Opinion

This campaign year has been full of twists and turns. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone on Nov. 8. So talking about what comes afterward seems premature. But it’s been on my mind a lot, because I’m worried. This is not about who wins the presidency. I’m concerned about the aftermath […]

In the middle of Bill Clinton’s 1992 run for the White House, his top adviser scrawled a big note on a blackboard for campaign staff to see: “It’s the economy, stupid!” In this campaign, someone should write “It’s the elitism, stupid!” There is so much evidence that millions of voters feel the country is run by

I’ve been a Democrat all my life. But that doesn’t mean I favor a weak Republican Party. Indeed, just the opposite. Before my Democratic friends drum me out of the party, let me explain why. Our nation is stronger and our representative democracy healthier when we have two strong parties. A single political party that’s

Suppose you discovered your doctor runs a charity on the side. The charity gives away some money. But it spends most of its cash on things that help the doctor — often financially. How is the charity funded? Contributions from drug companies. They want the doc to prescribe their drugs. Contributions from specialists who want

I’ve been involved in politics for the better part of a lifetime, and have spoken at a lot of public meetings over the years. There’s one question, I think, that I’ve heard more than any other: “If I want to be an informed citizen, which sources of information should I consult?” For many years, I

[On Aug. 24], I was fortunate to take part in an event at the Syracuse Center of Excellence celebrating the completion of new labs to support research and development related to emerging energy technologies. Thanks to an investment from New York State, in partnership with Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry,

Politicians spend a good bit of their time complaining about the media. But why should they have all the fun? I’m going to join in, though I tend to get upset about different things than most sitting politicians do. You see, I don’t actually mind when journalists — whether in print, on television, or online

Maybe we can make some money from the spin phenomenon. First, let’s define spin. It is the BS that spokespeople offer when they defend the indefensible. It is the crown jewel of PR, the lifeblood of politics. We see and hear a good deal of it these days. Today, we have spinmeisters, hired guns. They

During the last week of session, the New York State Legislature passed a resolution to amend the state constitution to permit the forfeiture of state pensions for those public officials convicted of a felony (bribery, for example) related to their public duties. This is a commonsense measure that should have passed last year. Unlike most other

New York State’s “Move Over Law” has recently expanded to better protect volunteer emergency responders attending to distressed or disabled vehicles along roads and highways. I was pleased to vote in support of the expansion which was signed into law last month and will become effective in 2017. The expanded law requires drivers to exercise