Before I get into the goings-on in Washington and Albany, I think it is more important to touch on the heartbreaking tragedy that took place last Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., not far across the Sound from all of us. more

The year is quickly coming to an end, and if you believe the hype, lawmakers appear to be nowhere close to making any breakthroughs and solving the fiscal crisis. more

In 2011, the median property tax bill in Nassau County was $8,478, putting Nassau a close second to Westchester County for the highest property taxes in the country. more

School spending plans passed at a high rate on Long Island and throughout New York state last week, ending the first budget season in which districts were limited by the state’s new tax levy cap. more

Valley Stream residents will likely see their village tax bills increase by more than $100 next year, the result of the Board of Trustees’ approval of the 2012-13 budget on Monday night. more

On Jan. 14, the New York Times reported that “President Obama on Friday announced an aggressive campaign to shrink the size of the federal government, a proposal less notable for its goal — the fight against bloat that has been embraced by every modern-day president — than for the political challenge it poses to a hostile Congress.” more

If Black Friday’s message is a broad-stroke “Buy! Buy! Buy!” then the theme of the more focused Small Business Saturday is “Buy local!” So that’s the theme to shop … more

Halfway through his first term as county executive, Ed Mangano is proposing yet another budget that takes a hatchet to spending. 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

There are times when I wish it was 2012. Not because I’m wishing my life away but because I’d love to see how today’s crop of politicians worked their way out of the worst financial crises in federal, state and local history. more