Brodsky: Tax cuts deserve debate
It's difficult to think clearly about taxes, in New York and all over America. Entrenched political interests don't much care about reasons, but citizens should try to figure out what's good or bad...
View ArticleIt's possible to be social without the use of media
A while back, I checked out of the hotel Facebook. I didn't like to admit that I spent my time there, but working from home, scrolling the "newsfeed" was a tempting distraction. My days were quiet,...
View ArticleCommon Core and doing better
There's never been any question that implementing the Common Core learning standards would cause significant growing pains. We and the members of the Board of Regents knew we'd encounter a good amount...
View ArticleEditorial: Hospitals fail a baby test
THE ISSUE:More than a third of newborn blood samples in the Capital Region aren't arriving at the state lab within two days.THE STAKES:These tests are meant to be performed quickly to save lives and...
View ArticleA health study the right Rx for area near Loeffel site
Residents in and around the town of Nassau have lived under a toxic shadow created by the dumping of pollutants on Mead Road. The area, known as the Dewey Loeffel landfill, includes more toxic waste...
View ArticleKrauthammer: Obama's rhetoric can't govern
WashingtonIn explaining the disastrous rollout of Obamacare, President Barack Obama told Chris Matthews he had discovered that "we have these big agencies, some of which are outdated, some of which...
View ArticleEditorial: NYRA has furlongs to go
THE ISSUE:The New York Racing Association hopes to end its operating deficits in 2014.THE STAKES:The troubled organization needs to show it has left behind the poor management and corruption that...
View ArticleBrooks: Thought Leader and circle of life
Little boys and girls in ancient Athens grew up wanting to be philosophers. In Renaissance Florence they dreamed of becoming humanists. But now a new phrase and a new intellectual paragon has emerged...
View ArticleGovernor, sign bill to regulate local breeders, pet stores
The holidays may not seem like a time to think about politics, but animals in New York will continue to be at risk, if we don't act now. The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society takes in more than 6,000...
View ArticleFilibuster disrupting the Senate
Oh, for those halcyon days in the Senate, when partisanship, obstructionism and gentlemanly treachery were codified in the rules.When it didn't matter that a majority of senators finally got up the...
View ArticleEditorial: An especially nasty rip-off
THE ISSUE:Initial audits find millions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse in special education.THE STAKES:The governor has an opportunity to authorize the comptroller to crack down on this. Special...
View ArticleDowd: Heroes, villains in D.C.
Washington I miss Brody.The poor guy was put at the end of a rope because the writers of "Homeland" were at the end of their rope.They had conjured a hypnotic character who was both hero and villain,...
View ArticleSmall donors can outweigh bigger wealthy contributors
The Moreland Commission should be applauded for its common-sense recommendations for comprehensive campaign finance reform in New York. Months of investigation and a range of expert testimony...
View ArticlePage: Stopping on a snowy evening
More often than I like, once the sun starts setting so early it would be unseemly for a glass of merlot and the evening still stretches long and I lack the will for the labor-laden tasks that lie...
View ArticleEditorial: An anti-reform campaign
THE ISSUE:The state Board of Elections faults prosecutors for not going after scofflaw politicians. THE STAKES:That's no excuse for the board's own failings, nor an argument against reform. So the...
View ArticleNeed for sunlight still exists
Lights play an important role in most winter holidays. Celebrants burn Yule logs, place stars atop trees and light candles to hold back the darkness during these longest nights. Perhaps, then, it was...
View ArticleInternet sales tax ruling gives states some holiday cheer
The following is from an editorial in The New York Times:On Cyber Monday this month, a big day for online shopping, the Supreme Court quietly cleared the way for states to begin collecting $13 billion...
View ArticleFriedman: Kerry shows that he isn't afraid to fail
I don't know whether Secretary of State John Kerry will succeed in his two big chosen priorities: trying to forge an Israeli-Palestinian peace and a detente with Iran that deprives it of a nuclear...
View ArticleEditorial: Simple fixes for the MTA
THE ISSUE:MTA dodges questions regarding technology that could have averted the Metro-North commuter crash.THE STAKES:Freight and passenger railroads have to get serious about safety. From air bags to...
View ArticleFDA controls use of antibiotics for cattle
The following is from an editorial in the Los Angeles Times:Finally, meaningful new guidelines have been written to stem the overuse of antibiotics on livestock. The Food and Drug Administration has...
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