Editorial: The $5 billion question
THE ISSUE:The prospect of a $5 billion environmental bond act offers intriguing possibilities.THE STAKES:The devil will be in the details. The Capital Region is home to more combined sewage systems,...
View ArticleFriedman: American people are due credit
If you're an average American and are confused and worried about our getting embroiled in a no-win Syrian civil war, you're right to be concerned. It means you're paying attention. But if you're a...
View ArticleN.Y. needs Medicaid waiver
If you Google "Brooklyn hospitals" these days, you'll see plenty about the looming closures of Long Island College Hospital and Interfaith Medical Center, the dire fiscal plight of several other...
View ArticleSpitfire Boxer pulled her punch
Sen. Barbara Boxer had been appealing to my better instincts as she never has before. The California Democrat provided a crucial vote in favor of a resolution sought by President Obama to authorize...
View ArticleWaitstaff deserve a bigger slice
Most people assume restaurant tips are a reward for good service that helps servers get ahead. In reality, your tip fills a gap created by a loophole. Federal minimum wage law allows restaurant owners...
View ArticleLetter: Convict's wedding sullied retirement
I couldn't believe the retirement of longtime Albany County investigator, Robert Muller, was mentioned in the same article as the wedding of a convicted criminal and his girlfriend ("The sweet sorrows...
View ArticleLetter: Let state focus on alternate energy
I want to thank Gov. Andrew Cuomo for continuing to back the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. New York also gave generous rebates for residential solar and wind installations again this year,...
View ArticleLetter: Call to boycott Al-Jazeera absurd
What a lame piece of demagoguery from Assemblyman Kieran Michael Lalor, who wants to boycott any cable company that carries Al-Jazeera America ("Boycott threat over Arab TV news," Aug. 27). Al-Jazeera...
View ArticleLetter: 'Haves' worked for their rewards
I find it necessary to respond to Paula Bossert's letter stating that the "haves" in our country are "dangerous" and that the government needs to interfere to "act fairly to all" through what I assume...
View ArticleLetter: Financial aid just a higher ed scam
The current $1.2 trillion in outstanding student loan debt in this country threatens to cripple our economy. Instead of educating new students on financial responsibility, the financial institutions...
View ArticleThe Adirondacks' wild side needs to be forever nurtured
New York recently acquired approximately 21,000 Adirondack acres as an addition to our "Forever Wild" Forest Preserve. Included in this acquisition is the remote, pristine and jewel-like Essex Chain...
View ArticleEditorial: The mess that is Syria
THE ISSUE:U.S. plans to bomb Syria are off amid a possible surrender of chemical weapons.THE STAKES:The crisis is hardly over, abroad or at home. There was never going to be a perfect ending in Syria...
View ArticleLetter: Obama has the right substance about Syria
I have read and heard a great deal of criticism surrounding President Barack Obama's handling of Syria. I have found the partisan criticism to be lacking any credible alternatives. There has been...
View ArticleEditorial: Long Story Short
For some, tax optional You can't appeal the sales tax on that doughnut and coffee at the convenience store, but New York's "mansion tax" seems to be another matter. Hiring some powerful lawyers and...
View ArticleCommentary: Rating the higher education system
On his recent education bus tour, President Barack Obama pressed for a new rating system to ensure that more families are able to afford higher education. I think we can all (well, almost all of us)...
View ArticleSeiler: Heroes are made, not born
Every kid at some point becomes convinced that a parent won't be coming home. The unexplained absence usually ends up being due to nothing more serious than a flat tire or undercharged cellphone. But...
View ArticleParker: Yes, Putin, we are indeed a model of democracy
Washington As I read Vlad's op-ed in The New York Times, a Judy Collins tune kept replaying in my head: "Isn't it rich? Isn't it queer?"The song, actually written by Stephen Sondheim, although it is...
View ArticleCommentary: Sanger would be horrified by battles unwon
Sept. 14 marked the 135th birthday of Margaret Sanger, the pioneer for women's rights and contraception. If she were here today, she would be horrified that we're still fighting some of her old...
View ArticleEditorial: Crime inside N.Y.'s prisons
THE ISSUE:Female inmates face a disproportionate chance of being victimized by sexual misconduct.THE STAKES:It's bad enough we lock up more people than any other country. Must we also tolerate their...
View ArticleDowd: This CIA is conscious of its image
Carrie Mathison may be banished from the fictional CIA on "Homeland," but she was welcomed with open arms at the real one on Monday."Our field trip to Langley," Claire Danes said wryly. "It did feel...
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