Job creation must be priority No. 1 ”“ from the White House to the statehouse.
At the federal level, there has been too much focus on health care and financial reforms and too little on the dwindling national workforce and economy.
At the state level, too, much time has been spent on “reforms” and other dealings. Important measures, yes, but we believe jobs and economic development are an imperative of equal if not higher priority than some of the legislation passed.
The national unemployment picture is a grim one. The U.S. gained 18,000 jobs in June ”“ a fraction of what economists predicted ”“ and the unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent.
And as market observers warned of dire scenarios, a stalemate on the debt-ceiling continued in Washington. This only served to fuel the public”™s anxieties and add to the uncertainty plaguing the private sector, which is bad for business.
At press time, reports were the “Gang of Six” plan to cut the federal deficit, drafted by three Democratic and three Republican senators, was gaining momentum. They better get their act together. Tinkering with the nation”™s debt and holding the country hostage is quite dangerous.
These are times for leadership, not brinksmanship.
Back at the state level, Gov. Cuomo announced a plan he said would “redesign government,” energize the economy and create jobs. He calls it “NY Works,” an initiative he termed the second phase in his effort to “build a new New York.”
“During my campaign and throughout my first six months in office, I repeatedly said that Albany must start performing better for the people of New York,” Cuomo said in a statement. “We have made great progress, but there is still a long way to go. It is essential that we build on the momentum, fix state government and create jobs for New Yorkers across the state.”
The governor said initiatives in the coming weeks include:
- Launching the long-anticipated regional economic development councils;
- “Historic changes” to the way companies apply for development funds;
- A “New York is Open for Business” marketing campaign touting the state as “a great place to do business”; and
- An overhaul of state procurement practices for goods, services and real estate to save taxpayers money and streamline the process for businesses here to work with the state.
Cuomo also said he and members of his senior staff will travel the state to meet with and hear from residents and public officials and he vowed to “show New Yorkers that their government works and that performance is not a thing of the past.”
We”™ll see if he walks the walk.
Seven months have passed since Cuomo and his team took the reins of our dispirited state. Thousands of New Yorkers are out of work and losing their homes.
Unless we start getting people back on the payroll little else will matter. Simply put, it”™s not going to mean a heck of a whole lot if we have tax caps and ethical government if we don”™t have a strong workforce in place to jumpstart an economic recovery ”“ let alone growth and expansion.
