No one is paying attention to the state deficit.

0:00 Speaker 1 With us today is former Governor David Patterson, and he speaks out as far as Democrats are concern in our city, our state, our country, the world. And Governor Pattison, what’s on your mind this Sunday morning.

0:16 Speaker 2 Well, I think what’s more interesting than what’s on my mind, John, is what’s on Mayor Eric Adams mind. And he expressed it this week. He estimated that we are currently housing ninety seven thousand immigrants in the city and he projects that there could be sixty thousand more coming. So he multiplies the ninety seven thousand times three hundred and sixty

0:42 five days and that comes out to it comes out to three point six billion dollars that would cost the city to house the migrants for a year. And the federal government has really done nothing about it. As a matter of fact, the state, with Governor Kathy Hogel, has given seven times more money to this effort. They didn’t

1:10 start it, but they put the money into help, seven times more money than the federal government. So finally this week they have dispatched Thomas Perez, who is a good man, an inter government matteral relations person for President Biden. But my question is what’s he going to tell him. They can’t just drop by and tell him, gee, we feel

1:30 bad that this is happening, but we can’t do anything about it, because that’s the answer he’s been getting already. And when you really look at the numbers here, if you wind up with one hundred and sixty thousand people, and let’s say that number stops, the next sixty thousand is the last number. Still, if you multiply it out

1:53 by days, we’re talking about over six billion dollars that the city would have to spend. And the city did not come up with this idea. The federal government did. And the city has about two hundred megacenters, shelters and short term places that these migrants can stay. But as Eric Adams said, the dam has burst. That’s why you

2:18 had people sleeping on the street at the Roosevelt Hotel by the Indu Intake Center as far back as two weeks ago. And the government, I don’t see how a meeting with Eric Adams is going to solve this problem.

2:31 Action would solve this problem.

2:33 Speaker 1 I was on Fox Hugh’s Governor on Monday Tuesday. I lose track of the time, and I said to them, why aren’t we putting them on Rikers Island. You have a lot of space on Rikers Island. You have thirty thousand beds that are not being used. You have plenty of land where you can put up tents. And because look,

2:59 these people on migrants they deserve you know, we want to we want to help them, u we they want to sleep, bedding and food, but we don’t want them to inconvenience. New Yorkers are citizens of New York. I mean you can’t look around right now without being you know, abused.

3:23 Speaker 2 Well, I know, John, that they’ve started to use Randall’s Island, and I didn’t understand that because Randall’s Island is over occupied. There’s a lot of soccer games, activities, schools playing each other, different types of the kids.

3:39 Speaker 1 The school kids are gonna lose their place to play soccer if you send them to Rikers Island. Nobody loses anything.

3:49 Speaker 2 John, I can’t answer that question. I don’t know why that is not being considered that. Maybe they feel it’s an unhealthy place or dangerous even when it’s deserted. They would have to come up with an answer. I certainly can’t tell you I understood, but I’ll tell you I’ll ideas one other thing about John is that, in addition

4:12 to the Randall’s Islands situation, these two hundred or so service centers, shelters and the like have already been servicing a large number of homeless people, a large a number of people with mental illness already, and now we’re just piling out on top of them. And listen, if we’re going to pick between people who are in a devastating state,

4:37 and our sympathy should go out to all of them, but it would seem that we would first try to assist the ones who live in our city and our neighbors, as opposed to the migrants who they didn’t do any hang to get here, and they shouldn’t be mistted or mislabeled.

4:55 But it’s just that, you know, people open their home the times when when say family members have had problems and maybe they’re home burned down or something. But there’s always a point, there’s always a tipping point. And as Mayor Adams said very boldly and very bravely, that that point has actually come.

5:17 Speaker 1 Understood. I mean Governor’s Island. There’s not much going on over there, is there? Can we put them on Governor’s Island?

5:27 Speaker 2 They have some facilities over there. I don’t I don’t believe it could house that many people, but that’s another suggestion. Every little bit would help. That’s what I mean.

5:38 Speaker 1 I think we should do what’s going to make the least inconvenience for American citizens, the least inconvenience for New York citizens, and and still take care of these people. I mean, I just I’m looking for something that makes a little bit of common sense. That’s all.

5:58 Speaker 2 Well. I will say this, John, I think that the the people, regardless of their political affiliations or their personal beliefs, are starting to come together because the city and the state who’s trying to help, they’ve given far more money than the than the federal government has already. There’s going to be a situation where I think, uh, these groups

6:26 are going to have to come together and complain about this because you just can’t keep doing this and expecting that there isn’t going to be a very Uh. Mayor Adams called it a disaster, and that’s where it’s headed.

6:42 Speaker 1 I understand, and it is a disaster. And the other problem is David Patterson. You know, we’ve had Governor, We’ve had doctor Michelos on a show, we had doctor Siegel and our show. The other concern is that these kids and that have never been checked, that come on the borders, and if they’re going to go to school with our kids,

7:04 they should be checked and make sure that they don’t have any other diseases that the American kids will catch.

7:13 Speaker 2 You know, there are so many new diseases or you know, diseases that in the oven in themselves create other diseases that becomes a huge health problem. It doesn’t seem to be a plan to basically address that. I think this is really, you know, quite an outrage, and I think that a lot of people who have tried not to

7:42 engage on this issue because the federal government has its own problems. Look at what happened in Maui this week. Spent a lot of money trying to help the people there, and they’ve had other forest fires and other natural disasters that have occurred, you know, in the past few months more than you usual. I understand their concerns and their issues,

8:03 but they actually sent one hundred thousand people into New York City and told the city you deal with them, And to me, that is running away from leadership.

8:20 Speaker 1 Agreed, and they’re sending it is well, Governor Pattison, I am a little bit taken back. I think I think, look, we mean you. We both love New York and we want the best for New York. We want the best for our citizens, we want the best for all people. Governor, have you heard any update on money tax money being

8:49 starting to get short compared to the budget yet?

8:55 Speaker 2 Well, for the last four months, the control all of the State of New York times Anapolis has issued kind of an update, and each time there has been a shortfall where the tax receipts that are being collected are as high, at times as thirty percent less than what’s expected.

9:18 That could throw the state into and out your budget gap. Governor Hulker would have to bring the legislature back to try to balance it. I don’t think she would want to have to deal with it all next year unless she thinks there would be a turnaround in tax collections, which is possible. But it’s going to be a real

9:38 difficult problem for the government legislature to work out, and it’s certainly going to make it more difficult for the legislature to pass some of their priority legislation. That’s good legislation, but we just wouldn’t have the resources to pay for it.

9:56 Speaker 1 I just said, anything else you want to tell the New Yorkers go to the American people.

10:02 Speaker 2 Well, I’m just hopeful that Mayor Adams as he continues to try to persuade the administration that this is a devastating error that they’re making by not providing resources. At this point, I just want to hope that he’s successful.

10:20 But either way, he has certainly stood up like a strong leader, and I think that even if people disagree with some of his other policies or actions, they have to respect him to that.

10:32 Speaker 1 I just said, Governor Pattison, we’ll catch up with you again real soon. I understand you you’re going away for a few days. I hope to see you when you get back.

10:43 Speaker 2 I’ll see you then, John, Thank you.