Why I'm optimistic about 2012

A CBS news poll found that almost 70 percent of Americans described 2011 as a “bad year.”

Friends, I’m optimistic, and I predict that 2012 will be a better year.

By the end of the year, this country could have a new leader.

On a state and local level, we already have the right leadership.

A Newsday and Siena College poll showed that 57 percent of Long Islanders are “downbeat” about the future of Long Island and the economic woes the region faces.

On Dec. 29, in an effort to close a $310 million budget gap, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano fulfilled a pledge to the county that by Jan. 1, 300 county workers would receive pink slips. Additionally, 200 workers were demoted in a continuing effort to shrink the county’s public work force. The deal also included an early-retirement-package deal.

Yes, people have lost their jobs, so why am I optimistic? Since taking office, Mangano has slashed the county’s deficit. He submitted to the Legislature a 2012 budget that cut over $170 million in spending.

In 2012, he should continue to follow this agenda. He should march to the beat of his own drum and not allow our county to be held captive by pension and benefit packages we can no longer afford.

In 2011, Governor Cuomo proved to be a superb leader. His recent economic deal brought Republicans and Democrats together to vote on a tax bill that offered much-needed relief to the middle class and slashed the MTA payroll tax — a win-win for the small-business community on Long Island.

This year, as the State Legislature begins its session, I urge Cuomo to continue his tough stance on unions and special interest groups in order to once again balance our state’s budget. I urge him to permanently shift retirement benefits for public employees to a system that is more sustainable for our state and its taxpayers.

Previously, Cuomo introduced a plan that increased the retirement age from 62 to 65 and doubled employees’ contribution to their benefits from 3 percent to 6 percent of their annual salary. It also capped pensions for the state’s highest-paid employees.