Just one more reason for Upstate residents to be ticked off at our New York City Democrat controlled state government.  Governor David Paterson finally admitted that the only reason he and the Democrats in state government mandated new license plates and raised the fee to purchase them was to suck more money out of state taxpayers to fund their worst budget in New York history.

Gannett Albany Bureau reporter Joseph Spector covered the story.  Here’s a clip:

Gov. David Paterson said Tuesday that the controversial new $25 fee on New York license plates was nothing more than a “revenue grab” and drivers do not need new license plates.

The state had hoped to bring in $129 million in new revenue by forcing drivers to get new plates when their vehicles’ registrations expire. Paterson said the state moved up the date by a year to require the new license plates in order to raise revenue.

“It was a revenue grab. We’re admitting it. And when so many people objected to it, we can’t argue with them and we’ll take it off the table. But when we take it off the table, somebody has got to find $129 million of cutting from the agencies to balance our books,” Paterson said during an interview on a New York City radio station. His comments came after his staff had argued that the new plates were needed not only to boost the state’s coffers but also because the current ones’ reflectivity is fading.

The reflectivity argument was debunked by county clerks, who petitioned the state to dump the new fee — which lawmakers and Paterson are expected to do.

The reflectivity on our old plates is fading?  Go outside right now and take a look at your license plate that you got just a few years ago and tell me how rough a shape it’s in?  Mine is fine and so are all the ones I see at night when I’m driving home from work.  Fading reflectivity my butt.  Are we now supposed to be thankful that we’re told it was all a lie?

And remember, who stands to feel the most pain from this mandated replacement and increased fee?  That’s right people, Upstate residents.  New York City residents have their Mass Transit Authority system.  Oh, by the way, we helped fund their $2.2 billion bailout plan.  

Since when did we in Upstate New York become the cash cow to fund New York City’s problems?