Letter: Name offensive; OGS action proper
The name Wandering Dago offends me. The term "dago" is a derogatory label meant to deprive Italian-Americans of dignity and respect. The Office of General Services and the Cuomo administration have...
View ArticleCasinos a bad gamble for the state
A new institution in American life is contributing to the growing gap between the haves and have-nots. That institution is the regional casino. Until about 1990, casinos were legal only in Nevada and...
View ArticleExpiration date nears on antibiotics, 'the miracle drugs'
The following is from a Los Angeles Times editorial:Beware of magical discoveries: They generally require careful use lest the magic wear off. Even the genie's lamp gave only three wishes.Antibiotics,...
View ArticleLetter: Substitute action for missile strikes
Thousands of years of war throughout our Earth, five major conflicts alone fought by our young during my lifetime, and we still have people in power in Washington who are leaning toward more missiles...
View ArticleLetter: Doing a disservice to state's servers
Scott Klinger's commentary "Waitstaff deserve a bigger slice," Sept. 13, misrepresents the minimum wage situation in New York.Mr. Klinger argues that a federal minimum cash wage increase for tipped...
View ArticleLetter: Set realistic goals for urban schools
In the commentary "Albany's 2020 Vision," Sept. 8, Albany's School Superintendent, Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, aka Dr. V, laid out her plan to alter the "troubling systemic issues" that keep "our...
View ArticleLetter: DEC performance keeps degrading
Your editorial ("An endangered agency," Sept. 18) is right on target about the state Department of Environmental Conservation and its failure to perform its mission. In revenue-short times, I can...
View ArticleTests are at the core of failure
Are more than two-thirds of our New York State students really "failures?"Of course not.However, that's the feeling many have been left with following the State Education Department's first try at new...
View ArticleEditorial: Unfreeze pay for managers
THE ISSUE:The state has frozen the salaries of most of its management employees.THE STAKES:A bill awaiting the governor's signature will provide an equitable fix to the problem. While most of their...
View ArticleLetter: Low wages don't mean low effort
The juxtaposition of the commentary on waitstaff's minimum wage ("Waitstaff deserves a bigger slice," Sept. 13) and the letter from Michael Brown ("'Haves' worked for their reward," Sept. 13) was...
View ArticleLetter: Kennedy's speech fits Syria dilemma
President John F. Kennedy gave a speech in November 1961 at the University of Washington. How it fits today's situation:"In short, we must face problems which do not lend themselves to easy or quick...
View ArticleLetter: Economic fairness is fundamental
David Welch's ranting about liberals ("Liberals embrace a false narrative", Sept.19) is off the mark. What liberals and President Obama (who is a centrist, not a liberal) have embraced is not "the...
View ArticleLetter: Restore balance to Lark Street
The Advocate column recently described a case of vandalism against a new business in the neighborhood, Hounds on the Hudson ("Mindless vandalism destroys quality of life," Sept. 12). This is a great...
View ArticleContraception coverage: A hobby shop is not a church
The following is from a Los Angeles Times editorial:A federal appeals court has thrown enforcement of one of the Affordable Care Act's mandates into confusion by accepting a bizarre argument: that...
View ArticleLetter: Party enrollment deadline is Oct. 11
On Sept. 10, some New York voters had the opportunity to participate in primary elections. In New York, primaries are closed elections, and the voter must be enrolled in a specific political party in...
View ArticleMoney trumping democracy
There can no longer be any question that free and fair elections — what we were raised to believe was an American democratic birthright — are effectively being taken away from the people.Billionaires,...
View ArticleDowd: Dashed attempt at encounter
The man formerly hailed as a messiah was having a bad day.The Iranians snubbed him. The Brazilians upbraided him. Ted Cruz fauxlibustered him. And you just know that, behind the scenes, the Russians...
View ArticleEditorial: New light on shady funds
THE ISSUE:Loosely allocated funds and 'member item' spending remain in the state budget.THE STAKES:Taxpayers can hardly trust lawmakers to resist money that can be spent secretly. Like Winnie the Pooh...
View ArticleTransparency needed for Border Patrol's use of force
The following is from a Los Angeles Times editorial:U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, is the largest law enforcement agency in the nation. With...
View ArticleTeaching character is a key lesson
For the last few years, President Barack Obama has warned the nation that "in the race for the future, America is in danger of falling behind" and he would often cite South Korea's school system as...
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