Gov. David Paterson this morning insisted this morning that his “lame duck” status has actually “freed” him to make the hard choices necessary to restore New York to fiscal solvency and leave the state on more stable footing for whoever succeeds him in the office.

Paterson bristled a bit at the suggestion that he is hobbled because he has decided not to run to try to keep the office he inherited in the wake of ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s prostitution scandal, telling WBEN’s John Zach and Susan Rose:

“I would describe myself as a free duck, and I think in these next few months when I am freed in the sense that I don’t have to placate anybody because I’m leaving at the end of the year, this is the perfect time for me to stand up for the people of the State of New York…and not dump problems on the next governor.”

Paterson lamented that he had inherited a mess brought on by the Legislature’s routine “spending like drunken sailors” – a binge in which he admitted he had taken part as a veteran member of the Senate.

The governor insisted he still has a contribution to make – and a legacy to build – during his remaining months in office.

“I will hold the line and can’t be threatened because I’m not running,” Paterson said. “…I can give this state seven-and-a-half more months, and I think people will say I’ve gone a good job, and I then I will be a good duck.”

To that end, Paterson predicted state lawmakers will pass the budget extender he sent to them last week that includes furloughs for some 70 percent of the state workforce, and again attacked the unions for refusing to negotiate a deal to help close the $9.2 billion deficit.

“They just want to frolic along and do commercials and have rallies as if there isn’t a method and a means to an end to get us out of this mess,” said Paterson, who insisted one unpaid day a week isn’t “the greatest sacrifice to make when the sacrifices workers in the private sector are forced to make can’t be enumerated.”

Paterson pledged the state will not have “anarchy” even if legislators decide at the last minute to reverse course and choose a government shutdown over angering the public sector workers.

“We’ll make sure the State Police are on patrol; we’re not going to have anarchy in the state, but certainly we will have run out of money and there would be no reason for state workers to come to work because we can’t pay them,” the governor said.

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