Opinion

Isn’t it sweet to be surrounded by so much make-believe? So much pretending.   Various characters pretend our economy is just peachy. Pretend that any day now it will kick into higher gear.    I hate to be the guy who tugs back the curtain to reveal the Wizard of Oz. But, things ain’t peachy. […]

Last year, taxpayers spent more than 530,000 to fund the pensions of 14 public officials convicted of felonies. Despite failing to uphold their duties to constituents, these individuals are still able to cash retirement checks funded by taxpayers.   It is mind boggling that this is still the case in 2015. It is even more bewildering

Recently, New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released a stunning audit of the state Medicaid program that showed that over the last four years more than $800 million was wasted on “improper” payments and other “questionable” transactions. This is startling news.   New York’s Medicaid program is among the most expensive in the nation, costing

This year’s News York State budget did not contain nearly enough tax relief for families and small-business owners in our state. However, the one area where New York got it 100 percent right was its investment in our crucial agriculture and markets programs.   As the representative of an agricultural district, I work especially hard

Years ago, retailers discretely called them “foundation garments.” Bras, girdles, and corsets. You knew they hid lots of things. They re-configured some and padded others. And, camouflaged them all. (No way those body parts could be that rounded, slim, or pointed.) What they displayed was different from what was really there. It was a bait

There are a lot of things to be positive about in Central New York. Unfortunately, the economy is not one of them. Over the last decade, job growth in the Syracuse area has been anemic. The lack of jobs, among other things, has caused an outward migration of population, which places additional stress on our

Let’s drop in on a big party. We see a mob of guys gathered around the barbeque on the patio. There’s a bouquet of women relaxing under the big tree.   Now let’s toss the subject of weddings into each group.   Suddenly, we hear chatter about dresses and hair styles. And shoes and bridesmaids.

As you are reading this, many of New York’s children have just taken the high-stakes tests connected with the Common Core standards. Our educational landscape has become the unlikely battleground of democracy and personal rights. In the end, the cause is worthy; a sound public-education system for our children is one of the most important

Prince Charles, you forgot something. Britain’s Prince Charles visited us recently. His parting message was a strong criticism of capitalism. It is an economic system with enormous shortcomings, he told us.   Some commentators quickly came to capitalism’s defense. No other system has ever brought prosperity as capitalism has, they reminded us. “It is the profit

At the recent annual meeting of CenterState CEO, 1,000 members came together to help mark the fifth anniversary of the organization and explore our theme of evolution and continuous innovation. Evolution is at the heart of some of our most recent civic successes — downtown Syracuse’s revitalization, a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, and an improved industrial