Medical marijuana right drug for many
At long last, the New York state Senate is scheduled to take up the issue of the Compassionate Care Act, a bill that would allow seriously ill patients access to medical marijuana (cannabis) under the...
View ArticleCasey Seiler: You say it like it's a bad thing
Admit it: Of the many entries in the democratic lexicon, "transactional politics" is one of the most overused and worthless. While four people will give you an equal number of divergent definitions,...
View ArticleKathleen Parker: Bring past friends into your present
Washington You know how it goes. You lose track of friends and then one day, someone gets in touch to say the friend has left us to our mortal pursuits.Two such messages came recently within the span...
View ArticleMaureen Dowd: Dude, rules for stoners? Bummer
Washington In the last chapter, I covered how not to get high. In this one, I will cover how to get high.After my admission that I did a foolish thing in Denver — failing to realize that consuming a...
View ArticleThomas Friedman: Obama sees hard path on climate goals
When it comes to dealing with the world's climate and energy challenges I have a simple rule: change America, change the world.If America raises its clean energy standards, not only will others follow...
View ArticleAmazon doesn't need to be bullying the book publishers
The following appeared in a New York Times editorial:Amazon, the online retailer, has often described itself as obsessed with making customers happy. But lately the company has been making some of its...
View ArticleEditorial: A GMO study, not a label
THE ISSUE:The state Legislature considers labels for genetically engineered food.THE STAKES:Without real information, how does this help the average consumer? If there is one thing we know about GMOs,...
View ArticleCharles Krauthammer: Bergdahl swap hardly a victory
WashingtonWhat is it with Susan Rice and the Sunday morning talk shows? This time she said Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had served in Afghanistan "with honor and distinction" — the biggest whopper since she...
View ArticlePaul Bray: A chance to purify our local water
Pure water is one of the many great legacies of former Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. In the 1960s, he proposed a pure waters bond act to finance the facilities necessary to provide safe drinking water and...
View ArticleModel for juvenile detention reform
The following appeared in a New York Times editorial:States are sending fewer and fewer children to juvenile correctional facilities, partly in response to research showing that locking up young...
View ArticleJOBS Act will protect N.Y. taxpayers
Each year, New York state spends approximately $7 billion on economic development in the name of job creation. Amazingly, the Legislature and the public often have no idea how this massive amount of...
View ArticleEmpower users with advocate
Still reeling from huge spikes in their utility bills this past winter and already facing the highest average residential electric rates in the continental United States, New Yorkers don't believe...
View ArticleEditorial: A little school that should
THE ISSUE:The state orders a Troy charter school to close.THE STAKES:At a time when New York has decided to slow down on education reform, why is this much-loved school the exception? In the...
View ArticleConsider a smarter framework for our war on drugs
The following appeared in a Dallas Morning News editorial:We can't go on like this.The words are familiar to parties in many dysfunctional relationships, like the one between the federal government...
View ArticleA writers' room of N.Y.'s own
Right around now, I should be starting my job as a staff writer on a new TV series. That is, if I had a job.Staffing, as it's called, is the bread and butter of TV writers, and June is when shows set...
View ArticleDavid Brooks: A perfect agenda for new right
Conservatives generally believe that capitalism is a machine that cures itself. Therefore, people on the right have been slow to recognize the deep structural problems that are making life harder in...
View ArticleEditorial: End the campus secrets
THE ISSUE:Campus security would notify local law enforcement of felonies or missing people within 24 hours under proposed legislation.THE STAKES:Public safety often transcends campus borders. A bit of...
View ArticlePolitics imperil treatment
The murder of seven people in Santa Barbara, Calif., by someone with a mental disability, and recent stabbings in New York City, have again raised concerns as to how we can best help people with...
View ArticleChild Safe Products Act will reduce harm in New York
Too often, businesses are pitted against environmental and health concerns, with the assumption that providing social and environmental benefit is contrary to maximizing long-term profits. We reject...
View ArticleRuth Marcus: Banking on insecurity of Clinton
WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton's tone-deaf comments about being "dead broke" after she and her husband left the White House were unfortunate, revealing and — if Clinton chooses to learn from them...
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