The Green Party of NYS renewed their call today for a carbon tax and the stock transfer tax, which would be sufficient to eliminate the state's budget deficit.

The Greens support the rest of New York residents in wanting Governor Paterson to stop his opposition to raising taxes on millionaires to help solve the budget deficit.

"If Governor Paterson can stomach taxing soda to stop kids from getting fat, why can't he also stand up to the fat cat Wall Street speculators by re-instituting the stock transfer tax? He should also support the carbon tax to reduce our unhealthy diet of fossil fuels," said Peter LaVenia, state party co-chair.

The Greens also called upon the Governor to slash state spending on the prison industrial complex by repealing the Rockefeller Drug Law and granting amnesty to non-violent drug offenders. "It costs too much, in both tax dollars and in human terms, to keep on unnecessarily locking up African-American and Hispanic males. The same money could provide much more fulfilling work for upstate residents than their being prison guards."

The Greens said that state should save billions of dollars by eliminating the huge waste and bureaucracy associated with for profit health insurance by adopting a single payer, improved Medicare for All program. "With Single-Payer, there would be collateral benefits that aren't generally perceived. A government good enough to provide Single-Payer would be a government that would more generally have far more concern for its citizens' welfare, in all matters... womb to grave," added David Cyr, member of the state executive committee.