Opinion

The network I watched took us into the Spin Room after a recent presidential debate. There, a few dozen spin doctors bobbed and weaved and chattered like robots. Each was programed to dodge, elude, evade, change the subject, “reframe” the question, and misdirect. Your candidate said there is no problem raising taxes by a trillion […]

Members of the Assembly Minority Conference, led by Assemblyman Jake Ashby (R,C,I, Ref–Castleton) — a U.S. veteran — have met with veterans around the state to discuss budget cuts to counseling, job training, and legal services being proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.  The governor has called for cutting  $5.68 million of veterans’ services including a $4 million

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced the latest round of investments in the Alliance for Economic Inclusion (AEI) through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative. These 39 projects will advance efforts to fight poverty and create greater economic opportunity in Central New York, and include several CenterState-CEO-led initiatives. This investment in our work enables us, alongside our partners, to

When Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation allowing illegal immigrants to obtain drivers licenses, I wasn’t shy about my opposition to the measure. Providing a privilege to those knowingly breaking the law wasn’t something most New Yorkers could support. County clerks expressed grave concerns about the impact the measure could have on the integrity of our elections.

When he was just a young teenage schoolboy, George Washington sat down and copied out 110 “Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior.” Many of these had to do with simple manners. “Cleanse not your teeth with the tablecloth, napkin, fork or knife,” reads Rule 100. Good advice at any time.   But the first rule the

Today, let us celebrate dirty laundry. But before we do… At least there is one thing most Americans are united on these days: Americans are divided. The State of the Union (SOTU) circus was proof of that. As was the impeachment and the Mueller Report. Politics? Economics? Major social issues? This is the Age of

For years, local governments have dealt with increasingly insurmountable financial stress forced upon them by Albany. It has become common practice for the state to pass a law, create a new regulation, or impose a requirement that costs money to implement at the local level. But unfortunately for localities and taxpayers, Albany’s forced “mandates” often

Lessons in the much-abused Art of Insult. Deplorables have been on my mind. Of course, they have been in the news a lot lately. Guests on a recent CNN show lampooned the deplorables who support President Trump. (CNN anchor Don Lemon and panelists Rick Wilson and Wajahat Ali mocked the intelligence of Trump supporters.) In

At the time of the American Revolution, the future United States was a small, colonial backwater on the world stage. There were an estimated 2 million to 3 million people living here. Yet, the U.S. somehow produced an array of talented, creative thinkers and politicians — Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin, and others —

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently presented his $178 billion executive budget proposal for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. Anyone looking for an avenue to promise and prosperity experienced a significant reality check. New York was facing a $6.1 billion budget deficit back in November 2019; what the governor failed to mention is that his “savings plan” did not come