The governor insists on a 4 percent cap on school property tax increases. Speaker Silver supports a cap if accompanied with a "circuit-breaker,'' which limits taxes levied based on household income. Sen. Dean Skelos, the new majority leader, says, "First and foremost, we must address the issues that are putting a strain on family budgets, primarily rising property taxes."

Yet all three ignore proposals by the Suozzi commission, an appointed panel that studied high property taxes and released recommendations in June:

- A 4 percent cap on all property taxes;

- Mandates paid by the state;

- The "circuit-breaker" bill sponsored by state Assemblywoman Sandra Galef, D-Ossining, and state Sen. Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury, that would protect low- and middle-income households when property taxes exceed a given percentage of their income. In my county, Rockland, state Sen. Thomas Morahan, R-New City, and Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski, D-New City are co-sponsors, Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, is not. Why not? No explanation.

It appears that the powers-that-be are pushing the 4 percent cap. The Working Families Party criticizes the cap: "An unworkable, one-size-fits-all cap would simply limit the amount that your property taxes could go up. The Working Families Party plan for tax relief would give millions of homeowners an immediate tax cut the fair way, based on your family's ability to pay."

Another bravo study, Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, recommended 76 ways to control spiraling property taxes. It calls for dramatic and politically challenging efforts to merge cities, villages, towns and school districts. The report states: "New York's system of running local governments was created during the era of horse-drawn transportation and is in need of a major overhaul." The accumulated savings is estimated at $1 billion.

Knock on any Rockland door and ask, "What is our biggest local problem?" Overwhelmingly, the answer is "property taxes." For sure, the answer would be the same throughout the Lower Hudson Valley. So for heaven's sake, why aren't two powerful reports generating discussion among our county, town and village politicians? Are their collective beings stuck in the "horse-drawn" era?

Our politicians are ignorant of the Commission on Local Government report. If they did their jobs, they would know the enormous amount of money wasted by the duplicative-plus-duplicative governments.

My village of Nyack pays $1.9 million more in taxes than it would if unincorporated as Pearl River or Palisades. The other older villages - Suffern, Hillburn, Piermont, South Nyack, Upper Nyack, Haverstraw, West Haverstraw - are paying millions of dollars more in taxes because they are cemented in that "horse-drawn" epoch. Spring Valley wins the prize. As an incorporated village, it is paying $14 million in additional taxes as its unincorporated neighbors, Hillcrest and Monsey.

Villages are not the only suckers of punishing taxes. Our five towns, instead of being a single unit of government, are responsible for $135 million to $150 million in additional taxes.

And yes, a "horse-drawn" court system adds unnecessary taxes, as do eight separate school districts.

In Rockland, Republican county legislators mollify their property-tax-do-nothing stance by consistently voting to uphold County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef's veto of a living wage bill that gives people who work for businesses with county contracts a $3 an hour increase over the cost of a gallon of gas. Hypocritically, they apparently are not concerned with, or are ignorant of the fact that, workers' real incomes have decreased while the incomes of the top 1 percent have increased 40 percent since the Bush administration took office.

But Rockland Democrats aren't much better. With a veto-proof majority, they neglected to introduce a living wage bill this past legislative session.

Check out the "circuit breaker" plan - and pressure the politicians.

The writer is a Nyack resident.