ALBANY - Elected officials around the state often keep details of proposed contracts with public-employee unions secret until they have been ratified, leaving taxpayers in the dark about millions of dollars in new commitments, according to a report f Read More
ALBANY - Elected officials around the state often keep details of proposed contracts with public-employee unions secret until they have been ratified, leaving taxpayers in the dark about millions of dollars in new commitments, according to a report f Read More
New York’s state government is considered one of the most dysfunctional in the country, better known for gridlock and squabbling than passing policy and bipartisan deal making. But now that Democrats control the governor’s office and both hous Read More
What will Barack Obama's presidency mean for New York? There is no great gathering of Gothamites in line for senior White House posts, so the state will not have any particular influence in the new administration. And the Democratic president-elect h Read More
The average salary of a state worker is $59,717 annually, up 8 percent since 2006, according to a new report. The report, from the Empire Center, a conservative think tank, also found that the average cost of a state worker to taxpayers (salary plus Read More
Scrambling to fill a $2 billion state budget gap, Gov. David Paterson said this week that he expected to have to make mid-year state budgets cuts in health-care and school aid, and planned to urge labor unions to renegotiate existing contracts. Three Read More
The global credit panic has swept away many illusions, and we're about to find out if that includes those of the politicians who have feasted for years on Wall Street tax revenues. Ground Zero is New York, which has lived a tax-and-spend fantasy than Read More