Laws made for cars shouldn’t apply to bikes
The rules of the road weren’t made for cyclists but for “2,000 pound-plus machines,” and research indicates cyclists should have the legal right to coast through stop signs and ride through red lights,...
View ArticleLong story short
Cuomo’s weather prediction plans ‘off’ In January, during Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address, it sounded logical to invest $15 million in a weather detection system that would increase...
View ArticleMake immigrants follow our rules
Why does immigration need to be fixed to allow illegal immigrants to stay? It should be “fixed” to keep illegals out and send home those that have not entered legally. If someone were to break into my...
View ArticleLong story short
Our opinions: We weigh in briefly on net neutrality, taxis, and waivers for double-dippers Net neutrality gets a boost from FCC chair Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is standing...
View ArticleA little progress on ethics
Our opinion: With plenty of loopholes in new state ethics rules, it may be years before we know if they’ll lessen corruption. You have to marvel at a legislative disclosure policy that is so...
View ArticleClose this loophole – today
The New York state Board of Elections has an opportunity to show who they work for and what they stand for: Is it citizens and fair elections, or political kingmakers and a system that allows them to...
View ArticleIndiana’s law rules out personal freedom
What authority supports a politician who feels privileged to create laws that determine what choices an individual may make regarding their sexual and health care rights? I have no issue with courts of...
View ArticleBoard of Elections Shame
Our opinion: The state Board of Elections perpetuates a blatant loophole in campaign finance rules. A board that served the public, not political masters, would rein in this abuse. We think of...
View ArticleThe rolling bombs go on
Our opinion: The delay in oil train safety measures, inadequate ones at that, means years of living with potential disaster. Imagine that day after day, a line of vehicles passes within feet of your...
View ArticleObeying rules not linked to racial prejudice
Rebecca McCray claims, in an item noted in the “Observation Deck,” June 10, that there is a “distinctly white American institution: the fear of black people.” McCray’s basis for this charge leveled at...
View ArticleDon’t be so coy, JCOPE
Here’s the story of two public officials who, faced with a similar ethical challenge, handled it quite differently. When the first official was considering a new job, she informed her public employer...
View ArticleDon’t shortchange safety rules
Signs that the economy is doing better abound throughout the Capital Region, as more and more buildings are being constructed each day. For measurable proof of that fact, all we need to do is look at...
View ArticleA taxing expense system
Just how many times is Assemblyman Keith Wright getting reimbursed for the same expenses? The state’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics and the Legislative Ethics Commission need to answer that...
View ArticleVeterans deserve options
Some U.S. military veterans and their advocates found long ago that certain illnesses common among war vets, like chronic pain or post traumatic stress disorder, may benefit from treatment involving...
View ArticleMalta setting the example
When you take on the long overdue task of cleaning up a town’s ethics code, making it apply to the elected officials is a good, if not obvious, place to start. Fresh from a scandal in which the town...
View ArticleClinton’s emails not much trouble
In a previous job as an information technology professional providing tech support (including email and Blackberries) for a blue chip corporation, I noted that many of the business managers were rather...
View ArticleDemocracy in peril if trade pact passed
The November election will either terminate or ensure passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP looks like the European Union on steroids. Britain decided to exit the EU. Most Americans will...
View ArticleProtect MMA fighters
As New York prepares to host professional mixed martial arts matches, the state needs to confront the question of which is more important: promoter profits or competitor health and safety. The way the...
View ArticleJCOPE gets it wrong again
Somewhere in the bylaws of the state’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics must be a provision that requires JCOPE, whenever possible, to do the right thing wrong. How else would one explain why this...
View ArticleModerators must call out falsehoods
Journalists and fact-checking sites have been identifying the falsehoods uttered by the presidential candidates, with Donald Trump far exceeding Hillary Clinton in the amount of lies put forth by his...
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