Sound Shore

Here’s a digest of opinion content we published over the weekend:

Saturday, Oct. 29
Iran and Iraq: Commentaries
We ran a pair of commentary pieces addressing the American withdrawal from Iraq and the implications of an increasingly powerful Iran:
Withdrawal means a victor for Iran: Commentary, Frederick W. Kagan and Kimberly Kagan
Ending an unnecessary war is cause for rejoicing: Commentary, Bob Ray Sanders

Sunday, October 30
Rockland County Legislature endorsements: Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8
We offered endorsement of candidates seeking Rockland County Legislature seats:
District 1: Michael Diederich, a Democrat
District 2: Michael Grant, a Democrat
District 3: Jay Hood Jr., a Democrat
District 4: Ilan Schoenberger, a Democrat
District 8: Denet Alexandre, a Republican

Westchester County Board of Legislators endorsements: Districts 1, 2, 3, 5 and 17
We offered endorsements of candidates seeking Westchester County Board of Legislators seats:
District 1: John Testa, a Republican
District 2: Peter Harckham, a Democrat
District 3: John Nonna, a Democrat
District 5: William Ryan, a Democrat
District 17: Virginia Perez, a Democrat

Tappan Zee Bridge: Baird
Bob Baird assesses the potential infrastructure losses for Rockland County in the new plans to replace the Tappan Zee bridge.

Monday, Oct. 31
Immigrants and the GOP: Commentary
Justin Akers Chacon, a professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies in San Diego, comments on the Republican presidential candidates’ approach to immigration.

Here’s a look at opinion content published today in The Journal News:

Rockland County budget: Editorial
We comment on the 2012 budget proposal advanced Tuesday by Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef. The proposal would, among other things, defund the county’s nursing home and hospital complex, lay off as many as 800 county employees and ask homeowners for a one-time $160 surcharge. We write:

… Vanderhoef’s proposal makes the kind of hard choices that Rockland has somehow managed to duck — for years. Lawmakers now get their chance to vet the county executive’s proposal and to re-shape the budget plan; taxpayers get to weigh in as well. A final budget must be in place by Dec. 7.

(more…)

Good Tuesday morning. Here’s a digest of today’s opinion content:

PEF contract: Editorial
We comment on news that the Public Employees Federation, the second-largest union for state workers, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have reached tentative accord on a new contract. The union voted to rejected an earlier contract last month and faced approximately 3,500 layoffs; the new deal would avert that blood-letting. We write:

… Now it appears there’s hope of averting the mass layoffs — thanks to fruitful negotiations between union leaders and the Cuomo administration. A tentative accord on a new contract still must be approved by the 56,000-member PEF. Members rejected the earlier agreement 54 percent to 46 percent; the state’s largest public employee union, the 66,000-member Civil Service Employees Association, already OK’d a similar agreement.

The union said the new contract “better meets the needs of our members”; Gov. Cuomo said the agreement would remain “revenue neutral” and come at no additional cost to taxpayers. The new contact would be for four years instead of five, and includes reimbursements for nine furlough days instead of four; a $1,000 cash payment over two years was removed.

The concession-laden agreement reflects the kind of shared sacrifice that many public employee unions have made during this period of great economic upheaval, usually in exchange for protection against job cuts. …