David Carlucci is the Working Families / Democratic Party endorsed candidate for the 38th Sentate District - These are his thoughts on reforming NYS government.
1. Voters are supposed to select their representatives, not the other way around. The only way to reform the system is to take the elected officials out of the process and appoint a non-partisan commission to redraw the lines.
2. Last year's coup was over member items, and it underscores how bad the problem has gotten. We need to standardize member-item monies so that each district gets the same amount, regardless of party affiliation or seniority.
3. We need a property tax cap so that we can stop the current practice of using property owners as a limitless ATM. Some version of a "circuit breaker" is the best option for developing a fair property tax system for all homeowners. However, a spending cap is only as effective as the additional measures taken to balance the budget.
4. How are we supposed to make intelligent decisions about who we are electing or re-electing without knowing what corporate or special interests influence them? I support strong ethics reform legislation that will mandate full disclosure of outside income.
Furthermore, we need public funding for elections in order to remove undue influence from corporations and lobbyists on lawmakers.
5. The Founders of the Constitution didn't incorporate term limits because they believed in the power of the electorate to vote out ineffective legislators. When we reform the process to limit the power of incumbency, we will return the process to its original intent and have fair elections every term. However, if we are unable to incorporate the changes necessary to limit the power of incumbency, artificially influencing the options of the electorate by limiting terms may be a good secondary option.
6. I am proposing a four-point plan that includes: a tax refund for companies who hire unemployed New Yorkers; incentives for companies that create local jobs; expand the Department of Labor's "work sharing" program. which reduces hours or pay, but allows employees to keep working with benefits; and streamline bureaucracy for entrepreneurs.
7. "Hydrofracking," in many respects, is New York's equivalent to the Gulf's deep water oil drilling process and must be treated as such. As a pro-business Democrat, I will get behind proposals that would help stimulate the economy upstate and lessen our dependence on foreign oil, but only if we can ensure that any such process is safe for New Yorkers.
