School districts on Long Island and across New York State dodged a bullet last month when the legislature rejected Gov. David A. Paterson’s call for a midyear cut in K-12 education aid. But their luck is about to run out. Read More
Commentary
When Gov. Paterson delivers his annual message to the Legislature tomor row, “the state of the state” will be painfully obvious. Read More
LAST week, Gov. Paterson activated New York’s “health-emergency preparedness plan,” as a prudent precautionary measure to deal with a potential swine-flu epidemic. Read More
Could New York’s state government realize significant savings by encouraging private-sector firms to challenge entrenched public-sector monopolies? Read More
In the middle of its worst economic downturn since the 1930s, New York State has just enacted its biggest personal income-tax hike since 1961. Read More
NY on road to IOU-land, too If David Paterson truly is determined to remain governor of New York, it might help if he started acting like one. Read More
DESPITE the improving national and regional economy, New York City's budget remains stuck in a hole. With operating expenses momentarily in check, the city's continuing fiscal imbalance stems mainly from big projected increases in the cost of Medicaid, debt service, employee health benefits - and, seemingly out of nowhere, pension contributions. Read More
Is Westchester County racially segregated? That’s the premise of the landmark legal settlement that, if approved by the Board of Legislators, will have the county build some 750 units of affordable housing in high-income areas. Read More
Barely three months after the state Legislature approved a $2.3 billion package of tax and fee hikes to bail out the financially troubled Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), members of the MTA's largest union have been awarded a pay increase that will break the authority's tenuously balanced budget. Read More
Well, what do you know? After raising taxes on high-income households by up to 31 percent, New York state is collecting far less income tax than it had anticipated just a few months ago. Read More
Talk about ingratitude. Some of New York’s top labor leaders are making it known that they may not support the reelection of David Paterson, long one of their most steadfast allies in Albany. Read More
New York's economy and tax base, already sagging in a deep recession, would take another huge hit under Rep. Charles Rangel’s plan to impose a surtax on high-income households to finance a new government-run health plan. Read More