Assemblyman Dave McDonough (R, C, I – Merrick) today released the following statement regarding Governor David Paterson’s first State of the State speech delivered earlier today in the Assembly chamber:

“Having already received the Governor’s budget last month, I looked forward to hearing more from the Governor regarding why he believed state resources should be allocated in the manner in which he laid out in his recently released budget.

“After hearing the Governor’s speech, I was disheartened to see that he failed to lay out a plan for Long Island, which is a major contributor to the New York economy. Yet, I believe that we legislators must move swiftly to produce our proposals and come to a compromise with the governor regarding spending and taxing. We must reduce spending, enact a tax cap and stop any proposed tax increases that will only hurt families and businesses already perilously close to the brink of financial disaster. During this time, we cannot afford to waste one month, one day or even one hour by avoiding the economic crisis that is plaguing this state and hurting the bottom lines of millions of families.

“I look forward to working with the governor as we move forward in a time of extreme circumstances to set aside partisanship and get this state back on track so that we can keep our economy moving forward again on behalf of the citizens of New York and Nassau County.”