Notable quotes of the week
"If you ever do that to me again, I'll throw you off this (expletive deleted) balcony."— Rep. Michael Grimm to a NY1 reporter after an interview at the U.S. Capitol."We the people of this state are...
View ArticleEditorials: Long story short
A faceless Thruway? The Thruway Authority's plan to take human collectors out of some toll plazas altogether is not necessarily a bad move, but before doing it, the state has some things to...
View ArticleEditorial: At the core of our future
THE ISSUE:Some want to slam the brakes on the state's Common Core educational standards.THE STAKES:The state must not abandon an effort to raise student performance. No reform worthy of the name is...
View ArticleSaint or Stalinist stooge?
Obituaries are for the living. The dead, the sages tell us, are beyond such things and fall outside all media demographics.This piece of journalistic folk wisdom was hammered home Tuesday as the...
View ArticleKathleen Parker: Colleges ignoring teaching the basics
Washington President Barack Obama is correct in wanting to make higher education more affordable and accessible, but Americans would also be correct in wondering just what they're paying for.The need...
View ArticleKeeping the Olympics in the right perspective
Sochi, Russia, is a long way from Lake Placid. Thousands of miles and 34 years separate a Winter Olympics in a small, Adirondack mountain village from a subtropical summer resort city below the...
View ArticleMaureen Dowd: Hillary as victim and also defender
So how do you make Monica haunt Hillary's dreams?That's what Republicans have been gnawing on, and that's what not-so-bland Rand Paul was cagey enough to figure out.Fresh from taunting rival Chris...
View ArticleThomas Friedman: Fringe now, but main stage soon
One of the most popular shows on Israeli TV is called "Eretz Nehederet" or "A Wonderful Country." It's a comedy show that lives to make fun of Israeli politicians and the absurdities of life here. It...
View ArticleMake the most of state's interest in Operation SNUG
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget proposal allocates $3 million for the gun violence program Operation SNUG. Let's hope this marks the beginning of a reversal of the hostility to community-based crime...
View ArticleDiane Cameron: Heat, not roses, this season
I wake in the night and listen. The reassuring rumble tells me that the furnace is still on. It's good news and bad. It means we have heat but at this hour I visualize the dollar bills that might just...
View ArticleEditorial: Albany looks for answers
THE ISSUE:The new mayor wants a state board to look at the city's finances.THE STAKES:The city may find new savings; the state may realize it's been shortchanging the city. What has Albany got to...
View ArticleCharles Krauthammer: Debunking the war on U.S. women
WashingtonWhat is it about women that causes leading Republicans to grow clumsy, if not stupid? When even savvy, fluent, attractively populist Mike Huckabee stumbles, you know you've got trouble....
View ArticleBuild new casinos to boost jobs
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's goal of ensuring that economically distressed areas of the state have the opportunity to create jobs and develop their economies through destination resort casinos is commendable....
View ArticleEditorial: It's about representation
THE ISSUE:Eleven state legislative districts lack either an Assembly member or senator.THE STAKES:Will the governor call special elections, or deny citizens full representation? So let's get this...
View ArticleWe all pay when part-time health plans are dropped
The following appeared in a New York Times editorial:Target has announced it will no longer provide health insurance for part-timers but will send them to the health care exchanges established by the...
View ArticleDavid Brooks: The age of brilliant machines
We're clearly heading into an age of brilliant technology. Computers are already impressively good at guiding driverless cars and beating humans at chess and "Jeopardy!." As Erik Brynjolfsson and...
View ArticleCompetitive bids benefit everyone
A recent decision of the state Appellate Division in Albany is bad news for taxpayers and those concerned with fairness in the awarding of state contracts. The Appellate Division essentially slammed...
View ArticleEditorial: Give kids a smart start
THE ISSUE:The time has come to consider pre-K as part of our state's public education mandate.THE STAKES:No less than more high school graduates and fewer criminals could be the end result. A...
View ArticleTwo lines of hed go right in here
It appears to me the GOP worship of the fetus is not matched by its caring for the human, post-birth.Consider the following record of the GOP: Funds to feed the hungry as part of the Supplemental...
View ArticleClear reforms will help strengthen Thailand democracy
The following appeared in a New York Times editorial: These are dark days in Thailand, where an election was disrupted by protesters whose demands for a suspension of democracy could lead to greater...
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