The year 2012 seems very far away. We still have to get through the next eight months and survive a shaky economy, high unemployment and the early stirrings of the next presidential campaign. But one thing is for sure: 2012 will be a year of accountability for lots of people. more

On April 14 from 10 a.m. - noon at the Rockville Centre Public Library, the public is invited to join Herald guest columnist Hal Peterson as he leads a forum on returning New York state to a path of meaningful fiscal reform. more

On April 14 I will host a meeting in the Rockville Centre Public Library to discuss the need for meaningful reform with representatives from two state agencies and former Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman. more

For just the seventh time since 1975 — and for the first time since 2006 — the New York state Legislature adopted a budget before the April 1 deadline. Lawmakers in the Democratic-led … more

The New York State Senate has passed legislation to create felony charges for wrong-way and other reckless drivers, according to Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., a Republican from Merrick who sponsored … more

The New York State Senate has passed legislation to enact felony charges for wrong-way and other reckless drivers, according to Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., a Republican from Merrick who sponsored the bill. The legislation is in response to a significant number of arrests and car crashes involving individuals who drove the wrong way while under the influence of alcohol. more

This is about the good, the bad and the ugly. It isn’t fiction, as we get enough fiction from politicians these days. It deals with the New York State Legislature, the ethical crises it currently faces and the need to deal with them. more

Shaped like a footprint, Mullener Pond abuts the Meadowbrook Parkway amid a stand of oaks and maples just south of Jerusalem Avenue in North Merrick. It is a quiet place, hemmed in by a six-foot … more

I have to admit, I’m having a problem understanding how, in just 33 working days, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Medicaid Redesign Team was able to recommend 79 cost cutting measures to save $2.3 billion in the upcoming budget. I’ll address this concern from three viewpoints. 
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My last column, “Stop playing games with the budget deficit” (Feb. 3) was written one week before New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued his analysis of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget draft. The irrationality I outlined fell short of anticipating the following mea-culpa expressed in the comptroller’s analysis. “The SFY 2010-2011 enacted budget relied on $16.7 billion in non-recurring or temporary budget resources; and overly optimistic tax revenue projections, causing a dramatically worsened state structural deficit.” How dramatic? These tenuous entries constituted 30 percent of all the monies in the state’s operating fund. more