Andrew Cuomo Undoing Years of Progress!

It's a shame really. Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York is undoing years of progress for citizens with developmental disabilities. In the process, he's breaking promises made to these people, their families and providers who until now have been partners in building one of the largest systems of independent community support in the country. Like any large system it has had it's problems over the years but look at the alternative. Institutional care, custodial care that has a lurid history exemplified by Willowbrook. What's ironic and sad is that some of the promises he's breaking were made by his father, Mario Cuomo when he was Governor of New York State.

Cuomo and his team at the Division of Budget and the NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities have shown their true colors. They are certainly not progressives or advocates for one of the most vulnerable populations in NYS. They will tell you there just isn't an alternative. They will tell you their commitment to no new taxes or no tax increases is something we should all be proud of. They will tell you that the federal government is really to blame because it is disallowing a rate structure that was previously approved for many, many years. They won't tell you that NYS designed the rate structure and the over payments went into NYS's general fund.

Instead, they will sit back and defend a cut of 6% to voluntary, non profit agencies that assist the state in supporting 120,000 people with developmental disabilities in communities across NYS. Imagine being told that within 30 days you need to reduce your budget by 6%. They won't tell you that the agencies they're cutting are referred to as voluntary because they are doing this work voluntarily vs the mandate that NYS has from both legislation and the courts. They also won't tell you that they pay these voluntary agencies almost 50% less then the state spends itself to provide the same service. They won't tell you that they are dismantling a system that has been built on relationships with families and people with disabilities and good work, and that the system they're promoting is based on numbers and slots. They won't tell you a lot of things.

But the worst thing is, there is a meanness, and cold, cruel attitude to these cuts and to the Governor's attitude. This is pretty typical of this Governor. He has an edge to his response to questions and seems to want to present a "so what" attitude to anyone who questions or raises concerns about his actions or positions. He scares advocates and providers. He had his staff in the last week publicly call out and rebuke a state employee who spoke to the press. He is far from transparent. So now he travels to Florida to fundraise for his re-election or perhaps his election. The actions he's taking relative to people with developmental disabilities just go to show once more that he's no Hillary Clinton.

He uses an old trick when balancing the state budget on the backs of the most vulnerable people. He turns it around and tries to make it everyone else's job to find the money to support these people. "Where else should I cut?" he asks. That's your job Governor. You were elected to govern and to lead. Continue to travel across the state and handout your economic development grants. Fund museums and manufacturing plants and all of the things that will get you some votes.

I don't think the Governor really thought out these cuts and the impact they will have on the non-profit sector. I don't think there was a realization that some programs will in fact close and that many jobs will be lost. I don't think there was any thought given to how this will, in fact, slow down the closure of the remaining institutions in NYS. I also don't think there was any thought given to the relationship between providers and the state. People have struggled to develop a partnership over many years. You don't treat true partners this way.

So advocates be prepared to stand up to this Governor and his people. Be prepared for the cavalier glibness. The reality of advocacy is that you'll be pushed back, you'll be intimidated. As you get pushed remember this quote from Fredrick Douglas in 1857 -
 “If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will.”