Editorial: Phase out plastic bags
THE ISSUE:A proposal would reduce the use of plastic bags by supermarkets and other retailers.THE STAKES:It will reduce litter, help the environment and preserve valuable landfill space. Albany County...
View ArticleCongress will still be stormy
"Congress is finishing this year less popular than a cockroach," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the other day. The reason, he charged, was simple: "mindless, knee-jerk obstruction...
View ArticleUtah's anti-polygamy law: When a man loves 4 women
The following appeared in a Los Angeles Times editorial:As gay marriage has gained acceptance across the country, its opponents have often claimed that the inevitable next steps would be recognition...
View ArticleVaporizing the holidays
Watching my 13-year-old daughter, Bryel, traverse through the weeks before Christmas has made me long for the days of Christmas past. Being romantically nostalgic, I miss the wonder of the holidays,...
View ArticleEditorial: Peace on Earth, for a day
Imagine yourself a soldier in one of America's past wars, when armies observed the tradition of calling a truce for Christmas. For one day, both sides would turn away from battle, and observe a brief...
View ArticleChristmas wins war on Christmas
The sinister forces that are supposed to be vanquishing Christmas, in what is called the "War on Christmas," are in retreat. In fact, they are celebrating it.Across secular Europe the creches are on...
View ArticleBrooks: Israel is caught in tragedy
Sometimes life presents clear choices, but often it presents tragic situations. A tragic situation is one in which you are caught in a vise between two competing goods, so it is necessary to...
View ArticleBrooks: Legitimacy problem with Obamacare
It's pretty clear that the implementation of Obamacare will set the tone for how Americans think about government for years to come. There are two large questions to be settled, which you might call...
View ArticleRelief act helps settle job claims
The Times Union recently reported how the Workers' Compensation Board is mitigating the group trust default problem. What the board has done to help group trust employers ultimately resolve this issue...
View ArticleShell's Oil's drilling plans for Arctic need close scrutiny
The following appeared in a Seattle Times editorial:Days after Shell Oil turned in revised proposals for oil exploration in Alaska's Chukchi Sea, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management...
View ArticleEditorial: Hope for Troy's Proctor's
THE ISSUE:State preservation funds will shore up a crumbling old Troy theater.THE STAKES:If the once-prominent venue will ever be restored and reopened, it will take hard work and lots of money. It...
View Article'Saturday Night Live' stops joking about casting woes
The following appeared in a New York Times editorial: After coming under intense criticism for its lack of onstage diversity, "Saturday Night Live" is poised to hire its first black female cast member...
View ArticleDon't gamble with seniors' health
The dramatic growth of the gambling industry, which includes state-run lotteries, casinos, sports wagering, Internet gambling, video poker, video keno and many other forms of betting, has had a...
View ArticleWill: Inflicting injustice is criminal
WashingtonFederal Judge John Gleeson of the Eastern District of New York says documents called "statements of reasons" are an optional way for a judge to express "views that might be of interest." The...
View ArticleEditorial: School reform can't wait
THE ISSUE:Public school education spending and reform will be agenda setters this legislative session.THE STAKES:School districts need more money, and advice, to get better results for our children. A...
View ArticleBrannigan: Rekindle virtue of gratitude
There is hope. When I questioned my students in mid-November as to their favored tradition, Thanksgiving or Christmas, almost all declared Thanksgiving, defending it as a time to simply be with and...
View ArticlePope on a new path in addressing abuse
The following is from an editorial in The New York Times:After decades of Vatican indifference and evasion, Pope Francis has ordered the creation of a commission to study the rape and intimidation of...
View ArticleSmith: Still pulling for No. 4, the Empire State
Brace yourself for a blow to civic ego: In case you haven't yet heard, the official word will almost surely come Monday that Florida has surpassed New York as the nation's third most-populous...
View ArticleNetworks cash in on hypocrisy
By the time public relations executive Justine Sacco ended her 12-hour flight from London to South Africa, her offensive tweet had gone viral. "Going to Africa. Hope I don't get AIDS. Just kidding....
View ArticleThe prisoners at Guantanamo deserve credible justice
The following editorial is from The New York Times:In April, when a hunger strike by detainees at the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was in its third month, Pentagon officials agreed with defense...
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