Albany's revenue base is rapidly shrinking, but the financial plan left on the table by the former governor, Eliot Spitzer, would allow the state budget to keep on growing as if shares in Bear Stearns were still selling in the low hundreds. With barely two weeks to go before the start of the next state fiscal year, it remains unclear whether Mr. Spitzer's successor will rein in spending before it's too late. Read More
In the long and storied political history of New York State, few things were ever as inevitable as Eliot Spitzer's election to the governor's office. As state attorney general, he already loomed as governor-presumptive before the Republican incumbent, Gov. George Pataki, confirmed in the summer of 2005 that he would not seek a fourth term. Read More
When Eliot Spitzer's entanglement with a high-priced prostitution ring was first revealed Monday afternoon, stock indexes were getting pummeled in the latest manifestation of credit market turmoil. On Tuesday, as the market was enjoying a Fed-induced bounce, The Wall Street Journal reported that "big, painful firings are coming" at investment banks - with as many as 40,000 New York-based jobs potentially on the chopping block. Read More
Energy prices are a major factor in New York’s high cost of living and doing business, contributing to what Governor Eliot Spitzer has called a "perfect storm of unaffordability" driving people and firms out of the state. Read More
While he carefully avoids a flat rejection of the idea, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has been expressing doubts about Governor Eliot Spitzer’s proposal for a cap on school property taxes. Read More
A flood of expected retirements by New York state government employees represents an opportunity to save billions of dollars over the next few years by streamlining its workforce and reforming costly retirement benefits. Read More
Ralph: "The bills will get bigger and bigger, and I'll get less to eat. I'll start losing weight. Then you know what I'll look like?" Read More
Gov. Spitzer's second annual State of the State message yesterday featured what may ultimately stand out as his Nixon-goes-to-China moment. Annoying a powerful ally - and embracing a concept he had rejected during the 2006 gubernatorial campaign - Spitzer said he would form a special commission to recommend a "fair and effective cap" on school taxes in New York. Read More
Sen. Hillary Clinton is running for president, in part, on a platform that calls for more government health care. So let's ask a question that may hit a little too close to home: Why does New York spend more on Medicaid—a health-care program for the poor—than every other state but still have a larger portion of its population walking around without health insurance than states that spend far less? Read More
What's the best way to ensure that all New York State residents-adults and children alike-have access to affordable health-insurance coverage? Read More
As teammates on the New York Yankees, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez get to perform on a stage suited to their outsized talents. But Jeter's dispute with state tax officials highlights the price such stars must pay to strut their stuff in Gotham. Read More
Soon after the end of the Transit Workers Union's illegal 60-hour walkout in December 2005, Local 100 President Roger Toussaint boasted that his members had made good on a "credible threat" to strike. Later today, a state judge in Brooklyn will decide if they can get away with it. Read More