Leaders fail to cut state budget

ALBANY — Gov. David Paterson and more than 200 legislators met in emergency session Tuesday to take on what they agreed was a fiscal crisis of historic proportions and — did nothing.

A 90-minute meeting of the Democratic governor and legislative leaders was filled with accusations and some name calling. But they failed to approach any agreement on Paterson’s proposed $5 billion in spending cuts or any alternatives, some of which surfaced for the first time since Paterson called the special session seven weeks ago.

“They swung and missed,” said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group.