Is our health care best we can do?
So Yevgeniy Feyman of the Manhattan Institute (“Proposed health plan too costly,” Dec. 29) thinks we should be “giving markets a chance to work” before we move to a truly universal, broadly-funded...
View ArticleHeroin use hardly a new epidemic
I applaud Paul Grondahl on an informative article on heroin use among Caucasian teens. Heroin has been in African-American and Latino community for years. Now that white teens are dying from it,...
View ArticleClinton should back fast track
Sometime in June, the House is expected to vote on whether to give President Barack Obama “fast track authority” to negotiate a trade deal called Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. It will be the most...
View ArticleGay marriage ruling and conservative Islamists
Some liberals and left-wing politicians are forever telling us that the existence of the prison at Guantanamo Bay has been a highly effective tool for recruitment by groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida...
View ArticleGood riddance to Confederate flag
Why must it take the horrific deaths of nine innocent people for South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to finally advocate for taking down the Confederate flag from the state Capitol building. More than 20...
View ArticleAn epidemic’s sad script
For a heroin addict looking to get clean, the choice can come down to this: Join a long waiting list for a methadone clinic, pay a doctor hundreds of dollars – in cash – just to write a prescription,...
View ArticleScenario at debate was used to target Trump
Times Union columnist Chris Churchill, Boston Globe columnist Michael A. Cohen and most of the media missed the point with the conflict at the first Republican presidential debate between Donald Trump...
View ArticleAim to improve voter participation
In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, landmark legislation intended to protect minority voters from discrimination, and permit all citizens with equal access to the ballot box (“Restore...
View ArticleHourly wage hike an economic boost
Raising the minimum wage will reduce jobs, but most of those are doomed and likely to disappear with or without an increase in the minimum wage. Every increase in the minimum wage raises income among...
View ArticleOur state and country can use a revolution
Bill Scheuerman in his commentary (“Political gridlock by the billions,” March 8) blames the Koch brothers and the Republicans for all the political gridlock in Washington. I couldn’t disagree more....
View ArticleZimpher is true visionary for the SUNY system
State University of New York Chancellor Nancy Zimpher has been the most steadfast and forward-looking chancellor and has brought stability to SUNY leadership. She visited every SUNY campus during her...
View ArticleUnity or impasse, America?
In making history Thursday by becoming the first woman to run for president on a major party’s ticket, Hillary Clinton sketched an optimistic vision for America, in sharp contrast to Donald Trump’s...
View ArticleSpur internet competition
Some residents of rural parts of upstate New York soon will get access to broadband internet for the first time. That’s great news – for those who can afford it. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is correct in saying...
View ArticleLand sales warrant some close examination
A recent article noted Tri-City Rentals had bought property from Columbia Development Cos. That property is central to an ongoing investigation. Starting in 2014, with Columbia’s secretive blockbusting...
View ArticleOwn it, Mr. McConnell
The intense dislike among some Americans for our last two presidents has created something of a cultural joke – the response to any mishap, especially a minor one, is, “I blame Bush,” or “I blame...
View ArticleShaken, not stirred, in Delmar
I am 87 years old and among my physical shortcomings is the fact that I no longer can shake my cocktails with the vigor I once did. However, I found a solution: I simply make up a vessel of my favorite...
View ArticleFree bus ride plan deserves support
Well, it happened. It snowed. It’s perhaps too early to tell if this presages a rough winter ahead, but few of us who have lived here awhile can forget the storms of winters past. To help our community...
View ArticleState retirees need higher COLA
Will any legislator help New York state retirees obtain an increase in their cost-of-living adjustments? Their collective wisdom in 2000 decided we should get only 1 percent on our first $18,000 of our...
View ArticleRespect for one another essential
I am saddened that my 8-year-old granddaughter has heard so much hate in the past few months. Among other things, she has heard how Mexicans have been described. The election made her afraid that her...
View ArticleContinue to work to right injustices
Many of us have concerns about the president-elect’s temperament, judgment, values and abilities. We are disillusioned by the divisive campaign. Nonetheless, on Jan. 20, Donald Trump will raise his...
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