Businesses should view a salary hike as an investment
The following is from an editorial in The Philadelphia Inquirer:Do you feel like you're working harder than ever, but your pay isn't keeping up?That's because you are — and it's not. A study by the...
View ArticleEditorial: Retire this pension perk
THE ISSUE:Employees of some private lobbying organizations enjoy the benefits of the state pension system. THE STAKES:How is this in the public interest? Let's face it, a public pension from New York...
View ArticleProtecting children is a priority of the highest order
The death of 5-year-old Gary Carpenter, detailed in the Times Union's July 28 story, "Child's beating death raises questions," reminds us that good intentions cannot always prevent tragedy.Gary was...
View ArticleLetter: Omission makes law unenforceable
Very few would disagree with banning the use of harmful materials that pose health risks to Albany County residents. On Aug. 12 the Albany County Legislature passed Local Law "C" that, in part, bans...
View ArticleLetter: Progress at Sage cause for pride
As local trustees of the Sage Colleges, we would like to share our concern that a recent front-page story ("Critical point at Sage Colleges," Aug. 17) paints a misleading picture of Sage's health and...
View ArticleTeachers can't fix societal ills
Is poverty destiny?This question is posed repeatedly in the teaching profession. It is the question rhetorically asked by politicians, corporate education leaders, administrators, principals and even...
View ArticleRobinson: Attack on Syria only U.S. option
History says don't do it. Most Americans say don't do it. But President Barack Obama has to punish Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's homicidal regime with a military strike — and hope that history and...
View Article'Crimes' are hardly violations
Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold's offhand comment, to an irritated birther at a town hall meeting in his district a couple of weeks ago, was easy to dismiss as base-mollifying silliness. He said he...
View ArticleLetter: Horses sacrificed in 'sport' of racing
Saratoga Race Course has been marking its 150th anniversary. Proudly billing itself the oldest sporting venue in the country, the august track, and indeed the entire region, is waxing nostalgic and...
View ArticleEditorial: Carl Touhey's legacy
THE LIFE:The businessman, philanthropist and politician, dies at 95. THE LEGACY:He exemplified the ideal of giving back to one's community. Surely Carl Touhey, of all people, would revel in the irony....
View ArticleLetter: Common Core 'reform' doomed to crash, burn
If one more pundit, like Editor Rex Smith in his column "Test scores set schools' challenges," Aug. 17, credits Common Core as praise-worthy, I'm going to have an embolism. Why take the so-called...
View ArticleLetter: Powerful sign of group's disapproval of abortion
I want to share a long overdue "bravo" to the Feminists Choosing Life of New York Action for its "New York State of Embarrassment" billboard placed on Interstate 90. The anti-abortion message to Gov....
View ArticleLetter: Tax campus properties to boost city's economy
I have lived in the shadow of the Harriman Campus and the University at Albany for my whole life and I have seen amazing growth there in the past decade to include new university facilities and the...
View ArticleLetter: Consider burying loved one's cremated remains
Cremation is less costly than a full-body burial, and the trend is not likely to disappear ("Rituals of death change," Aug. 18). But, in my opinion, that does not mean you should not consider burial...
View ArticleSmith: Farewell to a community's maestro
My great friend David, who died this week, called me "Perry," or sometimes "Chief." You'll get the joke if you're around our age. David and I were born just three weeks apart, at the dawn of the...
View ArticleLetter: Pentagon gay decision shows some progress
I am gay. Furthermore, many of my friends and family identify as gay or bisexual. As such, I cannot possibly express my gratitude for the Supreme Court's Defense of Marriage Act ruling earlier this...
View ArticleLetter: Lower levels could hurt more moderate drinkers
I read with interest the article in which Doris Aiken recommended reduction of the blood alcohol level for driving to 0.05 percent ("Lower DWI rule asked by advocate," Aug. 15). I am strongly opposed...
View ArticleLetter: Plenty of discussion on fiscal problems
Richard Brodsky in his Aug. 26 commentary, "Fiscal crisis for Albany's mayor," described a number of Albany's fiscal challenges. He also stated that the "silence is deafening" from the Albany mayoral...
View ArticleCrack down on predatory payday lenders
The following is from a New York Times editorial:The predatory industry known as payday lending is finally feeling the bite of state authorities alarmed that low-income borrowers are being gouged into...
View ArticleLetter: Albany-Tula Alliance enriches perspectives
I read with interest about MoveOn groups nationally petitioning to sever sister-city relationships with Russia because of President Vladimir Putin's positions against lesbian, gay, bisexual and...
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