Tom Gulotta's most recent column was, in a word, ludicrous. It's pathetic to think that he truly believes there are no problems with Nassau County's finances. Even if one removes all of the political rhetoric from the picture there is still the outside bond rating agencies and their opinions of Nassau County's fiscal condition. Their actions speak louder than any fluff piece scripted by Mr. Gulotta. Our county bond rating has been reduced to one notch above junk bond status. This act alone will cost us (the Nassau County taxpayer) millions more in interest payments on money borrowed by the county. It's truly scary to read that Tom Gulotta, county executive and CEO of Nassau County thinks we are in fine shape.

Worse than having a county executive who may be in denial, we have a budget in place that does not address any of the serious problems facing Nassau County. The year 2000 budget, put into place by the Republican majority in November of 1999, does not address the dire fiscal straits that our county is in. This Republican budget raised our taxes, but did not address the serious overspending that takes place on a daily basis on the county level. These Republican legislators, including Dennis Dunne, now in the minority, have a new political strategy. They sit idly by and take no responsibility for the mess that years of Republican mismanagement have gotten us into. They certainly enjoyed spending our tax dollars over the years, but now that it's time for tough decisions, they are trying to sit it out. Shame on Tom Gulotta and the Republican Legislators. To them it's politics first and taxpayer be damned.