Checks and Imbalances 

A bailout from your bailout plan

The Citizen Budget Commission, aka New York’s adult supervision, just flagged something wild: the state’s $254 billion budget might not have enough in the piggy bank for a rainy day.

To which the state responded:

“Rainy day? Sweetie, it’s pouring and we bought everyone umbrellas… on credit.”

Now, the spotlight’s on a $2 billion “inflation relief check” program that Governor Hochul trimmed down from $3 billion. Because what says “we’re being fiscally responsible” like announcing you’re giving out less free money than originally planned?

Let’s pause for a second. This is like showing up to a potluck with fewer casseroles and expecting a standing ovation for your restraint.

The logic seems to be: yes, inflation is bad, so here’s some money to help you pay for groceries… just ignore the part where it might fuel more inflation later. It’s like trying to treat a sugar crash with more Skittles. Tastes great, feels helpful, but the math teacher in the corner is slowly banging their head against the chalkboard.

And that’s where the Citizen Budget Commission comes in. Not to ruin the fun, not to take the Skittles away but just to say, “Hey, maybe next time we build a budget that doesn’t need a relief program to clean up after the budget.”

Because if you need a bailout from your own bailout plan… you might not be bailing anymore. You might be bailing in.