Albany Needs to Make the Right Cuts
There is no question that Governor Paterson and members of the Legislature are confronting very difficult decisions in trying to put together a budget that doesn’t further burden New Yorkers. But the pain of these decisions is largely self-inflicted and that is the problem.
For years, and across party lines, leaders have done their best to [...]
Unions and the Great Pay Debate
When talking about wages and benefits, the leadership of New York’s public employees union just misses the point.
The Great NYS Property Tax Debate
Unshackle Upstate agrees with our NYS elected officials that something must be done to lower property taxes. But we differ greatly on the solution – and think their ideas fall way short.
Another Missed Opportunity?
At its core, Unshackle Upstate is about finding solutions. Identify what the short-term needs are and back them up with sustainable, long-term reform. As the saying goes, “if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.” Through its policy agenda, Unshackle Upstate has supported wage freezes and payroll lags as [...]
Remember in November
I’m writing this in Buffalo, some 280 miles west of Albany. Put another way, I’m writing from the real world, which is REALLY far from New York’s capital city.
Can it possibly be true that an announcement was made over the weekend that state employees would be getting $1/2 billion in raises – when we have [...]