Opinion

If one of the U.S. Capitol hallways that house members pass through regularly to get to the chambers, there’s an inscription of a comment by Alexander Hamilton. It comes from his 1788 remarks to the New York convention on ratifying the Constitution, and reads simply, “Here, Sir, the people govern.” I’ve always thought that was a pretty […]

Sometimes, you just need to step back. The political conversations I hear these days are strikingly negative, dominated by what’s amiss in Washington, by the deep divisions in the country, by President Trump’s actions and the aftermath of his impeachment, and by the difficult problems we face but seem to make little progress toward resolving. There

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