Cuomo-Malloy: Peas In Different Pods

Yet more evidence that Andrew Cuomo has hit the ground running and is doing a commendable job of governing what is, in some ways, an ungovernable state. Tom Dudchik's CT Capitol Report (the closest thing we have to the Drudge Report in Connecticut) this morning carried a linked headline proclaiming "High tech to invest $4 billion in New York state... ".

The NYT blog post announces:

I.B.M., Intel and three other technology companies agreed Tuesday to pour $4 billion into computer-chip research in New York, promising to hire thousands of workers and giving a major boost to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo as he campaigns for companies to invest in the state and create jobs.

Meanwhile, here in Connecticut, we are bribing companies to come here -- or, in some cases -- just to stay here and refrain from laying off thousands of people. What's wrong with this picture?

Granted, there are important differences between the two states, so an apples-to-apples comparison isn't really possible. But consider that, instead of paying companies to come to New York, Cuomo has attracted billions in private high-tech investment in depressed regions upstate in conjunction with state spending on research at its flagship university in Albany.

Meanwhile, here in Connecticut (have I said that before?), we are giving tax incentives to corporations in Gov. Malloy's First Five program, while spending almost a billion dollars just to prop up our hospitals.

Best of all about Cuomo's young governorship, he has managed to balance NYS's budget without major tax increases. I was highly skeptical about Cuomo's election. After all, those attorney-general types are often loathsome characters. No need to name names here, but how many times have you seen the phony stagecraft of a publicity-seeking state attorney general holding a news conference, making empty threats and waving legals papers? Yuck.

But Cuomo has surprised me. After leading NYS out of a fiscal crisis without socking it to taxpayers, he will be poised for a credible run for the White House in 2016. Meanwhile, the unpopular Malloy could be back in Stamford and, if we're lucky, the expansion of the UConn Health Center will still be under construction. Hooray!