Opinion

Imagine you are in school, and a teacher hands the class a 1,200-page book and says you have four hours to read it and report on it. Welcome to the New York State budget process. The state recently finalized its $154.9 billion spending plan, and did so using the most secretive, dysfunctional approach I have […]

We have a secrecy problem. This may seem odd to say during an era in which the most intimate details of individuals’ lives are on display. Yet government is moving behind closed doors, and this is definitely the wrong direction. In fact, I’m dismayed by how often public officials fight not to do the public’s

Years ago, a commercial appeared on New York City television. It showed a guy tumbling out of bed. The scene was grey, and the commercial was in black and white. The guy yawned and stretched, and scratched and staggered over to a window. He flung it open and stuck his head out. “Tomorrow morning,” a warm

New Yorkers no longer have the patience to be politely dissatisfied with the state’s performance in delivering meaningful ethics reform. They are fed up with the embarrassing headlines about public officials convicted of corruption, taking bribes, embezzling public money, perpetuating sexual harassment, and more. Making matters worse is the fact that even those who break

As a community, we are often confronted with issues that seem beyond our influence to impact. Of late, poverty, and the systemic challenges that enable it to proliferate in our community, has captured our collective conscious.  We’ve seen the data showing that half of Syracuse’s children live in poverty. We’ve read the stories highlighting the

March marked Women’s History Month. And, many of the early crusaders who fought for the right to vote lived in upstate New York. Men and women helped this cause, but three upstate women in particular — Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Matilda Josyln Gage — are credited with shaping the national conversation in

A big question about Donald Trump is how did they get it so wrong? That is the pundits, the party elite, consultants, editorial writers, and the other candidates. How come they were so totally wrong about the rise of Trump? The answer is Joe the Plumber. He’s the guy who dared to question Barrack Obama

With the deadline for the state budget approaching, one of the most contentious issues remaining is whether the state’s minimum wage should be increased to $15 an hour. This issue does not have to be included in this year’s budget, but rather could be accomplished in a standalone bill. However, the governor and Assembly majority,

If you remember the movie “Animal House,” you remember Bluto — John Belushi’s character. In one scene, he exhorts his glum fraternity pals.  He gives an emotional and rousing pep talk — ordering them to follow him. He flings his fist in the air, rends the air with a banshee rallying cry, and charges out

On a regular basis, residents of the Mohawk Valley and North Country carefully craft responsible budgets for their families. Lawmakers in Albany, however, aren’t nearly as vigilant when it comes to spending the hard-earned dollars of working-class New Yorkers.  The middle class was hit hardest by the recession, which still impacts lives today. Dollars just