Last Friday, the federal government’s long-term debt rating was reduced from AAA to AA+ by Standard and Poor’s, an unprecedented move with unforeseeable consequences. With a shaky stock market that saw a fall of more than 600 points on Monday, East Meadow residents and business owners are sharing in the national anxiety. more

The summer months tend to make all of us very lazy. Our minds wander, avoiding any kind of deep thinking. We focus on the hot weather, planned vacations, cookouts, sports and dozens of other mindless things. But whether we like it or not, the world around us continues to change, and we can’t ignore those changes. more

We sent in the Tea Party clowns, and they’re giving us quite a show. Of course, they are ably assisted by their associates in Congress, the president and the rest of those we hired to run our government for us. It’s hard to decide who belongs in the center ring, with so many deserving participants. more

Quick, how many zeroes are in a trillion? Answer –– 12. You don’t often have to think much about the number 1 trillion, do you? If you’re an astronomer calculating the number of stars in the universe, then you’re highly familiar with this gargantuan figure. Otherwise, you don’t often have to consider what a trillion really means. more

On Monday, Nassau County residents will vote on a $400 million bond referendum to build a new Coliseum and a minor league ballpark. The plan, which was first outlined to the public at a press … more

The U.S. government faces a historic choice over the next very few years: get our fiscal house in order or see our status as a world economic power permanently lost in an avalanche of debt. Fiscal responsibility knows no party or ideological bounds. It is neither Democratic nor Republican, liberal or conservative. If our economy falters, the consequences will be dire for us all. Our children and grandchildren will face the very real prospect of living less well off than previous generations. The American Dream of ever-growing prosperity will evaporate. Our future will look more like that of bankrupt Greece. more

The House and Senate have finally agreed on a budget deal to keep government running through the end of the fiscal year. But just when you thought the fighting was over, it’s only just begun. more

March 21, 2010, will go down in history as the day Congress voted to expand the social contract the U.S. government has with America. Late Sunday night, 219 Democratic Congressmen and women went against 178 Republicans and 34 Democrats in a historic vote on health care reform. more