Opinion

I [recently] joined with members of the Assembly Minority Conference and district attorneys to call for changes to New York State’s criminal-justice policy that is clearly compromising public safety. The “Raise the Age” law was passed in the 2017-2018 budget. While it may have been well-intentioned, too many of the components simply are not working.  […]

The relationship between the United States and China is the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world, and it is growing increasingly contentious. It will take a lot of knowledge and understanding — on both sides — to manage it without slipping into a new Cold War. That’s why it’s especially worrisome to see reports of

New York’s business community has expressed deep concerns regarding the direction of the state and its financial outlook, but it does not appear businesses will be getting much relief anytime soon. As such, the most-recent iteration of the Siena College annual Upstate New York Business Leaders Survey indicates a grim outlook from CEOs trying to navigate

If you’ve been paying attention to national news, you know that one of the big topics preoccupying Washington is a debate over lifting the debt ceiling. So, for that matter, is overhauling Social Security.  Many Democrats and Republicans alike are dug in on how, and under what conditions, Congress should act on these key issues. But

If anything has a knack of making presidents in otherwise commanding positions into one-term presidents, it is recessions of the U.S. economy. Just ask Jimmy Carter in 1980 as inflation peaked at 14.5 percent in April 1980 and unemployment topped off at 7.8 percent in July 1980. Or George H.W. Bush in 1992 as inflation

We Americans tend to think it’s self-evident that our system of government is superior. We value the freedom, independence, and individual rights that are part of our democratic system. We take for granted that we should elect our leaders and hold them accountable. But we should not assume everyone will see democracy the way we

Every day, New Yorkers rely on local roads, bridges, and culverts to get to work, go to school, run their errands and enjoy our state’s many great recreational destinations. Unfortunately, these same roads and bridges have been financially neglected for too long, and travelers from all over the state have been forced to navigate the

A couple of decades ago, I wrote a book in which I talked about what it takes to be a good citizen in a representative democracy like ours. I thought the principles I laid out were timeless, but I recently reread them and boy, they seem a lot less clear-cut now.  In principle, everything I wrote back

In January, I wrote a letter to John B. King, Jr., chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), to address a concern raised by students taking classes in the New York State Pathways in Technology (NYS P-Tech) program. Despite a number of COVID requirements and mandates finally being relaxed, there remain a number

It’s been a year since Russia launched its brutal invasion of Ukraine, and a lot has happened in that time. Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war has caused unspeakable destruction and suffering. At the same time, Ukrainians have inspired the world with their brave resistance. When the invasion began, some Western officials said privately that they expected