Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Regular readers of Schmitt Watch know that Schmitt only has a passing relationship with the truth. It's as if he just can't be honest. Back in 2001 when the Gulotta ship was sinking fast and after Schmitt lost his majority in the Legislature, he and the other surviving republicans did all they could to distance themselves from Gulotta and thier own records.
They went so far as to hold a press conference to make a public split with Gulotta.
Schmitt has since run fast and hard away from his past. Bring up what he did in the past and he goes ballistic insisting we must look forward.
What a joke.
Back in 2001, Schmitt held a community meeting and was confronted by a constituent as reported in the Massapeuqa Post ;
"One resident challenged Legis. Schmitt for his criticism of County Executive Gulotta, claiming that Schmitt voted to pass the budget when Republicans were in the majority.
Schmitt replied that the County Executive and the various department heads spent more than the budget permitted."

Whoa!

Gulotta was quick to respond; "Department heads cannot overspend their budgets without approval of the Legislature." In addition, he said that Legis. Schmitt voted for the budgets that are now in question, and for the elimination of a $60 million source of revenue (the land transfer tax) in the fiscal 2000 budget.
Gulotta further explains that after Schmitt "voted to approve the budget with the revenue in it, he did not cut expenses to accommodate that loss of revenue." According to Gulotta, one rating agency viewed that action as "the single most irresponsible action that they had ever witnessed anywhere in America" and it was shortly thereafter that they downgraded the County’s bonds. Gulotta said that he "will not participate in scapegoating."

Gulotta went on a tear;
"I accept my share of the responsibility as County Executive and it’d be nice if he (Schmitt) were man enough to participate in the solution to the problem."

OUCH! Gulotta pegged Schmitt for what he really is.

And here is the kicker; Schmitt in his zeal to defend himself against Gulotta stepped all over the same arguments he tries to use now.
"Schmitt later said that 75 percent of what the County spends is mandated. And the County, he reminded the audience, does not receive the lion’s share of its residents’ property tax dollar. Sixty-five cents goes to the school district, nineteen cents goes to the County and fourteen-cents goes to the Town, explained Schmitt."

That's right. There are mandated non-discretionary spending. That spending also increases every year. When Schmitt complains about rising spending in the county, he is hoping that you the voter don't know that the increase is in mandated spending. There have been cuts in discrestionary spending the past three years.

It's amazing that Schmitt can say one thing then and then another now.