ALBANY - New York's Green Party is taking up the governor's challenge to provide alternative ideas. They detailed ways to cut in to the state's $15 billion shortfall without the many taxes and fees the governor is proposing.

The governor continued to sell his program Thursday, making himself available by satellite for a statewide news conference.

"I am not trying to come in and bully people," Paterson insisted.

Once again the governor pushed the three broad areas of his plan to close the budget gap -- raise numerous broad-based taxes and fees, get concessions from state employees to avoid layoffs or cut services.

But leaders of the state Green Party say there's another way -- tax the rich and stop returning tax collections to Wall Street.

"If we reinstituted progressive taxation at the levels they were in the 1970s, income taxation, we could find an additional 7.7 billion yearly. If we simply stopped rebating the stock transfer tax, which is what we do now to Wall Street, we'd get an additional 3.3 billion," said Matt Funiciello, owner of the Rock Hill Bakehouse.

Assembly Democrats agree with that basic approach, but have been unable to convince either Republicans or their own party's governor who supported a millionaires tax five years ago.

"We do know where the extent of this chaos that is our budget deficit is going to end. So for us to start taxing millionaires when we don't even know where this ends is, in a sense, putting the cart before the horse because all the economists that have looked at out budget process, that have advised me, have said, cut the spending first," Paterson said.

The governor said Thursday he's encouraged now that everybody seems to see there is a problem. As he put it, rather optimistically, "We're off to a good start."

The budget is due by April 1, although the governor would like it to be done sooner than that.