Apr 20
2012
Regulations focus on air pollution to the exclusion of other concerns and give drillers more than two years to come into compliance. Rules drew mixed reaction from environmentalists and the natural gas industry.
Apr 17
2012
Liz Benjamin is a must-read political blogger who plays it straight down the middle. That didn’t stop Gov. Cuomo’s staff from compiling a list of grievances to present her boss. The episode, according to the New York Times, “showed a defining characteristic of this administration: few perceived slights are too minor to dispute.”
Apr 16
2012
NY Times magazine story examines the political repercussions for Sen. Mark Grisanti and three other Republicans who voted for gay marriage and concludes their stance doesn’t carry “the risk it would have been just a couple of years ago. The four defectors aren’t guaranteed re-election. But if they lose, it is likely to be in spite of their marriage vote, not because of it”
Apr 15
2012
Google co-founder Sergey Brin warns of “very powerful forces that have lined up against the open internet on all sides and around the world. I am more worried than I have been in the past … it’s scary.”
Apr 12
2012
The Center for Working Families has issued a report detailing the vast sums the Bronx Bombers spent on lobbying and campaign contributions while they were pushing for subsidies to help build their billion dollar ballpark.
Apr 9
2012
NY Times: “The distress of the last four years has added a cautionary postscript … a program that built its reputation when times were good offered little help when jobs disappeared. Despite the worst economy in decades, the cash welfare rolls have barely budged.”
Apr 4
2012
At $79,500, New York legislators are the third-highest-paid state lawmakers in the nation. And then there’s the stipends and per diems they pay themselves. The Albany Times Union has the details.
Apr 3
2012
Buffalo and Grand Island schools get a slice of pork, called ‘”bullet aid” in the new state budget. Gov. Cuomo and legislative leaders insist there’s no pork in the budget, but $30 million is school aid is assigned in a manner very similar to member earmarks under previous administrations.