To the Editor: As part of his State Fiscal Year 2012-13 Executive Budget, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has included a long overdue initiative to take over the administration of New York’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) state supplemental payment from the federal Social Security Administration. Read More
Commentary
January's stronger-than-expected employment numbers, released by the U.S. Labor Departmentlast week, are fueling hopes that the economic recovery may finally be picking up steam. Read More
Reciting a litany of economic challenges facing New York soon after he took office as governor a year ago, Andrew M. Cuomo declared: "We have the worst business tax climate in the nation, period." Read More
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wants to raise the state's minimum wage by 17 percent, to $8.50 an hour, and link it to inflation, guaranteeing more yearly increases. Read More
The governor’s tax hike will harm New York’s competitiveness. Read More
New York's K-12 education spending has a recent "historical pattern" of increasing 5.3 percent a year, according to the state Education Department. Read More
Just over two years ago, New York State enacted what then-Gov. David A. Paterson presented to the world as "landmark pension reform." In his 2012-13 budget proposal this week, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo raised the subject of pension reform all over again. Why? Because Paterson's bill was a "landmark" only in the annals of Albany political hyperbole. Read More
In tough economic times, New York State’s counties, municipalities and school districts face intense pressure to control their budgets. Read More
Reducing job opportunities for unskilled and part-time workers will be the No. 1 goal of the New York State Assembly this year, Speaker Sheldon Silver declared last week. Read More
Nearly one in six residents of New York State now receives food stamps, up from less than one in 10 just a few years ago. Read More
'The largest convention center in the nation, period" -- in Queens? Is he kidding? Nope. In his State of the State address Wednesday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo did, indeed, tout the same sort of white elephant already being chased by states and cities across the country. Read More
A $62 million initiative to promote job creation for unemployed inner-city youths was part of last week’s tax increase deal between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature. Read More