Editorial: No dice, Schenectady
THE ISSUE:The Galesi Group wants to include a casino as part of its Schenectady plan.THE STAKES:A regional casino makes more sense as a resort destination, away from a downtown. What does a city so...
View ArticleNotable quotes of the week
"All right, good night."— Last radio call from Malaysia Airline co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid before Flight 370 vanished."In people's hearts and minds, Crimea has always been an integral part of...
View ArticleCircuit breaker a crucial component to upcoming budget
A long-sought, badly needed property tax circuit breaker is now, finally, on the table as the governor and legislative leaders begin the crucial negotiations expected to produce a new budget by its...
View ArticleEditorial: A health care checkup
THE ISSUE:The health care industry grapples with issues of care and turf.THE STAKES:What's in the best interests of patients is the real question. Last week's sit-in at the New York State Nurses...
View ArticleNew voices a result of reform
New York is on the cusp of adopting a campaign finance reform that would amplify small donations with matching funds, reducing the power of big special interest money over the state's politics. It...
View ArticleAccess to electronic records would improve health care
Today, technology and medicine are deeply intertwined: doctors use 3-D printing to conduct heart surgery, pill-sized cameras to do endoscopies, and nuclear images to find brain tumors. But many...
View ArticleA two primary system is indeed costly
What would New York City and the state's 57 counties do with their share of $50 million?Provide housing assistance to victims of domestic violence?Develop after-school or summer youth programs?Provide...
View ArticleDavid Brooks: Addressing a contagion of chaos
If you're reading this, you are probably not buffeted by daily waves of physical terror. You may fear job loss or emotional loss, but you probably don't fear that somebody is going to slash your...
View ArticleEditorial: Tax credits, or lollipops?
THE ISSUE:The state Legislature has gotten loose with its willingness to offer personal income tax credits.THE STAKES:Such largesse isn't what we need. Some three dozen tax credits are available to...
View ArticleMoney for financed campaigns can be better spent
As too often happens when matters are discussed in the Capitol, the rhetoric in support of taxpayer-funded political campaigns omits a central aspect of instituting a state program of...
View ArticleTaxes tend to rise as schools, services crumble
I live in the town of Palatine, on a second-generation farm, where my husband and I raise sheep, market vegetables and a little girl. It's a deep-rooted community, where the road you live on might...
View ArticleTeachers deserve fair evaluations
Will New York's teacher evaluation law help improve student achievement by strengthening classroom instruction or will it be a "gotcha" system that punishes dedicated and hard-working teachers for...
View ArticleEditorial: Disaster prep is needed
THE ISSUE:Another audit faults the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services handling the Superstorm Sandy follow-up.THE STAKES: The division needs to aggressively step up preparations...
View ArticleUnderfunding Judiciary would hurt state court system
As we approach April 1, many advocates have made their case about budget items that should be included in the budget for fiscal year 2014-15. Sadly, too few voices in support of the Judiciary budget,...
View ArticleLeft in dark over GMO labeling
We live in a consumer-focused culture. On our farm we strive to produce high-quality vegetables and meat products for our customers. Some of the families who support our farm have done so for over 23...
View ArticleThomas Friedman: Putin can't bank on oil and gas
One thing I learned covering the Middle East for many years is that there is "the morning after" and there is "the morning after the morning after." Never confuse the two.The morning after a big event...
View ArticleEditorial: Stop starving our schools
THE ISSUE:State budget talks pit adequate school funding against election year tax cuts.THE STAKES:Whose future are state leaders thinking about — theirs or New York's children? The question for state...
View ArticleN.Y. road repairs benefit all drivers
Nearly every motorist has experienced the all-too-frequent aggravation or damage to a vehicle that comes with driving on poorly maintained or damaged roads and bridges. But did you know the poor...
View ArticleTake action to heal our Vietnam vets
President Barack Obama designated March 29, 2012, as Vietnam Veterans Day. The presidential proclamation coincided with the 50th anniversary of the start of a war that remains for our nation a source...
View ArticleTaxing the rich is so American
As inequality has become an increasingly prominent issue in American discourse, there has been furious pushback from the right. Some conservatives argue that focusing on inequality is unwise, that...
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