which is particularly vulnerable - even if it means using eminent domain if private properties near the Station need to be included in the mix. Cuomo calls for Amtrak, the feds, and city officials to come together to make the necessary improvements. This might be tough with Trump in charge, especially since the feds just stepped back from a new NY/NJ tunnel plan.

Rethinking taxes, another hard one. Cuomo mentioned the federal government's "assault on New York" and the three ways we'll address it. First, challenge the new tax bill it in court - it's unconstitutional, it's double taxation, it violates states' rights and equal protection. Then, we'll develop a 'repeal and replace' effort for every state, every taxpayer.  Finally, we're going to look for a different way to fund New York, reducing our reliance on income taxes, such as a payroll tax.  And yeah, carried interest would be a thing of the past, too.

There was a bit more in there, but then the Sonofa Gov tried to find his father.

As the greatest Republican president Abraham Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." But our obligation as leaders is not just to say what we are against, but also what we support. Our obligation as leaders is not just to criticize, but to offer an alternative - and we do. New York follows a different path. New York believes that there is no future through division, but only through unity. The New York Way is to believe diversity is not a liability; it is the exact opposite. Diversity is our greatest asset. We celebrate it. The New York Way is that tolerance is expected from all and inclusion is our operating principle, and forging community is our ultimate goal...

And maybe, just maybe, to fuel the fire for 2020.

Gay and straight, white and black and brown, upstate and downstate - all working together focusing on what unites us rather than divides us and then building on that commonality. Now, this is not a new principle. It's not a democratic or republican idea, nor is it even uniquely New York. It is an idea proven over 240 years. It is the nation's founding premise and enduring promise. Is it our Founding Fathers' essential wisdom summed up in just three words: e pluribus unum. Out of many, one. So fundamental to the American idea that in 1782 they stitched the words on the great seal of the United States, and that seal and those words are on a flag that has hung in the Oval Office everyday since. Right behind president Trump's desk. To find the way forward, the president only needs to turn around. 

And then, back to New York.

That, my friends, is the true formula for what makes America great. That is the simple yet profound idea that made America the greatest country on the globe. And New York - New York was the laboratory for that idea. We proved that it worked in 1782, and we proved that it works today. This year, let us show what New York is, at its best. Let us show this nation the New York lesson: that at times of trouble and anxiety, the premise that made America great still guides us. That we do not seek to raise ourselves by pulling another down, but rather we believe we succeed by raising each other up. 

That is the New York Way.  And the New York Way is true north. And our true north is to follow the credo on the great seal of the State of New York: always reach higher, always hear our better angels, always aspire to unify, and always point up. 

Excelsior!

To infinity - and beyond!

No, seriously - there's a whole lot of stuff in here, and a lot of it is going to cost a ton of money that we simply do not have. Even Cuomo admits we don't have any money.

It's going to be an interesting session, for sure, starting with Cuomo's budget, due in the next ten days or so.

Meanwhile Back In Albany (v10)

Nathaniel Brooks/NY Times

Our Sonofa Gov, Andrew Cuomo, is preparing for the annual State of the State address, or should that be States of the State? State of the States?

I'm not quite sure how to use the SOTS terminology this year. You see, instead of doing a traditional address, he's going to do six of them.

That's right: six of them. Monday, he'll be in  NYC and Buffalo; on Tuesday, Westchester and Long Island get the news, and finally on Wednesday he'll speak in Albany and Syracuse. Kinda sucks to be last, I think, unless our cagey gov is going to be parceling out bits and pieces of news across the state, sort of like a modern-day Johnny Appleseed. Or, Hansel and Gretel.

He's sort of started doing that already. Never one to take advantage of a hungry press looking to talk about, say, ethics reform, or legislative pay raises, or why the gov and the legislative leaders thought it might make sense to try and have a special Holiday Session and do something about the latter, he's instead releasing his 2017 plan piece by piece, seed by seed, crumb by crumb.

The first plank in his platform? Tuition free public college for families making up to $125,000, announced by the Gov with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at his side.

New York's tuition-free degree program, the Excelsior Scholarship, required participating students to be enrolled at a SUNY or CUNY two- or four-year college full time. The initiative will cover middle class families and individuals making up to $125,000 through a supplemental aid program. Currently 80% of NY households statewide make $125,000 or less with an estimate 940,000 households having college-aged children that would be eligible for the program. Based on enrollment projections, the plan will cost approximately $163 million per year once fully phased in.

This is a great plan for families who have kids who want to go to a SUNY school, but what kind of plan is it for others in the state of New York when we don't know where the $163M will come from? According to the governor's website, here's how it works.

The initiative will work by leveraging New York State's generous aid programs. Currently, the Tuition Assistance Program or TAP provides nearly $1B in grants to college students statewide and New York is one of only two states in the nation that offers this type of entitlement. Under the program, eligible students would still receive TAP and any applicable federal grants. Additional state funds would cover the remaining tuition costs for incoming or existing eligible students. 

Hmm. So we will educate your children for free, fellow New Yorkers, but what will your children give us in return, the folks who are paying for this program out of those mysterious "additional state funds" I wonder?

• Do your kids stay here and pay us back by becoming doctors, or civil engineers, or public planners, doing good for via an Excelsior Employment contract requiring them to work here for say, twice as many years as they got in free tuition? 
• Do they commit to getting good grades, and will they lose their free tuition if they don't?

Do we just get to feel good about ourselves, meaning that this is just another generous give-away program, garnering us national credit for our forward thinking, but no actual investment from the ones in whom we are investing so much?

Remember,

New York is also the only state in the nation to offer a need-based loan forgiveness entitlement program that provides awards to New York State college graduates regardless of their degree or profession. The Governor's "Get on Your Feet Loan Forgiveness" program provides up to two years of student loan forgiveness to recent New York State college graduates. This program, coupled with New York's new Excelsior Scholarships Program, will ensure New York continues to lead the way forward on college affordability.

We can lead the way, if that's our collective aspiration, or we can lead in a way that ensures the collective benefit comes somewhere remotely near the collective expense. Free college tuition is nice; so is making appropriate choices for your own family, which includes things like figuring out how you are going to cover the costs of educating your children.

I'll be honest: I'd rather see this be income-based free tuition for parents to go to college part-time while working full time, to improve their job prospects, to get a promotion, to earn more money and be able to better take care of themselves.

To me, that seems like a better investment in New York's future.