“We have the power, but do they have the will? It’s time for the legislature to regain its mojo.”

I said those words about three years ago. I was trying to inspire some urgency in my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do what our constituents elected us to do — promote reform efforts and provide vigorous oversight of an executive that was stepping all over us. 

Democrats in the legislature never did quite find their mojo. They certainly didn’t have it [last week when approving the new state budget]. Rather than make difficult choices during a budget process complicated by nosediving revenue and a public-health emergency, Democrats in the Senate and Assembly avoided accountability and handed Gov. Andrew Cuomo unprecedented power over the state’s finances. This budget gives the governor the power to claw back aid to schools, local governments, and health-care programs with minimal legislative oversight. What kind of representative wants to punt their ability to fight for funding for the most important organizations in their communities? 

The Democrats settled the governor’s political scores for him by passing a provision that would pave the way for the elimination of most of the state’s third parties. They made sure that the governor’s Hollywood donors got a return on their investment by passing hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate welfare for film producers. They didn’t forget about themselves completely. They also authorized $100 million in taxpayer funding for political campaigns. 

What they did forget about was the fact that millions of New Yorkers across the state are dealing with an unprecedented crisis. Now was not the time to cut funding for health-care programs. Now was not the time to cut funding that helps seniors afford prescription drugs. Now was not the time to block a Republican amendment that would’ve provided small businesses teetering on the edge of solvency with hundreds of millions of dollars in grants, tax credits, and zero-interest loans. 

I voted against this budget. Not only was it crafted in secret, but it also failed to provide us with a sound fiscal plan for facing the unprecedented crisis that’s upon us. Until Democrats in Albany realize that they’re a co-equal branch of government, until they realize that their constituents deserve transparency, and until they treat taxpayers with respect, we’ll continue to get the same results. 

There is some good news. In November, every single New Yorker will get a chance to decide if this is the kind of government they want.       

Brian M. Kolb (R,I,C–Canandaigua) represents the 131st Assembly District, which encompasses all of Ontario County and parts of Seneca County. Contact him at kolbb@nyassembly.gov

The U.S. has been the world’s leader for decades in promoting democracy, political liberalization, free trade, and collective security. For the most part, Americans support that role, but many are wondering about its costs, and are growing ambivalent about our global engagement.

We have sometimes acted unilaterally, but by and large over the decades, we have shown a preference for working with other like-minded countries to achieve our common goals.

We have certainly been in the forefront in support of multinational institutions dedicated to global security, including the United Nations, NATO, and the World Trade Organization.

Our global leadership is apparent in science, technology, and education. We invest heavily in these areas. We award the most doctoral degrees and have renowned universities, which are centers of research and attract many of the world’s finest students. Our millennial generation is the best educated in the country’s history, with 40 percent earning college degrees.

But our leadership has always faced challenges. Many of us remember the Cold War and our leadership in the fight to stop the spread of communism, which lasted 50 years. Today we’ve entered a new phase of domestic challenges, among them, an aging population, a shrinking middle class, political dysfunction, rising income inequality, a tattered social safety net — all seem to threaten our future.

In addition, we face foreign-policy challenges from rising powers like China, hostile actors like Russia, and rogue states like Iran and North Korea. They contest our primacy by building up their militaries, opposing our interests, intruding in other countries’ affairs, and developing nuclear capabilities.

Even our allies provide challenges. Our European friends have undertaken greater economic and political integration, moved away from a close embrace of the U.S., turned to former communist states in Eastern and Central Europe, adopted a common currency, and taken steps toward joint military forces.

There are natural challenges too, like climate change. Rising sea levels could displace millions of Americans from coastal areas, and alter the character of geographic regions. Much of our population is in the path of hurricanes and increasingly frequent tropical storms. 

Many of us wonder how to respond to these various and formidable challenges. We value our nation’s identity as a premier economic, financial, and military power, but see the U.S. becoming less influential and less respected, as China, Russia, North Korea and others emerge to dispute our leadership. We want to avoid confrontation, but do not want to be pushed around either.

In this uncertain and dangerous world, we favor strengthening our national defense and wonder whether we should reduce our international engagement and let other counties step up to their own problems.

With his slogan of “America First,” President Donald Trump has steered the U.S. toward a more unilateral approach to these challenges. His approach creates doubts about our leadership, with many of our allies seeing us as less reliable than we once were. If that perception grows, the strength and effectiveness of our global leadership will diminish.

My point is that as the Chinese and Russian models of authoritarian leadership and centralized economies emerge, we must put aside our doubts, embrace our traditional values and leadership role, and let the world know that U.S. global leadership is back.

 If we do, the world will be a safer and better place.      

Lee Hamilton, 88, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south central Indiana.