SYRACUSE - Taking his message of economic emergency to upstate New York, Gov. David Paterson minced no words at a town hall meeting on Tuesday, again warning that impending budget cuts would affect everyone.

“We are in uncharted territory right now. We need to address this economic crisis as soon as possible,” Paterson told an audience of about 500 at Crouse Hinds Theater downtown. “Everybody will be asked to share in the sacrifice. The real problem is we have never curbed spending. People have given up their vacations. The American consumer is adjusting. Now it's time for the government to. The citizens of the state will be the losers if we do not curb our addiction to spending without paying for it.”

Paterson's appearance came a day after three of New York's most powerful public employee unions - New York State United Teachers, Civil Service Employees Association, and Public Employees Federation - said they wouldn't reopen contracts to any concessions despite the state's fiscal crisis.

Paterson wants $2 billion in spending cut from what remains of the $120 billion 2008-2009 budget. He said he would release a list of proposed cuts on Wednesday.

“I completely sympathize with the pain that they may have to ask some of the members of the union, some of the employees of companies, some of the operations of local government that may be hindered,” Paterson said. “This is why I'm trying to make it clear how serious the situation is.

“The kind of who's winning and who's losing, who got cut and who didn't get cut, this is not a reality TV show, this is not a game,” Paterson said. “This is a very serious situation that involves the survival of the people of New York and the quality of their lives.”

The governor, who also held a town hall meeting last week in White Plains, again said that he and legislative leaders had agreed there would be no tax increase proposed during a special session later this month called to deal with the rapidly escalating deficit. He also reiterated that the recession, overspending by the state and the meltdown on Wall Street will result in $47 billion in deficits over the next four years if nothing is done.

The biggest chunks of the state's $120 billion budget are Medicaid and school aid, which have historically been protected by the powerful unions. But Paterson has said billions of dollars in cuts next year and midyear cuts to school aid are all on the table.

The town hall meeting was recorded for public television. Questioners were chosen from the audience and questions submitted via e-mail also were posed. When asked by an audience member about cuts made to a program that deals with the skyrocketing number of HIV infections in the state, the governor said it was simply a sign of the predicament the state is in.

“We do realize that we have had to cut,” Paterson said. “We don't want to do that. It shows the peril that we're in. The reality is we've got to tell the country the truth. Somehow in this country we've gotten a little soft. We don't tell the truth anymore.”