“As we’ve learned at the federal level, bailouts don’t work,” said Montesano. “Budget balances may change, but bad habits endure. We cannot continue to fund poor policies, inefficient services, and faulty management. I was heartened to see the comptroller’s office take up an overdue forensic audit of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority – I have after all been advocating for such a measure since I entered the Assembly – but it needs to be open and accountable to the taxpayers of Long Island. The MTA runs the risk of another expensive bailout if the Legislature does not act soon to correct the bad practices of its management. Moral hazard applies equally to mortgage markets as it does to trains and buses, and the taxpayer is always left to clean up somebody else’s mess.”