Opinion

New York State has established itself over time as a nationally recognized leader for red tape, overregulation, and its stifling business climate. So why is Gov. Andrew Cuomo aiming to create yet another unnecessary layer of government? The governor’s executive budget proposal looks to form a new agency, the New York State Design and Construction […]

New York state is facing one of its greatest challenges yet — our drinking and waste-water infrastructure is in critical need of updates and repairs. Concerns are growing over drinking-water systems throughout the state, some that include possible carcinogens. These serve as sobering reminders of how important safe drinking and waste- water systems are to

If you were a peasant, you could be forgiven if you said that Pope Francis confuses you.  Yes, he seems like a nice man. He seems down to earth. But he sends mixed messages. Not long ago, the pope traveled to Cuba. Recently, he visited Mexico. He spoke at a big rally at the border

Providing our youth with the opportunity for a strong education is one of the most important jobs of our government. Unfortunately, the education system has had its fair share of challenges recently, both in terms of funding and from policies stemming from federal and state laws. First among the challenges was the implementation of the

CenterState CEO recently gained some national recognition (www.brookings.edu/blogs/the-avenue/posts/2016/02/04-economic-development-in-upstate-new-york-liu) for going beyond the traditional scope of work for an economic-development organization and chamber of commerce to more robustly and visibly address the issues of poverty and economic disparity.  Through our new Economic Inclusion Portfolio (www.centerstateceo.com/core-focus-areas/economic-inclusion), we are making a long-term, organization-wide commitment to ensuring that our

A shocking revelation was made at a recent joint state legislative budget hearing on public safety as Margaret Miller, head of the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), testified that her office was working on three proposals for the ammunitions database that was initially outlined in the governor’s misguided SAFE Act.  This was a shock,

Recently, joint legislative budget hearings were held on taxes and economic development in Albany. I think the same-day scheduling of these hearings reflects how taxes and state affordability are tied to the ability of an economy to grow and develop. For some politicians in the state, including Governor Cuomo, the approach has been to invest

There have been encouraging signs that the Republican leaders on Capitol Hill want to make Congress function again. They’ve talked about a series of changes to make the process more open for rank-and-file members, and insist they want to restore a healthy legislative process. This has to be heartening to any American concerned about the

Bernie Sanders’ campaign fires up memories of living under socialism, which I did for eight years in my 20s. Socialism had points good and bad — like any system. On the good side, we received many benefits, oh boy. Dollars from the government for kids, free health care, food made cheap by subsidies, low-cost mortgages,

It is well known that opioid and heroin addiction has increased throughout the nation in the last decade. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heroin deaths quadrupled between 2002 and 2013 — surpassing traffic accidents as the leading cause of accidental deaths. The increase in drug use and addiction has affected