Priorities

I was born in NYC. I live in NJ. It is true that both states along with many others, are struggling with deficits and budget mismanagement. In my own profession, education, New Jersey Districts are facing real problems with cut back in state aid costing teachers their jobs in many cases, not that teachers should necessarily be more exempt from economic strife than the already unemployed, but they are getting a bad rap. Anyway, in NYC there is a marvelous institution in Greenwich Village named Saint Vincent's Hospital. This is a hospital that dealt for decades with the poor, with those who could not get care elsewhere and has been an historic health institution in the city. It faced its own fiscal crisis and is about to close. Both state governors are trying to deal and make tough choices to put some sense of fiscal feasability in place but I am not sure they have a sense of perspective. In addition, NJ residents will see 25% increases in commuter fairs along with cuts in education et al. Governor Christie does not think that a tax on those making over 400,000 dollars a year should also be implemented to share the suffering. Governor Paterson has decided that in the middle of this crisis another failed institution is too important to fail. OTB (Off Track Betting....). While Saint Vincent's Hospital will close, 1300 legal gambling employees will be saved for a while longer. I do not wish to see people lose their jobs but if gambling is more important than health, and taxing the middle class through education cuts and commuter fare increases is more important that asking the wealthy to contribute a little more, I think our priorities are all screwed up. Priorities are setting a level of importance with the issues that we must deal with. Putting education and health behind gambling and asking for a little more help from those who can, just isnt correct. Where are you Americans for Reason and Truth?