Politics and Government

Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state worker union, the Public Employees Federation, are going down to the wire over a deal to forge a new contract agreement  or face 3500 lay offs. 

The State Comptroller finds that Wall Street is having another bad year, and that could have a negative impact on New York State's budget.

What is the state of American democracy?  What are the roots of our democratic shortcomings, and what do we need to do to improve the health of the political process?  Jean Bethke Elshtain, democratic theorist, ethicist, and noted public intellectual at the University of Chicago—and author of Democracy on Trial—wrestles with these mighty questions in this substantively rich interview.  Elshtain has also written an influential book on just war—Just War Against Terror—and she considers the American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan through that lens.  Was the war justif

Governor Cuomo says he understands the “frustration” of the demonstrators taking part in the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York and the nation this week, but admits the state depends on revenues from the financial industry to balance its budget.

Cuomo says protests are an “important part of democracy”, and says he understands the frustration and anger of the demonstrators in downtown Manhattan over the stagnant economy.

“When people are feeling pain, they look for an outlet,” said Cuomo.

The groups delivered 180 water powered alarm clocks to Governor Cuomo’s office door, as part of their request for more time for the public to comment on proposed rules to allow hydrofracking in New York on some private lands.

 Katherine Nadaeu, with Environmental Advocates, says more time is needed to determine potential health effects of the gas drilling process, which uses chemically laced water to bore into underground
shale deposits in order to extract the gas.

Governor Andrew Cuomo opened the door to avoiding  the layoffs of 3500 state workers after a union contract was rejected, but he says it’s entirely up to the union leadership whether the job cut backs occur or not.

The Public Employees Federation is floating the idea of some so called tweaks to the tenets of the rejected labor contract, including, perhaps charging more for health care on a sliding scale
based on the amount of a worker’s pay.

In an interview with public radio, Governor Cuomo says he’s “open” to talking about the proposals .

Two days after one of the state’s two major worker unions rejected a contract, the Public Employees Federation President says he has “new ideas” for a contract settlement, and is anxious to meet with
Governor Cuomo to discuss options to avert the 3500 layoffs ordered by the governor.

ALBANY (August 12, 2011) - A poll finds that for the first time, President Obama has a negative rating in New York State.

WRVO's capitol correspondent Karen DeWitt reports.
 

OSWEGO, NY (August 11, 2011) - As the US Department of Energy's Natural Gas Subcommittee released its draft recommendations on fracking, numerous New York legislators made it known that they're not happy with the panel's make-up.

As WRVO's Joyce Gramza reports, state and local lawmakers say the federal panel is tilted toward oil and gas interests.
 

ALBANY, NY (August 8, 2011) - Republicans hold a one vote lead in the State Senate and worry that changes to the way districts are redrawn will put them at a disadvantage to hold the majority.

WRVO's Karen Dewitt reports.

By Grant Davis Reeher