If you want to have a grim sort of fun, go to the Empire Center online and take a look at the Spend-O-Meter, which keeps track of New York’s spending, according to the 2015-16 budget, in real time. The first thing you notice are the dollars spinning like pinwheels. Read More
Should New York State do more to help Western New York deal with the growing tax burden? Read More
There might be nothing wrong with spending $500 million to expand broadband coverage to parts of New York not likely to get such service without a major governmental effort. Read More
E.J. McMahon, president of the Empire Center, joined Liz Benjamin on "Capital Tonight" to discuss the state budget and how state legislators spent New York's unprecedented $6 billion windfall. Read More
Albany politicians and policy advocates say Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Start-Up NY program is off to a slow start, based on the first report released last week, just hours after the state budget was approved. Read More
The state has moved $90 million from theNew York Power Authority budget to programs benefiting New York businesses in the 2015-16 legislative budget approved last week, according to reports from Capital New York and the New York Post. Read More
There's $400 million for economic development projects, probably on Long Island, with details to come. Both the State Assembly and Senate have tens of millions to dole out to school districts and libraries, at their discretion. And at least 1,800 old earmarks for local governments and nonprofits around the state were once again given a lifeline, a total of $23 million for everything from the American Legion post in Wantagh to the Utica Zoo. Read More
The controversial nonprofit organization ACORN has been closed for almost five years, but that didn't stop the state Legislature from steering more than $24,000 its way in this year's budget. Read More