Opinion

Making effective public policy takes more than good ideas and familiarity with the issues. It is not easy, especially when many people have lost trust in government and in each other, but it can be done with attention to time-honored characteristics of good governance. I mention a few of them. First, in developing public policy, you […]

I’m sickened by the findings of the New York Attorney General’s report on COVID nursing-home deaths, as are so many families who have contacted me since it was released. We need the facts. There should be a full investigation. And leaders should be held accountable for failing to protect our nursing-home residents and staff. While this investigation

With the handoff of power from one president to another, we enter this new phase of our national life in deep distress. We are divided and polarized, struggling to communicate reasonably with one another, and seemingly unable to find common ground on basic issues. Yet the path forward is neither new nor, really, difficult. We all know

[U.S. Representative John Katko (R–Camillus) released the following statement Jan. 22 after the new Biden Administration announced a series of executive actions in its first days in office] On the campaign trail and in the weeks leading up to the Inauguration, President Joe Biden pledged to unify our country and advance effective policies built on consensus.

If the months since the November elections have shown us anything, it’s that the U.S. is more deeply divided than we have experienced in a very long time. It’s reached the point where, rather than take pleasure in the success of a politician elected to the presidency, you have to keep your fingers crossed on his behalf.

Our nation [recently] watched as new leadership came to power at the federal level, marking the first time both the President and Senate Majority Leader share a connection to Central New York. Their knowledge and ties to this community, and their ability to collaborate with state and local leaders, position our region to seize opportunities and address

In the aftermath of COVID-19 lockdowns, New York’s economic-development and reopening plan has been confusing, inconsistent, and has disregarded objective data and legislative cooperation. In every corner of the state, business owners have been forced to wade through complicated and constantly-changing guidance. The most recent iteration of this is based on a zone-colored scheme that

With Social Security’s finances in the spotlight these days, especially since COVID-19 devastated the U.S. economy, there is no shortage of ideas for how to reform the Social Security System (SS) to restore it to financial solvency. Some proposals have originated in Congress (Social Security 2100 Act) and others have been floated by various “think tanks.” In

The New York Assembly recently reconvened to begin the 2021 legislative session. While the halls of the Capitol were dramatically different due to COVID restrictions, we begin our work with a sense of optimism and purpose. After a great deal of tumult in 2020, here in New York we must set an example for the rest of

President-elect Joe Biden will take office vowing to bridge partisan differences and unite Americans. It will not be easy.  Biden will have to work with a Congress that is deeply divided, reflecting divisions among the American people that have grown stronger and more intense.  Beginning in the 1990s, we entered a period of protracted polarization.