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The number of retired New York government employees with six-figure pensions is apparently growing at a 20 percent annual rate.  , newly posted by the Journal News of the lower Hudson Valley, lists 1,081 individuals with pensions of $100,00 Read More

Today's from Governor Paterson's office says the governor's proposed pension changes for new newly hired employees will save $60 billion over 30 years.  But here's the missing perspective: for state government, the modest changes proposed by Paterso Read More

The Empire State is being drained of an invaluable resource—people. From 2000 to 2008, in both absolute and relative terms, New York experienced the nation’s largest loss of residents to other states—a net domestic migration outflow of over 1.5 million, or 8 percent of its population at the start of the decade. Read More

New York State’s continuing loss of residents to other states — the nation’s biggest “domestic migration” outflow since the start of the decade — is the focus of a new research report from the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More

If Gov. Paterson cuts funding to the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority as expected, the MTA may make up for the cut by slashing payments to its pension fund, the Bond Buyer (you need a subscription). The MTA would use the t Read More

Forget the dismal economy. Or that police officers in Orangetown and Pelham Manor are among the best paid in the lower Hudson Valley. According to two arbitration panels, the police are underpaid--and deserve retroactive raises of nearly 8.2 percent Read More

Governor Paterson's includes a $300 million raid on the coffers of the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA), which would be required to issue new bonds and send the proceeds to Albany.   But BPCA board member Charles Urstadt and former authority spok Read More