Blog

SNL Financial has out analyzing Wall Street firms' latest results, which trickled in last week. One verdict to take away (although the analysts do not directly draw this conclusion): Wall Street could be smaller and more volatile. That's not Read More

Wendy Long, a lawyer who is trying to oust fellow lawyer Kirsten Gillibrand from the Senate, has with a compelling headline: "Financial Regulation is Hurting New York." True enough. But the 70 percent of the details that Long gets wrong eclipse Read More

While New York State’s new property tax cap has a starting point of 2 percent (or the prior year’s average inflation rate, whichever is less), it will vary from school district to school district based on a series of exclusions for capital expenditures, increases in pension costs, and physical additions to the district tax base... Read More

New York State, its local governments and its public authorities have promised their employees well over $200 billion in future retiree health benefits that no money is set aside to pay for, as we documented in our “Iceberg Ahead” report in late 2010. This unfunded liability translates into an enormous and growing debt that current and past generations of taxpayers have pushed onto future generations. Read More

Manhattan beep and mayoral candidate Scott Stringer says he has a "bold plan" for the MTA. But beneath the fancy talk of an "infrastructure bank" and "dedicated revenue," it's the same old plan: more taxes. Read More

My latest Newsday column looks at the complexity of the New York State’s personal income tax, the temporary income tax changes enacted last December, and Governor Cuomo’s promise (so far, unfulfilled) to appoint a commission to consider a “comprehensive overhaul” of the tax code. Read More

New York’s economic performance over the past decade was mediocre — but its future looks worse, according to the 5th annual Rich States, Poor States report, just issued by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Read More

A January report by United NY, the Center for Working Families, and the Strong Economy for All Coalition slamming the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for its “expensive” and “risky” swap deals is getting new attention this week. Read More

The Charlotte Valley School District in Delaware County had a tough employment situation on their hands until just last week. Former building principal Edgar Whaley had been a focus of controversy — going back at least a year. But that’s all settled now, thanks to a secret, lucrative contract settlement passed by the school’s board of education late last week. Read More

The agreed upon fiscal year 2012-13 state budget contains two smart policy initiatives that both save money and happen to be good public policy: a state takeover of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) state supplement payment and enactment of a new close to home initiative for low and limited risk youthful offenders. Read More

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg paid to Goldman Sachs chief Lloyd Blankfein in New York last week. The visits highlight a big risk to both Britain and New York's recoveries. Top leaders o Read More