Our elections have become a huge industry. Obviously, the more money — and it’s now in the billions of dollars — needed to fund the system, the more important money will become in winning. This means that politicians will always be asking for money. As Kurt Vonnegut said, “In this […]
Month: August 2016
The whole thing makes me queasy
Donald Trump suggests that the system is “rigged.” He should know — he’s been playing the system for years as giant real estate developers are known to do. Let’s stop for a moment and examine whether New York’s political system is rigged. It is, of course, and I can prove […]
Trump won’t help Republicans keep state Senate, say NY voters
A majority of registered voters polled by the Siena Research Institute are recognizing the possibility that Republicans could lose control of the state Senate this year, thanks to Hillary Clinton’s commanding lead over Donald Trump in New York. Echoing the sentiment of Albany pundits, only 31 percent of voters […]
Doctors, patients urge Cuomo to sign law that changes ‘fail first’ treatment
Dozens of patients and health care providers lined the steps of the Capitol during a recent rally to demand that Gov. Andrew Cuomo sign a “step therapy” reform bill into law, giving patients and their doctors more power to choose treatment options. Patients suffering from lupus, cancer, HIV/Aids, mental health, […]
Senate website wins accolades at national conference, may serve as template for other legislatures
The New York state Senate was recognized for having the best legislative website in the country by the National Conference of State Legislatures and received the 2016 Online Democracy Award. The Online Democracy Award is given each year to a legislature, legislative chamber, or caucus whose website helps […]
Lawmaker wants to exempt Olympic awards from state taxes
As Americans root for Team USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, R-Staten Island, wants to exempt athletes from New York’s “insatiable hunger for tax revenue.” The assemblywoman said she will introduce legislation next session to eliminate the state tax on income earned as […]
Clinton expands lead over Trump to 30 points
Clinton’s positions on six key issues are closer to voters than Trump’s More than two-thirds say Bill will be better first spouse than Melania Voters overwhelmingly see Clinton as more qualified to be commander-in-chief and more effective working with Congress; Rate her more honest and trustworthy than Trump, even as […]
Let the professionals run the transit system, not career politicians
It is disappointing that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio still has a poor understanding about his relationship with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority after three years in office for management and funding of its Capital Program. His ongoing theme is that because the MTA is a state agency, […]