Opinion

Inflation is raging at an annual rate of 8.5 percent. March’s extremely hot price growth of 1.2 percent pushes the nation’s inflation rate to levels not seen since the first few months of the Reagan administration in May 1981. Unfortunately, President Joe Biden has no idea why prices are out of control, even though he […]

An interesting thing happened after Russia invaded Ukraine. Though U.S. standing in the world had taken a knock after the much-needed but chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, there was no question where the world’s democracies would turn for leadership in the Ukraine crisis. As much of Europe and Asia has found a new resolve on behalf of

Once again, New York’s budget was passed with little respect given to even the most basic expectations of transparency and democratic ideals. It was a week late, passed in the dead of night with almost no input from anyone outside the governor and legislative majority leaders, and it featured a record level of spending. New Yorkers have

Is bipartisanship dead? Sometimes it seems like it is. Watching Democrats and Republicans fight over nearly everything, you’d think they can’t agree on the difference between day and night. Witness the partisan reaction to President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. An eminently qualified jurist who would be the first Black

Gov. Kathy Hochul promised a better, more transparent budget process when she took over as New York’s executive. Promises made, promises broken. Unfortunately, New Yorkers were left with the same secretive, ineffective negotiations they have come to expect from one-party rule in Albany. The process remains as broken and dysfunctional as ever. The final spending

Maybe it’s the perspective a long life brings, but I find myself eyeing with some skepticism the glut of “personal brands” that assault us every day on television, in print, and through social media.  Entertainers, celebrities, politicians striving for acclaim, artists and writers who have mastered the public-relations game, journalists and media stars who are building their

Buried deep in the March jobs report is the punchline that pulls the rug out from under any happy talk about the Biden economy. To quote the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) summary, “Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 13 cents to $31.73 in March. Over the past 12

When Congress returned to Capitol Hill [recently] after a recess, it faced a changed world from the one that existed when its members left town. Not just because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as dramatic as that has been, but because of the response to it. Before the invasion, Europe was fractured. So, of course,

It seems like New York invents new says to reward criminals every day. The latest policy concocted by extreme progressives is to give special treatment to those previously convicted of marijuana-related offenses regarding opening up a state-licensed retail shop. Put another way, if you have been convicted of distributing or possessing marijuana, you are immediately moved to

The value of a free, independent press to representative democracy is incalculable. Our system of government relies on the people knowing what their elected representatives say and do. The best check on every elected official is an active news media looking over their shoulders.  Autocrats know this as well as anyone. Witness what happened when Russian President