Sucks. glad we got rid of him

Awsome!

Kicked ass sometimes--fell on his ass other times.

GET OUT OF MY STATE PATAKI!!! Ugh, we are being taxed to death in Upstate NY, to pay for his beloved little Manhattan. Don't get my wrong, I lke NYC, but this fool doesn't even realize that New York esists West of the Hudson river.

George E. Pataki is a rather hard governor to rate. He has been in office for nearly a decade and has been extremely effective in pushing forth much of his agenda. For a Republican Governor to be elected three times in a notably Democratic state is quite an accomplishment. No one with half a brain can deny Pataki's effectiveness as Governor. Perhaps his most notable accomplishments are a record number of tax cuts that were certainly politically expedient during the economic boom of the late 1990s, but have left New York unprepared to face the fiscal crisis that has come along with the slowdown in the economy. Perhaps his greatest fault is somehow perceiving cutting taxes as some sort of race. Year after year, Pataki bragged that New York led the nation in cutting taxes. Taxes are a major aspect of maintaining a balanced and responsible fiscal policy, and anyone who considers cutting taxes a race is certainly out to score political points, and nothing more. Pataki's massive tax cuts and slashes to local aid have forced local governments to raise all different variations of taxes, and New York, despite the dozens of tax cuts implemented under Pataki, remains one of the least-friendly states with regard to taxation. Pataki must be credited, however, for making important investments in fighting crime and protecting environment. He has embraced reforms of New York's legal code that have closed loopholes that once made New York's justice system a mockery. Furthermore, the dramatically reduced crime rates that followed his reinstatement of the death penalty may be cited as proof that the death penalty does serve as a deterrent. Pataki has also been a great champion of the environment, protecting thousands of acres of open space and taking steps toward reducing harmful emissions that pollute the air. However, Pataki is rightfully considered a hypocrite by some. He proposed legislation upon assuming office that would have limited a Governor to two terms (largely as a public insult to his predacessor, who was also re-elected twice), but he himself ran for and won a third term. Overall, Pataki's record is indeed a mixed one. New York has made amazing progress in fighting crime and protecting the environment, but Pataki's tax cuts have not affected the perception that New York is an unfriendly state when it comes to taxes. Hopefully, he will not seek another term, as it is time for new leadership in Albany, New York. UPDATE: The deficit keeps mounting, and Pataki's numbers keep dropping. That silly race to cut taxes in the late 1990s is surely coming back to bite Pataki in the arse now, as the dramatically expanding size of the state's budget over the last few years and less tax revenues have created a huge structural deficit. What happened to the fiscally conservative Pataki that was elected in 1994? I guess, for the sake of New York's fiscal future, as well as Pataki's own political ambitions, he better show up again soon.

The problem I have with Pataki is that he brings up controversial issues (i.e. gay marriage) around election time and tries to get the state to pass laws (in that case for gay marriage), and then drops it for 4 years. He has done that twice. He has good intentions, but he does not do what he says he will do and what he wants to do. He's just OK.

It's a shame to see such a great state governed by such a loser man, HE LIKE THE REST OF THE COUNTRY THINKS THAT NYC IS ALL THERE IS TO NEW YORK STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Upstate New York is a very nice place to live, but it does need some more jobs, for god sakes people don't elect him any more!!!!!!!!!!! I want to get back to upstate new york, and maybe if there is a new governer, i will be able to find a really good job. what ever you do, don't be a loser dumbass like chalky and leave, that just makes it worse, he/she is just a whimp that will probably make the mistake of moving to the south like i did, HEY CHALKY IT SUCKS ASS!! TRUST ME WHEN I SAY, STAY IN NEW YORK!

A Democrat posing as a Republican. Another big government, big spending liberal that folks in the NE seem to love so much. How many more representatives in Congress do the good folks in NY state have to lose before they wake up and realize that the old tried and true ways of doing politics and business in the Empire Stare are ruining it?

A thief Big brothers best friend New York states worst enemy A Republican yes man who steals money from the state to fund frivilous Ventures in NYC Not to many worse than him

He's doing a great job of bankrupting this state. Also invisable(nobody voted for him)

This guy's been in office for two terms now, and average New Yorkers have not benefited from a single significant tax break during that entire time. What good is it to have a Republican governor but no tax relief during his tenure? he asked rhetorically. No good, is the non-rhetorical answer. This guy was an ineffectual hangeroner consigned to the sidelines during the 9/11 disaster, was ineffective in keeping state college tuition in check, refuses to raise the minimum wage in one of the most expensive states in which to live, has done nothing to revive the sluggish upstate economy, and holds downstaters (i.e., the ones working and making the lion's share of $$$ and also paying the lion's share of taxes) in quiet contempt because we won't support his vapid candidacy. Here's a guy with close contacts with some of the most unsavory real estate developers and brokers in the mid-Hudson region. Here's a guy, who despite his family's well-heeled status, pulled bogus stunts to have his father committed to a charity nursing home rather than foot the bill himself to make sure the old guy was well taken care of. A really dishonest, slimy, cheapskate sleazeball.

The best you could expect from a state that thinks a lesibian lawyer in a marriage of convenience to a White Trash Mommy's Boy is a good candidate for Senator.