Opinion

Yes, our economy has improved. Hold your breath: it may improve more. Signs that it has improved include the following: Unemployment rates are at record lows in 14 states and the number of people drawing unemployment is the smallest since 1974. Not the percentage, but the number. We have twice the labor force today. Yet […]

Our republic is under stress. So much so, in fact, that if you’re not worried about its future, you probably haven’t been paying attention. What makes me say this? Our public discourse has become uncivil and shrill. Corruption and unethical actions by prominent politicians headline the daily news. Too many politicians make their mark by

My office recently invited people in the 120th Assembly district to participate in a legislative survey, and more than 800 people took the time to respond. The survey asked people their thoughts on the local economy, laws pertaining to drugs, child welfare, the SAFE Act, economic development, and health care.  Not surprisingly, in this unscientific

New York state consistently ranks at or near the bottom for its oppressive business climate. For people courageous enough to take a risk, invest their time and money, and start their own business, Albany rewards them with sky-high costs and endless regulations. If things weren’t bad enough, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pushing two new bad

Muhammad Ali and President Donald Trump belong in the same ring. Along with Hylton. Hylton and I worked side-by-side, when we were in our 20s in New Zealand. He was an exceptionally effective executive. More than that, he was a force. As natural and as powerful a force as a typhoon. He both drew and

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a lot of bad habits — ignoring New York’s unbearable taxes, governing with historic levels of secrecy, and chasing headlines at the expense of residents are but a few. However, treating convicted felons better than hard-working, law-abiding citizens may be the most offensive. His most recent stunt, unilaterally deciding parolees should

Many in upstate New York would like a split here, too Many Californians dream their State will secede from the U.S. That dream could become reality. And it might not be a bad idea. The Golden State already behaves as another country. It passes laws that spite the U.S. government. It encourages more illegal immigrants

In a world riven by tension, one skill stands above all others: the ability to resolve conflict. It is the paramount challenge of our time. I’ve seen first-hand its importance — in Congress as part of a legislative process that, at least at the time, was mostly focused on resolving differences, and as co-chair of

In the wee hours of Saturday morning, March 31 — as most of the state was sound asleep — the New York State Assembly was making final determinations of how to spend $168 billion of New Yorkers’ hard-earned money. Yet again, Albany’s notoriously secretive budget process relied on “emergency” messages of necessity to avoid the

Here’s a question society is facing today: What will we do with our old malls? Heck, we are still trying to figure out what to do with our old Main Streets. And our old downtowns. Now, the malls that killed downtowns are themselves being killed. Some of the outlet centers are feeling the pressure, too.